Monideepa Tarafdar

The Consequences of Technostress for End Users in Organizations: Conceptual Development and Empirical Validation

The research reported in this paper studies the phenomenon of technostress, that is, stress experienced by end users of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and examines its influence on their job satisfaction, commitment to the organization, and intention to stay. Drawing from the Transaction-Based Model of stress and prior research on the effects of ICTs on end users, we first conceptually build a nomological net for technostress to understand the influence of technostress on three variables relating to end users of ICTs: job satisfaction, and organizational and continuance commitment. Because there are no prior instruments to measure constructs related to technostress, we develop and empirically validate two second order constructs: technostress creators (i.e., factors that create stress from the use of ICTs) and technostress inhibitors (i.e., organizational mechanisms that reduce stress from the use of ICTs). We test our conceptual model using data from the responses of 608 end users of ICTs from multiple organizations to a survey questionnaire. Our results, based on structural equation modeling (SEM), show that technostress creators decrease job satisfaction, leading to decreased organizational and continuance commitment, while Technostress inhibitors increase job satisfaction and organizational and continuance commitment. We also find that age, gender, education, and computer confidence influence technostress. The implications of these results and future research directions are discussed.

Crossing to the dark side: examining creators, outcomes, and inhibitors of technostress

Exploring the factors that may lead to the inability of professionals to adapt or cope with emerging IS in a healthy manner.

Analysis of critical website characteristics:a cross category study of successful websites

The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is widely accepted as the de-facto standard for object-oriented information systems (IS) design and software modeling. Recent research has proposed to extend the use of UML to conceptual modeling of application domains. Conceptual models serve both as the basis for communication and domain understanding among analysts, and as the starting point for IS software design. Prior research has proposed a set of modeling rules to provide the analyst or modeler with guidelines for using UML for conceptual modeling. This paper provides an empirical assessment of the benefits derived from using these modeling rules. Using an experimental study involving 53 subjects, it examines the effects of different levels of modeling rule application on application domain understanding. The results show statistically significant differences in the level of domain understanding that was derived from the various models.

Analyzing the Influence of Web Site Design Parameters on Web Site Usability

Web site usability is concerned with how easy and intuitive it is for individuals to learn to use and interact with a Web site. It is a measure of the quality of a Web sites presence, as perceived by users. The usability of Web sites is important, because high usability is associated with a positive attitude toward the Web site and results in higher online transactions. Poorly designed Web sites with low usability, on the other hand, lead to negative financial impacts. Existing approaches to Web site usability include measurement and tracking of parameters, such as response time and task completion time, and software engineering approaches that specify general usability guidelines and common practices during software development. This paper analyzes usability from the point of view of Web site design parameters. An analysis of usability and other design characteristics of 200 Web sites of different kinds revealed that design aspects, such as information content, ease of navigation, download delay, and Web site availability positively influence usability. Web site security and customization were not found to influence usability. The paper explains these results and suggests design strategies for increasing Web site usability.

Analyzing the Adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems in Indian Organizations: A Process Framework

Abstract Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are designed to integrate various functions and processes. Although many studies have been conducted and reported on ERP implementation cases in the developed countries, there is very little literature on the experiences of companies in Asia and other parts of the developing world. These organizations confront issues which are significantly different from those faced by companies in the developed world, because of differences in the sophistication of IT use, and cultural and social contexts. This paper is based on an empirical study of ERP implementation exercises in Indian organizations. The results show that the ERP implementation process is composed of successive phases, in each of which a specific number of modules of the software are implemented. Each phase has distinct stages, which address specific activities within the phase and describe different aspects of the implementation process. Specific characteristics of each stage and their implications for managers have been discussed. Differences of the model with existing models have also been identified, and opportunities for generalizing it to other similar societies have been analyzed.

The dark side of information technology use

A large body of research has considered the positive aspects of information technology (IT) use. However, emerging research and practice commentary is beginning to focus on complex and often alarming ways in which use of IT affects organisational and social life. This Special Issue focuses on these ‘dark’ effects of IT use.

