The Role of Developer and User Knowledge Domains and Learning in Systems Development

Research on Information Systems development has been central to the Information Systems field and the focus had been to improve the interactions between the users and developers during the process. Further examination of the change process reveals the necessity for research on user and developer knowledge domains and on approaches to change them resulting in better systems. IS development outsourcing intensifies the necessity to understand the user developer relations from a knowledge perspective. A framework is developed to explain the user-developer knowledge domains and a case research is performed, spanning insourcing and outsourcing environments, to further explore and explain the learning processes that could occur

Effect of Silos on Innovation

It is human behaviour to gravitate towards silos-type living and is quite evidenced by human history. However, such a type of living and attitude does not support modernization through innovation to  provide a better living for humans. Even in the past, the concept of silo-type divisions did not provide rapid development. Still, it was only after the humans came out of the silos, at least in part and started collaborating with each other the development started taking shape

Behavior of e-HRM adoption: empirical evidence form organizations in developing context

Based on Theory of planned behavior (TPB) and diffusion of innovation theory (DIT), present study developed and empirically tested the integrated model of organizational e-HRM adoption. The model consists of four contextual variables such as innovation, individual, organizational and environmental. Data were collected from 212 firms in Sri Lanka by means self-administered questionnaire. Structural model was tested using Partial Least Square. Results indicate that innovation characteristics (relative advantage and compatibility), environmental characteristics (competition), organizational characteristics (top management support) significantly explain the organizational e-HRM adoption intention. Further, financial resource and top management support significantly determine the extent of operational e-HRM adoption. Moreover, IT expertise is significantly explained the extent of relational and transformational e-HRM adoption

ETHICS IN ACCOUNTING PRACTICES AND ITS INFLUENCE ON BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

The objective of this study is to investigate and identify the importance of ethics in accounting practices and whether ethical accounting practices has any influence on the overall business performance and to create a guideline to encourage accounting professionals to understand and adopt ethical practices. The study explores how various demographical variables, specifically focusing on culture, gender and religion influence on an individual’s ethical decision-making process. The data used in this study was collected from the relevant literatures. The portals’ filters were used to identify the relevant literature to the research. The sample was chosen based upon the four themes including influence of ethical accounting practices on culture, gender, religion and impact on overall business performance. This study revealed that culture does not necessarily influence on ethical behaviour and decision-making. Conversely, a positive correlation has been found between the religion beliefs and ethical decision-making process. However, this research does not clearly point out the influence of ethical accounting practices and its influence on the business performance. This research also highlighted partial connections between how unethical accounting practices and fraudulent activities can become a threat to the business existence. The sample size and research technique restrict the results from generalising

Forensic based empirical study on ricochet behaviour of Kalashnikov bullets (7.62 mm × 39 mm) on 1 mm sheet metal

Bullet ricochet off a surface in a shooting scene occurs in diverse conditions and affected by array of factors. Therefore ricochet analysis of a particular incident demands case by case analysis supported by the knowledge of existing subject knowledge and empirical testing. In this view, existing empirical test results on bullet ricochet experiments have become always assisted and referred by investigators during scene reconstruction and in Courts. This forensic based research was aimed to understand the ricochet behaviour and related aspects of Kalashnikov bullets (7.62 mm x 39 mm) on 1 mm sheet metal. 1 mm sheet metal was selected as the target surface of the study, based on its greater possibility of existing in concurrent urban environments as vehicle bodies, electrical appliances, road signs, boundary walls, partitions, walls of mobile houses etc. The research added brand new knowledge to the firearm investigation field in general and specifically to AK shooting investigations and scene reconstruction. The ricochet angles and critical angle of 1 mm sheet metal and AK bullets, relationship of different impact feathers and angle of incidences are some of the main findings of the research. The double head impact mark which produces as a result of bullet’s interaction with the target and it’s specific relationships with the incident angles is the other most important results of the research which has not reported so far in a bullet ricochet study. In addition to the contribution of knowledge to the field of forensic sciences in general and forensic ballistic in particular, this research further emphasises the need for case by case empirical study to understand the ricochet behaviour of different bullet and target combinations. On the other hand, this study very deeply convinced firearms investigators on the risk of applying general bullet ricochet theory on yielding and nonyielding surfaces to reconstruct all bullet ricochet incidents which would result in wrong interpretations, critical errors in shooting scene reconstruction and finally for false testimonies

