The Role of Judgment and Decision Making in IT Resource Utilization Towards Sustainable Competitive Advantage

This paper is intended to propose a conceptual model that will help researchers and practitioners better understand the importance of individual differences in judgment and decision making (JDM) styles of IT leadership. Additionally, such individual differences in JDM can further help understand how they influence the strategic use of IT resources and their contribution to firm performance and competitive advantage. This proposed conceptual model and future related studies will contribute to existing resource-based view (RBV), IS strategy, and IS behavioral research literature

Closing the Digital Divide: Understanding Organizational Approaches to Digital Accessibility in Higher Education

Digital accessibility practices are becoming standardized in higher education as institutions seek to meet compliance with federal and state equal access laws. Students with disabilities have equal rights to access university programs and services in digital format. The widespread use of assistive technology, artificial intelligence, and content available in digital format brings forth ethical and legal concerns about equal access for individuals with disabilities. While broad approaches to digital accessibility in higher education are in the literature, there is a growing need for more studies to examine comprehensive approaches to digital accessibility across multiple units, disciplines, and the organization\u27s hierarchy. This case study examined individual participant interviews from 14 practitioners in different units and publicly available data to analyze how digital accessibility is addressed at three medium-sized public institutions of higher. During the inductive coding process, five main themes emerged related to implementing digital accessibility across the institutions, how it relates to people, practices, policies, and planning, and the larger body of literature on digital accessibility. The findings show there is no one-size-fits-all approach to digital accessibility. Institutions in higher education are motivated by risk management and compliance. A centralized and coordinated approach led to more organized efforts. Initiatives were largely led from the middle-level hierarchy. The availability of resources and funding affected the effectiveness of implementation efforts. The consistency of communication and uniformity of training affected the adoption of practices. Technology toolkits influenced the adoption of practices. Institutional policies and standards guided practices. Recommendations include prioritizing digital accessibility and student needs by designating a head of accessibility, coordinating efforts across units, centralizing processes, avoiding technology-only solutions, adopting the Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Tool (HECVAT), and enacting an official policy that drives practices, expanding training for faculty, and providing consistent assistive technology support for students. An overall institutional coordinated plan for digital accessibility could lead to consistent and regular communication about policies and procedures and provide for a system of metrics and benchmarks

Landscape Ecological Analysis of Patterns Influencing Bat Activity in Southeast Glacial Plains of Wisconsin

Nearly half of the world\u27s bat species are threatened by anthropogenic land use. To contribute to the conservation of these cryptic mammals, it is imperative to understand bat habitat selection in human-dominated landscapes. Bat activity was calculated using active acoustic surveys conducted June and July for three years along river and lake transects in an agricultural matrix. Using multiple logistic regression and ANOVA regression tree analyses, I examined the relationship between bat activity of four species and habitat structure at multiple scales. Aquatic features were determined to be the greatest predictor of bat activity with rivers supporting greater amount of bat activity than lake habitats. All analyzed species were shown to be negatively influenced by developed and agricultural land at riparian habitats, however similar patterns were not observed at lake habitats. Wooded land use was also important in describing habitats that supported higher bat activity when assessing general patterns across all surveyed sites. The observed patters are likely due to protection from wind and predators at riparian sites, and roosting habitat that forested lands provide. Sustaining a mixed-use landscape within an agricultural matrix may provide bats the diversity of habitat required to meet all life history needs

Estimating direct and indirect rebound effects for UK households

Energy efficiency improvements by households lead to rebound effects that offset the potential energy and emissions savings. Direct rebound effects result from increased demand for cheaper energy services, while indirect rebound effects result from increased demand for other goods and services that also require energy to provide. Research to date has focused upon the former, but both are important for climate change. This study estimates the combined direct and indirect rebound effects from seven measures that improve the energy efficiency of UK dwellings. The methodology is based upon estimates of the income elasticity and greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of 16 categories of household goods and services, and allows for the embodied emissions of the energy efficiency measures themselves. Rebound effects are measured in GHG terms and relate to the adoption of these measures by an average UK household. The study finds that the rebound effects from these measures are typically in the range 5-15% and arise mostly from indirect effects. This is largely because expenditure on gas and electricity is more GHG-intensive than expenditure on other goods and services. However, the anticipated shift towards a low carbon electricity system in the UK may lead to much larger rebound effects

INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNICATION ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN\u27S HEALTH: THE SHARING OF HEALTH MESSAGES BETWEEN DIABETIC MOTHERS AND THEIR NON-DIABETIC ADULT DAUGHTERS

The prevalence of type II diabetes is high among African-American women but research that emphasizes black mothers and their adult daughters is rarely studied in social sciences or communication research. Though existing research addresses various domains of the mother-daughter relationship scant information addresses the significance of talk or the transmission of health information between African-American diabetic mothers and their non-diabetic adult daughters. For that reason, this dissertation investigates information sharing among a sample of African-American mothers with type II diabetes and their non-diabetic adult daughters.This study\u27s two primary research objectives were to: 1. describe whether and how African-American type II diabetic mothers and their non-diabetic adult daughters engage in information sharing about type II diabetes; and to 2. describe whether and how the sharing of health-related communication messages shapes African-American mothers\u27 diabetic health behavior and/or shapes adult non-diabetic daughters\u27 diabetic-related health behavior.This study used a modified grounded theory approach, in which I concurrently collected, coded and analyzed data. While an intention behind grounded theory is to develop theory from the ground up, I also used the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to inform research questions. I conducted 10 interviewswith members of mother-daughter dyads; two with each mother and two with each daughter. I concluded my interviews with both mother and daughter present, yielding a total of 50 interviews. Dyads were comprised of African-American type II diabetic mothers (age 45 and older) and their non-diabetic adult daughters (age 20 and older) living in New Mexico, Ohio and Kentucky.Information gathered from interviews yielded five patterns of communication used by mothers and daughters to talk about type II diabetes. The patterns encompassed the ongoing ways in which mothers\u27 and daughters\u27 negotiated the illness. This study described this negotiation as a unique culture that entailed 1) an historical knowledge of diabetes, 2) a present and personal experiences of living with diabetes and 3) an understanding of the future implication of diabetes for mothers, their adult daughters, and their entire family.This study represents the first step toward understanding the diabetic interaction between mothers and adult daughters living with a chronic illness. Results suggest that mothers and daughters are motivated to talk about diabetes, even though talk does not always address prevention in their health behaviors. This study is useful to inform practitioners of the significance of oral tradition as one mode of transmitting health care information within African-American culture and the value of integrated medical visits, particularly for diabetic mothers and their adult daughters. As well, health communication scholars can use this information to develop, test and implement innovative health education media and message strategies for families and mother-daughter dyads that address diabetic health information