Management Information Systems Commons^™

Stories From The Workplace: Using Mini-Modules Online To Increase Student Motivation And Learning, Jon Balzotti, Janet Roberts

Faculty Publications

In this article, we describe the incorporation of video modules into three professional communication classrooms. These modules were designed to give both teachers and students access to professional practitioners and their views about the changing role of communication in the 21st century workplace. We incorporated these modules into professional communication courses (junior/senior level technical communication course) and courses in the disciplines (freshman and senior engineering design courses). The article discusses how content designed to simulate the language conventions of friendly conversation can impact student motivation and foster greater participation in the professional communication classroom.

Diocletian’S Victory Column: Megethos And The Rhetoric Of Spectacular Disruption, Jonathan Mark Balzotti, Richard Benjamin Crosby

Faculty Publications

This essay explores how the powerful system of cultural references in the architecture of Alexandria is disrupted by Roman visual rhetoric. Specifically, the essay closely analyzes Diocletian’s Victory Column, a monument to the third-century Roman ruler who put down an Alexandrian uprising. The authors argue that Rome employed a visual rhetoric of spectacular disruption as a means to insert itself into the city’s historical identity even after its siege created widespread disease and starvation. The essay builds on the substantial scholarship on public memory by describing a kind of rhetoric that poses a political, existential challenge to a reigning cultural …

Exploring Configurations Of Affordances: The Case Of Software Development, Aron Lindberg, James Gaskin, Nicholas Berente, Kalle Lyytinen

Faculty Publications

Affordances have been increasingly used in the information systems literature to account for the usage and effects of information technology. However, a review of the literature shows that the construct has remained nebulously defined, rarely used in anything but singular forms and with little consideration of context. This has resulted in a lack of cumulative research on affordances. We propose that affordances need to be considered not only individually, but also as configurations of multiple affordances. Through a sociomaterial sequence analysis of two software development teams – one waterfall and one agile - we build a framework for the study …

I’M Proud Of It: Consumer Technology Appropriation And Psychological Ownership, Colleen P. Kirk, Scott D. Swain, James E. Gaskin

Faculty Publications

In this conceptual paper, using the lens of self-design we examine the relationship between consumer technology appropriation and psychological ownership, suggesting that pride plays a key and multi-faceted role. Resolving discrepancies in the literature, we propose that authentic pride operates as an antecedent of psychological ownership, while hubristic pride strengthens the effect of psychological ownership on outcomes such as economic valuation and word-of-mouth. We further enrich the conceptualization by considering the moderating effects of the technology consumption context (public versus private) as well as consumers’ perceptions of situation strength (strong versus weak behavioral constraints).

Improving Password Cybersecurity Through Inexpensive And Minimally Invasive Means: Detecting And Deterring Password Reuse Through Keystroke-Dynamics Monitoring And Just-In-Time Fear Appeals, Jeffrey L. Jenkins, Mark Grimes, Jeffrey Gainer Proudfoot, Paul Benjamin Lowry

Faculty Publications

Password reuse – using the same password for multiple accounts – is a prevalent phenomenon that can make even the most secure systems vulnerable. When passwords are reused across multiple systems, hackers may compromise accounts by stealing passwords from lowsecurity sites to access sites with higher security. Password reuse can be particularly threatening to users in developing countries in which cybersecurity training is limited, law enforcement of cybersecurity is non-existent, or in which programs to secure cyberspace are limited. This article proposes a two-pronged solution for reducing password reuse through detection and mitigation. First, based on the theories of routine, …

Mini-Track Introduction: Information Economics, Competition, Regulation, Law And Society, Eric K. Clemons, Robert John Kauffman, Thomas A. Weber

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This mini-track is informed by the most modern thinking in information economics and competitive strategy, and includes many interdisciplinary applications of IS and technology.

How Can Substitution And Complementarity Effects Be Leveraged For Broadband Internet Services Strategy?, Gwangjae Jung, Young Soo Kim, Robert J. Kauffman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With growth in mobile Internet services, the relationship between mobile and fixed broadband has become an issue in telecom firm strategy. Previous research focused on aggregate penetration for mobile and fixed broadband services. Our research analyzes the economic relationship between mobile and fixed broadband services at the household level, as a basis for how senior managers should rethink their strategy approach. Using data on broadband services subscriptions, we examine how changes that occur for mobile broadband services bandwidth (MBB) affect changes in fixed broadband bandwidth (FBB) services subscriptions, inclusive of new subscriptions - and vice versa. We explore the different …

A Modified Stacking Ensemble Machine Learning Algorithm Using Genetic Algorithms, Riyaz Sikora, O'La Hmoud Al-Laymoun

