Related Information Technology Research Articles

Off and Out: The Spaces for Certification—Offshore Outsourcing in St Petersburg, Russia

The offshore outsourcing of software-production services to places outside of the established networks in well-developed core economies is a dynamic and topical aspect of contemporary reorganizations in the software-development industries. Software production and related information technology services are outsourced to firms offshore or, more specifically, to places where labor skills appropriate to these industries are available at lower costs. Notable offshore destinations include: India, Russia, Ireland, Israel, Romania, and Ukraine, among several others. The offshore outsourcing of software production involves complex introductions, reorganizations, and compositions of production chains and management structures in the continuing negotiation of how relations and work processes will be governed across spaces. The author documents the roles of certification—ISO 9000 and CMM—as new governmental forms that shape understandings, perceptions, and strategies for becoming recognized within the offshore. Drawing on field research with over twenty firms in St Petersburg, Russia, the author proposes that certification is an emergent form of governance that embodies specific processes of globalization.

A proposal for a framework to classify and review contingent information system design methods

Today, information systems (IS) and related information technologies occupy a prime position in our organizations. However, over 60% of IS projects represent a failure. In this boarder, the contingent and modular design methods, which enable to adapt the steps of the project to the context and to use several method fragments and techniques in a combined manner, seem promising. However, they do not reach expected efficiency since the failure rate remains high. Existing propositions emphasise the description of such methods, but there is no means to understand the underlying logic of integrated contingency approaches. Such means are however essential to help clarifying and analysing existing contingent approaches and to assist researchers in developing more innovative contingent methods. The paper is an attempt to explore some of the issues underlying contingent IS design methods and to propose a framework for their classification. The framework is a 3-dimensional framework which advocates that a contingent design method can be well defined by its contingency level, characterization type and adaptation mode. After reviewing eight existing methods according to the framework, these are analysed and further research directions are highlighted.

Cooperative Intellectual Property in Biotechnology

This paper briefly considers some of the perceived problems associated with the exclusive rights model of patent management in biotechnology. It then goes on to explore the range of legal options for dealing with some of these perceived problems, together with alternative co-operative approaches that are currently under discussion in various forums, including open access models. This review shows that there are many parallels in the issues currently being debated in the information technology and biotechnology industries in relation to the copyright and patent regimes of intellectual property.

Information Literacy and Technology: An Examination of Some Issues

The literature on information literacy often assumes that there is an inherent link between the need for information literacy and what is commonly referred to as the information explosion. This assumed link is reflected in programs of information literacy instruction offered by academic libraries. This article argues that the basic concepts of information literacy predate and are largely independent of the new information environment. It contends further that an emphasis in information literacy instruction on the specific challenges posed by the Internet and related information technologies may lead to an insufficient emphasis on other more basic and enduring components of information literacy.

Trust in the Internet as an experience technology

Trust in the Internet and related information and communication technologies – ‘cybertrust’ – could be critical to the successful development of ‘e-services’, such as e-government, e-commerce, e-learning and democratic participation in the rapidly expanding online public sphere. This paper explores trust in cyberspace based on an analysis of data from an Oxford Internet Survey conducted by the Oxford Internet Institute using a multi-stage, national probability sample in Great Britain. The paper highlights various perspectives on the meaning of trust and draws on findings from the Oxford Internet Survey to explore and refine key social determinants of cybertrust. Evidence from this research provides fresh insights into the factors shaping trust in the Internet, arguing that cybertrust, defined as a confident expectation, is influenced by experience, defined operationally by several indicators of proximity to the Internet, in ways shaped by educational background. The potential for using these results to better understand the role of trust on Internet use is addressed, as well as the more indirect implications for reinforcing digital divides.

Cooperative Planning, Uncertainty and Managerial Control in Concurrent Design

We examine whether cooperative planning and uncertainty affect the magnitude of rework in concurrent engineering projects with upstream and downstream operations, and explore the impact of such rework on project delays. Using survey data from a sample of 120 business process (BP) redesign and related information technology (IT) development projects in healthcare and telecommunications, our results indicate that upstream (BP) rework and downstream (IT) rework is mediated and mitigated by cooperative planning through upstream/downstream strategy coupling and cross-functional involvement. In addition, uncertainty related to a lack of firm or industry experience with such projects increases the magnitude of upstream rework but not downstream rework or the amount of cooperative planning. After accounting for project scope, implementation horizon and whether delays are anticipated, we find that project delay is primarily influenced by the magnitude of downstream rework and downstream delay: the magnitude of both upstream and downstream rework significantly increases downstream delay, which significantly increases project delay. However, the magnitude of upstream rework does not directly affect project delay. These results suggest that project delay is under managerial control as cooperative planning is a managerial function that reduces downstream rework, while uncertainty from a lack of experience with the design affecting upstream rework is not directly under managerial control.

