François Bergeron

An information technology trilogy: business strategy, technological deployment and organizational performance

The objective of this empirical study is to identify various profiles of technological deployment specific to various types of business strategy that best support organizational performance. Top managers from 223 organizations completed two questionnaizres analyzed using a Partial Least Squares tool (PLS graph). Profiles of technological deployment based on the strategic impact of the information system department, the technological architecture, the information system performance evaluation and technological scanning were identified. Using Miles and Snows typology to characterize business strategy, an outward technological profile contributes directly to organizational performance for the analyzer strategic activities, while an inward profile of technological deployment contributes indirectly to organizational performance for the prospector strategic activities.

Factors Affecting Auditory Performance of Postlinguistically Deaf Adults Using Cochlear Implants

A model of auditory performance and a model of ganglion cell survival in postlinguistically deafened adult cochlear implant users are suggested to describe the effects of aetiology, duration of deafness, age at implantation, age at onset of deafness, and duration of implant use. The models were compared with published data and a composite data set including 808 implant users. Qualitative agreement with the model of auditory performance was found. Duration of deafness had a strong negative effect on performance. Age at implantation had a slight negative effect on performance, increasing after age 60 years. Age at onset of deafness had little effect on performance up to age 60. Duration of implant use had a positive effect on performance. Aetiology had a relatively weak effect on performance.

Factors Affecting Auditory Performance of Postlinguistically Deaf Adults Using Cochlear Implants: An Update with 2251 Patients

Objective: To update a 15-year-old study of 800 postlinguistically deaf adult patients showing how duration of severe to profound hearing loss, age at cochlear implantation (CI), age at onset of severe to profound hearing loss, etiology and CI experience affected CI outcome. Study Design: Retrospective multicenter study. Methods: Data from 2251 adult patients implanted since 2003 in 15 international centers were collected and speech scores in quiet were converted to percentile ranks to remove differences between centers. Results: The negative effect of long duration of severe to profound hearing loss was less important in the new data than in 1996; the effects of age at CI and age at onset of severe to profound hearing loss were delayed until older ages; etiology had a smaller effect, and the effect of CI experience was greater with a steeper learning curve. Patients with longer durations of severe to profound hearing loss were less likely to improve with CI experience than patients with shorter duration of severe to profound hearing loss. Conclusions: The factors that were relevant in 1996 were still relevant in 2011, although their relative importance had changed. Relaxed patient selection criteria, improved clinical management of hearing loss, modifications of surgical practice, and improved devices may explain the differences.

Determinants of EIS use: testing a behavioral model

Abstract An increasing number of organizations have implemented executive information systems (EIS), hoping to improve the effectiveness of senior managers and to facilitate their work. The use of such systems is thus a necessary condition through which executive performance can be affected. This study aims at understanding the various factors related to EIS utilization, using as theoretical foundation a model from organizational behaviour. This model, developed by Triandis, leads us to hypothesize that EIS use (behaviour) is determined by EIS experience (habits), work group influence (social factor), user satisfaction with information, system access and assistance (affect), perceived consequences (of EIS use), EIS sophistication and presence of a hotline (facilitating conditions). Field data obtained from 38 executives in nine organizations allowed us to test and confirm the appropriateness of the behavioral model through correlation and regression analyses. The results of the study are shown to have implications both for researchers and practitioners.

