Moral Philosophy and Ethical Decision Making in an Information Technology Dilemma

This study explores the fundamental philosophical differences found in the ethical decision making approaches of studentsenrolled in a Management Information Systems (MIS) course required at an accredited university in New England. Thedecision choices of the students were classified according to five widely accepted theories of ethics: (a) Axiological, (b)Deontological, (c) Perfectionist, (d) Utilitarian, and (e) Relativistic. Based on their major areas of study, students wereclassified into three categories: (1) Arts & Sciences majors, (2) Business majors, and (3) Information Technology majors.The analysis of 103 decisions confirms the existence of statistically significant differences among students in their ethicalapproaches to resolving an information technology dilemma based on their major areas of study. While the Arts & Sciencesmajors prefer Utilitarian ethics, Business majors prefer Axiological, and Information Technology majors favor Relativisticapproach. Some possible reasons behind these differences are discussed in the paper

A Phenomenological Investigation of Information and Communications Technology at a Public Sector Enterprise in India

This paper applies the method of “phenomenology” to a comprehensive study of information and communications technology (ICT) deployment at one of the largest government sector banks in India. The efficacy of the phenomenological approach for academic investigation of global ICT issues is argued in this paper. The study finds that the emerging architecture of ICT strategy in this corporation contains five dimensions. In declining order of their importance, these dimensions are (1) organizational ICT culture, (2) organizational politics, (3) organizational sociology (4) economics of ICT, and (5) ICT infrastructure. The significance of these findings is discussed in the paper and an extended note on the methodology of phenomenology is included. The ranking of ICT strategy dimensions and demystification of phenomenology are the contributions of this research to the Information Systems discipline

Meeting the Challenge of Globalization with Information and Communications Technology at an Emerging Multinational Enterprise

Based on a survey and extended interviews with 78 domestic and international managers of a leading bank in India, this paper identifies some problems encountered with the utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) by this enterprise in its global marketing strategy. A comparative analysis of the survey responses reveals recognizable differences among managers within and outside India concerning the problems and prospects of ICT as an instrument of global business strategy. Twenty problems that can diminish the influence of ICT in this strategy are identified and classified into four categories: Infrastructure, Regulation and Restrictions, Training and Culture, and Financial Constraints. The study finds that ICT has assisted the bank in maintaining its global competitiveness but the international managers of the bank do not agree that it has generated any competitive advantage. This paper contributes to the field by empirically exploring the prospects of ICT at an incipient global enterprise from an emerging economy

Special Issue on the AMCIS 2001 Workshops: Business Information Systems Modeling with Computer Assisted Systems Engineering (Case) Software

This paper describes and critiques a workshop in business information systems modeling with Computer Assisted Systems Engineering (CASE) tools held at the 2001 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS). The workshop demonstrated the effectiveness of Visible Analyst Workbench (VAW) as a systems modeling tool that generates comprehensive Process Models with multi-level Data Flow Diagrams, Data Models with Entity Relationship Diagrams, Structure Charts for automatic code generation, and Functional Decomposition Diagrams as system planning tools. A simulated teaching case with four structured exercises integrated the conceptual foundations of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) with the practical difficulties of building complex business information systems models. The workshop also discussed how simulated teaching cases and CASE software could be used as pedagogical tools for foundational courses in systems analysis and design

Perceptions of MBA Students on Business Process Modeling as a Learning Tool: An Empirical Investigation

Based upon a survey of 95 MBA students in a Business Process Management (BPM) course at a university in New England, this study reports the perceptions of students concerning the efficacy of process modeling as a learning tool. Depending on their majors, students were classified as (a) Information Technology (IT) majors and (b) Business majors. The fifteen variables explored in the survey were classified into three categories: (a) Process Analysis issues, (b) Course related issues, and (c) Organizational issues. Statistically significant differences are found on the value of simulation exercises as perceived by MBA students on five dimensions: (1) Analyzing Business Process Performance, (2) Modeling Business Processes, (3) High-level Process Mapping, (4) Understanding BPM Concepts, and (5) Grasping Process Control Issues. Implications of these differences for designing graduate level BPM courses in colleges of business administration are discussed in the paper. Keyword

