Journal of Systems and Information Technology

Adela J.W. Chen; Marie‐Claude Boudreau; Richard T. Watson

2008 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287260810916907

Purpose – There is a growing awareness by researchers and practitioners of organizations' ecological responsibilities. Past research in management suggests that it is important to develop ecological sustainability, a long‐missing piece of the sustainability puzzle, together with economic sustainability and social sustainability. However, little research has been conducted to explore how information systems (IS), as one of the defining technologies in human society, can help organizations develop ecological sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a conceptual model and propositions with regard to the roles of IS in the pursuit of ecological sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – The paper focuses on how organizations are motivated to act in the same legitimate way (i.e. eco‐friendly way) and proposes institutional theory as a lens to better understand how IS can be leveraged to achieve the three milestones of ecological sustainability, i.e. eco‐efficiency, eco‐equity and eco‐effectiveness. Findings – The model advocates that under different institutional pressures, IS can be leveraged to achieve eco‐efficiency, eco‐equity and eco‐effectiveness through automating, informating (up and down) and transforming organizations, respectively. Research limitations/implications – The paper calls for the incorporation of the dimension of natural environment into our framework for future investigation of the IS roles in organizations. Practical implications – The paper highlights the importance for practitioners to understand the environmental impact of the IS that they design or use, and the roles that IS can play in facilitating the large‐scale learning about ecological sustainability. Originality/value – The implications of this research for both practice and academia are discussed, with a brief outlook towards future research.

Joseph Sarkis; Hanmin Zhu

2008 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287260810916916

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the developing circular economy (CE) policy within China and its relationship to China's information technology (IT) and IT products industry. It provides a framework to understand the role CE plays in sustainability at many levels within China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a review of the literature and practice in China various information sources including Chinese publications are used to further develop the framework and provide exemplary activities fitting within this framework. Findings – If The CE program for IT, is to work, these needs to be co‐operation at multiple levels of analysis. A proposed governmental policy can greatly influence sustainability in the IT industry. Research limitations/implications – This review is based on various sources which may become dated as the CE and regulatory policy that influence IT advance. Understanding the historical perspective and potential future directions can help researchers identify important areas of investigation for future development in this field. Practical implications – Practically, the framework can help policy makers understand how to structure a previously unstructured and broad policy. Managers at various organizational levels can become more clear on their organizational's IT role in a CE‐like program. Originality/value – This is the first comprehensive paper that seeks to integrate IT sustainability issues in China. It is one of the first to utilize the CE policy implications on any functional, industrial, and technological group.

Laura Maruster; Niels R. Faber; Kristian Peters

2008 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287260810916925

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a re‐orientation of the way the concept of sustainability is dealt with in relation to information systems, positioning human behaviour and the processing of knowledge at the centre of the concept. Design/methodology/approach – The concept of sustainability of knowledge (SoK), which refers to processes that govern knowledge, is employed to define sustainable information systems (SIS). Following this definition, knowledge aspects are employed to tackle the notion of sustainability. The sustainability approach presented in this paper is then translated into requirements needed for designing a SIS. Findings – Three knowledge aspects are found to be relevant for the design of SIS: adaptability, offloading and knowledge evaluation. The service oriented‐based architecture (SOA) seems to be appropriate to support the proposed approach. Research limitations/implications – The conceptual approach proposed need to be evaluated by case studies to be performed in different organizations. Originality/value – A knowledge based perspective is proposed to re‐orient the notion of sustainability. Moreover, an SOA architecture is used to design a system based on the proposed approach.

