App'ification of Enterprise Software - Evaluating Mobile App Characteristics Enabling Online Purchase And Their Portability To Enterprise Application Software

Enterprise application software vendors seek to re-produce the success story of consumer mobile apps in their domain. Like private users, business users ask for flexible, consumer-grade applications for their daily work. However, enterprise software applications do not meet those expectations and are not ready for the “App Store Model”. Therefore, IT departments are facing new challenges with consumerization and “shadow IT”. Practitioners and researchers expect to counteract these issues if enterprise software was more flexible and consumer-like – in other words, if enterprise software was app’ified. Therefore, this study investigates typical “app characteristics” from the business users’ perspective. Special focus is on the characteristics that are relevant for online purchases. Furthermore, it is evaluated if app characteristics can be applied to enterprise application software. To study the “app phenomenon”, a self-completion questionnaire and mainly quantitative data analyses have been used. The results are addressed to both IS researchers and practitioners. For IS research this study offers insights into the under-investigated topic of apps as an own concept. Enterprise software vendors and IT departments can use the results to design enterprise software which targets an employee-driven adoption using online channels or to assess existing applications and app store initiatives

L'habitat magdalénien d'Orp Est (Belgique) et son organisation spatiale

International audienceBei Orp East hat die Fundkonzentration eine hexagonale Form, ist 4,5m lang und hat eine maximale Breite von 3,8m. Ihre Grenzen sind gekennzeichnet durch eine deutliche Abnahme der Funddichte oder durch eine Zunahme der Fundmengen pro Einheit in Verbindung mit einer deutlichen Abnahme der Anzahl von Funden außerhalb. Die Grenzen der Fundkonzentration werden durch zahlreiche Werkzeuge und Kerne, die sich dort angesammelt haben, und durch mehrere Verbindungslinien von Artefaktzusammenpassungen betont, die an der Grenze enden. Diese Hinweise auf ehemals wirksame Grenzen der Fundkonzentration werden als Indizien für das Vorhandensein einer Behausung interpretiert. Die Wohnung hatte einen zentralen Herd mit einer erweiterten Arbeitszone, die extrem reich an Werkabfall, Kernen und Werkzeugen und räumlich streng begrenzt ist. Der Bereich dieses Herdes wurde systematisch vertieft und hat gerade Kanten. Die zentrale Feuerstelle wurde möglicherweise von einer kleineren Feuerstelle in der Nähe und von flachen Gruben und Vertiefungen begleitet. In der NW- und SE-Hälfte der vermuteten Behausung gibt es zwei unterschiedliche Arbeitsbereiche.At Orp East the find concentration has a hexagonal shape, is 4.5m in length and has a maximum width of 3.8m. Its boundaries are marked by a clear decrease in find density or by an increase of find quantities per unit in connection with a clear decrease of numbers of finds externally. The boundaries of the find concentration are accentuated by numerous tools and cores which accumulated there, and by several refitting lines which terminate at the boundary. These indications for formerly effective limits to the find concentration are interpreted as showing the presence of adwelling. The dwelling had a central hearth with an extended working zone, which is extremely rich in debitage, cores and tools and is spatially strictly confined. The area of this hearth has been deepened in a systematic manner, and it has straight edges. The central hearth was possibly accompanied by a smaller fireplace nearby and by shallow pits and depressions. There are two distinct working zones in the NW and SE halves of the presumed dwelling.À Orp Est, la concentration d’objets lithiques a une forme hexagonale, une longueur de 4,5 m et une largeur maximale de 3,8 m. Son marges sont marquées par une nette diminution de la densité des artefacts ou par une augmentation des quantités d'objets lithiques par unité avec une nette diminution du nombre d'objets a l'extérieur. Les limites de la concentration d’objets archéologiques sont accentuées par des nombreux outils et nucleus qui s'y sont accumulés, et par plusieurs lignes de raccord entre les artefacts qui se terminent à la limite. Ces indications concernant les limites de concentration autrefois en vigueur sont interprétées comme indiquant la présence d'un logement. L'habitation était dotée d'un foyer central avec une zone de travail étendue, extrêmement riche en débitage, en nucleus et en outils et est strictement confiné. La zone de ce foyer a été approfondie de manière systématique, et a des bords droits. Le foyer central était peut-être accompagné d'un foyer plus petit à proximité, de fosses peu profondes et des dépressions. Il y a deux zones de travail distinctes dans les moitiés NO et SE du logement présumé