GLOBAL DIFFUSION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE

This study investigates some important dimensions of Information Technology (IT) transfer and the development of a global IT policy. Information Technology professionals employed in New England corporations are surveyed to provide a regional perspective on these dimensions. The analysis of 62 responses obtained from a survey questionnaire demonstrates that significant differences exist between the perceptions of IT professionals in different industries, with varying levels of experience, and positions in the organizational hierarchy. Implications of these differences are discussed in the paper. Since New England corporations have traditionally played a defining role in global technology diffusion, it is argued that the views of these professionals are important to understand the growing importance of information technology in the emerging multinational context. [This research was supported by a grant from the Center for International Business Education jointly sponsored by Bentley College and Tufts Universit

Healthcare RFID In Germany: An Integrated Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Perspective

Today’s healthcare environments are characterized by a variety of products, services, and associated data and information that are transferred across many healthcare sector participants. Pharmaceutical supply chains in particular are one example of fragmented information flows among supply chain participants. Pharmaceutical supply chain processes have a crucial influence on medication quality and ultimate patient outcomes. When manufacturing problems arise, temperature control cannot be maintained throughout the supply chain, counterfeit medications enter the supply chain, containers are damaged or sensitive medication is improperly transported and stored, the drugs’ effectiveness can be affected and this can result in serious consequences, including patient sickens or even death. In this paper, we analyze Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID), a technology that can improve communication of data and information, reduce counterfeiting, and enable monitoring of drug quality in pharmaceutical supply chains. The study is conducted in the context of an RFID platform implemented in Germany. The paper extends and complements previous studies by analyzing the RFID implementation and business value in an end-to-end supply chain process across multiple stakeholders in the pharmaceutical supply chain, from the manufacturer via the wholesaler to pharmacies and hospitals. The results confirm that RFID benefits are realized when supply chain processes are changed with the help of technology, but that different supply chain participants have different benefit realization perceptions. The analysis further reveals specific types of process changes for each supply chain participant and their corresponding benefits

Teaching Business Process Management with Simulation in Graduate Business Programs: An Integrative Approach

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a graduate level Business Process Management (BPM) course with process modeling and simulation as its integral component, being offered at an accredited business university in the Northeastern U.S. Our approach is similar to that found in other Information Systems (IS) education papers, and can best be described as Design Science Research applied to pedagogical innovation. We use a survey of 95 graduate business students, classified as Information Technology (IT)-oriented and Business (non-IT)-oriented, to evaluate how the proposed artifact – the BPM course and its modeling and simulation components – supports student learning. The survey explores process analysis, course design, and process integration issues. Statistically significant differences between the two student groups on the value of modeling and simulation are found on five out of 15 survey items: analyzing process performance, creating process models, mapping process structure, understanding process concepts, and implementing process controls. The paper discusses implications of these differences for designing and delivering graduate BPM courses in colleges of business administration

SIMMER code two-fluid model well-posedness and stability for simulating liquid metal (lead–lithium eutectic), water vapor, and non-condensable gases multi-component multi-phase flows

Liquid metals are employed as a coolant in liquid metal fast reactors (LMFR) and are considered breeders and coolants for future power-producing fusion reactors. The interaction of liquid metals with other coolants, such as air and water, is one of the possible occurrences in liquid metal-cooled reactors. Although the SIMMER-III computer code is currently in the validation and verification phase, it is a prospective candidate code for correctly investigating possible accidents. This study aims to determine the stability and well-posedness of the SIMMER-III code Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid model (TFM) under any such accident scenario. This work also considers the influence of the virtual mass force and diffusion forces in momentum on TFM stability in accelerated liquid metal, steam, and non-condensable gaseous flows throughout all flow regimes. The characteristics method is used to assess the ill-posed nature of TFM for all types of accidents and accident scenarios in a hypothetical simplified system model with several components (Lead-Lithium, non-condensable gases, and water vapor). It has been discovered that the analysis findings vary from the air and water two-component two-phase flows (characteristics roots spectrum and error growth rate patterns) and are particularly sensitive to the diffusion and virtual mass coefficients. This is because liquid metals have a higher density than liquid water and steam, resulting in strong virtual mass forces and weak diffusion forces in liquid-metal and gas two-phase flows. Because of the extensive range of possible interactions between fluxes of different components, producing an accurate representation of diffusion in multi-component mixtures is difficult. Because of this, it is strongly suggested that the virtual mass coefficient and diffusion coefficients be handled more accurately for these kinds of flows. The values of these coefficients significantly affect how accurate proposed TFM predictions are, but there hasn't been much research on how to estimate them. The study also sheds light on the model's accuracy and highlights the areas where the model's predictions will be mathematically trustworthy