Does pedagogy make a difference?: An experimental study of unethical behavior in information systems

Jn the past few years ethics education has received increasing attention from the business and academic communities. Many have instituted pedagogical programs for increasing awareness of ethical issues, ethical norms and codes of conduct in different professions. It appears that both researchers and practitioners are in agreement about the need for providing adequate ethics education to managers (13, 20, 9). This has become especially important in the context of the information systems (IS) discipline. Proliferation of information and communication technologies has raised many questions on what constitutes ethical managerial behavior. Researchers have reported that the existence of a computer-based information system in the context of an ethical dilemma appears to influence the ethical decision-making process differently than in non-IS related tasks (17, 22)

An Empirical Analysis of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Implementation Benefits in Kentucky Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Some Implications for New IT Implementation

This paper reports that the benefits accrued from implementing and integrating Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can be conceptualized into two factors. First, firms derive operational/tactical benefits by predominantly focusing on increasing internal utility of this technology. Second, firms derive strategic benefits from EDI in the form of better external relationships and alliances with trading partners and an enhanced ability to compete in their market. Among other significant findings, there are clear indications from the correlation statistics reported here that experience with EDI, industrial category of a firm and the level of ED! integral ton have a significant influence on the ability of a firm to obtain long-term (strategic) benefits from such IT projects. These results also have significant implications for SME managers/stakeholders considering new interorganizational IT initiatives

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY CAPABILITIES ON TRUST IN VIRTUAL TEAMS

Purpose – In an environment of constant technological change, the use of virtual teams has become commonplace for many organizations. Virtual teams (VTs) bring together dispersed individuals with varying knowledge and skill sets to accomplish tasks. VTs rely heavily on information technology as the medium for communication and coordination of work. The issue of establishing and maintaining trust in VTs poses challenges for these dispersed workers. Previous research has established that higher trusting teams have better cooperation and experience improved outcomes. We hope to contribute to the literature on trust in VTs by exploring how technology can facilitate high trusting teams. Specifically, this paper reports the results of our research addressing the following questions: How does the use of technology capabilities afforded by virtual worlds affect the development of trust in virtual teams? Design/methodology/approach: We employed a multiple case study research design. Each case spanned a two-week period allowing for longitudinal data collection. Findings: We found that communication, rendering, and interaction technology capabilities allowed participants to use the technology to assess individual capabilities. While this paper answers some questions about how technology capabilities can help develop trust in VTs, it also raises many questions. This study offers a model and framework for further work on this topic and encourages researchers to investigate other social and behavioral issues faced by VTs in a virtual world setting. Originality/value: – This paper offers practical implications for developing trust in VTs, specifically, how the use of information technology capabilities can facilitate trust development. Our goal was not to recommend a specific technology platform, but rather explore how unique technology capabilities impact behaviors in VTs. The study identified interesting findings relating to how people use technology on a team. These findings may be used to help develop guidelines and recommendations for using technology to enhance work practices in VTs

Information Technology (IT) Appropriateness: The Contingency Theory of “Fit” and IT Implementation in Small and Medium Enterprises

There is little doubt that advanced information and communication technologies (IT) arc changing the way businesses operate and conduct commerce. As the advent of a more secure Internet and new transmission standards makes it easier and cheaper for businesses to conduct inter-organizational commerce, it is incumbent upon SME managers to assess whether implementing new technologies such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) over the Internet, XML or web-based e-commerce is the right thing to do for their organizations. The key question implicit in this decision is addressed in this paper: Under what conditions should businesses consider themselves likely candidates for (new) IT implementation? Using the structural contingency theory of fit as a foundation for this research, this paper reports the development of the notion of IT appropriateness and its determinants. This is followed by an analysis of the relationship between IT appropriateness factors and accrued benefits from IT implementation. Data collected from a survey of small businesses revealed that there are four critical factors that must be assessed by businesses to determine if they are likely candidates for IT (for this study, the particular technology in question was EDI) implementation. These factors are the internal/external business & technological environment, organizational readiness and trading partner support, financial impact and workflow productivity. The resulting factors are conceptually consistent with the notions established in the systems perspective to the structural contingency theory of fit. The results of this exploratory study demonstrate that IT appropriateness is a robust and valid construct and is a good mechanism for understanding the factors of organization-technology fit that impact organizational performance in terms

