An Empirical Study Of Software Quality Improvement Practices From Multiple Perspectives – An Australian Case Study

The literature on software quality research to date has shown a lack of empirical insight into the use of methods for achieving quality in a real context. Further investigation is required if we want to increase our understanding on how to improve software quality practices. In particular, we wanted to explore the key factors which impact software improvement practices in a case study, by studying the perspectives of three key stakeholders - developers, managers and customers. The selected exemplary case is a small Australian based software company with exceptional record in terms of organizational growth and performance. A qualitative approach was adopted to conduct this exploratory study. Results were analyzed using the Grounded Theory approach to develop an initial framework from the empirical data. We hope that this framework will provide a deeper understanding of the reasons and perceptions for the use of quality methods in practice, and thus have an impact on both researchers and practitioners

A Conceptual Framework for Investigating Suppliers’ Participation in Business-to-Government (B2G) Electronic Auction Markets in the Thai Context

Business-to-government (B2G) electronic auction (e-auction) markets are increasingly being used to create opportunities for suppliers to expand their market as well as trading activities. However, little has been done to understand the behaviour of suppliers participating in these markets. In this paper, we propose a framework to explain suppliers’ intention to participate, and the level of participation in B2G e-auction markets, which will be tested in the Thai B2G e-auction markets. Low supplier participation has been a major problem in the Thai e-auction markets. We posit that suppliers’ participation depends on organisational motivation, environmental uncertainty, and their capabilities. The conceptual framework draws from the Motivation-Ability Framework, Transaction Cost Theory, Institutional Theory, and Resource-Based Theory. It proposes that four key constructs - efficiency motive, legitimacy motive, environmental uncertainty, and organisational capabilities influence suppliers’ intention to participate as well as their participation level in B2G e-auction markets

Antecedents of Suppliers’ Participation in Business-to- Government (B2G) Electronic Auction Markets: Thai B2G E-Auction

Despite business-to-government (B2G) electronic auction (e-auction) markets being a way for suppliers to create opportunities for market expansion and for trading activities, the effort to understand the behaviour of suppliers participating in these markets has been lacking. Low supplier participation has been a major problem in Thai e-auction markets. In this paper, we propose a framework to explain suppliers’ intention to participate, and the level of participation in B2G e-auction markets. We posit that suppliers’ participation depends on organizational motivation, and their capabilities. The conceptual framework draws from the Motivation-Ability Framework, Transaction Cost Theory, Institutional Theory, and Resource-Based Theory. It proposes that three key constructs - efficiency motive, legitimacy motive, and organizational capabilities influence suppliers’ intention to participate as well as their participation level in B2G e-auction markets. The conceptual framework may be useful to better understand the key reasons for suppliers to participate in B2G e-auction markets. We also provide rationale for each of the Proceedings of SIG GlobDev’s First Annual Workshop, Paris, France December 13th 2008 Dolpanya et al. Suppliers’ Participation in B2G E-Auctions proposed constructs by drawing on our understanding of the Thai electronic auction market as well as the existing literature

ELeRS: A Framework For Scoping E-Learning Research In Healthcare

In recent years, e-learning has tremendously increased the opportunities for different approaches to learning for both individuals and groups, made possible via ICT. Increasingly, universities and institutions are harnessing the capabilities of e-learning and other innovative technological systems to facilitate the education and training of healthcare providers, students, patients/clients, and the public at large. Equally, the continuing education of practicing health professionals through sharing experiences and ideas with colleagues is made possible via access to such ICT facilities. However, although we have progressed much in terms of providing accessibility to health information through the rapid growth of the Internet, the success of e-learning in healthcare comes in isolated areas. This is partly due to the nature and complexity of the health industry which involves a huge number of stakeholders, and the rapidly evolving technology. In addition, the lack of progress may also be partially explained by the lack of a proper structure to guide and scope e-learning research within the complicated health setting. In this paper, we argue the usefulness of a functional framework of e-learning research in the healthcare area. Therefore our aim is not to provide another e-learning literature review. By examining the extensive e-learning literature, with particular focus in the health sector, we propose a user-centered and contextsensitive approach to e-learning research, using a framework modified and adopted from stakeholder theory. The different components of this framework are presented. Future work includes an evaluation of this framework

Motivations for Online News Usage: An Australian Survey

This paper considers user motivation and acceptance for adoption of online newspapers. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was modified to incorporate several external variables that have been identified as strong influences of technology acceptance: gender, social influences and the level of Internet experience as well as other variables. The model was tested via an online questionnaire where 1592 responses collected. The results provide strong support for social influence and Internet experience and cost in influencing users’ acceptance of an online newspaper. The implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed

