Information Systems Professionals Research Articles

An analysis of qualifications and requirements for geographic information systems (GIS) positions in the United States

AbstractAs the demand for geospatial analytics continues to grow, geographic information systems (GIS) professionals are needed to build, operate, and maintain GIS technologies, data, and software to provide geospatial insights for modern industries and organizations. To best train the next generation of GIS professionals, an understanding of qualifications and requirements of GIS positions is needed. Thus, this work analyzes 508 GIS positions, grouped by position type (analysts, developers, educators, managers, specialists, technicians) to provide insights on key pre‐requisite requirements, such as education, experience, certifications, soft communication skills, programming skills, and knowledge of GIS or IT. In general, possession of a bachelor's degree in GIS, geography, or computer science, prior professional experience, and knowledge of GIS and IT software were common pre‐requisites for most GIS roles. Soft communication skills were also frequently desired for GIS roles. We also found that some position requirements tended to vary by position type, such as manager and developer roles requiring on average 5 years or higher prior experience, while analyst, specialist, and technician roles had much lower experience and education requirements. Higher education institutions and GIS training programs should note the desired requirements for GIS position types and continue to refine programs and develop pathways for success for aspiring GIS professionals.

Key Characteristics of Entry-Level Data Analytics Professionals: A Thematic Analysis of Stakeholder Perspectives

Prior studies of individual attributes needed for data analytics (DA) roles reveal a lengthy list of requirements that make it difficult to elucidate and identify their key characteristics. In addition, researchers and practitioners use various terms such as skills, abilities, traits, dispositions, and competencies to describe these characteristics. We address this gap in the literature through a thematic analysis of multiple sources of stakeholder input and use terminology consistent with the professional bodies of the ACM and AIS. Thus, we use the word ‘skills’ to represent the ability to perform DA tasks and execute actions resulting from one’s acquired knowledge and we use the word ‘dispositions’ to represent the tendency or manner in which an individual approaches a DA task. We synthesize the skills and dispositions needed by DA professionals into six key characteristics: technical skills, Business domain skills, communication and collaboration skills, innovativeness, grit, and critical thinking, along with supporting descriptions and details. We find corroboration for our study results from DA job postings and explore the alignment of the results with studies of information systems (IS) professionals. Our study intends to provide clear and actionable guidance to academics, practitioners, and students interested in the DA profession.

Balancing software and training requirements for information security

Information security is one of the key areas of consideration to assure reliable and dependable information systems (IS). Achieving an appropriate level of IS security requires concurrent consideration of the technical aspects of IS and the human aspects related to the end users of IS. These aspects can be described in the form of information security requirements. We propose an approach that helps select and balance information security software requirements (iSSR) and information security training requirements (iSTR) according to the information security performance of end users. The approach was tested in an experiment involving 128 IS professionals. The results showed that using the proposed approach helps IS professionals with limited experience in information security make significantly better decisions regarding iSSR and iSTR.

Assessment of Personality for Influencing Team Dynamics

Personality and team dynamics are closely related and can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of a team. Having a diverse range of personalities on a team can bring new ideas and solutions, but it can also lead to conflicts if team members have difficulty communicating or working together effectively. Personality and team dynamics play an important role in determining the effectiveness of a team. A diverse range of personalities can bring new ideas and solutions, but itcan also lead to conflicts if team members have difficulty communicating or working together effectively. This is a literature based research to find team dynamics under different personality. The development of innovative solutions to complex problems in the field of information systems (IS) has become increasingly challenging. In order to meet these challenges, many organizations have adopted the use of cross-functional teams in their IS development process. These teams consist of both users, such as accountants and salespeople, and IS professionals, such as systems analysts and programmers. The goal of these teams is to work together effectively in order to produce successful systems. The team-building literature suggests that teams should have high levels of satisfaction with their performance, but in reality, this is not always the case. This suggests that there may be challenges in effectively implementing teams in the IS development process.

