Social Comparison,Goal Contagion,and Adoption of Innovative Information Technology

When adopting a new, innovative information technology (IT), most institutions tend to lack knowledge about it initially. However, they often adopt new ITs despite their illiteracy. This behavior is difficult to explain using rational IT adoption theories. Focusing on the organizational decision-making process behind adoption of innovative IT, we examine the strategy by which some companies compensate for their lack of knowledge: collection of information from other companies that have successfully adopted IT previously. We develop a new IT adoption model for which goal contagion theory and social comparison theory are combined to interpret the circumstances under which organizations tend to adopt new, innovative IT despite limited knowledge about it. Big data, cloud services, and smart mobile systems are considered as examples of innovative IT in the empirical study.     

How to future-proof your IT infrastructure

Today's tight budgets and the increasing complexity of IT infrastructures place incredible stress on the IT environment. IT managers are working hard to keep up with new technologies while supporting existing infrastructure. As the demands on a business infrastructure grow and expand to new areas, an IT infrastructure must support these new and varied needs. Taking a hard look at ones systems can uncover hidden opportunities for savings and provide funds to help one prepares for future demands.     

The effect of business ties and government ties on new IT venture growth: an empirical examination in China

The advancement of information technology in the past three decades is tremendous, and much of the advancement can be attributed to numerous new IT ventures that invent and commercialize a variety of information technologies. But new IT venture growth has not been sufficiently addressed by IS/IT researchers. In this research, we synthesized the literature on entrepreneurship, strategy, and management to develop a model linking business ties and government ties to new IT venture growth, while considering the effect of two contextual factors, firm size and legitimacy. We then collected empirical data from new IT ventures in China (N = 457). Regression analyses showed that both business ties and government ties positively affect new IT venture growth, and their effect is moderated by firm size and legitimacy. These insights contribute to both the literature and practices.     

What is the Right R&D Strategy for Overcoming the Difficulties of the South Korean IT Industry?

This study proposes new strategies for the information technology (IT) industry in South Korea, provides objectives for the South Korean IT industry and articulates the roles of the Korean government agencies, companies and users. Specifically, it covers South Korean IT strategies employed during several periods, including a stagnant period and a more recent period reflecting new successful IT environments of developed countries. South Korean IT companies should recognize the importance of user interface and user experience technologies as a next key global IT industry trend. Raising this awareness is critical in increasing the global competitiveness of the Korean IT industry. Furthermore, South Korean government agencies should take more active role in constructing and improving interactive environments that would benefit both companies and users. For future research, it is imperative to investigate the specific roles of companies, users and government agencies with respect to IT usage.     

Effective Governance of It: Design Objectives, Roles, and Relationships

This article describes the key roles and relationships in a best-practice IT governance design, including the roles and responsibilities of an IT governance council, the CIO, IT customer services, the IT project office, and several non-IT roles. the author argues that organizational readiness and stakeholder participation are critical success factors for a new IT governance implementation.     

A strategic path to study IT use through users’ IT culture and IT needs: A mixed-method grounded theory

We consider recent research in IS, as well as recent advances in the fields of psychology and sociology. As an alternative to existing models, we propose a new strategic path to study IT use through users’ IT culture and IT needs. Our contributions are (1) theoretical: we investigate the predictive value for IT usage of several new constructs and show that both expectancy-based and needs-based theories of motivation should be taken into account in acceptance models, (2) methodological: we adopt an exploratory, mixed-method, grounded theory approach and use both quantitative and qualitative data and methods, an unusual approach in IS research that allows new perspectives, and (3) practical: our results highlight the fact that highly IT-acculturated users may hinder (rather than facilitate) new-IT acceptance if their situational IT needs are ignored. Therefore, when the strategic decision of implementing new IT is made, managerial attention must be focused on these users in order to drive toward the alignment of their IT needs and managerially-perceived organizational IT needs.Our work opens the way to numerous avenues for future research.     

