In this study, we investigate whether organisations in developing markets legitimise their use of... more In this study, we investigate whether organisations in developing markets legitimise their use of societal resources. We concur that organisations’ existence in developing markets is also part of a social contract. Within this implied contract, organisations are to leverage resources in an equitable manner, allowing fair distribution of benefits to society and themselves. In this setting, we propose that the level of profit is the best indicator of the outcome of use of resources, and is subject to numerous societal emotions in developing economies. We also propose that readability of narratives relating to a level of profit is the best measure of organisations’ immediate legitimacy activities. Five-year data on profitability and readability of sections of corporate annual reports from 30 organisations reveals that organisations with higher profits present more readable narrative disclosures in their annual reports. This relationship is more evident in larger companies and with the ...
ABSTRACT This research suggests information technology (IT) governance structures to manage the c... more ABSTRACT This research suggests information technology (IT) governance structures to manage the cloud computing services. The interest in acquiring IT resources as a utility from the cloud computing environment is gaining momentum. The cloud computing services present organizations with opportunities to manage their IT expenditure on an ongoing basis, and access to modern IT resources to innovate and manage their continuity. However, the cloud computing services are no silver bullet. Organizations would need to have appropriate governance structures and policies in place to manage the cloud computing services. The subsequent decisions from these governance structures will ensure the effective management of the cloud computing services. This management will facilitate a better fit of the cloud computing services into organizations' existing processes to achieve the business (process-level) and the financial (firm-level) objectives. Using a triangulation approach, we suggest four governance structures for managing the cloud computing services. These structures are a chief cloud officer, a cloud management committee, a cloud service facilitation centre, and a cloud relationship centre. We also propose that these governance structures would relate directly to organizations' cloud computing services-related business objectives, and indirectly to cloud computing services-related financial objectives. Perceptive field survey data from actual and prospective cloud computing service adopters suggest that the suggested governance structures would contribute directly to cloud computing-related business objectives and indirectly to cloud computing-related financial objectives.
Development failures and runaway projects in the information systems (IS) area can result in subs... more Development failures and runaway projects in the information systems (IS) area can result in substantial losses to organizations, either financially or to a company’s reputation. One important strategy in mitigating risk is the use of effective controls over IS projects. This research investigates the effectiveness of control mechanisms in IS projects, i.e., how they have been established, applied, and how they have evolved throughout the project. We conducted an in-depth study of six information systems projects with six different project managers. We found that formal controls were adopted on project elements with clearly defined project outcomes and informal controls were adopted mainly on project elements that were unclear and often related to people. Furthermore, formal controls were dominant at project initiation and in most cases these controls became less dominant over the project duration. These formal controls were more rigorously applied in external IS projects while info...
Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on E-Education, E-Business, E-Management and E-Learning - IC4E '19, 2019
This paper evaluates the role of virtual learning environments on learning performance in two con... more This paper evaluates the role of virtual learning environments on learning performance in two contexts. The research utilizes an online survey to capture the postgraduate students experience in using formal and informal learning systems to achieve the learning performance. We capture and analyze the learning process and behavioral characteristics. The smartPLS application has been used as a tool to analyze the model. The results show that the model is highly reliable and contrasting characteristics of the formal and informal learning systems. The results are useful explaining the significance of the learning process and behavioral characteristics of Virtual Learning Environments in achieving learning performance and highlight the opportunities for further research.
Contemporary learning environments use formal learning management systems to facilitate learning.... more Contemporary learning environments use formal learning management systems to facilitate learning. Students use these formal learning management systems as well as informal learning systems such as social network applications to support their learning. We seek to understand the use and effectiveness of these formal and informal systems in students learning. Supported from the information system success model, we developed and validated a research model to understand the role of the contemporary learning environment. Survey data has been collected through participants from a tertiary educational institution. Data analysis has been conducted using smart PLS and the findings highlight the characteristics that help in achieving learning performance.
