Lifecycle Information Systems: the concept, principles and an approach

The aim of this article is to introduce the concept of lifecycle information systems (LCISs), in which the main purpose is to permit the development of ISs capable of supporting the management of information of an entity during its whole lifecycle. In order to validate this concept, we outline the MyHistory which consists in an experimental IS structured in four different contexts, supporting the information management of persons during their lifecycle. As the main contribution, this article introduces a new approach for the development of ISs which can improve the current way of information management of entities

How Do Psychological Factors Affect Innovation and Adoption Decisions?

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Developing and Assessing the Drivers of Usage of Computer-Assisted-Audit-Techniques (CAATs) and the factors that impact Audit Quality perceptions in Government Internal Audit

This research aims to develop two models, the first of which is capable of predicting the internal auditor’s intention to adopt audit technologies, and second of which is to predict the factors that impact on the internal auditor’s perception of internal audit quality in the context of public sector auditing in Oman. The models proposed by this research are developed from existing research on technology adoption in general, as well as research on technology adoption specific to the internal audit context (Curtis & Payne, 2014; Dowling & Leech, 2014; Mahzan & Lymer, 2014). Given that Oman is only in the initial stages of utilising technology for auditing through the International Organisation for Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) working group for IT audit (Pysmenna, 2017), the internal audit context of government institutions in the Sultanate of Oman was considered appropriate for testing the models developed in this study

A 4IR framework for ICT evaluation : a case from South African SMEs

No keywords provided in thesisThe rapid advancement of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the immense benefits they present to organisations have made ICT innovations prominent. However, there is a constant contention between ICTs that already exist in organisations and emerging digital technologies (DTs). The exponential rate at which these DTs evolve often overwhelms decision-makers. This study focused on the decisions of small medium enterprises (SMEs) whether to adopt emerging DTs or to continue using their existing ICTs: SME owners need to evaluate existing ICTs to gauge their usefulness before adopting emerging DTs. Existing decision tools are often insufficient, being based only on either financial evaluation models or ICT usage/adoption models. This study therefore reviewed ICT use, acceptance and adoption theories, as well as financial models, in identifying both the non-financial and financial factors relevant to the evaluation of existing ICTs. Using the Updated Information Systems Success Model as the base model, the study developed an integrated conceptual framework for the evaluation of existing ICTs. The conceptual framework was tested per the positivist philosophical paradigm using data collected from SME owners. Structural equation modeling was used to test and validate the framework. The key findings from the study are that the psychological views and personal experiences of SME owners play the most important role in the evaluation of existing ICTs; and are primarily driven by the social environment surrounding them. The thesis recommends that SME owners should not base their decisions to continue using the existing ICTs on their psychological views and personal experiences only. Such owners may be deceived into believing that emerging DTs are better than the existing ICTs, or vice versa. Rather, SME owners should also consider the performance of software and hardware; and the quality of the information from the existing ICTs. Some features of the existing ICTs, such as database, network, and cloud computing, do not seem to matter to the SME owners; nevertheless these factors are important to consider. The study contributed to Information Systems theory by scoping a body of literature specific to the evaluation of existing ICTs within SMEs in South Africa. The study also contributes to practice, in creating a framework that could assist SME owners to objectively evaluate existing ICTs before adopting emerging DTs. Future research, however, should consider qualitative methods to elicit other factors which may be relevant to the evaluation of existing ICTsSchool of ComputingPh. D (Information Systems

'I Live Sustainably': exploring sustainable narratives through the lens of identity expression and motivational drives

This thesis explores narratives of individuals who self-identify as living sustainably, with two interlinked aims: (1) to explore how such individuals use sustainable narratives as an expression of their identity, and (2) to explore what motivates them to live sustainably. While novel insights emerge from each of these explorations, findings are also used to shed light on how expressions of identity and motivational drives interplay in sustainable narratives. A brief review of key theories in identity and motivation literatures identifies the Dynamic Model of Identity Development (Hillenbrand & Money, 2015) as well as the Four Drive Theory of Human Motivation (Lawrence & Nohria, 2002) as useful frameworks to guide parts of the empirical research. A more elaborate review and exploration of the existing literature on identity and motivations in relation to sustainability is then provided in the discussion of findings. For the purposes of the empirical research, a total of 35 semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals self-identifying as living sustainably. While the initial part of the interviews was conducted inductively using a range of projective techniques, the final part of the interviews was guided by the theories described above. The combination of inductive and deductive research enables both theory building and theory testing for the purpose of this study. Drawing on the analysis of participants‘ expressions of identity and motivational drives, as well as the analysis of their interplay, a new typology is developed. This typology classifies individuals as 'Holistically', 'Privately', 'Publicly' or 'Accidentally Sustainable', and offers a representation of associated identity characteristics and motivational drives for each group. Importantly, the findings reveal that individuals in each group differ in terms of key aspects of identity expression. These include whether aspects of personal or social identity are salient, and whether individuals are mostly motivated to live sustainably as a means of acquiring a status and financial benefits, to bond with others, to learn and develop themselves, or to defend their beliefs. While each group emerges with a distinctive portfolio of unique insights, it is the interplay between identity expression and motivational drives that is perhaps most interesting. This culminates with the presentation of a novel typology of identity and motivational elements which can – for the first time – describe, differentiate and explain sustainable narratives of individuals self-identifying as living sustainably