Introducing Control and Structure in Software Prototyping

Software prototyping is emerging as an attractive software development paradigm in which a series of executable prototypes are constructed and users are encouraged to exercise with such prototypes in a live environment in order to solicit their overall requirements. In spite of these benefits, prototyping is not free from pitfalls. A major problem of software prototyping is the lack of explicit guidelines to control prototype iterations which tend to continue infinitely in a volatile environment. The problem is further aggravated by the unavailability of a suitable framework, within which to develop prototype systems in a manageable and flexible manner. Therefore, current practice of prototyping lacks in discipline. This study is directed to address these critical issues of prototyping. The primary goal is to develop a strategy to control and to suggest a framework to manage software prototyping. A scheme called 'User satisfaction Method' which relates the degree of user satisfaction with the prototype's capability in clarifying user requirements is developed that provides rationale guidelines in deciding when to cease prototype iterations. To complement this scheme, a framework for structured prototyping, which is called 'State-Structured Transition' model is also developed. The framework considers each prototype 'version' as a 'state' and suggests that the transitions from one state to another need to be performed using structured principles. In order to verify the applicability of such a framework and scheme, a case study has been undertaken. The results obtained confirm that 'User Satisfaction Scheme' can be adopted as a surrogate to control prototyping process. The research findings further establish that the framework of structured prototyping ensures smooth transition from one prototype version to another. Therefore, the 'User Satisfaction Scheme' should be adopted in conjunction with the framework of 'Structured Prototyping' in order to successfully control and manage software prototyping

Factors Affecting Adoption of B2E E-Business Systems: A Case of the Australian Higher Education Industry

In recent years, there has been a surge in the number of organizations wanting to embrace IT systems that support the notion of business-to-employee (B2E) e-business. Trade magazines are now filled with many short essays and case reports highlighting the benefits of B2E ebusiness systems. However, little is reported in the scholarly academic literature about the adoption of B2E e-business systems. Thus, it is not clearly known what factors facilitate the decision of large organizations to adopt these systems. Given the fact that higher educational institutions maintain a large workforce, it is important to determine the conditions that affect their decisions to adopt B2E systems. This study reports on the employee portal adoption experience of two large Australian universities and identifies the key factors that influenced their decisions to adopt these systems. The implications of the findings are also discussed

Understanding E-procurement Systems Benefits: A Theoretical Model and Some Evidence

E-procurement systems, which represent a core e-supply chain initiative, are intended to revolutionaise the manual procurement function of organisations and promise many benefits. However, realisation of benefits from e-procurement systems implementation is not always guaranteed. Despite many of years of research into e-supply chain, there exists no theoretical model to help management predict the likely benefits that their organisations may experience from implementing an e-procurement system. In this paper, we propose a model for better explaining the benefits that an organisation may expect to experience from these systems. The model identifies four types of relationships which organisations may choose to establish with suppliers while deciding to introduce an e-procurement system, and associates each relationship type with a set of predicted benefits. We further present the e-procurement experience of a government agency, analyse it in terms of the model, and provide empirical support for the applicability of part of the model

Understanding Individuals’ Intention to Use E-Government Services: Development of an Integrated Model

In recent years, governments worldwide are acknowledging the importance of delivering services to their citizens using multiple channels. Thus, in addition to letting citizens to access government services via traditional channels, governments are making substantial investments in e-government initiatives. However, the success of these initiatives is largely influenced by the usage intention of individuals to access e-government services. In this research-in-progress paper, we thus report on the development of a theory driven model to understand individuals’ intention to use various types of e-government services. We also indicate the current status of our empirical efforts to evaluate this model. The implications of this model to theory and practice are outlined

Understanding The Roles Of Is/It In Sustainable Supply Chain Management

A growing focus on sustainability issues has permeated the area of Supply Chain Management (SCM) over the past two decades. The concept of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) has been introduced to reflect a commitment to addressing economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability in managing supply chain activities. The transition from traditional SCM to the new landscape of SSCM implies that the roles of IS/IT supporting SCM may need to be revisited as a result of the shift to a SSCM focus. Currently, the role of IS/IT in SSCM has only been discussed in a fragmented manner in a handful of studies. In this conceptual paper, we therefore explore current understandings of SSCM practices focusing on identifying the way IS/IT roles are played out in supporting SSCM practices. We find that SCCM presents a serious challenge to the IS/IT community for leveraging the transformation role of IS/IT that can help increase the adoption of SSCM practice

The Role of Organizational Motivations in Information Systems Implementation

Understanding successful information systems implementation is important to both information systems (IS) researchers and practitioners. Much of the current IS literature focuses on either the factors affecting IS adoption or processes through which IS are introduced in organizations, and fails to offer satisfactory explanations as to why different organizations initiate IS implementation processes differently. In this paper, we introduce the notion of organizational motivation for IS adoption and highlight its role in explaining IS implementation process by drawing on two recently undertaken research studies. We argue that organizational motives for IS adoption is an important notion that needs to be conceptualized differently for different types of information systems

Victorian SMEs’ Perceptions Towards It Strategy Frameworks Use, Benefits And Barriers: Implications For E- Business

IT strategy development frameworks are crucial for adopting innovative IT and e-business solutions for SMEs. However, empirical studies on the use of such frameworks and benefit/barriers experienced by SMEs from the use of these frameworks are limited. We thus report the findings of a survey among a group of SMEs operating in Victoria. We find that only three frameworks are occasionally used by the surveyed SMEs. The implications of these findings for both IT and e-business contexts are discussed

Factors Affecting Benefits Of E-Procurement Systems: Experience Of An Australian City Council

Despite years of research into e-business systems, still little is reported on how various factors affect the ways local government councils experience benefits from e-procurement systems. We thus present the experience of a Melbourne-based council that has been using an e-procurement system for some time, and discuss the factors that the council perceives to have influenced the benefits arising from the use of that system. Senior management support, presence of e-catalogues, employee training in e-procurement systems, and willingness of suppliers to participate in council’s e-procurement implementation initiative, are found to be key factors. The implications of these factors are outlined

Understanding Motivations for IOS Adoption

Inter-organisational systems (IOS) are of great importance to businesses as these systems enable different organisations to work together through the exchange of information. Despite this significance, the diffusion of IOS is disappointingly slow. There have been a number of studies of the factors affecting IOS adoption but they have yielded inconsistent results. We argue that adoption of IOS is also contingent upon the motivations of organisations. In this paper, we develop a model that explains the variation in motivations for IOS adoption. The model categorises motivation to adopt IOS along two dimensions; type of motivation and locus of motivation. The model also provides four scenarios for IOS adoption and identifies typical tasks for each scenario. The model can help practitioners and researchers to better understand the differences in motivations between particular organisations involved in IOS implementations

Understanding User Intentions To Download Games On Mobile Phones: Technology Adoption And User Demographic Perspective

In recent years, various forms of mobile technology based hedonic services are emerging. As this is a relatively new and unexplored practice which seems to be more popular among young generation, there is a need to examine its acceptance among student community who use mobile phones for many purposes including entertainment. We thus report a study which examines a segment of the Australian students‟ acceptance of downloading games on their mobile phones using Technology Adoption Model as a theoretical lens. We further highlight the role of student demographic characteristics on their perceptions. The implications of our findings are discussed