The Effects of Capabilities and Governance on Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Performance: Client and Provider Perspectives

Research on information technology outsourcing (ITO) and business process outsourcing (BPO) has consistently found that client firm capabilities, provider firm capabilities, and governance mechanisms (contractual and relational) are key determinants of outsourcing performance. These key determinants work together to affect outsourcing performance, however, the information systems (IS) literature has investigated them in a separate manner. This study contributes to the body of IS knowledge by examining capabilities and governance mechanisms influence on outsourcing performance independently and jointly. Based on resource-based theory, transaction cost economics, and relational exchange theories, we develop a research model to examine the independent and joint effects of one client\u27s capabilities (i.e., client\u27s provider management capability), three provider\u27s capabilities (i.e., human resources management, risk management, and innovativeness), and two governance mechanisms (contractual and relational governance) on two indicators of outsourcing performance (i.e., provider\u27s service quality, and client\u27s economic benefits). Survey data gathered from 306 practitioners in 21 client firms and 20 provider firms is used to test the research model. Our results indicate that service quality and client’s economic benefits have different sets of determinants. Service quality is determined by three provider\u27s capabilities and relational governance. Client’s economic benefits are determined by contractual and relational governance, client\u27s provider management capability, and provider’s service quality. Our findings also provides evidence that service quality fully mediates the relationships among three provider\u27s capabilities and outsourcing performance. Further, our analyses suggest that there are negative interaction effects between capabilities and governance mechanisms on outsourcing performance. More specifically, in the presence of strong governance mechanisms, the positive effects of client\u27s and provider\u27s capabilities on outsourcing performance are reduced. Last, we also reveal that clients and providers differ in how they view the independent and joint effects of capabilities and governance mechanisms on outsourcing performance. This study provides some important implications for researchers and practitioners pertaining to effective governance of outsourcing arrangements and offers directions for future research

Risk Management of Information Systems Development in Distributed Environment

Risk management has been recognized as an effective way to reduce system development failure. Information system development (ISD) is a highly complex and unpredictable activity associated with high risks. With more and more organizations outsource or offshore substantial resources in system development, organizations face up new challenges and risks not common to traditional development models. Classical risk management approaches have relied on tactical, bottom-up analysis, which do not readily scale to distributed environment. Therefore, risk management in distributed environment is becoming a critical area of concern. This paper uses a systemic approach developed by Software Engineering Institute to identify risks of ISD in distributed environment. Four key risk factors were identified from prior literature: objective, preparation, execution, and environment. In addition, the impact of these four risk factors on the success of information system development will also be examined

Influences of Doping on Photocatalytic Properties of TiO2 Photocatalyst

As a kind of highly effective, low‐cost, and stable photocatalysts, TiO2 has received substantial public and scientific attention. However, it can only be activated under ultraviolet light irradiation due to its wide bandgap, high recombination, and weak separation efficiency of carriers. Doping is an effective method to extend the light absorption to the visible light region. In this chapter, we will address the importance of doping, different doping modes, preparation method, and photocatalytic mechanism in TiO2 photocatalysts. Thereafter, we will concentrate on Ti3+ self‐doping, nonmetal doping, metal doping, and codoping. Examples of progress can be given for each one of these four doping modes. The influencing factors of preparation method and doping modes on photocatalytic performance (spectrum response, carrier transport, interfacial electron transfer reaction, surface active sites, etc.) are summed up. The main objective is to study the photocatalytic processes, to elucidate the mechanistic models for a better understanding the photocatalytic reactions, and to find a method of enhancing photocatalytic activities

Review of 23 Years of Empirical Research on Information Technology Outsourcing Decisions and Outcomes

The 2010 Journal of Information Technology article, “A Review of the IT Outsourcing Empirical Literature,” analyzed 741 empirical findings on the determinants of Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) decisions and outcomes published between 1992 and 1st quarter 2010. In this paper, we replicated the method and coded additional findings published until the end of 2014. Combining the Lacity et al. (2010) with the additional findings, we used a total of 1,170 findings to produce the most robust models on ITO decisions and outcomes to date. The model of ITO decisions includes independent variables associated with transaction attributes, outsourcing motivations, influence sources, client characteristics and capabilities, relationship characteristics, and environmental variables. The model of ITO outcomes includes independent variables associated with transaction attributes, relational and contractual governance, client and provider capabilities, client characteristics and decision characteristics. The models serve as solid foundations for researchers seeking to advance academic contributions based on strong empirical data

Strong Convergence of Non-Implicit Iteration Process with Errors in Banach Spaces

The purpose of this paper is to study the strong convergence of a non-implicit iteration process with errors for asymptotically I-nonexpansive mappings in the intermediate sense in the framework of Banach spaces. The results presented in this paper extend and improve the corresponding results recently announced

