Threats and countermeasures for information system security: A cross-industry study

IS security threats have increased significantly in recent years. We identified the gaps between manager perceptions of IS security threats and the security countermeasures adopted by firms by collecting empirical data from 109 Taiwanese enterprises. Industry type and organizational use of IT were seen as the two factors that affected the motivation of firms to adopt security countermeasures, but their implementation did not necessarily affect the threat perceptions of the managers. Analyses of responses suggested that the scope of the countermeasures adopted were not commensurate with the severity of the perceived threats. Among the threats, networks were rated as contributing the most severe threat and yet had the lowest level of protection, this was followed by threats due to personnel and administrative issues. We therefore addressed threat mitigation strategies, specifically in terms of the differences between industries.     

苹果细节进化论——创新扩散理论与产品创新决策

苹果究竟为我们创造了多少神话,三十年来苹果又为我们缔造了多少个\"首先\"和\"第一\"。乔布斯总是不断地带给我们一番又一番的惊喜,在苹果走向而立之年之时,不断给苹果注入新鲜的血液。如今,整个苹果产品大家族已俨然是一个地位高高在上的大户人家。在此,我仅选取苹果家族中小巧的一员——iPod系列中的iPodnano,结合罗杰斯的创新扩散理论,来较深层次的探索苹果创新的脚步。     

An analysis of the driving forces for Web services adoption

Web services are supported by major IT vendors and have been adopted by some enterprises in various applications. However, due to the hype surrounding Web services, information technology (IT) personnel and business managers often have difficulty assessing the potential uses, impacts, and benefits of Web services. Based on literature review and technical information, as well as field and Web-based case studies, we have developed a framework for analyzing the driving forces for Web services adoption. The framework and detailed benefits analysis model can be used by IT and business strategy planners to identify technical options and business opportunities, as well as to formulate Web services implementation strategies.     

基于GPRS/Web Service的分布式车辆监控与信息服务平台

本文集成了GPRS、GPS、GIS和Web Services技术构建应用于车辆监控的ITS共用信息平台。分析了移动终端的无线数据传输问题,提出了基于GPRS的通信模型。同时提出如何在有线无线环境下,构建具有互操作、可扩展、标准的交通地理信息发布框架及在此框架下存在的关键问题。     

Cross-cultural IS adoption in multinational corporations: A study of rationality

A common claim in the literature on Information Systems' implementation in the context of less developed economies or so-called “developing countries” is that the “Western” technology is at odds with the local cultural context, in particular it is believed to mismatch local rationality in the sense of the accepted ways of doing things. In this paper we investigate IS implementation in a company based in a “non-Western” context compared with IS adoption in another company in a “Western” country context. Seen as a particular form of decision-making, the adoption and implementation processes are analysed drawing on the literature on decision-making, rationality in “Western” and “non-Western” contexts. Presenting evidence from these two contexts we argue that multiple forms of rationality exist in any context and that national culture is only one aspect of actors' as well as researchers' sense-making of activities in any given context. Linking the cases back the literature we reflect on the implications of our findings for cross-cultural research of IT implementation.     

Mobile business application for service and maintenance processes: Using ex post evaluation by end-users as input for iterative design

Although mobile technologies are increasingly used for business purposes, many companies have found it difficult to successfully implement them. Not only do the rapid technological changes increase the risks of companies’ investments into mobile technologies, but many such applications have also failed to gain user acceptance. In contrast to the consumer domain, there are very few empirical studies of mobile applications’ effectiveness from the perspectives of professional end users. Furthermore, designing mobile business applications has become an increasingly iterative and incremental activity, and ex post evaluations by actual users can provide crucial feedback to an iterative design process. In this study, we seek to contribute to establishing a design cycle that closely links the building and the evaluation of mobile business applications. Our objectives are to (1) gain a better understanding of mobile business applications’ success by means of ex post evaluations from end users, and to (2) leverage these empirical insights to inform the design of mobile business applications. We conducted the study in collaboration with DEKRA Automotive, which offers expert services in the automotive sector with experience in mobile business applications. Our primary contribution is a systematic approach to using ex post evaluation as input for the iterative design of mobile business applications. We suggest an adapted version of the D&M information system (IS) Success Model, which has process quality as an additional construct, as a basis for ex post evaluations of a mobile business application by its end users. Furthermore, we illustrate how a performance-based analysis of the empirical results enables one to derive priorities and recommendations for future design iterations. Our results reveal that system quality and process quality are the main determinants of individual benefits of using mobile business applications. Our findings thus contradict other studies that identify information quality as a significant motivator of (consumer-oriented) mobile data services. We conclude that a mobile business application's design should focus on process quality, emphasizing functional support for operational tasks in a specific work context while ensuring system quality, which is largely affected by technology platform choices.     

Investigating the effects of IS strategic leadership on organizational benefits from the perspective of CIO strategic roles

In this study, the effects of IS strategic leadership on organizational outcomes are examined from the perspective of CIO strategic roles. A field survey is conducted that collects data from 110 matched pairs of CIOs and business executives within organizations. Our findings suggest that strategic leadership significantly affects both organizational benefits and information system quality. Further, we found that IS quality significantly mediates the relationship between IS strategic leadership and organizational benefits. We also note that IS vision significantly moderates the relationship between IS strategic leadership and IS quality, although it does not moderate the relationship between IS strategic leadership and organizational benefits or the relationship between IS quality and organizational benefits.     

The effects of reading and writing habits on blog adoption

Blogs are one of the most widely used Internet applications; however, there is a lack of attention paid to understanding blog adoption with respect to individual reading/writing habits. This paper, therefore, investigates how individual reading and writing habits contribute to blog adoption. A survey was conducted in order to understand the relationship between an individual's reading and writing habits, in terms of reading/writing attitude and reading/writing behavioural patterns, and the adoption of blogs. A total of 210 blog users participated in the study. Hypotheses were tested and data were analysed using multiple regression analysis and logistic regression analysis. The results revealed that reading and writing habits are a significant predictor of blog adoption. Furthermore, based on Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory, this study also investigated whether people's habitual characteristics (i.e. heavy and light) have some sort of relationship with the stage of blog adoption (i.e. earlier and later). A subsequent analysis showed that people with a heavier reading habit group tended to adopt at an earlier stage, while this consequence was absent in those with heavier writing habits groups.     

The intention–behaviour gap in technology usage: the moderating role of attitude strength

Extant theories of information technology (IT) usage present users' behavioural intention as the primary predictor of their IT usage behaviour. However, empirical evidence reveals only a low-to-medium effect size for this association. We call this inconsistency the ‘intention–behaviour gap’, and argue that a clearer understanding of this gap requires a deeper theoretical examination of the conditions under which intentions may or may not influence behaviour. Drawing on recent attitude theoretic research in social psychology, we distinguish between two types of attitudes – strong versus weak – and suggest that the intention–behaviour association may hold for users with strong attitudes but is likely to be weaker for those with weak attitudes. Using the elaboration-likelihood model, we propose two dimensions of attitude strength relevant to the IT usage context – personal relevance and related expertise – and theorise them to moderate the intention–behaviour association in a positive manner. Results from a longitudinal field survey of document management system usage among governmental employees at L'viv City Hall, Ukraine support our theoretical hypotheses. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.     

The Future IS Organization in a Flat World

The business world is becoming increasingly “flat” with regard to access to global markets and a global workforce. New operational priorities are emerging that require new IS capabilities. The linkage between these operational shifts and the changes required by an IS organization to develop new IS capabilities for a flattening world are identified and discussed.