Measuring Disparate Impacts and Extending Disparate Impact Doctrine to Organ Transplantation

This paper examines the economic and statistical foundations of proposed tests for discrimination. We focus on extension of disparate impact doctrine to new domains.

The ultraviolet signature of massive stars in starburst galaxies

Studies in different spectral regimes of starburst galaxies clearly indicate the presence of hot, massive stars. However, only the UV spectral region can be used to directly identify the spectroscopic signature of these stars. The typical contributor to the integrated continuum at approximately 1400 A of a starburst is from the hot B stars. More massive stars are responsible for the majority to the UV lines which are broad photospheric absorption lines and wind emission or P Cygni profiles. We present a progress report of a study of the massive star population in starburst galaxies using the UV spectral region

Group Maintenance Behaviors in the Decision-Making Styles of Self-Organizing Distributed Teams

Businesses, universities, and other organizations are increasingly reliant on self-organizing, distributed teams which are enabled by information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, inherent geographical, organizational, and social limitations of ICTs challenge the relationships necessary for groups to make effective decisions. Understanding how group maintenance plays out within the context of different styles of decision making may provide insight into social tactics undertaken in such teams. Group maintenance is defined as discretionary, relation-building behavior that enables group members to trust and cooperate with one another more easily [1]. Decision style refers to the extent to which group decision making involves a broad contribution from group members other than leaders. It may range from the most autocratic style where a decision is made by one or a few individuals, to truly collaborative where every member has the opportunity to affect the decision. This study examines group maintenance within decision-making behaviors of Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) development teams as examples of distributed teams. Most FLOSS software is developed by such teams that are both dynamic and self-organizing, comprised of professionals, users, and other volunteers working in a loosely coupled manner [2-4]. These teams are nearly entirely virtual in that developers contribute from around the world, meet face-to-face infrequently (if at all), and coordinate their activities primarily through computer-mediated communications (CMC) [6, 7]

Common Ground: Exploring the intersection between information, technology, art and design

University research is becoming increasingly multidisciplinary in both the nature of the problems being investigated and the makeup of the teams of researchers that tackle these complex challenges. Information schools are in a unique position to participate across a range of these projects. This poster describes an initiative to discover potential areas for collaboration between Syracuse University???s iSchool and the College of Visual and Performing Arts, focusing on the synergies between information, technology, art and design

Sources of Customer Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction With Information Technology Help Desks

This study investigates the determinants of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction with service encounters involving information technologyhelpdesks. TheISsatisfactionresearchthathasbeendonetodatehasviewedsatisfactionasanattitudinal,bipolarevaluative construct (Melone 1990; Heckman 1993). Satisfaction as viewed in this way is a relatively enduring, stable cognitive state. In the marketingliterature,however,satisfactionhasalsobeenconceptualizedasalessenduringpost-consumptionresponse. Inthisstudy, a conceptualization of the satisfaction construct based on the service encounter and consumer product satisfaction literatures (e.g., Bitner,BoomsandTetreault1990)isadoptedasastartingpoint. Afterresponsestohelpdeskserviceencountershavebeenanalyzed from this perspective, an attempt is made to integrate these findings with attitudinal satisfaction constructs

How the Teacher\u27s Role Changes in On-line Case Study Discussions

The case study has long been a staple in information system education, and as information system education adopts asynchronous distance education formats, the case study discussion increasingly takes place on-line. While there has been speculation about how the role of the teacher might change in asynchronous learning networks, there has been little empirical research that explicitly and rigorously investigates similarities and differences between teacher roles in online and face-to-face activities. This paper examines the differences in the role of an instructor while conducting identical case study discussions in both contexts. Transcripts from eight case study discussions, 4 face-to-face and 4 online, were analyzed using a content analytic framework derived primarily from the previous work of Anderson, Archer, Garrison and Rourke. These authors developed a model that studies cognitive, social, and teaching processes in ALN discussions. The scheme also considers characteristics of the discourse process developed by Aviv. The findings provide evidence that even though higher levels of certain cognitive processes are observed online, the instructor has less control of the choreography of the discussion in this mode. We consider the implications of these findings, and suggest strategies for producing better results in online case study discussions

Behavioral Indicators of Customer Satisfaction with Vendor-Provided Information Services

Behavioral dimensions of customer satisfaction with Vendor-Provided Information Services (VPIS) were investigated and three categories of satisfaction-related behaviors were identified: (1) discretionary collaborative behaviors, (2) switching behaviors, and (3) contending behaviors. Of these three classes, discretionary collaborative behaviors appear to have the strongest relationship with satisfaction. Negative behaviors, such as switching and contending, appear to have more complex determinants and thus, in tenns of their usefulness as indicators of satisfaction, more error variance. Of the behaviors identified as being most strongly related to satisfaction,none had system usage or system exploration as their primary focus. Behaviors that are most strongly related to satisfaction appear to be non-system oriented, and instead deal with various aspects of the relationship between the vendor and the customer

Exploring Which Agile Principles Students Internalize When Using a Kanban Process Methodology

This paper reports on a case study of the Agile Kanban project methodology, which while growing in popularity, has had far less analysis on its usefulness in the classroom as compared to other frameworks such as Agile Scrum. Our study provides insight into why the Kanban methodology is useful by mapping student comments about the methodology to the twelve principles laid down in the Agile Manifesto. Our analysis identified two key agile principles that help to explain the value of Kanban. Specifically, we found that the students focused on self-organizing teams and reflection at regular intervals, and that these two principles led to improved team communication and coordination. Our findings are useful for those looking to use or define a process management methodology for student teams as well as others exploring the more general challenge of incorporating agile into the classroom