Science and data: the forbidden fruit

Science and data: the forbidden frui

Assessing the role of cloud computing in the strategic agility of banking

This manuscript assesses the role of a relatively new technology ‘cloud computing’ in achieving strategic agility within the UK banking sector. While there is research on how ‘cloud’ can enhance innovation capacity, there is little on the implications for strategic agility - an increasingly important topic in the IS/IT literature (Doz and Kosonen, 2010). Mell and Grance (2010) define cloud as: “a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” Such new technologies have accelerated global competition per se and as a result organizations must be able to rapidly adapt their strategies as well as their operations; agility is ‘cascading’ up the organization from operations to C-Suite. Banking is no exception (Baskerville et al., 2005) and given the industry’s reputation for conservatism, we felt this was ripe for study since cloud and strategic agility are in tension with the industry’s usual pace of change. According to Lewis et al. (2014) organizational survival today very much depends on strategic agility, which in brief involves flexible and mindful responses to constantly changing environments. Our question is whether cloud enables or constrains such responses. According to Doz and Kosonen (2010) there are three dimensions to strategic agility: (i) Strategic sensitivity; (ii) Leadership unity; (iii) Resource fluidity. Can cloud deliver on all three dimensions for banking? We set out to explore these questions

An exploratory study assessing the role cloud computing has in achieving strategic agility with the banking industry

This paper will seek to assess the role of Cloud computing in achieving strategic agility within the UK banking sector and provides implications on how organizations in the banking sector can become more agile in their operations. Previous research has shed light on how using Cloud technology can enhance an organization’s innovation, which is a key factor in any rapidly changing sector. In order to assess the role Cloud technology has on achieving strategic agility in the banking sector, we identify the facilitators or barriers to achieving strategic agility successfully. An exploratory research design is adopted since there is little or no similar research in this area

Birds of a feather talk together: user influence on language adoption

Language is in constant flux be it from changes in meaning to the introduction of new terms. At the user level it changes by users accommodating their language in relation to whom they are in contact with. By mining diffusion’s of new terms across social networks we detect the influence between users and communities. This is then used to compute the user activation threshold at which they adopt new terms dependent on their neighbours. We apply this method to four different networks from two popular on-line social networks (Reddit and Twitter). This research highlights novel results: by testing the network through random shuffles we show that the time at which a user adopts a term is dependent on the local structure, however, a large part of the influence comes from the global structure and that influence between users and communities is not significantly dependent on network structures

How a care environment can lead to positive emotions

How a care environment can lead to positive emotion

Conceptualizing emotion in information systems development

The purpose of this theory paper is to develop a contextual theory of appraisal that may be drawn on to understand emotional processes in IS development (ISD). In short, emotion matters to ISD because managers/professionals lack capacity in dealing with emotionality whether positively or negatively, and there are very few ISD studies that directly focus on emotion. We develop a theoretical lens by inductively examining the substance and intellectual heritage of four emotion theory streams: feeling-centered (e.g. stimulus-response), traditional cognitivist, contemporary cognitivist and socio-cultural. Our model particularly draws on process appraisal theory and extends it with derivative concepts of structuration theory. The resulting contextualized appraisal theory (CAT) constitutes our main contribution to the ISD field

Modelling the effects of lockdown and social distancing in the management of the Global Coronavirus Crisis - Why the UK tier system failed

This article reviewed the current situation of coronavirus crisis, as well as policies regarding disease control implemented by China, Italy, UK and U.S. We analysed the coronavirus development trend by visualizing data with Python. We analysed the impact of social distancing and performed simulations of a variety of lockdown circumstances using NetLogo. Throughout our analysis, we examined the importance ofsocial distancing, lockdown and quarantine measures, and extended insights on the ineffectiveness of the UK Covid-19 Tier system

Social flexibility through ICT reflexivity

Conference presentation slides

Emotional reactions and coping responses of employees to a cyber-attack: a case study

Cybersecurity is a serious threat to information technology (IT) systems, with most organisations now relying on their IT systems to function day-to-day. Therefore, it is crucial that organisations ensure they are protected. This research investigates the emotional and coping responses of employees towards a cyber-attack. Data was collected through an in-depth case study approach (24 semi-structured interviews) conducted at a global manufacturing company, along with primary observations and a corpus of secondary materials. Our data analysis applied a grounded approach which was then refined using an emotion theoretic lens with the application of Technology Threat Avoidance Theory (TTAT). Drawing on structural appraisal theory, our findings indicate the IT security team in the case study oscillated between positive problemfocused coping and negative emotion-focused coping. A key explanatory feature or turnaround mechanism that mediated this oscillation was senior management empathy and resource mobilization. Building on the analyses, a conceptual model is developed called the Transformation of Coping through Empathic Leadership (T-CEL). The research suggests the crucial role that senior management play in transforming the emotional and coping capabilities of employees through their intervention and support. The study extends the IS Security theoretical background through a TTATlens for the analysis of cyber-attack incidents

E-mail load, workload stress and desired e-mail load: a cybernetic approach

Purpose Using e-mail is a time-consuming activity that can increase workload stress. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the individual’s e-mail load, workload stress and desired e-mail load, drawing from the cybernetic theory of stress. Design/methodology/approach Based on prior theory, the authors first hypothesized relationships among e-mail load, workplace stress and desired e-mail load. The authors then tested these relationships on a sample of 504 full-time workers in the USA, using survey data and covariance-based structural equation modeling techniques. Findings The authors find that higher e-mail load is associated with higher workload stress; higher workload stress is associated with lower desired e-mail load; lower desired e-mail load is associated with lower e-mail load; and higher workload stress is associated with higher psychological strain, higher negative emotions and lower organizational commitment. Originality/value The study provides a novel understanding of workload stress due to e-mail load, through the lens of cybernetic theory. It contributes to the e-mail overload and technostress literatures by conceptualizing desired e-mail load as a potential outcome of workplace stress and as a regulator for e-mail load. For practitioners, the study highlights the importance of managing employees’ e-mail load to prevent the negative effects of workplace stress and associated strains