George Mangalaraj

Assessing the relative influence of journals in a citation network

Some journals are perceived as sources of knowledge; others serve as storers of knowledge. Learning the strengths and persuasions of journals is of value to academia, scholars, and publishers.

Acceptance of software process innovations – the case of extreme programming

Extreme programming (XP), arguably the most popular agile development methodology, is increasingly finding favor among software developers. Its adoption and acceptance require significant changes in work habits inculcated by traditional approaches that emphasize planning, prediction, and control. Given the growing interest in XP, it is surprising that there is a paucity of research articles that examine the factors that facilitate or hinder its adoption and eventual acceptance. This study aims to fill this void. Using a case study approach, we provide insights into individual, team, technological, task, and environmental factors that expedite or impede the organization-wide acceptance of XP. In particular, we study widely differing patterns of adherence to XP practices within an organization, and tease out the various issues and challenges posed by the adoption of XP. Based on our findings, we evolve factors and discuss their implications on the acceptance of XP practices.

Creating online surveys: some wisdom from the trenches tutorial

With the advent of handy Internet building tools, online surveys are becoming a promising alternative to traditional paper- and mail-based surveys to collect data for survey research. While conducting online surveys has its advantages, it comes with a unique set of challenges. Leveraging our experience in developing multiple online surveys, we highlight some of the critical issues of the process. This tutorial provides insights to develop and conduct online surveys effectively. In a step-by-step process, we offer recommendations to researchers at various decision stages of developing an online survey, from initial planning through the final data-collection phase.

Distributed cognition in software design: an experimental investigation of the role of design patterns and collaboration

Software design is a knowledge intensive task that constitutes a critical part of the software development process. Using a controlled experiment involving software practitioners, this research examines two potentially useful mechanisms for improving the software design process. Specifically, this study examines the impact of structural distribution of cognition through design patterns and social distribution of cognition through collaborating pairs on design outcomes. The results indicate that the use of design patterns as external cognitive artifacts improves design quality, reduces time taken to solve a design problem, and leads to higher participant satisfaction. Collaborating pairs of software designers were compared to participants working alone but whose efforts were conjointly considered as the best and second-best members of nominal pairs. It was found that paired designers produced higher quality designs compared with the second-best members of nominal pairs, did not differ from the best member of a nominal pair, but took more time to complete a design task than either member of a nominal pair. The results also indicate that the availability of design patterns raises the performance level of the second-best member of a nominal pair, in terms of quality, and reduces task completion time when compared with a pair not using design patterns. Finally, paired designers were found to experience higher levels of task satisfaction when compared with individuals. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Is Information Systems a Reference Discipline

In recent times, there has been a growing interest in the level of intellectual contribution that IS makes to other disciplines. Much of the debate that has dominated the literature so far is based on the visions and opinions of a few IS scholars. This study endeavors to provide new insights into these deliberations by examining citation flows between journals from various business fields, many of which have served as reference disciplines to IS research. A log-multiplicative model was used to assess the influence of IS journals vis-à-vis other business journals. Further, inter-disciplinary flows were analyzed to address the question of whether IS is a valuable source or provider of knowledge. The results suggest that IS, while serving as a modest source of knowledge to management and marketing, is still predominantly a refereeing discipline, relying primarily on these two disciplines for its research.

Differential effects on assimilation stages for supply chain management information systems

ABSTRACT The assimilation of Supply chain management information systems (SCM-ISs) is a complex phenomenon extending over multiple stages such as intention, adoption, internal integration, and external integration, which are influenced by various technological, organizational, inter-organizational, and environmental factors. This study explores the differential effects of various factors on assimilation stages. This study uses meta-analysis technique to quantitatively synthesize prior research data to determine the differential effects of factors on assimilation stages. In total, 400 findings on 40 relationships involving 11 factors and four stages of SCM-IS assimilation were used to conduct 29 Z-tests to determine the differential effects of factors on stages. Our findings show that organizations will benefit from attention to different factors at different stages of the assimilation process in efforts to incorporate SCM-ISs into their strategies and operations. Findings of the study are useful to managers as they navigate the process of assimilating SCM-ISs in their operations.

Usable Authentication in EBusiness: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract The traditional approach of system centered security seems to be inadequate for consumer ebusiness models where the user plays a critical role to ensure computer security. Moreover, human factors are increasingly being exploited for defeating security as evidenced by ever increasing trend in human-centered attacks. Although many of the attacks exploiting human aspects generally do not require high technical skills, their detection and prevention are usually complex. Valid user authentication requires both customer and ebusiness correctly authenticating each other. As would be seen in the paper, usable security plays a crucial role in this mutual authentication process. The paper surveys the major research findings in the area, explores the cotemporary industry practices and discusses some potential future directions.