Institutional Theory and E-Government Research

2008 ◽  
pp. 349-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahidul Hassan ◽  
J. Ramon Gil-Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Institutional Theory ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fourth Section ◽  
Current State ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Good Starting Point ◽  
Government Research

Recent developments in institutional theory are highly promising for the study of e-government. Scholars in various disciplines, such as economics (North, 1999; Rutherford, 1999), sociology (Brinton & Nee, 1998), and political science (March & Olsen, 1989; Peters, 2001), have used institutional approaches to understand diverse social and organizational phenomena. Insights gained from these studies can be valuable for guiding research in e-government. In fact, there are some initial efforts in information systems and e-government research that have applied institutional theory and proved useful in generating new insights about how information technologies are adopted (Teo, Wei, & Benbasat, 2003; Tingling & Parent, 2002), designed and developed (Butler, 2003; Klein, 2000; Laudon, 1985), implemented (Robey & Holmstrom, 2001), and used (Fountain, 2001) in organizations. In this chapter, we provide a brief overview of some of these initial studies to highlight the usefulness of institutional theory in e-government research. We also suggest some opportunities for future research in e-government using institutional theory. This chapter does not capture all the essential theoretical and empirical issues related to using institutional theory in information systems and e-government research. Instead, it is a brief review and a good starting point to explore the potential of institutional theory. We hope that e-government scholars find it interesting and useful. The chapter is organized in five sections, including this introduction. The second section provides a brief overview of institutional theory in various disciplinary traditions, with an emphasis on institutional theory in sociology. Then the chapter identifies various patterns of the use of institutional theory in information systems and e-government research. Based on our analysis of the current state of the art, the fourth section suggests some opportunities for future research. Finally, the fifth section provides some final comments.

What Neuroscience Can Tell about Intuitive Processes in the Context of Perceptual Discovery

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 2077-2087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten G. Volz ◽  
D. Yves von Cramon
Keyword(s):  
Initial Guess ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Direct Contrast ◽  
Good Starting Point ◽  
Lateral Portion ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Conscious Attention ◽  
Potential Content

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, intuition is “the ability to understand or know something immediately, without conscious reasoning.” Most people would agree that intuitive responses appear as ideas or feelings that subsequently guide our thoughts and behaviors. It is proposed that people continuously, without conscious attention, recognize patterns in the stream of sensations that impinge upon them. What exactly is being recognized is not clear yet, but we assume that people detect potential content based on only a few aspects of the input (i.e., the gist). The result is a vague perception of coherence which is not explicitly describable but instead embodied in a “gut feeling” or an initial guess, which subsequently biases thought and inquiry. To approach the nature of intuitive processes, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging when participants were working at a modified version of the Waterloo Gestalt Closure Task. Starting from our conceptualization that intuition involves an informed judgment in the context of discovery, we expected activation within the median orbito-frontal cortex (OFC), as this area receives input from all sensory modalities and has been shown to be crucially involved in emotionally driven decisions. Results from a direct contrast between intuitive and nonintuitive judgments, as well as from a parametric analysis, revealed the median OFC, the lateral portion of the amygdala, anterior insula, and ventral occipito-temporal regions to be activated. Based on these findings, we suggest our definition of intuition to be promising and a good starting point for future research on intuitive processes.

Nano-Sized and Nanocrystalline Calcium Orhophosphates in Biomedical Engineering

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 59-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey V. Dorozhkin
Keyword(s):  
Bone Repair ◽  
Dental Enamel ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Biological Origin ◽  
Current State ◽  
Calcium Orthophosphates ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Hard Tissue Engineering

There has been much recent activity in the research area of nanoparticles and nanocrystalline materials, in many fields of science and technology. This is due to their outstanding and unique physical, mechanical, chemical and biological characteristics. Recent developments in biomineralization have demonstrated that nano-sized particles play an important role in the formation of the hard tissues of animals. It is well established that the basic inorganic building blocks of bones and teeth of mammals are nano-sized and nanocrystalline calcium orthophosphates (in the form of apatites) of a biological origin. In mammals, tens to hundreds of nanocrystals of biological apatite are found to combine into self-assembled structures under the control of bio-organic matrixes. It was also confirmed experimentally that the structure of both dental enamel and bones could be mimicked by an oriented aggregation of nano-sized calcium orthophosphates, determined by the biomolecules. The application and prospective use of nano-sized and nanocrystalline calcium orthophosphates for clinical repair of damaged bones and teeth are also known. For example, a greater viability and a better proliferation of various cells were detected on smaller crystals of calcium orthophosphates. Furthermore, studies revealed that the differentiation of various cells was promoted by nano-sized calcium orthophosphates. Thus, the nano-sized and nanocrystalline forms of calcium orthophosphates have the potential to revolutionize the field of hard tissue engineering, in areas ranging from bone repair and augmentation to controlled drug delivery devices. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge and recent developments of various nano-sized and nanocrystalline calcium orthophosphates, covering topics from the synthesis and characterization to biomedical and clinical applications. This review also provides possible directions of future research and development.