A comparative investigation of ethical decision-making information systems professionals versus students in UAE

Technological advancements have seen information technology develop and establish itself as a dominant field. This is owing to the fact that UAE has become a leading business hub, tourist destination as well as education. Information technology systems have been put in place in almost every sector of the economy. Information Systems (IS) professionals have to make ethical decisions every day. The current technological environment marred with rapid technological advancements has only made things worse. It has led to more ethical problems that need to be resolved. This study explores the perception information system professionals have about ethical issues and how their perception and attitude differs from students. It investigates what role ethical considerations play in the decision making process of information systems professionals and how different it is from students.

Ethical Standards for Information Systems Professionals - 30 years after “A Case for a Unified Code”

Technological advances increasingly mark our society, but also bring with them unique ethical challenges. In 1992, a paper entitled “Ethical Standards for Information Systems Professionals: A Case for a Unified Code” by Effy Oz was published in MISQ. Since then, much has happened in the area of technologies and information systems. New business contexts, methodological approaches, technologies, applications, and many other changes have occurred, requiring a renewed attention to ethical concerns and warranting a revisiting of the theme 30 years later. This article follows the same structure and methodological approach as used in Effy Oz’s work, focusing on the current versions of the ethical codes of leading organizations. The objectives are as follows: (1) to reflect on the changes made to the codes over 30 years, (2) to examine whether the recommendations proposed in Oz’s original work are reflected in the current versions of the codes, and (3) to conclude if the need for a unified code of ethics still prevails. The results indicate that, depending on the organization, the impact of the “passage of time” on the codes was different; several recommendations — which are still valid — are not fully reflected in the documents, thus continuing the need for a unified code of ethics (albeit with some different characteristics from those identified three decades ago).

Preventing social engineering: a phenomenological inquiry

PurposeThe purpose of this transcendental phenomenological qualitative research study is to understand the essence of what it is like to be an information systems professional working in the USA while managing and defending against social engineering attacks on an organization. The findings add to the information system (IS) body of literature by uncovering commonly shared attitudes, motivations, experiences and beliefs held by IS professionals who are responsible for protecting their company from social engineering attacks.Design/methodology/approachThis is a qualitative, transcendental phenomenological study that was developed to gain a deeper understanding about the essence of what it is like to be an IS professional defending a US business against social engineering attacks. This research design is used when sharing the experiences of study participants is more important than presenting the interpretations of the researcher. To target participants from the industries identified as regularly targeted by social engineers, purposive sampling was used in conjunction with the snowball sampling technique to find additional participants until saturation was reached.FindingsTen themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) foster a security culture, (2) prevention means education, (3) layered security means better protection, (4) prepare, defend and move on, (5) wide-ranging responsibilities, (6) laying the pipes, (7) all hands on deck, (8) continuous improvement, (9) attacks will never be eliminated and (10) moving pieces makes it harder. The ten themes, together, reveal the essence of the shared experiences of the participants with the phenomenon.Originality/valueUnderstanding how to defend an enterprise from social engineering attacks is an international issue with implications for businesses and IS professionals across the world. The findings revealed that to prevent social engineer attacks, all employees – IS and non-IS professionals alike – must be unified in their desire to protect the organization. This means IS professionals and organizational leadership must establish a strong security culture, not only through layered technology and electronic controls but also through open communication between all departments and continuously engaging, training and reinforcing social engineering education, policies, procedures and practices with all employees.

Current and Future Needs for Human Resources for Ethiopia’s National Health Information System: Survey and Forecasting Study

