Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Abstract

Volume 13, Number 3, 2004

 

143. A Conceptual Framework for E-Branding Strategies in the Non-Profit Sector

Horst Treiblmaier, Irene Pollach, Arne Floh, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration
Marcin Kotlowski, Echonet.at, Vienna, Austria

E-branding provides non-profit organizations (NPOs) with new opportunities to communicate their missions, which is of paramount importance in a market segment that competes for donations and voluntary labor. Since successful e-branding is determined by both internal and external communication strategies, we developed a framework which explains the interdependency of these two factors in NPOs. Our findings are based on qualitative interview data and a website analysis of eleven Austrian NPOs. The NPOs' internal and external e‑communication strategies are categorized into three successive levels each and combined in a two-dimensional grid, which shows how NPOs integrate their communication strategies.

 

157. The Impacts of Conflicts on Requirements Uncertainty and Project Performance

Houn-Gee Chen, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
James J. Jiang, University of Central Florida
Jun-Cheng Chen, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
J.T. Shim, University of Central Florida

Conflict is a pervasive phenomenon that permeates information systems development and implementation.  The literature has indicated that conflicts, due to their association with negative emotion, will negatively influence IS project development, even after controlling for the effects of conflict management and resolution; however, the negative emotional characteristic of conflict alone has a limited explanatory power of IS project success. The purpose of this study is to provide additional insight, by including requirement uncertainty as the mediator variable, of the impacts of conflicts on project performance. Surveys were sent to Taiwan’s top 1600 companies and the results support the hypotheses. The management implications are discussed.  

 

169. XML: Gateway for Data Mobility and Universal Connectivity

Emmanuel Uzoma Opara, Prairie View A&M University

 

Extensible Markup Language (XML) started as an effort to simplify the standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), which was the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) standard for defining data vocabularies. This study investigates XML technology as a substitute to SGML that would be Web friendly, and easy to learn and use while supporting a variety of applications for faster and more efficient data mobility on the Web.  It describes several compelling reasons why XML is a useful technology for representing structured data mobility.  XML is a markup language used for data structure in a textual form. A specific goal of XML is to keep most of the descriptive power of SGML, while removing as much of the complexity as possible. This article includes an overview of XML and its specifications and corresponding components, development of schemas for defining industry standards data definitions, potential problematic impact on information systems and recommended solutions for developers and practitioners.

 

181. Information Systems Service Quality Measurement: The Evolution of The SERVQUAL Instrument

Dwayne Whitten, Baylor University

 

Due to the increasing service component of information technology, service quality measurement has become increasingly important as IS practitioners attempt to increase service quality to customers. The measurement of service quality in IS evolved from the research done in the marketing literature. The SERVQUAL instrument has evolved to become the most commonly used measurement instrument in both IS and marketing. Although commonly used, the SERVQUAL instrument is not without criticism. This paper describes the SERVQUAL instrument, its criticisms and support, and finally the SERVPERF instrument, a variation of the SERVQUAL instrument which is an attempt at improving upon the SERVQUAL instrument.

 

193. Empirical Evidence Of Diminishing Payoff From Successive Generations Of Information Systems

Gerald E. Evans, The University of Montana

Neil Morton, Florida Atlantic University

 

Previous research has focused on a number of important variables that can influence the observed payoffs from information systems investments.  In the current investigation conducted in the spring of 2002, personal, on-site interviews were conducted in 138 small and medium sized businesses.  Vendor involvement in systems development was less related to systems cost than previously.  Unfortunately, vendor involvement was unrelated to any of the four measures of systems success in the entire sample.  Further analysis revealed a strong relationship between information system generation and payoffs.  Specifically, there appeared to be a point of diminishing return with subsequent generations of information technology. 

 

207. eXtensible Markup Language (XML) for Competitive Advantage

William P. Wagner, Ralph Hilken, and Q B. Chung, Villanova University

 

eXtensible Markup Language (XML) has received much attention in the popular press lately as a new technology designed to facilitate information sharing among business entities. One of the biggest problems that companies are experiencing today with XML is that many executives do not understand what XML is and why it is important, nor do they understand what its potential impact on their information strategy might be. In this paper, we present an overview of XML and a framework for generating IS strategic alternatives, which was introduced in its original form in the 1980s. This framework is adapted to suit the properties of XML and its usage is illustrated with XML cases. Finally, considerations for developing XML applications that are identified by the framework are presented.