A Conceptual Investigation of Maintenance Deferral and Implementation: Foundation for a Maintenance Lifecycle Model

Despite the fact that society and organizations rely heavily on Information Systems (IS) and software, the maintenance of vendor-supplied IS, in particular standard package software has gained little attention within the academic literature. This paper presents a conceptual study of the current state of research concerning the reasons for deferral and performance of vendor-supplied maintenance by the purchasing organization. These reasons have so far neither been investigated together nor from that perspective. Based on a systematic literature review and taking the purchaser’s viewpoint, reasons for maintenance deferral and performance are identified from the literature. They build the groundwork and foundation for a Maintenance Lifecycle and Process Model that provides a starting point to research vendor-supplied maintenance from the customer’s point of view

Fears and Triggers: A Conceptual Study of Vendor-Supplied Maintenance and Maintenance Deferral of Standard Package Software

Enterprises rely more on Information Systems (IS) and software than ever before. However the issue of maintaining a vendor-supplied IS, in particular standard packaged software, has been poorly represented within academic literature. This paper presents a conceptual study that synthesises the current state of research concerning the deferral or execution of vendor-supplied maintenance by the purchasing organisation. Based on a systematic review process that adopts the purchaser’s viewpoint, a series of fears and triggers emerge and are captured from the literature. Fears are articulated as reasons for the purchasing organisation deferring the installation of vendor-supplied maintenance, whereas triggers are events that upset the equilibrium of the purchasing organisation’s IS or software and require the installation of the vendor-supplied maintenance to proceed. Although prevalent in literature, fears and triggers have not previously been recognised as an area of focus for academic research

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it : An Abductive and Contextual Exploration of Maintenance Deferral

Objective: To create academic insights into how organisations approach and manage the maintenance of vendor-supplied information systems software. Approach: Three iterations of the Peircean Abduction methodology lead to the identification, conceptualisation, and application of new knowledge in vendor-supplied Information Systems (IS) maintenance deferral by means of undertaking a qualitative multiple-case study. The research goals are achieved through the appropriation and application of theories from Peircean Abduction and Systemic Functional Linguistics. Research questions: The following abductive statement is created through the application of the Peircean Abduction methodology: The surprising observation, “some organisations, having invested in a vendor-supplied IS software solution, defer the implementation of vendor-supplied maintenance”, is made; However, if “the existence of deterrents to maintenance, requiring a trigger event before the implementation of maintenance” were true, then “maintenance deferral” would be a matter of course. Hence there is a reason to suspect that “the existence of both deterrents, and of triggers” is true. From this abductive statement, three research questions are deduced. The first research question investigates the existence, characteristics and influence of deterrents; the second question investigates the existence, characteristics and influence of triggers. As a consequence of this approach, the final question provides a general understanding of IS maintenance deferral. Methodology: Following the implementation of a systematic literature review methodology, six themes are identified: 1. an acknowledgement that problems exist when considering vendor-supplied software maintenance; 2. deterrents as a driver in behaviour; 3. the occurrence of tipping-points which require vendor-supplied maintenance to be undertaken; 4. the consequences of deferral; 5. the value of maintenance; and 6. the formalisation of a maintenance lifecycle. Taking the insights arising from the systematic literature review, a multiple-case study following the pragmatic framework is constructed from data collected interviewing twelve participants across a diverse set of ten organisations. An abductive approach to this research topic creates opportunities for a comprehensive, well-grounded exploratory contribution to a scarcely investigated research domain. Major findings: The translation of Peircean abduction to an interpretative context generates a rich and substantive contribution to theory and practice. The existence of both deterrents and triggers are strongly supported, leading to the conclusion that maintenance deferral is a matter of course. The development of a new abductive and Systemic Functional Linguistic model enhances the knowledge of maintenance deferral and allows refinement of historical IS maintenance models. Finally, the application of Systems Thinking situates insights from the application of their mode within their respective organisational environments

Innovations in the Food System: Exploring the Future of Food

Innovations in Food Systems should be: Inclusive: ensuring economic and social inclusion for all food system actors, especially smallholders, women, and youth; Sustainable: minimizing negative environmental impacts, conserving scarce natural resources, and strengthening resiliency against future shocks; Efficient: producing adequate quantities of food for global needs while minimizing postharvest loss and consumer waste; Nutritious and healthy: enabling the consumption of a diverse range of healthy, nutritious, and safe foods. These are ambitious goals that will require multidisciplinary effort—from engineering to life sciences, biotechnology, medical sciences, social sciences, and economic sciences. New technologies and scientific discoveries are the solutions to the increasing demand for sufficient, safe, healthy, and sustainable foods influenced by the increased public awareness of their importance

Maine State Government Administrative Report 1989-1990

https://digitalmaine.com/me_annual_reports/1016/thumbnail.jp

A Meeting of Minds: In Recognition of the Contributions of Randall J. Cohrs

A Special Issue in memory of Randall J. Cohrs, Ph.D. Topics include original research reports on a variety of viruses as well as reviews and commentaries on Randy’s contributions to many investigations