BackgroundStrengthening the national health information system is one of Ethiopia’s priority transformation agendas. A well-trained and competent workforce is the essential ingredient to a strong health information system. However, this workforce has neither been quantified nor characterized well, and there is no roadmap of required human resources to enhance the national health information system.ObjectiveWe aimed to determine the current state of the health information system workforce and to forecast the human resources needed for the health information system by 2030.MethodsWe conducted a survey to estimate the current number of individuals employed in the health information system unit and the turnover rate. Document review and key-informant interviews were used to collect current human resources and available health information system position data from 110 institutions, including the Ministry of Health, federal agencies, regional health bureaus, zonal health departments, district health offices, and health facilities. The Delphi technique was used to forecast human resources required for the health information system in the next ten years: 3 rounds of workshops with experts from the Ministry of Health, universities, agencies, and regional health bureaus were held. In the first expert meeting, we set criteria, which was followed by expert suggestions and feedback.ResultsAs of April 2020, there were 10,344 health information system professionals working in the governmental health system. Nearly 95% (20/21) of district health offices and 86.7% (26/30) of health centers reported that the current number of health information system positions was inadequate. In the period from June 2015 to June 2019, health information technicians had high turnover (48/244, 19.7%) at all levels of the health system. In the next ten years, we estimate that 50,656 health information system professionals will be needed to effectively implement the Ethiopia's national health information system.ConclusionsCurrent health information system–related staffing levels were found to be inadequate. To meet the estimated need of 50,656 multidisciplinary health information system professionals by 2030, the Ministry of Health and regional health bureaus, in collaboration with partners and academic institutions, need to work on retaining existing and training additional health information system professionals.

Actions Lead to Results: How the Behaviors of Information Systems Professionals Influence the Success of Information Systems Departments

The growing complexity of systems, the increasing intensity of their use, and the greater prominence of technology in supporting organizational activities has meant that information systems (IS) professionals in organizations have to go beyond offering routine task-related support when working with their non-IS colleagues. For organizations to see IS professionals as effective, they have to carry out empathic behaviors such as sharing their IT knowledge with their non-IS colleagues and taking the initiative to minimize inconveniences during IS projects. Drawing from the organizational citizenship behavior concept, we develop a multilevel research model to examine how behaviors that IS professionals perform influence IS departments’ effectiveness. Using data from more than 1,000 respondents working in the global finance industry, we conducted both cross-level and unit-level analyses and found results that support our arguments. Our results deepen the extent to which we understand the role that IS professionals play in supporting post-adoption IS use and digitally empowering business units while also performing their traditional roles.

The influence of career panels on student perceptions, attitudes, and intentions toward the information systems profession

ABSTRACTExposure to role models has been recommended as a way to attract and retain students in Information Systems (IS) programs. One way to accomplish this exposure in IS classrooms is with career panels of alumni professionals who offer a realistic perspective of various IS‐related roles and can frankly answer questions from students. For this study, we developed a comprehensive survey instrument based on published literature in order to examine the perceptions and attitudes of business students pre‐ and post‐ exposure to career panels and to validate that career panels indeed positively influence student perceptions and attitudes about IS. Female role models have also been espoused as a way to mitigate negative stereotypes, such as the IS field being a masculine domain or that a desirable work‐life balance is difficult to achieve. Our experimental design varied the gender mix of professionals between all‐male, all‐female, and mixed panels. We found that perceptions affect attitudes, and attitudes, in turn, influence intention to study IS. We also found that these role models positively influence perceptions of IS and that mixed panels influence perceptions more than all‐female and all‐male panels. In addition, we found that female students do not respond differently than male students to all‐female panels.

Reach for the sky: analysis of behavioral competencies linked to project success

PurposeThe issue of project managers’ competencies has gained much traction in practice and more recently in academic debate. However, they have become analogous to extensive wish lists where a project manager is expected to have an exhaustive list of aptitudes and capabilities. Therefore, identifying and defining the most critical competencies for project success is urgently needed. Moreover, although the vast number of studies emphasize the significance of behavioral competencies, there is a dearth of empirical research and studies within the context of information systems (IS) are scarce. Consequently, the present study aims to investigate the influence of project manager's behavioral competencies for the successful delivery of IS projects.Design/methodology/approachThis research conducted a systematic literature review (2009–2019) of 27 relevant studies incorporating 179 competencies. The authors also collected data from 121 professional IS project managers and used regression analysis and dominance analysis to test the hypotheses proposed.FindingsThe results confirm that behavioral competencies (including leadership, communication, result orientation, emotional intelligence, ethics, creativity and motivation) are significantly and positively related to IS project success. Furthermore, the findings show that emotional intelligence (resilience, stress management and self-control), creativity (resourcefulness, creativity thinking and imagination) and ethics (transparency, honesty and integrity) are the most influential behavioral competencies for IS project success.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is among the first to use a quantitative analysis to empirically investigate project manager's behavioral competencies for project success in the IS discipline. It brings much-needed empirical evidence for the most important competencies for IS project managers.

