Academic Publications: Data
A Morphology of the Organisation of Data Governance
Boris Otto
Proceedings of the 19th European Conference on Information Systems
ABSTRACT: Both information systems (IS) researchers and practitioners consider data governance as a promising approach for companies to improve and maintain the quality of corporate data, which is seen as critical for being able to meet strategic business requirements, such as compliance or integrated customer management. Both sides agree that data governance primarily is a matter of organisation. However, hardly any scientific results have been produced so far indicating what actually has to be organised by data governance, and what data governance may look like. The paper aims at closing this gap by developing a morphology of data governance organisation on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the state of the art both in science and in practice. Epistemologically, the morphology represents an analytic theory, as it serves for structuring the research topic of data governance, which is still quite unexplored. Six mini case studies are used to evaluate the morphology by means of empirical data. Providing a foundation for further research, the morphology contributes to the advancement of the scientific body of knowledge. At the same time, it is beneficial to practitioners, as companies may use it as a guideline when organising data governance.
Topics: Data, Governance, Organization
Organizing Data Governance: Findings from the Telecommunications Industry
Boris Otto
Communications of the Association for Information Systems Vol. 29 No 1 Article 3
ABSTRACT: Many companies see Data Governance as a promising approach to ensuring data quality and maintaining its value as a company asset. While the practitioners’ community has been vigorously discussing the topic for quite sometime, Data Governance as a field of scientific study is still in its infancy. This article reports on the findings of a casestudy on the organization of Data Governance in two large telecommunications companies, namely BT and Deutsche Telekom. The article proposes that large, service-providing companies in general have a number of options when designing Data Governance and that the individual organizational design is context-contingent. Despite their many similarities, BT and Deutsche Telekom differ with regard to their Data Governance organization. BT has followed a more project-driven, bottom-up philosophy; Deutsche Telekom, on the other hand, favors a rather constitutive, top-down approach. The article also proposes a research agenda for further studies in the field of Data Governance organization. More ›
Topics: Data, Governance, Telecommunications
Information and Data Quality in Business Networking
Boris Otto, Yang Lee, Ismael Caballero
Electron Markets (2011) 21:83–97
Information and data quality in business networking: a key concept for enterprises in its early stages of development Abstract: Information and data of high quality are critical for successful business performance in general and Business Networking in particular. As the trend toward sharing information between business partners and value networks is still increasing, the position paper aims at providing a comprehensive perspective on the state of research with regard to information and data quality in Business Networking. The paper shows that much has been achieved, but that fundamental aspects still remain unaddressed. Based on the results of a literature review, the paper identifies consequential areas of research and makes six propositions for future research. In doing so, the position paper aims at offering novel perspectives and at introducing new areas of research in a field of particularly high relevance in the networked businessand electronic markets domain.
Position Paper (256K)
Topics: Data
Usability Failures and Healthcare Data Hemorrhages
M. Eric Johnson, Nicholas D. Willey
IEEE Security & Privacy
Data leaks are often the result of usability failures. In healthcare, usability failures risk both patients' health and their identity. In this article, the authors analyze samples of medical-related files collected from peer-to-peer file-sharing networks. These leaked files contained significant protected health information and demonstrate the risk to patients and institutions. Through interviews and field research, they document how usability failures lead to such hemorrhages. More ›
Usability Failures and Healthcare Data Hemorrhages (1.1M)
Topics: Data, Healthcare IT & Ops
Protecting Critical Information Infrastructure: Developing Cybersecurity Policy
Hans Brechbühl, Robert Bruce, Scott Dynes, M. Eric Johnson
Information Technology for Development, Volume 16 No 1, Commonwealth, Spring 2010
This article discusses the elements of successful information security practices and policies at developing countries, based on field studies of information security practices and policies at US firms as well as on literature research. These elements include shared behaviors, persuasive relationships, and trust: we see these as resulting from increased dialog and necessity, not necessarily from any formal governing structure. This article presents a network model of the interactions required for effective cybersecurity and provide guidance to ICT Ministers in developing countries about the multidimensional aspects of cybersecurity policy concerns. More ›
Topics: Data, Information Security
The Evolution of the Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Industry and the Security Risks for Users
M. Eric Johnson, Dan McGuire,
Proceedings of the 41st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2008
This paper examines the peer-to-peer file sharing phenomena, including an overview of the industry, its business models, and evolution. The authors describe the information security risks users’ face including personal identification disclosure and leakage of proprietary business information.
Overview in PDF Format (353K)
Topics: Data, Information Security, Information Technology, Risk
Costs to the U.S. Economy of Information Infrastructure Failures
Scott Dynes
M. Eric Johnson, Eva Andrijcic
Proceedings of the Fifth WEIS, 2006
The increasing reliance of the U.S. economy on the information infrastructure has raised questions regarding the security and robustness of the critical information infrastructure at all levels of the economy, ranging from individuals in small firms facing very practical concerns to national figures facing equally pressing policy issues. Until recently, these individuals have had to rely mainly on speculation for guidance as empirical studies of the economic risks faced by individual firms and larger economic entities were unavailable. This lack of data concerning these issues was the original impetus for the studies presented in this paper.
Article in PDF Format (92K)
Topics: Data, Information Security
Inter-temporal Economics of Scope, Organizational Modularity and the Dynamics of Diversification
Constance E. Helfat
Strategic Management Journal, Volume 25, 2004
The question of whether corporations add value beyond that created by individual businesses has engendered much debate in recent years. Some of this debate has focused on the pros and cons of related vs. unrelated diversification. A standard explanation of the benefits of related diversification has to do with the ability to obtain intra-temporal economies of scope from contemporaneous sharing of resources by related businesses within the firm. In contrast, this paper deals with inter-temporal economies of scope that firms achieve by redeploying resources and capabilities between related businesses over time, as firms exit some markets while entering others. The transfer of resources due to market exit distinguishes our treatment of inter-temporal economies of scope from standard intra-temporal economies of scope. In addition, these intertemporal economies can benefit from a decentralized and modular organizational structure. This ability to obtain inter-temporal economies of scope via organizational modularity and recombination suggests that corporations do not necessarily need a high degree of coordination between business units in order to benefit from a strategy of related diversification.
Paper in PDF Format (183J)
Topics: Data, Process, Product Development