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

Public value creation using social media applications for the local government context: a pilot case study

The use of social media applications is receiving a growing attention from the local government agencies. This is because social media applications have the potential to offer many public values to those agencies as well as benefit citizens through enhancing public engagement and public services innovation. Despite the growth in the literature on social media, there is still limited understanding on how public value created through using various social media applications for local government context. To address this concern, we report on the development of a model to investigate public value creation using social media applications. The model is evaluated using a pilot case study at a large Saudi Arabian municipality. The model and empirical evidence together contribute towards establishing a theoretical foundation for research into the impact of social media applications for public value creation. In addition, council managers can learn useful lessons drawing on our findings

Development of a Model to Understand How Consultants Manage Conflicts during ERP Change Process: A Dialectic Perspective

ERP implementation and post-implementation initiatives involve changes and thus are regarded as ERP change processes. Conflicts due to various stakeholders’ engagement regularly arise in such a change process. Consultants can help mediate many of these conflicts, but their contribution in managing conflicts is not adequately understood. The aim of this research-in-progress paper is thus to develop a theory-driven model to understand how ERP consultants manage conflicts during ERP change process. The dialectic perspective is used as appropriate theoretical lens which could potentially provide valuable and rich insights into understanding the broader ERP change process phenomenon

Understanding IOS Adoption Processes in Three Victoria-Based Hospitals: An Organisational Motivation Perspective

In recent years, hospitals in Victoria have initiated a program of adopting various forms of inter-organisational systems (IOS) which link them with their pharmaceutical suppliers. In this paper, we use a positivist multiple case study approach to examine the IOS adoption experiences of three large hospitals, and explain their IOS adoption processes using a theoretical model which we developed based on the ideas of ‘organisational motivations’ for IOS adoption. The findings obtained from the hospitals offer insights about what influences IOS adoption processes in organisations, which in turn, help in reducing the uncertainty associated with IOS adoption practices

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