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

With the massive increase in the data being collected as a result of ubiquitous information gathering devices, and the increased need for doing data mining and analyses, there is a need for scaling up and improving the performance of traditional data mining and learning algorithms. Two related fields of distributed data mining and ensemble learning aim to address this scaling issue. Distributed data mining looks at how data that is distributed can be effectively mined without having to collect the data at one central location. Ensemble learning techniques aim to create a meta-classifier by combining several classifiers created on the …

Assessing Web Site Usability In Retail Electronic Commerce, Charles E. Downing, Chang Liu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

In the increasingly competitive environment of electronic commerce, companies are paying careful attention to Web site design and function to attract and retain both traffic and customers. One key factor that has been shown to increase both is Web site usability. This paper presents and tests a Web site usability research framework derived from prior literature. Fourteen Fortune 500 retail Web sites are examined by 261 potential customers and rated on aspects of usability. Results show that Content and Ease of Use are not currently differentiating sites with regard to usability (these attributes are expected and required just to survive …

Limitations Of Nonfinancial Metrics Reported By Social Media Companies, Rob Weitz, Theresa Henry, David Rosenthal

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Publicly traded companies in the U.S. are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to file annual and quarterly financial statements (form 10-K and form 10-Q respectively). The Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) section of these reports, as per SEC requirements, should include the identification and discussion of nonfinancial performance metrics that are critical to management and important to investors. This paper examines a set of common nonfinancial metrics reported by some well-known social media companies. These metrics include such quantities as number of registered users, monthly average users, and number of unique visitors. The definition and use of …

Developing A Mobile Learning Environment: An Axiomatic Approach, Walter Rodriguez, Ngan Nguyen-Huynh, Arnold Fernandez, James Royal, Victor Fernandez

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

A new mobile environment for learning has been designed via an axiomatic approach. And by simultaneously designing both tools (software) and processes (pedagogy), the resulting environment matches the functional requirements of the instructional program. This paper describes the axioms established for mobile learning as well as development of the mobile computing environment. The paper discusses the developmental evolution and system architecture as well as the requirements of the portable training programs being offered via this new system. Apps are designed to connect learners, instructors and practitioners as well as to facilitate collaborative learning from a variety of mobile devices, anywhere …

A Conflict Resolution Tool For Project Managers: Evaporating Cloud, Mahesh C. Gupta, Sharon A. Kerrick

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Today’s ever changing business environment requires managers to interact globally with people across functional areas with conflicting points of view. A preliminary literature review suggests that a generic tool to understand and resolve conflicts is desirable. This paper demonstrates how a theory of constraints-based logical tool, an evaporating cloud, can enable IT managers to better understand conflicts underlying most problems. Using a commonly encountered conflict as an example, we show how this tool verbalizes a problem through the logic of cause and effect, surfaces the assumptions causing the conflicting actions and decisions, and presents injections – potential solutions – that …

When Google Meets Xiaomi: Comparative Case Study In Western And Eastern Corporate Management, Yu-Feng Lin Lee

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Google Inc. of the West and Xiaomi Inc. of the East are recognized as ‘flat organizations’. They exercise ‘flat management’ in their corporate culture, wherein mid-level management is abridged, leaving the corporate structure less-bureaucratic, top-down-and-less-hierarchical, and more laissez-faire. Using the Confucian criteria of Wu Yu, namely morality (or, virtue), intellectual (or, wisdom), physical ability (or, sportsmanship), groupism (or, cooperation), and aesthetics (or, elegance), this paper assesses managerial philosophy and corporate practice of Google and Xiaomi. It is found that under flat management, although each company nevertheless reveals its corporate idiosyncrasy, they achieve business success and sustainability through adopting small-team orientation, …

The Study Of Competitive Priorities And Information Technology Selection: Exploring Buyer And Supplier Performance, Thawatchai Jitpaiboon

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Competitive priorities are the critical operational dimensions a process or supply chain must possess to satisfy its internal or external customers. The concept of competitive priorities is very important to organizations because it helps them set up achievable goals and it has long been known to be associated with organizational performance. This research introduces an alternative theory to explain the mechanism by which the buying firms and suppliers adopt different competitive priorities as they enter into buyer-supplier relationships and to explore further how technology choices influence the competitive priority adaptation. Using empirical data collected from the Society of Manufacturing Engineer’s …

The Influence Of Digital Self-Services On Patient’S Experience In A Polyclinic Context: A Framework Construction, Gabriela Labres Mallmann, Marco Plaisier, Johan Versendaal, Pascal Ravesteyn

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The healthcare sector has done significant investments in technology in order to improve their processes; however there is evidence showing that new technology is not optimally used in certain healthcare settings. In this paper we present a framework to analyse how digital self- service (DSS) can optimize processes and improve patient experience in a polyclinic context. The framework consists of five digital self-service types and seven patient's experience factors, both taken from literature and validated for experts. The framework aims to show the influence of DSS in patient’s experience. The results show a positive impact of self-service diagnosis, treatment and …

Determinants Of Digital Distraction: A Cross-Cultural Investigation Of Users In Africa, China And The U.S., Leida Chen, Ravi Nath, Robert Insley

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

No abstract provided.

