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<TITLE>JAIS Volume 12, Issue 4, April 2011 Contents</TITLE>
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<P><FONT SIZE=2>The contents of the latest issue of<BR>
The Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS)<BR>
Official Publication of the Association for Information Systems<BR>
Volume 12, Issue 4, April 2011<BR>
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Published: Monthly Electronically<BR>
ISSN: 1536-9323<BR>
Published by the Association for Information Systems, Atlanta, USA<BR>
<A HREF="http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/">http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/</A><BR>
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Editor-in-Chief: Professor Shirley Gregor, the Australian National University, Australia<BR>
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PAPER ONE<BR>
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Conceptualizing the Dynamic Strategic Alignment Competency<BR>
By Jeff Baker, Donald Jones, Qing Cao and Jaeki Song<BR>
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Abstract:<BR>
This essay addresses the question, “How can strategic alignment that is sustained over time be conceptualized and quantified?” We build on the Dynamic Capabilities Framework and suggest that an organization’s ability to achieve a high degree of alignment between its IT strategy and its business strategy is an enduring competency that is a source of competitive advantage. We couple this theoretical understanding of how strategic alignment provides value with extant research to explain an approach to measuring an organization’s dynamic strategic alignment competency. Our measurement approach considers (1) the degree of alignment at a given point in time, (2) the organization’s history of alignment, and (3) the maturity of the business processes that enable IT and business strategies to co-evolve. Our paper contributes to research on strategic alignment in two ways. First, we address a stated need for more substantial theory to undergird strategic alignment research by highlighting and building upon the Dynamic Capabilities Framework. Second, we move beyond static, single-time-period examinations of alignment to explain a dynamic approach to alignment, one that includes an operationalization of the dynamic strategic alignment competency. In sum, we argue that the dynamic strategic alignment competency is an enduring organizational competency built on organizational processes and routines that provides a source of competitive advantage.<BR>
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To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.<BR>
<A HREF="http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol12/iss4/2/">http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol12/iss4/2/</A><BR>
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PAPER TWO<BR>
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By The Impact of Data Quality Tags on Decision-Making Outcomes and Process<BR>
Rosanne Price and Graeme Shanks<BR>
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Abstract:<BR>
It has been proposed that metadata describing data quality (DQ), termed DQ tags, be made available in situations where decision makers are unfamiliar with the data context, for example, in data warehouses. However, there have been conflicting reports as to the impact of such DQ tags on decision-making outcomes. Early studies did not explicitly consider the usability and semantics of the DQ tag designs used experimentally or the impact of such tags on decision process, except in suggestions for future research. This study addresses these issues, focusing on the design of usable DQ tags whose semantics are explicitly specified and exploring the impact of such DQ tags on decision outcomes and process. We use the information quality framework InfoQual, the interaction design technique of contextual inquiry, and cognitive process tracing to address DQ tag semantics, usability, and impact on decision process, respectively. In distinct contrast to earlier laboratory experiments, there was no evidence that the preferred decision choice changed with DQ tags, but decision time was significantly increased and there were indications of reduced consensus. These results can be explained by understanding the impact of DQ tags on decision process using concurrent protocol analysis, which involves participants verbalizing thoughts while making a decision. The protocol analysis study shows that DQ tags are associated with increased cognitive processing in the earlier phases of decision making, which delays generation of decision alternatives.<BR>
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To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below.<BR>
<A HREF="http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol12/iss4/1/">http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol12/iss4/1/</A><BR>
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