ISDSNewsAlan Hevner Receives Lifetime

Achievement Award for Design Science

Thedesignsciencecommunityrecognizedprofessor&Citigroup/HiddenRiverChairAlan Hevnerforhissignificantcontributionstothefield.Theaward

recognizesHevner’sroleinnurturingdesignsciencethroughscholarship,editorialleadership,andfederal

continued on page 5

Chair’s Message, Kaushal Chari

Inthesetougheconomictimes,theInformationSystems&DecisionSciences

Departmentisfulfillingitsmissionofteaching,researchandservicewithfewerresources.Thankstoourdedicatedfacultyandstaff,ourstudentscontinuetoreceivequalityeducation,

ourfacultymemberscontinuetopublishintopjournals(asummaryofonesuch

journalarticlebyJoniJonescanbefoundinthisissue),andthedepartmentcontinuestobeengagedwiththecommunity.Somehighlightsinclude:

•Al Hevner,Professor&Citigroup/HiddenRiverChairreceivedtheLifetimeAchievementAwardforDesignScienceinMay.

•Balaji Padmanabhan,AssociateProfessor&AndersonProfessorofGlobalManagementreceiveda$100,000researchgrant.

•Don Berndt,AssociateProfessorservesasaco-investigatoronmultiplegrantstotalingover$1millionfromtheUSVeteransAdministration.

•WelaunchedtheISDSPracticeCenterwherestudentsworkonprojectsforsponsoringcompanies.

•Thefall2008panelofseniorITexecutivesincludedGary Flowers,CEO,BiskEducationInc,Jim Fullerton,partner,Ernst&Young,LLP,andJames Meinen,vicepresident,JPMorgan.

Bits &BytesThe newsletter of Information Systems & Decision Sciences Spring 2009

•Ourspring2009panelofseniorITexecutivesincludedLinda K Baril,executivedirector(retired),JPMorgan,John Tonnison,seniorvicepresident,TechData,andWilliam White, vicepresident, RaymondJames.

•NobelLaureateVernon SmithvisitedUSFCollegeofBusinessandmetwithISDSfaculty.

Besuretoreadthespotlightsinthisissueofournewsletter!There’sagreatoneonlong-servingfacultymemberMurray Cohen,anotheronstarstudentTracey Collins,andoneonouralumnusEric Leonard,asolutionsspecialistwithMicrosoft.

Happyreading!

Cordially,

KaushalChari Professor&Chair,ISDS

Contents

News 1FacultyFocus 2StudentFocus 3ResearchFeature 6AlumnusFeature 8

Fromleft:AnolBhattacherjee,BalajiPadmanabhan,JoniJones,NobelLaureateVernonSmith,DonBerndt,ManishAgrawal

� Bits & Bytes, The newsletter of Information Systems & Decision Sciences , Spring,2009

FacultyFocus

Murray Cohen Associate Professor

Murray Cohen is last of the founding faculty members in the

ISDS department and he led the department in its formative years.

Popular with students, Cohen has won the James R. Longstreet award for teaching excellence numerous times. As he prepares to retire by the end of year, we asked him to describe the evolution of the department and share some of his experiences at USF.

Tell us about the circumstances that led to the creation of the Information Systems Decision Sciences department?IjoinedtheCollegeofBusinessin1982.Acoupleofyearslater(1984-85),theISDSdepartmentwasfoundedwith11facultymembers.Thedepartmentwasthedirectresultofinputthat(then)deanRobert CoxreceivedfromconversationswiththebusinesscommunityinTampaBay.TheytoldhimtheCollegeneededtohaveadepartmenttoteachcoursesonquantitativemethodsandinformationsystems.Asaresult,facultyteachingoperationsresearch,statisticsandMISjoinedthenewlycreateddepartment.TheMIScomponentwasledbyStan Birkin,whohaddevelopedMISconceptsinacourseinthemanagementdepartmentinthe1970’s.

