The Effectiveness of Using Computers for Software Training: An Exploratory Study

Both academic institutions and corporations have invested huge amounts of resources in computer-based training and education. The evidence in support of the effectiveness of computers and instructional technology in the classroom is mixed at best, and much of the practice is based on faith and ongoing trends in education. In this study, we conduct an exploratory experimental investigation into the effectiveness of four computer-based software training methods; traditional, delayed, asynchronous, and synchronous. We do not find any evidence to support the commonly held beliefs that there is an improvement in the computing literacy scores of students if the instructor has access to computers or if the students have access to computers during the software lesson. On the other hand, students find the practice of using computers both by themselves and by the instructors more satisfying than not being able to use them in the classroom. Our results have serious implications for instructors and decision-makers in both education and industry. While our results are directed at the lower levels of the Bloom\u27s taxonomy of learning, we recommend research into higher levels in order to assess the full impact of computer-based education

Classification of Computers and Computing Architectures:

Different terms or buzzwords have existed for the several classes of computers. Should our view of the classes of computers be so complicated and potentially confusing? Based on literature survey, empirical research, and authors\u27 combined accumulated experience in teaching and consulting, this paper recommends that for most situations, a simple dichotomyof computers as CLIENT and SERVER is adequate. The CLIENT computer is primarily for the use of and under the control of an individual, while the SERVER computer is meant for the use of more than one individual -a group, department, corporation, or government agency. This paper contends that this simple dichotomy facilitates initial learning for all computer users. Based on empirical research, the results were statistically significant to substantiate that --(a) computer classification confusion exists, (b) the dichotomy works, and (c) the dichotomy is preferred. This paper also proposes a hierarchical classification of computers based on different levels of perspective. Just as the general view of the classes of computers was technical in the beginning,the view of the computing architecture has been also technical. The technical classifications were based on criteria like network topologies, type of protocol, etc. This paper contends that again the user-oriented view for the classification of computing architecture should prevail. We suggest a simple dichotomy of computing architectures: Server/Client and Client/Server. The proposed dichotomy is based on end users\u27 view: who is at the center of information processing: Server or Client. In the Server/Client architecture, the server is at the center and the clients revolved around it in the sense that these are dependent on the capacity and capabilities of the server. With the fusion of computer and telecommunication technologies, a new paradigm of Client/Sever architecture has evolved. In this architecture, the client is at the center and there are several local or remote servers catering to the needs of this KING called the client

Business-IT Alignment Maturity in the US and China: Perspectives of IT and non-IT Employees

Business-IT alignment has been always one of top concerns in IS management and strategic planning. This study evaluated the business-IT alignment maturity levels in the US and China from the perspectives of IT and non-IT employees. The alignment in the US was found to be more mature than in China. Additionally, data revealed that the alignment maturity level was higher in the US from the viewpoint of IT employees than from those of non-IT employees, although there was no significant difference between IT and non-IT employees in China. Furthermore, results indicated that alignment in manufacturing and retail industries were more mature in the US than in China. The IT industry had the highest alignment maturity level in both countries

Critical Issues of IT Outsourcing Vendors in India

Global outsourcing of IT and IT-enabled services (ITES) has now become an accepted corporate strategy of a vast majority of firms around the world. The functions being offshored have increased in scope and magnitude and have climbed the value chain ladder. However, the literature has overwhelmingly focused on client-centric issues to the neglect of vendor concerns. There is a rich tradition of ranking critical issues confronting Information Systems executives, and some studies have even explored critical issues of outsourcing clients. These rankings have significant implications for both researchers and practitioners. Our study focuses on the nascent area of IT outsourcing vendors. We examine the issues from the standpoint of IT outsourcing vendors in India, currently the primary destination for IT offshoring. The results suggest that for the Indian vendors, the most critical issues are not related to cultural, language, and time-zone differences as suggested in many writings. Rather, the most critical concerns are issues dealing with work arrangements and relationships with the client, and issues related to the client’s organizational readiness for offshoring. Clearly the understanding of such issues is important to the vendors, but also to the clients in order to maintain an effective dyadic relationship

