Kirk P. Arnett

Exploring the factors associated with Web site success in the context of electronic commerce

Web sites are being widely deployed commercially. As the widespread use and dependency on Web technology increases, so does the need to assess factors associated with Web site success. The objective is to explore these factors in the context of electronic commerce (EC). The research framework was derived from information systems and marketing literature. Webmasters from Fortune 1000 companies were used as the target group for a survey. Four factors that are critical to Web site success in EC were identified: (1) information and service quality, (2) system use, (3) playfulness, and (4) system design quality. An analysis of the data provides valuable managerial implications for Web site success in the context of electronic commerce.

Web sites of the Fortune 500 companies: facing customers through home pages

Abstract The growing popularity of the information superhighway has opened up exciting opportunities for companies looking to, not only maintain their current customer base, but also to reach new customers. One of the most popular methods to enter into cybermarketing has been to establish a home page or Web site on the Internet. Almost two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies currently maintain home pages on the Web. An analysis of the content of corporate home pages provides useful insights. Over four-fifths of the companies display products and services (93.2%) and company overview (86.1%) information. Roughly three-fourths of the companies present interactive feedback (79.3%) and whats new (71.1%). Less than one-third (26.2%) of Fortune 500 companies provide for online business. An analysis of the data also provides valuable insight into the future trends of home page usage by large business organizations.

Firms that choose outsourcing: a profile

Abstract A nationwide survey of senior Information Systems (IS) managers in U.S. organizations reveals several structural and managerial characteristics of organizations that outsource one or more IS activities. The characteristics include organizational position of the IS manager, CEO involvement in IS (e.g., presence on an IS steering committee and personal use of computers), and IS performance. Outsourcing activities examined are hardware (e.g., network, PC, workstation, minicomputer, and mainframe maintenance and support); software (e.g., contract programming and software support/ training) and comprehensive management activities (e.g., facility management and systems integration). Apparently CEOs who are heavily involved in a steering committee are the least likely to outsource. CEOs that actively use computers are more likely to outsource specific hardware and software activities, whereas CEOs who do not personally use a computer are more likely to outsource comprehensive management activities. In addition, the distance between the CEO and the IS manager is a factor: further distance makes it more likely that IS functions are outsourced. Industry leaders are among the smallest proportion of outsourcing firms, whereas close followers are the largest.

IT skills in a tough job market

IT professionals know they must keep their skills up to date. But doing so requires knowing what skills are in demand.

The size of the IT job market

Comparing the U.S. IT job markets of the 1990s and 2000s.

An Examination of Privacy Policies in Fortune 500 Web Sites

Although personal information privacy concerns have been around for years, the introduction of E‐commerce and its associated technologies presents privacy concerns anew. The Fortune 500 represents traditional leadership in the use of technologies and business practices. This preliminary study examines Web sites of the Fortune 500 and shows that slightly more than 50 percent of Fortune 500 Web sites provide privacy policies on their home pages. Comprehensive privacy policies to address all privacy dimensions recommended by the FTC are less common.

Spyware: a little knowledge is a wonderful thing

With the increased dependence on networks and the near ubiquitous availability of the Internet, there is a new paradigm in place for the proliferation of spyware, viruses, and other malware. In fact, much attention has been given to spyware in popular literature with reports from multiple sources indicating that spyware has perhaps reached 90% home user PCs [2].

Busting the ghost in the machine

This article describes an attempt to infect two new Dell WindowsXP-SP2 PCs (named Grease and Grime) with spyware and examines the results of the spyware infections. Each PC carried Symantec Antivirus 8.1.0.125, Spyware Doctor 3.1 (Doc), Spybot Search and Destroy 1.3 (SSD), and Sandra 2005 software, but no inoculation options were active during the infection and examination processes. Table 1 illustrates the initial benchmark metrics from Sandra 2005 obtained from SI Software at www.sisoftware.net/.

Current practices in management information systems

Abstract The results of a nationwide survey of U.S. systems analysts chosen from firms listed in Standard and Poors Register of Corporations, Directors, and Executives are presented. Respondents are highly experienced analysts who work with large-scale information systems projects in mature IS environments. Technical, organizational, and intrinsic facets of the information systems development process are assessed. Findings of the study indicate that while these facets of the development process are changing, the changes are not occurring as rapidly as the literature often suggests. Systems flowcharts continue to be the most widely used systems development tool. Relatively newer products such as CASE tools are used by over one-half of analysts, yet their benefits are not being fully exploited.

The Paradox of Soft Skills versus Technical Skills in is Hiring

This paper calls attention to a paradox in the recruiting and hiring literature in IS and offers a possible reconciliation of the paradox based on recent advances in behavioral decision theory. The paradox is the contradictory demand for IT/IS technologies as advertised job skills in contrast to soft skills as actual or implicit hiring criteria. The specific purpose of this research is to introduce a model that may explain and reconcile the use and importance of both technical skills and soft skills in the hiring of IS personnel. This model utilizes a variant of emerging behavioral decision theory, called Image Theory to develop a two-stage process of IS hiring where the first stage utilizes technical skills for filtration and the second stage utilizes soft skills for the choice in actual hiring. This model of IS hiring decision making may serve as a starting point for future research on the demand for IS job skills.