ThefirstchairmanofthedepartmentwasJohn Hodgson,aneconomist.HejoinedUSFacoupleofyearsbeforeme.However,evenintheseearlydays,whileJohnwasputtingtogetheranadvisoryboardanddoingfund-raising,Iwastakingcareofmanyresponsibilitiesofdepartmentchair,includingcourseschedulingandcoursedevelopment.BecauseofJohn’sactiveefforts,ourdepartmenthadthefirstactiveadvisoryboardofanydepartmentintheCollegeandwasverysuccessfulatfund-raising.

DevelopmentsintheindustryhelpedJohninhiseffortstobuildtheadvisoryboard.IBMwaslayingofflargenumbersofhighly-skilledworkersandwaswillingtopaytwo-thirdssalaryforthreeyearstothosewhojoinedacademicdepartments.AnindividualfromthatgroupjoinedusandhelpedJohnbuildtheadvisoryboard.

How did the department grow from there?OneofthefirstfacultymemberstojointhenewdepartmentwasPhilip Pyburn,whostayedforthreeyears.ThedeanthenallowedthedepartmenttoaddaPhDprogram;theISDSdepartmenthadthefirstPhDprogramintheCollege.Cynthia CohenhelpedintheseformativeyearsinherroleasGraduateDeanofCOB(sheispartofthemanagementdepartment).JohnlaidoutthestructureofthePhDprogram,withCynthia,andEllis Blantonwasrecruitedtothedepartmentfacultywiththemissionofnurturingthenascentdoctoralprogram.

ItwasmyprivilegetoteachthefirstPhDcourseinthecollegearoundsummer1986,whichwasasurveyoftheliteratureinquantitativemethods.

What were your major thrusts when you served as department chair?JohnbecameAssociateDeanoftheCollegeofBusinessin1987andIformallybecamethechairofthedepartment.Mymajorfocuswastoprovideaformalstructuretoourdegreeprograms.

IpetitionedTallahasseetoconsultwith theStateUniversitySystemaboutgivingtheMISprogramarubricofitsown.IgatheredsignaturesfromotherMISprogramsinstateuniversitiesacrossFloridaandsucceededinpersuadingthelegislaturetoprovideaformalrubric.WhileourpreferredprefixfortherubricwasMIS,thisprefixhadalreadybeentakenbythemilitaryforMilitarySciencecourses.Sowesettledforthenextbest,whichwasISM.Hence,allMIScoursesinFloridahaveISMcoursenumbers.

Withtherubricinplace,Ellis,Philip,myself,andRoger McGrathputtogetherthetaxonomyofallISMcoursesforthestate.WerecruitedTerry Sincichtoteachthemasslecturecourseinstatistics.IwasparticularlyimpressedbyhismasteryovertheTVmedium.Ithascontinuedtobeasuccesstothisday.

Spring,2009 Bits & Bytes, The newsletter of Information Systems & Decision Sciences �

StudentProfile:TracyCollins

Tell us about some more recent developments.By1990,wehadallthecomponentsofaverywell-

structuredacademicdepartment.Paul Cheneyjoinedusaschairin1998andre-invigoratedtheadvisoryboard.HeputtogethertechnicalclassessuchasacourseonC++,whichwerealsoofferedtoindustry.

AsthefinanceindustrybegantotakerootinTampaaroundthistime,anendowedchairwasestablishedinthedepartment.BearStearnsalsofundedtheestablishment

oftheBearStearnslab.Alan Hevnerjoinedthedepartmentin1994fromMarylandastheendowedchair.Shortlyafterjoining,heimplementedtheMSMISprogram.Withtheincreasinginterestintechnology,ourundergraduateprogramwasenjoyingasurgeinpopularity.

