Journal of Systems and Information Technology

Tiko Iyamu; Leshoto Mphahlele

2014 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/JSIT-04-2013-0010

Purpose – In many organisations, the alignment between information technology (IT) and business is viewed as an important catalyst for the organisation's effectiveness and efficiency towards achieving a competitive advantage. Yet, a shared understanding between business and IT (the EA included) remains an issue in many organisations. The organisational structure affects the alignment between business and IT units. Conversely, a lack of alignment of both components (IT and business units) impedes organisations' capacity to increase and improve their productivity. Many studies have been conducted in the area of IT, EA and the organisational structure. There is, however, little evidence of work conducted in exploring the interface between organisational structure and EA prior to this study. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – A case‐study research approach was employed to investigate the impact of organisational structure in the deployment of EA in organisations. Qualitative data were collected through semi‐structure technique. The analysis was carried out, using structuration theory. Findings – The magnified data revealed some of unforeseen factors impeding the success of the EA deployment in the organisation. Originality/value – The work is original, and it has not been submitted or published anywhere else.

Usman K. Durrani; Zijad Pita; Joan Richardson

2014 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/JSIT-09-2013-0045

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of Phase 1 of the research and to identify Australian agile software development organizations having such coexistence of agile and software configuration management (SCM) practices. This study employed “organization size” variable to study the phenomenon and used theory of Lean Thinking as a lens to analyse implementation variations of agile and SCM practices. Design/methodology/approach – For this study, the research design was comprised of three phases. In Phase 1, a quantitative study using an online survey was performed to answer RQ using various statistical techniques. In Phase 2, an initial conceptual model based on a literature review was developed, and then a qualitative study was performed using one longitudinal case study. In Phase 3, another online survey was performed using various parametric statistical techniques to validate and generalize the findings of Phase 1 and 2 and the proposed SLAM traceability model. The scope of this paper is to discuss only Phase 1 and its associated findings. Findings – The results of the analysis indicated that organizations, regardless of their size, frequently use agile practices for their software development operations. On the other hand, larger organizations use SCM practices comparatively more than medium and small organizations. However, traces of customized SCM process were found in most of the respondent (large, medium, and small) organizations, which indicates the coexistence of agile and SCM practices. Research limitations/implications – As there is no known listing or database available for such specialized criteria, a non‐probabilistic sampling method was used, in the sense that the selection of members of the sample was arbitrary and subjective instead of a non‐random selection from the pool of all agile practitioners in the field. Originality/value – By using the quantitative method approach, this study aims to generate empirical evidence to contribute to the body of knowledge in the relevant areas. On the practical side, this research can also provide support to IT businesses in general, and software development organizations in particular, with the streamlining of the internal operational environment for the facilitation of an adaptable process and the resulting coexistence of value‐added agile and SCM practices.

Yung‐Ming Cheng

2014 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/JSIT-05-2013-0012

Purpose – The main purpose of this study was to combine the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) with the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) to examine how learners' beliefs affected their usage intention of mobile learning (m‐learning) and explore whether the relationships between learners' beliefs and their usage intention of m‐learning changed under different levels of personal innovativeness regarding the new information technology (IT). Design/methodology/approach – Sample data for this study were collected from Taiwanese mobile phone users, a total of 750 questionnaires were distributed, and 486 usable questionnaires were analyzed in this study, with a usable response rate of 64.80 per cent. Collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, multiple group analysis, and hierarchical moderated regression analysis. Findings – Perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived enjoyment (PE), and compatibility can play essential roles in affecting learners' intention to use m‐learning. Personal innovativeness can moderate the effects of PU, PEOU, and compatibility on intention to use m‐learning except the effect of PE on intention to use m‐learning. Originality/value – Based on the views of the extended TAM with the IDT, this study incorporates intrinsic motivator (i.e. PE) along with conventional extrinsic motivators (i.e. PU and PEOU) into its analysis of m‐learning acceptance for a more robust analysis and exhibits explicit results indicating that the effects of learners' beliefs on their usage intention of m‐learning depend largely on their innovative predisposition regarding the new IT.

Igor Grubisic

2014 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/JSIT-05-2013-0016

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the market readiness to adopt the Cloud as the future ERP platform, by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) decision support methodology. Design/methodology/approach – Interviewing is conducted on the convenient sample, of enterprises from various industries. The interview is conducted through expert telephone interview and self‐administered questionnaire. Results are then used as a basis for forming the weight factors necessary for the AHP decision model. Data are analyzed and synthesized using AHP and Expert Choice. Findings – Results demonstrate a huge interest for TCO reduction, but also a concern for data privacy and availability. Large enterprises want their data on local servers, while smaller companies tend to act as “first adopters”, mainly because of the cost benefits that Cloud offers. Finally, vendors see the hybrid solutions as the most suitable approach for the overall market, at least while current Cloud obstacles exist. Research limitations/implications – This research does not aim to answer the question what is the best solution for a particular industry. Instead, it assumes the general approach, which answers the question what would in general be the adequate solution for the SME and how much are SMEs ready to adopt the ERP in the Cloud. A further research is necessary to validate these results in practice. That research should be industry specific, i.e. narrowed to one industry only. Then, it would be possible to answer the question what is the best solution for high‐tech SMEs. Practical implications – This paper summarizes Cloud pros and cons useful for decision makers to establish a starting point for IT reorganization. Additionally, AHP results provide some indications of the market's perception regarding Cloud and ERP, while vendors' statements about ERP‐Cloud solutions provide an interesting glimpse of the ERP market in the next few years. Originality/value – Market demands constant flexibility and cost effectiveness, forcing companies to adapt faster than ever. Therefore, there is a significant risk for first adopters and their business if they adopt an inadequate solution. This paper offers a high‐level overview of the SME's market understanding and willingness to adopt ERP in the Cloud idea, and it demonstrates how the AHP decision support methodology can be used to assess the readiness of enterprises to adopt the Cloud‐ERP solution.

Patrizia Grifoni; Fernando Ferri; Alessia D'Andrea; Tiziana Guzzo; Caterina Praticò

2014 Journal of Systems and Information Technology

doi: 10.1108/JSIT-09-2013-0044

Purpose – An open question in the advanced economies, and in the current crisis even more, is to widely improve knowledge sharing as a driver of innovation and creativity processes. The need of addressing knowledge, creativity and innovation is co‐generating new knowledge sharing tools, attempting to create new network linkages among professionals (such as engineers, researchers, professors, architects, creative designers, etc.), among financial/business companies and, between professionals and financial/business companies. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve this goal, during the Knowledge Intelligence and Innovation for a sustainable Growth (KnowInG) project (2010‐2013), the Social Network KnowInG (SoN‐KInG) model and framework consisting in a digital eco‐system were created. The benefits and the potentialities of the SoN‐KInG as knowledge sharing tool both for professionals and businesses are discussed in the paper. Findings – SoN‐KInG unifies the innovative aspects provided by three different social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter) both, in professional and business domains, giving a holistic tool for knowledge sharing and knowledge management for online communities of interest. Originality/value – SoN‐KInG provides an original model based on a holistic vision of social networking in the innovation and business domain and a framework, which consists in a web platform functioning as a hub of communities of interest where each member can converge creating new communities and also embedding communities where s/he is already involved in.