Whither EDI? An Analysis of Emerging Trends in Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Use in Kentucky Small- to Medium-Sized Enterprises

In this era of Internet Commerce, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) continues to be an important technology for small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). For new adopters, it has never been more important to understand the nature of EDI use in the current business environment and the possibilities for the future. Based on a research study conducted on the experience of SMEs in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, this article describes some key survey findings that are potential indicators of emerging trends in the use of EDI within small firms. Included in the following discussion are answers to the following questions. Why do SMEs adopt EDI? What kind of support do they get from larger trading partners? What benefits have SMEs obtained from this technology so far? How many trading partners will be added? What types of EDI transactions will be added? What has been the growth in document volume for SMEs? What is the future potential? What kinds of alternative to traditional EDI are being considered? Are SMEs using (or plan on using) EDI for international trade

Understanding and measuring corporate IS sophistication: An exploratory investigation using ground theory

This paper describes the results of an exploratory study that culminated in the development of a set of theoretical dimensions for “Corporate IS Sophistication”. These indicators were developed utilizing grounded theory to analyze archival corporate data and data from in-depth interviews with functional IT executives in two Norwegian and one North American firm

The Nature and Structure of Impediments to EDI Adoption and Integration: A Survey of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Electronic data interchange (EDI) is a key enabling component of business-to-business electronic commerce. As firms adopt and integrate advanced information technologies such as EDI, it is important to understand the nature of challenges faced by them. This becomes especially important given the fact that nearly 99.7% of all businesses in the US can be classified as small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As costs and risks associated with implementing new information technologies decrease, these firms will surely need to focus their attention on managing impediments associated with new technology implementation and learn from the failures or successes of their peer. Consequently, this article reports the findings of a study conducted to understand the characteristics, seriousness, and structure of impediments faced by SMEs. A survey of 353 EDI-capable firms was used to assess the impediments faced by SMEs adopting and integrating EDI. Analysis of data revealed that SMEs face many serious challenges when implementing EDI and cite high startup costs, difficulty of learning a new technology and methodology, and high cost of integration and expansion of EDI use as among the three most significant impediments. Further analysis also produced an eight-factor latent structure that best describes the nature of EDI impediments. These results have implications for both SMEs and researchers

An Exploratory Study of the Impact of IT Capabilities Adaptation on Shared Mental Models Similarity

Developing an effective IT use strategy to achieve its potential is a central concern in organizations. As teams are essential in accomplishing projects and tasks, it becomes relevant to understand the nature of IT use by teams. In this study, we propose a new term, IT capabilities adaptation (ITCA), which represents an emergent view with regard to patterns of successful IT use in teams. By incorporating the construct shared mental models (SMM) as the dependent variable, we develop and pilot test a theoretical model to examine the impact of ITCA on SMM similarity. The model is constructed and examined at the team level. Based on findings in previous studies, we specify four salient properties of IT capabilities adaptation. The findings suggest that the SMM similarity index is significantly associated with IT usage experience and change of perceived complexity

A Systematic Method for Discovering Effective Patterns of Virtual Project Management

The effective management of virtual projects within global organizations is an inherently collaborative activity as well as an increasingly critical issue. The concept of patterns provides a useful theoretical framework by which we can study the design of effective practices for the management of virtual projects. However, a number of significant gaps exist in our knowledge of this area and one of the most important is the need for a systematic method for discovering effective patterns. We propose such a systematic method and provide a detailed example of the use of our proposed pattern discovery method