Inrecentyears,wehavebeenhurtbytheaftermathofthedot-combustandrisinginterestinfinanceandrealestate.Ihopethatastheeconomyresumesnormalgrowth,studentswilldeveloprenewedinterestinourofferings.§

Tracey Collins is a senior with a major in MIS. A self-described non-traditional student, she has diligently maintained a very high GPA and is looking forward to a challenging and productive career upon graduation.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Iamwhatisreferredtoasa“nontraditional”studenteventhoughmyearlyyearswere

moreorlesstraditional. Iwasborntohard-

workingparentswhonotonly

gaveme unconditional

love,butalso

providedanenvironmentto

challengemyselfandgrow.Theyinstilledinmetheimportanceofagoodworkethic,respectforothers,andanawarenessoflife’sboundlessopportunities.

Ihadtwochildrenatayoungageandhaveworkedforasmallfamily-ownedcorporationformostofmylife.Aftermanyyears,Ifeltthattherewasmoreformeinlifeandthereforedecidedtoreturntoschoolto“broadenmyhorizons.”IstartedoutatHCCin2005andreceivedmyAAin2007.ItransferredtoUSFandhavebeenpursuinganMISdegreeeversince.

Why did you choose the MIS program?

AlthoughIhavealwaysbeeninterestedincomputers,thesetypesofindustry-relevantskillswereoneofmyprimarymotivationsforchoosingtheMISprogram.

TheprogramprovidestheopportunitytoobtainthenecessaryknowledgeandskillsneededtosucceedintheITfield.Specifically,mydatabasedesign,systemsanalysis,andbusinessapplicationsdevelopmentclasseshaveallowedmetolearnaboutsuchtopicsasthephysical/logicaldesignandmanagementofrelationaldatabases,andhavegivenmeafundamentalknowledgeoftheC#programminglanguage.

AfterbeingintheMISprogramforthelasttwoyears,I’mhappytoreportthatIamcertainthatImadetherightchoiceastheprogramperfectlycombinesbusinessskillswithtechnicalskillstoofferawell-roundededucation.

What are some of your favorite things that you have learned at USF?

ItisdifficultformetochooseanyonethingthatismyfavoritebecauseIloveeverythingthatIhavelearnedhere!

Onethingthatdoesstickout,though,isthatmanyoftheclassesrequireagroupprojectwhichhastaughtmehowtoworkwellwithinateamsetting.AlthoughIinitiallyfoundthegroupprojectstobequitedifficult,Ilearnedtoenjoytheprocessofgettingtoknowmyteammembersandtacklingagroupprojecttogether.Inparticular,learningtobalancethestudyhabits,preferencesindeadlinemanagement,andworkqualityofmyteammemberswithmyownhasbeenachallenge.However,byworkingwithinthesegroups,Ihavelearnedhowtoassessmyteammembers’strengthsandweaknessesaswellasmyownandassigntasksaccordingly.

What areas of IT might you be interested in pursuing in the future?

Ireallyenjoyedmysystemsanalysisanddesigncourseand

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� Bits & Bytes, The newsletter of Information Systems & Decision Sciences , Spring,2009

mydatabasedesignandadministrationcourse.AlthoughIhadheardstories

abouthowdifficultanddemandingdatabasedesignwas,Ithoroughlyenjoyeditandlearnedsomuch.

Thecoursereallyenhancedsomeofthedesignandmodelingtopicsthatwere

originallyintroducedinSystemsAnalysiswhilefurtherexploringtheactualcreationandmanagementofadatabaseinMicrosoftSQLServer.Infact,IamutilizingwhatIlearnedinthisclassatmyworkbymigratingmycompany’sAccessdatabasetoMSSQLServer.

What motivates you to maintain a high GPA?

AlthoughI’mhappythatIhaveahighGPA,highgradesarenotmyprimarygoal.Mygoalistogainknowledge.

School–forme–isnotsomechoretobeenduredsoIcanobtainadegree.Instead,itisthequestforself-bettermentanddiscovery,andI’menjoyingthejourney.Simplyput,mymotivationisthedesiretolearn.Inotherwords,ahighGPAisjustanexcellentconsequenceoftrulyapplyingmyselfandabsorbingwhatIamtaught.

