Information Technology & People

Approaching digital equity: is wifi the new leveler? : Table of Contents

Karen L. Middleton, Valrie Chambers — Mon Feb 22 02:05:17 GMT 2010

Abstract:
Purpose – Recent reports suggest the shape and size of the digital divide may be changing. This exploratory study aims to examine the relationships between demographic and situational variables and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners' intentions to adopt and use free public wifi technology. Design/methodology/approach – A survey study of 158 SME owners in the urban renewal community (RC) of a large Southwestern metroplex investigated the influence of known digital divisors – gender, ethnicity, age, education, and experience – on the adoption and use of wi-fi technologies. Partial least squares was used to test the hypotheses. Findings – Contrary to previous research, gender, age, education, and experience were not related to the intention to adopt wifi technology. Ethnicity was significantly related to intent to adopt, but the relationship was small. Ethnicity and age were found to be somewhat related to wifi usage. In marked contrast from earlier research, education, gender, and experience were not significant predictors of usage. Practical implications – The findings suggest that access to high-speed wifi has the potential to reduce and/or eliminate the digital divide. The projected changes in the digital divide can be expected to make a significant impact on SME productivity and performance. Originality/value – This study is one of the first to examine the influence of the adoption and use of public wi-fi technologies by SME owners on the digital divide.

The impact of project team attributes on ERP system implementations: A positivist field investigation : Table of Contents

Marcus A. Rothenberger, Mark Srite, Karen Jones-Graham — Mon Feb 22 02:05:17 GMT 2010

Abstract:
Purpose – The adoption of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems is a major challenge to organizations. Many implementation teams struggle to ensure the success of such projects. The information systems literature indicates that the team attributes of breadth of experience, empowerment, and cohesion are necessary conditions for project success. This paper aims to investigate how the nature of implementation teams may affect adoption success. Design/methodology/approach – The research employs a positivist, qualitative field study approach to investigate the role of the implementation team attributes in ERP system adoption. Project success is assessed on three determinants, i.e. support of organizational activities, stakeholder satisfaction, and system acceptance. Findings – The findings provide new insights as to the extent to which prior assumptions from the information systems literature apply in the ERP system implementation context. The results indicate that team empowerment and cohesion are not necessary precursors to project success as their impact depends on the adoption context. Practical implications – The circumstances under which the impact of low team empowerment and low cohesion can be alleviated in ERP adoption projects are discussed. Originality/value – The paper offers explanations as to why certain established assumptions regarding information systems teams and project success may not apply to an ERP adoption context.

Events, emotions, and technology: examining acceptance of workplace technology changes : Table of Contents

Kathryn R. Stam, Jeffrey M. Stanton — Mon Feb 22 02:05:17 GMT 2010

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this article is to understand the relationship between emotional salience and workplace events related to technology change by using a combination of key features of two popular psychological theories – regulatory focus theory and affective events theory – to view the change process in diverse settings. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on analysis of 18 months of qualitative interview data (n=52 respondents) collected before, during and after the introduction of three different new technologies in three organizations – a hospital, a manufacturing facility, and a psychological counseling center. The mixed methods approach combined descriptive case studies and a structured coding approach derived from a synthesis of the two theories with which the transition processes at each organization were examined. Findings – Employees with a so-called promotion-focused orientation were more likely to accept an IT change and the events related to it. Organizational cultures and the staging of events play a role in individuals' affective reactions and behavior. The use of the framework is promising for illuminating the role of emotions, the timing of change events, and subsequent behavior in response to organizational change. Research limitations/implications – The variety of types of organizations and job types represented, as well as the types of IT change proposed in each, provides a rich sample of diverse motivations and scenarios. Further development of the relationships between the timing of organizational events and regulatory focus is needed. Practical implications – The proposed framework suggests a shift in emphasis away from beliefs and towards emotionally relevant events. The findings suggest consideration of two distinct motivational aspects of both new and old technology. A peak in emotional events related to training indicates that an organization must actively manage how the plans, strategies, and communications with regard to training affect workers' beliefs and expectations. Originality/value – The paper highlights how an emphasis on emotionally relevant events and attention to the regulatory focus involved in interpretation of those events could provide the basis for new approaches to organizational interventions. Interventions should focus on facilitating situations where individuals can frame relevant transition events with a promotion focus.

Knowledge transfer processes for different experience levels of knowledge recipients at an offshore technical support center : Table of Contents

Jihong Chen, Robert J. McQueen — Mon Feb 22 02:05:17 GMT 2010

Abstract:
Purpose – This paper aims to focus on the relationships between the levels of knowledge and the type of knowledge transfer approaches, and the relationships between the types of knowledge and the knowledge transfer approaches which were adopted in a study of knowledge transfer from a US-based technical support center to an offshore support center in China. Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted as an interpretive case study. Three techniques (i.e. document review, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews) were employed for data collection in the field. Findings – The findings indicate that the lower the level of recipient absorptive and retentive capacity, the more difficulty the recipient will have in acquiring tacit and complex types of knowledge, and the more formal structured knowledge transfer approach the recipient will need to adopt. The results identify that “structured transfer stages” was used by novices to transfer embrained and encoded knowledge, while “unstructured copy” was widely adopted by advanced beginners to transfer encoded and embodied knowledge, “unstructured adaptation” was mainly utilized by those at the competence level to transfer embodied and embedded knowledge, and “unstructured fusion” was preferred by recipients at the proficiency level to transfer embodied and embedded knowledge as well. Practical implications – The findings contribute to an understanding of the knowledge transfer processes required when US-based firms outsource business processes to offshore countries with significantly different cultural contexts. The findings also reflect the testing of possible analytical structures for understanding the processes of knowledge transfer, and the mechanisms for knowledge transfer in a cross-cultural business context. Originality/value – The paper provides new insights into the knowledge transfer process for different levels of knowledge acquisition in a cross-cultural business context.