Economic Perspective on the Value of Cats and Dogs

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 595-613
Author(s):  
Ruben Hoffmann ◽  
Carl-Johan Lagerkvist ◽  
Malin Hagberg Gustavsson ◽  
Bodil Ström Holst
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Economic Values ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Use Values ◽  
Good Starting Point

AbstractAlthough various benefits of cats and dogs have been extensively studied, their fundamental economic value is poorly understood. Economic values are, in contrast to monetary values, determined subjectively and guide individuals in their decisions. This study presents a conceptual economic model of the value of cats and dogs which provides a basis for future research. Benefits of cats and dogs identified in the literature are categorized in relation to the model. The multidimensional value of these nonhuman animals includes different use and non-use values, for caretakers and other humans. Data from an online survey on the salience (importance of attributes in memory) of cats and dogs in Sweden provide support for the proposed model. It is argued that the subjective well-being approach developed in psychology provides a good starting point for estimating many of the economic values of these animals, but that different types of values may require different approaches.

Reviewing Business-IT Alignment Instruments Under SAM Dimensions

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Belfo ◽  
Rui Dinis Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Work ◽  
Strategic Alignment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
It Alignment ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Good Starting Point ◽  
Business It Alignment ◽  
Alignment Maturity ◽  
It Executives ◽  
Validated Instrument

Business-IT alignment has been on the top of the concerns of IT executives for many years and how to assess it has been under research. Among many proposals, one of the best known and cited in the literature, showing some relevant empirical work, is the Luftman’s Strategic Alignment Maturity (SAM) categories assessment. Taking it as a framework, seven other proposals are examined using SAM categories as dimensions of business-IT alignment: communications, competency/value measurements, governance, partnership, technology scope and skills. Except for one proposal revealing a tactical level approach, this review shows that business-IT alignment assessment has been studied essentially at the strategic level. Among the examined dimensions across the several proposals, governance is the best covered one while the human resource skills dimension is considerably neglected. Having still room for improvements, either in the governance or the technology scope dimensions, the SAM assessment seems a well balanced instrument. The empirical work already found on SAM provides a good starting point to get an acceptable validated instrument. However, if in terms of content validity, SAM is one of the most promising instruments, there is still much work to do on what concerns its operationalization. Future research should strive for a rigorous, strong instrument on every component of construct validity, namely, the convergent, discriminant and nomological components.

Veterinary vaccines against toxoplasmosis

Parasitology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 141 (11) ◽  
pp. 1365-1378 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELŻBIETA HISZCZYŃSKA-SAWICKA ◽  
JUSTYNA M. GATKOWSKA ◽  
MARCIN M. GRZYBOWSKI ◽  
HENRYKA DŁUGOŃSKA
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Congenital Toxoplasmosis ◽  
Protozoan Parasite ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Laboratory Animals ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Current State ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Good Starting Point

SUMMARYToxoplasma gondii is a cosmopolitan protozoan parasite that infects a wide range of mammal and bird species. Common infection leads to high economic (e.g. abortions in sheep) and human (e.g. congenital toxoplasmosis or neurotoxoplasmosis in humans) losses. With one exception (Toxovax™ for sheep), there are no vaccines to prevent human or animal toxoplasmosis. The paper presents the current state and challenges in the development of a vaccine against toxoplasmosis, designed for farm animals either bred for consumption or commonly kept on farms and involved in parasite transmission. So far, the trials have mostly revolved around conventional vaccines and, compared with the research using laboratory animals (mainly mice), they have not been very numerous. However, the results obtained are promising and could be a good starting point for developing an effective vaccine to prevent toxoplasmosis.

scholarly journals The Shift to Gamification in Education: A Review on Dominant Issues

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-137
Author(s):  
Kingsley Ofosu-Ampong
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Game Elements ◽  
The Impact