Orp-Est : indications pour une habitation

International audienceBei der Fundkonzentration des Magdalénien von Orp-East ergeben sich durch eine Kombination verschiedener Methoden der räumlichen Analyse Hinweise auf eine frühere Trennung der größten Ansammlung von Funden von ihrer Umgebung. Die Fundstreuung hat einen sehr dichten zentralen Bereich, aber ihr gesamter Bereich hat eine höhere Funddichte als ihre Umgebung. Es gibt einen deutlich erkennbaren plötzlichen Rückgang der Funddichte an den Rändern. Teilweise steigt die Anzahl der Funde direkt innerhalb der Grenze der Konzentration von Artefakten an, verbunden mit einem deutlichen Rückgang der Fundmenge außerhalb. Die Verteilung größerer Objekte und die Verbindungslinien zwischen Artefaktzusammenpassungen sind auf den Rand der Fundkonzentration bezogen. Eine beträchtliche Anzahl von verbrannten Sandsteinplatten befindet sich dicht außerhalb von ihr. Diese Indizien für eine ehemals wirksame Begrenzung der Fundkonzentration werden als Hinweise auf das ehemalige Vorhandensein einer Behausung interpretiert.At the Magdalenian find concentration of Orp-East a combination of different methods of spatial analysis reveals indications for a former separation of the main accumulation of finds from the surrounding area. The find scatter has a very dense central area, but its whole area has a higher find density than its surroundings. There is a marked sudden decrease of find density at its edges. In places the number of finds rises directly inside the border of the concentration of artefacts, connected with a clear drop of the find numbers outside. The distribution of larger objects and the refitting lines between artefacts respect the edges of the find scatter. A considerable number of burnt sandstone slabs is just found outside of it. These indications for a formerly effective limitation of the find concentration is interpreted as showing the former presence of a dwelling structure.Pour la concentration d'objets lithiques d'Orp-Est, la présence d'une habitation peut être démontrée par la combinaison de différents indices. La concentration correspond à une zone centrale très dense, mais son étendue entière représente une densité de trouvailles plus élevée que des zones environnantes. La quantité des objets lithiques diminue rapidement en périphérie. À certaines places, le nombre des artefacts augmente directement à l'intérieur de la frontière, liée à une baisse claire du nombre des artefacts au dehors. La distribution des objets de taille supérieure et des lignes de raccord entre les remontages se rapportent à la périphérie de l'étendue lithique. Un nombre considérable de pièces brûlées de grès se trouve en dehors de ces confins. Ces signes qui trahissent une ancienne barrière effective entre les répartitions indiquent l'existence d'une structure d'habitat

Lava rotary querns of ‘Iron Age type’ in Roman times

In Mayen the production of lava rotary querns of ‘Iron Age type’ continued from the late La Tène period into Julio-Claudian times. The lower quernstone possessed a domed grinding face and the upper stone was double concave in section. While the surfaces of these querns are usually pecked, late examples show a segmented radial grooving on the grinding surfaces. Handle sockets with elbow-shaped (L-shaped) perforation were already an innovation of the late Iron Age. Since Augustan times ‘typical Roman’ hand-mills were the main product of the Mayen quarries. They had a meta with a flat conical grinding surface and a catillus with a broad raised rim. The active surfaces were grooved for functional reasons. However, the upper side of the catillus and the sides of upper and lower stones were grooved for decoration, making these rotary querns a characteristic ‘branded’ product. Most of the ‘Iron Age type’ quernstones of Early Imperial times are known from the Low Countries where they go under the name of Brillerij-type. A survey of these quernstones reveals several examples found to the southeast of this region. Even after the typical Roman hand mills became the dominant form, some ‘vintage’ Iron Age type querns were still produced for a special clientele. Though, so far, virtually no closely dated specimens are known from contexts after the Batavian revolt