Constructing information technology (IT) portfolios to achieve enterprise strategic goals in multi-business unit firms

This study aims to develop a new methodology in IT Portfolio Management (ITPM) to address the impact of portfolio priorities on IT strategies in a multi-business unit firm. The methodology includes a new ITPM model and uses simulated scenarios to overcome limitations due to insufficient real-world organizational IT portfolio data. The weight scores generated by the proposed ITPM model can enable the firm to create a rational viewpoint to improve its IT investment efficiency while establishing IT priorities to achieve enterprise strategic goals. Such an approach would enable firms to reduce their reliance on CIO intuition in guiding firms’ technology portfolios.     

The role of perceived organizational support,distributive justice and motivation in reactions to new information technology

Despite tremendous investments in information technology (IT), many technological interventions in organizations fail because employees do not fully accept and use IT. The present study explored how perceived organizational support and distributive justice affect employee reactions to new IT from a motivational point of view. Self-determination theory was used to understand how different motivational styles, varying in degree of self-determination, mediate the relationship of perceived organizational support and distributive justice with reactions to new IT. Results showed that perceived organizational support and distributive justice were associated with intrinsic and identified motivation to use the IT, but only POS was related to enjoyment and acceptance of the IT. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were both associated with IT usage, but IT usage was associated with enjoyment and acceptance only when people were intrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation also mediated the effects of POS on enjoyment and acceptance. Moreover, intrinsically motivated users were less likely to use a paper-based appointment booking alternative than those who were not. Implications for managing IT implementations are discussed.     

Knowledge Sharing Analytics: The Case of IT Workers

ABSTRACT

The current study proposes a new framework for knowledge sharing (KS) analytics among information technology (IT) workers, based on an electronic source of collaborative software used by IT developers. It attempts to formulate a new objective way to measure actual KS. The findings confirm previous reports of differences in KS motivation between internal and external IT workers. The metrics of electronic source footprints proposed in this study have confirmed that the KS level of external IT workers is significantly lower than that of internal IT workers. Several practical implications for better knowledge management (KM) are discussed, including the measuring of KS levels on an ongoing basis, and practices that should be considered when employing external IT workers, in order to motivate collaborative behaviors and team work in IT departments.     

Effective Governance of It: Design Objectives,Roles, and Relationships

Abstract

This article describes the key roles and relationships in a best-practice IT governance design, including the roles and responsibilities of an IT governance council, the CIO, IT customer services, the IT project office, and several non-IT roles. the author argues that organizational readiness and stakeholder participation are critical success factors for a new IT governance implementation.     

Evaluating Adoption of Emerging IT for Corporate IT Strategy: Developing a Model Using a Qualitative Method

The acquisition and evaluation of new technologies is critical to the development of a timely IT strategy. We report the findings of a four round Delphi study designed to elicit a cohesive set of issues that affect an IT executive's decision to adopt an emerging IT into corporate IT strategy. Based on the results, we present the Emerging Information Technology Evaluation Model, which IT executives and academicians can use to support a strategic adoption decision.     

Role of Universities in IT Education in India

In the wake of the information technology (IT) revolution, the paper describes the changing role of universities to promote IT education in India to generate qualitative and competitive manpower in the face of the mushrooming of private institutions in the field of IT. The rapid growth of private teaching initiatives reflects inadequacies of the public educational system to the needs of the emerging IT environment, especially considering the high prices charged by private training. It is pointed out that the emerging knowledge society and the economy are not going to be based on IT alone, but will depend on the development of both IT and basic research in domain areas. Any policy on IT education should ensure that basic disciplines are not ignored. Universities should develop new and innovative programmes for students from different basic disciplines to give training for high-end jobs. To promote IT education a new innovative concept of earning while learning has recently been introduced. Some of the initiatives started by Delhi University to modify/improve course programmes for IT education are highlighted, looking at the needs of the industry.     

