Browsing by Author "Belanger, France"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
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    Explaining Developer Attitude Toward Using Formalized Commercial Methodologies: Decomposing Perceived Usefulness
    Henderson, David Lockhart III (Virginia Tech, 2007-09-07)
    Although methodology use generally leads to fewer software defects and reductions in development time, the introduction of a formalized systems development methodology is often met with substantial resistance. Motivated by the purported benefits of methodology use, yet resistance to the introduction of a methodology, this study explains developer attitude toward using a formalized commercial methodology. An important variable for explaining attitude is perceived usefulness, defined as the degree to which using a methodology will enhance a developer's job performance. If, however, a benefit of using a methodology is different than increased job performance, then limiting the definition of perceived usefulness to beliefs surrounding job performance may provide an incomplete representation of what makes a methodology useful to developers. A methodology may be perceived as a rational process, used to achieve objectives such as increasing job performance or as a political process used to achieve objectives particular to one person or group. In order to determine what makes a methodology useful to developers, the perceived usefulness construct was expanded to include benefits of methodology use related toward achieving political objectives. In addition to broadening the perceived usefulness construct, this research also broke down perceived usefulness into its referent dimensions. Decomposing perceived usefulness provided a deeper understanding of what makes a methodology useful to developers and revealed the relative importance of each dimension of perceived usefulness. The study surveyed 120 developers. Partial least squares regression was used to test the antecedents of developer attitude as well as the hypothesized structure of perceived usefulness. Results indicate that developers will have more favorable attitudes toward methodologies they perceive as useful, easy to use, and consistent with the way they like to develop systems. Additionally, findings suggest that developers may find methodologies not only useful for achieving rational goals such as increasing system quality, raising productivity, and enhancing communication, but also useful for achieving political goals such as increasing career opportunities, showing others that professional development practices are being used, reducing anxiety, and defending against unreasonable user demands.
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    Indicators of Fraud Detection Proficiency and Their Impact on Auditor Judgments in Fraud Risk Assessments and Audit Plan Modifications
    Enget, Kathryn Ann (Virginia Tech, 2015-07-21)
    The study examines how an individual's level of fraud detection proficiency (an individual possessing formal fraud education or training, informal fraud training, fraud task-specific experience, and /or fraud-related certifications) impacts their performance on fraud risk assessments and modification of audit plans. Further, it explores which of the fraud detection proficiency dimensions are valuable for auditors in situations of high and low levels of fraud risk and how these characteristics interact with professional skepticism. This, as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the procedures selected, are addressed using a survey-based scenario where one case is embedded with a financial statement fraud and the other is not. Tobit and ordered logit regression models are used to evaluate a sample of 40 auditors and 10 forensic professionals with varying levels of fraud-related experiences, education, training, and certifications against a benchmark panel. Results demonstrate fraud certifications are effective in fraud risk assessments, are not effective in audit plan modifications, and on average those individuals tend to over-audit. In addition, fraud-related task-specific experience improves audit plan modification effectiveness. Third, including professional skepticism as an interaction is more reflective of the variable's nature, with results supporting interactions with fraud certifications and informal fraud training in the fraud risk assessment model and formal fraud training in the audit plan modifications model. Finally, individuals of higher rank, in addition to those with fraud certifications, are more likely to over-audit, while individuals in the no fraud scenario are more likely to under-audit. This study contributes to the academic literature with regard to a subset of the FJDM proposed by Hammersley (2011) validating professional skepticism as an integral variable in the model, particularly as an interaction variable and with regard to the impacts of fraud certifications and fraud-related task-specific experience. The study also contributes by providing evidence, which indicate lower fraud risk situations are prone to assessing fraud risk less effectively and under-auditing. Finally, this study also contributes a new measure for direct fraud-related experience, which captures more details regarding applicable task-specific experiences.