Exploring the Time Dimension in the Technology Acceptance Model with Latent Growth Curve Modeling

This paper investigates the dynamics of users’ beliefs and intention to adopt a new technology during the course of its training. It also identifies the relationships among the dynamic elements over a time continuum. As a research method, we introduce latent growth curve modeling to better analyze the dynamics over a longitudinal time horizon. We provide an outline of the method for a research in progress. In addition, we demonstrate the application of latent growth curve modeling to a secondary data set obtained from Venkatesh et al. (2006). The results indicate that those with a higher level of initial behavioral intention to use are likely to have a higher level of initial use of a technology. In addition, those who have a steeper rate of increase in behavioral intention during the implementation are likely to have a steeper increase in their use of the technology

Characterization of Conserved Combined T and B Cell Epitopes in Leptospira interrogans Major Outer Membrane Proteins OmpL1 and LipL41

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Leptospira interrogans </it>are bacterial pathogens of animal that cause zoonotic infections in human. Outer membrane proteins of leptospire are among the most effective antigens which can stimulate remarkable immune responses during the infection processes, and thus are currently considered leading candidate vaccine antigens. The objective of the present study is to predict and confirm major combined B and T cell epitopes of leptospiral outer membrane proteins OmpL1 and LipL41, as well as to evaluate their capacity in the induction of immune responses in BALB/c mice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, four epitopes from OmpL1 and four from LipL41 conserved regions were evaluated for their potential utilization in leptospire vaccines. Firstly, combined B and T cell epitopes were predicted by softwares and expressed using a phage display system. OmpL1 residues 87-98 and 173-191 (OmpL1_87-98and OmpL1_173-191) and LipL41_30-48, LipL41_233-256of LipL41 were identified as immunodominant B cell epitopes by Western blot. Epitopes OmpL1_173-191, OmpL1_297-320of OmpL1 and LipL41_233-256, LipL41_263-282of LipL41 were identified as immunodominant CD4⁺T cell epitopes through proliferation analysis of splenocytes from recombinant OmpL1 (rOmpL1) or recombinant LipL41 (rLipL41)-immunized BALB/c (H-2^d) mice. These epitopes induced responses of CD4⁺T cells and Th1 (T helper cells) type cytokine responses during the infection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This work identified combined T and B cell immunodominant epitopes in outer membrane proteins OmpL1 and LipL41 of <it>Leptospira interrogans</it>. OmpL1_173-191of OmpL1 and LipL41_233-256of LipL41 could be useful in a vaccine against <it>Leptospira</it>. The findings could also contribute to the development of effective cross-protective vaccine strategies for leptospirosis.</p

Intelligent ZHENG Classification of Hypertension Depending on ML-kNN and Information Fusion

Hypertension is one of the major causes of heart cerebrovascular diseases. With a good accumulation of hypertension clinical data on hand, research on hypertension's ZHENG differentiation is an important and attractive topic, as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) lies primarily in “treatment based on ZHENG differentiation.” From the view of data mining, ZHENG differentiation is modeled as a classification problem. In this paper, ML-kNN—a multilabel learning model—is used as the classification model for hypertension. Feature-level information fusion is also used for further utilization of all information. Experiment results show that ML-kNN can model the hypertension's ZHENG differentiation well. Information fusion helps improve models' performance

Inactivation of the fliY gene encoding a flagellar motor switch protein attenuates mobility and virulence of Leptospira interrogans strain Lai

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pathogenic <it>Leptospira </it>species cause leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease of global importance. The spirochete displays active rotative mobility which may contribute to invasion and diffusion of the pathogen in hosts. FliY is a flagellar motor switch protein that controls flagellar motor direction in other microbes, but its role in <it>Leptospira</it>, and paricularly in pathogenicity remains unknown.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A suicide plasmid for the <it>fliY </it>gene of <it>Leptospira interrogans </it>serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar Lai strain Lai that was disrupted by inserting the ampicillin resistance gene (<it>bla</it>) was constructed, and the inactivation of <it>fliY </it>gene in a mutant (<it>fliY</it>^-) was confirmed by PCR and Western Blot analysis. The inactivation resulted in the mRNA absence of <it>fliP </it>and <it>fliQ </it>genes which are located downstream of the <it>fliY </it>gene in the same operon. The mutant displayed visibly weakened rotative motion in liquid medium and its migration on semisolid medium was also markedly attenuated compared to the wild-type strain. Compared to the wild-type strain, the mutant showed much lower levels of adhesion to murine macrophages and apoptosis-inducing ability, and its lethality to guinea pigs was also significantly decreased.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Inactivation of <it>fliY</it>, by the method used in this paper, clearly had polar effects on downstream genes. The phentotypes observed, including lower pathogenicity, could be a consequence of <it>fliY </it>inactivation, but also a consequence of the polar effects.</p