Perspectives on IT Outsourcing Success: Covariance Structure Modelling of a Survey of Outsourcing in Australia

Australia has been at the forefront of the adoption of outsourcing as a means for delivering IT services, but the success of IT outsourcing in Australia has been mixed. With two hundred and forty one responses from the top 1000 IT users in the country, the survey reported in this paper is one of the largest and most representative IT outsourcing studies in the world. Covariance structure modelling and confirmatory factor analysis has shed new light on the concept of outsourcing success, highlighting its complex, multidimensional nature. It has also confirmed many insights gained to date from qualitative research. Analysis also emphasises the importance to the outsourcing relationship of the management processes adopted by the client organization. L'Australie a été un pionnier dans l'adoption de l'impartition pour les services informatiques. Toutefois, les résultats ont été mitigés. Avec plus de deux cent répondants, provenant des 1000 plus grandes entreprises australiennes, cette étude et une des plus larges et représentatives faites jusqu'à0501ntenant. Une analyse des structure de co-variance, de même qu'une anlayse factorielle confirmatoire jettent un regard neuf sur la notion de succès de l'impartition. L'étude met en lumière le caractère complexe et multi-dimensionel de ce succès.Outsourcing, Australia, survey research, success, information systems, Impartition, Australie, enquête, succès, services informatiques

Characterization of Massive vs. Laminated Texture of the Coconino Sandstone (Permian), Arizona from the Study of Thin Sections

This project seeks to contribute to the work of Dr. John Whitmore and Sarah Maithel on the Coconino Sandstone (Permian) of Arizona. More than one hundred thin sections are available for study from this sandstone. Each thin section was examined both macroscopically and microscopically to determine if the sample is laminated or massive. The purpose of this project is to define what laminae are and then develop reliable quantitative criteria that can differentiate between the laminated and massive samples. These criteria might then be applied to distinguish patterns that occur across the deposit, which in turn may provide insight into the depositional conditions of the sandstone. The thin sections were visually examined to differentiate between compositional and textural lamination, as this study focused on textural characteristics. Dr. Whitmore provided data that was collected through the measurement of 400-600 randomly selected grains within each thin section. Statistical analysis of rounding, grain size, and sorting data suggested that sorting is the primary characteristic that causes lamination. While sorting data cannot provide a definitive classification of “massive” or “laminated” for individual thin sections, it can substantiate visual characterizations and support regional trends. For example, the outcrops in this study appear to be grouped into poorly sorted in the north and more moderately sorted further south. This indicates a change in the depositional environment which is probably related to a decrease in velocity. Collectively, sorting data along with visual inspection can be used to draw conclusions about the laminated or massive nature of an outcrop and can contribute to an understanding of depositional conditions

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 2016

The primary goal of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test is to provide unbiased data regarding the agronomic performance of cotton varieties and advanced breeding lines in the major cotton-growing areas of Arkansas

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 2015

The primary goal of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test is to provide unbiased data regarding the agronomic performance of cotton varieties and advanced breeding lines in the major cotton-growing areas of Arkansas. This information helps seed companies establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant. These annual evaluations will then facilitate the inclusion of new, improved genetic material in Arkansas cotton production

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 2014

The primary goal of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test is to provide unbiased data regarding the agronomic performance of cotton varieties and advanced breeding lines in the major cotton-growing areas of Arkansas. This information helps seed companies establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant

The geography of strain: organizational resilience as a function of intergroup relations

Organizational resilience is an organization’s ability to absorb strain and preserve or improve functioning, despite the presence of adversity. In existing scholarship there is the implicit assumption that organizations experience and respond holistically to acute forms of adversity. We challenge this assumption by theorizing about how adversity can create differential strain, affecting parts of an organization rather than the whole. We argue that relations among those parts fundamentally shape organizational resilience. We develop a theoretical model that maps how the differentiated emergence of strain in focal parts of an organization triggers the movements of adjoining parts to provide or withhold resources necessary for the focal parts to adapt effectively. Drawing on core principles of theories about intergroup relations, we theorize about three specific pathways—integration, disavowal, and reclamation—by which responses of adjoining parts to focal part strain shape organizational resilience. We further theorize about influences on whether and when adjoining parts are likely to select different pathways. The resulting theory reveals how the social processes among parts of organizations influence member responses to adversity and, ultimately, organizational resilience. We conclude by noting the implications for organizational resilience theory, research, and practice.Accepted manuscrip

Development of a rotating gravity gradiometer for earth orbit applications (AAFE)

Some preliminary mission studies are described along with the design, fabrication, and test of a breadboard model of an earth orbital, rotating gravity gradiometer with a design goal of 10 to the minus 11th power/sec sq (0.01 EU) in a 35-sec integration time. The proposed mission uses a Scout vehicle to launch one (or two orthogonally oriented) spin-stabilized satellites into a 330-km circular polar orbit some 20 days before an equinox. During the short orbital lifetime, the experiment would obtain two complete maps of the gravity gradient field with a resolution approaching 270 km (degree 75). The breadboard model of the gradiometer demonstrated a combined thermal and electronic noise threshold of 0.015 EU per data channel. The design changes needed to reduce the noise to less than 0.01 EU were identified. Variations of the sensor output signal with temperature were experimentally determined and a suitable method of temperature compensation was developed and tested. Other possible error sources, such as sensor interaction with satellite dynamics and magnetic fields, were studied analytically and shown to be small

Enterprise Readiness for IT Innovation: A Study of Mobile Computing in Healthcare

This research posits that enterprise-wide information technology (IT) innovation initiatives in uncertain economic times amplify the need and importance for decision makers to systemically evaluate their organization’s capabilities, competencies, and potential risk areas that could either accelerate or impede adoption and implementation. The purpose of this research is to develop a theoretically-grounded, conceptual framework of healthcare enterprise readiness for IT innovation that will aid health IT decision makers with this complex task. We study this in the context of mobile computing which is poised to fundamentally transform healthcare delivery by improving patient care and lowering costs. Preliminary findings of our multi-phase exploratory empirical study with healthcare CIOs reveal the relative importance of several key assessment dimensions and indicators. Our research has important implications for both adopters and providers of health IT and contributes to our broader understanding of IT-enabled transformation of healthcare