Relevant IT Research Articles

Explaining IT governance disclosure through the constructs of IT governance maturity and IT strategic role

This study investigates the relation between the maturity of IT governance processes and the IT governance disclosure of firms. Furthermore, it examines whether the strategic role of IT in an industry induces systematic variation in IT governance disclosure. Based on a content analysis of annual reports and a field survey on the maturity of the implementation of COBIT processes, the results demonstrate a role of IT governance frameworks in stimulating accountability and transparency via enhanced external reporting of relevant IT information to external stakeholders, in particular in settings where the strategic role of IT is high.

A simulation model for educational process planning in an institution of higher education

Alexander A. Gorbunov - Lecturer, Department of Information Systems and Digital Infrastructure Management, National Research University Higher School of EconomicsAddress: 20, Myasnitskaya Street, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationE-mail: agorbunov@hse.ruEugeni A. Isaev - Professor, Head of Department of Information Systems and Digital Infrastructure Management, National Research University Higher School of EconomicsAddress: 20, Myasnitskaya Street, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationE-mail: eisaev@hse.ruAlexander F. Morgunov - Associate Professor, Head of Department of Information Systems and Digital Infrastructure Management. National Research University Higher School of EconomicsAddress: 20, Myasnitskaya Street, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationE-mail: amorgunov@hse.ru In universities and technical colleges with relevant IT qualifications in one semester multiple streams, courses and specializations can use software products for training purposes. IT services of universities should deal with the challenge of creating the infrastructure of educational applications that can support the educational process. We note that the number of specializations which study information technology are growing every year (for example, in HSE there are disciplines-minors, which can enroll students coming from any field). Also in the recent years, online courses have started to become popular. If the load is not planned ahead taking into account future trends, the power of even the most high-tech infrastructure will be insufficient. Calculation of the corresponding load on the infrastructure must be made in the planning process of the disciplines, so that we can reserve appropriate facilities, and thus organize an effective learning process. Software developers use a variety of benchmarking tools that are complex and do not provide the necessary information for the participants of educational process planning. This article discusses the construction of a simulation model that supports the educational process planning. The simulation is carried out using the capabilities of the tool AnyLogic 7. The aim of this work is to develop a simulation model designed to estimate the load on the information system used in the educational process. In addition, besides the description of the model, the article presents the results of calculations used for various options of the information system (private cloud or on a server at the university). The simulation results were confirmed by data obtained during practical classes at the university. This model gives us the opportunity to plan the educational process in order to achieve uniformity of the load on the services. If necessary, the model allows us to make a decision about the location of the educational information system: on servers of the university or in a private cloud.

A simulation model for educational process planning in an institution of higher education

Alexander A. Gorbunov - Lecturer, Department of Information Systems and Digital Infrastructure Management, National Research University Higher School of EconomicsAddress: 20, Myasnitskaya Street, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationE-mail: agorbunov@hse.ruEugeni A. Isaev - Professor, Head of Department of Information Systems and Digital Infrastructure Management, National Research University Higher School of EconomicsAddress: 20, Myasnitskaya Street, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationE-mail: eisaev@hse.ruAlexander F. Morgunov - Associate Professor, Head of Department of Information Systems and Digital Infrastructure Management. National Research University Higher School of EconomicsAddress: 20, Myasnitskaya Street, Moscow, 101000, Russian FederationE-mail: amorgunov@hse.ru In universities and technical colleges with relevant IT qualifications in one semester multiple streams, courses and specializations can use software products for training purposes. IT services of universities should deal with the challenge of creating the infrastructure of educational applications that can support the educational process. We note that the number of specializations which study information technology are growing every year (for example, in HSE there are disciplines-minors, which can enroll students coming from any field). Also in the recent years, online courses have started to become popular. If the load is not planned ahead taking into account future trends, the power of even the most high-tech infrastructure will be insufficient. Calculation of the corresponding load on the infrastructure must be made in the planning process of the disciplines, so that we can reserve appropriate facilities, and thus organize an effective learning process. Software developers use a variety of benchmarking tools that are complex and do not provide the necessary information for the participants of educational process planning. This article discusses the construction of a simulation model that supports the educational process planning. The simulation is carried out using the capabilities of the tool AnyLogic 7. The aim of this work is to develop a simulation model designed to estimate the load on the information system used in the educational process. In addition, besides the description of the model, the article presents the results of calculations used for various options of the information system (private cloud or on a server at the university). The simulation results were confirmed by data obtained during practical classes at the university. This model gives us the opportunity to plan the educational process in order to achieve uniformity of the load on the services. If necessary, the model allows us to make a decision about the location of the educational information system: on servers of the university or in a private cloud.