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    An Investigation into Considerations for the Design of IS to Improve the Utility of the Use of the Co-alignment Model: An Integration of Strategy and IT as A Coordination Strategy Framework - A Case Study of Virginia Beach
    Chang, Yao-Jen (Virginia Tech, 2004-07-20)
    As competition has changed and made the environment more dynamic and complex for the hospitality and tourism industry, the concept of strategic management has become more important. However, under the force driving change of technology innovation, information has gone digital and electronic for business development and management. Adopting information technology (IT) for strategic management becomes an important issue for an organization. The co-alignment model is believed to be one of the effective models for the purposes of strategic management in the field of hospitality and tourism. The primary objective of this study was to investigate important considerations for the design of an information system (IS) to improve the utility of the model. Once the important considerations are taken into account for constructing the system, such an IS is expected to facilitate the information flows associated with the co-alignment model and further work in concert with the model to strengthen the processes of strategy formulation and implementation. Together, the co-alignment model and the IS can be viewed as a Coordination Strategy Framework which also has theoretical underpinning from the review of the literature of strategy, hospitality and tourism, management information system (MIS), computer science (CS), and information science. Because this research topic or its similar kind has not been studied in the field of hospitality and tourism, this study is exploratory in nature. A qualitative research approach adopting a single-case study method was used. Using the co-alignment model as one of its theoretical supports along with other techniques to collect and test the interview data, the study achieved reliability and validity of the research findings. As a major part of the conclusions of this study, the findings are the important considerations for the design of the future IS. They included the seven key issues in five dimensions, eleven recommendations, and ten propositions that explained the relationships among the managerial aspects implicated in the framework implementation, especially the interactions between the future IS and the co-alignment model. Furthermore, as the framework is an integration of a strategy model and an IT application, it also gives a new perspective to the term "strategic IT" that denotes the strategic use of IT.
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    The Mediating Role of Group Dynamics in Shaping Received Social Support from Active and Passive Use in Online Health Communities
    James, Tabitha L.; Calderon, Eduardo D.; Belanger, France; Lowry, Paul Benjamin (Elsevier, 2022-04-01)
    Exchanging social support on online health communities (OHCs) can be beneficial to people's health, but the OHC characteristics that promote environments in which users feel socially supported are understudied. We develop a model that examines the mediating influence of OHC cohesiveness, altruism, and universality on the relationships between active and passive use and received OHC social support. Our findings indicate that social support can be derived from both active and passive use of the OHC. Although active use can directly stimulate received OHC social support, the relationship between passive use and social support is fully mediated by OHC group dynamics.
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    Political Participation in a Digital Age: An Integrated Perspective on the Impacts of the Internet on Voter Turnout
    Carter, Lemuria D. (Virginia Tech, 2006-04-12)
    E-government is the use of information technology, especially telecommunications, to enable and improve the efficiency with which government services and information are provided to its constituents. Internet voting is an emerging e-government initiative. It refers to the submission of votes securely and secretly over the Internet. In the United States some areas have already used Internet voting systems for local and state elections. Many researchers argue that one of the most important social impacts of Internet voting is the effect it could have on voter participation. Numerous studies have called for research on the impact of technology on voter turnout; however, existing literature has yet to develop a comprehensive model of the key factors that influence Internet voting adoption. In light of the gradual implementation of I-voting systems and the need for research on I-voting implications this study combines political science and information systems constructs to present an integrated model of Internet voter participation. The proposed model of Internet voting adoption posits that a combination of technical, political and demographic factors amalgamate to influence the adoption of I-voting services. The study was conducted by surveying 372 citizens ranging in age from 18-75. The findings indicate that an integrated model of I-voting adoption is superior to existing models that explore political science or technology adoption constructs in isolation. Implications of this study for research and practice are presented.
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    Privacy Suspension with Sustainability and Trust in Consumer Adoption of Smart Technology
    Choi, Daeeun (Virginia Tech, 2022-06-09)
    Smart technology, such as the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and big data, provides consumers with a new level of convenience through various smart-connected products (SCPs). Although many experts have increasingly warned about the privacy vulnerability issues of various SCPs, consumers often underestimate privacy risks when adopting smart technology. Accordingly, this dissertation presents a literature review and three empirical studies that examine the privacy problems and suggest new concepts and models for a deeper understanding of the privacy suspension phenomenon. The first chapter reviews the literature related to the privacy suspension phenomenon by integrating the antecedents of consumers' privacy concerns. New concepts of privacy concerns, such as active and inactive privacy concerns, are suggested along with multiple propositions for the proposed privacy suspension theory, which extends the dimension of ambivalence toward trust and distrust regarding smart technology. The second chapter presents the proposed privacy–common good trade-off model and three assumptions related to privacy trade- offs, privacy reduction, and anchoring effects in the sustainable smart-connected car context. This study also discusses the relationships between governments, companies, and consumers regarding the effects of the common good of sustainability and government subsidies. The third chapter evaluates the mediation effects between sustainability, trust, privacy concerns, disclosure intentions, and purchase intentions when purchasing sustainable smart-connected cars based on the proposed sustainability–trust–behavior model. Finally, the fourth chapter provides a practical solution to resolve privacy suspension issues using the design science research approach. This study proposes privacy information type characteristics to evaluate SCPs' tailored data collection capabilities, visualizing them through a spider diagram design method with nudges.
