Classification of information systems research revisited: A keyword analysis approach

A number of studies have previously been conducted on keyword analysis in order to provide a comprehensive scheme to classify information systems (IS) research. However, these studies appeared prior to 1994, and IS research has clearly developed substantially since then with the emergence of areas such as electronic commerce, electronic government, electronic health and numerous others. Furthermore, the majority of European IS outlets - such as the European Journal of Information Systems and Information Systems Journal - were founded in the early 1990s, and keywords from these journals were not included in any previous work. Given that a number of studies have raised the issue of differences in European and North American IS research topics and approaches, it is arguable that any such analysis must consider sources from both locations to provide a representative and balanced view of IS classification. Moreover, it has also been argued that there is a need for further work in order to create a comprehensive keyword classification scheme reflecting the current state of the art. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to present the results of a keyword analysis utilizing keywords appearing in major peer-reviewed IS publications after the year 1990 through to 2007. This aim is realized by means of the two following objectives: (1) collect all keywords appearing in 24 peer reviewed IS journals after 1990; and (2) identify keywords not included in the previous IS keyword classification scheme. This paper also describes further research required in order to place new keywords in appropriate IS research categories. The paper makes an incremental contribution toward a contemporary means of classifying IS research. This work is important and useful for researchers in understanding the area and evolution of the IS field and also has implications for improving information search and retrieval activities

Education-job (mis)matching and interregional migration: Italian university graduates’ transition to work

This paper explores the patterns of education-job (mis)matching of recent university graduates, focussing on the impact of interregional migration. With the aim of offering a place-based perspective on the topic, the paper looks at the three Italian macro-regions of the North, the Centre and the South, comparing them with the country as a whole. We use an indicator of education-job (mis)matching drawn and adapted from the literature, and apply both ordered logit and probit models with self-selection to a dataset on graduates’ entry in the labour market produced by the Italian National Statistical Institute. Our results suggest that, in line with most previous studies, interregional migration contributes to reduce education-job gaps: however, we find that the analysis for Italy as a whole masks stark differences between macro-regions, for which the typical North-South dualism still holds, confirming once more the cumulative and path-dependent nature of regional development trajectories

E-government adoption: A cultural comparison

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008.E-government diffusion is an international phenomenon. This study compares e-government adoption in the U.K. to adoption in the U.S. In particular, this study seeks to determine if the same factors are salient in both countries. Several studies have explored citizen acceptance of e-government services in the U.S. However, few studies have explored this phenomenon in the U.K. To identify the similarities and differences between the U.K. and the U.S. a survey is conducted in the U.K. and the findings are compared to the literature that investigates diffusion in the U.S. This study proposes a model of e-government adoption in the U.K. based on salient factors in the U.S. A survey is administered to 260 citizens in London to assess the importance of relative advantage, trust and the digital divide on intention to use e-government. The results of binary logistic regression indicate that there are cultural differences in e-government adoption in the U.K. and the U.S. The results indicate that of the prevailing adoption constructs, relative advantage and trust are pertinent in both the U.S. and the U.K., while ICT adoption barriers such as access and skill may vary by culture. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Determinants of social and institutional beliefs about internet acceptance within developing country’s context: A structural evaluation of higher education systems in Pakistan

This study aims to extend a model of technology acceptance to suit in developing country’s context. The model attempts to identify relationship between social and institutional factors over behavioural intention and usage. Recently, ‘acceptance and adoption of information technology (IT) in multicultural setting’ is becoming topic of interest for IS researchers. In this line, numerous theories and models are proposed to contribute in examining factors of IT acceptance and reluctance. It is argued that the models in published literature are found culturally biased, which successfully present results in only American and European context, however, their validity became questionable when they were tested in south Asian countries context. Additionally, lack of research is observed to predict individual’s cognitive behaviour of acceptance, which are influenced by social factors (i.e. peer influence and superior influence, voluntariness, experience) and institutional factors (i.e. local institutional management influence and top-level governmental policies influence). This study used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) based on Partial Least Square (PLS) method to analyse the data. The results reveal that the proposed conceptual model achieves acceptable fit and the hypothesised paths are valid

