End-User Quality of Experience-Aware Personalized E-Learning

Lately, user quality of experience (QoE) during their interaction with a system is a significant factor in the assessment of most systems. However, user QoE is dependent not only on the content served to the users, but also on the performance of the service provided. This chapter describes a novel QoE layer that extends the features of classic adaptive e-learning systems in order to consider delivery performance in the adaptation process and help in providing good user perceived QoE during the learning process. An experimental study compared a classic adaptive e-learning system with one enhanced with the proposed QoE layer. The result analysis compares learner outcome, learning performance, visual quality and usability of the two systems and shows how the QoE layer brings significant benefits to user satisfaction improving the overall learning process.

Contingencies in the KMS Design

Improving how knowledge is leveraged in organizations for improved business performance is currently considered as a major organizational change. Knowledge management (KM) projects are stigmatized as demanding, fuzzy, and complex, with questionable outcomes—more than 70% of them do not deliver what they promised. While most organizations have deployed knowledge management systems (KMSs), only a handful have been able to leverage these investments. Existing knowledge management (KM) research offered valuable insights on how to introduce KMSs in a sense of innovation-diffusion, yet little guidance has been offered to KMS developers who need to decide on functionalities of a tool they are to introduce in particular organizational setting. The goal of this chapter is to propose theoretical background for design of KMS that successfully support and enable new knowledge creation and existing knowledge utilization. By using principles of the design science, design profiles proposed build upon works from organization and IS sciences, primarily the Evolutionary Information-Processing Theory of Knowledge Creation (Li & Kettinger, 2006) and the Task Technology Fit Theory (Zigurs & Buckland, 1998), the latter being amended for particularities of the KM environment. Proposed fit profiles suggest that one-size-fits-all approaches do not work and that organizations must take, in contrast with extant literature, a segmented approach to KM activities and fitting technological support.

A Comparison of the Inhibitors of Hacking vs. Shoplifting

The means by which the U.S. justice system attempts to control illegal hacking are practiced under the assumption that hacking is like any other illegal crime. This chapter evaluates this assumption by comparing illegal hacking to shoplifting. Three inhibitors of two illegal behaviors are examined: informal sanction, punishment severity, and punishment certainty. A survey of 136 undergraduate students attending a university and 54 illegal hackers attending the DefCon conference in 2003 was conducted. The results show that both groups perceive a higher level of punishment severity but a lower level of informal sanction for hacking than for shoplifting. Our findings show that hackers perceive a lower level of punishment certainty for hacking than for shoplifting, but students perceive a higher level of punishment certainty for hacking than for shoplifting. The results add to the stream of information security research and provide significant implications for law makers and educators aiming to combat hacking.

Achieving Sustainable Tailorable Software Systems by Collaboration Between End-Users and Developers

This chapter reports on a case study performed in cooperation with a telecommunication provider. The telecom business changes rapidly as new services are continuously introduced. The rapidly changing business environment demands that the company has supportive, sustainable information systems to stay on the front line of the business area. The company’s continuous evolution of the IT-infrastructure makes it necessary to tailor the interaction between different applications. The objective of the case study was to explore what is required to allow end users to tailor the interaction between flexible applications in an evolving IT-infrastructure to provide for software sustainability. The case study followed a design research paradigm where a prototype was created and evaluated from a use perspective. The overall result shows that allowing end users to tailor the interaction between flexible applications in an evolving IT infrastructure relies on, among other things, an organization that allows cooperation between users and developers that supports both evolution and tailoring.

Information Systems Success and Failure—Two Sides of One Coin, or Different in Nature? An Exploratory Study

Although the discipline of information systems (IS) development is well established, IS failure and abandonment remains widespread. As a result, a considerable amount of IS research literature has investigated, among other things, the factors associated with IS success and failure. However, little attention has been given to any possible relationships that exist among the uncovered factors. In an attempt to address this, we examine the development of a successful IS, and compare the factors associated with its success against the factors most reported in our review of the literature as being associated with IS failure. This may be an important area of study given, for example, project management practices may be affected by knowing whether success and failure are two sides of one coin, or different in nature. The results of our exploratory study showed that four of the six factors associated with the success of the investigated IS were related to the factors identified from our review of the literature as being associated with IS failure.

mCity

This chapter presents the mCity Project, a project owned by the City of Stockholm, aiming at creating user-friendly mobile services in collaboration with businesses. Starting from the end-users’ perspective, mCity focuses on how to satisfy existing needs in the community, initiating test pilots within a wide range of areas, from health care and education, to tourism and business. The lesson learned is that user focus creates involvement among end users and leads to the development of sustainable systems that are actually used after they have been implemented. This is naturally vital input not only to municipalities and governments but also for the IT/telecom industry at large. Using the knowledge from mCity, the authors suggest a new, broader definition of “m-government” which focuses on mobile people rather than mobile technology.

A Theoretical Model and Framework for Understanding Knowledge Management System Implementation

The study’s objective is to arrive at a theoretical model and framework to guide research into the implementation of KMS, while also seeking to inform practice. In order to achieve this, the chapter applies the critical success factors (CSF) method in a field study of successful KMS implementations across 12 large multinational organisations operating in a range of sectors. The chapter first generates a ‘collective set’ of CSFs from extant research to construct an a priori model and framework: this is then empirically validated and extended using the field study findings to arrive at a ‘collective set’ of CSFs for all 12 organisations. These are then employed to refine and extend the theoretical model using insights from the literature on capability theory. It is hoped that the model and framework will aid theory building and future empirical research on this highly important and relevant topic.

Educating Our Students in Computer Application Concepts

Colleges of business have dealt with teaching computer literacy and advanced computer application concepts for many years, often with much difficulty. Traditional approaches to provide this type of instruction, that is, teaching tool-related features in a lecture in a computer lab, may not be the best medium for this type of material. Indeed, textbook publishers struggle as they attempt to compile and organize appropriate material. Faculty responsible for these courses often find it difficult to satisfy students. This chapter discusses problem-based learning (PBL) as an alternative approach to teaching computer application concepts, operationally defined herein as Microsoft Excel and Access, both very popular tools in use today. First PBL is identified in general, then we look at how it is developed and how it compares with more traditional instructional approaches. A scenario to be integrated into a semester-long course involving computer application concepts based on PBL is also presented. The chapter concludes with suggestions for research and concluding remarks.

User Acceptance of Voice Recognition Technology

Voice recognition technology-enabled devices possess extraordinary growth potential, yet some research indicates that organizations and consumers are resisting their adoption. This study investigates the implementation of a voice recognition device in the United States Navy. Grounded in the social psychology and information systems literature, the researchers adapted instruments and developed a tool to explain technology adoption in this environment. Using factor analysis and structural equation modeling, analysis of data from the 270 participants explained almost 90% of the variance in the model. This research adapts the technology acceptance model by adding elements of the theory of planned behavior, providing researchers and practitioners with a valuable instrument to predict technology adoption.

Usability, Testing, and Ethical Issues in Captive End-User Systems

This chapter uses some special usability and ethical issues that arise from experience with what can be called captive end-user systems (CEUS). These are systems required to gain access to or participate in a private or privileged organization, or for an employee or member of another organization wishing to gain such access and participation. We focus on a few systems we list, but our discussion is relevant to many others, and not necessarily Web-based ones. The specific usability aimed at in this chapter is usability testing (UT), which we use in its usually accepted definition.