The four papers for the JAIS January 2011 issue are now available:

The Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS)
Official Publication of the Association for Information Systems
Volume 12, Issue 1, January 2011

Published: Monthly Electronically
ISSN: 1536-9323
Published by the Association for Information Systems, Atlanta, USA
http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/

Editor-in-Chief: Professor Shirley Gregor, The Australian National University, Australia

PAPER ONE
Decision Factors for the Adoption and Continued Use of Online Direct Sales Channels among SMEs
Xiaolin Li, Towson University
Marvin D. Troutt, Kent State University
Alan Brandyberry, Kent State University
Tuo Wang, Kent State University

Although more and more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) use the Internet for business purposes, few of them have adopted the Internet as an online direct sales channel (ODSC). Among those that do use the ODSC, some end up abandoning it after adoption. This study explores a few critical factors underlying the initial adoption and continued use of online direct sales channels among SMEs. Synthesizing existing works, we construct an innovation adoption decision factors classification framework that classifies innovation decision factors into three dimensions: decision entity factors, decision object factors, and context factors. We then operationalize these factors in the context of SMEs’ initial adoption and post-adoption continued use of online direct sales channels. We conduct a survey study on SMEs within the United States. The results demonstrate that an SME’s initial adoption and post-adoption continued use of an ODSC involve different sets of decision factors. Furthermore, results demonstrate a learning effect within adopting firms that implies they perceive the relative advantage of ODSC differently in comparison to pre-adopters.
To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.
http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol12/iss1/4/


PAPER TWO
Online Impulse Buying: Understanding the Interplay between Consumer Impulsiveness and Website Quality
John D. Wells, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Veena Parboteeah, Eastern New Mexico University
Joseph S. Valacich, Washington State University

With the proliferation of e-commerce, there is growing evidence that online impulse buying is an emerging phenomenon, which has been the focus of researchers from a variety of disciplines. This paper reports on two empirical studies that examine the interplay between a consumer’s inherent impulsiveness to buy and website quality. Specifically, consistent with past online impulse buying research, website quality manifests as an environmental cue that directly influences the likelihood that a consumer will experience an urge to buy impulsively. Further, highly impulsive consumers can be both positively and negatively influenced by varying degrees of website quality. Thus, while the objective quality of an e-commerce website is important, the inherent impulsiveness of a consumer is also a critical factor for understanding how and why individuals react impulsively to varying degrees of website quality. The implications of the results for both future research and the design of electronic commerce websites are discussed.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.
http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol12/iss1/3/


PAPER THREE
Venture Capital Funding for Information Technology Businesses
Brian L. Dos Santos, University of Louisville
Pankaj C. Patel, Ball State University
Rodney R. D’Souza, Northern Kentucky University

The success of new ventures can hinge on obtaining venture capital (VC) funding. Virtually every successful IT venture has depended on VC funding early in its history. However, obtaining venture capital is difficult. Unlike earlier studies on VC funding that consider new ventures to be homogeneous, this study seeks to identify factors that VCs consider when they make funding decisions for IT ventures. Building on prior research in the area of agency and business risk, we develop a theoretical model that draws on work in finance and entrepreneurship. The model suggests that VCs consider two types of risk: business risk and agency risk. The relative importance of these two types of risk may be different across industries. We test this model using data from 139 business plans for IT startups that were considered for funding by VCs. Traditional structural equation modeling (SEM) does not accommodate non-normal data or dichotomous outcome variables. Using the Robust Weighted Least Squares approach, we test our model with non-normal data and dichotomous outcomes. In addition, we use Tetrad analysis to check model fit against alternative models, floor and ceiling analysis to test sample frame validity, relative effect size comparison to test relative elasticity of effects, and a Monte Carlo estimation approach to test overall model power and power of individual paths. We find that business risk is an important factor in start-up funding for IT ventures. We do not find agency risk to be an important consideration in start-up funding for IT ventures.
To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.
http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol12/iss1/2/


PAPER FOUR
(A paper accepted for the Special Issue on Free/Libre Open Source Software Nov/Dec 2010)
Adopting Free/Libre/Open Source Software Practices, Techniques and Methods for Industrial Use
Richard Torkar, Blekinge Institute of Technology
Pau Minoves, i2cat Foundation
Janina Garrigós, i2cat Foundation

Today’s software companies face the challenges of highly distributed development projects and constantly changing requirements. This paper proposes the adoption of relevant Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) practices in order to improve software development projects in industry. Many FLOSS projects have proven to be very successful, producing high quality products with steady and frequent releases. This study aims to identify FLOSS practices that can be adapted for the corporate environment. To achieve this goal, a framework to compare FLOSS and industrial development methodologies was created. Three successful FLOSS projects were selected as study targets (the Linux Kernel, the FreeBSD operating system, and the JBoss application server), as well as two projects from Ericsson, a large telecommunications company. Based on an analysis of these projects, FLOSS best practices were tailored to fit industrial development environments. The final results consisted of a set of key adoption opportunities that aimed to improve software quality and overall development productivity by importing best practices from the FLOSS environment. The adoption opportunities were then validated at three large corporations.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.
http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol12/iss1/1/