More than a decade and a half's worth of data contributes to the successful provision of labo... more More than a decade and a half's worth of data contributes to the successful provision of labor-hire to mining and construction. A labor-hire company's database underpins its ability to provide customers with value in utilizing a Labor-hire service versus Full Time employment. We develop a model of labor-hire based on interviews, a survey, and an examination of labor-hire policies including costs and conditions between in-house hiring versus a labor-hire service. An employee history database and management system are at the heart of the business model, supporting business processes at each stage of the business. We show that the use of labor-hire translates into significant savings emanating from reductions in overhead costs, turnover, and absenteeism. Fundamental differences in employment contracts and net cash flow benefits exist. Intangible benefits include the ability to vary pay rates, and other employee benefits in line with market conditions.
Sustainability has been assessed by measuring the environmental, social and economic performance.... more Sustainability has been assessed by measuring the environmental, social and economic performance. Such diverse measurements could include contrasting attributes in sustainability measures namely environmental, social, and economic attributes. Our research argues that it is necessary to use a multi-dimensional approach for sustainability knowledge improvements that consist of all sustainability dimensions. Ontology models the real world and is useful in understanding different dimensions of a phenomenon. The use of an appropriate ontology such as static, dynamic, social, and intentional ontologies help to better understand the sustainability dimensions - environmental, social, and economic. This research develops ontology-based multi-dimensional view to environmental management by focusing on sustainability. The research uses hypothetical situations to develop ontological views and maps the ontological knowledge onto the sustainability dimensions to develop knowledge. This approach i...
Online learning environments facilitate improved communication, better access to learning, and gr... more Online learning environments facilitate improved communication, better access to learning, and greater student control. Because technology is dynamic in nature continuing improvement to online learning environments is necessary. Extant literature highlights technological and behavioral characteristics influence learning outcomes. However, the combined effects of both technological and human behavioral characteristics in online learning is not yet sufficiently explored. We investigate the role of technological and behavioral characteristics through learning synchronicity on learning performance. Based on the Information System Success model and the Task Technology Fit model we propose a conceptual model showing both technological and behavioral characteristics in a learning environment. Tertiary students participated in the research by reflecting on their online learning experience.
Information technology (IT) is an important resource in organisations. Organisations leverage the... more Information technology (IT) is an important resource in organisations. Organisations leverage their IT resources with their IT-related capabilities to achieve, and sustain their competitive position. However, IT resources are dynamic, and evolve continually. Furthermore, competitive pressures and turbulent economic conditions mean that organisations continually invest in these dynamic IT resources. These situations mean that organisations need to sustain their IT-related competencies to leverage opportunities offered by the new IT resources. Research about ways to develop new, and sustain existing, IT-related capabilities is limited. A possible reason for the lack of research in this area is the lack of validated measurement items of theoretical constructs necessary to investigate ways to create new, and sustain, existing, IT-related competencies and capabilities. In this study, we suggest an environment in which organisations could build new, and sustain their existing IT-related c...
Organisations devote substantial resources to acquire information technology (IT), and explaining... more Organisations devote substantial resources to acquire information technology (IT), and explaining the important issue of how IT can affect performance has posed a significant challenge to information system (IS) researchers. Owing to the importance of expanding our understanding on how and where IT and IT-related resources impact organisational performance, this study
Information systems (IS) projects are often delivered late, over budget, and not always to requir... more Information systems (IS) projects are often delivered late, over budget, and not always to required specifications. This is an ongoing problem that has eluded researchers and practitioners for decades, but to overcome these problems better ways to manage the success of project development and implementation are needed. We investigate the use of incentives in IS projects during development and implementation and draw upon an agency-based compensation model and suggests that incentives positively impact IS development and implementation. Practitioners were surveyed about the use of incentives. Incentives seem to improve the rate of IS development and implementation and better control IS expenditure and resources. Incentive-based contracts improve alignment with management objectives by managing factors that influence the behaviour of IS personnel. Thus incentive-based contracts specifying productivity and performance criteria can reduce IS project duration and cost.
Although information systems play a critical role in organizational performance their contributio... more Although information systems play a critical role in organizational performance their contribution to environmental performance in agriculture has not been fully investigated because there is a lack of suitable measurement criteria that can inform on the environmental performance contribution of information systems. Currently available measurement criteria form a foundation on which additional more relevant criteria are identified. This paper details the development of an instrument to measure the information systems contribution to a sustainable agricultural management system. We used a qualitative methodology, allowing the exploration of themes and items to emerge during the research process. Scale validity was evaluated and tested for internal validity, external validity, and reliability using a pilot study. The final result of the research is an instrument with 41 items and 8 constructs and illustrates a contemporary approach to instrument development.
