Big Data: A framework for research

Big Data is not the first and most definitely not the last new term that the IT industry is going to coin in order to drive interest and investment in new technology. Moreover, with these new terms, an opportunity is afforded for the research community to objectively understand the impact (or lack thereof) on organizations and decision makers. This paper provides a high-level framework to guide researchers in the area of Big Data through a conceptualization of the Information Supply Chain. The Information Supply Chain can be used as a scoping device for researchers in positioning their work but also as a tool to enable stronger objectivity and prevent an automatic resistance or acceptance of the new term/trend

Towards a theoretical lens to examine the structural impact of adopting Web 2.0

With the widespread integration of Web 2.0 technologies across society and business there is an increasing need to understand their underlying impact. Yet, very little research has been done on such technologies, so much so, that a definition still eludes the academic community. Nonetheless, their impacts cannot be ignored. For instance, from a societal perspective, the proliferation of social networks and attitude towards openness highlights the transformation from hierarchical type social structures to more non-hierarchical (horizontal) systems. However, rigorous analysis of the structural impacts of the technologies in an organisational context is more difficult due to the lack of theoretical frameworks. Moreover, there has been a call for researchers to build their own theoretical frameworks for further understanding in the domain. As a result, this paper aims to add to the body of knowledge by (i) further defining Web 2.0, (ii) reviewing past literature on organisational structure and technology, and (iii) developing a theoretical lens by rediscovering past socio-technical theories

A HERMENEUTICS INSPIRED ‘LEARNING-BY-DOING’ PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH FOR ACTION DESIGN RESEARCH

This paper presents a hermeneutical analysis of the confessional accounts of four doctoral candidates, following their completion of a research methodology module on Action Design Research (ADR). This hermeneutical analysis uses the seven concepts of hermeneutics (c.f. Myers, 2009) to unpack the lived experiences of the doctoral candidates throughout the 8-session ‘learning-by-doing’ approach to the module. Following our open, axial and selective coding, our analysis reveals that (i) neophyte researchers build confidence in a research methodology (ADR) through ‘hearing each other’ throughout an iterative learning-by-doing process, and (ii) having a tangible design artefact (e.g. checklist) makes it easier for neophyte researchers to share their, and evaluate others’, interpretations of ‘how-to’ operationalise a research methodology (ADR). We conclude our analysis with a conceptualization of a hermeneutics inspired ‘learning-by-doing’ pedagogical approach, for ADR, presented as a learning flow

Decision Making in the ERP Community

This paper, although bibliographical in nature, stresses the importance of researching ERP from the perspective of the ERP community, defined here as a triadic group composed of (1) an ERP vendor, (2) an ERP consultant and (3) an implementing organisation; and focuses on understanding the relationships and inter-dependencies that exist between these actors. In this novel perspective, the second contribution of this paper is to introduce the concept of category manipulation – that is to say non-decision making - to the area of IS in general and more specifically to ERP research. As far as the authors are aware, this paper is the first to examine the ERP decision making process under this light. The researchers\u27 objective is to structure their ideas in an effort to lay the foundations for a model of ERP decision making that can inform both the practice and investigation of ERP implementation

Life in the Data Warehouse: A Case Study of Second Phase Implementation Problems and Solutions

It is clear from the literature that the process of implementing applications around data warehouses is not well understood. One reason for this may be that practitioner and research emphasis has tended to focus on technical issues rather than on identifying the social web of factors that influence the successful implementation of data warehousing applications in organizations. This case study of a data warehouse project that drifted perilously close to failure illustrates the importance of organizational and social factors, such as the existence of end-user computer skills to leverage the data made available to the business users, coupled with a deficiency in end-user experiential knowledge and understanding of businessrelated data

Agile Methodology Adoption Decisions: An Innovative Approach to Teaching and Learning

This paper documents an innovative approach to teaching and learning in studying the area of agile software development methods. The observations and analysis of a Critical Adoption Factors workshop for agile methodologies are presented, where \u27Phase One\u27 of the workshop was undertaken in an academic context and \u27Phase Two\u27 was carried out in an industry context to validate the adoption assessment matrix developed in \u27Phase One\u27, and further refine classroom material. Overall, the innovative and unique contribution of this study is centred on the outputs of the Critical Adoption Factors workshops, in an effort to improve students understanding of the constituent parts of an agile methodology. Although this paper documents the initial stages of an ongoing research study, the early observations are encouraging for teaching and learning in the academic context

Towards a Model for Evaluating Organizational Readiness for ERP and Data Warehousing Projects

The need for an integrated enterprise-wide set of management information pronounced Data Warehousing the ‘hot topic’ of the early-to-mid 1990’s, however, it became unfashionable through the mid-to-late 1990s, with the approach of Y2K and the widespread implementation of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems. However, in recent times, the re-emergence of Data Warehousing, coupled with ERP implementations, to address the limitations and unrealised benefits of ERP systems in the area of reporting, provides researchers and managers with new challenges. This paper lays the foundation for a model of organisational prerequisites for enterprise-wide integration projects. The model is aimed at the ‘Intelligence’ phase of managerial decision making for such projects and should help managers assess their organisation’s readiness for ERP and data warehousing projects .The main objective of the paper is to present a literature-based model which lists the key prerequisites that organisations should assess prior to undertaking these expensive projects