Donald R. Jones

Contained nomadic information environments: Technology, organization, and environment influences on adoption of hospital RFID patient tracking

This paper reports on a case study of adoption of a contained nomadic information environment, exemplified by the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to keep track of hospital patients. The technology, organization, and environment (TOE) framework is applied to gain insights concerning contextual influences on the adoption of patient tracking RFID, including some RFID-specific issues. The results of this study provide insights to health care organizations embarking on RFID. The resultant model is a step towards developing a theory of adoption of contained nomadic information environments, of which RFID is one instance.

Application discoverability and user satisfaction in mobile application stores: An environmental psychology perspective

In order to appeal to consumers, mobile application stores face the challenge of finding ways to achieve the seemingly conflicting goals of providing a large quantity of applications and simultaneously making the specific applications that users desire easy to discover. Drawing on environmental psychology, this paper reports a study investigating how quantity-related facilitators and environment-related facilitators are related to application discoverability, which in turn impacts user satisfaction with the application store. We find that quantity-related facilitators (perceived quantity-sufficiency, perceived quantity-overload, and information specificity of search) and environment-related facilitators (application store coherence and user-generated reviews) all influence application discoverability, which affects user satisfaction. These facilitators play a role in managing the conflicting goals in mobile application stores.

The effects of incorporating compensatory choice strategies in Web-based consumer decision support systems

Given the importance to web retailers of creating satisfying experiences for website consumers, surprisingly little research has been done concerning the effects of Web-based consumer DSS. In this study, we draw on theories of decision making and user satisfaction to develop three realistic Web-based DSS that support different decision strategies, and conducted an experiment to compare them. As we hypothesized, results indicate that the two DSS supporting compensatory strategies (weighted additive or equally weighted), compared to DSS supporting non-compensatory strategies (elimination-by-aspects), were perceived to be more accurate, less effortful, more effective, more satisfactory, and had superior consistency with stated preferences.

The effects of information request ambiguity and construct incongruence on query development

This paper examines the effects of information request ambiguity and construct incongruence on end users ability to develop SQL queries with an interactive relational database query language. In this experiment, ambiguity in information requests adversely affected accuracy and efficiency. Incongruities among the information request, the query syntax, and the data representation adversely affected accuracy, efficiency, and confidence. The results for ambiguity suggest that organizations might elicit better query development if end users were sensitized to the nature of ambiguities that could arise in their business contexts. End users could translate natural language queries into pseudo-SQL that could be examined for precision before the queries were developed. The results for incongruence suggest that better query development might ensue if semantic distances could be reduced by giving users data representations and database views that maximize construct congruence for the kinds of queries in typical domains

The Effects of Exclusive User Choice of Decision Aid Features on Decision Making

Decision Support Systems (DSS) frequently have multiple decision aid (DA) features, causing users to engage in exclusive choice behavior; i.e., choice between alternative DA features that results in one feature being used to the exclusion of all others. We hypothesize that: (1) users choose the least effective (least accurate) DA feature in certain predictability environments; (2) users choose the DA feature that they believe they are most competent with; and (3) choice between DA features improves performance compared to those assigned the same DA feature. We test these hypotheses in an experiment in which 164 participants act as loan officers who chose between two decision aids (a database aid and a regression aid). The results support our hypotheses. Users employed a choice heuristic that caused them to choose the least effective DA feature for the task more than or as often as the most effective DA feature. Results also indicate a positive relationship between perceived competence and DA feature choic...

The division of labor between human and computer in the presence of decision support system advice

Prior research suggests that decision support system (DSS) provide model advice and display non-modeled information for decision makers [4,13]. We investigate whether decision makers (1) delegate the processing of the modeled information to the model, (2) cognitively process the non-modeled information, and (3) decide based on the models advice adjusted for the non-modeled information. Experimentally, decision makers were no more likely to execute normative strategies when they had requisite knowledge for the strategy than when they did not have the requisite knowledge. We observed alternative processing, including ignoring the advice altogether, and evaluating the advice. Our findings suggest that DSS builders must encourage decision strategies that capitalize on the relative strengths of human and computer in using those features.

