Pratyush Bharati

An empirical investigation of decision-making satisfaction in web-based decision support systems

Web-based information systems are increasingly being used for decision support applications. However, few empirical studies have been conducted on web-based decision support systems (DSS). This experimental research endeavors to understand factors that impact decision-making satisfaction in web-based decision support systems. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, the analysis reveals that information quality and system quality influence decision-making satisfaction, while information presentation does not have an effect on decision-making satisfaction.

Global perceptions of journals publishing e-commerce research

Researchers rate publications by perception, quality, and how these factors determine where they would prefer their own e-commerce work be published.

Studying the current status of technology adoption

Examining the extent and nature of adoption of technologies by micro, small, and medium-sized manufacturing firms in the greater Boston area.

Better Knowledge with Social Media? Exploring the Roles of Social Capital and Organizational Knowledge Management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore social media’s impact on organizational knowledge quality through the theoretical lens of social capital and resource exchange.Design/methodology/approach – Theory-confirming, quantitative study using panel data collected through web-based survey.Findings – The results show that while social media affect structural capital and cognitive capital directly, it only affects relational capital indirectly through structural and cognitive capital. Moreover, overall social media and the enhanced social capital do help promote organizational efforts in knowledge management, which subsequently leads to higher level of organizational knowledge quality.Research limitations/implications – All survey respondents were from the U.S., which may limit the generalizability of the findings. The authors also call for more research in establishing the time sequence in the proposed causal relations and in the individual level mechanism through which social media promotes organizational knowledge quality.Practical implications – This study highlights both the potential and limitations of social media in promoting organizational knowledge management. Businesses must consciously manage the assimilation and use of social media to benefit from them.Originality/value – The authors position the study at the intersection of social media, social capital, and knowledge management and explicate how social media work through social capital and organizational knowledge management efforts to affect knowledge quality.

Managing Information Systems for Service Quality: A Study from the Other Side

System quality, information quality, user IS characteristics, employee IS performance and technical support are identified as important elements that influence service quality. A model interrelating these constructs is proposed. Data collected through a national survey of IS departments in electric utility firms was used to test the model using regression and path analysis methodology. The results suggest that system quality, information quality, user IS characteristics, through their effects on employee IS performance, influence service quality, while technical support influences service quality directly. The results also suggest that employee IS performance contributes more to service quality compared with technical support. Implications of this research for IS theory and practice are discussed.

Case study: Service quality from the other side: Information systems management at Duquesne Light

Service organizations are continuously endeavoring to improve their quality of service as it is of paramount importance to them. Despite the importance of understanding the relationship of service quality and information systems, this research has not been pursued extensively. This study has addressed this gap in the research literature and studied how information systems impacts service quality. A research model is developed based on IS success model. System quality, information quality, user IT characteristics, employee IT performance and technical support are identified as important elements that influence service quality. An in-depth case study from the electric utility industry is used to investigate the impact.

Social media assimilation in firms: Investigating the roles of absorptive capacity and institutional pressures

Firms are increasingly employing social media to manage relationships with partner organizations, yet the role of institutional pressures in social media assimilation has not been studied. We investigate social media assimilation in firms using a model that combines the two theoretical streams of IT adoption: organizational innovation and institutional theory. The study uses a composite view of absorptive capacity that includes both previous experience with similar technology and the general ability to learn and exploit new technologies. We find that institutional pressures are an important antecedent to absorptive capacity, an important measure of organizational learning capability. The paper augments theory in finding the role and limits of institutional pressures. Institutional pressures are found to have no direct effect on social media assimilation but to impact absorptive capacity, which mediates its influence on assimilation.

Using choiceboards to create business value

Choiceboards empower users while saving companies money---but the technology needs to be carefully tailored to provide the best customer experience.

Technology Assimilation Across the Value Chain: An Empirical Study of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

In this paper, the authors study technology assimilation, aggregating technologies and assimilation stages for SMEs. The authors employ the twin lenses of organizational innovation and elements of institutional theory. The research validates some institutional actors and most firm characteristics as important determinants. The relative weaknesses of the institutional actors provide evidence of structural isolation in the SME environment that is inhibiting information flow from intermediaries like government support agencies and vendors. The authors recommend a proactive role on the part of technology and enterprise intermediaries to design SME-appropriate solutions.

Managing information technology for improving service quality in the electric utility industry

Summary form only given. Service quality has become increasingly important to a service organization and information technology has become more integral to a firm. Therefore, one of the challenges is to manage IT to enhance service quality. The objective of the research was to understand the relationship between information technology and service quality. Concepts from management information systems, communications and strategy have been integrated in a conceptual model which describes the management of IT to improve service quality. The case study of an electric utility helped in the development of the research model. The survey was customized according to information technologies and services in the electric utility industry. The correlation analysis results show that the variables in the hypotheses are correlated and the result is highly significant. The multiple regression and path analysis of quantitative data has supported the hypotheses of the research study. The results have shown that system quality, information quality and employee IT characteristics influence employee IT performance, which in turn influences the service quality at the organizational level. Technical support directly impacts service quality.