Search results

The aim of this study is to analytically develop a reference model for engineering (i.e. analysis, design, development, evaluation, delivery, maintenance, modification, and management) powerful value networks capable of creating innovative mobile data services.

The paradigm followed is that of design‐science research (DSR) which incorporates two main iterative processes: build and evaluate. For building the model (i.e. the design science artifact in this research), the authors followed three iterations: literature review analysis; semi‐structured interviews analyzed through content analysis; and examination of real‐life case studies. But for evaluating the model, the authors utilized the NTT DoCoMo's i‐mode case.

This paper puts forward a novel model for engineering value networks of mobile innovations. This model is composed of seven design constructs and their relationships. The developed model is argued to provide significant utility for telecoms in helping them to identify and design powerful value networks following a systematic and practical approach.

The data sources is somewhat limited and the sample is somewhat small which may result in lack of sufficient statistical power. Moreover, the analysis may have overlooked some important concepts and theories related to innovations and value networks.

This study contributes to the current body of knowledge about how telecoms can best analyze and design their value networks in an approach that maximizes the potential of developing innovative mobile data services.

This paper sets out to critique the applicability of e‐commerce staged models in explaining the progression of small and medium‐sized businesses (SMEs) in their use of internet technologies. The premise of this study is that examining the evolution of web sites over time gives us insights into actual evolving strategies and motivations behind internet investments.

An alternative multidimensional framework is proposed that combines three different dimensions of organizational change (process, content, and drivers). The content or categories of the dimensions are defined and justified. A study of 192 web sites and their evolution is described. This helps to demonstrate the relevance and applicability of the dimensions of the framework.

The study describes the different approaches (monitoring, content analysis and case studies) and the characteristics of changes on these web sites. It was found that the main evolution strategies were “content updates” and “dormant sites”. In addition, the majority of companies seem to have evolved their web sites to refresh the image and change navigation protocols and not to add transactional e‐commerce features.

The proposed framework is argued to be useful to academics, providing multiple perspectives, enabling more insightful study of SMEs' e‐business adoption and progression, and avoiding over‐simple a priori theory, e.g. staged models. The framework is also argued to be useful for SME managers seeking to make the most of their limited resources in this context.

The paper provides a multidimensional framework which is new and comprehensive. It also provides some research findings using the framework relating to a pilot study of 192 SME web sites. Little prior research has been carried out on the evolution of SMEs' web sites, in terms of the type of drivers, the features that have been incorporated over time, and how they have changed.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a comprehensive study on the specialisations or career tracks supported by the Information Systems (IS) curriculum in the UK.

The study utilises the recently published IS curriculum guidelines (IS 2010) to develop a method for ranking the career tracks of undergraduate IS courses in the UK.

The research presents a prioritised list of graduate IS careers by taking into account the entire IS course provision in the UK. At the same time, it offers data about the size of the IS curriculum in terms of universities in the UK and the number/type courses they offer.

The study relies on a previously undeveloped method for measuring career specialisations for UK IS graduates. Additional work is needed to validate the results through comparisons with alternative methods of measuring the careers supported by IS degree courses.

By having concrete data about the state of the IS curriculum in relation to its employability opportunities, the IS academy can make more informed decisions about future curriculum development. Further comparative research can be undertaken to support arguments about the relevance of the IS curriculum to industry needs.

There has been no similar UK study on this scale which examines the state of the IS curriculum in relation to the career opportunities it offers. The development of the method for this study also offers insights into the structure and recommendations presented by IS 2010.

EPetitioning has been emerging as arguably the most important eParticipation institutional activity. This paper aims to provide some insights into how ePetitions are perceived and supported by social networking sites.

The paper investigated the connection between the UK Government's ePetitioning system and social networking groups linking to governmental petitions. Online data from Facebook were collected and analysed with respect to numbers of supporters compared to official signatures.

