Jon Heales

The Influence of National Culture on the Level and Outcome of IS Development Decisions

Abstract Would the outcome of a Global multinational organizations decision be the same if the same decision were to be made in different countries throughout the world? Within the same organization, we propose that national cultural differences can influence decision making in different countries and cultural clusters. While much work has been done on organizational cultural influences, this study examines the influence that national culture has on organizational decision making in respect to the evolution/redevelopment decision that organizations may face at a point in time. Building on findings from the GLOBE research program, we show by empirical testing of a theoretical model that national cultural dimensions are significantly associated with a) the outcome of the decision to enhance or re-develop a system, and b) the organizational level at which such decisions are made. This research is significant as a means to improve management decision making, particularly with regard to the enhancement versus redevelopment decision. The research suggests that a relatively uniform sub-culture exists across the global IS project level but that national cultural dimensions play a more important role in determining the organizational management level at which decisions are made. Our analysis also suggests that technical factors (Upper case tools and platform) carry more influence in the outcome of the decision at the project level (i.e., development or enhancement). However, human factors (national cultural dimensions) were seen to be more important at the management level (i.e., where the decision was made).

Enhancing e-learning effectiveness using an intelligent agent-supported personalized virtual learning environment: an empirical investigation

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) developed under constructivism and embedded personalization learning functions have the potential to meet different requirements of different learners and thus increase e-Learning effectiveness. We formulated internal personalized learning mechanisms by implementing intelligent agents in a VLE under a constructivist learning model and further developed an e-learning effectiveness framework by integrating educational and IS theories. An empirical field experiment involving 228 university students was conducted. The findings suggested that personalized e-learning facilities enhance online learning effectiveness in terms of examination, satisfaction, and self-efficacy criteria.

On Governing Collaborative Information Technology (IT): A Relational Perspective

Organizations today invest in collaborative IT to engage in collaborative alliances to sustain or improve their competitive positions. Effective use of this collaborative IT in an alliance requires a deeper understanding of their governance structures. This effort is to ensure the sustainability of these alliances. Through the relational view of the firm, we suggest relational lateral IT steering committees, relational IT operational committees, and relational IT performance management systems as IT governance structures for collaborative alliances. We then incorporate these structures, develop a model for approaches to governing collaborative IT, and evaluate the effectiveness for such governance structures in the IT-dependent alliances. We suggest that IT governance efforts of an alliance should contribute to their collaborative rent. We also suggest that the collaborative rent of an alliance would relate to the business value of its alliance partners. Field survey data containing 192 responses indicate a positive influence of the suggested IT governance efforts of the alliance on the collaborative rent of the alliance. The results also suggest a positive impact of the collaborative rent of the alliance on the business value of the alliance partners.

A model of factors affecting an information system's change in state

Management are keen to maximize the life span of an information system because of the high cost, organizational disruption, and risk of failure associated with the re-development or replacement of an information system. This research investigates the effects that various factors have on an information systems life span by understanding how the factors affect an information systems stability. The research builds on a previously developed two-stage model of information system change whereby an information system is either in a stable state of evolution in which the information systems functionality is evolving, or in a state of revolution, in which the information system is being replaced because it is not providing the functionality expected by its users.A case study surveyed a number of systems within one organization. The aim was to test whether a relationship existed between the base value of the volatility index (a measure of the stability of an information system) and certain system characteristics. Data relating to some 3000 user change requests covering 40 systems over a 10-year period were obtained. The following factors were hypothesized to have significant associations with the base value of the volatility index: language level (generation of language of construction), system size, system age, and the timing of changes applied to a system. Significant associations were found in the hypothesized directions except that the timing of user changes was not associated with any change in the value of the volatility index.

Reliability factors in business software: volatility, requirements and end-users

Many business-oriented software applications are subject to frequent changes in requirements. This paper shows that, ceteris paribus, increases in the volatility of system requirements decrease the reliability of software. Further, systems that exhibit high volatility during the development phase are likely to have lower reliability during their operational phase. In addition to the typically higher volatility of requirements, end-users who specify the requirements of business-oriented systems are usually less technically oriented than people who specify the requirements of compilers, radar tracking systems or medical equipment. Hence, the characteristics of software reliability problems for business-oriented systems are likely to differ significantly from those of more technically oriented systems.

The Influence of Privacy, Trust, and National Culture on Internet Transactions

A privacy paradox still exists between consumers’ willingness to transact online and their stated Information privacy concerns. MIS research has the capacity to contribute to societal research in this area (Dinev 2014) and cultural differences are one important area of investigation. The global nature of e-commerce makes cultural factors likely to have a significant impact on this concern. Building on work done in the area of culture and privacy, and also trust and privacy, we explore the three way relationship between culture, privacy and trust. Emerge. A key originality of this work is the use of the GLOBE variables to measure culture. These provide a more contemporary measure of culture and overcome some of the criticisms levelled at the much used Hofstede variables. Since the late 1990s scholars have been exploring ways of measuring Privacy. Whilst attitudinal measures around concern for information privacy are only one proxy for privacy itself, such measures have evolved in sophistication. Smith et al. developed the Global Information Privacy Scale which evolved into the 15 question parsimonious CFIP scale (Smith 1996) Leading on from this Malhotra developed the internet users information privacy concerns (IUIPC) which takes into account individuals differing perceptions of fairness and justice using social contract theory. We present the results of an exploratory empirical study that uses both GLOBE and IUIPC via a set of scenarios to determine the strength of national culture as an antecedent to IUIPC and the concomitant effect of IUIPC on trust and risk.

Examing Significant Factors and Risks Affecting the Willingness to Adopt a Cloud–Based CRM

Given the advantages of and significant impact that Cloud-based CRMs have had on achieving competitive edge, they are becoming the primary choice for many organizations. However, due to the growth of concerns around cloud computing, cloud services might not be adopted with as much alacrity as was expected. A variety of factors may affect the willingness to adopt a cloud-based CRM. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to explore the factors that influence the adoption of a cloud-based CRM in SME’s, from the perspectives of the client organizations and users. We then propose a research model, grounded in the Resource Based View Framework (RBV), the Theory of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM2), Risks and Trust Theories. This report recommends a research methodology. It offers recommendations for practitioners and cloud service providers to effectively assist in the adoption of cloud-based CRMs in organizations.

Do organisations in developing economies legitimise their level of profit? Evidence from Fiji

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate whether organisations in developing economies legitimise their level of profit. Design/methodology/approach - Organisations’ level of profit is evaluated against the readability of sections of information available in the corporate annual reports. These sections include the Chairman’s Report, the Chief Executive Officer Report and the Notes to the Accounts. Findings - More profitable organisations report more readable information in their corporate annual reports. Information in the non-mandatory sections of the report (Notes to the Accounts) is more readable compared to the information in the mandatory sections of the report (Chairman’s Report). Larger organisations report more readable information. Public Enterprises report more readable information compared to the Publicly Listed Companies. Research limitations/implications - Organisations in the developing economies are aware of their role in their society. They respond to instances of possible violation of the implied social contract by sharing information in ways that relays news in certain ways. Practical implications - Evidence of presence of legitimising activities by organisations would imply the need to strengthen the regulatory and monitoring guidelines to ensure efficient use of society’s resources and a fair rent charge for the utilities. Social implications - There is a greater need to monitor and question organisations’ level of earned profit to ensure it is necessary to maintain their operations. Originality/value - This study is the first attempt to investigate organisations’ immediate legitimising activities in relation to their reported profit.