A Model for the Study of Knowledge Management Support Systems

Knowledge markets have been proposed as an organizational structure to promote knowledge exchange for increased organizational profitability and survivability. However, the economics and organizational behavior literatures in administered hierarchies suggest that knowledge markets and their component reward systems could suffer from a variety of abuses, inequities, and inefficiencies. These literatures, and the information systems investigations they have spawned, are parlayed into a model for knowledge management research

Client Communication Practices in Managing Relationships with Offshore Vendors of Software Testing Services

Enabled by the globalization and advances in technology, offshore outsourcing of software development to countries such as India, China, and Russia, continues to increase. Much of the extant research has not focused on the communication practices observed in thriving offshore client−vendor relationships. Our research identifies communication practices found in a case study of a large multinational client’s multi-vendor relationship in offshore outsourcing of software testing projects. We discuss the empirically grounded communication practices in the light of existing literature to highlight how the client−vendor relationships deliver long-term value. Through this discussion, we delineate and discuss communication techniques. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed

EFFECTS OF DEVELOPER COGNITIVE STYLE AND MOTIVATIONS ON INFORMATION SECURITY POLICY COMPLIANCE

Organizations are faced with information loss on a daily basis. Threats such as hacker attacks are mitigated by applyingpatches, improving encryption routines, closing security loop-holes in a program and keeping a constant vigil on virus andmalicious threats with up-to-date scanning techniques. Companies invest millions of dollars to keep such attacks at bay sincea loss of up-time to servers could cause a significant loss in customer revenue and thus result in catastrophic losses incustomer satisfaction and ultimately profits. Organizations that create or modify software try to deter threats to theirapplications by providing information security policies that provide guidelines to developers on what best practices need tobe adopted to make their applications safe and secure for customer consumption. This study presents a conceptual model forstudying how cognitive style impacts software developer motivations as they approach the task of complying withinformation security policies. The model is informed by the literature on information security awareness, ProtectionMotivation Theory, Kirton’s adaption-innovation theory and Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene theory

A Prediction Model for Initial Trust Formation in B2C eCommerce

This study investigates initial trust formation with an unknown online company. Based on data collected from 628 respondents, the results indicate significant direct effects for trust in the Internet infrastructure, susceptibility to the social influence of media, and the presence of influential site characteristics, on user willingness to provide personal information to unknown Internet firms. This study extends the research on trust in e-commerce by providing a prediction model that is demonstrated to calculate the probability of user willingness to provide information. The utility of the model for identifying the relative importance of factors and predicting outcomes lends insight into important issues in online trust formation

A Comparison of Faculty and Undergraduate Students\u27 Perceptions of Online Courses and Degree Programs

Many colleges and universities are currently offering online courses and even complete online degree programs, and many others are developing or considering plans to do so. The perceptions of those who are potential subscribers to these programs as well as those who will deliver these programs will be critical to their success. This paper investigates the perceptions of current undergraduate students and college business professors toward online courses and degree programs along several dimensions. Perceptions of college professors toward these programs are significantly less favorable than are the perceptions of college students. The dimensions of these perceptions are explored to provide guidance regarding delivery of online programs

MIS-aligned Student Perspectives of Outsourcing and Offshoring

Outsourcing and offshoring (sourcing) aspects of IS functions have been common organizational activities for decades.However, the landscape is evolving. Organizations are shifting from primarily single vendor-client sourcing relationshipstoward innovative multi-vendor relationships integrated into organizational strategic plans. Current students are tomorrow’sleaders, and as such it is critical that IS programs teach cutting edge strategic sourcing concepts. We analyzed studentperceptions of the pros and cons of sourcing and found that current students largely anchor to a limited number of conceptsthat may be outdated and not representative of today’s competitive sourcing landscape. Current organizational trends insourcing require a different skill set for IS managers than those required in the past. More must be done to inform students ofcurrent trends in order to prepare them for the skills needed to be effective in their future IS roles. A framework of requiredskills for future IS managers is offered

IT Workforce Trends: Implications for Curriculum and Hiring

A panel on workforce trends in the information technology industry was held at the AMCIS meeting in Toronto, Canada, in August 2008. Panelists discussed a continuing research project about the current state of the IT workforce and future trends, sponsored by the Society for Information Management (SIM). The initial phase was a study of workforce trends in IT client companies, completed in 2006. Results from phase one revealed a shift in the mission of the information system function from delivering technology-based solutions to managing the process of delivering solutions. Client-facing capabilities were found to be critical to this mission as well as business and project-management capabilities. Phase two examined workforce trends in IT provider companies. Results indicate that provider firms are also seeking client-facing capabilities, project management and business domain knowledge over technical capabilities. Panelists compared the results of the two phases and the implications for curriculum design, hiring, and training practices. The results of this research underline a looming crisis in several areas: 1) graduates who are not trained in areas that the marketplace is seeking; 2) thin pipeline for specific technical skills; 3) increasing pressure to source IT capability; and 4) lag in university responsiveness to the needs of the marketplace

Stress-Activity Mapping: Physiological Responses During General Duty Police Encounters

Policing is a highly stressful and dangerous profession that involves a complex set of environmental, psychosocial, and health risks. The current study examined autonomic stress responses experienced by 64 police officers, during general duty calls for service (CFS) and interactions with the public. Advancing previous research, this study utilized GPS and detailed operational police records as objective evidence of specific activities throughout a CFS. These data were then used to map officers’ heart rate to both the phase of a call (e.g., dispatch, enroute) and incident factors (e.g., call priority, use-of-force). Furthermore, physical movement (i.e., location and inertia) was tracked and assisted in differentiating whether cardiovascular reactivity was due to physical or psychological stress. Officer characteristics, including years of service and training profiles, were examined to conduct a preliminary exploration of whether experience and relevant operational skills training impacted cardiovascular reactivity. Study results provide foundational evidence that CFS factors, specifically the phase of the call (i.e., arrival on scene, encountering a subject) and incident factors (i.e., call priority, weapons, arrest, use-of-force), influence physiologica

Reverse transcriptase drug resistance mutations in HIV-1 subtype C infected patients on ART in Karonga District, Malawi

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Drug resistance testing before initiation of, or during, antiretroviral therapy (ART) is not routinely performed in resource-limited settings. High levels of viral resistance circulating within the population will have impact on treatment programs by increasing the chances of transmission of resistant strains and treatment failure. Here, we investigate Drug Resistance Mutations (DRMs) from blood samples obtained at regular intervals from patients on ART (Baseline-22 months) in Karonga District, Malawi. One hundred and forty nine reverse transcriptase (RT) consensus sequences were obtained via nested PCR and automated sequencing from blood samples collected at three-month intervals from 75 HIV-1 subtype C infected individuals in the ART programme.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Fifteen individuals showed DRMs, and in ten individuals DRMs were seen from baseline samples (reported to be ART naïve). Three individuals in whom no DRMs were observed at baseline showed the emergence of DRMs during ART exposure. Four individuals who did show DRMs at baseline showed additional DRMs at subsequent time points, while two individuals showed evidence of DRMs at baseline and either no DRMs, or different DRMs, at later timepoints. Three individuals had immune failure but none appeared to be failing clinically.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite the presence of DRMs to drugs included in the current regimen in some individuals, and immune failure in three, no signs of clinical failure were seen during this study. This cohort will continue to be monitored as part of the Karonga Prevention Study so that the long-term impact of these mutations can be assessed. Documenting proviral population is also important in monitoring the emergence of drug resistance as selective pressure provided by ART compromises the current plasma population, archived viruses can re-emerge</p