Terry Anthony Byrd

Measuring the Flexibility of Information Technology Infrastructure: Exploratory Analysis of a Construct

Researchers and practitioners alike have taken note of the potential value of an organizations IT infrastructure. IT infrastructure expenditures account for over 58 percent of an organizations IT budget and the percentage is growing at 11 percent a year. Some even have called IT infrastructure the new competitive weapon and see it as being crucial in developing a sustained competitive advantage. Unique characteristics of an IT infrastructure determine the value of that infrastructure to an organization. One characteristic, IT infrastructure flexibility, has captured the attention of researchers and practitioners. In fact, in most recent surveys featuring issues of most importance to IT executives, the development of a flexible and responsive IT infrastructure and related topics are always at or near the top of the responses. Although the importance of IT infrastructure flexibility has been established, the development of a valid, reliable instrument to measure this construct has not been reported in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to better define the IT infrastructure flexibility construct and to develop a valid, reliable measurement instrument for this construct. In addition to the definition and operationalization of the IT infrastructure flexibility construct, this study explores the instruments predictive validity with possible antecedent and consequent variables.Researchers and practitioners alike have taken note of the potential value of an organizations IT infrastructure. IT infrastructure expenditures account for over 58 percent of an organizations IT budget and the percentage is growing at 11 percent a year. Some even have called IT infrastructure the new competitive weapon and see it as being crucial in developing a sustained competitive advantage. Unique characteristics of an IT infrastructure determine the value of that infrastructure to an organization. One characteristic, IT infrastructure flexibility, has captured the attention of researchers and practitioners. In fact, in most recent surveys featuring issues of most importance to IT executives, the development of a flexible and responsive IT infrastructure and related topics are always at or near the top of the responses. Although the importance of IT infrastructure flexibility has been established, the development of a valid, reliable instrument to measure this construct has not been reported in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to better define the IT infrastructure flexibility construct and to develop a valid, reliable measurement instrument for this construct. In addition to the definition and operationalization of the IT infrastructure flexibility construct, this study explores the instruments predictive validity with possible antecedent and consequent variables.

A synthesis of research on requirements analysis and knowledge acquisition techniques

Requirements analysis (RA) involves end users and systems analysts interacting in an effort to recognize and specify the data and information needed to develop an information system. In the design of expert systems, a similar process of eliciting information, in this case human knowledge, has been studied under the banner of knowledge acquisition (KA). When examined closely, many entities and processes involved in RA and KA are almost identical. However, researchers in each area are seemingly unaware of the developments in the other area. In order to facilitate a merged awareness of both research streams, this article compares representative RA and KA techniques, which are grouped, according to elicitation mode, on three dimensions: communication obstacles, a techniques focus of control, and the nature of the understanding gained from using the technique. This comparison demonstrates that these two research streams have many things in common and that researchers in one area can benefit from developments in the other area. Additionally, this analysis leads to several suggested research areas: (1) rigorous examinations of these techniques as they are used to overcome communication obstacles and to enrich understanding; (2) investigations into the seeming match between certain elicitation types and problem domain categories; (3) examinations into synergetic effects of elicitation techniques; (4) development of more techniques for eliciting information requirements to serve emerging needs; and (5) comparisons of the relative advantage of generalized versus specialized elicitation techniques.

A methodology for construct development in MIS research

This paper presents a comprehensive methodology for developing constructs in MIS research. It is applicable to both individual and organizational levels of analysis, depending on the nature of the concept under study. The methodology is presented as a research guide progressing through three stages: (1) domain definition, (2) instrument construction, and (3) evaluation of measurement properties. The methodology addresses six key measurement properties (content validity, factorial validity, reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, nomological validity), which are discussed in detail. An assessment of the proposed methodology indicates that its adoption in MIS research would greatly improve the rigor of construct development projects. This is evidenced by the wide range of quality publications that have used its techniques and its performance when compared to a number of prominent standards for assessing construct development research.

The leveraging influence of strategic alignment on IT investment: An empirical examination

Businesses have invested enormous sums in information technology (IT). The challenge now is to optimize these investments. We empirically examined the influence of the alignment between IS strategy and business strategy (strategic alignment) on the payoff of IT investment. Many studies have been performed on the value of IT investment and strategic alignment separately, in the past, but here we combined them by investigating the moderating affect of strategic alignment on the relationship between IT investment and firm performance for a group of manufacturing firms. The results indicated that there is a synergistic coupling between strategic alignment and IT investment with firm performance. Firms that have aligned IT and business strategies can invest in additional IT resources with some assurance that they will be leveraged substantially. One of our main contributions was in the examination of four differing perspectives of strategic alignment and their relationship with the payoff of IT investment.

