Communication Constructs That Influence Information Technology Project Failure

Ineffective communication behavioral constructs in the workplace that lead to information technology (IT) project failure and in some cases organization failure are increasingly becoming a management concern. Despite this trend, there is little research on the communication behavioral constructs that contribute to IT project failure rates. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of business analysts, programmers, and programmer analysts pertaining to the behavioral constructs associated with effective and ineffective communication. The research questions addressed these behaviors from a conceptual framework based on communication theory, organizational information processing theory, and critical social theory. This framework guided data collection using electronic interviews of a snowball sample of social media participants. Data were coded using open and axial techniques, analyzed for themes and patterns, and member checked to bolster trustworthiness. Findings included 10 communication behavioral constructs that influence communication in IT software development teams. Included in the findings were potential options for improving communication among end users, management, programmers, and other employees. Recommendations to improve communication among stakeholders included involvement of the correct stakeholders, clear project requirements, frequent communication, active listening, and feedback. Other recommendations were stakeholder education and training, and knowledge of goals and processes. Implications for positive social change could be realized by using the findings to improve the way communication is addressed, shared, and implemented to reduce IT project failure for stakeholders

VHDL synthesis system (VSS) : user's manual, version 5.0

This report provides instructions for installing and using the VHDL Synthesis System (Version 5.0). VSS is a high level synthesis sytem that synthesizes structures from an abstract description, written with VHDL behavioral constructs. The system uses components from a generic component library (GENUS). The output of VSS is in structural VHDL and could be verified using a commercial VHDL simulator. The designer can control the synthesis process by providing different resource constraints to the system. VSS is also capable of producing different architectures which can be selected by the designer

Consumer Car Preferences and Information Search Channels

In this paper, we measure the relations between stated and revealed car preferences and the use of information sources in the car purchasing process, based on a survey of households in the Netherlands. The analysis showed that attitudinal and behavioral constructs are found for ‘environmental’, ‘performance’, and ‘convenience’ preferences, but that there is a ‘gap’ between attitude and behavior. The results show that people with a positive environmental attitude who also show environmentally friendly behavior have more involvement with cars than people who do not translate their environmental attitude into the corresponding behavior. This leads to the idea that not only environmental knowledge but also involvement with cars is a prerequisite for buying an environmentally friendly car.car purchase, involvement, attitude–behavior gap, information search

Pilot and Feasibility Test of an Implementation Intention Intervention to Improve Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Women with Low Socioeconomic Status

Fruit and vegetable intake (FVI), a modifiable risk factor for chronic diseases, is lower in low socioeconomic status (SES) populations. Implementation intentions (a specific type of planning that extends the Theory of Planned Behavior) has been studied to improve FVI, but not exclusively with low SES groups. Using mixed methods, we evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an implementation intention intervention (versus a general plan) to increase FVI in women with low SES. For the pilot randomized controlled trial, demographics, body mass index, attitude, perceived behavioral control, goal intention strength, and FVI were measured at baseline and FVI again 1-month following the intervention. Feasibility data were collected for recruitment, randomization, retention, and assessment procedures and compared to predetermined targets. Semi-structured interview data was analyzed for emergent themes regarding acceptability of the trial. Preliminary efficacy of the intervention to improve FVI was analyzed descriptively. Feasibility targets were met for randomization (100% vs. ≥80% target), retention (93.5% vs. ≥70% target) and the assessment metrics missing data points (2% vs. ≤10% target) and days from intervention to follow up (mean=69.2, sd=42.6 vs.days). Targets for recruitment were not met with the exception of participants giving informed consent (100% vs. ≥70% target). Participants described the intervention as enjoyable and reported behavioral constructs outside of those measured as important to improve FVI. Limited efficacy analysis suggested that both groups increased their FVI (experimental: +0.17 servings per day, 95% CI: -0.85, 1.20; control: +0.50 servings per day, 95% CI: -0.56, 1.58). Further research which examines interventions based upon behavior change models to improve dietary health behaviors in marginalized groups is needed

An Investigation of Sport Sponsorship Antecedents and Outcomes through Levels of Sponsor Prominence

Currently, global sport sponsorship is a multi-billion dollar industry that continues to show strong year-to-year growth (IEG, 2016). Additionally, the current body of sport sponsorship literature has reported the effects of salient attitudinal and behavioral constructs on sponsorship effectiveness. For example, previous studies have indicated that the perceived sincerity and attitude toward a sponsor do positively effect a consumer\u27s behavioral intentions toward a sponsor (Speed & Thompson, 2000; Biscaia, Correia, Rosado, Ross, & Maroco, 2013). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to measure consumer attitudes and behavioral intent toward sponsor, through experimental design, when exposed to one of three hypothetical sponsorship scenarios. The hypothetical sponsors were classified by their level of national market prominence (e.g. national, regional, or local) and participants completed an online survey containing salient attitudinal and behavioral constructs. The final sample size was 1162 and were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The final MIMIC model exhibited data-model fit very well. Results indicated that local sponsors, when covaried by a hypothetical sponsor’s level of national market prominence, were the best predictor of consumer attitudes and behavioral intent

The Psychodynamic Limits of Fractured Relationships: When Emotional Tensile Strength is Broken

The Special Session will address factors that lead to the disintegration of once strong partnerships and alliances and outline the psychodynamic limits that lead to fractured relationships. Behavioral constructs employed in a psychiatric medicine setting will be discussed relative to their heuristic value in strategic relationship management setting. Further, the concept of emotional tensile strength will be explored

Attitudinal Determinants of Aberrant Driving Behaviors in Pakistan

The aberrant behavior of drivers is regarded as the most significant contributory factor to traffic accidents in Pakistan. This research was conducted on the premise that personal attitudes were key determinants of driving behaviors. Consequently, the research attempted to identify the key sociocognitive determinants of aberrant driving. To do this, a quantitative study that used an attitudinal questionnaire (inspired by the theory of planned behavior and a modified driver behavior questionnaire) was conducted in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The study obtained self-reports of attitudes, norms, perceived control, and opinions of drivers regarding a number of intentional road traffic violations and enforcement. The responses to the statements in the questionnaires were first factor analyzed to identify underlying attitudinal and behavioral constructs. Later, following a cluster analysis technique, the attitudinal constructs were used to classify drivers into four distinct groups: the autonomous, the opportunists, the regulators, and the risk averse. Sociodemographic characteristics and behavioral constructs of these groups were also studied. The results indicated that the behaviors of drivers could be interpreted in relation to their attitudes and were partly influenced by the drivers’ sociodemographic characteristics. Attitudes toward enforcement and compliance with rules specifically appeared to be the strongest determinants of Pakistani drivers’ behavior. In particular, the results indicate that being affluent, female, and a student negatively influenced driving behaviors