Adoption Of An Online Sales Channel And Appification In The Enterprise Application Software Market: A Qualitative Study

Pioneered by Apple’s App Store, online sales channels for software applications have acquired a prominent role in the consumer software market. This success has been a catalyst for several vendors of enterprise application software, who opened their own online sales channel alongside traditional ones based on the deployment of intermediaries and sales teams. However, it is disputable whether the online purchase of a software application is as compelling for an organization as it is for an individual consumer, and whether drivers and barriers of channel adoption are the same in these different contexts. Therefore, relying on a qualitative research strategy, we explored the channel adoption decision made by organizational software buyers to uncover and categorize relevant influencing factors. In particular, solution attributes such as specificity, price, implementation/integration effort, scope, and evaluability appear to play a key role alongside contractual aspects and the existence of an established relationship with the vendor. We also investigated factors’ interdependences to sketch an online channel adoption model which, on the one hand, may allow practitioners in the enterprise software market to diagnose channel adoption issues and, on the other, may serve as foundation for further multidisciplinary research in this topical area of study

Online and Offline Sales Channels for Enterprise Software: Cannibalization or Complementarity?

Lured by the success of online sales channels in the consumer software market, enterprise software vendors have launched proprietary online channels alongside their traditional offline ones. However, it is disputable whether the online purchase of a software application is as compelling for an organizational buyer as it is for an individual consumer. Relying on a qualitative research strategy and a cross-sectional research design, we have explored the channel adoption decision made by organizational entities when they purchase business software applications. We have constructed a qualitative channel adoption model which takes into account the relevant drivers and barriers, their interdependences, and the buying process phases. Our findings suggest that offline channels will not be cannibalized unless some peculiar characteristics of enterprise software applications change. We have also derived recommendations for the design of multichannel sales systems according to the main classes of enterprise software products and services

Evaluating the App-Store Model for Enterprise Application Software and Related Services

Spurred by the overwhelming success of mobile “app stores”, enterprise software vendors are increasingly embracing the use of online sales channels. Whereas organizational buying behavior has already been investigated with regard to the acquisition of enterprise software via traditional offline channels, researchers have not yet focused on its provision using an electronic sales channel. In this explorative study, we laid the first bricks to fill this research gap and provided valuable insight to practitioners confronting this marketing innovation. Relying on a qualitative research strategy, we assessed the extent to which an electronic sales channel may support the different phases of a generic software buying process, and the impact of product characteristics on enterprise customers’ channel adoption. We identified a set of adoption drivers and barriers which ought to be taken into account by channel providers, and elicited technological and organizational solutions from the interviews

Software Ecosystem Orchestration: The Perspective of Complementors

Software ecosystems (SECOs) driven by platform business models have changed how consumer software is produced and marketed. Also in the enterprise software segment, value networks in the form of SECOs are replacing traditional business models and linear value chains. These SECOs involve three main types of actors: platform sponsor, complementors, and customers. Platform sponsor strategies have been researched broadly, but not the view of complementors. Further, there are few studies of real-world SECOs. In our research, we have investigated the complementor’s perspective on SECOs and their partnership with the platform sponsor. Through exploratory qualitative research using a practical case from the enterprise software industry, we have developed a partner management framework comprising the complementors ’ value creation process, goals, enablers, and instruments. The model can be used generally to gain a better understanding of complementors, and by platform sponsors to improve their partner management processes