An approach based on the theory of planned behavior

Objective: To discuss issues and concerns in the application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to the decision to have a child. Methods: We review the basic structure of the TPB, its principles, and its assumptions as they apply to fertility decisions. Among other issues we consider attitudes, subjective norms, and perceptions of control as antecedents to the decision to have a child; the expectancy-value model for understanding the formation of these antecedents; and the role of background factors, such as institutional policies, societal values, and personal characteristics. We illustrate key elements of the TPB using results from a multinational research project and end by considering a number of open questions for TPB-guided fertility research. Conclusions: We conclude that the TPB can usefully be employed to further our understanding of fertility decisions. By examining behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about having a child we can identify important considerations that influence this decision. The information obtained can also guide adoption of policies or interventions designed to encourage (or discourage) couples to have more children

Transactive memory in distributed organizations

Transactive memory systems (TMS) are systems of directories that are used to locate and use knowledge in groups. Previous research indicates that, by supporting group cognitive activities, TMS are important determinants of group performance. This paper applies the concept of TMS to knowledge sharing in organizations. The three process dimensions of TMS – directory maintenance, information storage and information retrieval – were used to identify the characteristics of TMS in a case study organization. TMS directories are stored in several types of media, and the processes for maintaining and using these directories varies. The authors conclude that organizational knowledge sharing may be assisted by information systems developed to support TMS, and suggest how an understanding of the nature of an organization’s TMS might be used to design information systems and management interventions to improve knowledge sharing

Envisioning the Virtual Workplace: Conceptualizing Virtualization

Virtual organising is a term which commonly describes an approach to managing and configuring organisational resources beyond the spatial and legal boundaries of the firm. To better manage the process of virtualisation, three things need to be understood: how virtual the organisation wants to be, how virtual the organisation is, and how capable the organisation currently is of operating virtually. Analysis of an organisation along these three dimensions will identify the appropriateness of the present state of virtualisation and guide planning for bridging any gap between the current and desired states. In this article, we describe how data specific to these dimensions was collected in an organisation that has just initiated a conscious strategy of virtualisation. By analysing remarks made in a workshop and interviews with members of the organisation’s management team, we identify a new dimension for understanding virtualisation: the mindset of the people in the organisation, and we extend the set of capabilities for virtualisation described in the literature to: leadership and vision, management capability, employee capability, virtual mindset, technology, and economics. We show how three dimensions can be used to plan to improve the process of virtualisation

eLearning and SMEs: Do Demand and Supply Speak the Same Language?

This paper reports on research-in-progress designed to understand adoption and diffusion of e-learning (EL) among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in northern Italy. The research takes as its organizing framework the concept that diffusion of an innovation to a group of organizations reflects a match between demand and supply, and augments that framework by reference to Rogers’ (1995) model of the processes of adoption and diffusion of innovation in organizations and the IS literature on adoption by individuals. The first two, exploratory stages of the research are completed. They identified that EL is not widely diffused among the firms of interest. In part, this reflects relatively low participation in all forms of training, but it also reflects low awareness of EL, difficulty in identifying and evaluating products and services on the market, and a perception among non-adopters that EL is costly and they do not have adequate ICT infrastructure for it. In the final stage of the research, focus groups were conducted with both SMEs and EL suppliers to identify the extent to which these groups (demand and supply) have a shared understanding of the nature of EL and its potential

Developing Community in Online Distance Learning

Describes how a sense of community was developed among a group of learners participating in a course in teaching and training online conducted primarily online at a distance via FirstClass computer conferencing software. Drawing on the literature of online communities and their experience of running virtual team projects, the authors developed a method for creating a sense of community among course participants. This method included establishment of an email list prior to course commencement, a two-day face-to-face meeting which concentrated on developing knowledge and skills for participation as well as community building, and inclusion of community building activities among the initial online course exercises. Students responded positively to this combination of activities. Tutors spent less time assisting students with socialisation and adjustment to the online environment, increasing the time available for content-related tutoring. The authors confirm the importance of sense of community among online learners, and recommend closer attention be paid to factors associated with early development of community, including functional factors such as familiarity with the online environment. They conclude with recommendations for more structured research on how antecedent factors and events are associated with the development of online community

Wiki Design for Student Assignments: Should it be Prescribed or Emergent?

In this paper we examine how to approach the question of information and site design in the use of wikis for student group assignments. The popular literature about Wikis proposes that they allow for “emergent, user-driven design”. We develop a model in order to analyse what approach to design might be appropriate in student group work. We gave one class of students a prescribed assignment layout with clear instructions regarding navigation menus and another group the same assignment with little or no guidance about how to design their site. Initial results show that prescribing the design increases perceptions of self-efficacy. Whilst self-efficacy is correlated with higher perceived quality of the site and with use of a greater range of wiki functions, there is no correlation with perceived usefulness of the wiki as a tool

The Effects Of Task-Technology Fit On Use And User Performance Impacts: The Case Of The Human Resource Management Information System In The Malaysian Public Sector

The successful implementation of information systems (IS) in organisations depends on the ability of the IS to assist users in performing their tasks by fulfilling their expectations and delivering the desired results. This paper describes the research on how well the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) assists users in performing their tasks. The objective of this research is to identify gaps in HRMIS with regards to user needs in order to use HRMIS to assist them in performing their tasks and formulate recommendations to bridge the said gaps. Data was collected using a mixed methods approach of qualitative and quantitative methods. The quantitative data is being prepared for analysis and will be analysed using SPSS and AMOS. Content analysis was conducted on the open-ended responses which are being theme coded in SPSS for analysis. Content analysis will be conducted on the qualitative data upon its transcription and summarisation

Who delays childbearing? The relationship between fertility, education and personality traits

Using data from the British Household Panel Survey, this paper assesses the role of personality traits on timing of motherhood and investigates whether, and in what way, personality traits can explain the differences in maternity timing between more and less educated women. We estimate a log-logistic model of the time to first child birth and show that there is a statistically significant relationship between the Big Five personality traits and timing to motherhood. The results also show that education differences in fertility timing seem to be mainly driven by high educated women who are particularly “open-minded”

The Theory of Planned Behavior as a model of reasoning about fertility decisions

In this response to criticism of use of the theory of planned behavior in fertility research, the author identifies the situations in which the TPB is and is not appropriate for study of human fertility decisions and shows that the theory is not limited to static or short-term analyses, but can be used to model the dynamics of changes in beliefs and cognitions over time. This paper also shows how the micro-level TPB has been embedded by the author and colleagues in the REPRO project in macro-level social and economic contexts