IT for monitoring and evaluating healthcare training in low- and middle-income countries

Lithuanian case study on evaluating suitability, acceptance and use of IT tools by students – An example of applying Technology Enhanced Learning Research methods in Higher Education

The role of IT for managing intellectual property – An empirical analysis

Collaboration is an essential element of new product development (NPD). This research examines the associations between four types of information technology (IT) tools and NPD collaboration. The relationships between NPD practices and NPD collaboration are also examined. Drawing on organizational information processing theory, we propose that the relationships between IT tools and NPD collaboration will be moderated differently by three project complexity dimensions, namely, product size, project novelty, and task interdependence, due to the differing nature of information processing necessitated by each project complexity dimension. Likewise, the moderation effects of the project complexity dimensions on the relationship between NPD practices and NPD collaboration will also be different. We test our hypotheses using data from a sample of NPD projects in three manufacturing industries. We find that IT tools are associated with collaboration to a greater extent when product size is relatively large. In contrast, IT tools exhibit a smaller association with collaboration when project novelty or task interdependence is relatively high. NPD practices are found to be more significantly associated with NPD collaboration under the contingency of high project novelty or high task interdependence. The findings provide insights about circumstances where several popular IT tools are more likely to facilitate collaboration, thus informing an NPD team's IT adoption and use decisions.

<p><strong>Theoretical background</strong>: The ongoing development of information technology (IT) has caused IT solutions to be increasingly applied in human resource management (HRM). The implementation of such solutions is highly advantageous to enterprises because they streamline the provision of services to job candidates and employees, and save time and money. This is particularly important for high-tech enterprises using the latest scientific and technological advances and innovative solutions.</p><p><strong>Purpose of the article</strong>: The objective of the study was to examine the use of IT tools in recruitment and selection, development and training, motivation, talent management and personnel services. Research methods: The research employed the case study method. Documentation analysis, interview techniques and observations were carried out in enterprises. The paper describes three case studies of high-tech companies headquartered in Silicon Valley in the United States.</p><p><strong>Main findings</strong>: High-tech enterprises in Silicon Valley deploy a wide range of IT tools for recruitment and selection, development and training, motivation, talent management and human resource (HR) services, thus supporting personnel management processes and increasing the efficiency of administrative tasks. The type and scope of the applied IT solutions depended on the size of the company. Large enterprises had a tendency to integrate specific tools used in HR processes into one employee management system. The research showed a number of advantages regarding IT tool implementation in HRM, such as improved HR management efficiency due to data integration, obtaining a better match between employee competences, their development capacities and company demands. Moreover, the use of IT tools increased employee engagement in the performance of tasks. The implementation of IT tools in HRM produces certain limitations since technologies can be static and information can be transferred in one direction only. Therefore, face-to-face relationships, opportunities for sharing opinions between employees and prospects for development are essential in enterprises because they impact employee engagement.</p>

The products of the Information Age give geotechnical engineers powerful tools to perform their work. One view of geotechnical engineering is that Information Technology (IT) tools may replace many of the functions that geotechnical engineers now perform. This view can be framed to argue that the right IT tools will even replace the need for engineering judgment. Since geotechnical engineers rely heavily on their engineering judgment to formulate and defend their arguments, this view would mean a major change in the way we do geotechnical engineering. This paper looks at geotechnical engineering in today's IT dominated world and considers ways that geotechnical engineering may change as the IT tools become increasingly powerful and pervasive. The paper's aim is to stimulate people's thinking about how we can make more effective use of IT tools in our future work. For experienced engineers, the result is insight to the important role of engineering judgment in an IT dominant world. For young engineers, the paper provides perspective on the role of IT tools in engineering practice and how they may develop their judgment skills. For non-engineers, such as owners, regulators and attorneys, the paper can help them better understand how geotechnical engineers think, or should think.