What awards/honors have you received?

IconsideritagreathonorthatIwaschosenforthisstudentfeature.IamalsoamemberofthePhiKappaPhiHonorSocietyandtheGoldenKeyInternationalHonorSociety.IalsoreceivedtheNetworkofExecutive

Womenscholarshipawardfor2009becauseofmyhighGPAandexcellentreferencesfrommyprofessors.

What is your strategy for learning?

AsIpreviouslymentioned,Ilovetolearn.IaminterestedandgettotallyabsorbedineveryclassthatItake.Istudynotjusttopassatest,buttoassimilateandunderstandthesubject.

Beingasinglemomandworkingfull-time,Ireallyhavetomanagemytimewisely.However,becauseI’vealwaysmadesurethatIdofindthetimetostudy,I’vebeenrewardedtenfoldwithexcellentgradesandrecognitionfrommyprofessorsandpeers.IhavealsobeenabletotakeadvantageofsomeofUSF’sexcellentresourcessuchastheBusinessCommunicationsCenter,whichIhaveusedseveraltimeswhenwritingessays.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

ImustaddonemorethingabouttheMISprofessors,becauseithasmeantsomuchtome.Specifically,Varol Kayhan,whotaughtmysystemsanalysisanddesigncourse,andWeyman Whitlock,whotaughtmydatabasedesignandadministrationcourse,reallytookthetimetoalwaysanswerallofmyquestionspromptly,metwithmewhenIneeded,andwentaboveandbeyondtoprovideanyadditionalhelpIrequired.WhenIexcelledineachofthesecourses,theseprofessorsdidnothesitatetorecognizemyeffortsandtakeapersonalinterestinmyeducationandplansinthefield.Receivingunsolicitedrecognitionbytheseprofessors–whomIrespectverymuch–hasencouragedandinspiredme.§

Information Security & Risk Management

International Aspects of Information Systems

Managing the IS Function

Multi-Media Applications

Software Testing

Decision Support Systems

Data Mining

Data Warehousing

MS

in M

anagement Information Systems

Advanced System Analysis & Design

Advanced Database Administration

Distributed Information Systems

Enterprise Information Systems Management

Electronic Commerce

Project Management

Enterprise Resource Planning & Business Process Management

Web Based Applications

www.coba.usf.edu/msmis

Spring,2009 Bits & Bytes, The newsletter of Information Systems & Decision Sciences �

Joe Gliksman, a guest speaker from The Mosaic Company, takes student questions during the March graduate-level Lean course. Gliksman, a USF alum, is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

sponsorshipattheNationalScienceFoundation.Thehonorwasconferredatthe4thInternationalConferenceonDesignScienceResearchinInformationSystemsandTechnology,heldinPhiladelphia,PAinMay.Hevnerhaspublishedmorethan150researcharticlesandhasconsultedforseveralFortune500companiesintheareasofsoftwaresystemsdevelopmentandqualityassurance.

eWinWin and Florida High-Tech Corridor Funds Research Project on Online Social Shopping Balaji Padmanabhan,associateprofessorandAnderson

ProfessorofGlobalManagement,wasrecentlyawardeda$100,000grantfromeWinWin,IncandtheFloridaHighTechCorridortostudy“onlinesocialshopping.”Theprojectwillfocusonunderstandingsocialshoppingingeneralandsocialpricinginparticular.Thesocialpricingaspectwillbestudiedinthe

contextof“demandaggregation”(or“groupbuying”)online.eWinWinInc.’stechnologyhasbeensuccessfulusedinthebusinesstobusinessspace.

Gill Appointed Editor-in-ChiefAssociateprofessor Grandon GillhasbeenappointedtheEditor-in-ChiefofInforming Sciences,ajournalpublishedbyInformingScienceInstitute.GillhasalsobeenrecognizedasthefellowoftheInformingScienceInstitute.