Collaborative knowledge management practices: Theoretical development and empirical analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and empirically test a framework analyzing the relationship of collaborative knowledge management practices (CKMP) with supply chain integration and supply chain knowledge quality.Design/methodology/approach – The design of the study is based on a survey of 411 firms from eight manufacturing industries that are actively involved in inter‐firm knowledge management practices with supply chain partners. First a measurement instrument for CKMP was statistically validated with confirmatory factor analysis. Then the structural equation modeling (SEM) path analysis was used to assess the structural relationship of CKMP with supply chain knowledge quality and supply chain integration.Findings – The study found that engagement in CKMP can lead to better integration between supply chain partners and increased organizational knowledge quality.Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted at the firm level for activities involving inter‐firm knowledge sh...

Value co‐creation and resource based perspectives for strategic sourcing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and illustrate a theoretically grounded framework capable of strategic guidance in making sourcing decisions.Design/methodology/approach – Based on literature review and secondary data from the US operation of 7‐Eleven, a large international retailer, this study develops and supports a framework for understanding and undertaking business process sourcing decisions. The framework considers internal core competencies, as well as the role of external actors in value creation, in analyzing sourcing decisions for business processes.Findings – Case analysis reveals that a firms successful sourcing decisions can be explained by resource based view (RBV) and value co‐creation theories. RBV is shown to provide an internal view of the firm considering its core competencies, while value co‐creation illuminates the external perspective considering the role of customers when making sourcing decisions. Further, these theories can be decomposed and simplified, thereby p...

Adoption of Electronic Commerce by Organizations in India: Strategic and Environmental Imperatives

In recent years many developing nations have been exposed to significant external changes such as economic deregulation and globalization. Evidence suggests that this has resulted in the adoption of EC by organizations in these countries. It is important to understand the strategic and environmental imperatives for EC adoption. Such understanding is required for anticipating necessary changes in EC adoption, to keep in tune with the impending and emerging changes in the environment. It is also needed for formulating business strategies in alignment with the organizations IS strategies and IT capabilities, and for addressing managerial challenges in EC adoption. This paper is based on a study of EC adoption in eighteen companies from eleven industries in India. It is aimed at examining the different factors, related to strategic and environmental imperatives, which lead to the adoption of EC by organizations in developing countries. The results, based on interviews with close to a hundred people in these organizations indicate that tThere are broadly three conditions under which an organisationorganization adopts EC. These are related to the external environment, organizational performance and specific internal management compulsions. Each of these conditions describes a specific aspect of EC adoption and leads to imperatives for changes in processes and products. These imperatives in turn, result in the adoption of EC in different critical organizational processes. This study is one of the first detailed empirical studies on EC adoption in Indian organizations.

Editorial: Dark side of information technology use

We see the ‘dark side’ of information technology (IT) use as a broad collection of ‘negative’ phenomena that are associated with the use of IT, and that have the potential to infringe the well-being of individuals, organisations and societies. Early understanding of the negative consequences of IT use focused on IT-mediated control of individuals in the workplace made possible by the automatic and electronic capture of information generated by tasks and activities (Zuboff, 1988), workflow rigidity caused by computer-integrated manufacturing systems (Corbett, 1987), decreased interpersonal interaction and social support from use of electronic performance monitoring systems (Carayon, 1993), psychological effects on individuals such as computer anxiety (Heinssen et al., 1987) and technical vulnerabilities such as Y2K. Other negative consequences studied were loss of privacy, intellectual piracy, identity theft, ergonomics-related injuries, automation-induced unemployment and software-related accidents (Kling, 1996). While this early understanding helped sensitise information systems (IS) and management researchers to the potentially negative impacts of IT use, current trends have dramatically increased the potential ambit, scope and intensity of dark side phenomena. Firstly, increasing reach (Keen, 1991) of IT enables use by people from a variety of demographic backgrounds and locations for work and non-work tasks, implying increased pervasiveness of IT-mediated activity. Secondly, increasing richness (Rayport & Sviokla, 1995) makes for IT products and applications that can be flexibly customised to individual user requirements through software