scholarly journals Diminishing the Gap Between IT Governance Maturity Theory and Practice

Author(s):  
Daniël Smits ◽  
Jos van Hillegersberg

IT governance research suggests the existence of a gap between theoretical frameworks and practice. Although current ITG research is largely focused on hard governance (structure, processes), soft governance (behavior, collaboration) is equally important and might be crucial to close the gap. The goal of this study is to determine what IT governance maturity models are available and if there remains a mismatch. The authors conducted a systematic literature review to create an overview of available IT governance maturity models. The study shows five new IT governance maturity models were introduced. Only one of the new IT governance maturity models covers hard and soft IT governance in detail. This model and corresponding instrument was used to illustrate its usability in practice. The authors demonstrate that combining the instrument with structured interviews results in a usable instrument to determine an organization's current maturity level of hard and soft IT governance.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5459
Author(s):  
Diana Soares ◽  
Betina Lopes ◽  
Isabel Abrantes ◽  
Mike Watts

This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) on the initial training of science teachers in Africa based on selected research articles, in the period 2000–2020, that emphasize the importance of surveying knowledge that goes beyond those that historically have a longer path in the building of scientific knowledge, such as that of European or North American countries. The analysis included a total of 31 articles from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. The findings indicate a lack of knowledge, or at least visibility, considering the initial training of African teachers, particularly in developing countries. South Africa leads the number of publications. Within the five African countries implied in the SLR the following outputs were identified: (i) a division between teacher education research that is ‘place-based’ and one that uses (only) ‘universal theories’ (such as Vygotsky and Bandura); (ii) a tension between the application of student-centered learning and teaching models and more traditional classroom practices. Finally, the majority of articles highlight the importance of investing in further research around teacher education. Based on these outputs the importance of international cooperation in teacher education research articulating theory and practice to ensure a global and local perspective towards sustainable development is reinforced.


Author(s):  
Mohammed A. Alhossini ◽  
Collins G. Ntim ◽  
Alaa Mansour Zalata

This paper comprehensively reviews the current body of international accounting literature regarding advisory/monitoring committees and corporate outcomes. Specifically, it synthesizes, appraises, and extends current knowledge on the (a) theoretical (i.e., economic, accounting/corporate governance, sociological and socio-psychological) perspectives and (b) empirical evidence of the observable and less visible attributes at both the individual and committee levels and their link with a wide range (financial/non-financial) of corporate outcomes. Using the systematic literature review method, 304 articles from 59 journals in the fields of accounting and finance that were published between January 1992 and December 2018 are reviewed. The main findings are as follows. First and theoretically, agency theory is the most dominant applied theory/studies with no application of theory at all (descriptive), while the application of integrated theoretical frameworks is lacking in the reviewed articles. Secondly, the existing empirical evidence focusses excessively on (a) monitoring instead of advisory committees and (b) observable rather than less visible committee attributes. Thirdly, scarcity of cross-country studies along with methodological limitations relating to measurement inconsistencies, insufficiency of variables, and dominance of quantitative studies, among others, are identified. Finally, promising future research avenues are outlined.


Author(s):  
Erik Guldentops

Board oversight of information technology has not kept pace with the rapid growth of IT as a critical driver of business success. However, this is shortsighted, since effective governance over IT Governance protects shareholder value; makes clear that IT risks are quantified and understood; directs and controls IT investment, opportunity, benefits and risks; aligns IT with the business while accepting IT as a critical input to and component of the strategic plan; sustains current operations and prepares for the future; and is an integral part of a global governance structure. Like most other governance activities, IT Governance engages both board and executive management. Among the board’s responsibilities are reviewing and guiding corporate strategy, setting and monitoring achievement of management’s performance objectives, and ensuring the integrity of the organisation’s systems. Management’s focus is generally on cost-efficiency, revenue enhancement and building capabilities, all of which are enabled by information, knowledge and the IT infrastructure. The four main focus areas for IT Governance are driven by stakeholder value. Two are outcomes: value delivery and risk mitigation. Two are drivers: strategic alignment and performance measurement. Action plans for implementing effective IT Governance, from both a board and an executive management point of view, consist of activities, outcome measures, best practices, critical success factors and performance drivers. In addition, organisations must assess how well they are currently performing and be able to identify where and how improvements can be made. The use of maturity models simplifies this task and provides a pragmatic, structured approach for measurement. Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT), a third edition of which was issued by the IT Governance Institute in 2000, incorporates material on IT Governance and a Management Guidelines component. COBIT presents an international and generally accepted IT control framework enabling organisations to implement an IT Governance structure throughout the enterprise. The Management Guidelines consist of maturity models, critical success factors, key goal indicators and key performance indicators. This structure delivers a significantly improved framework responding to management’s need for control and measurability of IT by providing tools to assess and measure the organisation’s IT environment against COBIT’s 34 IT processes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 438-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Jede ◽  
Frank Teuteberg

Purpose – There are cloud computing (CC) services available for various applications within the supply chain management (SCM). These services offer, for example, consistent global networking platforms and enable quick decision making, which may strengthen competitive advantages. The specification of the single-related elements and the coordination mechanisms between actors and information flows is complex. In this paper, the authors argue that reference models can accelerate understanding these processes. The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding of the current state of the underlying research field and to present a reference model that supports theory and practice in adopting CC services at SCM. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a cross-discipline systematic literature review from the research perspectives of information systems and SCM. Based on 102 papers, the authors designed a reference model showing the interrelations between various elements of CC and SCM. Findings – The authors discover the most important chances and risks for CC implementations in supply chain (SC) processes and pay special attention to SC sustainability aspects of CC. Until now, SCM research in the realm of CC usage is still in its infancy both in theory and practice. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no systematic literature review that consistently focusses CC usage within SC processes while integrating specific aspects of strategic theory. The obtained insights lead to the first SCM-related reference model for CC usage.


Author(s):  
Timothy Holder ◽  
Margaret Gruen ◽  
David Roberts ◽  
Tamara Somers ◽  
Alper Bozkurt

Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) are a unique class of complementary medical treatments that can improve a patient’s quality of life, both physically and psychologically. Part I of this two-paper systematic literature review series focused on the study methods and quantitative results of researchers in this field. We continue this in-depth review here in Part II by discussing the common theories associated with AAI in the context of cancer. Of all the factors at work in human-animal interactions, researchers explicitly cite compatible animal personality, physical touch, physical movement, distraction/entertainment, and increased human interaction as the mechanisms responsible for the positive clinical outcomes observed in AAI. In various combinations, these mechanisms group under broader theoretical frameworks that attempt to fully explain the AAI context as it relates to cancer care. The social support hypothesis and the conception of a human-animal bond are the most referenced overarching frameworks. The cognitive activation theory of stress, the science of unitary human beings, and the self-object hypothesis are also referenced. We briefly consider other relevant theories commonly noted in the human-animal interactions literature that have the potential to clarify aspects of cancer-related AAI. We also discuss the neurobiological transduction mechanisms needed to connect theoretical frameworks and their mechanisms directly to the observed clinical outcomes. To advance the field, researchers should consider overarching theories with testable hypotheses when designing studies, and use consistent terminology when reporting results. This review lays a foundation for progress towards a unified theoretical framework and for effective treatment of the whole cancer patient.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document