Cooperative Planning, Uncertainty, and Managerial Control in Concurrent Design

We examine whether cooperative planning and uncertainty affect the magnitude of rework in concurrent engineering projects with upstream and downstream operations, and explore the impact of such rework on project delays. Using survey data from a sample of 120 business process (BP) redesign and related information technology (IT) development projects in healthcare and telecommunications, our results indicate that upstream (BP) rework and downstream (IT) rework is mediated and mitigated by cooperative planning through upstream/downstream strategy coupling and cross-functional involvement. In addition, uncertainty related to a lack of firm or industry experience with such projects increases the magnitude of upstream rework but not downstream rework or the amount of cooperative planning. After accounting for project scope, implementation horizon and whether delays are anticipated, we find that project delay is primarily influenced by the magnitude of downstream rework and downstream delay: the magnitude of both upstream and downstream rework significantly increases downstream delay, which significantly increases project delay. However, the magnitude of upstream rework does not directly affect project delay. These results suggest that project delay is under managerial control as cooperative planning is a managerial function that reduces downstream rework, while uncertainty from a lack of experience with the design affecting upstream rework is not directly under managerial control.

QIPS Supports Profession's And Patients' Needs

QIPS Supports Profession's And Patients' Needs

Screens and the social landscape

The screen may be understood as a designed interface (e.g. television set, computers, information signage) and has a central place in representation and communication of the social landscape, and in the cultural and technological imagination, as well as having economic significance in the digital era of the 21st century. Traditional notions and functions of the screen are continuously shifting – a shift made all the more dramatic by the development of mobile and ubiquitous technologies. In this special issue of Visual Communication on ‘Screens and the social landscape’, we explore the ‘screen’ and related information technologies and ask what its implications might be for how people communicate and interact in public spaces as well as in their display and function in the urban environment, museums and galleries. We set out to explore this question by bringing together professionals and academics working in the broad disciplines of design, computer science, digital technology, linguistics, sociology and cultural studies to focus on the ‘screen’ as a common reference point.

Analytic Space Management for Drug Design Application

Demands on efficient drug design have been increasing with the advancement of computing technology and bioinformatics. A variety of information technologies pertaining to drug design have been proposed recently and such technology mostly contributes to drug design research. Molecular docking simulation is a promising application for drug design, and can be realized with current information technology. However although docking simulation and the related information technology have advanced in recent years, scientists still have difficulty finding a suitable parameter set of docking simulations for accuracy of simulation. The parameter-tuning step takes a long time, and existing computing technology can hardly assist in this step. This is because the parameter-tuning step involves factors that are difficult to automate with computers. In this paper, we propose a new architecture for assisting procedures that require the decisions of scientists, especially when they need to tune parameters in a docking simulation.

Introducing E-MARKPLAN: A practical methodology to plan e-marketing activities

Although e-marketing is highly prevalent, no template currently exists for managers who wish to use the Internet/Web and related information technologies to market their products and services. This paper provides managers with a comprehensive, actionable, and practical methodology (E-MARKPLAN) to plan, enact, and analyze e-marketing activities. Five case studies are used to illustrate the diversity of e-marketing actions. E-MARKPLAN consists of five parts: goals, actors (i.e., those who take e-marketing actions), spaces (i.e., theaters of engagement), actions, and outcomes. The E-MARKPLAN methodology is versatile, and is not limited to companies which have e-commerce operations.

Developing a strategic framework for efficient and effective optimisation of information in the supply chains of the UK clothing manufacture industry

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges that small firms in the UK clothing manufacturing sector encounter. It has been suggested that small manufacturers' main problems are based on an inadequate information‐sharing structure. This research will explore the strategic significance of information to effective supply chain decisions in small garment‐manufacturing firms.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is designed to employ Porter's five forces to explain the key factors influencing competition in the UK garment manufacturing industry and the relationship of information technology as a facilitator of shared information. In‐depth interviews and observations are conducted in a multiple case approach.FindingsEmpirical evidence shows that the slow and inefficient reaction of small garment manufacturers to competitive pressures is associated with inaccurate and untimely information sharing among trading partners.Research limitations/implicationsThe methodological approach justified the particularity, the specificity, and the boundedness required in case studies and demonstrates the depth of thoroughness and authentic explanations. It might, however, be useful to obtain a broader and wider sampling frame in any future research.Practical implicationsA successful supply chain will have implications for the upstream and downstream managers, who need to integrate their supply chains as part of a team that creates and adds value to the garments that end up in the hands of the consumers.Originality/valueThis paper has been able to stimulate concerns and interests in owner/managers of small garment manufacturers with special reference to their information needs. The evidence obtained demonstrated the overriding need for structured information strategies that will encourage the efficient flow of accurate and timely information across their supply chains.

How technologies support winning strategies and productivity

This article intends to contribute to a better understanding of the role that technologies may play within the fields of organizational operations, namely the formulation of competitive strategies. The aim of these considerations is to adopt an adequate and critical perspective of the relationships among different technologies and strategic efforts in order to recognize that information technologies are needed to obtain higher levels of understanding competitors’ movements and to enhance organizations’ performance. Moreover, by considering that information technologies are related extensively with strategic decisions, it attempts to provide useful insights on knowledge management and technologies effectiveness. Continued research relating information technology and technological networks to organizations’ performance is needed to explain management efficiency’s levels.