ISDS professor selected for undergraduate teaching award USFpresidentJudy GenshaftpresentedprofessorMark DummeldingerwithUSF’soutstandingundergraduateteachingawardfor2007-08.Thisprestigiousannualawardispresentedtoselectfacultyuniversity-wide,recognizingexcellenceintheclassroom.

Lean management at the College of Business Wehadafullhouseforrecentweek-longgraduate-levelcourseonLeanManagementandBusinessProcessImprovement.ThiscoursecoversfoundationsofLeanManagement,SixSigma,andBusinessProcessImprovementmethodologies.Itisteam-taughtbythreeUSFfacultymembers:Ron Satterfield(ISDS),Yancy Edwards(Marketing),andKingsley Reeves (Industrial&SystemsEngineering).Theyjointlyleadthecourse,which includesacombinationof

lectures,discussions,casework,interactiveexercises,guestspeakers,andindustrytours.Theweek-longexperienceisavailabletwiceyearly,nextslatedfortheweekofAugust17.Tolearnmore,emailrsatterf@coba.usf.edu.

ISDSNews,continued

Share some of your career highlights.Mycareerhasevolvedovertime.Microsoftisoneofthosefewcompanieswhereanemployeeownshis/hercareer.Resourcesareprovidedtohelpemployeesassesweretheyareatandwheretheywouldliketobe;buttheoverallownershiplieswiththeemployees.I’vespentthepast13yearstransitioningfromanimplementationresource(consultingwithMicrosoftConsultingServices)toatechnicalsalesresource(accounttechnologyspecialist)tomycurrentroleasadedicatedsalesresource(solutionsspecialist).

Any advice to current students? Takeadvantageofalltheresourcesandprogramsavailableatyourdisposal.Ifyouhavethetime,defi-

nitelylookforco-opandinternshipprograms.Timespentwithabusinessisagreatassetontheresume whetheryou’reapplyingatthatparticularbusinessoranotherbusinessaftercollege.Workhard,strive forexcellence,bepassionate,haveaplan,andmoreimportantly—havefun!Ican’tstressenoughhow importantitistoENJOYwhatyou’redoing.You’regoingtobeworkingeveryday,somakesureit’s somethingyoulove.§

AlumnusFeature,continued

Eric Leonard, ISDS

alum; Optimized

Desktop Solutions

Specialist for

Microsoft

ISDS alumnus Eric

Leonard is a solutions

specialist for Microsoft.

� Bits & Bytes, The newsletter of Information Systems & Decision Sciences , Spring,2009

ResearchFeature:Internet-enabledReverseAuctionsandNon-contractabilityAssistantprofessorJoni Jones andherco-authorshighlighttheimportanceofnon-contractibilityinInternet-enabledreverseauctionsinarecentarticle1inManagement Information Systems Quarterly,apremierjournalforMISresearch.Asummaryispresentedbelow2.

TheInternethasfacilitatedmanynewIT-enabledprocurementoptionsthatraisequestionsforbusinesspracticeandacademicresearch.On-linereverseauctions,inwhichindustrialbuyersannouncepurchasingrequirementsandselectsuppliersfromamongthelowestbidders(AndersonandFrohlich2001;MithasandJones2007),areaparticularlyintriguingpractice.Ononehand,Internet-enabledreverseauctionsmayhelpbuyersgainefficienciesbyprovidingaccesstoalargerpoolofsuppliers.Ontheotherhand,reverseauctionsmayimperillong-termsupplierrelationshipsandappearinconsistentwiththetrendoffirmsdevelopingdeeprelationshipswithafewsuppliersinresponsetothegrowingimportanceofknowledge-basedexchangesinthehighly-dynamicserviceeconomy(Bensaou1997;Steinfieldetal.1995).

