Understanding factors influencing information communication technology adoption behavior: The moderators of information literacy and digital skills

Digital inequality is one of the most critical issues in the “information age”, few studies have examined the social inequality in information resources and digital use patterns. In the rural areas, such information communication technology (ICT) facilities could not guarantee that users can easily access information technology and overcome the so-called “digital divide.” This research aims to discover the psychological factors that influence information and communication technology (ICT) adoption behavior, as well as confirm whether “information literacy” and “digital skills” have moderator effects in the research model. Using a survey of 875 participants and a structural equation modeling approach, we find that task characteristics and social interaction improve media richness, media experience, and media technostress, which in turn enhance ICT adoption behavior. The proposed theoretical model shows that the impact of ICT adoption behavior is moderated by information literacy and digital skills. The findings of this research can offer guidelines for policy makers and educators who evaluate a community's ICT adoption behavior so as to provide proper access to ICT and promote its visibility by incorporating ICT in educational activities.     

Vergleich von Kompetenzanforderungen an Business-Intelligence- und Big-Data-Spezialisten

While many studies on big data analytics describe the data deluge and potential applications for such analytics, the required skill set for dealing with big data has not yet been studied empirically. The difference between big data (BD) and traditional business intelligence (BI) is also heavily discussed among practitioners and scholars. We conduct a latent semantic analysis (LSA) on job advertisements harvested from the online employment platform monster.com to extract information about the knowledge and skill requirements for BD and BI professionals. By analyzing and interpreting the statistical results of the LSA, we develop a competency taxonomy for big data and business intelligence. Our major findings are that (1) business knowledge is as important as technical skills for working successfully on BI and BD initiatives; (2) BI competency is characterized by skills related to commercial products of large software vendors, whereas BD jobs ask for strong software development and statistical skills; (3) the demand for BI competencies is still far bigger than the demand for BD competencies; and (4) BD initiatives are currently much more human-capital-intensive than BI projects are. Our findings can guide individual professionals, organizations, and academic institutions in assessing and advancing their BD and BI competencies.     

基于语义分析的情感计算技术研究进展

随着机器学习和大数据技术的应用发展,基于语义分析的情感计算与分析技术在研究人类的感知、注意力、记忆、决策、社会交流等诸多方面起着重大作用,它不仅影响到了人工智能技术的发展,还影响到了人/机交互的方式,并受到学术界以及企业界的广泛关注.本文在针对情感定义以及相关90多种情感模型分析的基础上,归纳并提出了目前情感分析领域中存在的6项关键性问题与挑战,其中主要包括：情感的来源与本质特征的表示问题;多模态条件下的情感计算问题;外部因素对情感演化过程的影响度量问题;情感的个性化度量问题;情感群体化特征与传播动力学机制问题以及细微情感的表达、算法改进与优化等问题.同时,本文针对其中的关键问题与技术挑战进行了理论探讨、技术分析、实际应用以及当前工作进展与趋势分析,从而为深入研究和解决基于语义分析条件下的情感计算提供了新的研究线索与方向.     

The contributing factors of continuance usage of social media: An empirical analysis

The problem of leveraging social media for establishing and sustaining consistent policies, procedures and methods of online communication can be challenging for busy professionals. To address this issue and to contribute to the literature we develop our research model to gain a deeper upstanding of the factors that influence social media continuance usage. The theoretical background for our research model are technology acceptance model and diffusion of innovation. We collected our data from college students that are enrolled in a large public university located in North America. We analyze our data using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results of our data analysis show that ease of use, usefulness, and satisfaction of social media have a positive and significant influence on social media continuance usage. Also, our results show that relative advantage, compatibility, information quality, and risk of social media have a positive influence on the usefulness of social media. We discussed the results implications for theory development and practice.     