Personality in information systems professions: identifying archetypal professions with suitable traits and candidates' ability to fake-good these traits

PurposeThe importance of information systems (IS) professions is increasing. As personality–job fit theory claims, employees must have suitable personality traits for particular IS professions. However, candidates can try to fake-good on personality tests towards the desired personality type. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify archetypal IS professions, their associated personality types and examine the reliability of the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test in IS recruitment decisions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors reviewed academic literature related to IS professions to identify job archetypes and personality traits for IS professions. Then, the authors conducted an experiment with 452 participants to investigate whether candidates can fake-good on personality tests when being tested for a particular IS profession.FindingsThe identified job archetypes were IS project manager, IS marketing specialist, IS consultant, IS security specialist, data scientist and business process analyst. The experimental results show that the participants were not able to fake-good considerably regarding their personality traits for a particular archetype.Research limitations/implicationsThe taxonomy of IS professions should be validated further. The experiment was executed in an educational organisation and not in a real-life environment. Actual work performance was not measured.Practical implicationsThis study enables a better identification of suitable candidates for a particular IS profession. Personality tests are good indicators of the candidate's true personality type but must be properly interpreted.Originality/valueThis study enhances the existing body of knowledge on IS professions' archetypes, proposes suitable MBTI personality types for each profession and provides experimental support for the appropriateness of using personality tests to identify potentially suitable candidates.

The Development of the Perceived Distinctiveness Antecedent of Information Systems Professional Identity

This study explored the professional identity of information systems (IS) workers and explicated the set of salient characteristics that comprise the perceived distinctiveness of the IS profession. We developed a more complete picture of IS workers’ perceived distinctiveness, including its composition and outcomes. The perceived distinctiveness of the IS profession, in turn, contributes to individuals’ professional identity. We employed a mixed methods design (qualitative and quantitative) to leverage the strengths of each method. In Study 1, we analyzed transcripts of focus group interviews, using a robust qualitative method—revealed causal mapping. Utilizing the midrange theory that emerged from Study 1, we further explicated and empirically tested it with a quantitative field survey in Study 2. The meta-inference from these relationships can be stated as follows: The occurrence of change within the profession, the facets of knowledge needed, and the continuous refinement and adaptation of the knowledge base within a mentally demanding work context are what make the IS profession distinctive from other professions. Specifically, our findings indicate that the extent of change; the need for continuous learning; the use of creativity and logic to solve problems; the breadth of knowledge, skills, and abilities required; and the level of technology and business integration, time pressure, and stress compose the perceived distinctiveness of the IS professional. Future research might use our findings to incorporate elements of the IS profession into IS-specific theories.

How the Personalities and Behaviors of Information Systems Professionals Influence the Effectiveness of Information Systems Departments

ABSTRACT Building on the concept of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), this study develops a multi-level research model to examine how IS-specific OCBs displayed by IS professionals impact the perceived effectiveness of IS departments, and how the manifestation of IS-specific OCBs is in turn affected by the personal attributes of IS professionals, the leadership style of IS leaders, and the quality of the interactions within IS departments.

