Jih‐Hsin Tang and Heng‐Li Yang
To explore the relationship between emergent user roles and perceived importance of user requirements in a social‐oriented community.
Abstract
Purpose
To explore the relationship between emergent user roles and perceived importance of user requirements in a social‐oriented community.
Design/methodology/approach
A field study was designed to uncover hidden online social networks, and to elicit and rate user requirements.
Findings
User roles might have an impact on their perceptions of requirements. The study showed that significant differences of perceptual requirements on regulation and links exist across user roles.
Research limitations/implications
Only a small‐sized online community (approximately 300 members) participated in this study. One‐quarter of the population filled out the online survey.
Practical implications
Online community builders should invite a handful of different user roles to participate in the design and evolutionary processes of information systems.
Originality/value
The paper challenges popular views about the design of online communities.
Details
Keywords
Heng‐Li Yang and Jih‐Hsin Tang
To investigate the relationship between key users (defined as their influence) in “information”, “purchase”, “communication” or “entertainment” networks, and the number of…
Abstract
Purpose
To investigate the relationship between key users (defined as their influence) in “information”, “purchase”, “communication” or “entertainment” networks, and the number of elicited requirements in web‐based information systems (WIS).
Design/methodology/approach
A lab experiment was designed and conducted to investigate the relationship between college students' elicited requirements for two WIS cases and their social networks.
Findings
The individual centrality in “information” networks has a significant positive relationship with the numbers of elicited “information” requirements and total requirements; however, the individual centrality in other social networks has no significant relationship with the number of the elicited requirements.
Research limitations/implications
The requirements collected from “key users” may account for most requirements, which is similar to the results predicted by Pareto's rule.
Practical implications
The origin of a WIS depends on a few influential users. These key users possess more power than others, and they define not only the “requirements” of the site but also its content or knowledge. The WIS designers may take advantage of this fact.
Originality/value
This paper fills the information requirement elicitation gap, while transferring the conventional IS development experiences to WIS.
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Jih‐Hsin Tang and Heng‐Li Yang
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between users' role and users' perception of requirements in a web‐based community of practice.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between users' role and users' perception of requirements in a web‐based community of practice.
Design/methodology/approach
Online survey and social network analysis were adopted in this study.
Findings
The study classified user roles as advisors and two types of regular users (both aware of advisors and not); each type of user demonstrated different sets of requirement perceptions. The findings showed that user roles and the level of user involvement did have a significant effect on users' perceptions of requirements. Advisors paid less attention to the interface, communication and recommendation links than the regular users.
Practical implications
It implies that high involvers (core members) are more appropriate for requirement elicitation, even though high involvers might not be the only candidates for requirements elicitation.
Originality/value
Few articles discuss the relationship between user roles and requirements; therefore, the originality of this study is high.
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Heng‐Li Yang and Jih‐Hsin Tang
Although requirement elicitation is generally acknowledged to be very important in traditional information systems development (ISD), it does not get enough attention in most…
Abstract
Although requirement elicitation is generally acknowledged to be very important in traditional information systems development (ISD), it does not get enough attention in most Web‐based information systems development (WISD). This paper highlighted the difference between ISD and WISD, and proposed a three‐stage model of user requirements elicitation for Web‐based information systems. This model divides the requirements definition into three stages: initial analysis, key user requirements elicitation and regular user responses. Most current WIS design methodologies consider only initial analysis, and neglect actual users’ requirements. Key user input is emphasized in this model, and social network analysis is proposed as a tool for identifying key users. Requirements analysis for WISD is no longer considered a one‐stop step, but is better regarded as a continuous evolving process. Finally, managerial implications are also provided in this paper.
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Peter Williams, David Nicholas and Ian Rowlands
The purpose of this paper is to summarise and evaluate the literature on digital consumer behaviour and attitudes towards digital piracy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to summarise and evaluate the literature on digital consumer behaviour and attitudes towards digital piracy.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a review and synthesis of the academic literature on the subject, using the authors' unique “pro‐forma” approach to the evaluation of individual papers.
Findings
A major limitation in the studies reported became apparent. They are almost exclusively concerned with the behaviours and attitudes of young people. There is a dearth of studies looking at demographic differences, and also a lack of longitudinal work. Given these constraints, the literature strongly suggests that social and situational factors impact on the likelihood of illegally obtaining digital content more than ethical considerations. Anonymity is a strong indicator, “de‐individualising” people and releasing them from traditional societal constraints and making the digital world far different from the physical one. The literature is ambiguous on whether punishment acts as a deterrent.
Practical implications
The main point that comes out of these studies is that the digital world is not the same as the physical world. It is changing basic assumptions about the idea of ownership, sharing, and copying content. Laws prohibiting all unauthorised downloading potentially criminalise millions of people, so new and creative business models are needed to resolve the problem.
Originality/value
The authors believe this to be the first systematic review of current literature in this area since the issue became topical with the Pirate Bay trial and the Government's Digital Britain report.
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Kwo‐Shing Hong, Yen‐Ping Chi, Louis R. Chao and Jih‐Hsing Tang
With the popularity of e‐commerce, information security is vital to most organizations. For managers, building and implementing an information security policy (ISP) has long been…
Abstract
Purpose
With the popularity of e‐commerce, information security is vital to most organizations. For managers, building and implementing an information security policy (ISP) has long been assumed to be an effective managerial measure to elevate an organization's security level. This paper attempts to investigate the dominant factors for an organization to build an ISP, and whether an ISP may elevate an organization's security level?
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was designed and the data were collected from 165 chief information officers in Taiwan.
Findings
The empirical results show that some organizational characteristics (business type and MIS/IS department size) might be good predictors for the ISP adoption and that the functions, contents, implementation and procedures of an ISP may significantly contribute to managers' perceived elevation of information security.
Practical implications
Building or adopting an ISP is examined empirically to be an effective managerial measure to elevate its security level in Taiwan, and that the building of an information security should focus on the comprehensiveness of its contents, procedures and implementation items, rather than on the documents only.
Originality/value
Few empirical studies have been conducted so far to examine the effectiveness of an ISP, thus the value of this paper is high.