Using Divide-and-Conquer to Solve the Multiple Discrete Resource Allocation Problem

The multiple discrete resource allocation problem (MDRAP) explores how the decision maker allocates a number of resources of different types among agents in order to achieve the aggregate maximum utility. The MDRAP belongs in the NP-hard category of time complexity, which requires excessive efforts to obtain the optimal solution even for a moderate problem size. Partial enumeration techniques such as dynamic programming and branch-and-bound are available to tackle this complexity issue to some degree. In this paper, a new partial enumeration method based on divide-and-conquer is proposed. The pronounced distinction of this divide-and-conquer approach lies in its potential ability to parallelize the solving process, and hence can obtain the optimal solution more quickly. A simulation study on a dedicated computer is conducted and presented

Journal Self-Citation VIII: An IS Researcher in the Dual Worlds of Author-Reader and Author-Institution

This paper responds to the question of whether it is ethical for a journal editor to request an author to cite papers from a journal to which one is submitting an article. To craft a response to this question, two sets of relationships are explored. The first set is an author-reader relationship, and the second set is an author-institution or community relationship. In these dual relationships, the author is considered to be an IS researcher who publishes and disseminates knowledge through the channel of research journals. The reason for articulating these twofold relationships is to go beyond the common belief that the author is the sole and autonomous source of knowledge creation and distribution. We posit that: (1) an author cannot exist isolated from the reader, and (2) an author exists only as a part of an institutional system which opens and at the same time constrains an author’s knowledge production. In other words, an author is destined to create knowledge within the constrained system. For that very reason, it is important to understand the author as a function of conditional discourse of a specific institution. We conclude that editors’ requests for an author to cite papers from a journal to which one is submitting an article is ethically critical to: (1) build a good author-reader relationship, and (2) produce rich and plural knowledge which is “good” for advancing learning in the global community

E-Commerce Technologies and Information Systems Curricula

The World Wide Web (WWW), as the platform for E-Commerce, is the breeding ground for innovative applications. It is also providing the impetus for development of newer building blocks of information systems (IS) platforms. Today, novel applications such as push-type delivery of information, television style channels, multimedia mail attachments, desktop video-conferencing, and other examples of electronic commerce exist on the web. None of these was in wide use even as late as 1996. How are these technologies different from host-based and client/server technologies? What is the impact, if any, of these technologies on the skills set that IS majors need to have? This paper attempts an answer to the above questions by adopting an adult learning framework. Using the framework, we trace the impact of technology changes on skill requirements and the curricula. An appreciation of the fundamental differences that separate host-based, client/server and web-based platforms and E- Commerce applications can help in understanding this impact

Information Risk Communication in the Context of Zika Virus: A Pilot Study

Dissemination of information to at-risk populations is essential in any emergency situation. Among many health emergencies, Zika virus is a large-scale health challenge that requires authorities to communicate the risks of the virus, and, potential protective measures to the population. Communication technologies have an important role to play in this effort. Other factors, such as hazard characteristics and warning fatigue, also influence the effectiveness of communication. This article develops an adaptation of the Protective Action Decision Making (PADM) model for a holistic understanding of the technical and non-technical factors that influence the responses of vulnerable individuals to information about the Zika virus. The findings are expected to provide practical guidance to public health agencies in the selection of appropriate mix of media to deliver information about Zika. Investigation of antecedents to vulnerable stakeholders’ response will contribute to the growing literature on information risk communication and emergency responses to potential epidemics

Management of Information Technology Outsourcing Relationships: The Role of Service Level Agreements

Existing studies on information technology outsourcing relationships have typically examined partnership factors that influence IT outsourcing effectiveness. This research extends such studies and draws upon relational exchange theory to investigate how relational elements in service level agreements (SLAs) may impact outsourcing relationships. The results show that the effects of a well-structured SLA in managing IT outsourcing relationship are significant. This paper also provides insight into the development of relational governance through a contractual mechanism over the entire course of an outsourcing engagement. Suggestions for appropriate SLA elements are also developed

Understanding Switching Subscription Behavior in the Context of Campus Emergency Notification Services: An Extended Privacy Calculus Model

This paper adapts the privacy calculus model while considering the impact of informational trust and subjective norm, to investigate the factors impacting subscription switching behavior. The results of the study indicate that privacy concern, perceived benefits, and subjective norms significantly impact users’ intention to subscribe, while their intention to unsubscribe is significantly impacted by informational trust and privacy concern

An Examination of the Calibration and Resolution Skills in Phishing Email Detection

This study examines individuals’ calibration and resolution skills in phishing email detection and tests the effects of several factors on both skills. It shows that calibration and resolution are two distinct capabilities of a person to detect phishing emails, and they are subject to the impacts of different factors: while calibration is influenced mostly by task factors such as familiarity with the emails, time to judgment, variability of time to judgment, and task easiness, resolution is influenced by both task factors such as variability of time to judgment and familiarity with the entity in the email, and individual characteristics such as online transaction experience and prior victimization of phishing attacks. The theoretical implication of the study is addressed, and the practical implication for designing effective training programs to improve one’s phishing detection ability is also discussed

An Extreme Value Approach to Information Technology Security Investment

Information technology security investment is receiving increasing attention in recent years. Various methods have been proposed to determine the effective level of security investment. In this paper, we introduce an extreme value approach to address the issues of effective budgeting and investing in IT security. In our model, the security status of a system depends on two factors: system security level, which is measured by the level of security investment, and system attack level, which reflects the security risk with which the system is confronted. Security investment level is endogenous to the system, while attack level is exogenous. Extreme value analysis is used to characterize the stochastic behavior of high-level attacks based on the historical data and to make inferences on future attacks. Based on these inferences, we determine the effective security solutions and the level of security investment to modulate the likelihood of system failure. For illustration purposes, we use an extreme value approach to analyze a set of traffic data collected from a regional bank

A Content-Analytic Longitudinal Study of the Drivers for Information Technology and Systems Outsourcing

This research addresses the question, what are the key drivers for information technology and systems (ITS) outsourcing? ITS outsourcing drivers are examined in this research in light of several underlying organizational and economic theories in order to generate a comprehensive and enduring ITS outsourcing drivers taxonomy. A preliminary taxonomy has been developed using qualitative content analysis of 49 articles, which has been triangulated using an internal/external drivers model developed from systems-theoretic notions. Quantitative content analysis technique is being used to analyze outsourcing reports publicly available in the PR Newswire database published over the last 11 years to further develop the ITS outsourcing drivers taxonomy