Using Document Indexers For Faceted Search In Dataspaces, Hsun-Ming Lee, Jaymeen Shah, Ju Long

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Efficient information retrieval is essential to enrich user experience when searching for documents in dataspaces. With the continued growth in the volume and complexity of documents, the efficient information retrieval for searches has become increasingly challenging. To improve users’ search experience, faceted search combines direct keyword search methods with faceted browsing using a predefined set of categories (facets). This paper studies a faceted search approach that integrates dynamic facets generation with search. To further enhance the faceted search, alternative indexers based on pre-defined ontology for data repositories within dataspaces are evaluated in terms of execution time and data size. Experimental …

Electronic Health Records: Challenges And Opportunities, Jaymeen R. Shah, Mirza B. Murtaza, Emmanuel Opara

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

During the last three decades, healthcare expenditure in the U.S. has substantially increased. If this pace of increase is not controlled, it will lead to disastrous results for the healthcare system. An effective use of health information technology would not only improve the quality of healthcare but help reduce healthcare costs considerably. However, risks of privacy and security of patient electronic health records are great. It is recommended that healthcare organizations use IT management best practices, follow proper risk assessment and management guidelines, and keep up with latest technological advances to ensure the privacy and security of patient data.

Management Information Systems: An Information Portal For A Major With Limitless Interpretations, Benjamin Richard Lahue

Honors Program Theses

Management Information Systems often referred to as MIS is the people-oriented use of computers in business. MIS is both a field of study and a career path. It combines the foundations of computing, analysis, and business in to one field of study. MIS is a major that is growing in popularity; however, it is still unknown to many undergraduates. This thesis includes both research and creative aspects. The information gathered by research was used to generate the requirements for an information portal relating to the MIS program at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). A portal is a one stop …

The Impact Of Software Testing Governance Choices, Xihui Zhang, Colin Onita, Jasbir Dhaliwal

Faculty Publications

Software testing is becoming a critical component of software development, especially because of the proliferation of complex, interconnected, and real-time business applications. As a result, information technology (IT) managers are struggling with pragmatic governance mechanisms for integrating testing with development.Governance issues pertaining to how software testing is organized at strategic, tactical, and operational levels,however, have not received adequate attention in the literature. This study explores the impact of three specificgovernance mechanisms, including the existence of a distinct corporate testing unit, developers and testersreporting to different executives, and the existence of one-to-one matching between developers and testers,on the organizational integration of …

Users Aren’T (Necessarily) Lazy: Using Neurois To Explain Habituation To Security Warnings, Bonnie Brinton Anderson, Anthony Vance, Brock Kirwan, David Eargle, Seth Howard

Faculty Publications

Warning messages are one of the last lines of defense in information security, and are fundamental to users’ security interactions with technology. Unfortunately, research shows that users routinely ignore security warnings. A key contributor to this disregard is habituation, the diminishing of attention through frequent exposure. However, previous research has examined habituation indirectly by observing its influence on security behavior, rather than measuring habituation itself.

We contribute by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to directly observe habituation as it occurs in the brain. Our results show that with repeated exposure to warnings, neural activity in the visual processing centers …

The Effects Of Social Networking Site (Sns) Use On College Students’ Friendship And Well-Being, Jin-Liang Wang, Linda A. Jackson, James Gaskin, Hai-Zhen Wang

Faculty Publications

The present study was conducted with two goals in mind: (1) to examine the influence of using different types of SNS use on users’ well-being, and (2) to examine the mediating roles of online self-disclosure and friendship quality in the relationship between types of SNS use and well-being. Participants were from two large 4-year undergraduate universities in Southwestern China. The study was conducted during Spring semester, 2013, using advertisements that described the nature of the research and indicated that compensation for participation was U10 (about $1.5 U.S.). Of the 402 students approached, 337 completed the survey (i.e., response rate was …

Early Vs. Late Adoption Of Radical Information Technology Innovations Across Software Development Organizations: An Extension Of The Disruptive Information Technology Innovation Model, Jessica Luo Carlo, James Gaskin, Kalle Lyytinen, Gregory M. Rose

Faculty Publications

This paper extends the disruptive information technology innovation model (DITIM) by exploring the impact of adoption timing on innovation outcomes within software development organizations during a disruptive innovation cycle. The DITIM suggests that radical changes in computing platforms result in pervasive and radical innovations in software development organizations across three innovation types: base technologies adopted, services produced and processes adopted. Upstream attributes (amount and radicalness) of the base innovations impact effects in-kind downstream (a.k.a., strong order effects) on services and processes. Extending these tenets of the DITIM, we posit that during disruptive information technology (IT) innovation, the temporal stage of …