Sigi Goode

Something for nothing: management rejection of open source software in Australia's top firms

Organisations have traditionally relied on commercial software products to support their operations. However, rising software costs and recent corporate failures have brought the provision and value of commercial software into question. Recently, open source software, as a relatively new development in the IS field, has risen in popularity as a possible panacea for these ills. If firms value low acquisition cost, ostensibly plentiful support, and source code access, why have not more firms adopted open source software? The lack of published empirical research in the area means this issue has been inadequately addressed.This paper examines why firms do not adopt open source software. This study surveyed 500 of Australias top firms to see why managers rejected open source software. The study found that managers rejected open source software because they could not see that it had any relevance to their operations, perceived a lack of reliable ongoing technical support of it and also appeared to see substantial learning costs or had adopted other software that they believed to be incompatible with open source software.

An analysis of the business characteristics of adopters and non-adopters of World Wide Web technology

The World Wide Web has received considerable media attention in recent times. Little is known concerning the technology’s appeal for commercial applications, and the topic deserves investigation. This study aims to analyze the differences between adopter and non‐adopter businesses according to their organizational characteristics.Six characteristics consistently associated with the adoption of technology, business size, age, industry, use of an IT support unit and IT budget, and degree of technology experience, are selected from the literature. A sample of 245 adopter businesses is gathered using on‐line directories and “keyword” searches of the World Wide Web. A sample of 245 non‐adopter businesses is obtained from the state business telephone directory.The study finds a number of interesting associations. No significant relationship is found between business size and World Wide Web adoption. Adopters tend to be younger yet more experienced with technology than non‐adopters. Businesses that made use of IT budgets and IT support units also tended to be adopters, however adoption did not rely on the existence of these two factors.The study raises a number of additional findings that are of interest but are not directly related to this work. These findings merit further research.

The Role of Continuous Trust in Information Systems Continuance

This study examines the role of continuous trust (i.e., trust which develops over time as a result of continuing interactions) in determining a users continuing intention to use Internet banking services. This study stands in contrast to the large majority of research concerning trust and IT adoption, in that it focuses on continuous trust (as opposed to initial trust) and on a users continuing intention to use an information system as opposed to the initial adoption decision. Data were gathered from 210 Internet banking users in New Zealand. Continuous trust is shown to be a significant contributor to ongoing intention to use Internet banking.

Management Attitudes Toward the World Wide Web in Australian Small Business

Abstract The topic of World Wide Web technology adoption merits further study. This article documents the findings of the first two stages of a study aimed at analyzing this phenomenon with respect to management opinion. the first was to examine the degree of penetration of the World Wide Web and Internet technology in Australian businesses. the second stage of the study was to examine management attitudes toward the new technology.

Detecting complex account fraud in the enterprise: The role of technical and non-technical controls

Complex fraud, involving heightened offender knowledge of organizational processes, can be especially damaging to the firm. Much research has focused on technical, quantitative detection methods. This paper uses multidimensional scaling of empirical fraud event data from a large telecommunications firm to illustrate how technical and socio-technical fraud controls are used to detect fraud at varying levels of time exposure and dollar loss. The evidence suggests that technical controls only detect one third of fraud cases with zero time exposure and loss. More complex fraud is detected with a range of technical and socio-technical controls from inside and outside the firm. Interviews with twelve fraud managers and investigators are used to confirm the findings.

Rethinking the role of security in client satisfaction with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers

Despite the conceptual importance of security perceptions in contributing to client satisfaction, no study has yet provided empirical evidence of the link. We argue that because security perceptions are highly subjective and depend on the clients experiences, it is necessary to identify the perceived value of security in order to explain its effect on security. We adapt a recent model of SaaS satisfaction to include security and perceived value, and test the model on a sample of 135 SaaS clients. We find a significant positive relationship between security and satisfaction when mediated by perceived value. We also present an unmediated model in which security is not significant. Security does have a significant effect on satisfaction when it is mediated by perceived value.Responsiveness was significantly related to trust but not perceived value.Service quality was related to perceived value but not trust.

Exploring software piracy as a factor of video game console adoption

The market for video game consoles is substantial and competition is heated. At the same time, software piracy has seen substantial literature coverage. The hardware controls that ordinarily prevent illegally modified software can be bypassed. As part of an ongoing research project, this paper explores the role of software piracy in the decision to adopt a video game console. This work presents a new research direction, observing software piracy as a previously unforeseen driver of system adoption. This study explores a set of consumers with low disposable incomes, who must make a moral choice with regard to consumption for entertainment. The study used focus groups and a literature review to develop a set of factors based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. These factors were operationalised in a survey of 150 young adults. Analysis was conducted on the basis of adoption level and gender. In contrast to much prior information systems research, the ability to pirate console software was significant for adopters and both genders, but not non-adopters. Cost was not a significant factor.

Rethinking organisational size in IS research: meaning, measurement and redevelopment

While organisational size is a popular construct in information systems (IS) research, findings from its use have been inconsistent. Few studies have explored this inconsistency or attempted to address this problem. This paper uses Churchills measure development paradigm to conduct three separate but related investigations into the size construct. Study 1 explored the domain and dimensions of size. Some 2000 research papers published in six leading IS journals over an 11-year period were read in order to determine what researchers thought size meant and how they measured it. The study found 21 constructs underpinning the size construct and 25 ways of measuring size, but no clear relationship between size meaning and measurement. Study 2 assessed the constructs content validity using a concept map exercise involving 41 participants. Multidimensional scaling clustered the constructs into three conceptual groups. Study 3 administered the size construct in a survey with a sample of 163 Australian firms. The study found that the data supported the constructs observed in Study 2 and that a group of eight constructs could be used to differentiate between smaller and larger firms in the sample. Analysis revealed that organisational levels, risk aversion, geographic distribution and employment reflected respondents’ self-nominated size.

Use, perceived deterrence and the role of software piracy in video game console adoption

This paper is an exploratory study into the role of software piracy in the decision to adopt a video game console. The paper takes a rational choice perspective, where actors evaluate the deterrent cost of moral transgression before acting, to explore how users with different levels of video game usage intensity approach the adoption decision, on the grounds that more experienced users can better assess the costs and benefits of moral transgression. The study used focus groups and a literature review to develop a set of factors based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. The resulting factors were operationalized in an online survey of 285 subjects of a variety of ages and incomes. The ability to pirate console software was significant for adopters but not non-adopters. Perceived deterrence was associated with greater system use, as measured by hours of console use per week.

A classification tree analysis of broadband adoption in Australian households

Broadband communication technologies offer households many opportunities, including greater access to education, health and government services, entertainment and social connectivity. Australia appears, however, to be lagging behind other nations in adopting broadband.This paper reports on a study of the relative importance of factors affecting broadband uptake and usage by Australian households. A large data set with 23,093 records was analysed using an innovative statistical technique known as classification tree analysis.Important adoption factors, in approximate order of importance, were: Frequency of Internet usage (indicating needs and benefits of use); Location, a factor likely to indicate, in part, the availability of services; Technophilia, a tendency to acquire technologies in general in the household; and Subscription to Pay TV. User needs and benefits, rather than cost, were found to be primary drivers.