Teledermatology : the case of telemedicine adoption and success in New Zealand

Using a theoretical framework extracted from thetechnological innovation theories, this research attempts to explain factors influencing the adoption and diffusion of telemedicine utilising the video conferencing technology (TMVC) for dermatology within health Waikato (HW) in New Zealand. Findings indicate weak presence of critical assessment into technological innovation factors prior to TMVC adoption. Factors such as complexity, compatibility, and trialability were not assessed extensively by HW and could have hindered its adoption. TMVC was mainly assessed according to its relative advantage and cost effectiveness. This is essential but should consider other important factors explained in this research. The successful diffusion of TMVC in the case study relied on its economical benefit and on its effectiveness as a diagnostic tool. This research highlights the importance of the product champion factor on the successful adoption and diffusion of TMVC.

Designing educational tasks for success in industry: a reflection on the evolution of business communication studies in tertiary education

This paper is the result of a "Rip Van Winkle" experience I had concerning the teaching of Business Communication. The paper focuses on the remarkable expansion in the curriculum of the traditional "Business Communication" or "Business Writing" course offered by many tertiary institutions around the world. Based on 25 years of personal observation and experience in a number of educational settings, the paper will trace the increasing sophistication and complexity of the study of business communication from one that covered little more than lessons in the design of hardcopy memos, letters, and reports to one that now covers a broad spectrum of topics such as "emotional intelligence," "intercultural communication," "effective public speaking," as well as the effects of purpose and audience on the design of a wide variety of business communications.

An example of an effective task that involves a number of on the job activities is provided in the form of a ready to use assignment that is applicable in a number of contexts.

The role of benchmarking and service level agreement (SLA) practices in IT outsourcing success

Despite claims in the trade literature that a number of recommended practices have been proved to lead to IT outsourcing success, few of these practices have been subject to disconfirmatory research. Even fewer have been tested statistically to determine whether they generalize to wider populations, or to determine the magnitude of their effect. In this paper, several recommended outsourcing practices associated with service level agreements (SLAs) and benchmarking are investigated. These practices are recommended extensively on the basis of case study research, yet they do have downsides, and they add substantially to the transaction costs of outsourcing. Based on a large survey of organizations engaged in IT outsourcing, this paper established that developing detailed SLAs did improve cost and service outcome, and that clients who met with vendors more frequently to renegotiate service levels reported greater outsourcing success. The research also established that benchmarking both before outsourcing commences, and once the outsourcing contract is in place, led to improvements in cost and service outcomes. Benchmarking during the outsourcing contract had the greatest effect, accounting for 10% of the variance in a success vector that included strategic, technical, cost-related and service outcomes plus an overall evaluation of satisfaction and value.

The impact of communications and understanding on the success of business/IT alignment

This article reports on an investigation of IS stakeholders communication and mutual understanding, and their impact on the success of business / IT alignment. In particular, by following a hermeneutic study of transcripts of two focus groups and several interviews conducted with senior business and IT executives, the paper explores the issues of modern business context and practices, project scope and structure, trust, language and nomenclature, and the barriers to the effective stakeholder communication and  understanding. The study results are finally compared against the standard model of business and IT alignment. The main unexpected finding being executives' pre-occupation with issues of "marginal" value to the alignment model, such as day-to-day management of communicative and understanding effectiveness, as opposed to the fundamental issues of strategy and infrastructure fit.

Occupational safety and health management systems in Australia: barriers to success

The growing popularity of occupational safety and health management systems in Australia has stimulated critical debate about their effectiveness. This paper asks whether the performance of such systems lives up to expectations. Making use of a research review and an extensive interviewing programme, the paper draws several conclusions. First, it observes that the definitional requirements for an occupational safety and health management system have been watered down, making it more likely that organisations can claim to have a system, but less likely that it will be effective. Second, a review of empirical research reinforces the view that systems can improve health and safety outcomes, but only if they meet strict conditions concerning senior management commitment, effective workforce involvement and programme integration. Third, several barriers to successful implementation are identified, including the failure to meet essential success factors, the inappropriate application of audit tools to ensure compliance, and their problematic application in certain sectors such as small business, contractors, and the part-time and temporary workforce. The paper concludes that occupational safety and health management systems can live up to their promise, but often fail to do so because of inadequate implementation or application in hostile environments.

