MISPLACED RESOURCES? FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH COMPUTER LITERACY AMONG END-USERS

Some organizations provide a support infrastructure (e.g., information centers, on-line help) and training (e.g., vendor-supplied, one-on-one) to assist end-users and boost the computer literacy of their workforce. In this paper, we explore the efficacy of a support infrastructure, training, and various computer configurations for enhancing the computer literacy of work groups. Data come from a multi-year (1987 to 1989) study of seventy-seven computer-using work groups in the southern California area, which included two interviews with managers and two questionnaires distributed to workers. Analyses showed that none of the measures of training were associated with computer literacy. Only one kind of infrastructure support, obtaining information from a resident expert in the work group, was related to computer literacy. In contrast, many aspects of the configuration of the computer systems were associated with computer literacy. Implications of these provocative findings for the management of end-user computing are discussed

Beyond the call of duty: Why customers contribute to firm-hosted commercial online communities

Firm-hosted commercial online communities, in which customers interact to solve each other's service problems, represent a fascinating context to study the motivations of collective action in the form of knowledge contribution to the community. We extend a model of social capital based on Wasko and Faraj (2005) to incorporate and contrast the direct impact of commitment to both the online community and the host firm, as well as reciprocity, on quality and quantity of knowledge contribution. In addition, we examine the moderating influence of three individual attributes that are particularly relevant to the firm-hosted community context: perceived informational value, sportsmanship, and online interaction propensity. We empirically test our framework using self-reported and objective data from 203 members of a firm-hosted technical support community. In addition to several interesting moderating effects, we find that a customer's online interaction propensity, commitment to the community, and the informational value s/he perceives in the community are the strongest drivers of knowledge contribution

New directions for education, work, and careers

Publ. comme no 8, 1979 de la revue New directions for education, work, and careersBibliogr. à la fin des textesIndex: p. 103-10