Subhasish Dasgupta

Adoption of ICT in a government organization in a developing country: An empirical study

eGovernment initiatives all over the world endeavor to integrate Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to transform delivery of government services to their stakeholders by improving quality of services, accountability and efficiency. In this study we explore adoption of ICT to enhance government-to-employee interactions in a government organization in a developing country. We examine this adoption behavior by utilizing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) that provides an integrative view of user acceptance. We found that performance and effort expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions all positively impact the use of the ICT. We did not find a significant moderating effect of gender on these relationships.

Privacy on the Web: an Examination of User Concerns, Technology, and Implications for Business Organizations and Individuals

Abstract Individual privacy concerns significantly affect consumer willingness to engage in electronic commerce over the Internet. This article explores privacy concerns associated with the implementation of new information technology and introduces a new concept termed the “information technology privacy cycle.” This article also examines individual privacy on the Web, including technologies employed for collecting and protecting information on the Web, and the success of legal and technical remedies. Also assessed is the future potential of technology-based solutions through a focused examination of the Platform for Privacy Preferences as well as a discussion of the practical and theoretical implications for business organizations and individuals.

Geospatial information utility: an estimation of the relevance of geospatial information to users

As the acquisition and use of information are costly, the optimal use of information involves economic tradeoffs. Therefore, valuing information is attracting research and thought. However, till now, little attention has been paid to the geospatial information domain, which is increasingly coming to the attention of decision makers seeking to improve decision models by considering spatio-temporal factors. This paper proposes a metric called Geospatial Information Utility (GeoIU), which will allow decision makers to assess the degree of utility of accessed geospatial data sets when making decisions that incorporate those geospatial data and information. The GeoIU metric uses multi-attribute utility theory to assess, score, and weight metadata queries run against geospatial data and information discovered in distributed sources.

ICT and Business in the New Economy: Globalization and Attitudes Towards eCommerce

Many authors argue that information and communications technology (ICT) in this New Economy is causing a globalized, unified society. Others take the opposite stand, viewing local factors such as national culture as very important to the success of information technology (IT). Research indicates that related factors such as gender may also play important roles in the use and acceptance of IT. This paper uniquely examines these perspectives by using electronic commerce as the common technology. Business students from the U.S., Greece and England expressed opinions on the important issues of national control, privacy cost, property rights and consumer preferences. The authors find evidence that concludes that there are statistically significant differences in attitude about e-commerce among cultural groups, but not with gender.

The role of controlled and dynamic process environments in group decision making: an exploratory study

Information systems have focussed on controlling the decision-making environment, whereas in real life groups operate in an uncontrolled, asynchronous environment. In this article, we examine existing information system research on groups, analyze the role played by the process environment on the quality of group decisions, and argue the need for the design and research into information systems for uncontrolled dynamic environments. The recent growth of the Internet and Internet-mediated simulations provide unique uncontrolled environments for group decision making. We recommend that researchers in information systems and in group decision making these Internet-mediated simulations for additional research in the area of decision making in uncontrolled dynamic environments.

Factors Affecting E-Service Satisfaction

User satisfaction is an important predictor of online consumer behavior and the success of a web-based system. If customers are satisfied with the services received through the online system, it is likely they will keep using the system. To examine factors affecting user satisfaction with e-services, a questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of (615) students out of (5918) at Petra University in Jordan to explore their perceptions. Regression analysis was conducted to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that website design, navigation, and personalization were found to be predictors of e-service satisfaction. The results of this study provide a comprehensive set of implications for practitioners and researchers. This study shows how the website design, navigation, and personalization play a crucial role in the overall evaluation of e-service satisfaction. Management of universities need to be aware that a bad experience with website design, navigation, and personalization can affect satisfaction, if a student has a bad experience regarding interactivity, customization, or website design, then a student might make an overall e-service judgment even before a transaction can take place. If customers believe that an organization’s website is hard to use, poorly designed, and doesn’t take into consideration distinguished services for each user, then customers are likely to move to other organizations’ websites.

Information Technology Adoption in the Greek Banking Industry

Abstract In a global environment, information systems are influenced by national information technology infrastructure, government policies and cultural differences. The entire process of information technology adoption is different in different countries. Most research on information technology adoption has concentrated on firms in the UK or US. In this paper we attempt to better understand the determinants of information technology adoption in the Greek banking industry. In this empirical study we found that organizational culture, government policies, foreign exchange rates, and computer prices have significant impact on information technology adoption decisions made by banks.

Managing Internet and Intranet Technologies in Organizations: Challenges and Opportunities

A comprehensive treatment of Internet and intranet technologies, electronic commerce, and the management of these technologies within organizations. Both technical and organizational issues related to the management of Internet and intranet technologies are addressed. Among the technical issues are: intranet-Internet infrastructure, data warehousing, and Web security and reliability. Organizational topics include Internet and intranets for ERP and e-business, education and learning using Web technologies, and approaches to virtual shopping.

Guest editorial: internet-mediated simulation and gaming

Our lives have changed since the invention of the Internet in the late 1960s and the World Wide Web in 1989-1991. These two technologies provide us with access to a world of information, electronic mail, and entertainment. The Web has also enhanced existing information system applications and tools. One such area where the Internet has influenced present systems is the world of simulation and gaming. Internet and Web-based simulations and gaming is on the rise. Companies like Yahoo! use Webbased gaming applications to provide a sense of community, increase loyalty, and draw new users to their site. This is not the first symposium issue of Simulation & Gaming on Internet-mediated simulation and games. Our first issue was published in March 1999. In that issue, we had a collection of articles that described the early Internet-mediated simulations and games and forecasted some of the future applications of gaming. This is a follow-up to our first issue on Internet-mediated simulation and games. Significant changes have taken place in technology and in the development of new applications in the past three years. It is time to look again at the simulations and games that are based on the Internet. This symposium issue of Simulation & Gaming provides a look at the latest research and applications of Internet-mediated simulations and games. The collection of nine articles can be divided into three sections based on their focus:

Research note: group decision making using knowledge-based systems. An experimental study

The authors present results of their preliminary study of the value of a knowledge-based system (KBS) on the effectiveness of group decision making in a business gaming environment. The authors developed a KBS that provided recommendations to the experimental groups regarding the quality of their decision making. The experiment involved 24 groups with 3-4 members per group. Twelve groups used the KBS in their decision making. The remaining groups were control groups. In KBS groups, the authors detected no significant effect on intragroup conflict, but found marginally increased group performance and decreased group member satisfaction and confidence with the decisions of their groups.