IBIT News

Online Labor Markets: An Informal “Freelancer Economy”

The Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT) is pleased to announce the release of The IBIT Report – Online Labor Markets: An Informal “Freelancer Economy” authored by Kevin Yili Hong, Temple University and Paul A. Pavlou, Temple University.

In this report, we discuss three aspects of online labor markets. First, we give an overview of the current state of major online marketplaces that offer intermediary services for buyer companies and IT professionals with a focus on one marketplace in particular – Freelancer. Second, we show some findings on the measurable economic benefits online labor markets provide to companies that outsource IT services (measured with consumer surplus) and what factors contribute to higher buyer satisfaction. Third, we offer a novel perspective on the frictions that exist in the micro-level interactions between buyer companies and service providers given the global nature of these markets and how reputation signals can alleviate these frictions. Finally, we offer practical implications and recommendations for companies that use these marketplaces to outsource IT services to professionals across the globe.

Crowdfunding: Tapping into the Wisdom (and Wealth) of Crowds

Crowdfunding - THE IBIT REPORT The Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT) is pleased to announce the release of The IBIT Report – Crowdfunding: Tapping into the Wisdom (and Wealth) of Crowds authored by Gordon Burtch, Temple University, Anindya Ghose, New York University, and Sunil Wattal, Temple University.

This report examines a new application of crowdsourcing focused on the generation of funding for ideas initiated by others. While news articles and reports on crowdfunding have cited the success of numerous campaigns, the majority of efforts have actually failed. A better understanding of the design of campaigns and the management of the required platform can result in success. The report discusses opportunities, benefits, and pitfalls and demonstrates how the crowdfunding marketplace has the potential to be an innovation hub and improve open innovation practices. The report also provides suggestions on how businesses can leverage crowdfunding concepts, how to conduct a crowdfunding campaign, and how to influence contributor behavior.

Fox School of Business and IBIT announce $50,000 Big Data Grant Program

IBIT’s Big Data Conference attracted 119 attendees, of whom 89 percent were practitioners representing 57 firms. The conference featured 19 speakers from companies such as Walmart, NASA, Campbell Soup, Chartis, Lockheed Martin, Merck, Pfizer, Independence Blue Cross, Wawa and others.

The conference had 12 sponsors, including well-known Big Data practitioners such as Accenture, SAP and GreenPlum, as well as local startups such as ColdLight and Global IDs. IBIT members Lockheed Martin, Campbell’s, Merck, LiquidHub, Sabre Systems and Transaction Network Services also sponsored the conference. More information is available at http://bigdata.temple.edu. The Sept. 27 Big Data conference was the second big data event organized by IBIT in 2012. A Big Data Symposium was held May 21.

Members of the Big Data Conference/Grant Program Committee will review proposals, which can be sent to IBIT Director Laurel Miller at Laurel.Miller@temple.edu.

Big Data Conference/Grant Program Committee

George Llado, Vice President, Merck
Jonathan Brassington, CEO, LiquidHub
Craig Conway, Chief Technology Officer, Transaction Network Services
Jeff Hamilton, Senior Vice President, Business Technology, Pfizer
James Golden, Lead Partner, Analytics Practice, Accenture
Paul Pavlou, Professor, Management Information Systems, Fox School of Business
David Schuff, Associate Professor, Management Information Systems, Fox School of Business
Munir Mandviwalla, Associate Professor and Chair, Management Information Systems, Fox School of Business

For more information on Temple’s Institute for Business and Information Technology, visit http://ibit.temple.edu.

MIS Academic Leadership Conference – November 1-3, 2012

MIS Academic Leadership Conference (MALC) 2012

The Fox School’s Department of Management Information Systems hosted the second annual Management Information Systems (MIS) Academic Leadership Conference (MALC 2012) from Nov. 1-3, 2012 at Alter Hall.

Academic leaders of MIS departments across the world were invited to network and learn from others facing similar responsibilities and challenges. The format was small and highly interactive, with 70 professionals with leadership responsibility for MIS at their respective college or university in attendance. Attendees represented 53 universities, including some of the top schools in the nation.

The conference featured a keynote presentation by Joseph C. Spagnoletti, senior vice president and chief information officer at Campbell Soup Company, as well as a keynote deans’ panel led by Fox School of Business Dean M. Moshe Porat.

Temple Provost Hai-Lung Dai introduced Porat by saying, “the business school under the leadership of Dean Porat is recognized as a powerhouse of Temple University, and our MIS program is a gem of the Fox School.”