Survey of health informatics education in Finland in 2017

The European Union and the USA collaborate in developing the skills of the application of information technology in the health care workforce. A part of this activity is a project which studies the gaps in the present education and proposes methods of filling these gaps. The objective of this paper is to identify the existing IT related education to the health care work force in Finland. A secondary objective was to get an impression of the experience and attitudes of the members of this workforce about health IT education.
 This paper presents the results of the survey of how information technology is educated to the students of the health care professions in Finland in the year 2017. In addition to literature search including also the study guides of many major health care professional education organizations, 24 telephone interviews of health care professionals in different fields in Finland were made.
 The results show that although basic information technology education is often available at every level of education, it is expected that the health care professionals learn to use the health information systems during their training periods or later in working life. The interviews showed that the given education varied considerably and some of the personnel had received no or only a little education on IT during studies. As the amount and quality of on-the-job information technology education varies, many health care professionals are not able to fully benefit from the information systems if their general feeling is that they just “survive” from daily activities with them.
 The results lead to suggest that the health professional degrees should contain at least a minimal amount of relevant health IT education which is tested with an exam and that the present health care workforce should receive ear-marked in-service training in the use of health information technology based on the needs of the individual.

Computing Capabilities of Knowledge Workers in the Kuwaiti Health Sector

Knowledge workers in health care can function well in their clinical and professional practice if they have adequate computing capabilities and they apply them optimally in their work setting. Health information systems (HIS), patient health records (PHR), health databases, health portals, etc. are becoming the essential work-context for these knowledge workers. These professionals have to be equipped with relevant IT competencies in order to be usefully functional, productive and value-driven. HIS was implemented in 2006 in one of the major public hospitals in Kuwait. Thus far the system is partially functional and many of its strengths are not adequately exploited. The Purpose of this study was to examine whether health professionals possess needed computing capabilities and what role did these play in the optimization of the HIS. We conducted a survey administering a questionnaire to a stratified random sample of 210 knowledge workers. We received 130 responses and analyzed data using 124 of the usable responses. In this paper we have reviewed perceptions about the computing capabilities of these professionals, inadequacies they had reported, problems they had encountered, and the role of IT unit in the organization.

A Role Allocation Model For IT Controls In A Cloud Environment

The rapid adoption of cloud computing by organizations, along with the need to comply with relevant IT governance (ITG) controls, has increased the complexity of governance in the cloud. This transition from a classical data center to a virtualized data center has resulted in the reallocation of roles and responsibilities of IT personnel for managing and accounting for the relevant IT controls. With a lack of guidelines or model for practitioners to choose from, with regard to the allocation of roles and responsibilities, there is a lack of clarity on the responsibilities and accountability for these IT controls. The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model for assigning roles and responsibilities for IT controls for an organization operating in a cloud environment. The proposed model is based on a strong theoretical grounding and can be used to inform good practice.

Vehicle as a Mobile Sensor

Automotive manufacturers are currently giving much interest to in-vehicle sensors and their relevant ITS applications. The number of in-vehicle sensors is in continuously increasing because of their proved benefits represented in avoided accidents, higher driving efficiencies, and ubiquitous sensing-based services. These benefits are not limited to only the vehicle's driver, but also to other vehicles and third parties. In this paper, we introduce Vehicle as a Mobile Sensor (VaaMS), a concept that shows how sensor-equipped vehicles can be considered a pivotal, mobile resource of sensory data and sensor-related applications/services. In addition, we present a new categorization of in-vehicle sensors along with a discussion of some representative sensors and several supported ITS applications. Besides, we elaborate on some communication technologies that support VaaMS.

OTLA: A New Model for Online Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Higher Education

The study examined a new asynchronous model for online teaching, learning and assessment, called OTLA. It is designed for higher-education institutions and is based on LMS (Learning Management System) as well as other relevant IT tools. The new model includes six digital basic components: text, hypertext, text reading, lectures (voice/video), exercises (optional and compulsory) and a final computerised exam. It is accompanied by deep daily involvement of the course lecturer. The research was based on two samples of students studying in two colleges (n = 50, n = 46) who 1 2 participated in OTLA courses. All students were asked to answer the same questionnaire focused on three areas: the course components, characteristics of learning process and time investment. Besides, achievements of an OTLA course were compared to the same course in a to face format. The research reveals that according to students' views, the new model is very helpful for their studying process. Furthermore, achievements in an OTLA course were found to be equal or better in comparison to an equivalent face-to-face course. The study's results point out that there is a significant