The influence of individual,family, and social capital factors on expatriate adjustment and performance: The moderating effect of psychology contract and organizational support

This research is conducted to get more understanding about the antecedents and consequences of expatriate adjustment. Expatriate adjustment is a very important factor for the expatriate and for the organization. As prior studies have explained that family, individual, and social capital factors significantly related to expatriate adjustment, but these studies did not integrate the antecedents and consequences of expatriate adjustment into a more comprehensive research model. Therefore, this study aims to integrate relevant research streams into a more comprehensive model of expatriate adjustment and empirically test the viability of the model. The results of this study illustrated that expatriates with higher emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, and experience abroad can adjust more easily in the new work environment. Also, family support and family adaptability have positive influence on expatriate adjustment. Expatriates who had prior experiences on parental demand and family to work conflict tend to be able to manage these problems more easily. Furthermore, social capital and mentoring behavior are also important factors that can enhance the success of expatriate adjustment which could further influence expatriate performance, innovative work behavior, knowledge transfer, and organizational performance. Finally, this study also identified that psychological contract and organizational support as two important moderators that can enhance expatriate adjustment and success.     

Teaching the importance of communication in IT

Many IT employers complain that their employees, especially new graduates, have a solid technical background but lack adequate oral and written communications skills, a critical attribute. In this study, communication skills include: possessing strong written and spoken English; helping customers understand their requirements; asking questions (for example, in an interview situation); responding to questions quickly and concisely; establishing trust with the customer; and, clearly illustrating a systems purpose. Communication skills are crucial for a successful IT career. Many IT students feel they must only know the nuts and bolts of their profession. But to move up the ranks of management, and even for those more interested in the technology side, proper communication skills are essential. Educators can integrate communication skills into an information systems core course to provide cohesion within the IS discipline.     

深度学习支持下的情感识别探讨

随着人工神经网络技术的发展,深度学习逐渐成为人工智能领域的研究重点。在情感识别领域,深度学习也有着极为强大的理论与技术优势,其能够显著提升情感识别的准确性。同时,深度学习下的情感识别对于智慧化学习环境的营造有着积极意义,所以将之应用到教育教学工作中是切实可行的。本文对深度学习进行了简单介绍,并分析了当前情感识别的研究进展,进而对深度学习支持下的情感识别构建和应用展开探讨。     

Computer-mediated communication in adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI)

The various uses of computer-mediated communication (CMC) are transforming the nature of social interactions and human relations among adolescents. Little is known about engagement of exceptional youth with this technology. The present study investigated the implications of language and social factors for frequency of CMC use and its relationship to adolescent well-being in young people with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Eighty six adolescents with a history of SLI and 90 typically developing 17 year olds participated. Participants completed standardized assessments of psycholinguistic abilities and self-report measures of language motivations and social motivations for CMC use, as well as anxiety and depression. Results indicate that language abilities have a complex relationship with frequency of CMC use; social abilities have a more direct association and are predictive of frequency of CMC use. Both adolescents with SLI and typically developing adolescents were less shy online. No association was obtained between frequency of CMC use and reported emotional symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. It is argued that the characteristics of CMC, in terms of its less stringent language demands and its reduced-cues environment, can provide a medium for positive adaptation of adolescents with communication challenges.     

Role of Human-Computer Interaction Factors as Moderators of Occupational Stress and Work Exhaustion

Software professionals perform boundary-spanning activities, and thus need strong interpersonal, technical, and organizational knowledge to be professionally competent. They have to perform in a demanding work environment characterized by strict deadlines, differing time zones, interdependency in teams, increased interaction with clients, and extended work hours. These characteristics lead to occupational stress and work exhaustion. Yet, the impact of stress is felt in different ways by different people, even if they perform the same functions. These differences in the perception of stress can be caused by varying confidence in their technical capabilities. People possess varying technical capabilities, based on their acquisition of technical skills, comfort level in using the technology, and intrinsic motivation. These attributes represent the human-computer interaction (HCI) personality of software professionals. This article examines whether these HCI factors moderate the relationship between occupational stress and work exhaustion. Data were collected from software professionals located in Chennai and Bangalore in India. The data revealed that HCI factors had a main effect but no significant moderating effects on work exhaustion. The control over the technology variable emerged as the key variable among the HCI factors that affected software professionals' ability to cope with stress and work exhaustion.     

