Sree Nilakanta

Implementation of electronic data interchange: an innovation diffusion perspective

Electronic data interchange (EDI) has dramatically changed the manner in which interorganizational transactions are conducted. The electronic exchange of transaction documents has had a significant impact on business practices, particularly in the sales and purchase/merchandising functions of organizations. EDI brings in many benefits to the organization such as reduced costs, faster turnaround, better customer service, and in some firms strategic advantage over their competitors. Despite these benefits, firms still have problems in implementing EDI.This study, drawing upon research in innovation theory and information systems, examines the relationship between various innovation characteristics (complexity, two forms of compatibility, costs, relative advantage, and communicability) and various attributes of diffusion (adaptation, internal diffusion, external diffusion, and implementation success) of EDI in organizations. The data for the study were collected from a large-scale field survey of 201 firms in the United States that have implemented EDI. Two senior executives, one from information systems (IS) and the other from the sales/purchase function, provided matched responses to a questionnaire that measured the various research constructs.The results of the multivariate regression analyses revealed that relative advantage, costs, and technical compatibility were the major predictors of adaptation. While relative advantage and duration were important predictors of internal diffusion, technical compatibility and duration were found to be important predictors of external diffusion. Both forms of compatibility (technical and organizational) and costs were found to be important predictors of implementation success in EDI.

Organizational Memory Management: Technological and Research Issues

As new information technologies are available to the design and implementation of organizational memory and as organizations continue to automate their business processes and collect explosive amounts of data, researchers in knowledge management need to confront new opportunities and new challenges. Some of the core issues of organizational memory management include organizational context, retention structure, knowledge taxonomy, ontology, organizational learning, and so forth. In this article, we review the literature of organizational memory management. We further present a basic framework of the technological components and their applications in organizational memory systems and discuss a number of important research issues.

Design of data warehouses using metadata

Abstract Data warehouses have become an instant phenomenon in many large organizations that deal with massive amounts of information. Drawing on the experiences from the systems development field, we surmise that an effective design tool will enhance the success of warehouse implementations. Thus, we present a CASE tool designed to generate the SQL queries necessary to build a warehouse from a set of operational relational databases. The warehouse designer simply specifies a list of attribute names that will appear in the warehouse, conditions if any are desired, and a description of the operational databases. The tool returns the queries needed to populate the warehouse table.

Measurement: a blueprint for theory-building in MIS

Abstract This paper provides a methodology for validating measures used in MIS research. In the absence of any referent disciplines upon which to base the development of a measure, the appropriate method would be to refine the instrument through a series of validation checks. We describe a procedure that accomplishes this function. The methodology consists of combining three statistical methods, namely, principal components analysis or exploratory factor analysis, multitrait- multimethod analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. The use of these three conforms to the notion of triangulation in research methods. The user information satisfaction measure is employed to illustrate the application of our methodology. We feel that such cumulative testing gives information system researchers a valuable tool for theory-building.

Object-oriented data warehouse for information fusion from heterogeneous distributed data and knowledge sources

Tools for accessing, transforming, organizing and assimilating data and knowledge from multiple heterogeneous, distributed data and knowledge sources in a form that is suitable for further analysis constitute some of the key enabling technologies for translating recent advances in automated data acquisition, digital storage, computers and communications into fundamental advances in organizational decision support, data analysis, and related applications. The design, implementation, and evaluation of a data warehouse using object-oriented views and mediator agents for bridging the mismatch between data sources and clients has been a major focus of research as part of the Distributed Knowledge Networks Project at the Iowa State University Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratory over the past two years. This paper describes the design, implementation, and population of a data warehouse component of distributed knowledge networks.

Organizational decision support systems: the design and implementation of a data extraction scheme to facilitate model-database communication

Abstract The concept of organizational decision support and the criteria for designing such support systems (ODSS) have recently received a great deal of attention. In spite of major differences among the decision processes at the organizational, group, and individual levels, the requirements for securing data from the corporate database in an ODSS still remains a significant issue. In addition, the computer and communication technologies that integrate the subsystems of knowledge, data, and models assume increased relevance in the ODSS. Indeed, the richness of problems of making the most of such technologies becomes even more important in the ODSS environment. In the present work, the issues of integrating models and databases through the use of a data extraction scheme are examined. In particular, certain aspects of the query generation algorithms that allow the user or model to view the database as a single relation are described. The generated query is then translated into TQUEL, resulting in a temporal query reflecting the historical nature of the corporate database.

Supporting strategic information needs: an empirical assessment of some organizational factors

Abstract This study examines the direct and indirect impact of organizational context factors (strategy and environment) on the emphasis placed by firms on strategic information support. Data from a questionnaire survey of 167 banking institutions in mid-Western USA are used; analysis of the results shows that firms adopting marketing and service differentiation strategies place greater emphasis on strategic information. Results also indicate that firms facing diverse and volatile environments perceive a greater need for strategic information than firms facing less dynamic ones. Additionally, an analysis of indirect effects suggests that a firms environment influences its choice of competitive strategy, which, in turn, affects the emphasis placed on strategic information support.

Design of organizational decision support systems: the use of a data extraction scheme to facilitate model-database communication

The concept of organizational decision support and the criteria for designing such support systems (ODSS) have recently received a great deal of attention. While the organizational decision processes differ considerably from individual and group decision making, the requirements for securing data from the corporate database in an ODSS are not much different. The computer and communication technologies that integrate the subsystems of knowledge, data, and models are still essential for ODSS. The authors examine the issues of integrating models and databases through the use of a data extraction scheme. In particular, they describe certain aspects of the query generation algorithms that allow the user or model to view the database as a single relation. The generated query is then translated into TQUEL, a temporal query language reflecting the historical nature of corporate databases.<<ETX>>

Using an Error Detection Strategy for Improving Web Accessibility for Older Adults

The ability to use the Internet can provide an important contribution to an older adults quality of life. Communication via email with family, friends and service providers has become a critical factor for improving ones ability to cope with modern society as individuals age. The problem is that as users age, natural physical and cognitive impairments make it more difficult for them to use the required technology. The present study investigates the use of error detection as a means of improving web access amongst older adults. Specifically, error detection strategies are compared to observation as a means of identifying the impairments of Internet users.

Performance implications of congruence between product-market strategy and marketing structure: an exploratory investigation

This study examines the performance implications of fit between the product-market strategy of a firm and its structure. The theoretical fit relationships between strategy and structure are developed on the basis of the Miles and Snow strategy framework (Organizational Strategy, Structure and Process. New York: McGraw Hill, Inc.) The study utilizes a novel measurement procedure that not only evaluates the match of several organizational structure elements for a given strategy, but also allows for aggregation of these matches. The procedure involves development of measurement scales that help identify the strategic orientation of a firm on each of its structural elements. Using a sample of 148 firms from the banking industry, the study provides evidence for the impact of strategy-structure fit on firm performance.