BIM: a technology acceptance model in Peru

The purpose of this paper is to empirically study factors that facilitate the adoption of building information modelling (BIM) among practitioners using the unified theory of technology acceptance model (TAM). The factors identified in the TAM were examined using a quantitative approach. The empirical investigation has been conducted using a survey questionnaire. The data set has been obtained from 73 architects and engineers in Peru. Results show that Perceived Usefulness (PU) is the most important determinant of Behavioural Intention (BI), while Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) is found to have no significant effect on BI. The findings provide an excellent backdrop in the development of policy and a roadmap for BIM implementation in Peru. The original contribution and value of the paper is the use of TAM to provide empirical evidence on factors that facilitate BIM adoption in Peru

Information Systems Skills Differences between High-Wage and Low-Wage Regions: Implications for Global Sourcing

Developing Information Systems (IS) skills for a company’s workforce has always been challenging, but global sourcing growth has caused the determination of needed IS skills to be more complex. The increased use of outsourcing to an IS service provider and from high-wage regions to low-wage regions has affected what IS skills are required globally and how to distribute the workforce to meet these needs. To understand what skills are needed in locations that seek and those that provide outsourcing, we surveyed IS service provider managers in global locations. Results from 126 reporting units provide empirical evidence that provider units in low-wage regions value technical skills more than those in high-wage regions. Despite the emphasis on commodity skills in low-wage areas, high- and low-wage providers value project management skills. Low-wage regions note global and virtual teamwork more than high-wage regions do. The mix of skills and the variation by region have implications for domestic and offshore sourcing. Service providers can vary their staffing models in global regions which has consequences for recruiting, corporate training, and curriculum

Understanding Behavioral Sources of Process Variation Following Enterprise System Deployment

This paper extends the current understanding of the time-sensitivity of intent and usage following large-scale IT implementation. Our study focuses on perceived system misfit with organizational processes in tandem with the availability of system circumvention opportunities. Case study comparisons and controlled experiments are used to support the theoretical unpacking of organizational and technical contingencies and their relationship to shifts in user intentions and variation in work-processing tactics over time. Findings suggest that managers and users may retain strong intentions to circumvent systems in the presence of perceived task-technology misfit. The perceived ease with which this circumvention is attainable factors significantly into the timeframe within which it is attempted, and subsequently impacts the onset of deviation from prescribed practice and anticipated dynamics

Combining disaggregate forecasts or combining disaggregate information to forecast an aggregate

To forecast an aggregate, we propose adding disaggregate variables, instead of combining forecasts of those disaggregates or forecasting by a univariate aggregate model. New analytical results show the effects of changing coefficients, mis-specification, estimation uncertainty and mis-measurement error. Forecastorigin shifts in parameters affect absolute, but not relative, forecast accuracies; mis-specification and estimation uncertainty induce forecast-error differences, which variable-selection procedures or dimension reductions can mitigate. In Monte Carlo simulations, different stochastic structures and interdependencies between disaggregates imply that including disaggregate information in the aggregate model improves forecast accuracy. Our theoretical predictions and simulations are corroborated when forecasting aggregate US inflation pre- and post 1984 using disaggregate sectoral data. JEL Classification: C51, C53, E31Aggregate forecasts, Disaggregate information, forecast combination, inflation

Sociology

Sociology emerged in response to the problem of social order in modern society in the wake of the American and French Revolutions and the rise of industrialism and market capitalism. Sociology had its roots in the theories of August Comte and Herbert Spencer and in empirical work previously conducted by census bureaus, state labor boards, and reform organizations. By the 1880s, sociologists had perceived a threat in the alliance with biology: It undercut the need for a separate discipline and, in Spencer\u27s laissez-faire version, tainted the discipline among social reformers and other constituencies crucial to its success. In Dynamic Sociology, the American Lester Frank Ward addressed both issues. On the surface, American and European sociology during the interwar decades was a study in contrasts. The 1960s spelled the end of \u27modern\u27 sociology. In the United States, Parsons\u27s hegemony and Merton\u27s \u27middle range\u27 compromise gave way to a politically charged humanist/positivist divide