GeoLOD: A Spatial Linked Data Catalog and Recommender

The increasing availability of linked data poses new challenges for the identification and retrieval of the most appropriate data sources that meet user needs. Recent dataset catalogs and recommenders provide advanced methods that facilitate linked data search, but none exploits the spatial characteristics of datasets. In this paper, we present GeoLOD, a web catalog of spatial datasets and classes and a recommender for spatial datasets and classes possibly relevant for link discovery processes. GeoLOD Catalog parses, maintains and generates metadata about datasets and classes provided by SPARQL endpoints that contain georeferenced point instances. It offers text and map-based search functionality and dataset descriptions in GeoVoID, a spatial dataset metadata template that extends VoID. GeoLOD Recommender pre-computes and maintains, for all identified spatial classes in the Web of Data (WoD), ranked lists of classes relevant for link discovery. In addition, the on-the-fly Recommender allows users to define an uncatalogued SPARQL endpoint, a GeoJSON or a Shapefile and get class recommendations in real time. Furthermore, generated recommendations can be automatically exported in SILK and LIMES configuration files in order to be used for a link discovery task. In the results, we provide statistics about the status and potential connectivity of spatial datasets in the WoD, we assess the applicability of the recommender, and we present the outcome of a system usability study. GeoLOD is the first catalog that targets both linked data experts and geographic information systems professionals, exploits geographical characteristics of datasets and provides an exhaustive list of WoD spatial datasets and classes along with class recommendations for link discovery.

Prevalence of advance care planning practices among people with chronic diseases in hospital and community settings: a retrospective medical record audit

BackgroundAdvance Care Planning (ACP) enables healthcare professionals to embrace the important process where patients think about their values in life and goals for health care, and discuss their future health care preferences with family members for a time when they are not able to make health care decisions. Despite the promotion of ACP last two decades, and well-known benefits of ACP and a written Advance Care Directive (ACD), they are still underutilised in Australia and across the world. Previous studies have provided some insights, however, an uptake of ACP and prevalence of ACDs in community settings is rarely reported.MethodsThe aim of this study was to determine the uptake of ACP and prevalence of ACDs among people with chronic diseases in hospital and community settings. A retrospective medical record audit of eligible patients looking for evidence of ACP was conducted in 16 research sites in eight hospital and eight community care settings. Participants included those who were admitted to one of the research sites, and who were aged 18 years and over with at least one of nine nominated chronic diseases. The primary outcome measures included the number of patients with evidence of ACP through the following practices: completion of an ACD, appointment of an Enduring Guardian (EG), or completion of a resuscitation plan.ResultsThe overall prevalence of ACD was 2.8% (n = 28) out of 1006 audited records, and only 10 (1%) of them were legally binding. The number of EGs appointed was 39 (3.9%) across the sites. A total of 151 (15.4%) resuscitation plans were found across the eight hospital sites. 95% (n = 144) of the resuscitation plans indicated ‘Not-for-resuscitation’.ConclusionsThe uptake of ACP is very low. Current medical recording system reveals the challenges in ACP lie in the process of storage, access and execution of the ACDs. Given that having an ACD or Enduring Guardian in place is only useful if the treating physician knows how and where to access the information, it has implications for policy, information system, and healthcare professionals’ education.Trial registrationThe study was retrospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (Trial ID: ACTRN12618001627246). The URL of the trial registry record http://www.anzctr.org.au/trial/MyTrial.aspx

The Process Aspect of Project Success

This paper proposes an empirically tested model that explains the significance of project development phases for the project success, and the impact of project people on each phase. The conceptual model includes six inter-related components: project success as the ultimate target, project team, customer, and three process steps: planning, execution, and control. The empirical test was performed in the context of information systems (IS) projects. Usable data were obtained from a survey of 603 IS professionals and were analysed through structural equation modeling, factor analysis, and descriptive analysis. The results provide good empirical support for the proposed theoretical model. They reveal a significant direct relationship between project planning and control components and project success, and the indirect impact of project execution phase on the project success through mediating project control component. Furthermore, results emphasize the importance of the people aspect for successful execution of each of the introduced process steps.

