Crowdsourcing Software Requirements and Development: A Mechanism-based Exploration of ‘Opensourcing’

Many commercial software firms rely on open source software (OSS) communities as a source of innovation and skilled labor. One specific form of interaction with OSS communities, termed ‘opensourcing’, involves firms collaborating with an OSS community by ‘crowdsourcing’ software production. However, beyond the existence of the phenomenon, little is known about how opensourcing, as a model of software production, works. The objective of this study is to explore opensourcing arrangements in a vertical software domain with a view to delineating enabling mechanisms that explain how firms can collaborate with communities to crowdsource the production of software. Using an in-depth case study of the production of hospital software in Thailand, this study explores how opensourcing is used to determine requirements, identify bugs, and provide user-to-user support in addition to the more traditional approach of crowdsourcing software code. The analysis reveals the operation of six high-level mechanisms (motivation, coordination, effective communication, filtering, integration, and nurturing) and reveals how they operate in conjunction with each other to facilitate opensourcing

Enhancing Occupational Therapy’s Role in Reducing Hospital Readmission Rates for People with Cancer

People with a cancer history have a high likelihood of hospital readmission after discharge due to limitations in functional abilities (Burke et al., 2016; Lee, Williams, Lalor, Brown, & Haines, 2018). Occupational therapy has a significant role in preventing hospital readmissions among people with cancer because of the focus on promoting functional abilities (Player, Mackenzie, Willis, & Loh, 2014). However, occupational therapy is infrequently used for people with cancer. In one research study, only 32% of people with cancer used occupational therapy within two years of their diagnosis (Pergolotti, Cutchin, Weinberger, & Meyer, 2014). The purpose of this scholarly project was to develop a product promoting interprofessional collaboration within an oncology setting to promote the use of occupational therapy to decrease hospital readmission rates

Exploring Electronic Marketplace Performance: The 3 Pillars

The literature on electronic marketplaces has a number of limitations; inconsistencies in defining electronic marketplaces and measuring their performance; a limited amount of empirical research focusing on electronic marketplace performance; and the absence of an electronic marketplace performance model. This study examines 8 electronic marketplaces operating in diverse geographical and product markets. The study reveals the factors that affect electronic marketplace performance, and illustrates how these factors impact performance. Using the concept of fit as a theoretical lens, this study illustrates how electronic marketplaces, through their actions, improved their performance. Finally, the presents a model of electronic marketplace performance

Deriving Value from End-To-End (E2E) Solutions in A Developing Country: A Study of Loan Processing in Bangladesh

One of the key differences between developed and developing economies is that the ‘IT Productivity Paradox’ (the relatively slow growth of economic and firm productivity despite advances in IT) is still evident in developing economies. End-to-End (E2E) solutions are seen as a way of improving process and firm productivity by concurrently implementing IT systems and process improvements, and are of particular interest to companies based in developing countries as they have the potential to deliver the necessary improvements in business processes that are hypothesized to drive firm, sectoral and economic performance improvements. This study aims to identify the factors (labeled, ‘IT value conversion contingencies’) that impede firms in developing countries from realizing value from E2E solutions. The paper begins by developing a conceptual model based on the extant literature on IT value conversion contingencies, E2E solutions and developing countries. This model is tested in the context of E2E loan processing solutions in the banking sector in Bangladesh. Using survey responses from 30 of the 48 banks operating in Bangladesh, the study identifies the IT value conversion factors of E2E solutions and reveals the impact of such factors on how banks derive value from E2E solutions

Arsenic Toxicity: The Effects on Plant Metabolism

The two forms of inorganic arsenic, arsenate (AsV) and arsenite (AsIII), are easily taken up by the cells of the plant root. Once in the cell, AsV can be readily converted to AsIII, the more toxic of the two forms. AsV and AsIII both disrupt plant metabolism, but through distinct mechanisms. AsV is a chemical analog of phosphate that can disrupt at least some phosphate-dependent aspects of metabolism. AsV can be translocated across cellular membranes by phosphate transport proteins, leading to imbalances in phosphate supply. It can compete with phosphate during phosphorylation reactions, leading to the formation of AsV adducts that are often unstable and short-lived. As an example, the formation and rapid autohydrolysis of AsV-ADP sets in place a futile cycle that uncouples photophosphorylation and oxidative phosphorylation, decreasing the ability of cells to produce ATP and carry out normal metabolism. AsIII is a dithiol reactive compound that binds to and potentially inactivates enzymes containing closely spaced cysteine residues or dithiol co-factors. Arsenic exposure generally induces the production of reactive oxygen species that can lead to the production of antioxidant metabolites and numerous enzymes involved in antioxidant defense. Oxidative carbon metabolism, amino acid and protein relationships, and nitrogen and sulfur assimilation pathways are also impacted by As exposure. Readjustment of several metabolic pathways, such as glutathione production, has been shown to lead to increased arsenic tolerance in plants. Species- and cultivar-dependent variation in arsenic sensitivity and the remodeling of metabolite pools that occurs in response to As exposure gives hope that additional metabolic pathways associated with As tolerance will be identified

The effects of business-to-business relationships on electronic procurement systems: An exploratory study

For many organisations e-Procurement has become a necessity. Nevertheless, while e-procurement has generated considerable hype the phenomenon is generally under-researched. This paper explores the effects that business-to-business relationships have on e-Procurement systems using a field study of 6 companies. The study classifies business-to-business (B2B) relationships as being adversarial and collaborative, and examines the effects that each have on the electronically supported transaction phases of the procurement lifecycle. The research findings indicate that B2B relationships have most effect on the sourcing, fulfilment, and consumption phases of the procurement cycle

Gamification as an Architecture of Participation: An Investigation of an Innovation Maker Community

The objective of this study is to investigate gamification as an architecture of participation in an online innovation community. Gamification is a phenomenon that aims to motivate people through the use of game elements and dynamics in non-game contexts. An architecture of participation (AoP) can be understood as any system that helps transform individual activities into communal resources. The research is a case study of the innovation community Thingiverse. The study seeks to identify the game elements used by the community and seeks to explain how the psychological and social consequences of the game elements lead individuals to engage in behaviours that create value for the innovation community