Introduction:In the current era of medical education and curriculum reform, medical schools across the United States are launching innovative approaches to teaching students in order to improve patient outcomes and increase patient safety. One such innovation is the use information technology (IT) that can be used to disseminate health information, especially for patients with limited access to care. Strategies for using health IT to enhance communication between providers and patients in low-income communities can be incorporated into undergraduate medical education (UME) curriculum.Methods:A pilot study was conducted to determine if IT could serve as an effective means of communication with patients at a free clinic where 100% of the patients are uninsured; the clinic is located in an urban setting and primarily serves Latinos, the working poor, and the homeless. An anonymous survey was administered to patients to assess rates of IT ownership, general IT use, and IT use for health and medical information.Results:The majority of study participants owned a cell phone (92%); one-third used their cell phone to access health or medical information (38%). Most study participants reported using the Internet (72%), and two-thirds had used the Internet to obtain health and medical information (64%).Conclusion:Given the difficulties faced by low income and medically underserved communities in accessing healthcare services, the use of IT tools may improve their’ access to health information in ways that could enhance patient knowledge and self-management, and perhaps positively impact health outcomes. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate use of IT tools in training for medical students and residents to enhance communication with patients in underserved communities.

The digital transition refers to the fact that information technology (IT) tools are used in all our activities on a daily basis. In this article, we will study the use of IT tools in engineering activities. It is possible to say that today IT tools accompany engineers in their professional practices. This presence of computing has also enabled the development and considerable changes in human-technologies interactions. Moreover, the socio-economic context has evolved considerably, and environmental issues have taken on an important role in engineering. We ask whether and to what extent these two contexts (digital and ecological) have changed the expectations of design professionals with regard to IT tools. Should the way of addressing the type of human-machine interaction in engineering tools be modified in depth? The objective of this paper is to understand what types of human-computer interaction would allow a more satisfying user experience for those future engineers who are using new technologies and marked by the ecological urgency. To do so, we will focus on a particular engineering context (design for sustainability) and a particular engineering practice (LCA practice).

Information technology tool use frequency in new product development: The effect of stage-specific use frequency on performance

This paper reports on a mixed methods formative evaluation to support the design and implementation of information technology (IT) tools for a primary care weight management intervention delivered through the patient portal using primary care staff as coaches. We performed a qualitative needs assessment, designed the IT tools to support the weight management program, and developed implementation tracking metrics. Implementation tracking metrics were designed to use real world electronic health record (EHR) data. The needs assessment revealed IT requirements as well as barriers and facilitators to implementation of EHR-based weight management interventions in primary care. We developed implementation metrics for the IT tools. These metrics were used in weekly project team calls to make sure that project resources were allocated to areas of need. This study identifies the important role of IT in supporting weight management through patient identification, weight and activity tracking in the patient portal, and the use of the EHR as a population management tool. An intensive multi-level implementation approach is required for successful primary care-based weight management interventions including well-designed IT tools, comprehensive involvement of clinic leadership, and implementation tracking metrics to guide the process of workflow integration. This study helps to bridge the gap between informatics and implementation by using socio-technical formative evaluation methods early in order to support the implementation of IT tools. clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04420936. Registered June 9, 2020.

Emergent research has examined the antecedents to using information technology (IT) in the new product development (NPD) process and the impact of IT on NPD performance. Based on the resource‐based view (RBV) of the firm, this study hypothesizes that particular resources create IT capabilities that significantly enhance NPD outcomes. More specifically, this research extends previous work by investigating whether three complementary resources, namely an executive champion for IT, global engagement, and organizational innovativeness, influence IT capabilities (IT use frequency and IT replacement frequency), which in turn affect NPD outcomes (NPD task proficiency and NPD performance).To test the conceptual model, survey data were collected from 220 NPD and IT managers in a variety of large Japanese firms. The results show that an executive champion for IT and global engagement are predictors of both IT tool use and replacement frequency while organizational innovativeness contributes only to IT tool replacement frequency. The results also indicate that both IT tool use and replacement frequency have a positive effect on NPD task proficiency, which improves NPD performance.This research contributes to the literature by adding understanding of the role of IT in NPD at the firm level in four ways. First, it examines particular organizational complementary resources and their relationship to IT capabilities. Second, it examines the RBV and IT in the context of NPD, an important business process. Third, it measures IT usage in a more granular fashion (i.e., IT tool use frequency and IT replacement frequency) rather than simply IT usage as a dichotomy. Finally, through testing the proposed model with data collected from Japanese firms, this study provides empirical evidence from an Asian country to answer the call for more NPD research to be conducted in countries other than North American and Western European contexts.The findings of the study also provide implications for managers. Importantly, they indicate that an executive level champion for IT is a key influencer in facilitating IT usage and replacement, and likely can help generate awareness of and support for greater IT investments so the firm can create IT capabilities for effective NPD.

