Anyone who’s ever clicked an “add to cart” button after reading an online review knows that such feedback can be a powerful motivator. For companies looking to give employees access to business intelligence (BI) insights via mobile apps, the kind of feedback that shows up in app store ratings is likely to be a powerful development resource, according to Information Systems Professor Michael Goul.
Do you check the reviews before booking a hotel? Although number of social media outlets is increasing, consumer review forums remain the most influential with over 60 percent reading reviews before purchasing. As a result, more companies are watching reviews and trying to implement service recovery by responding online. But how successful are they? Information systems Professor Bin Gu decided to find out.
An ancient two years ago – in 2010 – International Data Corporation (IDC) researchers estimated that the world’s digital data had surpassed 1021 bytes, or the equivalent of 125 billion fully loaded, eight gigabyte iPods. By the end of 2012, IDC forecasts that 2.7 zettabytes will be stored worldwide. How will companies profit from all these data? It’s going to take more than machines and number crunchers, says information systems Professor Uday Kulkarni.
According to a study by the Citizens for Tax Justice, four industries receive more than half of the tax breaks granted by the federal government. The IT industry collected only 2.7 percent of the tax subsidies, yet hardware suppliers are, on average, enjoying twice the productivity growth as others in the manufacturing sector. “The IT industry should be appreciated more by regulators, legislators, policymakers and everyday folks,” says Associate Professor Benjamin Shao.
Opportunism in business relationships, such as those between consultants and clients, goes beyond harmlessly stretching the truth. It is, as Gregory Dawson notes, “self-interest seeking with guile,” and its intent is to gain an advantage over others via lying, cheating or other forms of chicanery. So what’s the best way to constrain this behavior? Dawson has been researching your options, and he’s found that legal constraints may not work as effectively as the stigma of a tainted reputation.
Information systems professor Paul Steinbart will spend fall semester on sabbatical, working with defense contractor, General Dynamics, in the company’s Phoenix location. A sabbatical gives a professor a chunk of time to study a topic in-depth. Sabbaticals yield research papers and analysis, but direct benefits also extend to the university, students and industry. Steinbart took time to explain how this works, and to discuss what specifically he will be working on while he’s away.
