How You Store Information Affects How You Can Retrieve It: A Fundamental Principle For Business Students Studying Information Systems And Technology

During the current period of rapid technological change, business students need to emerge from their introductory course in Information Systems (IS) with a set of fundamental principles to help them “think about Information Technology (IT)” in future courses and the workplace.  Given the digital revolution, they also need to appreciate the role of information in business as well has how to meet the challenges involved in managing information effectively.  This paper addresses both those needs by presenting a fundamental principle concerning information management:  How you store information affects how you can retrieve it.  The paper commences by presenting the principle in a manner that can be used to introduce it to the class.  It continues by providing numerous concepts and examples that draw on the principle and that students are likely to encounter in the core IS course, subsequent courses, and their real-world use of technology.  The paper concludes by raising a set of issues suitable for class discussion or exam questions

Vesting Title in a Murderer: Where Is the Equity in the Georgia Supreme Court\u27s Interpretation of the Slayer Statute in Levenson?

The recent Georgia Supreme Court ruling in Levenson v.Word exposes difficult interpretative and equitablequestions posed by Georgia\u27s slayer statute. The casebegan after Debra Post inherited her husband\u27s estate butwas then arrested for his murder. She used her husband\u27slife insuranceproceeds and the real property she acquiredthrough the murder to pay two law firms to defend her inthe murder trial before pleading guilty.The court-appointedadministratorof the estate sued thelaw firms for conversion for not returning these illegallyand immorally acquired funds. Under the Georgia slayerstatute, a murderer forfeits the right to serve as theadministrator of an estate and any rights to recover bywill or intestacy. However, interpreting the statute, theGeorgia Supreme Court held that title vests out of themurderer only upon finalization of judicial condemnationproceedings. Thus, a murderer can legally transferinherited property until the second before conviction,notwithstanding the possible bad faith of the third partyreceiving the property. This Note argues that to uphold common law values andequitable principles, courts in future cases should employthe constructive trust remedy. Thus, if a bad faithpurchaser receives the decedent\u27s property, this third partywould be required to return it to the party retainingequitable title-here the deceased\u27s estate. This remedyavoids inequitable rulings that are sure to result fromLevenson

Understanding Charter School Governance: A Case Study of a Conversion Charter School Board of Directors

The charter school movement has been at the forefront of educational reform since the 1990s. The majority of charter school research has focused on academic achievement and issues of access, equity, and funding. Less attention has focused on charter school governance, yet evidence suggests that governance challenges represent a significant impediment to the long-term sustainability of this movement. This qualitative case study examined the operations of a board of directors in a conversion charter school. The study included observations of monthly board of directors meetings over a 16-month period (February 2008–June 2009), interviews with members of the board of directors and representatives from other key internal and external constituent groups, and document analysis of official charter school materials, including minutes, agendas, and historical documents. The period proved to be a turbulent one, with the resignation of the founding executive director, a failed search for her replacement, the dissolution of the university partnership, and the resignation of nearly half the board at the end of the period. The findings reveal three tensions at the heart of the conversion charter school governance structure—governance v management, transparency v confidentiality, and representation v trusteeship. Exploration of these tensions, and the ways they manifested themselves during the 16-month period, suggest several areas for continuing focus for both charter school researchers and practitioners: building the leadership capacity of boards and executive directors; analyzing Sunshine Laws, such as the Brown Act, with an eye toward helping boards more effectively manage these complex requirements; and finding ways to proactively and more effectively manage partnerships, particularly university partnerships

A Foundation for the Study of IT Effects: A New Look at DeSanctis and Poole’s Concepts of Structural Features and Spirit

Gerardine DeSanctis and Marshall Scott Poole made an important contribution to the study of IT uses and effects with their insightful concepts of “structural features” and “spirit.” Unlike their concept of “appropriation,” which has found broad acceptance in the IS community, the concepts of structural features and spirit have not been widely used. Published concerns that the concepts are not consistent with basic assumptions in Giddens’ structuration theory, on which the concepts were based, could account for their neglect. However, concepts like structural features and spirit are indispensable for any program of research that attempts to show how IT artifacts can, together with other influences, contribute to the consequences of IT use. Addressing the criticisms that have been leveled against these concepts is, therefore, important. In this paper we unpack DeSanctis and Poole’s concepts and propose redefining them as three new concepts: technical objects, functional affordances, and symbolic expressions. We believe this reconceptualization addresses several concerns about the original concepts, while retaining the core insights of DeSanctis and Poole’s innovative analysis

How do You Choose What to Use? Technology Choice When You Have So Much

This research-in-progress provides a fresh insight into technology choice in our daily activities. As opposed to prior studies that focus on technology in the work environment, this research is centered on individual technology choice while performing daily tasks: searching for information, executing transactions, consuming entertainment, and communicating. As hardware has become more affordable, more varied in size, and more diverse in features, individuals have access to a plethora of different devices - smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. Individuals also have a choice of software: apps versus web browsers. Our research focuses on understanding why individuals choose specific combinations of hardware and software to perform their tasks. By studying this phenomenon, our proposed research program can contribute to understanding individuals\u27 technology choices and inform organizations providing applications to consumers

A Comparative Review of North American Tundra Delineations

Recent profound changes have been observed in the Arctic environment, including record low sea ice extents and high latitude greening. Studying the Arctic and how it is changing is an important element of climate change science. The Tundra, an ecoregion of the Arctic, is directly related to climate change due to its effects on the snow ice feedback mechanism and greenhouse gas cycling. Like all ecoregions, the Tundra border is shifting, yet studies and policies require clear delineation of boundaries. There are many options for ecoregion classification systems, as well as resources for creating custom maps. To help decision makers identify the best classification system possible, we present a review of North American Tundra ecoregion delineations and further explore the methodologies, purposes, limitations, and physical properties of five common ecoregion classification systems. We quantitatively compare the corresponding maps by area using a geographic information system