Ourprimarypurposesofthisresearchare,first,tohighlighttheimportanceofnon-contractibilityininter-organizationalrelationships,whichhasnotbeenfullyreflectedinpriorstudiesofelectronicmarketsor,moregenerally,offirmboundaries.Togainabetterunderstandingofnon-contractibilityweidentifyitskeydimensionsandassesshowtheyaffectfirms’sourcingdecisions.Ourgoalistounderstandwhenfirmswillselectreverseauctionsratherthanmoretraditionalsourcingrelationships,withreverseauctionusageimplyingarm’s-lengthmarkettransactionsratherthanhierarchicalorhybridrelationships.Ourguidinglogicisthatafirm’schoiceamongdifferentIT-enabledprocurementmechanismsstemsfromthefirm’sunderlyingchoiceofsourcingrelationship.WestudiedthelikelihoodofreverseauctionusebyU.S.automotiveassemblersandcomponentmanufacturerstoassesshownon-contractibilityinfluencesfirms’useofreverseauctions,comparingandcontrastingtheeffectofnon-contractibilitywithtraditionalTCEdeterminantsofsourcingchoices.

Multi-Dimensional Attributes of Non-ContractibilityPriorresearchhelpsidentifynon-contractiblecharacteristicsofrelationshipsthatarecommoninmanysettings.Wefocusonsixcharacteristics:quality,technologicalinvestmentsbyasupplier,informationexchange,responsiveness,trust,andflexibility(BakosandBrynjolfsson1993).

Wefurthercategorizenon-contractibilityintotwosub-dimensions,task-basedandinteraction-basednon-contractibility.The“task”dimensionofnon-contractibilityhelpsensurehighproductperformancestandards,whilethe“interaction”dimensionsupportsrelationshiplongevity.Weviewquality,technologyinvestments,andinformationexchangeastaskelementsoftheexchangerelationship.Inparallel,weviewresponsiveness,trust,andflexibilityasinteractionelementsofnon-contractibility.SeeTable1foradefinitionofthedimensionsofnon-contractibilityinvestigatedinthisstudy.

Table1:Dimensionsofnon-contractibility

Dimensions DefinitionTask Based Non-contractibility

Quality Manufacturing capability, warranty implications, and criticality of interaction with other components in an assembly

Technological Investments

Supplier’s track record of continuous improvement in existing products, development of new products, and investment in keeping abreast with technological developments

Information Exchange

Exchange of proprietary information between buyer and sup-plier cost reduction and involvement in planning and goal setting activities

Interaction Based Non-contractibilityResponsiveness Supplier’s sensitivity and ability to respond quickly to buyer’s

needs and to keep buyer updated on the requestsTrust Buyer’s perception about supplier’s trustworthiness, confidence

in supplier, and belief that supplier will honor its promisesFlexibility Willingness of supplier to modify a contract, make necessary

adjustments, and react to buyer’s requests that may be beyond the terms of a contract. Flexibility relates more to the strategic aspects of a relationship while responsiveness (see above) relates more to operational issues

1SunilMithas,JoniL.Jones,andWillMitchell,“BuyerIntentiontoUseInternet-EnabledReverseAuctions:TheRoleofAssetSpecificity,ProductSpecialization,andNon-Contractibility”,MISQuarterly,32(4),Dec.2008,pp.705-724

2Jonesmaybecontactedatjjones@coba.usf.eduformoreinformation

Spring,2009 Bits & Bytes, The newsletter of Information Systems & Decision Sciences �

Tostudythedeterminantsofreverseauctionuseweproposedandtestedatheoreticalmodelthatbuildsontransactioncostandincompletecontractsreasoning.Wedevelopedavalidatedinstrumentforthenon-contractibilityconcept.WeconductedasurveyofU.S.-basedautomotiveassemblersandcomponentmanufacturersthatmakeindependentprocurementdecisions.Eachrespondentfirmratedthelikelihoodofusingreverseauctionsfortwocategoriesofproductiongoods(commodityandspecializedtypesofproductiongoods)withvaryingdegreesofassetspecificityandnon-contractibility.Examplesofcommodityproductiongoodsareforgings,castings,steel,copper,andplasticresin;examplesofspecializedproductiongoodsareengineeringappliedpolymers,engineeredmoldplastics,injectionmoldedparts,andspecialtychemicals.

