The True Cost of Pair Programming: Development of a Comprehensive Model and Test

This study aims to answer the following research question: compared to solo programming, is pair programming a more cost effective method for developing software? This paper proposes a research model based on theories and previous empirical studies. It discusses a multi-study approach to address the question in hand. The first study is a survey of practitioners in regards to their experience and perception of the cost of pair programming. Information acquired from the survey are then fed into simulation models as input parameters with the purpose to identify situations where pair programming is or is not more cost effective than solo programming

Making the Business Case for IT Investments Through Facts, Faith, and Fear

This Teaching Note and the accompanying business cases (Consumer Products International and Biogenetica) were prepared Professors Bradley C. Wheeler and George M. Marakas of Indiana University (1999)Business cases are an essential document for organizational investments in information technologies (IT). Yet, many organizations lack formal methods for writing, understanding, and acting on business cases. Similarly, IS courses have often struggled to adequately teach what students how to write business cases. The following are two actual business cases that were drawn from work with a real company. They are unaltered in any way except for disguising the name of the company. The use of two cases allows students to learn by contrasting the merits of grounding IT investments in arguments of fact, faith, or fear. A detailed teaching note is also provided. The cases have been used effectively with multiple MBA and Executive Education audiences

The Use of PLS When Analyzing Formative Constructs: Theoretical Analysis and Results From Simulations

Partial Least Squares (PLS) has become an increasingly popular approach to testing research models with multiple proposed causality links. Moreover, recent interest in the specification of constructs in a formative manner has accentuated this tendency, given the purported ability of PLS to handle this methodological development. While a review of the literature reveals an extensive use of PLS in this capacity, there is neither theoretical nor empirical evidence supporting this property of the technique. An examination of the inner workings of PLS shows several limitations of PLS when used in \u27formative\u27 (Mode B) estimation, and compares it to linear regression and covariance-based approaches. Results from Monte Carlo simulations comparing the performance of PLS and covariance-based techniques in estimating models with formatively specified constructs in either exogenous or endogenous positions reveals important biases for PLS, but not for covariance-based SEM. The results are discussed and recommendations for researchers are proposed

A Monte Carlo Investigation of Partial Least Squares, With Implications for Both Structural and Measurement Models

Partial Least Squares (PLS) is a popular technique with extensive adoption within the Information Systems research community. However, the statistical performance of PLS has not been extensively studied, and recent research has questioned some of its purported advantages. The simulation study reported here analyzed the performance of PLS with regards to the recovery and estimation accuracy of both structural and measurement parameters. Somewhat surprisingly, the effects of estimation bias on the latter and their implications for the evaluation of measurement models have not been the focus of past research. Results show the existence of an important degree of bias in both sets of estimates, and the conflicting effect of increased sample size with additional indicators per composite variable

HOW MANY TECHNOLOGY TYPES ARE THERE? PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM THE TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE LITERATURE

To investigate a generalizable moderating effect of the type of technology tested upon its acceptance, a classification of technologies is needed. This study aims to develop a preliminary framework to describe information technologies based upon 200 randomly selected technology descriptions taken from a comprehensive TAM meta-analysis effort currently in progress. We report on the use of a classification method involving both human judgment and statistical techniques. A manual sorting process is followed by multidimensional scaling (MDS) and cluster analysis to aggregate the individual interpretations of the sorters into hierarchical cluster structures. The results of this method reveal several potential technology grouping solutions, one of which was selected for further discussion. Limitations and future research are also discussed

Systems analysis and design : An Active Approach

New Jerseyxxvii, 483 p.; 26 cm

System Analysis Design

442 hal.;xxii.;25c

Decision support systems : In The 21st Century

New Jerseyxxiii, 610 p.; 25 cm

Systems analysis & design : An active approach

Bostonxxii, 442 p.: fig., app., ind.; 26 cm