Understanding the business value of IT has mostly been studied in developed countries, but becaus... more Understanding the business value of IT has mostly been studied in developed countries, but because most investment in developing countries is derived from external sources, the influence of that investment on business value is likely to be different. We test this notion using a two-layer model. We examine the impact of IT investments on firm processes, and the relationship of these processes to firm performance in a developing country. Our findings suggest that investment in different areas of IT positively relates to improvements in intermediate business processes and these intermediate business processes positively relate to the overall financial performance of firms in a developing country.
We examine the relationship between the effectiveness of IT steering committee-driven IT governan... more We examine the relationship between the effectiveness of IT steering committee-driven IT governance initiatives and firm’s IT management and IT infrastructure related capabilities. We test these relationships empirically by a field survey of 216 firms. Results of this study suggest that a firms’ effectiveness of IT steering committee-driven IT governance initiatives positively relate to the level of their IT-related capabilities. We also found positive relationships between IT-related capabilities and internal process-level performance, which positively relate to improvement in customer service and firm-level performance. For researchers, we demonstrate that the resourcebased theory provides a more robust explanation of the determinants of firms IT governance initiatives. This would be ideal in evaluating other IT governance initiatives effectiveness in relation to how they contribute to building performance-differentiating IT-related capabilities. For decision makers, we hope our s...
Formative assessment is instrumental in improving learning outcomes. However, the impact of forma... more Formative assessment is instrumental in improving learning outcomes. However, the impact of formative assessment within a virtual learning environment is yet to be fully investigated. We use exploratory and confirmatory research approaches to investigate the nature of technologically enabled formative assessment. A literature review and pilot study were conducted to identify the attributes of formative assessment and develop a model for empirical testing. The pilot study identified email and Facebook as the most popular applications used by students and helped us understand how these Virtual Learning Environment applications influence formative assessment in achieving learning success. The results from the final study contribute to academic research by developing an empirically validated research model for formative assessment in Virtual Learning Environments. Practitioners can use the findings to improve the design of learning management systems.
In this study, we investigate whether organisations in developing markets legitimise their use of... more In this study, we investigate whether organisations in developing markets legitimise their use of societal resources. We concur that organisations’ existence in developing markets is also part of a social contract. Within this implied contract, organisations are to leverage resources in an equitable manner, allowing fair distribution of benefits to society and themselves. In this setting, we propose that the level of profit is the best indicator of the outcome of use of resources, and is subject to numerous societal emotions in developing economies. We also propose that readability of narratives relating to a level of profit is the best measure of organisations’ immediate legitimacy activities. Five-year data on profitability and readability of sections of corporate annual reports from 30 organisations reveals that organisations with higher profits present more readable narrative disclosures in their annual reports. This relationship is more evident in larger companies and with the ...
ABSTRACT This research suggests information technology (IT) governance structures to manage the c... more ABSTRACT This research suggests information technology (IT) governance structures to manage the cloud computing services. The interest in acquiring IT resources as a utility from the cloud computing environment is gaining momentum. The cloud computing services present organizations with opportunities to manage their IT expenditure on an ongoing basis, and access to modern IT resources to innovate and manage their continuity. However, the cloud computing services are no silver bullet. Organizations would need to have appropriate governance structures and policies in place to manage the cloud computing services. The subsequent decisions from these governance structures will ensure the effective management of the cloud computing services. This management will facilitate a better fit of the cloud computing services into organizations' existing processes to achieve the business (process-level) and the financial (firm-level) objectives. Using a triangulation approach, we suggest four governance structures for managing the cloud computing services. These structures are a chief cloud officer, a cloud management committee, a cloud service facilitation centre, and a cloud relationship centre. We also propose that these governance structures would relate directly to organizations' cloud computing services-related business objectives, and indirectly to cloud computing services-related financial objectives. Perceptive field survey data from actual and prospective cloud computing service adopters suggest that the suggested governance structures would contribute directly to cloud computing-related business objectives and indirectly to cloud computing-related financial objectives.
