No abstract

Corporations continue to see a growing demand for Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) programs which allow employees to use their own computing devices for business purposes. This study analyses the demand of digital natives for such programs when entering the workforce and how they perceive the benefits and risk associated with BYOD. A theoretical model building on net valence considerations, technology adoption theories and perceived risk theory is proposed and tested. International students from five countries in their final year and with relevant work experience were surveyed. The results show that the intention to enroll in a BYOD program is primarily a function of perceived benefits while risks are widely ignored. Only safety and performance risks proved to contribute significantly to the overall perceived risk. The knowledge acquired from this study is particularly beneficial to IT executives as a guide to deciding whether and how to set up or adjust corporate BYOD initiatives.

If a hospital keeps electronic medical records (EMRs), the underlying health information system is the primary repository and source of patient-related data for hospital physicians. Even though the benefits and improvements attained through health information technology (HIT) are widely acknowledged, EMR adoption rates are surprisingly low in German hospitals. Since there is no 'pull' to use EMR systems, we theorize that low penetration of EMR systems could be in part explained by physicians' antipathy towards computerized medical records. In order to examine physicians' salient beliefs about EMRs and EMR usage and to identify the processes that form them, we conducted a multi-case study in German hospitals, drawing on concepts from Social Cognitive Theory and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to elicit beliefs and structure our analysis. This study sheds light on different types of beliefs and the belief-forming process and their impact on HIT acceptance and use. Our findings indicate that HIT acceptance and use is not solely impacted by cognitive behavioural and environmental factors, as proposed by UTAUT, but also by personal factors such as self-efficacy and emotions. Furthermore, our study provides evidence of continuous reciprocal causation across behavioural, personal and environmental beliefs. The findings indicate that existing technology acceptance models need to be modified for the specific health-care context by adapting the range, meaning and scope of constructs.

This paper offers a novel view on the business-IT alignment that takes on the three major challenges of prior research: theory, process and applicability. The theoretical deliberations and empirical data of a single in-depth case study shows that taking an activity theoretical lens offers a way to conceptualize the mechanisms, triggers and complexities of business-IT alignment that enhance our understanding of the alignment process and reveal important implications for practice. Building on activity theory and the notion of interrelated activity systems, the authors propose to view business and IT as two distinct, yet related activity systems that co-evolve over time. Moreover, they show that business-IT alignment can be understood as a process of continuous adjustments between the two collective, pragmatic, contested and situated activity systems of business and IT. Examining data spanning six years of transformation processes, the authors systematically increase their understanding of the processes and underlying mechanisms of aligning business and IT. These insights are facilitated via the conceptualization of the alignment as a process aimed to reduce contradictions and tensions within and between the linked activity systems of business and IT. The theoretical deliberations and empirical evidence show that AT provides a strong theoretical foundation and a robust framework that is able to facilitate rigorous process-oriented studies, whose findings can guide endeavors of detecting and approaching misalignments in practice.

As individuals all around the world increasingly use mobile devices in their daily life, their desire to use the same devices in the workplace continuously grows. In response, organizations are more and more allowing their employees to use their own devices for both business and private purposes and offer so called 'Bring-your-own-Device' (BYOD) programs. For organizations with global operations there is a need to examine the drivers of BYOD demand across different national cultures to assess how to develop a successful BYOD program. Based on recent literature on BYOD, we examine how different factors contribute to employees' behavioural intention to participate in a BYOD program across different national cultures. The model was examined by surveying students from China, Germany and U.S. in their final term. The results show significant cross-cultural differences, particularly regarding the 'Perceived Threats'. Overall this study offers novel insights for cross cultural BYOD implementations.