Potential Insights and ImplicationsThecoreresultsprovidethreeinsights.First,buyersprefertoavoidreverseauctionsforspecializedgoods.Second,ourstudyoffersthefirstempiricaltestoftheincompletecontractsargumentsconcerningIT-enabledrelationships,suggestingthatbuyersavoidreverseauctionswhenrelationshipswithsupplierswillinvolvesubstantialnon-contractiblecommitments.Wefindthatnon-contractibilityarisingfromneedsforquality,technologyinvestments,informationexchange,responsiveness,trust,andflexibilityleadsbuyerstoavoidelectronicmarketsthatemphasizearm’s-lengthrelationships.Theseresultssupporttheargumentthatnon-contractibleaspectsofbuyer-supplierrelationshipsremainimportantevenasITinnovationsallowfirmssignificantflexibilityin

managingtheserelationships.Third,oncenon-contractibilityisassesseddirectlyandisincorporatedinthe

model,traditionalassetspecificitydoesnothaveasignificant

influenceonreverseauctionuse,althoughproductspecializationdoesretainasignificant

influence.Thus,boththeoreticallyandempirically,thisstudyteasesout

independenteffectsofassetspecificityandnon-contractibility.Becausemostpreviousempiricalresearch

didnotconsidernon-contractibilitydirectly,effectsofnon-contractibilitythatco-varywithassetspecificitywillhavebeenattributedtoassetspecificityalone.Thisresulthighlightstheimportanceofsupplierinvestmentsinnon-contractibleelementsofexchangerelationshipsinanincreasinglydynamicservice-andknowledge-basedeconomy.

The results have three managerial implications.First,ourstudyprovidesinsightsthathelpindecidingwhichproductsandservicesaremostsuitableforprocurementthroughreverseauctions.Second,suppliersshouldbereassuredbytheresultsshowingthatsatisfiedbuyersarelikelytocontinuebusinesswiththeirsupplierseveniftheyarenotthelowestbiddersintheauctionprocess.Thesefindingssuggestthatsuppliersoftenbenefitfrominvestmentinnon-contractibleaspectsofrelationships,echoingtherecentfindingsrelatedtotheimportanceofcustomersatisfactionforfirmperformance(Fornelletal.2006).Finally,ourfindingssuggestthatelectronicmarketmakersshouldbecarefulinpositioningtheirreverseauctionofferingsforselecteditems,inordertoreducenegativeperceptionsthatmayarisewhenreverseauctionsfailtomeetbuyerexpectationsandobjectives.§

References

Anderson,J.,andFrohlich,M.“FreeMarketsandOnline Auctions,”Business Strategy Review(12:2)2001,pp 59-68.

Bakos,J.Y.,andBrynjolfsson,E.“Informationtechnology, incentivesandtheoptimalnumberofsuppliers,” Journal of Management Information Systems(10:2) 1993,pp37-53.

Bensaou,M.“InterorganizationalCooperation:TheRoleofInformationTechnologyAnEmpiricalComparisonofU.S.andJapaneseSupplierRelations,”Information Systems Research(8:2)1997,pp107-124.

Fornell,C.,Mithas,S.,Morgeson,F.,andKrishnan,M.S.“CustomerSatisfactionandStockPrices:HighReturns,LowRisk,”Journal of Marketing(70:1)2006,pp3-14.

Mithas,S.,andJones,J.L.“DoAuctionParametersAffect BuyerSurplusinE-AuctionsforProcurement?,” Production and Operations Management (16:4) 2007,pp455-470.

