Application of appropriate research methods has assumed an important role in knowledge accumulation endeavors in the scientific research community. The current study reported here summarizes how we used the empirical methods in IS research, what we need to improve in using empirical study as research methodology through the set of comprehensive research guideline. From the survey and review of seminal and classical research guidelines, we developed our own 28 checklist for research design, statistical analysis, and conclusion, which can be commonly applied to all articles that employ inferential statistical methods in IS research. Then, we critically evaluated the usage of empirical research methods in major IS journals by using the checklist, with the goal of improving the quality of academic papers. In this study, we scrutinized four major IS journals which published empirical papers from 1991 to 2000: MIS Quarterly, Journal of MIS, Information Systems Research, and Decision Sciences. As a result of intensive evaluation work, we could highlight many areas that are lagging and call for greater attention with regard to the proper usage of empirical study in IS research. The research findings in this study can be referred as checklist and guideline when IS researcher applies the empirical method.

As an extension of Technology Acceptance Models (TAM), the relative importance of perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU) in adopting two different mobile services are examined using service compatibility and user trust as moderating variables. This research shows that PEU is a relatively more important factor in the adoption of new mobile services when the new mobile services are highly compatible with existing services, while trust is an important influential factor in the adoption of services with a relatively low service compatibility. Trust does not significantly change the relative importance of PEU in the adoption of highly compatible mobile services, while the user's trust changes the importance of PU in the adoption process for the mobile services with relatively low service compatibility.

This study takes a quantitative approach to the influence of TTF (Task-Technology Fit) on the individual's use and performance of GSS (Group Support Systems), while traditional studies on TTF have taken the experimental approach to explore the characteristic fit between diverse tasks and technologies. We have the following two research inquires: Are the IS use and performance maximized when information technologies are provided by the exact amount of demand?; and, Does TTF at the high level between task and IT produce better IS use (or performance) than at the low level? To investigate these issues, we use the polynomial regression analysis and response surface methodology of Edwards (1993) instead of traditional direct measure of TTF. This method measures the degree of desired and actual level of information technologies in conducting tasks, and traces the dynamic changes of dependent variables (IS use and performance) according to the variances of each independent variable. Our results conclude that user's IS use and performance are maximized when information technologies are actually provided by no more or less than the desired level. We also found that TTF at the high level promotes better IS use and performance than TTF at the low level.

Importance of Today's diffusion of integrated hospital information systems is that various and huge amount of data is being accumulated in their database systems. Many researchers have studied utilizing such hospital data. While most researches were conducted mainly for medical diagnosis, there have been insufficient studies to develop medical care cost prediction model, especially using machine learning techniques. In this research, therefore, we built a medical care cost prediction model for cancer patients using CBR (Case-Based Reasoning), one of the machine learning techniques. Its performance was compared with those of Neural Networks and Decision Tree models. As a result of the experiment, the CBR prediction model was shown to be the best in general with respect to error rate and linearity between real values and predicted values. It is believed that the medical care cost prediction model can be utilized for the effective management of limited resources in hospitals.

The objective of this research is to identify the process of knowledge transfer and to examine the effect of IT human capability on knowledge transfer in information systems outsourcing. Through a field survey, it is found that clients' IT human capability significantly affects on cooperative learning with vendors and knowledge transfer from vendors to clients. The survey also shows that clients' trust with vendors indirectly enhances the knowledge transfer by increasing the cooperative learning. This study provides a solution of knowledge transfer problem in information systems outsourcing. Also it brings out issues that can be accrued in the outsourcing situation, such as clients' dependency on vendors and knowledge asymmetries developed in favor of the vendors. These issues should be topics for future research on information systems outsourcing.

This paper investigated the causal relationship between IT investment and economic performance with the office, computing and accounting machinery (OCAM) and gross domestic product (GDP) statistics from the United States for the period 1961 to 2001. Due to non-stationary aspects of the series, found by unit root tests, it was deemed applicable to apply growth models using the first difference of the series. The results indicate that IT investment growth at the country level do not only cause economic performance growth, but are also caused by economic performance growth. While IT investment growth affect economic performance growth over shorter time periods, economic performance growth affect IT investment growth over longer time periods. As a result, this study reveals IT investment growth have the preceding effect on economic performance growth, and then economic performance growth impact subsequently on IT investment growth.

Mobile games have emerged as the most innovative entertainment technology, adding new revenue streams, taking advantage of the potential of wireless applications and service offerings. Mobile games, as well as PC games, Video games and online games, offer a unique value for users in providing an exciting digital experience in virtual worlds. The overall trend for mobile games is towards bigger, more colorful, more involving and exciting contents, which might build upon the developing capabilities of mobile phones and networks, in order to bring new styles, concepts and experiences of game play to the users. In this paper, we investigate the factors influencing the usage and acceptance of the mobile games, based on the extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Based on data collected from online survey, we show that perceived usefulness, ease of use are the major determinants for mobile game users to play games. Four factors, including ease of use, self-expressiveness, visibility, and innovativeness are empirically shown to determine the level of perceived usefulness; additionally, innovativeness and facilitating conditions are shown to directly affect ease of use. Based upon the statistical results, some useful guidelines for game development and market penetration strategies are also provided.

This paper considers probable determinants of the application software outsourcing costs and focuses on the service level agreement (SLA) influence. Recently, outsourcing clients and vendors have contracted SLA and tried to reflect them on outsourcing prices. While application software maintenance has been one of the most frequently outsourced functions, its cost did not reflect the service level requirements by the client. This paper empirically shows that the service urgency requirement on SLA increases the maintenance programmers' effort and thus increases the vendor's cost. This result can be used by vendors for program allocation purposes.

The purpose of this research is to identify the factors affecting user acceptance of mobile banking. To test the hypotheses, this research incorporates trust to extend the model. This study investigates the causal relationship among four factors; perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, trust, and intention to use in mobile banking. This study also identifies the elements by which these factors are influenced. The result finds that facilitation condition and self-efficacy are significant elements affecting perceived ease of use. System quality, perceived ease of use and trust are significant elements affecting perceived usefulness, However, social influence is found to be not significant. System quality and perceived ease of use are significant elements affecting trust. Conclusively, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and trust are significant factors affecting the user acceptance in Mobile banking.

Firms are increasingly adopting online communities-of-practice (CoPs) with strong managerial support in hopes of promoting knowledge sharing and creation within the organization. Excessive managerial concern and sponsoring, however, could harm the spontaneity of CoP participants, which is one of the pivotal characteristics of virtual communities, and in the end, have negative impact on their smooth operation. In this regard, this study examines the factors which affect the stimulation of CoPs and explores the difference in their operating mechanisms under two differing organizational structural settings by the existence of a sponsor. By analyzing 133 samples of CoPs in a globally leading company, this study found that the existence of a sponsor designated by the organization, has serious influence on the working of CoPs, That is, leaders' enthusiasm and the level of off-line activities are critical factors for the stimulation of CoPs which have no sponsor, while in case of CoPs that have their sponsors, neither leaders' enthusiasm nor the level of off-line activities are significantly related to the stimulation of CoPs. At the same time, the performance of CoPs which have their sponsors was found significantly higher than that of CoPs which have no sponsor. These results indicate that firms need to pay special attention to organizational sponsorship when introducing CoPs within their organizations.