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    Protection Motivation Theory: Understanding the Determinants of Individual Security Behavior
    Crossler, Robert E. (Virginia Tech, 2009-03-19)
    Individuals are considered the weakest link when it comes to securing a personal computer system. All the technological solutions can be in place, but if individuals do not make appropriate security protection decisions they introduce holes that technological solutions cannot protect. This study investigates what personal characteristics influence differences in individual security behaviors, defined as behaviors to protect against security threats, by adapting Protection Motivation Theory into an information security context. This study developed and validated an instrument to measure individual security behaviors. It then tested the differences in these behaviors using the security research model, which built from Protection Motivation Theory, and consisted of perceived security vulnerability, perceived security threat, security self-efficacy, response efficacy, and protection cost. Participants, representing a sample population of home computer users with ages ranging from 20 to 83, provided 279 valid responses to surveys. The behaviors studied include using anti-virus software, utilizing access controls, backing up data, changing passwords frequently, securing access to personal computers, running software updates, securing wireless networks, using care when storing credit card information, educating others in one's house about security behaviors, using caution when following links in emails, running spyware software, updating a computer's operating system, using firewalls, and using pop-up blocking software. Testing the security research model found different characteristics had different impacts depending on the behavior studied. Implications for information security researchers and practitioners are provided, along with ideas for future research.
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    Toward a Theory of Information System Development Success: Perceptions of Software Development Team Members
    Zelazny, Lucian M. (Virginia Tech, 2011-06-08)
    This dissertation increases our understanding of information system project success by investigating how software development team members define the success of an information system development effort. The theoretical model of ISD success is developed and tested. ISD success is measured through the eyes of the software development team members—since they are the most influential stakeholders during the development of the system. This dissertation was conducted in two phases: 1) theory building and 2) theory testing. The theory building phase began with a thorough literature review. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data analyzed to add emergent concepts to the model. The result of the theory building phase is the theoretical model of ISD success. The theory testing stage began with the development and validation of a survey instrument to measure the constructs and subconstructs found within the theoretical model of ISD success. Data was collected and the model tested using partial least squares regression. The findings indicate that software development team members view ISD success as being composed of process quality, functional product quality, non-functional product quality, team member benefits, and team member satisfaction. Team member satisfaction is highly influenced by team member benefits, moderately influenced by functional product quality and slightly influence by non-functional product quality and process quality. Software development team members view process quality as being composed of within budget and process maturity; non-functional product as being composed of reliability, usability, testability, and efficiency; team member benefits as being composed of learning and teamwork; and team member satisfaction as being composed of product satisfaction, process satisfaction, and personal satisfaction. Software development team members do not view on time as a significant contributor to their definition of process quality; they do not view modifiability, portability, or reusability as significant contributors to their definition of non-functional product quality; and they do not view recognition as a significant contributor to team member benefits.
  • Voices of Privacy
    Wertalik, Donna; Belanger, France (Webflow, 2023-02-08)
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    Website Success: An Integrated Theoretical Model
    Schaupp, Ludwig Christian (Virginia Tech, 2005-04-27)
    As evidenced by the sheer number of websites presently on the Internet and the exorbitant amount of dollars that are spent on maintaining corporate websites determining the successfulness of these websites is of the utmost importance. In building a successful website the design must match the organization's objectives and these objectives need to be clearly defined. However, the objectives of a website differ depending upon the website type. As a result, from the user perspective, this results in varying ideas of satisfaction as well as success. Thus, from the user perspective determining success across websites is both goal and context specific. This dissertation investigated five variables which were believed to impact website satisfaction: information quality, system quality, perceived effectiveness, social influence, and trust. Theories in information systems success and information technology adoption provided theoretical foundations for this dissertation. The research was conducted by surveying multiple respondents, who were regular users of two different websites, each fitting into a different category within the taxonomy of websites. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to build the models of determinants of satisfaction for each website. The research results indicate that depending upon the type of website being evaluated different determinants of satisfaction were present. Four variables were found to be significant determinants of website satisfaction in the online community website: information quality, perceived effectiveness, social influence, and trust. However, in the information specific search website only three variables were found to significantly predict website satisfaction: information quality, system quality, and perceived effectiveness. Thus, this dissertation has shown that website users' determinants of satisfaction and overall successfulness is dependent upon the context of the website being evaluated and that determinants of satisfaction are goal specific. Several contributions were made by this study. In particular, this research is one of the first to empirically measure determinants of satisfaction, from the user perspective, in varying website contexts.