Development failures and runaway projects in the information systems (IS) area can result in subs... more Development failures and runaway projects in the information systems (IS) area can result in substantial losses to organizations, either financially or to a company’s reputation. One important strategy in mitigating risk is the use of effective controls over IS projects. This research investigates the effectiveness of control mechanisms in IS projects, i.e., how they have been established, applied, and how they have evolved throughout the project. We conducted an in-depth study of six information systems projects with six different project managers. We found that formal controls were adopted on project elements with clearly defined project outcomes and informal controls were adopted mainly on project elements that were unclear and often related to people. Furthermore, formal controls were dominant at project initiation and in most cases these controls became less dominant over the project duration. These formal controls were more rigorously applied in external IS projects while info...
Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on E-Education, E-Business, E-Management and E-Learning - IC4E '19, 2019
This paper evaluates the role of virtual learning environments on learning performance in two con... more This paper evaluates the role of virtual learning environments on learning performance in two contexts. The research utilizes an online survey to capture the postgraduate students experience in using formal and informal learning systems to achieve the learning performance. We capture and analyze the learning process and behavioral characteristics. The smartPLS application has been used as a tool to analyze the model. The results show that the model is highly reliable and contrasting characteristics of the formal and informal learning systems. The results are useful explaining the significance of the learning process and behavioral characteristics of Virtual Learning Environments in achieving learning performance and highlight the opportunities for further research.
Contemporary learning environments use formal learning management systems to facilitate learning.... more Contemporary learning environments use formal learning management systems to facilitate learning. Students use these formal learning management systems as well as informal learning systems such as social network applications to support their learning. We seek to understand the use and effectiveness of these formal and informal systems in students learning. Supported from the information system success model, we developed and validated a research model to understand the role of the contemporary learning environment. Survey data has been collected through participants from a tertiary educational institution. Data analysis has been conducted using smart PLS and the findings highlight the characteristics that help in achieving learning performance.
More than a decade and a half's worth of data contributes to the successful provision of labo... more More than a decade and a half's worth of data contributes to the successful provision of labor-hire to mining and construction. A labor-hire company's database underpins its ability to provide customers with value in utilizing a Labor-hire service versus Full Time employment. We develop a model of labor-hire based on interviews, a survey, and an examination of labor-hire policies including costs and conditions between in-house hiring versus a labor-hire service. An employee history database and management system are at the heart of the business model, supporting business processes at each stage of the business. We show that the use of labor-hire translates into significant savings emanating from reductions in overhead costs, turnover, and absenteeism. Fundamental differences in employment contracts and net cash flow benefits exist. Intangible benefits include the ability to vary pay rates, and other employee benefits in line with market conditions.
Sustainability has been assessed by measuring the environmental, social and economic performance.... more Sustainability has been assessed by measuring the environmental, social and economic performance. Such diverse measurements could include contrasting attributes in sustainability measures namely environmental, social, and economic attributes. Our research argues that it is necessary to use a multi-dimensional approach for sustainability knowledge improvements that consist of all sustainability dimensions. Ontology models the real world and is useful in understanding different dimensions of a phenomenon. The use of an appropriate ontology such as static, dynamic, social, and intentional ontologies help to better understand the sustainability dimensions - environmental, social, and economic. This research develops ontology-based multi-dimensional view to environmental management by focusing on sustainability. The research uses hypothetical situations to develop ontological views and maps the ontological knowledge onto the sustainability dimensions to develop knowledge. This approach i...
Online learning environments facilitate improved communication, better access to learning, and gr... more Online learning environments facilitate improved communication, better access to learning, and greater student control. Because technology is dynamic in nature continuing improvement to online learning environments is necessary. Extant literature highlights technological and behavioral characteristics influence learning outcomes. However, the combined effects of both technological and human behavioral characteristics in online learning is not yet sufficiently explored. We investigate the role of technological and behavioral characteristics through learning synchronicity on learning performance. Based on the Information System Success model and the Task Technology Fit model we propose a conceptual model showing both technological and behavioral characteristics in a learning environment. Tertiary students participated in the research by reflecting on their online learning experience.
