Lauren B. Eder

Determinants of intranet diffusion and infusion

Commercial interest in Internet technology has grown tremendously in the last decade. Until now, little research has been devoted to examining the internal deployment of Internet technology. The present study focuses on the implementation process of intranets by examining factors associated with its diffusion and infusion in organizations. Findings suggest that earliness of adoption, top management support, and organizational size are positively associated with intranet diffusion. Intranet infusion is positively associated with earliness of adoption, top management support, and IT infrastructure flexibility, and these effects are mediated by intranet diffusion. Implications for management and suggestions for further research are discussed.

An Examination of Factors Associated with User Acceptance of Social Shopping Websites

Social commerce is the latest development in e-commerce to combine the power of online social networking with shopping. While the adoption of information technology is well studied, new theoretical development is needed to account for the specific characteristics of social commerce applications and their interactions with the user. This study examines factors that are associated with user acceptance of social shopping websites, which are sites designed specifically to support social interactions while users shop. This paper augments the Technology Acceptance Model with constructs that enhance the specificity of the model to the social shopping application of social commerce, including social comparison, social engagement, enjoyment as well as perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The model was empirically tested, and the results provided strong support. Implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

Physicians in cyberspace

In an industry where the number of new entrants such as large, hospital-owned practices and HMO-owned practices is growing rapidly, can the use of a Web site increase the likelihood of success for private medical practices? It has been suggested that the Web levels the playing field among large and small businesses by increasing the exposure of smaller businesses. This perception is

Social comparison and trust in the acceptance of social shopping websites

With many businesses seeking to seize the momentum of the online social networking phenomenon, social shopping sites have emerged among the latest developments to leverage the power of social networking with online shopping. While the adoption of information technology in general is well studied, new theoretical development can provide a better understanding of the specific characteristics associated with online social shopping applications. This paper extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with two additional constructs: an online shoppers tendency to social comparison, and trust in information privacy and data security. Results support the proposed model. Directions for future research are discussed.

An analysis of Intranet infusion levels

When Internet technology is used within the bounds of an organization, the network is referred to as an intranet. Using intranets to connect heterogeneous systems enables information sharing between existing information systems without major changes to existing applications. This study examined organizational, contextual, and technical variables that are associated with intranet infusion in organizations. A survey was mailed to 1,000 senior-level computer executives in the United States. Six independent variables were examined using an ordered probit analysis to explain the likelihood of occurrence for different levels of intranet infusion. Results indicate that top management support, IT infrastructure, and competition positively influence high levels of intranet infusion. Organizational size is negatively associated with high levels of intranet infusion. Implications and areas for further research are discussed.

The determinants of job satisfaction for IS professionals in technical career paths

1. ABSTRACT Technical career paths have been implemented in Information Systems (IS) departments to address the career development needs of employees whose career aspirations are not met by the traditional managerial career path. Understanding how to meet the needs of the technically oriented IS employee is important to IS career planning and development. Much has been written in both the academic and popular literature about what composes a successful technical career path. This research examines the ‘key success factors” and their relationship to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is relevant to an organization because it has been shown to be related to motivation to stay in an organization and organizational commitment. To date no empirical work has been done to determine if these factors are related to the job satisfaction of the employees on technical career paths.