Ontological clarity and comprehension in health data models

Conceptual modeling forms an important part of systems analysis. If this is done incorrectly or incompletely, there can be serious implications for the resultant system, specifically in terms of rework and useability. One approach to improving the conceptual modelling process is to evaluate how well the model represents reality. Emergence of the Bunge-Wand-Weber (BWW) ontological model introduced a platform to classify and compare the grammar of conceptual modelling languages. This work applies the BWW theory to a real world example in the health arena. The general practice computing group data model was developed using the Barker Entity Relationship Modelling technique. We describe an experiment, grounded in ontological theory, which evaluates how well the GPCG data model is understood by domain experts. The results show that with the exception of the use of entities to represent events, the raw model is better understood by domain expert

The use of social network analysis to explore relationships between the medical informatics and information systems literature

Health informatics (HI) research has evolved over several decades from its roots in computer science (CS) and artificial intelligence in medicine (AIM). Information Systems (IS) evolved independently, but recently IS within health environments are being embraced as a new test bed for Information Systems theories. The purpose of this paper is to present an objective view of the level of cross reference between the IS and MI bodies of literature, and to either provide evidence of uptake of IS theories in HI or of outlets that would provide appropriate targets for such work due to their antecedents and influence. The extent of the cross fertilization between the two disciplines is still thought to be low. Using social network analysis (SNA) we present an exploratory study which identifies the bridges and cutpoints within a basket of 44 key journals and identify the impact of Information Systems research on the Health Informatics discipline. This work is informed by a number of recent studies using this approach

Big data in Financial Management a structured literature review and Opportunities for IS research

Information Systems to support Finance and Accounting functions within organisations form the backbone of modern commerce. Big data has brought a transformational change to this research space the effects of which are starting to be felt in industry and academia. This paper examines the potential research opportunities for the use of “Big data” in the cross disciplinary space of Information Systems, Accounting and Finance. We examine literature at the confluence of these three disciplines to identify current research approaches. An analysis is presented of 47 accounting and finance and information systems (IS) journals from 2007-2016 to identify key themes emerging. These are presented as a conceptual matrix and explored by means of this matrix and a theoretical framework that situates the emerging themes across the three cogent disciplines. The concept matrix reveals potential areas for further research

Securing the Commercial Internet: Lessons Learned in Developing a Postgraduate Course in Information Security Management

This paper describes the inception, planning and first delivery of a security course as part of a postgraduate ecommerce program. The course is reviewed in terms of existing literature on security courses, the common body of knowledge established for security professionals and the job market into which students will graduate. The course described in this paper is a core subject for the e-commerce program. This program was established in 1999 and the first batch of students graduated in 2001. The program is offered at both postgraduate and undergraduate level. The work described here relates to the postgraduate offering. Students on this program are graduates of diverse disciplines and do not have a common e-commerce or business background

National Culture, Trust and Internet Privacy Concerns

A major inhibitor to e-commerce stems from the reluctance consumers have to complete transactions because of concern over the use of private information divulged in online transaction processing. Because e-commerce occurs in a global environment, cultural factors are likely to have a significant impact on this concern. Building on work done in the area of culture and privacy, and also trust and privacy, we explore the three way relationship between culture, privacy and trust. Better, more appropriate, and contemporary measures of culture have recently been espoused, and a better understanding and articulation of internet users information privacy concern has been developed. We present the results of an exploratory study that builds on the work of Milberg, Gefen, and Bellman to better understand and test the effect that national culture has on trust and internet privacy

Telehealth Adoption: Three case studies at the organisational level

We present the results of an inductive analysis using interview data to establish core themes in organisational level adoption of telehealth. The source of the interview data was a large study to evaluate how telehealth can promote long term health and independence and improve quality of life for people suffering from chronic health conditions. The study took place over three different pilot sites and 41 interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals who collectively had responsibility for over 5000 patients. We explore the data from the perspective of the organisation, focusing on the unique features of each pilot site and seeking evidence for themes of adoption success at the organisational level, particularly via organisational identity. We explore the data via a set of propositions based on organisational theory and technology adoption. The major finding of this work is that experience in telecare was found to detract from telehealth adoption success

Can Semantic Mapping Be Used to Model Information Seeking Behaviour in Resource Discovery Systems?