This article examines gamification literature on education since 2011. Using highlighted themes from Kirriemuir and McFarlane’s review on games and education as a starting point, the study identified 32 published papers. Furthermore, the study evaluated and identified previous conceptual and methodological approaches for evaluating gamification in education research. Using the identifying themes, the study discusses the development and use of gamification in education (Theme I), the application of gamification in education (Theme II), and the impact of gamification in education (Theme III) and propose that there is increased gamification and game elements research activities bridging the idea of gamified information systems in education and offering interesting opportunities for future research. The study concludes with future research directions for gamification in education.

scholarly journals RURAL SITES IN PAMPHYLIA: A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF THE AVAILABLE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (60) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Fifth Century ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Rural Settlements ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Current State ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Rural Sites

Located in the Antalya plain and the immediate northern part of this plain, Pamphylia was home to well-known ancient Anatolian cities Aspendos, Perge, Side and Sillyon. It can be claimed that these cities have been relatively well-researched archaeological settlements through archaeological excavations and surveys. Although the mentioned cities are archaeologically important elements of Pamphylia, the region also harbours numerous rural settlements and findspots. Especially, the cultural heritage registration activities in recent years have clearly revealed the dense human occupation and certain settlement trends in the region. Moreover, rescue excavations and individual findspots have revealed that the pre-Roman period of the region’s countryside can be dated back to at least the fifth century BCE. On the other hand, archaeological research in the region mainly focuses on the major cities and their material culture. With some exceptions such as Lyrboton Kome, the number of studies on the region’s countryside is much less compared to those of urban-focused ones. In addition, there is relatively little interest in regional-scale research that holistically deals with the rural settlements of the region. Based on these arguments, in this study, the current state of the countryside of Pamphylia will be evaluated in the light of current research and available evidence. Thus, this work also aims to establish a baseline study and starting point for future research on Pamphylia’s lesser-known countryside. Keywords: Pamphylia, Ancient Anatolian Countryside, Archaeology of Antalya, Mediterranean

scholarly journals A Review of the Monograph by R.V. Amelin, S.E. Channov Tendencies and Prospects of the Use of State Information Systems in Public Administration: Legal Aspects. Moscow: DMK Press, 2019. 172 p.

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 85-88
Author(s):  
Marina B. Dobrobaba ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
State Information ◽  
Current State ◽  
New Information ◽  
Domestic Legislation ◽  
Development Prospects

The monograph is devoted to the consideration of the possibilities of using state information systems in various spheres of public administration. The authors study both the current state and the development prospects of domestic legislation on information systems; analyze the implementation of state information systems in education, healthcare, financial management, environmental protection, etc., paying particular attention to the effectiveness of their use. Separately, the work considers the advisability of switching to new information technologies in public administration, such as blockchain, “big data”, etc., taking into account potential threats from their implementation and their elimination by legal means.

scholarly journals KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: CURRENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE AND FUTURE RESEARCH

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 671-680
Author(s):  
Víctor Yepes ◽  
Salvador López
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Current State ◽  
Main Factors

Knowledge management in the construction industry has become an element of transition between traditional processes and the current needs demanded by technological change. This research reviews the updated scientific contributions of knowledge management in construction, as well as its influence. The results come from a bibliometric study, elaborating a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the current state. The research method was divided into the following stages: preliminary approach to the bibliography, establishment of search strategies, selection and classification of articles, quantitative analysis and discussion of relevant articles. Three main factors were identified: use and exploitation of knowledge, knowledge transfer, and information technologies; five complementary facets were also identified: culture, innovation, quality, knowledge generation and human factors. The results reaffirm the importance of the use and exploitation of knowledge, in addition to increasing attention to the transfer and technology of information. However, the generation of knowledge has declined because the sector still does not report the results of applying knowledge, and this underlines the need for the future study of strategies to transform tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge.

Factors Affecting the Sustainability of Computer Information Systems

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald C. McDermid ◽  
Linda J Kristjanson ◽  
Nigel Spry
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Tablet Computers ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Life Data ◽  
Computer Information Systems ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Good Starting Point ◽  
Sustainable System

This study explores the issues and barriers to developing a sustainable system for the collection of quality of life data in hospitals. A set of sustainability factors was identified and tested in a study that introduced tablet computers to collect questionnaires from cancer patients. These factors are considered a good starting point for practitioners and researchers to use in other IT contexts if they wish to develop sustainable information systems.

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