Information Systems and Decision Science

In previous studies, the technology acceptance model (TAM) has been widely used by information technology researchers to gain a better understanding of information technology (IT) adoption and its use in organizations. While TAM has been applied and tested in academic and corporate settings, involving students, business managers, clerical and administrative types as subjects, few studies have evaluated TAM in the health care environment.

Mobile TV service, which provides television-like content through a mobile device, holds a limelight as the next killer application of wireless technologies and also as a prospective hedonic information technology. However, in a world where other potential wireless technologies and services speedily emerge, vendors and service providers interested in mobile TV hope that it will be diffused over the gulf between early users to general ones prior to competing sprouts. At this point, an investigation of early consumers' adoption of mobile TV may offer precious information for its survival. Based on the theoretical assumptions of the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study examines influences of cognitive concentration (or flow experience) and media content on consumers' acceptance of mobile TV. The results are threefold. First, results suggest that cognitive concentration (or flow experience) and content have a significant role in consumers' intention to use hedonic information technology. Second, results show that content has a critical impact on cognitive concentration. Finally, results support the use of the extended TAM as an explainer in the context of hedonic information technology.

There is growing recognition of the importance of the Internet and, more generally, information technology to pediatric care. However, acceptance of these technologies has been low. Attitudes of physicians can play a pivotal role in the adoption session. This study tests the extension to a widely used model in the information systems literature: the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

Research on IT innovations has largely relied on economic-rationalistic models and focused on individuals or organizations as the unit of analysis. The intent of this paper is to advance an alternative research agenda that explores the institutional underpinnings of IT innovation diffusion at the inter-organizational level. Through a multistage research study, we examine the legitimation function of organizing visions for IT innovations and develop a taxonomy of legitimation strategies employed by the proponents of an IT innovation. We first built a preliminary theoretical framework that synthesizes key arguments on legitimacy drawn from the organization theory and IS literatures. Next, we conducted an exploratory case study of institutional entrepreneurship surrounding computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems. We examined the discursive actions of CPOE vendors by content analyzing 165 press releases issued between 1998 and 2006. We then combined the findings of the literature analysis and the case study to create a taxonomy of discursive strategies for building IT innovation legitimacy. A post-hoc analysis of the case study data reveals a number of interesting patterns in the CPOE vendors' use of the legitimation strategies and helps us formulate a set of research questions to guide future investigations. The work reported in this paper lays a foundation for a deeper understanding of the role of legitimacy and legitimation in shaping diffusion of IT innovations. It also contributes to the conceptual and methodological elaboration of the organizing vision framework.

To reduce injury and death caused by medical errors, healthcare organization must integrate information systems with clinical processes. This research in progress seeks to understand the adoption behaviors of healthcare professionals while developing a healthcare specific IT adoption model to help foster IT acceptance and clinical systems integration.

Virtual worlds are emerging in importance as more multinational firms are investing heavily in these emerging communities. Although much excitement has been built up around the idea of virtual worlds, a gap exists between those who sign up and those who engage in the virtual world. Our analysis of the gap between those who initiate an action and have signed up to join a virtual world and those who follow through and ultimately engage the community on a regular basis derives from a lack of adoption. Through the use of a subject matter expert study, we identified 35 factors to explain adoption, which then explain through the use of seven psychological theories. After discussing and integrating these seven factors, we test our model through a test of 223 new users of Second Life. The results from our empirical test of these seven theories are presented, and we conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of understanding virtual world adoption.

Mobile TV service, television service to subscribers via mobile telecommunications networks, is posed to take the limelight as the next killer application of wireless technologies. However, in the paradigm where many wireless applications and services speedily emerge and soon collapse; mobile TV vendors and service providers hope that it will be sustain is market share and viability over the uptake curve between innovators/early adopters and the late majority prior to reaching its plateau. This study is an investigation into how early adopters of mobile TV may offer valuable information for its long term survival. This study specifically aims at examining the influence of psychological concentration, or flow experience, on early consumers' intention to use mobile TV. Though prior studies of flow experience give attention to technological antecedents, this study examines content as an antecedent of concentration in addition to two other technological factors (i.e. perceived ease of use and speed). The preliminary results of our survey and its measurements are presented and as well as its potential contributions and future research directions.