Locating accurate information on academic topics is a challenge for today’s information seekers. Whilst specialist portals exist, users have a marked preference for finding their own information yet are rarely trained in formal information searching using library resources. Further such electronic resource discovery systems are often complex or highly complicated to use. Work is underway to produce a tool to support academic users in accessing relevant information via library sources. Any tool that seeks to assist students and researchers in finding the information they need must be developed in cognisance of their existing workflow. Thus we sought to identify the processes novice and expert users carry out to find information. Using observations with a think aloud protocol, and follow-up interviews we gathered qualitative data on usage and responses to information searchin

Telehealth adoption: three case studies at the organisational level

We present the results of an inductive analysis using interview data to establish core themes in organisational level adoption of telehealth. The source of the interview data was a large study to evaluate how telehealth can promote long term health and independence and improve quality of life for people suffering from chronic health conditions. The study took place over three different pilot sites and 41 interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals who collectively had responsibility for over 5000 patients. We explore the data from the perspective of the organisation, focussing on the unique features of each pilot site and seeking evidence for themes of adoption success at the organisational level, particularly via organisational identity. We explore the data via a set of propositions based on organisational identity theory and models of technology adoption. The major finding of this work is that experience in the adoption of telecare was found to detract from telehealth adoption success

Systematic Review of Methodological Approaches for Designing, Assessing and Validating Business Analytics Maturity Models

Context: Applying maturity models to measure and evaluate Business Analytics (BA) in organisations is challenging. There is a lack of empirical studies on how BA maturity models are designed, assessed and validated to determine how BA contributes to business value. Objective: To report on state of research on BA maturity models (BAMMs) and identify how BAMMs can be empirically (1) designed, (2) assessed and (3) validated. Method: Systematic review of BA maturity model studies focuses on methodological approaches used in design, assessment and validation of BA maturity models. Results: (1) A systematic review resulted in nine papers included for analysis. (2) Within these papers the dominant methodological design approaches for maturity models are Rasch analysis and set theory; (3) assessment approaches are Cluster, Additive Logic, Minimum Constraints using Statistical Squared Distance and Euclidian Distance; and (4) validation approaches are variance techniques using regression, correlation coefficients with tests for statistical significance against self-reported maturity, perceived benefits or performance. Conclusion: This research contributes to a deeper understanding of how BAMMs can be designed, assessed and validated in a rigorous manner. Future research should involve more empirical studies that demonstrate the validity and usefulness of BAMMs in contributing to business value

Decision-Making Performance in Big Data Era: The Role of Actual Business Intelligence Systems Use and Affecting External Constraints

Business Intelligence (BI) has received wide recognition in the business world as a tool to ad-dress ‘big’ data-related problems, to help managers understand their businesses and to assist them in making effective decisions. To date, however, there have been few studies which have clearly articulated a theoretically grounded model that explains how the use of BI systems provides benefits to organisations, or explains what factors influence the actual use of BI systems. To fully achieve greater decision-making performance and effective use of BI, we contend that BI systems integration with a systems user’s work routine (dependence on the systems) is essential. Following this argument, we examine the effects of system dependent use along with effective use (infusion) on individual’s decision-making performance with BI. Additionally, we pro-pose that a fact-based decision-making culture, and data quality of source systems are constraints factors that impact on BI system dependence and infusion. We adopt a quantitative method approach. Specifically, we will conduct a two-wave cross-sectional survey targeting 400 North American BI users who describe themselves as both using a BI system and making decision using data from the system. We expect to make an important theoretical contribution to BI literature by providing a model that explains the dimensions of actual BI system use, and makes a practical contribution by providing insights into how organisational external constraints facilitate BI dependence and infusion in the pursuit of BI-enabled performance gain