Paulo Rupino da Cunha

The Same, but Different: Enterprise Systems Adoption Lifecycles in Transition Economies

We investigated differences in enterprise systems adoption lifecycles in transition economies when compared to developed economies. For that purpose, we collected data from experienced practitioners who participated in enterprise systems adoption lifecycles in transition and developed economies. Then we contrasted the findings with the normative literature. We identify similarities and variations in lifecycle phases and the actors involved in the process. This helps to better understand this phenomenon and extend the body of knowledge.

SOA implementation critical success factors in healthcare

Purpose – Service oriented architecture (SOA) is increasingly adopted by many sectors, including healthcare. Due to the nature of healthcare systems, there is a need to increase SOA adoption success rates as the non‐integrated nature of healthcare systems is responsible for medical errors that cause the loss of tens of thousands of patients per year. Although numerous factors affect SOA success, these have not been explored and analysed yet, especially in the area of healthcare. This highlights a literature void and thus the purpose of this paper is to identify critical success factors (CSFs) influencing SOA implementation in healthcare.Design/methodology/approach – The authors critically review the literature and identify individual factors that may form CSFs for SOA implementation in healthcare. In doing so, they synthesise and propose a conceptual model of SOA CSFs in healthcare. The conceptual model is tested in the practical arena using a qualitative research methodology that is based on a case study...

ICT in Transition Economies: Narrowing the Research Gap to Developed Countries

The relevance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the present-day is hardly disputed. However, most of what we know is grounded in the context of well-developed economies. Research on the outcomes of ICT investments in less developed countries is scarce (Roztocki & Weistroffer, 2011a). This void is not easily filled, since the body of knowledge for the first reality may not easily be transferable to the second (Hoskisson, Eden, Lau, & Wright, 2000). The differences, as postulated by contingency theory (Sousa & Voss, 2008), might be caused by a number of environmental factors that vary across the level of economic development of countries. Research designs elaborated and used in developed countries may not take into account essential conceptual differences between developed and emerging economies (Hoskisson et al., 2000). Transition economies are a particular case of less developed economies – those of the countries of the former eastern bloc and the countries that resulted from the breakup of the Soviet Union, which, in the last two decades, have abandoned communist style central planning systems in favor of free markets (Roztocki & Weistroffer, 2008). These actors account for about one-third of the total world population (Soubbotina & Sheram, 2007) and play an increasingly important role in the global economy. However, coming from their unique background, they present very specific challenges that affect how ICT is adopted and used. The environmental factors within transition economies than can influence the ICT domain include fast changing laws and regulations, mostly strong governmental control, low but rising salaries, accompanied by high demand for highly qualified workers and high employee turnover, and continuous and fast economic growth (Roztocki & Weistroffer, 2011b). The stated gap in the body of knowledge and the current relevance of transition economies motivated our call for research on the role and impact of ICT on them, across facets such as business, technical, social, political, cultural, economical, educational, and legal. The response to the challenge was telling, with many high-quality submissions, of which our Editorial Board selected the nine published in this issue. In the next section we will provide the readers with a more in depth common ground on transition economies and ICT, which may be useful for a better grasp of the issues addressed in the various papers. Then, each paper is briefly introduced in the third section.

Action Research and Design in Information Systems

As the production of knowledge moves from a linear innovation model in an explanations-oriented world to a networked innovation model in a solutions-oriented world, the practice of design in engineering and industry and the practice of research in academia are getting closer and closer. This proximity is calling for a renewal of the debates on the nature of academic research, on the epistemology of design, and on the relationship between research and design. This is particularly challenging as we concentrate on the specific field of information systems. It is, also, mostly enlightening as we look into the philosophical groundings of both the design disciplines and action research. This chapter attempts to escort the reader in the examination of these issues. It starts with a brief characterization of the two main modes of knowledge production, followed by a debate on the relationships between research and design. It then puts forward a simple philosophical framework that will be used to put in perspective the designerly ways of knowing, their relationship with action research, and the resulting implications on information systems research. The chapter closes with the re-examination, under this new perspective, of some recent debates on topics such as the rigor vs relevance dilemma and the ethical dimension of action research in information systems.