FORENSIC ACCOUNTANTS AND ELECTRONIC TURNOVER OF DOCUMENTS IN THE CRIMINAL PROCESS

Today, forensic accounting is a fully formed profession that has evolved as the business world has changed and progressed, both domestically and internationally. Technology emerging trend that could point to developments in the coming decade. Forensic accountants are increasingly relying on and developing new uses for technology. This augments the required skill set from pure critical analysis to working knowledge of technical aspects such as data set management, various data sources, normalization techniques, visualization, and delivery of analysis that goes beyond the plain numbers. Increasingly in the past few years, information system professionals have also entered the field of forensic accounting, augmenting their skill sets with forensic computing, electronic discovery, data mining, and data visualization. Finding fraud in the world of big data requires new skillsets above and beyond basic forensic accounting, including the ability to develop machine-learning-capable artificial intelligence and other custom tools to detect irregularities amidst vast amounts of digitised financial data. Because this is such specialised knowledge, it’s increasingly necessary to build teams that combine traditional forensic accounting skills with tech talent. The Verkhovna Rada is considering an urgent Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine on the introduction of information and telecommunication system of pre-trial investigation 5246 dated 15.03.2021. The bill, in particular, provides: • functional purpose of the information and telecommunication system of the pretrial investigation; • providing access to materials stored in the information and telecommunication system of the pre-trial investigation; • the possibility of integrating the information and telecommunication system of the pre-trial investigation with other information, information and telecommunication systems in cases provided by law. The adoption of such a law will create a legal basis for the introduction and operation of the information and telecommunications system of pre-trial investigation, storage of information in criminal proceedings and reducing the volume of paperwork in the pre-trial investigation. The rapid conversion of accounting and other records from paper-based systems to electronic systems, coupled with the explosion in the quantity and types of electronic data, has resulted in many changes in the field of forensic accounting and the requirements for investigations. Expertise in the evaluation and handling of electronic evidence is just one way in which forensic accounting has evolved. Focused and efficient use of data analytics as well as the ability to mine a universe of publicly available yet critical information regarding subjects, companies and their relationships are two additional ways in which forensic accounting has matured. On the other hand, operating within a web of global data privacy and other complex regulatory constraints can complicate the job of the forensic accountant.

Reconstruction of Curriculum System of Information Management Specialty from the Perspective of Post Ability Formation

In view of the problems existing in the current training process of information management and information system professionals, such as broad employment posts, but the corresponding post ability is not strong, and graduates can not work quickly, this topic reconstructs the curriculum system through post ability analysis, and puts forward the new training goal of professional ability in the three dimensions of ERP application, information system development and big data application, Implement project-based teaching guided by employment, and explore a new paradigm for talent training of information management specialty with the integration characteristics of "class post certificate competition", so as to improve the quality of talent training.

The Role of Service-Learning in Information Systems Education

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the role of service-learning in Information Systems (IS) education. Background: While the use of modern technologies presents many operational benefits, such as the lowering of the costs, it may also aggravate social-economic is-sues. IS professionals should account for these issues as well as exhibit the skills demanded by modern-day employers. Hence, why there is a need for IS educators to adopt a new pedagogy that supports the development of more holistic and socially responsible IS graduates. Methodology: In this qualitative exploratory case study, two IS service-learning courses at a South African university were studied. Interviews, course evaluations, and reflection essays were analyzed to gain insight into the implications that service-learning may have for students. Contribution: This study contributes to IS education research by advancing discussions on the role of service-learning in providing learning outcomes such as the development of important skills in IS, civic-mindedness, and active participation in society. Findings: The findings showed that the courses had different implications for students developing skills that are important in IS and becoming civic-minded due to the variation in their design and implementation. Recommendations for Practitioners: It is recommended that IS educators present their courses in the form of service-learning with a careful selection of readings, projects, and reflection activities. Recommendations for Researchers: IS education researchers are advised to conduct longitudinal studies to gain more insight into the long-term implications that service-learning may have for IS students. Impact on Society: This paper provides insight into how IS students may gain social agency and a better understanding of their role in society. Future Research: It is recommended that future research focus on mediating factors and the implications that service-learning may have for IS students in the long-term.