面向智能终端的校园教育互联系统的研究与实现

校园教育互联系统,是一个基于物联网和移动互联网应用,运用射频识别技术、无线通讯技术、网络通讯技术、云存储技术开发的,学生、家庭、学校、教师之间无缝联接沟通的全新运营模式的校园教育管理沟通系统平台,实现了真正意义上的校园信息智能化、家校沟通便捷化。该系统充分利用手机短信、定位、摄像头服务、RFID识别等功能,获取学生在校相关信息,并将其存储至云平台中,家长也可以登录终端应用系统,随时随地操纵相关硬件设备查询学生的在校信息,从而达到增强学校和家长之间联系,实现学校和家长更好沟通的目的。     

Can proactively induced organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) foster positive work attitudes? Theorising the mediating role of ‘meaning of work’ for IT professionals

Given the high employee turnover rates among information technology (IT) professionals, firms are on the lookout for ways to retain them. With this end in view, to keep their professionals committed and satisfied, many IT firms are making proactive efforts to induce a favourable organisational environment by encouraging employees towards extra-role organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). However, there is scant evidence as to whether orchestrating proactively induced OCB results in positive work attitudes. Our study contributes by theorising the mechanisms through which OCB fosters positive work attitudes among IT professionals, which is expected to lower their turnover rates. Grounding our research in self-perception and self-determination theories, we hypothesize the relationships between IT professionals' OCB and their affective attitudes towards their organisation and job, as being mediated by their cognitive evaluations of the ‘meaning of their IT work’. We test the theorised model with data collected through a large-scale two-wave survey design from a multinational IT-services company. The results offer a nuanced understanding of the relationship between OCB and positive work attitudes for IT professionals, which have significant implications for research and practice.     

Creating the Enabling Environment for More Transparent and Better-resourced Local Governments: A Case of E-taxation in the Philippines

This research joins the growing body of literature that advocates for the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in local governance more particularly in public financial management. Using a case study in Bohol, a province in the Philippines, this paper discusses the impact of ICT on local revenue generation by analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data from 15 municipalities which used e-taxation. This paper argues that the use of ICT can make possible more transparent and accountable revenue generation systems to benefit both government and taxpayers. However, these results are differentiated depending on the level of political leadership, the nature of articulation of the demand for ICT use, the ratio of benefit against cost, and the availability of technical skills and resources at the sub-national level. It is within this context that an eco-system analysis is argued to be useful in analyzing how ICT can be adopted, scaled, and used by sub-national governments to achieve better governance.     

The impact of IT on decision structure and firm performance: evidence from the textile and apparel industry

Clarifying the relationships between information technology (IT), organizational performance, and decision structure remains an important area of inquiry in IS research. Through an empirical analysis and complementary case examples, our study examines these associations among firms operating in the US-based apparel and textile industry from 1992 to 1997. Based on data gathered from 50 public firms located across the USA, the study finds that IT used to enhance internal communication supports a decentralized decision structure, which in turn is associated with higher financial performance. Hence, IT exhibits an indirect performance effect. However, use of IT to enhance communication is also found to have a direct performance effect in large organizations. This paper proposes that use of communication enhancing IT can support organizational learning processes by facilitating flexible exchange of skills and knowledge across functional areas. Case examples are used to illustrate how these learning effects can materialize.     

不精确推理在储粮安全预警专家系统的研究

为了提高我国粮食储藏技术水平,利用粮食仓储知识及经验、计算机和人工智能技术,研究开发储粮安全预警专家系统。将数据库、人工智能、管理信息系统、决策支持系统、计算机技术以及信息集成技术应用到粮食储藏领域。使用系统有助于粮库仓储管理的智能化及自动化,能够最大限度的降低粮食在仓储过程中的损失率,确保国家粮食安全。     