新IT基础架构探讨

在互联网时代,各行业需要在"商业模式"和"体验"方面的创新,这使得IT变成了核心引擎,需要新的IT基础架构。     

Impact of information technology capability on financial performance during the period of economic downturn: the case of Chinese listed companies

Several earlier studies validate the positive impact of information technology (IT) capability on firm performance during economic expansion in developed countries. Given sustained IT investments and rapid adoption of various IT in developing countries (e.g. China) in the 2000s, there is a need for new research to test whether prior findings still hold true with up-to-date data from a period of economic downturn in developing countries. Thus, this study attempted to reexamine the linkage between IT capability and financial performance during recent financial crisis in 2008, especially in China context. Our results show that during the period of financial crisis, Chinese firms with superior IT capability tend to outperform a sample of control firms on average profit ratios but not on cost ratios, even after adjusting for prior performance. We also find that the profit performance effects of IT capability can be sustained over a long period of economic downturn. This study contributes to research by extending a different context (i.e. China) from developed countries with new data from economic downturn and providing new finding to reconcile prior research.     

Introducing "Insecure IT"

This article introduces "insecure IT", a new department for IT Professional that will cover security weaknesses in IT systems, ranging from desktops to global e-commerce networks. This regular feature will offer ideas to improve IT security, both by looking at ways it can go wrong as well as by covering good practices.     

Motivations for the IT Professional Turnaway Intention: A Delphi Approach

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we use the Delphi method to identify the main motivations that have led IT professionals to intend to move to another area. We found that the pursuit of career growth and the quest for acquiring new experiences and abilities have a marked impact on the IT professional turnaway intention. Moreover, female IT professionals and IT professionals oriented by the career advancement paradigm have a higher propensity to abandon the IT area.     

云计算背景下企业IT 决策机制框架

云计算的不同应用水平会在不同程度影响企业的IT决策,相应的IT决策机制也会随之发生变化．本文深入分析了云计算的三层服务模式对IT决策的影响,由此提出了基于云计算背景的IT决策机制框架．并通过国外成功实施云计算的企业案例分析并验证本文得出的IT决策机制框架．本文不仅对以往的IT决策机制框架的基础上加入了IT服务模式维度,同时也为云计算在企业中的应用提供了制度框架．     

The ins and outs of IT outsourcing

Many IT managers are struggling with the question of whether and how to outsource various functions. Businesses of all sizes are seriously considering shifting some IT assets to a third party. In today's fast-paced IT environment, technology and skill sets change very quickly. In reality, IT managers have no choice but to prepare for a future that includes outsourcing. IT staff have long been pressured to cut costs. But now, they're also expected to discover new revenue streams. To meet these bottom-line objectives, IT managers must deal with change, manage complexity, and find skilled workers. That's where outsourcing is seen to greatly improve the efficiency of an IT operation     

Board-level IT governance and organizational performance

Research on the strategic management of Information Technology (IT) resources has mostly focused on the oversight provided by the management team as a means to increase organizational performance. In recent years, boards of directors have also increased their involvement in IT matters, and various theoretical lenses suggest that this oversight too has the potential to influence organizational performance. Hence, this study synthesizes the resource-based and contingency views of MIS with corporate governance theories, and examines key antecedents and consequences of board-level IT governance (ITG) using a multi-method approach. Structural Equation Modelling analysis applied to organization-level data collected from 171 board members suggested that the level of ITG exercised by boards was contingent upon the organization's ‘IT use mode’, along the two dimensions of need for (a) fast and reliable IT, and (b) new innovative IT. But, the findings further suggested that the contingency approach may be suboptimal because it can cause new ways of leveraging IT to be ignored. High levels of board-level ITG, regardless of existing IT needs, increased organizational performance. This phenomenon was illuminated with applicability checks. Moreover, content analysis and structured interviews with board members further enriched these insights.     

一种新型区间二型模糊神经网络隶属函数的设计

对于区间二型模糊神经网络（IT2FNN）,论文给出了一种新型的模糊隶属函数（FMF）设计方法.通过所设计的模糊隶属函数,可以衍生出三种区间二型模糊隶属函数（IT2FMF）.每种区间二型模糊隶属函数都具有不同的不确定域.论文将三种衍生模糊隶属函数应用于简化区间二型模糊神经网络辨识两个非线性系统.通过仿真,将衍生区间二型模糊隶属函数的辨识性能与高斯和椭圆型模糊隶属函数进行了对比.仿真结果表明,通过调节简化区间二型模糊神经网络的参数,本文所设计的区间二型模糊隶属函数比高斯和椭圆型模糊隶属函数具有更好的辨识性能.