Improving the Effectiveness of End-User Training Outcomes

End-user training (EUT) does not deliver the expected value to the organisations when end users do not transfer the skills learned to their workplace. Training effectiveness occurs when end users not only have the ability but are willing to transfer the skill learned to improve their job. This study proposes a model of EUT effectiveness which explicitly considers training effectiveness outcomes and incorporates attitude and motivation as two key antecedents. We propose a longitudinal field experiment to examine the influence of persuasive communication and goal-matching on EUT effectiveness. The proposed theoretical framework is based on a thorough review of literature from multiple disciplines such as Psychology, Education, Organisational Behaviour and Information Systems

Evaluation Criteria for Frameworks in eHealth Domain

Framework articles are commonly used to synthesise research literature on a topic area, and provide a thorough description and evaluation of the work done, setting directions for future research. There is a need for criteria that can both guide authors to develop comprehensive frameworks, and for reviewers to evaluate these articles, especially in complex areas such as E-Health. By assessing a representative sample of journals and databases most likely to publish E-Health framework articles, we present a set of criteria for the evaluation of framework articles and identify the most salient features for this type of publications. Our findings suggest that a “good” framework article should aid researchers in understanding the research area, have clearly defined boundary, consist of a parsimonious set of elements and have clear guidelines on what to expect for a problem within that framework. We also found that framework articles in the E-Health domain can be characterised according to their objective, comprehensiveness, relationship with the boundary of the research stream, temporal nature, elements examined and substantive output. This paper describes how we arrive at the criteria for evaluating EHealth frameworks, and illustrates how we can apply them on a specific framework

Knowledge Sharing in Financial Credit Reporting: An Exploratory Case Study in an Australian Context

Knowledge Management (KM) has received increasing attention these days. However, current literature suggest that no KM study has been undertaken in the financial credit reporting industry, which is highly regulated in Australia due to its sensitive and confidential business nature. We conducted an exploratory case study of an Australian credit bureau to gain an insight into knowledge sharing in the financial credit reporting industry. It is an empirical study that involves in-depth analysis of the shared knowledge type and knowledge sharing activities. More importantly, we found that when external rules and regulations mandate how business is conducted in this industry, explicit measures need to be employed at the organizational level to ensure conformance. These measures include appropriate quality assurance infrastructure, appropriate technological solutions, and employee recruitment, training and rewards. At the individual level, employees take extra measures on their own accord to ensure quality due to possible serious repercussions for making mistakes if these rules/regulations are breached. This research begins a theoretical foundation for knowledge sharing in highly regulated industries

Key Influences of Cyberbullying for University Students

It is hard to imagine a world without mobile phones, PDAs, and wireless/Broadband access on PCs. With the prevalence of electronic communication tools, people (including students) are finding it harder to live without them. Not surprisingly, these electronic communication tools provide benefits that enrich students’ scholarly and social experiences. However, evidence also shows that the usage of electronic communication tools can result in negative behaviour such as cyberbullying. This study, building on prior research findings, develops a conceptual model to explore influences other than psychological factors, which lead to individuals displaying cyberbullying behaviour. We collected data from 134 university students, and our analysis indicates that 62% of the representative sample had experienced cyberbullying in the past year, and 40% of our respondents have conducted actions which can be constituted as cyberbullying behaviour in the past year. Our study also suggests that technology usage and social pressure are additional factors that influence a person to conduct cyberbullying related actions. Results from this study can provide directions to concerned parties, to develop strategies and policies to reduce this social problem to a minimum

Issues Of Unintended Consequences Of Electronic Medical Records: A Proposed Study Framework

While Electronic Medical Records (EMR) or prominent features within EMR have been hailed as an important step for advancing healthcare, a number of studies have noted that its introduction also brings unintended consequences (UCs) to healthcare organizations. According to the literature, the most disruptive type of unintended consequences is related to workflow issues, in that its occurrence will impede work efficiency. Existing literature defines UCs inconsistently and identifies discrepancies in the results addressing UCs, particularly those related to workflow issues. This paper first proposes an integration and systematization of the existing literature on the unintended consequences of EMR (including its various definitions and classifications), and then constructs a framework of studying UCs associated with workflow issues using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches. The main outcomes of a research based on this framework are: (1) a comprehensive understanding of workflow issues constituting the UCs pertaining to the study context, (2) a redesigned workflow addressing the workflow problems arising from the EMR implementations, and (3) suggested mitigation strategies addressing these issues The framework captures a series of phases for studying UCs relating to workflow issues. Our intended study will select a number of hospitals in a developing country as field sites and we also provide justification for our choice of the field sites