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Research and Advances Jan 1 1984

Why students reject engineering teaching careers

Many of the country's brightest engineering students have been passing up graduate school for the challenge and high salaries of industry. This is drying up the supply of new Ph.D.s interested in teaching at a time when U.S. engineering schools are struggling to cope with swelling enrollments and a severe faculty shortage.
Research and Advances Jan 1 1984

Congress tackless computer abuse

Congress has been taking an active interest in protecting information stored in computers. Congressional investigations and media reports have highlighted the vulnerability of computer systems to abuse and mis-use. Recent accounts of “system hackers” describe young students and others who gain illegal access to systems, thereby obtaining information and services, as well as disrupting systems.
Research and Advances Jan 1 1984

Software errors and complexity: an empirical investigation0

An analysis of the distributions and relationships derived from the change data collected during development of a medium-scale software project produces some surprising insights into the factors influencing software development. Among these are the tradeoffs between modifying an existing module as opposed to creating a new one, and the relationship between module size and error proneness.
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Research and Advances Jan 1 1984

Organizational power and the information services department

A theory of intraorganizational power is discussed and applied to the information services department. The results of a study of the power of five departments in 40 manufacturing plants is presented. Hypotheses about the levels of power of information processing are not supported by the findings; however, the power theory in general does receive support.The information-services department is perceived as having low levels of power and influence in the organization: Reasons for this unexpected finding are discussed. The paper suggests several explanations for the results and possible problems in the organization. Recommendations to senior management and the information-services department are offered.
Research and Advances Dec 1 1983

A survey of attitudes toward computers

What do people really think about computers and their impact? In 1970, a study of people's attitudes in North America showed computers to be regarded as either “beneficial tools of mankind” or as “awesome thinking machines.” A recent survey taken in Australia and reported in this article, though, suggests there may have been a change in attitudes over the past decade. The Australians expressed much concern over the computer's possible disemploying and dehumanizing effects—as well as disquiet over the control computers could exercise over their lives. If these attitudes are typical beyond the shores of Australia, they could create a barrier to the widespread acceptance and application of computers around the world.
Research and Advances Oct 1 1983

Occupational stress, attitudes, and health problems in the information systems professional

This study examines occupational stress among information systems personnel. A self-report stress and health behavior instrument was completed by 580 respondents in 18 large corporations in the midwestern and southwestern sections of the United States. The data indicate that various job factors are perceived as stressful by respondents. However, the stress levels reported by respondents are not as excessive as have been found in studies of other occupational groups.
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Research and Advances Oct 1 1983

Some realities of data administration

Little information exists on the practice of data administration, i.e., the management of data as an enterprise resource. A survey of data administrators at predominantly large enterprises was conducted to determine the extent of the existence of data administration and to assess its effectiveness as implemented. New insight into the realities of data administration, including its real-world objectives and perceived effectiveness, is presented.
Research and Advances Oct 1 1983

Turnover among DP personnel: a casual analysis

Four variables suggested by previous research were included in a proposed causal model of turnover among computer specialists. When tested using correlational analysis, three of the variables were significant inverse predictors of turnover. A fourth variable was also inversely related to turnover, but not significantly so. Path analysis supports the proposed causal model and suggest turnover indirectly through its influence on the other model variables.
Research and Advances Oct 1 1983

Managing application program maintenance expenditures

Program maintenance represents a major portion of the total expenditures on application programs. Despite the attention this subject has received in the MIS literature, new guidelines to action in this area remain of great interest to practitioners. A large number of variables thought to be determinants of application program maintenance expenditure have been studied through the inspection of application portfolios and personal interviews with top computer executives and systems development personnel. Based on the results, recommendations are made on how to reduce application program maintenance expenditures.
Research and Advances Oct 1 1983

Estimating file access time of floppy disks

Small computers often use floppy disks for storage. Since such disks are significantly slower than hard disks, the response time of a given application program is due predominantly to the time required to access data in files. Access time is dependent on three factors: hardware (disk drive and interface), the operating system in use, and the patterns of file access of application programs. A simple-to-use method of predicting access times with good accuracy is presented. The method makes use of simple calibration experiments that provide information related to the hardware and operating system characteristics of the system in use. This is combined with patterns of file access information for a given application program to predict access time for that program. Actual examples for several small computer systems are presented.
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Research and Advances Oct 1 1983

The management of end user computing

End users can be classified into six distinct types. Each of them needs differentiated education, support, and control from the Information Systems function. To support a large number of their applications a new computing environment, “the third environment” must be developed by Information Systems (I/S) management. Close attention must also be paid by I/S management to the need to involve “functional support personnel” (end users in each functional area who spend most of their time programming and aiding other end users) in the I/S end user management process.
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Research and Advances Oct 1 1983

The computer science research network CSNET: a history and status report

In 1981, the National Science Foundation started a five-year project totaling nearly $5 million to construct a computer science research network, CSNET, connecting all groups engaged in computer science research. For an NSF division with an annual budget of $25 million, the award represents an unusual commitment to a single project; only a handful of such large awards have been made. What is CSNET? Why is it receiving such attention? How will it benefit the community? When will it be completed? Who are the architects and implementors?
Research and Advances Oct 1 1983

The measurement of user information satisfaction

This paper critically reviews measures of user information satisfaction and selects one for replication and extension. A survey of production managers is used to provide additional support for the instrument, eliminate scales that are psychometrically unsound, and develop a standard short form for use when only an overall assessment of information satisfaction is required and survey time is limited.
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