The Impact of Information Technology (IT) on National Culture: The Case of Saudi Arabia

The Internet, World Wide Web, and related ICTs, have rapidly spread to a large number of countries and great variety of cultures. Many of these technologies facilitate and mediate activities whose modes and means bind closely to culture. Research has suggested that communication technologies can affect values and norms for behavior. Therefore, this research aims to explore and describe the impact of IT on culture, using Saudi Arabia as a context for our study. In particular, we are interested in answering the following question: How does IT impact culture? We use phenomenological method, and provide an integration of a framework for IT-driven impact on culture. The resulting framework can serve as a basis for further investigation to understand individuals’ culturally linked behavior to various IT in diverse contexts The ultimate goal is to lay a foundation for much needed research on the IT role in cultural change

A Study of Global Information Technology Key Issues: Influence of a Nations Level of Economic Development

The objective of this study is to aggregate the published data and information on global information technology (GIT) issues in various nations around the world to gain some insights into common factors or determinants that may have significant impact or influence on their ranking. Using cluster analysis on a sample of ranked IT issues from 16 different countries and regions of the world a model of the global IT environment suggested by Palvia and Palvia (1996) is partially supported. The data basically suggests an alignment between the level of economic development of a nation and the importance of various types of IT issue

The Effect of Work-Home Conflict on IT Employees in Japan: The Moderating Role of Conscientiousness

The purpose of this study is to propose and test a model explicating the effect of work-home conflict on job satisfaction and professional self-efficacy of IT employees in Japan. Conscientiousness was included as a moderator of the relationships above. The model was subjected to structural equation modelling analysis by using the data collected from 312 Japanese IT employees. The results indicate that work-home conflict has a negative impact on both job satisfaction and professional self-efficacy. The negative effect of work-home conflict on job satisfaction is stronger for those who exhibit a higher degree of conscientiousness. In contrast to expectations, conscientiousness does not moderate the negative relationship between work-home conflict and professional self-efficacy of IT employees. Managers should be aware of the negative consequences of work-home conflict because it reduces their employees’ degree of job satisfaction and professional self-efficacy. They should also pay more attention to highly conscientious employees

Using a Trait Approach to Analyze the Impact of Global Information Technology Applications

The objective of this study is to investigate how global IT applications are being used and to develop a means of assessing their impact. Building on the prior work of Palvia (1997), Sethi and King (1994), and Mahmood and Soon (1991), a multi-factor global IT impact model is developed. This model exhibits a high degree of reliability and validity. From a theoretical perspective, this study develops a measurement model that can be used to evaluate the use and impact of IT in a global environment. From a practitioner’s point of view, the study provides a better understanding of the factors that influence the use and impact of global IT applications

Capability, Quality and Performance of Offshore IS Vendors: A Theoretical Framework and Empirical Investigation.

Information systems (IS) offshoring has become a widespread practice and a strategic sourcing choice for many firms. While much has been written by researchers about the factors that lead to successful offshoring arrangements from the client's viewpoint, the vendor's perspective has been largely scarce. The vendor perspective is equally important as offshore IS vendors need to make important decisions in terms of delivering operational and strategic performance and aligning their resources and processes in order to meet or exceed targeted outcomes. In this article, we propose and test a three-level capability–quality–performance (CQP) theoretical framework to understand vendor outcomes and their antecedents. The first level of the framework represents three vendor capabilities: relationship management, contract management, and information technology management. The second level has three mediating variables representing process quality: partnership, service, and deliverable quality. The third level has three dependent variables representing vendor outcomes: operational performance, strategic performance, and satisfaction. The model was tested with 188 vendor firms from India and China, the two most popular destinations for IS offshoring. Results support the CQP framework; vendor capabilities are significant predictors of intermediate quality measures, which in turn affect vendor outcomes. Implications of the study findings to both theory development and IS offshore vendor strategic decision making are discussed