A novel instrument for the community-centered assessment of outcomes resulting from visits by foreign student groups

Academic institutions in the United States have increasingly emphasised Community-Based Global Learning (CBGL) programs within international contexts. These programs are assumed to have positive outcomes, but often lack substantive assessment data to support their claims. Although meaningful program evaluation has increasingly become a priority, these investigations frequently overlook the views, opinions and goals of community organisations and community members. At present, few brief quantitative instruments are available to assess higher education CBGL project outcomes from the perspective of community partners. Here we detail the initial use of the Community Benefit Survey (CBS), a novel 17-item instrument designed to help fill this gap, within the context of a unique CBGL program in rural Sri Lanka. The CBS demonstrated value in facilitating equitable community assessment and centring the voices of community members. The CBS possesses significant utility in describing the benefits of student group/community partnerships and can be generalised for use across a wide variety of domestic and international contexts

An unexpected case of venous and pulmonary thrombo-embolism in a patient treated with thalidomide for refractory erythema nodosum leprosum: a case report

Recent literature reports an increased incidence of venous thrombosis following thalidomide use in the treatment of diseases with disease-related thrombotic risks such as malignancy, as well as concomitant use with chemotherapy and/or systemic corticosteroids. We report a case of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) following thalidomide use in a patient with erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) reaction who was concurrently treated with prednisolone, as well as a review of relevant literature

Cholestatic hepatitis in a patient with typhoid fever - a case report

Typhoid fever is a very common infectious disease, particularly in developing countries such as Sri Lanka. Although multiple organs are known to be affected by the disease, hepatic involvement could be considered the most important as studies have showed that it is associated with a higher relapse rate. We report a young patient who presented with fever and jaundice and found to have cholestatic hepatitis secondary to typhoid fever

A Conjoint Approach to Understanding IT Application Services Outsourcing

The sourcing of application development is becoming increasingly complex. While much prior work has investigated sourcing in a homogeneous marketplace, sourcing choices have increased in complexity, with a myriad of choices ranging from insourcing to domestic outsourcing to engaging Application Service Providers (ASP) to offshoring . In this study, based upon four organizational theories (Transaction Cost, Resource-Based View, Resource-Dependence View, and the Knowledge-Based View of the Firm), we suggest 10 attributes that firms consider when deciding upon outsourcing of applications. We tested the attributes’ strength by performing conjoint analysis on data collected from 84 IS executives. We constructed profiles, which are combinations of attributes having different levels. Each executive responded to 18 such distinct profiles and selected corresponding outsourcing choices. Our results found that the three most significant drivers of an IT application service choice were cost, risk, and vendor capability. However, the importance of these drivers varied across the different sourcing options. Based upon this, we offer implications for decision-makers and researchers, along with directions for future research

Potential biological and chemical clogging of piezometer filters in acid sulphate soil

Instrumentation for performance monitoring of an embankment built on soft soils is vital for assessing the progress of consolidation and confirming (or refuting) soil parameters used in design when there are significant design uncertainties and the monitoring data can be used to calibrate the design soil parameters. A suite of instruments including settlement plates, extensometers, piezometers, inclinometers is often employed for this purpose. In the first Author\u27s experience, erroneous readings interpretations of pore water pressure (PWP) readings have been reported in various case studies involving transport infrastructure development and reclamations works both in Australia and South East Asia, especially in low-lying acid sulphate soil floodplains. It has been observed that in spite of the presence of vertical drains (PVDs), excess pore water pressure readings from vibrating wire piezometers (VWPs) do not always dissipate as fast as expected especially after a certain period of time, typically a year. The article discusses the potential factors affecting the reliability of VWPs including filter tip clogging, extreme smearing of soil adjoining the filter, gas generation or cavitation, chemical alteration or corrosion of the filter, electro-osmotic effects and cavitation due to bacterial activity. Based on this, the response of VWPs may be divided into a distinct trilinear trend, observed for much of the Australian northern and eastern coastal belt that is predominantly affected by Acid sulphate soil (ASS) conditions where oxidisable pyrite layers are present within relatively shallow depths of the upper Holocene clay