Implementation Success Model in Government Agencies

A recent presidential directive mandated that all U.S. government agencies establish a centralized identification system. This study investigated the impact of users’ involvement, resistance, and computer self-efficacy on the implementation success of a centralized identification system. Information System (IS) usage was the construct employed to measure IS implementation success. A survey instrument was developed based on existing measures from key IS literature. The results of this study indicated a strong reliability for the measures of all constructs (user involvement, computer self-efficacy, user’s resistance, and IS usage). Factor analysis was conducted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation. Results of the PCA indicate that items of the constructs measured had high validity, while Cronbach’s Alpha for each factor demonstrates high reliability for all constructs measured. Additionally, results of a structural equations modeling analysis using Partial Least Square (PLS) indicate that computer self-efficacy and user involvement had positive significant impact on the implementation success. However, the results also demonstrated that user’s resistance had no significant impact on IS usage, while end user involvement had a strong negative impact on user’s resistance.

A Mashup Application to Support Complex Decision Making for Retail Consumers

Purchase processes often require complex decision making and consumers frequently use Web information sources to support these decisions. However, increasing amounts of information can make finding appropriate information problematic. This information overload, coupled with decision complexity, can increase time required to make a decision and reduce decision quality. This creates a need for tools that support these decision-making processes. Online tools that bring together data and partial solutions are one option to improve decision making in complex, multi-criteria environments. An experiment using a prototype mashup application indicates that these types of applications may significantly decrease time spent and improve overall quality of complex retail decisions.

Service Registry Design

A service registry is a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) component that keeps a ‘catalogue’ of available services. It stores service specifications so that these specifications can be found by potential users. Discussions on the design of service registries currently focus on technical issues, while service registries should take into consideration information needs of business domain users. In this regard, the authors consider service registries as information services and develop a comprehensive framework for designing service registries. This framework introduces aspects that determine a design space for service registries. In this design space, the authors identify views, requirements, processes, and means in the design of a service registry that supports the lifecycle information of a service. A vital part of these requirements is further implemented and demonstrated in a prototype built as a ‘proof-of-concept’ for the framework. This paper also discusses a case study used to evaluate the prototype. In this case study, a registry prototype has been populated with realistic services of a large insurance company, and 21 experienced IT and business professionals from a consultancy organization evaluated the prototype for its user satisfaction.

Data Mining in Nonprofit Organizations, Government Agencies, and Other Institutions

Data mining involves searching through databases for potentially useful information, such as knowledge rules, patterns, regularities, and other trends hidden in the data. Today, data mining is more widely used than ever before, not only by businesses who seek profits but also by nonprofit organizations, government agencies, private groups and other institutions in the public sector. In this paper, the authors summarize and classify the applications of data mining in the public sector into the following possible categories: improving service or performance; helping customer relations management; analyzing scientific and research information; managing human resources; improving emergency management; detecting fraud, waste, and abuse; detecting criminal activities; and detecting terrorist activities.

Connect Time Limits and Performance Measures in a Dial-up Modem Pool System

Managing customer service is critical for both nonprofit and for-profit dial-up modem Internet service providers. When system operators face excess demand, they can either add capacity or adapt their management techniques to deal with their limited resources—this article considers the latter. We examine system configuration options and the resultant effects on customer service levels in a simulated dial-up modem pool operation. Specifically, we look at a single pool operation and examine the effects of imposing time limits in a seriously overloaded system. We analyze the results on several key customer service measures. The results show that imposing these limits will have a distinct, nonlinear impact on these measures. Customer productivity and actual system load are shown to have major impacts on the performance measures. Interactions between several system and environmental parameters are also discussed.

Hybrid Value Creation in the Sports Industry

Integrated product-service packages (hybrid products) can open new markets and target groups to companies. However, existing approaches to service or product development do not sufficiently address simultaneous development and domain-specific issues. A very promising new field for such bundles is the health and fitness industry. In this research, we designed and built an IT-supported training system for running, the Mobile Sports Companion (MSC), which closely interlocks a product and corresponding services using an iterative development process. We tested the pilot system with 14 recreational athletes. The results of the field test show that the MSC proved to be a promising tool to offer athletes an effective individual, flexible, and mobile training. However, the system, as it is, did not sufficiently represent the human trainer behind it, thus lowering its acceptance and the credibility of its recommendations. Our next step is to integrate features that could strengthen the athlete-trainer relationship. The MSC could turn out to be a promising field for future e-business applications in the sports service industry.

ICT Usage by Greek Accountants

This study investigates Greek accounting offices use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Initially, a comprehensive questionnaire was developed. It contains 35 questions with multiple answers and 2 open questions tailored to the accountants. One hundred accountants’ offices in a Greek county answered the questionnaire. The findings present their current ICT infrastructure and their use of ICT and accounting e-services. Greek accounting offices have made improvements in adopting new technology in their everyday work. All use email, antivirus software, and the Web. Most submit VAT (Value Aided Tax), Taxation Statements, and APS (Analytical Periodic Statement) via Internet. However, most are not cautious about backing up their data daily; they do not create electronic files for all their documents; they do not update their software via Internet; and they do not use advanced software applications. Finally, they expect the government and the Accountants’ Chamber to finance their ICT infrastructure.

Understanding Expectations, Perceptions and Satisfaction Levels of Customers of Military Engineer Services in India

Customer satisfaction and client orientation concepts are needed in all service providing organisations, including those engaged in construction and infrastructure provision within the public sector where the public perception about their services is at its lowest. This study measures the expectations and perceptions of various service elements among clients of Military Engineer Services (MES) in India. Customers’ survey mode was used to measure the expectations, perception, importance and satisfaction. The perceived quality of services provided by this department was measured with SERVQUAL instrument on selected attributes using the Gap approach for identifying priorities. Additionally, this study also examines the influence of demographic characteristics of clients on expectations and perceptions of the clients. The results can be used by similar organisations for cultural and structural change to increase accountability and performance, in which the results indicate that the three most important dimensions in the order of importance among the clients of MES are tangibles, responsiveness and reliability.

Exploring the Adoption of Technology Driven Services in the Healthcare Industry

Recent developments in information and communication technologies have helped to accelerate the diffusion of electronic services in the medical industry. Health information services house, retrieve, and make use of medical information to improve service quality and reduce cost. Users—including medical staff, administrative staff, and patients—of these systems cannot fully benefit from them unless they can use them comfortably. User behavior is affected by various factors relating to technology characteristics, user characteristics, social environment, and organizational environment. Our research evaluated the determinants of health information service adoption and analyzed the relationship between these determinants and the behavior of the user. Health information service adoption was found to be influenced by service characteristics, user characteristics, intermediary variables, facilitating conditions, and social factors.

Predicting Ambulance Diverson

The high utilization level of emergency departments in hospitals across the United States has resulted in the serious and persistent problem of ambulance diversion. This problem is magnified by the cascading effect it has on neighboring hospitals, delays in emergency care, and the potential for patients’ clinical deterioration. We provide a predictive tool that would give advance warning to hospitals of the impending likelihood of diversion. We hope that with a predictive instrument, such as the one described in this paper, hospitals can take preventive or mitigating actions. The proposed model, which uses logistic and multinomial regression, is evaluated using real data from the Emergency Management System (EM Systems) and 911 call data from Firstwatch® for the Metropolitan Ambulance Services Trust (MAST) of Kansas City, Missouri. The information in these systems that was significant in predicting diversion includes recent 911 calls, season, day of the week, and time of day. The model illustrates the feasibility of predicting the probability of impending diversion using available information. We strongly recommend that other locations, nationwide and abroad, develop and use similar models for predicting diversion.