Developing Database Query Proficiency: Assuring Compliance for Responses to Web Site Referrals

This case illustrates how database queries can be used to provide continuous assurance in a situation where two trading partners want assurance of the others compliance with their agreements. In this two‐sided assurance situation, a car maker wants assurance that its dealers make timely responses to web site customers and the dealers want assurance that the car maker is sending them all the designated customer referrals. The queries, developed in Microsoft Access®, illustrate the kind of queries that accountants could prepare to perform continuous monitoring of business activities. In this situation, referrals not in compliance with the agreements might be sent automatically to car maker and dealer managements. Query‐based approaches to continuous assurance are likely to become more common as trading partners devise new business relationships and want assurance that the other party is abiding by their mutual agreements.

Creating a Business Process Diagram and Database Queries to Detect Billing Errors and Analyze Calling Patterns for Cell Phone Service

In this case, students develop a business process diagram to understand the business situation and create database queries to detect billing discrepancies and manage costs for corporate cell phone service. Using a database query tool or audit software, students query a database with tables for call details, invoices, invoice details, plan rates, and users on plan. The queries are representative of those that accountants could develop to analyze transaction‐level data to detect errors and develop insights about business operations. Query‐based approaches to analyzing transaction data can enable businesses to make sense of their operations and ensure that they and their trading partners comply with their mutual agreements. The case is appropriate for students with rudimentary database querying proficiency, e.g., at the level developed by Borthick et al.s (2001) case on assuring compliance for responses to website referrals. No auditing expertise is needed. The case is appropriate for database analysis in a...

The effects of attitudinal ambivalence and exploratory switching behavior on the use of two decision aids

Abstract Decision aids are commonly designed to provide users with more task domain knowledge than that possessed by the users. Also, decision support systems often provide users with two or more decision aids for performing similar tasks, which can lead to switching between the aids. These aspects of decision aid use can combine to cause users to experience attitudinal ambivalence (i.e., simultaneously holding conflicting feelings or beliefs) toward the presence of the multiple decision aids. This study investigates the relationships among ambivalence, switching, and task performance in a behavioral experiment involving two decision aids. Based on attitudinal ambivalence research, we hypothesize that: (1) ambivalence toward two decision aids leads to switching between them; (2) switching is exploratory behavior that improves performance; and (3) switching occurs more when using decision aids with high-interactivity than when using those with low-interactivity. In this study, business students acting as bank loan officers process commercial loan applications using two decision aids (a regression prediction and a database list), between which they could freely switch. From a cognitive perspective, most participants (91%) viewed their decision aid environment as highly ambivalent. Switching occurred 23% of the time and in 89% of the participants. As expected, as switching increased, performance improved, and switching and performance improvements occurred with the high-interactivity database aid more than with the low-interactivity regression aid. The results provide weak support for the predicted relationship between cognitive ambivalence and switching, and none for emotional ambivalence and switching. Also, as switching increased, time to complete tasks (as a proxy for effort) increased.

Analyzing a Potential Warranty Call Center Budget Overrun: Using Database Queries to Solve Business Problems

In this case, students develop and use database queries to analyze possible causes of a potential budget overrun for telephone warranty service for a company that sells personal computers (PCs). Students query a Microsoft Access® database with tables for sales of PCs, estimates for technician time, employees, technician costs, and service minutes provided. The queries illustrate those that accountants could prepare to analyze transaction‐level data to develop insights about business operations. Query‐based approaches to analyzing transaction data are likely to become more common as businesses take advantage of the wealth of data available to them for solving business problems and exploiting emerging opportunities. This case is appropriate for students with rudimentary database querying proficiency, e.g., at the level developed by Borthick et al.s (2001) case on assuring compliance for responses to website referrals.