Understanding exploratory use of ERP systems

One way for organizations to move from superficial to more comprehensive usage is to get users to go beyond the basic capabilities of the system and to uncover new ways of using it, either on their own or with the help of others, i.e., through exploratory use. This study focuses on ERP systems as an example of complex IT. Building on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), sets of salient behavioral, normative, and control beliefs are identified as determinants of the intention to explore

A Dangerous Blind Spot in IS Research: False Positives Due to Multicollinearity Combined With Measurement Error

Econometrics textbooks generally conclude that in regression, because the calculation of path estimate variances includes avariance inflation factor (VIF) that reflects correlations between “independent” constructs, multicollinearity should not causefalse positives except in extreme cases. However, textbook treatments of multicollinearity assume perfect measurement –rare in behavioral research. VIF is based on apparent correlations between constructs -- always less than actual correlationswhen measurement error exists. A brief review of recent articles in the MIS Quarterly suggests that the conditions forexcessive false positives are present in published research. In this paper we show (analytically and with a series of MonteCarlo simulations) that multicollinearity combined with measurement error presents greater than expected dangers from falsepositives in IS research when regression or PLS is used. Suggestions for how to address this situation are offered

Supporting users of corporate data : the effect of I/S policy choices

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1988.Bibliography: leaves 140-146.by Dale L. Goodhue.Ph.D

Understanding User Evaluations of Information Systems

Organizations spend millions of dollars on information systems to improve organizational or individual performance, but objective measures of system success are extremely difficult to achieve. For this reason, many MIS researchers (and potentially MIS practitioners) rely on user evaluations of systems as a surrogate for MIS success. However, these measures have been strongly criticized as lacking strong theoretical underpinnings. Furthermore, empirical evidence of their efficacy is surprisingly weak. Part of the explanation for the theoretical and empirical problems with user evaluations is that they are really a measurement technique rather than a single theoretical construct. User evaluations are elicited beliefs or attitudes about something, and they have been used to measure a variety of different "somethings." What is needed for user evaluations to be an effective measure of IS success is the identification of some specific user evaluation construct, defined within a theoretical perspective that can usefully link underlying systems to their relevant impacts. We propose task-technology fit (TTF) as such a user evaluation construct. The TTF perspective views technology as a means by which a goal-directed individual performs tasks. TTF focuses on the degree to which systems characteristics match user task needs. We posit that higher task-technology fit will result in better performance. Further, we posit that users can successfully evaluate task-technology fit. This latter proposition is strongly supported in a survey of 259 users in 9 companies.user evaluations of IS, task-technology fit, measurement of MIS success

Strategic data planning : lessons from the field

"October 1990.""This paper is also available as University of Minnesota MIS Research Center Working Paper No. 91-05.