Community and Non-Profits on the World Wide Web

The recent focus on electronic commerce on the part of researchers implicitly excludes the large body of non-profit organizations who make use of the WWW for information gathering, dissemination, transaction processing and community building. Non-profit organizations also need to utilize the latest advances in the field of electronic commerce. Furthermore, commercial enterprises need an understanding of how non-profit organizations successfully build online communities in order to achieve the returns they expect from their WWW investments. This paper describes some of the various ways that non-profit organizations are currently using the WWW. Some of the issues involved in community building are discussed and illustrated through an action research project in community building, the Eastern Shore Non-Profit Nexus

Exploring a Sociomaterial Perspective on Technology in Virtual Human Resource Development

The Problem Technology is creating immersive digital ecosystems that will radically transform the way humans communicate, collaborate, and create. Virtual human resource development (VHRD) is an example of this phenomenon in the field of HRD. With the emergence of VHRD, HRD scholars need to develop more robust conceptualizations of technology, and HRD practitioners need to play a larger role in technology development. Enhanced theoretical perspectives on technology are needed to support these endeavors. The Solution A sociomaterial perspective on technology, which is being used for the study and development of phenomena such as virtual worlds in other disciplines, can help HRD practitioners and scholars develop a more robust understanding of VHRD and participate more effectively in technology development. The Stakeholders HRD practitioners and scholars can use a sociomaterial perspective on technology to facilitate their engagement in VHRD development and scholarship

Comparing Traditional and Agile Development Approaches: The Case of Extreme Programming

Some adherents of agile development feel their approach goes against the predominant tenets of existing traditional approaches to software development, and thus can invoke fear and anxiety in practitioners. One way to understand if and how agile methods differ from existing approaches is to explore one agile approach in depth and, if possible, its philosophical underpinnings to see in what way it presents a new and different view of the software development process. This paper works to understand some of the philosophical underpinnings of Extreme Programming (XP), an agile software development approach. The study uses a qualitative data analysis approach to address the following research questions: 1) what philosophy underlies XP, and 2) does XP\u27s philosophy differ from the dominant software development paradigm? The paper finds that Extreme Programming reflects many pragmatic philosophical viewpoints and that many of its tenets conflict with the rationalistic approach that underlies traditional software development discourse

Using an Innovation Diffusion Theory Framework to Explore Web Site Adoption by Small to Medium Sized Enterprises

Some research studies indicate that small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have had mixed success in the adoption of information technology innovations in the past as compared to larger organizations. However if SMEs can successfully adopt advanced Internet-based technologies then they may be able to overcome some of their inherent limitations and improve their ability to compete with larger organizations in today’s global marketplace. SMEs differ widely in the degree to which they have adopted advanced Internet-based technologies. This study focuses on only one Internet-based technology that a SME may choose to adopt: a web site. A research framework is developed based upon Rogers’ Innovation Diffusion Theory and is used to interpret the results of a case study of SME web site adoption. The study findings illustrate the utility of Rogers\u27 Innovation Diffusion Theory for exploring this complex innovation adoption phenomenon. In addition, the study findings suggest that personal innovativeness may be an important factor to include in future studies. An analysis of the case study findings also suggest actions that change agents could take to increase the likelihood of successful web site adoption among SMEs

Web-enabled Information and Referral Services: A Framework for Analysis

Information & Referral (I&R) services help people obtain relevant and accurate information to meet specific needs. The provision of traditional I&R services by skilled specialists is being augmented by web-enabled I&R services, raising a number of issues and opportunities. First, this paper analyzes the literature on I&R services in order to understand key issues and common practices in the development of I&R services. Then a framework is presented that explores two key dimensions of I&R services: the communities of interest and communities of place that they serve. This I&R community analysis framework is illustrated with a number of mini-case studies, and conclusions are drawn regarding how it may be applied. The findings of this study should be of interest to many organizations that want to use the web to make information readily accessible to the people they serve

Exploring the Intention to Use Computers: An Empirical Investigation of the Role of Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, and Perceived Ease of Use

This research utilizes the Integrated Model of Technology Acceptance (IMTA) study the intention to use computers among first line managers in a mid-sized manufacturing among line managers in manufacturing organization (n=172). As hypothesized, the study found 1) a positive relationship between extrinsic motivation and behavioral positive behavioral intention to use computers, 2) positive relationship between intention a between perceived ease of use and behavioral intention to use computers, 3) a a positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and relationship between intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation, 4) positive relationship between perceived extrinsic motivation, 4) a a positive relationship between perceived ease of use and extrinsic motivation, and 5) positive relationship ease of use and extrinsic motivation, and 5) a a positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and perceived ease of use. However, between intrinsic motivation and perceived ease of use. However, the hypothesis that intrinsic motivation would have positive the hypothesis that intrinsic motivation would have a a positive relationship to behavioral intention to use computers was not relationship to behavioral intention to use computers was not supported. This work makes a needed contribution to the literature supported. This work makes a needed contribution to the literature by validating the IMTA with a group of real-world users, and by validating the IMTA with a group of real-world users, and suggests that the model may provide a useful foundation for suggests that the model may provide a useful foundation for future research in this area

Integrated Results Reporting: Moving Toward Electronic Health Records

A key achievement marking the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler’s movement toward Electronic Health Records (EHR) is the establishment of an integrated results reporting capability. Clinicians will be able to view results from most ancillary departments anywhere and at any time. This case study outlines the steps they took, the outcomes they achieved, and some of the lessons they have learned in the process

Support for Computer Users: Importance and Measurement

This study explores how support for computer users can be conceptualized and measured in information systems research. A number of studies have proposed that support for computer users plays an important role in the acceptance and utilization of information technology applications. In these studies, the support concept has been conceptualized in a variety of ways, and the findings have often not been as hypothesized. The paper provides a conceptual framework for understanding support for computer users, and then describes the development of an instrument to measure support for computer users in a business school lab environment. The paper should help further understanding and measurement of a concept that seems important, as well as problematic, for information systems research

COVID-19 Academic Integrity Violations and Trends: A Rapid Review

The rapid shift from classroom course delivery to online education modalities during the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on academia. Student loss of face-to-face interaction, the lost social benefits of the educational milieu, and restricted instructor ability to control both the learning environment and assessment process have been significant. The purpose of this paper is to discover if due to the unplanned shift to online course delivery, educators and researchers experienced impacts to academic integrity during the peak of the online shift. A systemic review utilizing the PRISMA methodology of peer reviewed literature published during the period of March 2020 till September 2021 demonstrated that violation types continued to fall within the existing academic integrity constructs of inappropriate information sharing, cheating on exams and assignments, incidents of plagiarism, and falsifying or fabricating information. The results showed that pre-COVID concerns with academic integrity were amplified with previous concerns moving to the forefront. In addition, the rapid shift opened doors for greater opportunity for violations and increased instructor concern especially within the hard sciences and courses with lab-based components. Reinforcing the importance of providing formal academic integrity student and faculty training can be a beneficial intervention to ensure students understand the ethical implications of student behavior and performance during the assessment process. Given the emerging trend pre-COVID that skyrocketed during the pandemic, ensuring academic integrity should remain a key priority for learning institutions