Social Requirements for Virtual Organization Breeding Environments

The creation of Virtual Breeding Environments (VBE) is a topic which has received too little attention: in most former works, the existence of the VBE is either assumed, or is considered as the result of the voluntary, participatory gathering of a set of candidate companies. In this paper, the creation of a VBE by a third authority is considered: chambers of commerce, as organizations whose goal is to promote and facilitate business interests and activity in the community, could be good candidates for exogenous VBE creators. During VBE planning, there is a need to specify social requirements for the VBE. In this paper, SNA metrics are proposed as a way for a VBE planner to express social requirements for a VBE to be created. Additionally, a set of social requirements for VO planners, VO brokers, and VBE members are proposed.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

THE IMPACT OF ROLE VARIABLES ON INFORMATION SYSTEM PERSONNEL OUTCOMES: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

This study examines the antecedents of job satisfaction, commitment and turnover intentions for 229 information systems development personnel (ISDP) employed by nine companies within several industries. The antecedents studied include boundary spanning, role ambiguity and role conflict. A model of these variables is built and tested via path analysis. A secondary analysis is performed to explore the impacts of task differences on the study variables. The task differences include analytic and programming tasks. The analyses revealed the following. Systems analysts span more boundaries than programmers. The major hazard faced by systems analysts when they span boundaries is role conflict which negatively impacts their job satisfaction, commitment and intention to quit. The overall effect of boundary spanning is to reduce ISDP intention to quit despite its positive relationship with role conflict. Systems analysts and programmers are both intolerant of role ambiguity. Role ambiguity is very detrimental greatly reducing ISDP job satisfaction, commitment and increasing ISDP intention to quit. Role ambiguity is not related to boundary spanning nor is it related to analytic or programming duties. Programmers are less committed than systems analysts and are more likely to express intentions to leave. The above information is used to make recommendations to IS management. Finally, recommendations and directions are suggested regarding future research.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROFESSION: MYTH OR REALITY?

Much of the prior research into information systems (IS) workers has assumed that they are professionals. In this paper we examine the characteristics of IS workers, IS work and the IS workplace, and suggest that this perspective is mistaken. Drawing on the sociological theory of professions as a reference discipline we contend that IS professionalism is an inappropriate categorization, and that such a portrayal limits our understanding of IS workers and their work. We argue in this paper that a more faithful and potentially useful characterization is to view IS workers as members of an occupational group. Within this perspective, an understanding of the occupational culture, context and history of IS workers is essential to an understanding of the IS occupation. We examine and challenge some common myths regarding IS work, technology and the IS workplace. We conclude by making some recommendations for future research are provided, which should enhance our understanding of IS workers as members of an occupation.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

A SHORT FORM MEASURE OF USER INFORMATION SATISFACTION: A PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION AND NOTES ON USE

This study examines the psychometric properties of the short form measure of user information satisfaction (UIS) proposed by Ives, Olson and Baroudi [1983]. Based on extensive testing the questionnaire appears to be a reasonably valid and reliable measure. A framework for how this measure can be used to detect and diagnose problems with user satisfaction is presented, and illustrated via two case studies. Finally, recommendations and suggestions are made regarding the future use of this and other measures of user information satisfaction.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

A SHORT FORM MEASURE OF CAREER ORIENTATIONS: A PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION

This paper reports on the results of two studies involving the development and construct validation of a short form of the Career Orientations Inventory. The short form was factor analytically derived and tested in two separate field studies of IS employees. The short form measures nine career orientations: technical, managerial, autonomy, job security, geographic security, service, pure challenge, lifestyle and entrepreneurship. Extensive evidence of the reliability and validity of the measure was demonstrated in both studies (the development - Study 1- and the validation - Study 2). A nomological network of the relationships between career orientations and various individual difference and satisfaction measures was tested and provided additional evidence of the construct validity of the short form measure.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AN EXAMINATION OF GENDER EFFECTS ON THE CAREER SUCCESS OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS EMPLOYEES

In this paper we examined the differences and similarities in the human capital variables of male and female information system (IS) workers and the affect these differences had on job outcomes. The human capital variables studied included: age, education, organization and job tenure, and number of years in the IS occupation. We found that, even when controlling for the differences in human capital, women in IS still tended to be employed at lower levels of the organization, made less money, and had greater intentions to leave the organization.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

IMPACT OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT ON PROGRAMMER AND ANALYST JOB OUTCOMES

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FIRM PERFORMANCE AND SYSTEM SUCCESS

This study investigates the relationship between system success as operationalized by user information satisfaction (UIS) and various economic measures of firm performance. The findings indicate a significant positive but complex relationship between firm performance and UIS. In particular, we found that it is inappropriate to aggregate UIS scores across individuals within a firm. The CEO, Controller, and Production Manager within a firm tended to have quite different UIS scores, resulting in low interrater reliabilities. We also found, that the association between a respondent's UIS score and the measures of firm performance depended heavily on the position of the respondent and the particular performance measure employed.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGERIAL RANKS: AN ASSESSMENT OF DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICES

This paper examines the extent to which gender discrimination is a force effecting the senior managerial ranks of the information systems (IS) occupation. While the employment trends of women in the IS occupation is encouraging, we present data which suggests that IS is not immune to the problems of gender discrimination. Analyzing data gathered by the Society for Information Management (SIM), we find several serious problems suggestive of discriminatory practices. First, a disproportionate majority of senior IS management is male. Second, women receive lower salaries than men even when controlling for age, education, job level and tenure within the organization.Information Systems Working Papers Serie