Organizational Entry and Transition from Acedemic Study

Author(s):  
Denis M.S. Lee

A critical stage in the development of young Information Systems (IS) professionals is when they make the transition from academic study to industrial work. At this stage, the young IS professional must learn about his work requirements, understand work procedures, and develop new skills and knowledge in order to function effectively in the workplace. This study develops a three-phase model of organizational socialization to analyze this process of organizational boundary crossing and professional development for a group of recent Information Systems graduates. Overall, this exploratory study illustrates that the socialization framework could provide a useful research model for examining the early professional development of young IS workers. The results indicate that the effective preparation of young IS workers involves far more than just a fixed set of academic subjects. The framework is also useful to reveal some specific characteristics of information technology work that could pose particular challenges for the adjustment process of young IS workers in the workplace. The implications of the preliminary findings from this exploratory study for educators, managers, and researchers are discussed.

Author(s):  
Glenn R. Lowry ◽  
Rodney L. Turner ◽  
Julie Fisher

This chapter presents a dynamic structural model of the relative contribution and importance of education and skills required of information systems (IS) professionals. Model development took into account the technical skills found in many tertiary IS programs, other business-oriented academic studies, and soft skills sought by employers in new graduates. The model also includes features of the working environment which influence the career progress of IS graduates. Acknowledging the importance of these four areas, the authors present a second-order structural model that links these areas and compares the application of this model to IS students and decision makers who employ graduates. The model fits the data for the two groups and exhibits some unexpected outcomes in the area of soft skills, with students attributing more importance to soft skills than IS managers. The model was employed to identify gender differences in perceptions of the relative contribution and importance of education and skills required of IS professionals. The model also includes features of the working environment which influence the career progress of IS graduates. The model was used to describe how attitudes and perceptions of IS professionals change across career stages as measured by age groupings. Changes in perceptions across four major age groupings show significant differences with respect to these factors according to age groups and by inference, career stage. The model allows, with some confidence, a quantitative interpretation of the relative importance of the respective variables from the perspectives of the student and employer stakeholder groups toward the education and professional development of IS professionals. The model also suggests the presence of contrasting, gender-based quantitative views of the relative importance of the respective variables to the education and professional development of IS professionals.


IJOHMN ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. A. SUBRAMANIAN

Present status and use for educational purposes, technology is fulfilling an ever increasing role in both the traditional education field, and in other fields which are utilizing technology for educational purposes. Within the educational field we can see technology as a means of removing barriers for students and teachers alike. First, technology can remove financial and geographical barriers through distributed learning. This allows students and teachers to experience educational opportunities that they might have otherwise never been able to encounter. Second, technology is bringing about a new focus on problem and skill based learning. Information databases are being used to assist teachers in the acquisition of new knowledge and provide professional support outside of the traditional professional development seminar. In regards to future action, we should continue to utilize the successful trends in education as a means to fulfil their developmental potential and see increased impacts on our field. In particular, we should continue the use of distance learning as a means of professional development for teachers, by providing more opportunities aimed at improving their job related performance. Distance learning for students should also be an area of focus by providing software that allows for increasing authenticity in simulations, multimedia content, and social connections. We should continue to focus on technology that allows students to interact with other students and environments located outside of their current environment, locality, and culture. Information systems are also in need of continual investment. Information systems perform two important roles for the educational system: Focus on this paper, technology has already served an important role in education in multiple fields. Specifically, technology has been of great use to the educational field in terms of its focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the educational experiences of both students and teachers. Continued use and development of technology can serve to further benefit the educational field and recommendations based on the development of existing trends in education should be pursued for great gains in educational achievement..


Author(s):  
Li Jingjing ◽  
Nuno Guimarães Costa ◽  
Pedro Neves

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze the adjustment experience of Chinese expatriate managers in Portugal. Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory study is based on the qualitative analysis of 12 semi-structured, open-ended interviews to Chinese expatriate managers in Portugal. Expatriates varied in terms of international experience, stage of career and industry. All expatriates had at least one-year working experience in Portugal. The coding process followed a reflexive approach between data and existing theory. Findings – The process of adjustment of Chinese expatriate managers to the Portuguese context is arranged in five dimensions: perception: expatriates tend to perceive the differences between China and Portugal as not significant; guanxi replication: similarities between the two countries raised the question of whether the guanxi model could be replicated; resistance: although the two countries are perceived as close, there are significant differences, namely, in terms of some cultural aspects, the legal framework and the level of acceptance of the guanxi; adaptation: given these resistances, it is necessary for expatriates to change some practices that are commonly used in the Chinese context; and identity construction: Chinese expatriates are particularly concerned by their identity as foreigners and of the corresponding need to adjust. Originality/value – This exploratory study revealed that guanxi should not be seen as a purely cultural product grounded in the Confucian tradition but instead should be taken as a business strategy that depends on the existence of specific factors, such as the relevance and quality of interpersonal relationships in a business context.


Author(s):  
Charlene A. Dykman

Accurate assessment of the potential or realized value and impact of an information systems investment is becoming increasingly important. While hardware and software are, to a large extent, becoming commoditized, the overall cost of information systems projects continues to increase. Labor and other organizational costs continue to escalate. The result is that IS professionals must begin to view their systems projects with a business perspective. Such a business perspective includes the application of various quantitative approaches to assessing the value of information systems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-219
Author(s):  
Luís Miguel Oliveira Machado ◽  
Maurício Barcellos Almeida ◽  
Renato Rocha Souza

Traditionally connected to philosophy, the term ontology is increasingly related to information systems areas. Some researchers consider the approaches of the two disciplinary contexts to be completely different. Others consider that, although different, they should talk to each other, as both seek to answer similar questions. With the extensive literature on this topic, we intend to contribute to the understanding of the use of the term ontology in current research and which references support this use. An exploratory study was developed with a mixed methodology and a sample collected from the Web of Science of articles published in 2018. The results show the current prevalence of computer science in studies related to ontology and also of Gruber's view suggesting ontology as kind of conceptualization, a dominant view in that field. Some researchers, particularly in the field of biomedicine, do not adhere to this dominant view but to another one that seems closer to ontological study in the philosophical context. The term ontology, in the context of information systems, appears to be consolidating with a meaning different from the original, presenting traces of the process of “metaphorization” in the transfer of the term between the two fields of study.


1976 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl R. Adams ◽  
Theodore E. Kellogg ◽  
Roger G. Schroeder

Author(s):  
Charles Pinard ◽  
Philippe Landreville

ABSTRACTOlder persons living in Residential and extended care centres (RECC) have to cope with various Stressors associated with institutional life. While some residents cope successfully, a large proportion of this population presents difficulties in adjustment. Knowledge about the role of coping strategies in the adjustment process to nursing home Stressors is limited to strategies used in the first few months following admission to RECC. The goal of this exploratory study was to determine how various coping strategies are related to depressive symptoms, anxiety and well-being of 90 residents living in RECC for more than three months. Individual interviews were used to collect the data. Significant correlations were observed between measures of psychological adaptation and the strategies of escape-avoidance and seeking social support. These results confirm than certain coping strategies are associated with adaptation to life in RECC.


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