An Exploratory Analysis of the Value of the Skills of IT Personnel: Their Relationship to IS Infrastructure and Competitive Advantage

Determining and assessing the requisite skills of information technology (IT) personnel have become critical as the value of IT has risen in modern organizations. In addition to technical skills traditionally expected of IT personnel, softer skills like managerial, business, and interpersonal skills have been increasingly cited in previous studies as mandatory for these employees. This paper uses a typology of IT personnel skills—technology management skills, business functional skills, interpersonal skills, and technical skills—and investigates their relationships to two information systems (IS) success variables, IS infrastructure flexibility and the competitive advantage provided by IS. The study investigates these relationships using the perceptions of chief information officers (CIOs) from mostly Fortune 2000 companies. The contributions of this study are: IT personnel skills do affect IS success, technical skills are viewed as the most important skill set in affecting IS infrastructure flexibility and competitive advantage, and modularity is viewed as more valuable to competitive advantage than integration. Several explanations are offered for the lack of positive relationships between the softer IT personnel skills and the dimensions of IS success used in this study.

Examining possible antecedents of IT impact on the supply chain and its effect on firm performance

Our study examined the impact of information technology (IT) on the supply chain through a survey of 225 large for-profit US firms. Specifically, it involved the determination of IT antecedents to IT impact on the supply chain and the effect that these relationships had on overall firm performance. The respondents were primarily chief information officers and other top IT executives. The factors in the study were validated using confirmatory factor analysis. A model featuring the IT antecedents, IT impact on the supply chain, and firm performance was evaluated using a structural equation analysis. The data used fit well with the hypothesized relationships in the model, as all links were significant. The findings here suggested that the antecedents, IT department technical quality, IT plan utilization, and top management of IT positively affected IT impact on the supply chain. The results also revealed a positive relationship between IT impact and firm performance.

An exploratory examination of the relationship between flexible IT infrastructure and competitive advantage

Abstract Information technology (IT) professionals have discussed the potential value of an organization’s IT infrastructure. Unique characteristics of this infrastructure determine its value to the organization. One characteristic, flexibility, has captured the attention of managers in organizations. A flexible IT infrastructure has even been touted by some as the next competitive weapon. Despite this suggestion, empirical evidence has been sparse. The purpose of this paper is to offer an exploratory analysis into the relationship between flexible IT infrastructure and competitive advantage. A canonical correlation analysis is used to explore this relationship. The findings support the view that there is a positive relationship between flexible IT infrastructure and competitive advantage.

A framework for measuring the efficiency of organizational investments in information technology using data envelopment analysis

Over the last few decades, organizations have been increasingly investing in information technology (IT). However, despite these substantial investments in IT, empirical studies have not persuasively established corresponding improvements in organazational performance. In fact, to the contrary, many studies investigating investments in IT have found no significant relationship between firm performance and investments in IT. Brynjolfsson and Kaufman and Weill identify shortcomings in past studies. These shortcomings include measurement errors, lags between investments and benefits, redistribution of profits, and mismanagement of IT resources. This paper proposes a framework for measuring the efficiency of investments in IT that addresses these shortcomings. In particular, we demonstrate how a mathematical programming technique called Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) can be used to evaluate the efficiency of IT investments. Our framework is illustrated using data compiled for over 200 large organizations. The paper illustrates how the shortcomings listed above can be addressed.

Information Systems Success in the Context of Different Corporate Cultural Types: An Empirical Investigation

Previous studies surrounding the DeLone and McLean model of information systems (IS) success have called for future research and further examination of its measure in different contexts. We draw from the literature on strategic IS planning and organizational culture to contextualize the DeLone and McLean model. There is some evidence that a high-quality information technology (IT) plan leads to system success; therefore, we empirically examine the inclusion of the IT plan quality construct as an antecedent to IS success. We also empirically examine the relationships among constructs in the model of IS success in the context of different corporate cultural types-entrepreneurial and formal. The results provide strong support for the research model and suggest that variations in IS success are explained by the quality of the IT plan and the corporate culture exhibited by a firm. We discuss implications related to our finding that IT plan quality has a greater impact on IS success in organizations that exhibit an entrepreneurial corporate culture than in those that exhibit a formal corporate culture. Furthermore, we discuss how the relationships in the DeLone and McLean model of IS success differ in diverse corporate cultural types and the meaning of these differences.

Information security policy: An organizational-level process model

To protect information systems from increasing levels of cyber threats, organizations are compelled to institute security programs. Because information security policies are a necessary foundation of organizational security programs, there exists a need for scholarly contributions in this important area. Using a methodology involving qualitative techniques, we develop an information security policy process model based on responses from a sample of certified information security professionals. As the primary contribution of this research study, the proposed model illustrates a general yet comprehensive policy process in a distinctive form not found in existing professional standards or academic publications. This studys model goes beyond the models illustrated in the literature by depicting a larger organizational context that includes key external and internal influences that can materially impact organizational processes. The model that evolved from the data in this research reflects the recommended practices of our sample of certified professionals, thus providing a practical representation of an information security policy process for modern organizations. Before offering our concluding comments, we compare the results of the study with the literature in both theory and practice and also discuss limitations of the study. To the benefit of the practitioner and research communities alike, the model in this study offers a step forward, as well as an opportunity for making further advancements in the increasingly critical area of information security policy.