For manufacturing firms competing and operating globally, the information system is of decisive importance for communication between the different actors within the manufacturing enterprise. It should be as easy to communicate with the colleague working next door as with the colleague working in another country. This paper deals with information and communication technologies and how multisite-manufacturing firms adopt these. A framework incorporating time and place perspectives is used to categorise different information technology (IT) tools for coordination, cooperation and communication. We have interviewed managers in three firms with multi-site environments; both IT managers at central headquarters and production managers at geographically dispersed manufacturing plants, to provide a wider perspective on the implementation and use of IT tools.

One of the major advancements in information technology (IT) is the use of IT tools to perform accounting functions and processes. In this paper, we provide discussions on how IT has affected the accountancy profession. We argued that the traditional duty of accountants is the preparation of financial statements, and consequently, several tasks are carried out throughout that function. In the pre-IT era, accountants were faced with delays in transaction processing and reporting, continuous errors and misstatements, and difficulty in storing large data on papers. However, following the emergence of sophisticated IT tools, accountants in the IT era are now able to prepare and present financial statements more timely and accurately. The availability of the internet has also increased access to financial reports by external users. This paper further argues that in light of the continuous advancements in IT, future accountants and accounting processes are likely to; be cloud-based, communicate with and through Artificial Intelligence machines; invest in Big Data and cyber-security, and explore the potentials of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in meeting users' information needs. Hence, accountants and accountancy firms are advised to embrace new IT skills and tools, and keep up with technological trends. Key words: Accountant, information technology, accountant, information technology, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and the big data.

Purpose – The main aim of this study is to provide a framework for technology-based factors for knowledge management in supply chain. Design/methodology/approach – This is an applied research and has been done as a survey in Iran Khodro and Saipa Company as the largest companies in automotive industry of Iran. In this study, 206 experts participated. Reliability methods were Cronbach’s alfa, and validity tests were content and construction analyses. In response to one main question and three sub-questions in this research, first and second confirmative factor analysis were used. Findings – In this research, after a literature review, a comprehensive framework with three factors is presented. These factors are information technology (IT) tools, information systems integration and information security management. The findings indicate that the first framework in supply chain of the automotive industry has a good fitness and perfect validity. Second, in this framework, factors have also been considered based on importance. The technique of factor analysis was given the highest importance to the information systems integration. Then, IT tools and, ultimately, information security management are considered. In addition, findings indicate that information systems integration has the highest correlation with IT tools. Originality/value – The main innovation aspect of the research is to present a comprehensive framework for technology-based factors and indices for knowledge management in supply chain. In this paper, in addition to presenting a grouping for IT tools for knowledge management processes in supply chain, key indices for information systems integration and information security management are also referred.

PurposeIn recent years, large engineering consultancy firms in the Netherlands have implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. The purpose of this study is to shed light on the changing role of information technology (IT) in these firms after implementing ERP.Design/methodology/approachThis change is analysed by focusing on the changing strategic role of IT, the level of IT maturity, and the implementation methods and related organisational changes before and after the ERP implementation. Empirical case study research was conducted by analysing ERP implementations in ten large Dutch‐based engineering consultancy firms. The implementation of ERP within these firms is expected to be typical of the way large engineering consultancy firms in the Netherlands have dealt with this technology.FindingsThe study shows different but consistent fits among the strategic role of IT, the level of IT maturity, and the implementation method in the different stages of the ERP‐implementation.Originality/valueIn the future, ERP will play a strategic role within engineering consultancy firms if they adopt tools for the inter‐organisational standardisation of primary processes in the context of large construction projects. Inter‐organisational use of IT tools in engineering consultancy, however, requires a substantial increase of the intra‐organisational IT maturity and a strategic orientation. If this occurs then it can be anticipated that ERP will be used as an agent for radical change.

The use of information technology tools in new product development phases: Analysis of effects on new product innovativeness, quality, and market performance