1,608 research outputs found
Quo vadimus? The 21st Century and multimedia
The concept is related of computer driven multimedia to the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP). Multimedia is defined here as computer integration and output of text, animation, audio, video, and graphics. Multimedia is the stage of computer based information that allows access to experience. The concepts are also drawn in of hypermedia, intermedia, interactive multimedia, hypertext, imaging, cyberspace, and virtual reality. Examples of these technology developments are given for NASA, private industry, and academia. Examples of concurrent technology developments and implementations are given to show how these technologies, along with multimedia, have put us at the threshold of the 21st century. The STI Program sees multimedia as an opportunity for revolutionizing the way STI is managed
An Examination of the IT Satisfaction of Small-Business Users
Although there are many articles in the NIS literature which address small-business computing, in effect the organizations represented in these studies are, in many ways, similar to medium- and large-sized organizations. In this article, we focus on businesses that are truly small: they have very few employees and there is no formal NIS department. In this environment, the small business owner/manager is the principal user and has to perform most of the IT functions. For such an environment, an IT satisfaction construct and measurement instrument are presented. A survey, using the measurement instrument, of a representative sample of small businesses was conducted to identify user satisfaction patterns. Key areas of IT dissatisfactions are: training and education (the most important), software maintenance, documentation, and vendor support. These deficiency areas can be appropriately addressed by software vendors and consultants. Finally, a contingency analysis of IT satisfaction based on business-related factors and owner characteristics was performed. A general observation was that the owner attributes have a greater impact on IT satisfaction than any of the business factors. The ones that stood out the most were the gender and the age of the owner
A Model and Instrument for Measuring Small Business User Satisfaction with Information Technology
Measurement of the value of computing in very small businesses has been largely ignored in the MIS literature. This article develops a comprehensive model for examining the satisfaction of small business users with information technology (SBUSIT). It is argued that current models are not applicable as they are targeted primarily towards either the traditional data processing or end-user computing environment. This study develops and statistically validates the SBUSIT model. The validated model and an accompanying instrument are provided. It is noteworthy that many new factors and specific items distinguish the model from current ones
Systems resemblance and workpractice evolution: implications for work activity (re)design
This paper is concerned with addressing the question of how apparently disparate and unconnected systems can resemble each other. The question of what counts as a systems resemblance necessitates developing contextual workpractice descriptions associated with the systems features and ultimately entire systems. Using systemic semiotics an apparent ontogenetic convergence between entirely different systems is used to show that systems resemblance can be inferred when the constituent workpractices of information systems consist of comparable register features and especially if they exhibit comparable generic features. The implications of these findings for a new class of work activity (re)design practices are considered
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The dynamics of computerization in a social science research team : a case study of infrastructure, strategies, and skills
This paper examines the dynamics of Computerization in a PC-oriented research group through a case study. The time and skill in integrating computing into the labor processes of research are often significant "hidden costs" of computerization. Computing infrastructure plays a key role in reducing these costs may be enhanced by careful organization. We illustrate computerization strategies that we have found to be productive and unproductive. Appropriate computerization strategies depend as much on the structuring of resources and interests in the larger social setting, as on a technical characterization of tasks
Geography of Production Linkages in the Irish and Scottish Microcomputer Industry: The Role of Logistics
The economic crisis of the mid-1970s marked the transition from the
traditional Fordist mode of industrial organization to one of time-based competition
(TBC). It has been postulated that the rise of TBC will lead to an increase in
local and regional production linkages. Part of the argument is that the associated
search for logistical efficiency and the adoption of the just-in-time (JIT) principles
will lead to closer buyer-supplier proximity. In this article, we test the relevance of
this idea in a case study of the microcomputer hardware industry in Ireland and
Scotland. Most of the data were collected during multiple interviews with subsidiaries
of all global microcomputer assemblers with operations in one of the two countries.
The study shows that rather than sourcing locally or regionally, the assemblers
import the vast majority of their material inputs from regions outside Ireland
and Britain, notably from the Far East, and that the inbound logistics pipelines of
most components involve inventories, often hubbed in local warehouses. Such supply
systems have been interpreted as pseudo-JIT, suboptimal inbound logistics
systems that are organized on traditional Fordist principles. We argue that the logistics
systems and the geography of the supply linkages should not be interpreted
this way. Inbound inventories were tightly managed, leading to modest target buffer
levels and high shipment frequencies. Even under JIT supply, the geographic configuration
of production linkages and the details of logistics systems remain highly
dependent on a range of contextual conditions and component characteristics. The
findings of this study suggest that a strategy of building integrated vertical production
clusters around subsidiaries of multinational enterprises is no longer suitable
for Ireland and Scotland, at least not in the context of the microcomputer industry
LCSH and PRECIS in Library and Information Science: A Comparative Study
This study aims to compare the performance of LCSH and PRECIS for the books published in 1987 in the field of library and information science (LIS) in order to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of each system. Subject headings and PRECIS strings assigned for 82 titles
have been analyzed and the two major subject access systems have been compared regarding the number of entries, exhaustivity and specificity of the entries provided, the variety of subdivisions, and other qualitative features
Systems Resemblance and Workpractice Evolution: Implications for Work Activity (Re)design
Abstract This paper is concerned with addressing the question of how apparently disparate and unconnected systems can resemble each other. The question of what counts as a systems resemblance necessitates developing contextual workpractice descriptions associated with the systems features and ultimately entire systems. Using systemic semiotics an apparent ontogenetic convergence between entirely different systems is used to show that systems resemblance can be inferred when the constituent workpractices of information systems consist of comparable register features and especially if they exhibit comparable generic features. The implications of these findings for a new class of work activity (re)design practices are considered
Contractors and computers, why systems succeed or fail: a grounded theory study of the development of microcomputer-based information systems in ten small companies in the construction industry
A longitudinal study in ten small companies operating in the
U.K. construction industry was undertaken using a grounded
theory approach over the period 1980-85. The research
project involved detailed discussions with management and
staff throughout the period of selection, implementation and
live operation of a microcomputer-based information system
(MIS). The objective was to identify the nature of problems
experienced by small companies when introducing
microcomputer-based MIS and thereby determine the variables
relating to the degree of success achieved.
Whilst four companies successfully reached the stage of live
operation and use of the information system, five were
judged unsuccessful having abandoned the project during the
research period. The remaining company continued to
experience organisational difficulties relating to the
system development.
The characteristics of the successful and unsuccessful
companies are used to build a grounded model of MIS
development in small companies. Research findings raised
many contextual, processual and methodological issues
concerning the selection, implementation and live operation
of microcomputer-based management information systems in
this type of environment. A strategy for the successful
implementation of microcomputer-based MIS, embracing the
factors determining success/failure in the small
organisation environment, is presented. The thesis concludes
by offering some advice to the systems developers and the
information systems design community concerning MIS
development in small organisations
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