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.

Elections and representations in local government: A Victorian case study

This article examines the application of different views of representation in the electoral systems at local government level: interest, corporate and mirror representation. The electoral framework underpins the process of representation, influencing both who are eligible to become voters and how their votes are collected and counted. The paper examines the  interrelationship between representation and the electoral framework in local government in Victoria. We use a historical analysis, and identify a long period of interest representation; a short, relatively recent period of corporate representation; and an attempt to introduce some elements of mirror representation. We conclude by arguing that local electoral reform needs to take into account the multiple meanings of representation.

A holistic model of corporate governance - a new research framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a new model of corporate governance that is holistic – incorporating internal and macro perspectives across legal, regulatory, sociological, ethical, human resource management, behavioural and corporate strategic frameworks. Researchers have signalled the need for “new theoretical perspectives and new models of governance” due to a dearth of research that is context-driven, empirical, and encapsulating the full spectrum of reasons and actions contributing to corporate crises.

Design/methodology/approach – The approach consists of theory building by reviewing the literature and examining the gaps and limitations.

Findings – The proposed model is a distinctive contribution to theory and practice in three ways. First, it integrates the firm-specific, micro factors with the country-specific, macro factors to illustrate the holistic nature of corporate governance. Second, shareholders and stakeholders are shown to be only one component of the model. Third, it veers away from singular approaches, to dealing with corporate governance using a multi-disciplinary perspective. The paper argues that such a holistic and integrated view is a necessity for understanding governance systems.

Research limitations/implications – The challenge is to operationalize the model and test it empirically.

Practical implications – The model is instructive and of use for practitioners in attempting to understand, explain and develop governance models that are appropriate to their national and industry settings.

Originality/value – This paper argues that narrow-based models are limited in their approach and in a sound and integrative review of the up-to-date literature contributes to theory-building on corporate governance.

Reigniting the fire : a contemporary research agenda for social, political and nonprofit marketing

The paper reports on the core challenges faced by the nonprofit, political and social marketing disciplinary areas and suggests a series of research agendas to develop theory and practice to meet these challenges.

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Social marketing's research agenda involves the continued adaptation of the new developments in commercial marketing, whilst building a base of social marketing theory and best practice benchmarks that can be used to identify, clarify and classify the boundaries of social marketing against social change techniques.
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Nonprofit marketing is pursuing the dual research agenda of developing the theory and practice of social entrepreneurship whilst seeking deeper consumer-based research to understand motivations for charitable behaviour and gift giving.
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Political Marketing's research agenda looks for an increase in the level of background research, core data and market research to use as a basis for developing more advanced theoretical and practical models. In addition, as political marketing is being transferred internationally between a range of political and electoral systems, there is a need for comparative research into both the relevance and effectiveness of these techniques to isolate nation independent and nation dependent political marketing strategies and campaigns.

Charting diversity and change in IS publications: a tri-continental journal analysis

The past decade has seen enormous changes in the availability, use, and application of information systems. Information systems are no longer the preserve of business and the corporation but have become a routine part of everyday life. The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which the increased diversity in application and use of information systems in the past decade has been reflected in increased diversity of the publications of three key journals of three continents – North America, Europe, and Australasia. The paper contributes to the debate on research diversity in Information Systems in three ways. Firstly, it describes four key underpinning dimensions for understanding Information Systems (IS) research diversity in the information age. Secondly, it details the results of a content analysis which examines the trends in research and methodological diversity within the journals MIS Quarterly (MISQ), European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS) and the Australasian Journal of Information Systems (AJIS) during the years 2001-2010. Finally, the paper reflects on diversity within these journals and discusses the findings in relation to both exogenous and endogenous pressures on the discipline more broadly.