The results indicate that although the process of signing an official petition is not more complex than joining a Facebook group, the membership of respective Facebook groups can be much higher. In particular, certain topics experienced very high support on Facebook which did not convert to signatures.

The paper's added value lies in the questions raised about the potential uptake of citizen‐government interactions in policy‐making mechanisms.

To identify key lessons, trends and enduring challenges with global outsourcing of back office services.

The authors extract lessons, project trends, and discuss enduring challenges from a 20 year research program conducted by these authors and their extended network of co‐authors and colleagues.

The authors identify seven important lessons for successfully exploiting the maturing Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) markets. The lessons require back office executives to build significant internal capabilities and processes to manage global outsourcing. The authors predict 13 trends about the size and growth of ITO and BPO markets, about suppliers located around the world, and about particular sourcing models including application service provision, insourcing, nearshoring, rural sourcing, knowledge process outsourcing, freelance outsourcing, and captive centers. The authors identify five persistent, prickly issues on global outsourcing pertaining to back office alignment, client and supplier incentives, knowledge transfer, knowledge retention, and sustainability of outsourcing relationships.

The authors present some experimental innovations to address these issues.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the barriers preventing women in prostitution from accessing co-ordinated health services in the Republic of Ireland. By examining the experiences of migrant women engaged in prostitution, the research contributes to knowledge pertaining to the psychosocial experiences of female sex workers’ access to healthcare.

The study interviewed migrant women across Ireland, using a biographical narrative approach and an adapted voice-centred relational model of analysis to determine the necessity for a health promotion strategy for this demographic.

The findings indicate migrant women work primarily indoors, hold precarious legal status and are in Ireland due to processes of globalisation, migration and economic necessity. The women discussed their entry into prostitution and their experiences within prostitution in the context of their psychosocial experiences.

While the findings are from a small qualitative sample confined to the Republic of Ireland, it is the first study to prioritise migrant sex workers’ psychosocial experiences in Ireland.

The research concludes education and service development that respects the various social determinants impacting women in prostitution is missing but remains necessary in Ireland. It finds a gendered reform of policies using an ecological framework for health that can address issues of poverty, migration and the global trends of the sex industry.

This means a national review of current services in health, social work and community development fields is timely.

This paper gives insight into the lives of migrant women involved in the sex industry and can make an important contribution to future research directions and practice in Irish and European prostitution contexts.

Many Black women continue to negotiate their way within higher education institutions, which are influenced by social class, race, and gender biases. Several scholars contend that Black women’s objectification as the “other” and “outsider within” (Collins, 2000; Fitzgerald, 2014; Jean-Marie, 2014) is still apparent in today’s institutions yet many persist to ascend to top leadership positions (Bates, 2007; Epps, 2008; Evans, 2007; Hamilton, 2004; Jean-Marie, 2006, 2008). In particular, the inroads made by Black women administrators in both predominantly white colleges (PWIs) as well as historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) depict a rich and enduring history of providing leadership to effect social change in the African American community (i.e., uplift the race) and at large (Bates, 2007; Dede & Poats, 2008; Evans, 2007; Hine, 1994; Miller & Vaughn, 1997). There is a growing body of literature exploring Black women’s leadership in higher education, and most research have focused on their experiences in predominantly white institutions (Bower & Wolverton, 2009; Dixon, 2005; Harris, Wright, & Msengi, 2011; Jordan, 1994; Rusher, 1996; Turner, 2008). A review of the literature points to the paucity of research on their experiences and issues of race and gender continue to have an effect on the advancement of Black women in the academy. In this chapter, we examine factors that create hindrance to the transformation of the composition, structure, and power of leadership paradigm with a particular focus on Black women administrators and those at the presidency at HBCUs. From a review of the literature, our synthesis is based on major themes and subthemes that emerged and guide our analysis in this chapter. The chapter concludes with recommendations for identifying and developing Black women leaders to diversify the leadership pipeline at HBCUs and other institutions for the future.