Towards a novel framework for the assessment of enterprise application integration packages

In addressing enterprise integration problems, a diversity of technologies such as CORBA and XML were promoted, yet no single integration technology solves all integration problems. As a result, a new generation of software called Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) is emerging to addresses many integration problems by combining a diversity of integration technologies (e.g. message brokers, adapters, XML). Since EAI is a new research area, there is an absence of literature discussing issues like its adoption, evaluation and implementation. This paper, examines the application of two frameworks for the evaluation of EAI packages in the practical arena. In doing so, the authors use case study strategy to investigate integration issues. Empirical data derived from the case study suggest additions to the two evaluation frameworks. Therefore, the authors revised and extend previous works by proposing a novel evaluation framework for the assessment of EAI packages. The proposed framework makes novel contribution at two levels. First, at the conceptual level, as it incorporates criteria identified separately in previous studies as evaluation criteria. The proposed framework can be used as a decision-making tool and, supports management when taking decisions regarding the adoption of EAI. Additionally, it can be used by researchers to analyse and understand the capabilities o

Building data management capabilities to address data protection regulations: Learnings from EU-GDPR

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR) has initiated a paradigm shift in data protection toward greater choice and sovereignty for individuals and more accountability for organizations. Its strict rules have inspired data protection regulations in other parts of the world. However, many organizations are facing difficulty complying with the EU-GDPR: these new types of data protection regulations cannot be addressed by an adaptation of contractual frameworks, but require a fundamental reconceptualization of how companies store and process personal data on an enterprise-wide level. In this paper, we introduce the resource-based view as a theoretical lens to explain the lengthy trajectories towards compliance and argue that these regulations require companies to build dedicated, enterprise-wide data management capabilities. Following a design science research approach, we propose a theoretically and empirically grounded capability model for the EU-GDPR that integrates the interpretation of legal texts, findings from EU-GDPR-related publications, and practical insights from focus groups with experts from 22 companies and four EU-GDPR projects. Our study advances interdisciplinary research at the intersection between IS and law: First, the proposed capability model adds to the regulatory compliance management literature by connecting abstract compliance requirements to three groups of capabilities and the resources required for their implementation, and second, it provides an enterprise-wide perspective that integrates and extends the fragmented body of research on EU-GDPR. Practitioners may use the capability model to assess their current status and set up systematic approaches toward compliance with an increasing number of data protection regulations

Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Research: An Annotated Bibliography

Despite growing interest, publications on ERP systems within the academic Information Systems community, as reflected by contributions to journals and international conferences, is only now emerging. This article provides an annotated bibliography of the ERP publications published in the main Information Systems journals and conferences and reviews the state of the ERP art. The publications surveyed are categorized through a framework that is structured in phases that correspond to the different stages of an ERP system lifecycle within an organization. We also present topics for further research in each phase

Building and Using Digital Libraries for ETDs

Despite the high value of electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs), the global collection has seen limited use. To extend such use, a new approach to building digital libraries (DLs) is needed. Fortunately, recent decades have seen that a vast amount of “gray literature” has become available through a diverse set of institutional repositories as well as regional and national libraries and archives. Most of the works in those collections include ETDs and are often freely available in keeping with the open-access movement, but such access is limited by the services of supporting information systems. As explained through a set of scenarios, ETDs can better meet the needs of diverse stakeholders if customer discovery methods are used to identify personas and user roles as well as their goals and tasks. Hence, DLs, with a rich collection of services, as well as newer, more advanced ones, can be organized so that those services, and expanded workflows building on them, can be adapted to meet personalized goals as well as traditional ones, such as discovery and exploration

Transforming Design Science Research into Practical Application: Experiences from Two ECM Teaching Cases

Research – not only in the discipline of Information Systems (IS) – must address the tasks faced by practitio-ners. The goal must always be to transform the ideas and findings into real-life business solutions. In IS re-search, this entitlement is particularly acknowledged by the design science research paradigm. Whereas the goal of behavioural science is truth, design science generally aims at developing an “IT artefact” highly use-ful for practitioners. Utility is commonly evaluated on the basis of case studies or simulations, for example. We argue that these evaluation methods must not necessarily be applied by the researchers themselves: Teaching cases represent a suitable alternative by also providing new potentials for refining the artefact. As an example of application, we refer to a newly emerging field in IS research, Enterprise Content Management (ECM). We present the results and experiences from two ECM project seminars that have been set up on the basis of work-shops and interviews with a large-scale international enterprise. The teaching cases are based on firsthand accounts from our research in the field of ECM – a framework for content analyses. Accordingly, both courses focussed on analysing the company’s content situation. The company highly valued the results gained in the seminars and has since applied our framework within additional application areas

Social Media and Electoral Predictions: A Meta-Analytic Review

Can social media data be used to make reasonably accurate estimates of electoral outcomes? We conducted a meta-analytic review to examine the predictive performance of different features of social media posts and different methods in predicting political elections: (1) content features; and (2) structural features. Across 45 published studies, we find significant variance in the quality of predictions, which on average still lag behind those in traditional survey research. More specifically, our findings that machine learning-based approaches generally outperform lexicon-based analyses, while combining structural and content features yields most accurate predictions

StratIT – A Framework Describing the Contents of IT Strategies. Background and Approach

Until today no consensus has been found regarding the contents of IT strategies. This results in uncer-tainty when formulating the topical areas of IT strategy documents. The Special Interest Group (SIG) “Strate¬gisches Informationsmanagement (SIM)” (Strategic Information Management) of the “Gesellschaft für Informatik” (German Informatics Society)” addresses this gap by developing a framework that defines generic perspectives, domains, and elements of an IT strategy. Within the group, researchers and practi¬tioners bundle their insights and experiences in the development of the framework named “StratIT”. We report on the current status of work and develop a structured basis for discussion. In addition, we de¬scribe the methodical and scientific foundations and the “modus operandi” of the SIG. Our intent is to communicate the perceived problem, our approach, and the developed artifact to an international audi¬ence, to get feedback and also to exchange ideas