The Role of Relational Information Processes and Technology Use in Customer Relationship Management

Drawing on the relationship marketing and market information processing literature streams, the authors conceptualize and measure relational information processes, or organizational routines that are critical for customer relationship management (CRM). The authors examine the key drivers and outcome of relational information processes and the role of technology in implementing CRM using data collected from a diverse sample of firms. The results show that relational information processes play a vital role in enhancing an organization's customer relationship performance. By moderating the influence of relational information processes on customer relationship performance, technology used for CRM performs an important and supportive role. The study provides insights into why the use of CRM technology might not always deliver the expected customer relationship performance outcome.

Human‐Centered design of engineering applications: Success factors from a case study in the automotive industry

AbstractThe implementation of a so‐called “Digital Factory” is a tremendous challenge for automotive engineering. The technical task is to effect a seamless information backbone spanning three key departments: Design, Production Process Planning, and Manufacturing. Also suppliers such as machine and tool vendors have to be integrated into the information flow. Furthermore, there is the challenge of assimilating the human factor into the digital factory. New production planning tools will significantly change not only the contemporary production process planner's work but also the collaboration with suppliers. This raises one major issue: how to integrate different user groups into the design of complex engineering applications for production planning. The authors focus on a case study about the development of a computer‐aided planning (CAP) tool, which has been running since 1999 at DaimlerChrysler AG. The complexity of engineering processes and related information technology (IT) applications is examined and success factors for user involvement into IT development are identified. Finally, the article concludes with an adapted scenario‐based approach for the interdisciplinary and participative development of complex engineering applications. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 15: 421–443, 2005.

Metadesign as an Emergent Design Culture

The concept of metadesign was adopted in the 1980s regarding the use of information technologies in relation to art, cultural theories and design practices (from interactive art to biotechnological design). This article introduces theories and practices of metadesign and contributes to the unfolding of metadesign as an emergent design culture, calling for an expansion of the creative process in the new design space engendered by information technologies.

Information Technologies in Florida's Rural Hospitals: Does System Affiliation Matter?

The recent explosive growth of information technology in hospitals promises to improve hospital and patient outcomes. Financial barriers may cause rural hospitals to lag in adoption of information technology, however, formal studies that examine rural hospital adoption of information technology are lacking. To determine the extent to which rural Florida hospitals utilize clinical and other information technology applications, to identify related information technology issues and barriers, and to explore differences between stand-alone and system-affiliated hospitals. Chief information officers in rural Florida hospitals were surveyed from June 2003-October 2003. A comprehensive set of questions assessed hospital demographics, information technology priorities and barriers, clinical and other information technology systems, and staffing needs. In rural Florida, current information technology priorities included upgrading security on information technology systems to meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requirements (53.6%), implementing technology to reduce medical errors and to promote patient safety (50.0%), and implementing wireless systems (46.4%). With respect to current information technology adoption, system-affiliated rural hospitals were statistically more likely than their stand-alone counterparts to have laboratory information systems (93% vs 39%), pharmacy (87% vs 46%), pharmacy dispensing (53% vs 8%), chart deficiency (60% vs 15%), and order communication results (60% vs 23%). Financial barriers to successful information technology implementation were noted by 69% of stand-alone and 20% of system-affiliated rural hospitals. Although top information technology priorities are similar for all rural hospitals examined, differences exist between system-affiliated and stand-alone hospitals in adoption of specific information technology applications and with barriers to information technology adoption.

Information technology relatedness, knowledge management capability, and performance of multibusiness firms

Business value of information technology is an enduring research question. The elusive link between IT and financial firm performance calls for further research into intermediate organizational var...

State Mental Health Authorities and Informatics

As state mental health authorities (SMHAs) attempt to promote evidence-based practices within their systems of care, they often ignore the enormous potential of information technology. Most of the tasks that Charles Rapp and colleagues have expertly identified in the preceding article can be addressed more efficiently with computerized approaches than with traditional approaches to education, implementation, training, and quality assurance. Because mental health lags behind the rest of medicine in instituting electronic medical records and related information technology, SMHAs often overlook the potential of informatics. In this article, we outline the advantages of using informatics to promote evidence-based practices, describe the current barriers to using informatics in this way, and suggest several strategies for SMHAs.

Information Technology Relatedness, Knowledge Management Capability, and Performance of Multibusiness Firms

Business value of information technology is an enduring research question. The elusive link between IT and financial firm performance calls for further research into intermediate organizational variables through which IT may influence firm performance. This study proposes that knowledge management (KM) is a critical organizational capability through which IT influences firm performance. In the context of multibusiness firms, the study examines how the IT resources of a firm should be organized and managed to enhance the firm's KM capability, and whether and how KM capability influences firm performance. The study develops two hypothesizes: (1) IT relatedness of the firm's business units enhances cross-unit KM capability; (2) KM capability, in turn, leads to superior firm performance. Data from 250 Fortune 1000 firms provide empirical support for these hypotheses. IT relatedness of business units enhances the cross-unit KM capability of the firm. The KM capability creates and exploits cross-unit synergies from the product, customer, and managerial knowledge resources of the firm. These synergies increase the financial performance of the firm. IT relatedness also has significant indirect effects on firm performance through the mediation of KM capability.