John C. Windsor

Building a Knowledge Base for MIS Research: A Meta-Analysis of a Systems Success Model

This study was conducted to create a knowledge base for MIS research. Building on two previous theoretical models, a systems success model relating six independent variables external environment, organizational environment, user environment, IS operations environment, IS development environment, and information systems to four success variables use, satisfaction, individual impact, and organizational impact was developed. This model was tested using data from 82 empirical studies in a meta-analysis. Results showed that all but one independent variable, external environment, had a significant relationship with success variables. In addition, each independent variable had varying strengths of relationships with different success variables. The findings yield important guidelines for the selection of variables in future research. The validated systems success model is general and theory based, and is useful in providing directions for future research.

Organizational Practices That Foster Knowledge Sharing: Validation across Distinct National Cultures

There is lack of empirical, broad-based research in the area of comparative, cross-cultural studies that focus on knowledge sharing. Using the knowledge-based view (KBV) as the theoretical foundation, the study investigates how organizational practices in two distinct national cultures support knowledge sharing activities and the associated supporting organizational practices that are widely transferable. We propose and empirically test a model that examines the relationships among strategic, decision and technology practices and organizational knowledge sharing in two distinct national cultures (US and Japan). The results of the study suggest that despite the existing cultural contrasts in these two countries there are some common organizational practices that positively impact an organization’s knowledge-sharing environment. While these results support a model of core organizational practices that foster knowledge sharing and that are transferable across national cultures our findings also support the need for careful consideration of the type of practices applied across different cultures.

Risks and Effects of IS/IT Outsourcing: A Securities Market Assessment

Abstract CEOs are ultimately responsible to investors for firm performance, including the results of IS/IT outsourcing. CIOs, while responsible for implementing the outsourcing contract, do not share that same level of motivation or responsibility as the CEO. Although previous studies examine market effects of outsourcing on firm stock, and of IS technology investment on firm value, no published IS research ties outsourcing to financial performance or examines its effects on firm risk. This study addresses these issues with a securities market assessment of outsourcing. It examines outsourcing announcement effects on firm value and firm risk, using empirical data. The findings of this research are: large-company IS/IT outsourcing has a value-neutral, but risk-changing effect on the firm, as measured by initial reactions in company stocks and listed options. Over time, firm value improves following outsourcing. Weak firms experience increased risk with outsourcing, while all other firms experience a reduction in risk. Given these findings, outsourcing is a tool the CEO can use to signal investors that steps are being taken to improve firm performance. By examining outsourcing from this perspective, we conclude that CEO and CIO perceptions of outsourcing differ, as do their motivations and job responsibilities. Outsourcing appears to benefit the entire firm, the investors, and the CEO, far more than it benefits the IS department and the CIO.

Knowledge Management and the Creation of Business Value

Knowledge management (KM) initiatives that create business value are a major focus for many organizations. While academics often couch KM success in terms of process outcomes, some argue that the organizational outcomes perspective of KM success held by many practitioners is clearer, where KM success is tied to its impact on organizational performance. This study proposes an integrated model that incorporates both perspectives, in which the business value of KM is the dependent variable and effective KM process implementation is an important antecedent. We also hypothesize that two contextual factors, top management support and organizational culture, are positively related to business value. Data collected from a U.S. national survey of 268 information technology (IT) executives support the significance of these relationships. Furthermore, this research identifies key KM barriers as well as benefits that influence top management support of KM, KM process implementation, and indirectly business value. Practical and research implications are discussed.

An investigation of the smartphone user's in-game purchase intention

The in-game sale strategy is considered one of the most promising business models for mobile gaming application industry. However, little knowledge has been found about the antecedent factors of a smartphone users consumption intention. We integrate the hedonic use perspective with value based theories to investigate the effects of influential factors on the smartphone users in-game purchase intention IGPI. We find that a users perceived playfulness and the users perceived added value of gaming applications on smartphones both have significant positive effects on the users IGPI. We also instantiated five factors according to the mobile fun framework and empirically validated their influences on the users perceived playfulness of gaming applications. The findings will contribute to the future gaming application commercialisation research, and provide several practical implications to gaming application developers.

An empirical analysis of software volatility and related factors

Despite the belief that software enhancements must be designed into software applications, there is only little research that has rigorously investigated the relationships that exist between software characteristics and software volatility. The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship of software characteristics with software volatility and its theoretical model is based on two models for software volatility. In this study, software volatility refers to the frequency of enhancements per application. A survey of critical software applications used at a major integrated oil company was used to test the hypotheses. Findings indicate that complexity, software age, and program size are significant predicators for software volatility. These findings could assist companies in their decision process about choosing between maintaining existing software or replacing it, often at substantial financial cost.

Determinants of software volatility: a field study

Although technology advances have provided new tools for maintaining software, maintenance costs remain the largest component of software life cycle cost. A basic factor claimed to be one of the driving factors in the cost of maintenance is software volatility. The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between certain software attributes and software volatility. In this study, software volatility refers to the frequency or number of enhancements per unit of application over a specified time normalized. However, this metric is divided by the number of source lines of code (SLOC) to obtain a measure that takes into account the size of the software application. The research model is built on previous research concerning software volatility. Three factors are examined to determine their influence on software volatility normalized for SLOC: age, software complexity, and software complexity normalized for SLOC. In addition, we introduce the notion that mean time between software enhancements moderates the relationship of age, complexity, and complexity normalized for SLOC with software volatility. A field study at a major corporation allowed for the collection of data from a 13-year-time period. These data are used to empirically test the hypotheses presented in this study. As a moderator variable, mean time between enhancements significantly contributes to the explanatory power of a prediction model for software volatility adjusted for SLOC. Software administrators may wish to use the proposed model in their decision-making plans to control for software costs.

Information technology literacy revisited: an exploratory assessment

This study examines student perceptions and usage of a variety of information technologies, their comfort level in performing basic computer related tasks, and their computer related experience and sources of learning about information technology. Findings are interpreted through a systems thinking perspective with a focus on the implications for information technology educators. Although students today have more exposure to information technology than their counterparts of a decade ago, these findings indicate that they still do not perceive the classroom as a major source of learning about it. Exploratory analysis, however, reveals that greater classroom exposure to information technology is positively related to a variety of factors.

User's Adoption of Free Third-Party Security Apps

Although multiple security applications (apps) are offered by third-party developers for free, only a small portion of smart device users have adopted these apps. The lack of relevant research urgently requires an in-depth investigation of influential factors of the users adoption of the new cyber security countermeasures. In this study, we introduce a theoretical model by integrating factors from the users awareness perspective and the users trust perspective. We find that the users technology awareness and trust in security apps both have significant positive effects on their adoption intention. The users trust in security apps also has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between their threat awareness and their adoption intention. These findings do not only provide a theoretical foundation for future mobile security app adoption research, but also offer several implications for developers to push the diffusion of their software in the promising app based cyber security market.

Motivating students to acquire mainframe skills

There has been a perception in both industry and in academia that mainframe skills are obsolete. As a result, there has been a decline in curricula addressing these skills. However, recent evidence shows that many organizations are still actively supporting mainframe technologies and report a need for students graduating in information technology to be trained in those skills, especially as much of their current mainframe workforce moves toward retirement. This paper examines the question of what motivates students to acquire mainframe skills. To do so, this research is investigates IBMs Master the Mainframe contest, a competition that attempts to engender enthusiasm for acquiring mainframe skills and ensure an adequate supply of such skills to organizations relying on them.