What criteria do police officers use to measure the success of an interview with a child?

This study used a mixed-methods approach to explore the perceptions of a heterogeneous sample of 75 police interviewers regarding their performance in a mock interview with a 5-7-year-old child. Each officer recruited for this study was authorised to conduct investigative interviews with children. Specifically, we explored how the officers' perception of what makes a good interview differs depending on their background experience and their (perceived and actual) ability to adhere to best-practice interview guidelines. Overall, the officers' perceptions of what constitutes an effective interview were not entirely consistent with those held by experts in forensic interviewing. The majority of the interviewers perceived that the locus of control in the interview rested primarily with the child and/or the environmental setting. In contrast, experts tend to place the central onus of responsibility for the outcome of an interview on the skill of the interviewer in using open-ended questions. Several possible explanations for, and the implications of, these findings are discussed.

The influence of age on reproductive success and diet in Australasian gannets (Morus Serrator) breeding at Pope's Eye, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria

The influence of age on reproductive success and diet was examined in ‘old’ (experienced; 12 years and older) and ‘young’ (5–8 years of age) Australasian gannets (Morus serrator) breeding at Pope’s Eye, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria during the 2002–2003 breeding period. Although food availability, as indicated by commercial fish catches, throughout this breeding period was low, there were no significant differences in breeding success or chick growth between groups. Nevertheless, old birds tended to have higher reproductive success, replacing more lost eggs and fledging chicks of a greater mass. However, old birds also laid more eggs that failed to hatch. Five fish species, including jack mackerel (Trachurus declivis), barracouta (Thyrsites atun), redbait (Emmelichthys nitidus), anchovy (Engraulis australis) and red mullet (Upeneichthys vlamingii), were important in the gannet diet during this breeding period. There were no significant differences in dietary parameters, including range of species and size of prey, between old and young gannets, nor were there any differences between those of the chicks and their parents, suggesting that adults do not forage selectively for their chicks. This study showed that even during a period of presumed low food availability, when experienced (older) birds might be expected to have enhanced success, the differences between these and less experienced (younger) birds may not be apparent.

Do repatriate support practices influence repatriate experience, organisational commitment, turnover intentions and perceptions of career success?

The focus of this paper is the development of a model for the effective management of repatriation in multinational enterprises (MNEs). It reviews the literature associated with the relationships between repatriate support practices in relation to repatriation experiences, organisational commitment, turnover intentions, and perceptions of career success. A model has been developed where it is hypothesized that the perception of the provision of important and higher quality practices will result in positive repatriation experiences A positive experience will be positively related to organisational commitment, and perceptions of career success, and negatively related to turnover intentions. These relationships are based on the concepts of social support, uncertainty reduction theory, and psychological contract theory.

Understanding informations systems outsourcing success and risks through the lens of cognitive biases

Because outsourcing of information systems (IS) is now widespread, it is generally assumed to be successful. It is also often assumed that outsourcing risks are easily managed. In this paper we adopt an “evidence based management” approach to first test these assumptions through a qualitative metaanalysis of academic studies into IS outsourcing outcomes. Our research reveals a shortage of reliable and valid evidence for outsourcing’s benefits, and for the level of risk involved. We then use data from a series of focus groups to explain the paradox of widespread adoption of a strategy with limited empirical support. These focus groups were interpreted through the lens of research on a
range of cognitive mechanisms and biases that are known to affect decision makers. We conclude that cognitive mechanisms that are likely to affect sourcing decisions include framing biases, cognitive dissonance, attribution error, and the “optimism”, “confirmation”, “disconfirmation” and “overconfidence” biases. Given the shortage of supporting evidence, and the potential for these biases to operate, we argue that researchers need to be more critical in their analysis of reports of the success and risks of IS outsourcing.