ISO2: A New Breath for the Joint Development of IS and ISO 9001 Management Systems

We present ISO2, an approach for the joint development of information systems (IS) and ISO 9001 quality management systems (QMS). ISO2 was outlined from 14 retrospective case studies, occurred between 2008 and 2012. We then validated and refined the approach through action research. We support the idea that IS and QMS synergies are more important than the perspective of one system merely supporting the other. The ISO2 combines iterative development steps with a layered and incremental design framework, the O2. The O2 metaphor can provide a common abstraction level for the joint design. Over one million companies struggle with IS and QMS disintegration. Our findings offer new insights for the joint development of organizational systems.

Who are the Players? Finding and Characterizing Stakeholders in Social Networks

Technological advances and the generalized use of the Internet provide the necessary conditions to exploit social networks. These inter-organizational systems involve several players, with different influences, roles and interests. To design social networks it is critical to identify its stakeholders. Neglecting their presence can hide network threats that can compromise its success, as well as the development or acceptance of its supporting information system. We present an approach for carrying out stakeholder identification considering the specific demands of social networks. We sought inspiration in stakeholder identification criteria for inter-organizational environments, in social network analysis, in business model theories, and in social theories. The result was an iterative approach that systematically helps refining the stakeholder set, their roles, and the social network context. We illustrate the use of our proposal through its application to Facebook.

Synergies between quality management and information systems: a literature review and map for further research

We review existing work on synergies between information systems (IS) and quality management systems (QMS) and propose avenues to advance them further, leading to a whole that is greater than the sum of the two parts, moving away from current practice, where the lifecycles of IS and QMS are handled independently, by different teams, equipped with disconnected tools and methodologies. We start with a literature review that makes sense of a puzzle of 91 articles published since 1979. Three focal categories of papers are identified and discussed, namely (1) IS in support of QMS, (2) QMS in support of IS, and (3) a shared view of IS and QMS. As 80% of the papers address the limited perspective of one type of system being dominant, in the second part of the paper we propose a map for further research.

Determinants of Enterprise System Adoption Across the System Lifecycle: Exploring the Role of Economic Development

The authors studied enterprise systems adoption in transition and less-developed economies within the European Union in search of determinants (critical success factors and barriers) across the system lifecycle. They found 14 determinants drawing from interviews with practitioners whose experience exceeds 280 projects. The authors compared their data with prior results from well-developed countries and concluded that determinants and their criticality across the lifecycle depend on the level of economic development. The authors discussed implications and provided recommendations.

Information Systems Development as Flowing Wholeness

This paper asserts that information systems development (ISD) should be understood as a continuous and holistic process. To support this view, ISD is analyzed in light of the current challenges of permanent business model innovation and of the ensuing pressures on the fast, but controlled, adjustment of the supporting information systems. In a context of growing complexity, increased interaction between people, departments, and enterprises, wide availability of heterogeneous enterprise software applications that call for integration, and concerns about the preservation of legacy, the need of completely new approaches to ISD becomes absolute. This paper describes an approach we have developed to this end, and shows how it can be used to fulfill the aim of continuous and holistic ISD.

Mobile supply chain management in the Industry 4.0 era: An annotated bibliography and guide for future research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify avenues for future research in mobile supply chain management (mSCM) in the advent of Industry 4.0. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was used to identify, classify, and analyze current knowledge, identify trends, and propose recommendations for future research. Findings Other research fields, such as operations, production, industrial engineering, and computer science, seem to have a head start in research into Industry 4.0. Several avenues are suggested for investigation under an information systems lens. Research limitations/implications Despite the care taken in the systematic literature review, the language (English), the selected keywords, and selected databases represent a natural limitation. Practical implications With Industry 4.0 at the top of the agenda of managers and countries, it is important to identify relevant research avenues. Originality/value A gap between the extant literature on mSCM and new concerns raised by Industry 4.0 is presented, and some research opportunities to close those gaps are proposed.