Information technology (IT) is an important resource in organisations. Organisations leverage the... more Information technology (IT) is an important resource in organisations. Organisations leverage their IT resources with their IT-related capabilities to achieve, and sustain their competitive position. However, IT resources are dynamic, and evolve continually. Furthermore, competitive pressures and turbulent economic conditions mean that organisations continually invest in these dynamic IT resources. These situations mean that organisations need to sustain their IT-related competencies to leverage opportunities offered by the new IT resources. Research about ways to develop new, and sustain existing, IT-related capabilities is limited. A possible reason for the lack of research in this area is the lack of validated measurement items of theoretical constructs necessary to investigate ways to create new, and sustain, existing, IT-related competencies and capabilities. In this study, we suggest an environment in which organisations could build new, and sustain their existing IT-related c...
Organisations devote substantial resources to acquire information technology (IT), and explaining... more Organisations devote substantial resources to acquire information technology (IT), and explaining the important issue of how IT can affect performance has posed a significant challenge to information system (IS) researchers. Owing to the importance of expanding our understanding on how and where IT and IT-related resources impact organisational performance, this study
Information systems (IS) projects are often delivered late, over budget, and not always to requir... more Information systems (IS) projects are often delivered late, over budget, and not always to required specifications. This is an ongoing problem that has eluded researchers and practitioners for decades, but to overcome these problems better ways to manage the success of project development and implementation are needed. We investigate the use of incentives in IS projects during development and implementation and draw upon an agency-based compensation model and suggests that incentives positively impact IS development and implementation. Practitioners were surveyed about the use of incentives. Incentives seem to improve the rate of IS development and implementation and better control IS expenditure and resources. Incentive-based contracts improve alignment with management objectives by managing factors that influence the behaviour of IS personnel. Thus incentive-based contracts specifying productivity and performance criteria can reduce IS project duration and cost.
Although information systems play a critical role in organizational performance their contributio... more Although information systems play a critical role in organizational performance their contribution to environmental performance in agriculture has not been fully investigated because there is a lack of suitable measurement criteria that can inform on the environmental performance contribution of information systems. Currently available measurement criteria form a foundation on which additional more relevant criteria are identified. This paper details the development of an instrument to measure the information systems contribution to a sustainable agricultural management system. We used a qualitative methodology, allowing the exploration of themes and items to emerge during the research process. Scale validity was evaluated and tested for internal validity, external validity, and reliability using a pilot study. The final result of the research is an instrument with 41 items and 8 constructs and illustrates a contemporary approach to instrument development.
Understanding the business value of IT has mostly been studied in developed countries, but becaus... more Understanding the business value of IT has mostly been studied in developed countries, but because most investment in developing countries is derived from external sources, the influence of that investment on business value is likely to be different. We test this notion using a two-layer model. We examine the impact of IT investments on firm processes, and the relationship of these processes to firm performance in a developing country. Our findings suggest that investment in different areas of IT positively relates to improvements in intermediate business processes and these intermediate business processes positively relate to the overall financial performance of firms in a developing country.
We examine the relationship between the effectiveness of IT steering committee-driven IT governan... more We examine the relationship between the effectiveness of IT steering committee-driven IT governance initiatives and firm’s IT management and IT infrastructure related capabilities. We test these relationships empirically by a field survey of 216 firms. Results of this study suggest that a firms’ effectiveness of IT steering committee-driven IT governance initiatives positively relate to the level of their IT-related capabilities. We also found positive relationships between IT-related capabilities and internal process-level performance, which positively relate to improvement in customer service and firm-level performance. For researchers, we demonstrate that the resourcebased theory provides a more robust explanation of the determinants of firms IT governance initiatives. This would be ideal in evaluating other IT governance initiatives effectiveness in relation to how they contribute to building performance-differentiating IT-related capabilities. For decision makers, we hope our s...
Formative assessment is instrumental in improving learning outcomes. However, the impact of forma... more Formative assessment is instrumental in improving learning outcomes. However, the impact of formative assessment within a virtual learning environment is yet to be fully investigated. We use exploratory and confirmatory research approaches to investigate the nature of technologically enabled formative assessment. A literature review and pilot study were conducted to identify the attributes of formative assessment and develop a model for empirical testing. The pilot study identified email and Facebook as the most popular applications used by students and helped us understand how these Virtual Learning Environment applications influence formative assessment in achieving learning success. The results from the final study contribute to academic research by developing an empirically validated research model for formative assessment in Virtual Learning Environments. Practitioners can use the findings to improve the design of learning management systems.
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Papers by Jon Heales