Developing a comprehensive methodology for BPR projects by employing IT tools

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive IT tools based methodology (CITM) for BPR projects in order to facilitate implementing BPR project by considering relevant IT tools in each phase of the methodology, both approaches (clean slate and analysis of existing processes on details), and failure analysis for diminishing the risk of the BPR project.Design/methodology/approachIn today's world, corporations need to adjust with the environment changes in order to stay stable in facing market changes. This paper presents a comprehensive methodology in which by considering different aspects for implementing BPR project including IT tools, both BPR approaches, and failure analysis can facilitate BPR project. The proposed methodology's validation was tested by getting the 50 experts' ideas in each phase of the methodology and in a case study at organization and planning department in an IT company.FindingsThe structured methodology developed in this paper contain the two debatable approaches of BPR (clean slate approach as well as analysis of existing processes on details approach). This methodology enables the organization to derive a proper way to implement BPR project in order to its situation. In every phase of this methodology, based on their applications in each specific phase, required softwares and IT tools are proposed. The applicability of methodology was analyzed and confirmed thoroughly by the 50 BPR experts and in a case study at an IT company.Originality/valueThis study provides a comprehensive methodology to consider the gap of the BPR methodologies in their comprehensiveness, use IT tools and softwares and lower the risk of the BPR implementation. In developing the CITM the challenging approaches are considered, the related softwares and IT tools are proposed and failure analysis is done and considered in each phase of the CITM in order to decrease the risk of its implementation.

An Integrated Security Governance Framework for Effective PCI DSS Implementation

This paper analyses relevant IT governance and security frameworks/standards used in IT assurance and security to propose an integrated framework for ensuring effective PCI DSS implementation. Merchants dealing with credit cards have to comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) or face penalties for non-compliance. With more transactions based on credit cards, merchants are finding it costly and increasingly difficult to implement and interpret the PCI standard. One of the top reasons cited for merchants to fail PCI audit, and a leading factor in data theft, is the failure to adequately protect stored cardholder data. Although implementation of the PCI DSS is not a guarantee for perfect protection, effective implementation of the PCI standards can be ensured through the divergence of the PCI standard into wider information security governance to provide a comprehensive overview of information security based not only on security but also security audit and control. The contribution of this paper is the development of an integrated comprehensive security governance framework for ‘information security’ (rather than data protection) incorporating Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT), Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and ISO 27002.

Internet-based selling technology and e-commerce growth: a hybrid growth theory approach with cross-model inference

Innovations associated with information and communication technology (ICT) have opened up new opportunities for the global economy and ushered in the age of e-commerce. Our objective in this research is to explore the role of Internet-based selling technology, which acts as technology infrastructure for B2C e-commerce growth at the country level. This study proposes the use of a new hybrid growth theory approach as the theoretical basis for examining exogenous and endogenous factors that influence e-commerce growth over time. We estimate three different models to evaluate their explanatory capabilities. We investigate a panel-corrected feasible generalized least squares regression that incorporates the direct effects of country-level variables. We also specify an endogeneity-adjusted two-stage least squares model and estimate it with an embedded technology adoption function in a simultaneous equation model. This permits the analysis of the relevance of IT infrastructure, as well as reverse causality between e-commerce growth and Internet-based selling technology. We test these models using archival data for four different regions, based on either 24 or 42 countries around the world, depending on the data requirements of the models. Our empirical tests evaluate quasi-production environmental inputs, in which technology determines the environment of production of e-commerce services. Our main finding is that both endogenous variables (e.g., Internet user penetration, capital invested in telecommunication) and exogenous variables (international openness) drive the GDP-normalized level of B2C e-commerce revenues over time. A second main finding is that it is useful to include an embedded technology adoption function in a modeling specification for growth, since growth is founded on the availability of relevant IT infrastructure that is made possible by the availability of venture capital. In addition, B2C e-commerce revenue growth and venture capital also contribute to the adoption of Internet-based selling technology. We discuss our overall approach for the interpretation of the strength of our main findings, as well as the policy implications, and why our hybrid growth theory approach is useful.

