Stephen Hawk

A Comparison of B2C E-Commerce in Developing Countries

This article surveys the challenges of conducting business to consumer (B2C) e-commerce in developing countries. Low credit card penetration and poor delivery systems are widely viewed as serious problems for B2C e-commerce in developing countries. An investigation of payment and delivery methods provided by B2C sites in Russia, India and Latin America is reported. Similarities and differences in how sites from the three regions handle payment and delivery are presented. The results of an examination of e-commerce sites show that sites from all areas used a variety of payment and delivery methods, many of which are not highly used in the USA. The results also show that there are some regional differences in how e-commerce sites have chosen to deal with low credit card penetration and poor delivery systems. The implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Information technology workforce skills: The software and IT services provider perspective

It is now commonplace for an organization to turn to external firms for the provision of IT services and software. As technology advances and the business environment continues to evolve, a key challenge facing IT software and service providers is identifying critical skill sets, both today and in the future. The challenge is compounded as a result of the continuing growth of outsourcing and the increasing demand for technology solutions. This paper explores that challenge through a survey of IT software and service providers. We extend and complement previous studies of non-IT firms by comparing skills sought by non-IT organizations with those of IT services and software providers. Results indicate that, surprisingly, software and services providers place more emphasis on business domain and project management skills than on technical skills. This has implications for the hiring and retention practices of managers, and for academic curriculum and course offerings.

Differences in analyst's attitudes towards information systems development: evidence and implications

Abstract Many studies have concluded that one of the causes of systems development failures is that systems professionals have a technical orientation, lack knowledge of human needs and motivation, and are machine oriented. This paper presents evidence that systems analysts attitudes vary considerably and although some of them have a technical orientation, others emphasize the behavioral and socio-political aspects of development. Q-methodology was used to study the attitudes of thirty analysts with varying backgrounds from eight different organizations. Three groups of analysts emerged, each with a distinct attitude. One group is characterized by its emphasis on user needs and is less concerned with the technical aspects of systems development. Another group is characterized by its emphasis on the technical aspects of systems development and project management issues. A third group is characterized by its emphasis on the socio-political aspects of systems development. The study also attempted to find similarities in the backgrounds and experience of analysts with similar attitudes. The implications of these findings for information systems management are discussed.

Successful system development: the effect of situational factors on alternative user roles

The authors report on the results of a field study that sought to determine the impact of two forms of user involvement, namely, user participation and user leadership, during systems development. This study sought to determine the impact of two situational factors on the effects of user participation and user leadership. Neither user participation nor user leadership was found to be related to user information satisfaction (UIS). Both forms of user involvement, however, were found to have a more positive relationship with UIS under certain circumstances. User participation was more positively related to UIS when use of the system was for decision support and when users were at higher levels in the organization. User leadership was more positively related to UIS when users were at higher levels in the organization. >

The maturation of the Russian offshore software industry

In the decade of the 1990s, India leapt ahead of all other competitors for offshore programming business, giving the impression that Russia had not lived up to its potential. This paper uses case studies of firms and clients and available literature to investigate what Russia has achieved so far, what bottlenecks and hindrances have prevented it from going further, and how those problems are now being addressed. Based on the Heeks/Nicholson and Carmel models, it is concluded that there have been important improvements in domestic input factors, infrastructure, and software industry characteristics; some improvements in linkages with customer firms; and relatively little progress in improving national vision and strategy. The industry has achieved a “platform of maturity” from which further growth is now possible.

Locus of control and computer attitude: the effect of user involvement

Abstract Previous research has shown that individuals with an external locus of control have a less positive attitude toward computers and have greater difficulty in working with unfamiliar computer technology than individuals with an internal locus of control. Since past studies have not examined attitude towards a specific computer based information system (CBIS) that had been used regularly, the implications of past research on computer attitudes in a work setting are not clear. This study sought to investigate the relationship between locus of control and user attitude toward information systems used at work. Additionally, the impact of user involvement on this relationship was examined. A field study failed to provide support for the general assertion that locus of control affects a users attitude towards a specific CBIS. When user involvement was considered, external-control users who had not been highly involved during CBIS development had a less positive attitude towards the CBIS than either internal-control users or external-control users who had been highly involved.

The development of Russian e‐commerce: the case of Ozon

E‐commerce in Russia is in an early phase of development. The online bookseller, Ozon, is one of the earliest and best‐known examples of business‐to‐customer e‐commerce in Russia. In developing its business, Ozon has faced and dealt with many difficulties present in the Russian economic and business environment. The development of Ozon’s business has required it to resolve many challenges that are likely to be faced by other online retailers in Russia. These challenges, and Ozon’s solutions to them, are presented. The case of Ozon is illustrative of the challenges faced by many Russian e‐commerce firms, and can be used to draw some initial conclusions about what tactics could employed to deal with the peculiarities of doing business online in Russia.

Telecommunications Courses in Information Systems Programs

This paper reports on an investigation of how undergraduate information systems (IS) programs include telecommunications courses in their curricula. The curricula of a random sample of undergraduate IS programs were examined. The results indicate that telecommunications typically is not an area of emphasis; most IS programs require only one telecommunications course and less than half provide an additional course beyond that. The number and types of required versus elective telecommunications courses included in IS curricula are presented. The results also show that programs identified as IS majors tend to do a better job of including telecommunications courses in their curricula than programs designated as IS concentrations. Implications of the results and questions for further research are discussed.

The effects of DSS group characteristics on client satisfaction

Despite the widespread use of decision-support systems (DSSs) by managers for problem-solving, little is known about how organizations support DSS users. The authors report on a field study of DSS groups to identify support characteristics that are related to client satisfaction with DSS services. The findings indicate that the proportion of DSS staff with functional data background is positively associated with client satisfaction with DSS group services. The findings also suggest that DSS group location, formalization, use of an evolutionary methodology, and top management support have no effect on client satisfaction. Suggestions for practice and future research are presented. >

DSS support groups: an empirical investigation

Decision support systems (DSS) are widely used by managers to provide problem solving assistance. Despite their widespread use, little is known about how organizations support DSS users. This paper reports on a field study that sought to identity the support characteristics of a sample of DSS groups. Twenty-three DSS groups participated in the study to provide information on group location, staff size and backgrounds, formalization, and DSS services in addition to other support characteristics.<<ETX>>