Xuemei Tian; Bill Martin; Hepu Deng

2008 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287260810916934

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from a research project aiming to investigate the implications of digitization for the Australian book publishing sector and in particular for current and emerging business models. Recognizing the dynamic nature of the publishing industry in Australia with the rapid development of information and communication technologies, this study aims to address several critical research questions in the publishing industry in Australia as follows: what are the major trends emerging within the publishing industry in Australia? What implications do these trends have for business models? What technologies and applications offer the greatest potential for supporting value creation activities and business model development in the digital era? Design/methodology/approach – A comprehensive review of the literature on business models is conducted, in particular, in relation to the publishing industry. The current status of the technology used in the publishing industry is explored, and the overall profile of the Australian publishing industry is established with the use of a document analysis method based on secondary data available. This leads to the development of an online questionnaire for surveying the book publishers in Australia, and results in the conduct of 14 follow‐up case studies, the latter forming the basis for the current paper. Findings – The findings are that global trends towards consolidation and increasing competition are replicated in Australia, and that business models are responding, for example, with the emergence of hybrid models, embodying traditional elements and those consequent on the advent of digitization. It is also clear that the internet and related network technologies, along with content and digital rights management technologies are emerging as key to change, but those strategic decisions are ultimately based on business drivers rather than on emerging technologies. Practical implications – The research findings would be of significant benefits to Australian business, especially, the publishers in Australia in their endeavour to effectively deal with the challenges that the rapid advance in information and communication technologies has brought to every organization. These findings help organizations, including Australian publishers, realistically assess the impact of the digital technologies on their businesses and subsequently formulate effective policies and strategies for fully making use of the potential of the digital technologies for developing and sustaining their competitive advantages in the market. Originality/value – The originality of this study is the use of a multi‐method approach for investigating the implications of digitization for the Australian book publishing sector and in particular for current and emerging business models. Such a study is of tremendous value to the Australian publishers due to the rapid advance of digital technologies; the need for a better understanding of the impacts of such technologies advances on publishers; and the increasing competitive market in publishing. The research findings would help Australian publishers and also other organizations develop specific strategies and polices for effectively dealing with the challenges from the rapid development of the digital technologies.

Matti Leppäniemi; Heikki Karjaluoto

2008 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/13287260810916943

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects gender, age, income and employment status on consumer response to short message service (SMS)‐oriented direct‐response requests or a call‐to‐action tactic in a television advertisement or program, consumer's participation in SMS sweepstakes or other competitions, and consumer uptake of mobile services such as ringtones, logos, screensavers and wallpapers ordered by SMS message. Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this study were collected via an online survey. A total of 4,062 consumers responded to this survey. Cross‐tabulation and binary logistic regression were used to examine the associations between the explanatory variables and responses to mobile advertising campaigns. Findings – The results suggest that women are more active than men in their responses to SMS call‐to‐action campaigns. In addition, the results indicate that mobile advertising is not only for teenagers. For instance, consumers in the 36‐45 age group were most likely to respond to SMS calls‐to‐action in a television program and participate in SMS sweepstakes and other competitions. However, the youngest consumers most actively ordered mobile services using SMS. In addition, it was found that employment status had a substantial impact on consumers' SMS campaign activity. Research limitations/implications – Self‐report survey data are the bases of the findings discussed in this article. Substantial evidence exists in previous research that many respondents are inaccurate in reporting their own attitudes and past behavior. Thus, additional research relying on, for instance, SMS delivery measures (e.g. number of messages sent, number of replies, and – where an identifiable offer is promoted via mobile phone – the exact purchase rates), should be executed. Such experiments go beyond consumer reports by providing useful estimations of the impact of SMS text advertising based on customer inquiry and actual behavior. Practical implications – This study clearly demonstrates the prevalence of SMS advertising campaigns and provides important insights into consumers' engagement with SMS advertising activities. Basic demographics such as gender, age, income, and employment status are useful in modeling and predicting consumer behavior in relation to SMS call‐to‐action campaigns. Thus, the findings reported in this paper should help marketers to design campaigns that focus more closely on the target audience. Originality/value – While building on and maintaining continuity with extant work, this paper provides results that do facilitate research efforts focused on mobile media and aid practitioners in their quest to achieve mobile advertising success.