Steinfield,C.,Kraut,R.,andPlummer,A.“Theimpactof interorganizationalnetworksonbuyer- supplierrelationships,”Journal of Computer Mediated Communications(1:3)1995.

� Bits & Bytes, The newsletter of Information Systems & Decision Sciences , Spring,2009

AlumnusFeature:EricLeonardEric Leonard, a solutions specialist for Microsoft, shares his career experiences with us.

Tell us about your current job responsibilities? I’manoptimizeddesktopsolutionsspecialistatMicrosoft,responsibleformanagingthesalesoftheMicrosoftDesktopOptimizationPackacrosssixstatesintheSoutheast.Icoverallbusinesssegments(education,state&localgovernment,enterprise,small&mediumbusiness).Thisterritorycontributesroughly$4.2MtoMicrosoft.Describe your educational background. IearnedabachelorsdegreeinMISfromUSF.Ienrolledin‘90andgraduatedin‘96.

Did you work while attending USF? AsI’msurealotoffolkshave,IworkedatPublixduringmytimeatUSF.Ialsospentayearinaco-opprogram,workingatGTEDataServices.

What areas in the MIS major did you find most interesting? Ireallyenjoyedthecoursesoninformationsecurityandbusinessdatacommunications.

Which MIS courses have you found most useful in your career? Systemsanalysisanddesignwasextremelyhelpful.Untilmostrecently,mycareerfocusedarounddeploymentandtechnicalsales.Itreallyhelpstohaveagoodunderstandingofwhereacustomeris“at”inthedevelopmentprocessandwhatthelifecyclelookslikewhenproposingsolutions.

Are there courses you wish you had taken at USF, in the MIS major or elsewhere? GivenwhereIaminmycareer,Ithinkmorecourseson

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marketingorstrategicthinking/managementwouldhavebeenhelpful.

What are some of the most significant trends that you see in the IS/ IT landscape? CertainlytheeconomicdownturnhasimpactedtheITfrombothaspendingandprojectperspective.ThebiggesttrendthatI’mseeingistheincreasedrelianceonROIforprojectjustificationandapproval.Someotherthoughts:

•The ability to put together a compelling business caseiscriticalforsuccessinmovingasaleforwardwithaclientorgettinganinternalprojectapproved.

•Virtualizationisalsoahugedriverfromacostperspective.Clientsarelookingatservervirtualizationtoreducetheamountofspaceinserverrooms,cutpowercostsandreducethepercentageofunderutilizedassets.

•Manyfirmsarelookingatreduced spending on desktop hardwareanddoingextensivetestingondesktopvirtualizationtechnologies.

•Cloud computingisreallystartingtoheatup.Companiesarelookingatcloud-basedsolutionsasanoptiontoreducetheamountoftimetheyspendmanaginglocalcomputingenvironmentsandmovingthatcapabilityoutsideofthefirewall.

What entry-level opportunities are available at Microsoft? AtMicrosoftwehaveaCollege Hireprogram,designedtobringgreathiresintothebusiness.I’veseenentryleveljobsavailableinproductdevelopment,sales,marketing,services(tosomedegree).MoreinformationonMicrosoft’sCollegeHireprogramcanbefoundathttp://www.microsoft.com/college/default.mspx.

As an employer, what attributes do you look for in new hires? Firstandforemost:agreatworkethic.Intoday’senvironmentitisimperativetohaveacan-doattitude.

Astrongpassionfortechnologyisalsoakey.Forexample,Iwouldlikethenewhirestodescribetheirhomecomputerenvironmentanddiscussaspecifictechnologytheyarepassionateabout.

Lastly,inajobinterview,newhiresshouldbetheirnaturalselfratherthantellingmewhattheythinkImaywanttohear.

continued, page 5

Newsletter Editorial Team: Manish Agrawal and Lorie Briggs