성형제조업의 생산설비정보화 시스템 표준모델 구축 및 효과 분석

본 연구는 중소기업의 정보화를 추진함에 있어, 정보화 중에서도 중단기적인 도입 성과를 낼 수 있는 생산설비정보화 구축을 위하여, 성형제조업 분야의 생산실적 수집에 대한 표준 모델을 연구 개발한다. 성형제조업 생산설비정보화 표준화를 위한 개발방법론은 기 연구 개발된 생산설비정보화 개발 방법론(PSDM)을 적용하며, 표준화 모델은 생산관리 프로세스 중 메인 프로세스인 원자재수급 관리와 생산량 집계 2개의 프로세스를 표준화 시키고 표준 모듈을 개발한다. 본 연구로 생산설비정보화를 구축하고자 하는 성형제조업 중소기업 및 관련 전문 IT업체 들이 표준화된 모듈을 적용하여 시스템을 보다 효과적으로 구축 할 수 있으며, 시스템에 대한 구축 용이성과 신뢰성을 제공한다. 본 연구 결과를 적용함으로써 생산공정의 불합리한 요소제거, 생산제품 품질 향상, 생산비용절감이 가능하다. The purpose of this research is to develop a standard model for the compilation of production results in molding business to establish the informatization system for the production facility among informatizadon projects which can generate the performance of medium and short term introduction of the project in implementing the system to small and medium industry. The theory on the development method for the standardization of informatization for production facility in molding business applies PSDM (Production System Development Method) for which a number of researches were already done while developing a standardization model by standardizing two processes of raw material demand/supply management and making sum total for production quantity which are main processes for production management process. On the basis of the result of this research, small and medium companies in molding business and relevant specialized IT companies which desire to establish production facility informatization systems will be able to establish more efficient system by applying standardized model, and the result of research will enable to facilitate the establishment of the system for them while providing reliability of the system. Through the application of the result of this research, it will be possible to accomplish the elimination of unreasonable factors in production process, the enhancement of product quality and the saving of production cost.

Empowering SME Users Through Technology Innovation: A Services Computing Approach

Web-based technologies are now quite widespread, and this paper relates how traditional information and communications technologies such as those associated with SME users can be coupled with Internet technologies in offering e-business solutions. SME users are traditionally not well resourced and do not have adequate computing infrastructure within their local work environments. The paper proposes an online information services infrastructure with the core services oriented technology as its basis, packaging various information resources behind the scenes. The online information service infrastructure invokes relevant sophisticated IT services only if necessary, and consequently delivers virtual technology capacity to SME users. The proposed transformation and changes within SME work environments will be minimal and should bring little interruption to the existing operations. An experiment has been carried out according to such visions. The experiment shows the effectiveness of the online applications integration through adaptive services, and an innovative knowledge driven model for economic use of information resources. The research aims to provide a basis to understand the potential benefits, barriers and solutions to integrate the traditional SME environments with leading-edge online services.

The identification and discussion of strategies for implementing an IT skills framework in the education of professional accountants

The accountancy and auditing profession operates within an environment that is changing at a rapid pace. It is the responsibility of the profession to ensure that all its members meet the expectations that the users of their services have of them. For professional accountants to remain relevant, they may have to change or adapt the services they offer to their clients. It is the responsibility of professional accountancy bodies to plan for these changes to ensure that members who join the profession possess the required knowledge and skills to be relevant and to remain relevant.One of the key drivers of change has been identified as the advances in information and communication technologies. Information and communication technologies have an impact on the role that accountants play (i.e. what they do), as well as on how they perform this role (i.e. how they do it).The aim of this article is to determine the perceptions of role-players at South African universities to identify strategies that can be employed by universities to ensure that students entering the profession as trainee accountants demonstrate the critical IT skills to be competent accountants in the South African environment.This research shows that there is a real sense within SAICA and academic circles of the importance of students acquiring a relevant set of IT skills through the integration of IT with the professional subjects. However, there is uncertainty about what these IT skills are and how it could be integrated with the professional subjects. It is therefore important that all the role-players understand and demonstrate the urgency to integrate IT skills with the knowledge acquired in the professional subjects to ensure that accounting students acquire the relevant and critical IT skills to be competent accountants within the South African business environment.

GOVERNANÇA DE TI NO SETOR PÚBLICO – CASO DATAPREV

Este artigo reúne os resultados obtidos na pesquisa realizada na Empresa de Tecnologia e Informações da Previdência Social – Dataprev. Com base nos princípios de governança de TI do modelo Cobit, foram identificados os processos de TI relevantes para a empresa em questão. Através da análise dos dados coletados na pesquisa de campo realizada junto aos gerentes e supervisores da Diretoria de Operações e Telecomunicações, concluiu-se que 50% dos processos recomendados pelo modelo têm relevância para realidade da empresa. Palavras-chave: Tecnologia da Informação, Governança de TI, Cobit.

Issues and Challenges of Globalization of Library Services in Nigeria in the 21st Century

Reports on a study which sought to investigate the major challenges of globalization of library services in Nigeria. The respondents were librarians from 10 Nigerian university and 6 research libraries. The findings show that: inadequate funding/financial support of libraries, provision of relevant IT infrastructures, human resource/capacity building programme in ICT, uninterrupted power supply/backup, and user education in IT pose major challenges to the globalization of library services in the country. Recommends that governments should give priority to funding/financial support of libraries in their budgets and library managements should prioritize investment in ICT within their limited funds to enable them to support the globalization of library services.