Evidence and implications of multiple paradigms in accounting knowledge production

This paper uses evidence gathered in two perception studies of Australasian and British accounting academics to reflect on aspects of the knowledge production system within accounting academe. We provide evidence of the representation of multiple paradigms in many journals that are scored by participants as being of high quality. Indeed most of the journals we surveyed are perceived by accounting academics as incorporating research from more than one paradigm. It is argued that this ‘catholic’ approach by journal editors and the willingness of many respondents in our surveys to score journals highly on material they publish from both paradigm categories reflects a balanced acceptance of the multi-paradigmatic state of accounting research. Our analysis is set within an understanding of systems of accounting knowledge production as socially constructed and as playing an important role in the distribution of power and reward in the academy. We explore the impact of our results on concerns emerging from the work of a number of authors who carefully expose localised ‘elites’. The possibilities for a closer relationship between research emerging from a multi-paradigm discipline and policy setting and practice are also discussed. The analysis provides a sense of optimism that the broad constituency of accounting academics operates within an environment conducive for the exchange of ideas. That optimism is dampened by concerns about the impact of local ‘elites’ and the need for more research on their impact on accounting academe.

Towards an improved understanding of knowledge dynamics in integrated coastal zone management: a knowledge systems framework

Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) is a complex undertaking that draws on a range of biophysical and social science disciplines, and involves a wide range of stakeholders operating through multiple processes, and crossing various levels  Conceptually, this means that ICZM represents a significant challenge in terms of improving the way in which different disciplinary ‘knowledges’ and different forms of knowledge (scientific, managerial, lay, and indigenous) inform decision making. Depending upon the circumstances, ICZM may be constrained by different knowledge deficits, including: uncertainty; science - policy gaps; and the ‘filtering’ of particular forms of knowledge relative to others. As a means for making sense of these knowledge dynamics, this paper considers the concept of knowledge systems and its potential for improving understanding of coastal management processes. The potential insights that can be gained from four analytical approaches (stakeholder, institutional, network, and discourse analysis) are then discussed, and used to develop an analytical framework for investigating coastal knowledge dynamics, which is based upon a generic coastal knowledge system and associated research questions. Finally, the utility of this framework is illustrated using a case study that examines the knowledge dynamics associated with debates about the establishment of marine protected areas in Victoria, Australia.

The soft systems approach to understanding trust in alliances in Australia

Alliances are complex projects with high levels of risk and uncertainty. Despite the pain share and gain share commercial arrangement in alliances, Trust is still an issue between the Alliancing Leadership Team (ALT) and Alliancing Management Team relationship (AMT). Although the concept and components of trust have been discussed by various researchers, the characteristic of trust under different situations has not been tested within the procurement research domain. Based on semi-structured interviews with the members of the ALT and AMT of an alliance project in Australia the underlying trust based relationships between the AMT and ALT were investigated using the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). Results demonstrate that cognitive, affect, system and cognitive-affect based trust are mediated by common good, needs, sharing, breach temptation and mishap situations. This research demonstrates that the adversarial culture of the Australian construction industry cannot be changed by the implementation of trust principles alone. The culture of suspicion dominating the ideological view of the construction industry requires organizational learning between alliance parties to execute appropriate behaviours, aligned with the alliancing philosophy, to effectively achieve ideal collaboration.

Extending the understanding of critical success factors for implementing business intelligence systems

Extant studies suggest implementing a business intelligence (BI) system is a costly, resource-intensive and complex undertaking. Literature draws attention to the critical success factors (CSFs) for implementation of BI systems. Leveraging case studies of seven large organizations and blending them with Yeoh and Koronios's (2010) BI CSFs framework, our empirical study gives evidence to support this notion of CSFs and provides better contextual understanding of the CSFs in BI implementation domain. Cross-case analysis suggests that organizational factors play the most crucial role in determining the success of a BI system implementation. Hence, BI stakeholders should prioritize on the organizational dimension ahead of other factors. Our findings allow BI stakeholders to holistically understand the CSFs and the associated contextual issues that impact on implementation of BI systems.

Developing a systems understanding of rural water supply in Timor-Leste

 Systems thinking techniques help to explain the lack of robustness of rural water systems in Timor-Leste. Development drivers currently promote increasing coverage of water programs with little concern for ongoing functionality. Investing in increased community participation, and promoting community and individual decision making, would improve the robustness of these systems.

Complex adaptive systems as a valid framework for understanding community level development

Complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory is gaining mainstream recognition in development policy and management. This article looks to the correlations between development theory and CAS theory to support an argument for the validity of community level development as a complex adaptive system. The article describes some theoretical and practical implications of using CAS theory as a framework for community level development. This includes a call for researchers and practitioners to understand more thoroughly the contextualised nature of development, and the communities in which development interventions are implemented.