Continuous Information Technology Research Articles

Is a College Education Still Enough? The IT-Labor Relationship with Education Level, Task Routineness, and Artificial Intelligence

This study investigates the relationship between information technology (IT) and human labor through the lens of education level, task routineness, and artificial intelligence (AI). It makes use of a comprehensive data set covering 60 U.S. industries from 1998 to 2013. The results show that a college degree may not be sufficient, especially in routine-intensive industries, where a graduate degree may be increasingly necessary to meet the demands of computerized work environments. They also suggest that continuous education and IT skill development are essential for workers to thrive in a technology-driven economy. Governments should continue to support higher education to meet the demands driven by IT implementation, particularly as advanced technologies like AI emerge. Long-term training programs should be established to equip less-educated workers with the necessary skills to navigate technological changes. Additionally, policy makers should be cautious about the potential impact of advanced IT, such as AI, on employment rates and consider the consequences of increasing minimum wage levels, as it may incentivize firms to invest more in automation. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for a comprehensive understanding of the IT-labor relationship, guiding decision making for individuals, firms, educators, and policy makers in adapting to the challenges and opportunities presented by advancing technology.

Overcoming knowledge barriers to health care through continuous learning

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the role of continuous learning and the mitigation or elimination of knowledge barriers affecting information technology (IT) assimilation in the health-care sector. Most of the problems with IT assimilations stem from a poor understanding of the nature of suitable information, the lack of trust, cultural differences, the lack of appropriate training and hierarchical bureaucratic structures and procedures. To overcome these barriers, this study provides evidence that a continuous learning process can play a part in overcoming some of the obstacles to the assimilation of IT.Design/methodology/approachThis study investigates how a continuous learning environment can counteract the presence of knowledge barriers, and, along with such an environment, can, in turn, facilitate IT assimilation. The study uses ADANCO 2.0.1 Professional for Windows and involves the collection and analysis of data provided by 210 health-care end users.FindingsThe study provides evidence in support of the proposition that continuous learning may facilitate the assimilation of IT by health-care end users through the mitigation of knowledge barriers (e.g. lack of trust or resistance to change). The mitigation of these barriers requires the gathering and utilization of new knowledge and knowledge structures. The results support the hypothesis that one way in which this can be achieved is through continuous learning (i.e. through assessing the situation, consulting experts, seeking feedback and tracking progress).Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of the study is the relatively simple statistical method that has been used for the analysis. However, the results provided here will serve as a preliminary basis for more sophisticated analysis which is currently underway.Practical implicationsThe study provides useful insights into ways of using continuous learning to facilitate IT assimilation by end users in the health-care domain. This can be of use to hospitals seeking to implement end user IT technologies and, in particular, telemedicine technologies. It can also be used to develop awareness of knowledge barriers and possible approaches to mitigate the effects of such barriers. Such an awareness can assist hospital staff in finding creative solutions for using technology tools. This potentially augments the ability of hospital staff to work with patients and carers, encouraging them to take initiative (make choices and solve problems relevant to them). This, in turn, allows hospitals to avoid negative and thus de-motivating experiences involving themselves and their end users (patients) and improving IT assimilation. This is liable to lead to improved morale and improved assimilation of IT by end users (patients).Social implicationsAs ICT systems and services should entail participation of a wide range of users, developers and stakeholders, including medical doctors, nurses, social workers, patients and programmers and interaction designers, the study provides useful social implication for health management and people well-being.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to a better understanding of the nature and impacts of continuous learning. Although previous studies in the field of knowledge management have shown that knowledge management procedures and routines can provide support to IT assimilation, few studies, if any, have explored the relationship between continuous learning and IT assimilation with particular emphasis on knowledge barriers in the health-care domain.

IT RISK IDENTIFICATION PROCESS ANALYSIS / IT RIZIKOS IDENTIFIKAVIMO PROCESO ANALIZĖ

Business processes and business success that depends on information technology (IT) is now closely associated with IT risks, which is influenced by growing IT risk management and control needs. It is vitally important to identify, analyse and reduce systemic risk in order to avoid undesirable consequences, such as information loss, data leaks or damage. A critical success factor in this situation is the systematic and continuous IT risk management. This paper aims to analyse one part of the IT risk management process –risk identification. The article invoked the methods of literature analysis, synthesis, comparison, and generalization.Article in Lithuanian Santrauka Išaugusi verslo procesų, kartu ir verslo sėkmės, priklausomybė nuo informacinių technologijų (IT) šiuo metu yra glaudžiai susijusi su IT rizika. Tai daro įtaką augančiam IT rizikos valdymo ir kontrolės poreikiui. Nepaneigtina tai, kad identifikuota, išanalizuota ir sumažinta sistemos rizika leidžia išvengti nepageidaujamų pasekmių, tokių kaip informacijos praradimas, nutekėjimas ar duomenų sugadinimas. Pagrindinis sėkmės veiksnys siekiant užtikrinti organizacijos sėkmę valdant IT yra sistemingas ir tęstinis IT rizikos valdymas. Straipsnyje keliamas tikslas išanalizuoti vieną iš IT rizikos valdymo proceso etapų – rizikų identifikavimą. Straipsnyje pasitelkiami tokie metodai, kaip mokslinės literatūros analizė, sisteminimas, apibendrinimas.

Effects of Prior Use, Intention, and Habit on IT Continuance Across Sporadic Use and Frequent Use Conditions

This article is motivated by the desire to integrate and expand two literature streams, one that models effects of prior information technology (IT) use and habit strength on continued IT use and another that studies how to apply such models to IT that are used in a characteristically sporadic manner. We find that joint predictions of continuance intention, prior IT use, and habit strength within our research model are superior to subsets of the model across the extended range of usage frequency we studied. However, subsets of the model can also provide reasonable predictions where all measures are not available.

The effects of post-adoption beliefs on the expectation-confirmation model for information technology continuance

The expectation-confirmation model (ECM) of IT continuance is a model for investigating continued information technology (IT) usage behavior. This paper reports on a study that attempts to expand the set of post-adoption beliefs in the ECM, in order to extend the application of the ECM beyond an instrumental focus. The expanded ECM, incorporating the post-adoption beliefs of perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and perceived ease of use, was empirically validated with data collected from an on-line survey of 811 existing users of mobile Internet services. The data analysis showed that the expanded ECM has good explanatory power ( R 2 = 57.6 % of continued IT usage intention and R 2 = 67.8 % of satisfaction), with all paths supported. Hence, the expanded ECM can provide supplementary information that is relevant for understanding continued IT usage. The significant effects of post-adoption perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment signify that the nature of the IT can be an important boundary condition in understanding the continued IT usage behavior. At a practical level, the expanded ECM presents IT product/service providers with deeper insights into how to address IT users’ satisfaction and continued patronage.

Unions and Information Technology: From Luddites to Cyberunions?

Survey data are used to examine the use of, and views about, infor mation technology (IT) among U.S. national unions. Usable responses were received from nearly two-thirds of such unions. In addition to de scriptive information regarding IT use in national unions, this paper ten tatively explores both the causes and consequences of IT use. While IT use of some sort is found to be nearly universal, there is considerable variation across unions in the use of many forms of IT (e.g., e-mail, websites, video conferences) and in the areas to which IT is applied (e.g., bargaining, organizing, communicating with current members). However, a vast majority of survey respondents feel that IT has improved service and overall efficiency at their unions, and that continued IT emphasis is critical to union success. Results show preliminary support for most hypotheses concerning possible causes and consequences of IT use by unions.