Training to improve virtual team communication

Abstract. Organizations are utilizing virtual teams, comprising workgroup members who communicate and collaborate with technology, to accomplish tasks. These teams are geographically distributed and communicate via computer-mediated communication systems (CMCS), and may never or rarely meet face-to-face. Relational links among team members have been found to be a significant contributor to the effectiveness of information exchange in the use of CMCS. In most cases, team members receive little or no training to improve the effectiveness of this form of communication. When training is used, it often focuses on software utilization skills, not on interpersonal communication dynamics. This paper discusses the effect of virtual team communication training on group interactions, especially for enhancing these relational links and thereby improving communication and information exchange in virtual teams. It was found that teams that were given appropriate training exhibited improved perceptions of the interaction process over time, specifically with regard to trust, commitment and frank expression between members. Discussion of the role of training on virtual team processes and outcomes is discussed and future research implications are presented.     

A role-playing virtual world for web-based application courses

With the rapid development of the information communication and technology (ICT) infrastructure in the Caribbean, there is an increasing demand for skilled software developers to meet the ICT needs of the region. Consequently, the web-based applications course offered at the University of the West Indies, has been redeveloped. One major part of its upgrading is the use of virtual worlds, such as the negotiate and deal environment (NADE) system, to bridge the disconnect that can occur between the technical/academic skills and the issues associated with developing software in a competitive business environment. NADE is a role-playing virtual environment for teaching the art of creating secure, Java, web-based systems for information processing and backend applications. The system provides an environment where group interactivity and strategic planning are key success factors.     

Exploring the determinants of IS developers’ behavioural intention to learn business skills

While previous research has emphasised the importance of business skills for information systems (IS) developers in the process of IS development, few studies have investigated the determinants of IS developers’ behavioural intention to learn business skills. The current study explores the factors affecting IS developers’ intention to learn business skills based on previous theories and research. Data collected from 258 valid respondents are tested against the research model using the partial least-squares approach. The results indicate that both job involvement and career insight have significant positive effects on extrinsic and intrinsic motivations for learning business skills. Additionally, learning self-efficacy is not only found to have a significant influence on learning intention, but is also found to have a moderating effect on the positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and learning intention. The findings of this study provide several important theoretical and practical implications for IS developers’ behaviour of learning business skills.     

Giving and receiving emotional support online: Communication competence as a moderator of psychosocial benefits for women with breast cancer

This study examines the moderating role of emotional communication competence in the relationship between Computer-Mediated Social Support (CMSS) group participation, specifically giving and receiving emotional support, and psychological health outcomes. Data were collected as part of randomized clinical trials for women diagnosed with breast cancer within the last two months. Expression and reception of emotional support was assessed by tracking and coding the 18,064 messages that 236 patients posted and read in CMSS groups. The final data used in the analysis was created by merging (a) computer-aided content analysis of discussion posts, (b) action log data analysis of system usage, and (c) baseline and 6-month surveys collected to assess change. Results of this study demonstrate that emotional communication competence moderates the effects of expression and reception of emotional support on psychological quality of life and breast cancer-related concerns in both desired and undesired ways. Giving and receiving emotional support in CMSS groups has positive effects on emotional well-being for breast cancer patients with higher emotional communication, while the same exchanges have detrimental impacts on emotional well-being for those with lower emotional communication competence. The theoretical and practical implications for future research are discussed.     

Synthetic emotion

New research in affective computing-computing that relates to, arises from, or deliberately influences emotion-aims to give computers skills of emotional intelligence. These skills are crucial for learning and for savvy social interaction. For example, recognizing someone's emotional response is key to sensing if what you have just done or said met with approval or disapproval, interest or boredom, confusion or understanding. Computers are increasingly verbal and have formidable computational abilities, but still they cannot see if the graphics they are displaying delight or bore the viewer. The author considers how computers might get better at recognizing emotion     

Managing Safety: Ambiguous Information and Chronic Unease

Managers rarely have full and unequivocal data on their external environment or on the state of their internal processes and in this paper we discuss how they deal with ambiguity, in relation to organizational safety. Drawing on our research into managers’ safety intelligence and on the value of chronic unease for safety management, we show how both requisite anxiety and problem solving skills can help managers make the best use of ambiguous safety information.