Pre-, Per- and Postoperative Factors Affecting Performance of Postlinguistically Deaf Adults Using Cochlear Implants: A New Conceptual Model over Time

Objective To test the influence of multiple factors on cochlear implant (CI) speech performance in quiet and in noise for postlinguistically deaf adults, and to design a model of predicted auditory performance with a CI as a function of the significant factors. Study Design Retrospective multi-centre study. Methods Data from 2251 patients implanted since 2003 in 15 international centres were collected. Speech scores in quiet and in noise were converted into percentile ranks to remove differences between centres. The influence of 15 pre-, per- and postoperative factors, such as the duration of moderate hearing loss (mHL), the surgical approach (cochleostomy or round window approach), the angle of insertion, the percentage of active electrodes, and the brand of device were tested. The usual factors, duration of profound HL (pHL), age, etiology, duration of CI experience, that are already known to have an influence, were included in the statistical analyses. Results The significant factors were: the pure tone average threshold of the better ear, the brand of device, the percentage of active electrodes, the use of hearing aids (HAs) during the period of pHL, and the duration of mHL. Conclusions A new model was designed showing a decrease of performance that started during the period of mHL, and became faster during the period of pHL. The use of bilateral HAs slowed down the related central reorganization that is the likely cause of the decreased performance.

Managing EDI for corporate advantage: a longitudinal study

Abstract This research attempts to identify the benefits that organizations gain by using EDI, the conditions under which these advantages can be attained, and their variation with time. Using a longitudinal design, 65 Canadian organizations were surveyed twice over a three-year period. In phase 1, factors such as the organizational support, the implementation process, the control procedures, and the integration of EDI were found to be positively related to the attainment of EDI advantages whereas, the imposition of EDI by business partners had a negative effect. In phase 2, the implementation process and the imposition of EDI lost their importance, imposition having only a positive effect on the organizational context. The reasons for these changes are discussed.

Investigating the support role of the information center

During the past decade, end-user computing has been subject to several research efforts. One result is common to nearly all of the studies on that topic: the importance of providing support to users. Descriptive studies have identified this result as a major issue; critical success factor studies have reported it as a key element, and models of factors of success have found that it is significantly related to user satisfaction with end-user computing. This article reports the results of a study that further investigates user support, in the particular context of the information center. The study examines the relationships among some of the key features of the information center in its support role and reports on user satisfaction. The results are based on the data provided by 172 users and 19 information center managers in 19 organizations. Analysis fo the data suggests that the number of information center employees, the number of databases, and the number of software tools provided to user are negatively correlated with the user satisfaction, while the proximity of the information center, the diversity of services offered, and the proportion of the information systems budget devoted to the information center are positively related with the various dimensions of user satisfaction.

Cochlear reimplantation : Causes of failure, outcomes, and audiologic performance

Objectives/Hypothesis: To review Quebecs experience with cochlear reimplantation in adults and children and describe failure rates, causes of revision, surgical findings, and the impact of reimplantation on audiologic performances.

Language Achievement in Children Who Received Cochlear Implants Between 1 and 2 Years of Age: Group Trends and Individual Patterns

This study examined receptive and expressive vocabulary and grammar achievement of French-speaking children (n = 27) who received a cochlear implant (CI) between the age of 1 and 2. Standardized measures of language achievement were administered and the language levels attained by children with CIs were compared with that of the normative sample of same-age hearing peers for each measure. As a group, children exhibited language levels within normal limits in all standardized language measures. Examination of individual patterns revealed four different language profiles ranging from normal language levels in all domains to general language delay. Half the participants displayed language levels on par with similar-age peers at the word level; less than half the children obtained average performance at the sentence level. In three of these profiles, comprehension of sentences was impaired. Moreover, the age at implantation was not associated with language achievement. Findings suggest that receiving a CI between the age of 1 and 2 years does not ensure that language abilities will be within normal limits after up to 6 years of experience with the implant.

EDI success in small and medium-sized enterprises: a field study

This research aims to identify empirically the success factors that have allowed small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) to obtain advantages from electronic data interchange (EDI). These advantages can be operational, managerial, and strategic in nature. Results of a field study done in 39 firms indicate that it is the quality of the organizational context of EDI (organizational support, implementation process, and control procedures) that is crucial to the attainment of benefits from this technology. In turn, the quality of the organizational context is higher when the small firm implements EDI voluntarily rather than having it imposed by a major client or supplier. These results are compared with those of a prior study done in a large business context.