Former Temple President Richard M. Englert praised the accomplishments of Fox MIS faculty and students and called MIS “one of the most dynamic academic disciplines,” adding that it “is an essential and powerful tool in business development and economic growth.”

The deans’ panel was titled “The Digitalization of Business Schools” and included Leonard Jessup, dean of the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Business, and Peter A. Todd, dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University in Quebec.

Opportunities and threats posed by the digitalization of business schools were debated, and discussion focused heavily on online learning. “I think it’s inevitable we will have to provide all of these things online,” Porat said, stressing that online classes cannot lose quality.

The panelists shared varying views. Jessup noted the importance of online classes at Arizona while Todd shared that McGill does not see much of a need for them yet. “I think it depends on the culture of the institution and the strength of the brand,” Porat added.

In the general sessions, conference presenters represented schools from Boston College to Aalto University in Finland. Each shared insight as to what their schools are doing on topics such as information systems advisory councils and best practices for MIS graduate programs.

Associate professor and founding chair of Fox’s MIS Department, Munir Mandviwalla, organized the conference and presented at the session titled, “Where will MIS go in 2015? 2020?” Another MIS faculty member, Professor Paul A. Pavlou, chaired the session.

Assistant Professor Richard Flanagan presented in the “Recruiting Strategies” session. Flanagan is the director of Fox’s new Master of Science in IT Auditing and Cyber-Security program in the MIS Department. Assistant Professor Mart Doyle and Fox IT Advisory Board Chair Bruce Fadem also moderated sessions.

The MIS Academic Leadership Conference is the only conference specifically designed for individuals responsible for leading MIS in higher education to network and learn. The conference was co-sponsored by Temple, the University of Arizona, University of Minnesota, Indiana University and University of Texas at Dallas.

Topics included:

Undergraduate Majors and Minors: Curriculum and partnerships
Specialized Masters Programs: New areas and markets
IS Advisory Councils and Boards: Best practices for setting up and managing
Careers and Placement: Target industries and statistics
Recruiting: Strategies and best practices

To learn more visit the MALC 2012 site

Big Data conference attracts leading practitioners to discuss a data-driven future

BIG DATA Conference

On Sept. 27, 2012, the Big Data Conference was organized by Temple’s Institute for Business and Information Technology (IBIT), based at the Fox School, and connected practitioners from agencies and firms ranging from NASA and Lockheed Martin to Walmart and Campbell’s Soup Co. to discuss “The Business Value of Big Data: Potential, Reality, and Success Stories.”

During the course of the day, more than 100 attendees and nearly 20 speakers and panelists explored topics ranging from predications of global climate change, to data-driven marketing strategies, to the role of social media in politics. There was tremendous interest in the program, and the conference sold out weeks in advance.

Conference sponsors included well-known big data practitioners such as Accenture, SAP and GreenPlum, as well as local startups such as ColdLight and Global IDs. IBIT members Lockheed Martin, Campbell’s, Merck, LiquidHub, Sabre Systems and Transaction Network Services also sponsored the conference. The proceeds from the sponsorships and registration funded a new $50,000 Big Data research fund.

Keynote speaker Adrian Gardner, director of information technology and communications directorate and CIO of NASA Goddard Space Center, discussed the many ways in which NASA is using big data to benefit citizens, businesses and government agencies. He cited examples including the use of satellites, which have been aggregating millions of data points since 1978, to pinpoint ideal windmill locations for private energy companies, share predictions about hurricanes with the National Weather Service and monitor the impacts of global climate change.

“Organizations who wish to truly leverage big data must be agile enough to change and grow,” Gardner said. “Today is an opportunity to think about how big data can help your sector.”

During a morning session titled “Redefining Healthcare,” Independence Blue Cross Director of Informatics Ravi Chawla discussed improving marketing campaigns using data-driven insights. With the help of a SAS data tool he called “one of the Cadillacs of data mining,” Chawla helped whittle 200 data variables down to several key variables that drive customer attrition. The resulting predictions proved more powerful than those of previous models.

“It’s not enough to have just good data or a lot of data,” Chawla said. “Being able to analyze and make sense of the data is critical in making better business decisions.”

The conference was organized in partnership with the senior executives of the Fox IT Advisory Board, corporate members of IBIT and the Department of Management Information Systems (MIS). MIS faculty also presented or chaired conference sessions, including department Chair Munir Mandviwalla, Professor Paul A. Pavlou and Associate Professor David Schuff.

The conference committee, which included executives from Merck, Pfizer, Accenture, LiquidHub and Transaction Network Services, as well as Fox School faculty and staff, collaboratively planned all aspects of the event, including its theme, speakers, sponsors, format and implementation.