Much attention has been paid recently to the need for information systems research in healthcare. Premiere IS journals have called for research addressing the interoperability, implementation, adoption, diffusion and clinical data standards needs of our ailing US health care system. Because of the IS community has much to offer the unique healthcare environment, collaborative research is a necessity; however the dynamic and often times guarded nature of health care organizations make conducting theoretical and applied research a complicated and slow-going process; yet always rewarding. The Purpose of this research report is threefold: (1) to provide an overview of current and ongoing information systems research in health care; (2) to present case examples from a variety of health care and IS research that demonstrate diverse methods, approaches and objectives for conducting IS research in the health care environment; and (3) to present challenges and lessons learned from these four care research cases.

This paper presents a qualitative description of one of Hawaii's educational reform projects: the Electronic School Pilot Project, an innovative method of integrating advanced telecommunications technology into the classroom as a proposed cure for statewide inadequate or low performance on national standard exams (e.g., ACT and SAT). The telecommunication evolution and the technology processes involved with the project are explored. This presentation triangulates education, technology, and policy to introduce an integrated view of the pilot program. A brief literature review conveys support and opposition related to the subject of telecommunications technology in the classroom. Conclusions and recommendations reveal the structure, definition, technological procedures, and concerns of the Electronic School Pilot Project. (Contains 20 endnotes and approximately 15 references.) (AEF)

To reduce injury and death caused by medical errors, healthcare organization must integrate information systems with clinical processes. This research in progress seeks to understand the adoption behaviors of healthcare professionals while developing a healthcare specific IT adoption model to help foster IT acceptance and clinical systems integration.

Virtual worlds are emerging in importance as more multinational firms are investing heavily in these emerging communities. Although much excitement has been built up around the idea of virtual worlds, a gap exists between those who sign up and those who engage in the virtual world. Our analysis of the gap between those who initiate an action and have signed up to join a virtual world and those who follow through and ultimately engage the community on a regular basis derives from a lack of adoption. Through the use of a subject matter expert study, we identified 35 factors to explain adoption, which then explain through the use of seven psychological theories. After discussing and integrating these seven factors, we test our model through a test of 223 new users of Second Life. The results from our empirical test of these seven theories are presented, and we conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of understanding virtual world adoption.

Mobile TV service, television service to subscribers via mobile telecommunications networks, is posed to take the limelight as the next killer application of wireless technologies. However, in the paradigm where many wireless applications and services speedily emerge and soon collapse; mobile TV vendors and service providers hope that it will be sustain is market share and viability over the uptake curve between innovators/early adopters and the late majority prior to reaching its plateau. This study is an investigation into how early adopters of mobile TV may offer valuable information for its long term survival. This study specifically aims at examining the influence of psychological concentration, or flow experience, on early consumers' intention to use mobile TV. Though prior studies of flow experience give attention to technological antecedents, this study examines content as an antecedent of concentration in addition to two other technological factors (i.e. perceived ease of use and speed). The preliminary results of our survey and its measurements are presented and as well as its potential contributions and future research directions.

This paper presents a qualitative description of one of Hawaii's educational reform projects: the Electronic School Pilot Project, an innovative method of integrating advanced telecommunications technology into the classroom as a proposed cure for statewide inadequate or low performance on national standard exams (e.g., ACT and SAT). The telecommunication evolution and the technology processes involved with the project are explored. This presentation triangulates education, technology, and policy to introduce an integrated view of the pilot program. A brief literature review conveys support and opposition related to the subject of telecommunications technology in the classroom. Conclusions and recommendations reveal the structure, definition, technological procedures, and concerns of the Electronic School Pilot Project. (Contains 20 endnotes and approximately 15 references.) (AEF)

This exploratory research examines the pharmaceutical inventory control practices of a local area hospital and demonstrates the utility of two alternative quantitative approaches. Pharmaceuticals represent a large cost factor for most hospitals due to the significant costs of these products and the storage and control requirements. The hospital stores drugs in the Central Pharmacy and at various Care Units (CUs) throughout the hospital and employs advanced technology to manage inventory and automate the ordering processes at these local storage units. This research examines current hospital policies, employs quantitative methods to improve upon these practices, and provides a decision support tool that allows managers to quickly understand operational, tactical, and strategic implications of changes in the formulary (pharmaceutical product mix available in hospital). This decision support tool affords managers the opportunity to improve management practices and the capacity to support negotiations with stakeholders on issues related to the formulary.