Evelyn Thrasher

Research into the adoption and satisfaction level of academic electronic textbooks (e- textbooks) by students continues to proliferate as e-textbooks become more commonplace. To date this research has indicated that either students prefer print textbooks to e-textbooks or the results are inconclusive. Prior research on the overall acceptance of technology suggested that females are significantly less interested and less accepting of technology as compared to males. Would this continue to be… Show more

Research into the adoption and satisfaction level of academic electronic textbooks (e- textbooks) by students continues to proliferate as e-textbooks become more commonplace. To date this research has indicated that either students prefer print textbooks to e-textbooks or the results are inconclusive. Prior research on the overall acceptance of technology suggested that females are significantly less interested and less accepting of technology as compared to males. Would this continue to be true regarding e-textbooks? In this study a survey of the use and satisfaction with e-textbooks was administered to a group of 250 male and female undergraduate students who had used e-textbooks in one or more of their courses at a regionally accredited Mid-South university. The results of this study indicate there is a significant difference between genders in the likelihood of a student to select an e-textbook over a printed textbook in a future class: males are more likely to choose e-textbooks than females. Yet there were no significant differences between females and males regarding satisfaction, usefulness, and ease of use. However, female students made more extensive use of the interactive features of an e-textbook than did male students. This suggests that both publishers and faculty should clearly demonstrate how to use the different features of an e-textbook in order to increase student acceptance. Show less

Researchers have looked extensively into the adoption and satisfaction level of academic electronic textbooks (e-textbooks) by students. The majority of research to date has indicated that either students prefer print textbooks to e-textbooks or the results are inconclusive. In this study a survey consisting of questions related to the use of an e-textbook was administered to a group of business majors and non-business undergraduate college students at a regionally accredited Mid-South… Show more

Researchers have looked extensively into the adoption and satisfaction level of academic electronic textbooks (e-textbooks) by students. The majority of research to date has indicated that either students prefer print textbooks to e-textbooks or the results are inconclusive. In this study a survey consisting of questions related to the use of an e-textbook was administered to a group of business majors and non-business undergraduate college students at a regionally accredited Mid-South university with a total of 313 valid responses. All students had used e- textbooks in one or more of their courses. The results of this study indicate that students who are not business majors (non-business students) are more satisfied with an e-textbook than business majors. Non-business students who use one of the e-textbook’s electronic features are also more satisfied with the ease of use of the e-textbook. In addition, non-business students are more likely to use an e-textbook again in the future compared to a business major. Although there is no significant difference between the two groups for the price they are willing to pay for an e- textbook, non-business students on average are willing to pay a higher price for a printed textbook. Show less

Intense pressure to control costs and improve patient care quality is driving hospitals to increasingly look to information technology (IT) for solutions. As IT investment and IT capability have grown in hospitals, the need to manage IT resources aggressively has also increased. The rise in complexity and sophistication of the IT capability in hospitals has also increased the importance of IT governance in these organizations. Yet, there is limited empirical data about the antecedents and… Show more

Intense pressure to control costs and improve patient care quality is driving hospitals to increasingly look to information technology (IT) for solutions. As IT investment and IT capability have grown in hospitals, the need to manage IT resources aggressively has also increased. The rise in complexity and sophistication of the IT capability in hospitals has also increased the importance of IT governance in these organizations. Yet, there is limited empirical data about the antecedents and consequences of IT governance. We draw upon extant literature related to power and politics and capability management to propose, operationalize, and empirically examine a nomological model that explains and predicts IT governance and its ensuing impact on risk management and IT contribution to hospital performance. We empirically tests our hypotheses based on survey data gathered from 164 CIOs of US hospitals. The results have implications for hospitals’ readiness and predisposition for IT governance, as their structural and relational mechanisms can affect IT governance and, indirectly, IT value creation. A contribution of this study is that it is one of the first to empirically examine antecedents to IT governance and its impact on IT performance in a high-velocity environment that is riddled with technological turbulence. Show less

As in many industries, it is recognized that there is a need to increase the use of information technology (IT) in the healthcare industry. However, until now, this has not occurred. In fact, some say that IT in healthcare has consistently fallen far short of expectations. The purpose of this study was to illuminate the need for a more holistic view of healthcare network integration and demonstrate that simply applying the latest technology to the network is not adequate for improving overall… Show more

As in many industries, it is recognized that there is a need to increase the use of information technology (IT) in the healthcare industry. However, until now, this has not occurred. In fact, some say that IT in healthcare has consistently fallen far short of expectations. The purpose of this study was to illuminate the need for a more holistic view of healthcare network integration and demonstrate that simply applying the latest technology to the network is not adequate for improving overall effectiveness. The study results showed that the more holistic view has to include management commitment, of complementarity between IT integration and organizational integration, and continued investments. Show less

Higher education expenditures are being increasingly targeted toward distance learning, with a large portion focused specifically on web-based instruction (WBI). WBI and classroom- based instruction (CBI) tend to offer students diverse options for their education. Thus, it is imperative that colleges and universities have ample, accurate information to help determine the extent and nature of WBI offerings that best fit with the strategy and mission of the institution. In an effort to contribute… Show more

Higher education expenditures are being increasingly targeted toward distance learning, with a large portion focused specifically on web-based instruction (WBI). WBI and classroom- based instruction (CBI) tend to offer students diverse options for their education. Thus, it is imperative that colleges and universities have ample, accurate information to help determine the extent and nature of WBI offerings that best fit with the strategy and mission of the institution. In an effort to contribute to the body of knowledge on WBI, this study compares student performance between CBI and WBI, specifically with regard to the learning of procedural knowledge. The study hypothesizes that WBI will be more effective that CBI in this context and tests this hypothesis using t-tests to compare the means on ten spreadsheet projects. The results provide only minimal support for the hypothesis; yet, the results also indicate some interesting anomalies that warrant further discussion and research. Show less