IS ATTITUDES: TOWARD THEORETICAL AND DEFINITION CLARITY

There has long been a recognized need to measure the success or efficacy of information systems and the implementation process. Various constructs related to success have been suggested, such as user attitudes, system use, performance, and value. The attitude construct has received a great deal of attention for both theoretical and operational reasons. This paper focuses on the need for a convincing theoretical model linking systems or policies and user attitudes on the one hand, and user attitudes and performance or value on the other. Using job satisfaction research as a reference discipline for understanding the relationship between attitudes and performance, a model of IS attitudes, beliefs, and performance is developed. This model suggests that performance is affected by the correspondence or fit between the task requirements and the functionality of the IS environmenL In addition a distinction between beliefs and attitudes is recommended. While satisfaction might be best determined by measuring attitudes, the correspondence between task and functionality is best determined by measuring beliefs. The implications of this model for future research are discussed

Make-or-Buy in the Age of Open Source: A Transaction Cost Analysis

Since their appearance, open source communities have become increasingly successful and seemingly pose a real threat to traditional proprietary software vendors. Because open source software has now achieved both recognition and legitimacy, obtaining products and services from communities offers firms an additional alternative in traditional make-or-buy decisions. Transaction cost economics has been widely used as a theory to explain and predict the appropriate governance structure for make-or-buy decisions. By comparing transaction and production costs along a continuum of variable asset specificity, transaction cost economics helps to explain and predict the circumstances in which the open source community is the appropriate governance structure for specific make-or-buy decisions. Our work contributes to existing open source software research by shedding light on the factors that influence the appropriateness of this form of software production for firms. We are also contributing to the body of research surrounding transaction cost economics by incorporating into the original analysis the addition of “communities” as a unique governance alternative

A Theoretical Model of the Enterprise System Agility Life-Cycle

Organizations spend a great deal of money and time maintaining enterprise systems (ES) to support their ongoing business needs. The ability to quickly modify these systems, or ES agility, is of paramount importance. Prior research has investigated factors relating to agility at a single point in time however we believe it is important to consider how agility changes over time. We propose a three phase life-cycle that describes how ES agility evolves as businesses address agility challenges. Upon implementation, an ES unity phase exists where an enterprise system exhibits a “clean” design and has a high level of agility. Eventually, system changes will add complexity to the design and the enterprise system will grow; a phase we call ES Expansion. A third phase, ES rigidity, exists when continuous changes to the system make it increasingly difficult to address new agility challenges and the system exhibits limited agility characteristics

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

PLS Pluses and Minuses_x000D_ In Path Estimation Accuracy

PLS Pluses and Minuses Abstract: In this paper we ask three questions. Do PLS path estimates compensate for measurement error? Do they capitalize on chance? And is PLS able to more accurately weight measurement indicators so as to make path estimations more accurate? The evidence is quite convincing that PLS path estimates do have all three of these characteristics. Our analysis suggests, however, that measurement error has by far the largest impact, followed by capitalization on chance, with better weighting of indicators having the smallest influence. MIS researchers need to consider how to respond to these findings._x000D_ _x000D