End User Computing: The Dark Matter (and Dark Energy) of Corporate IT
Abstract
End user computing (EUC) applications are like dark matter in physics. They are enormous in quantity and importance yet have been largely invisible to corporate IT departments, information systems researchers, and corporate management. EUC applications, especially spreadsheet applications, are also "dark" in the sense that they pose a number of overlooked risks for organizations, including errors, privacy violations, trade secret extrusions, and compliance violations. On the positive side, EUC applications are also like the dark energy of physics. They are bringing critical gains to decision making, operational systems, and other important processes to every corner of the firm. It is time to stop ignoring end user computing in general and spreadsheets in particular. One point to consider in particular is that we should only talk about development, regardless of whether the developer user a 3GL or 4GL.
... Consequently, nothing is learned, nothing is stored in long term memory, and no schemata are constructed, which leads to the intensive use of attention mode thinking, which is more prone to produce errors than automatic mode thinking. It is not surprising that some researchers find text and spreadsheet management low level, boring, routine activities [20] [21], in spite of the warnings that end-user computing should be taken seriously [22] [32]. This discrimination against end-user computing can also be explained by teachers' belief in the "fixed" nature of the subject and their own low-level efficiency [23]. ...
... Most teachers apply low mathability approaches to computer problem solving; teaching their students with a fixed belief in science -IT, ICT, CS and with low self-efficacy. These approaches mainly focus on interface navigation, and passing exams, without providing students opportunities to fully understand and appreciate science [23] and can lead to erroneous end-user activities [5] [22]. As mentioned above, effective enduser text management requires the cooperation of teachers of different subjects. ...
... Crowd sourcing would also help find IT professionals who at present, mostly ignore end-user computing [22] [43] and could recognize that High Mathability End-user Computing would be an effective introduction to serious computing. ...
... Consequently, nothing is learned, nothing is stored in long term memory, and no schemata are constructed, which leads to the intensive use of attention mode thinking, which is more prone to produce errors than automatic mode thinking. It is not surprising that some researchers find text and spreadsheet management low level, boring, routine activities [20] [21], in spite of the warnings that end-user computing should be taken seriously [22] [32]. This discrimination against end-user computing can also be explained by teachers' belief in the "fixed" nature of the subject and their own low-level efficiency [23]. ...
... Most teachers apply low mathability approaches to computer problem solving; teaching their students with a fixed belief in science -IT, ICT, CSand with low self-efficacy. These approaches mainly focus on interface navigation, and passing exams, without providing students opportunities to fully understand and appreciate science [23] and can lead to erroneous end-user activities [ [22]. As mentioned above, effective end-user text management requires the cooperation of teachers of different subjects. ...
... Crowd sourcing would also help find IT professionals who at present, mostly ignore end-user computing [22] [43] and could recognize that High Mathability End-user Computing would be an effective introduction to serious computing. ...
... Shadow information technology (Shadow IT) is defined as "hidden" IT solutions (software, hardware, or IT service processes) autonomously deployed in and managed by business departments to support their processes without alignment with IT departments [1]. As a result, Shadow IT can have issues such as inefficient and non-professional implementation [1], security risks [9], compliance issues [13], and deviations from organizational standards and controls [10]. ...
... Shadow information technology (Shadow IT) is defined as "hidden" IT solutions (software, hardware, or IT service processes) autonomously deployed in and managed by business departments to support their processes without alignment with IT departments [1]. As a result, Shadow IT can have issues such as inefficient and non-professional implementation [1], security risks [9], compliance issues [13], and deviations from organizational standards and controls [10]. Moreover, most of the Shadow IT instances, even those involving mission-critical tasks, largely follow their own implementation of IT, out of formal IT processes and standards, which is a case concerning manager about possible risks and inefficiencies [7]. ...
... While some imperfections can be addressed in this way, fully automated inspection approaches have severe limitations when it comes to detecting faults and failures (as discussed previously). Furthermore, studies in end-user environments show that enforcing unconvinced end-users to change their behavior only makes them find ways to circumvent regulations [38,48]. ...
Spreadsheets are powerful tools which play a business-critical role in many organizations. However, many bad decisions taken due to faulty spreadsheets show that these tools need serious quality assurance. Furthermore, while collaboration on spreadsheets for maintenance tasks is common, there has been almost no support for ensuring that the spreadsheets remain correct during this process. We have developed an approach named Spreadsheet Guardian which separates the specification of spreadsheet test rules from their execution. By automatically executing user-defined test rules, our approach is able to detect semantic faults. It also protects all collaborating spreadsheet users from introducing faults during maintenance, even if only few end-users specify test rules. To evaluate Spreadsheet Guardian, we implemented a representative testing technique as an add-in for Microsoft Excel. We evaluated the testing technique in two empirical evaluations with 29 end-users and 42 computer science students. The results indicate that the technique is easy to learn and to apply. Furthermore, after finishing maintenance, participants with spreadsheets "protected" by the technique are more realistic about the correctness of their spreadsheets than participants who employ only "classic", non-interactive test rules based on static analysis techniques. Hence, we believe Spreadsheet Guardian can be of use for business-critical spreadsheets.
... Menurut (Panko & Port, 2013), EUC berkembang sekitar tahun 1980-1990 seiring berkembangnya komputer pribadi (PC) dan adanya dorongan keinginan pemakai untuk mengontrol terhadap sumber-sumber informasi dan fasilitas sistem komputer yang dimiliki; menurutnya, tiga puluh tahun yang lalu EUC bukanlah hal sepele dibandingan dengan sistem informasi terpusat, bahkan EUC akan siap mendominasi penggunaan teknologi informasi perusaahan, dan aplikasi yang juga tidak kalah penting dalam penggunaan end user computing adalah spreadsheet (Indrayani, 2005). ...
End user coumputing(EUC) adalah pengguna akhir yang memiliki keahlian non teknologi informasi, namun mereka mampu untuk mengelola, menggunakan, dan mengakses sumber daya teknologi Informasi seperti perangkat lunak aplikasi dan data tanpa memerlukan keahlian teknis yang mendalam. Fokus utama dari EUC adalah mampu secara mandiri mengembangkan alat, aplikasi dan lingkungan kerja dalam menangani kebutuhan komputasi. Adanya EUC dapat meningkatan efisiensi dan produktifitas dalam aktivitas organisasi/perusahan. Terdapat 4 level keahlian EUC, yaitu level menu, level perintah, level programer dan level fungsional. Tujuan dari pelatihan ini meningkatkan kemampuan EUC. Metode yang digunakan dalam pelatihan EUC (PEUC) adalah presantasi, praktik dan test. PEUC di lakukan selama dua hari. Materi pelatihan terdiri atas: 1) Sistem komputer dan solusi masalah 2) Aplikasi Office, 3) Internet dan keamanan data. Terdapat dua kali test yaitu test sebelum pelatihan(pretest) dan tes setelah pelatihan (Post-Test). Hasil pretest menunjukan kemampuan EUC pada mahasiswa masih kurang (level 0-1). dan setelah pelatihan meningkat pada kategori cukup baik hingga baik (level1- 2).
... Many countries/regions have followed with similar legislation. Consequently, some large corporations have started to look at how they were using spreadsheets in several critical business functions and to put more attention to spreadsheet testing [14] [36]. Leon et al. [90] even argued that planning and implementing spreadsheet controls in corporations should go beyond regular compliance. ...
Spreadsheets are very common for information processing to support decision making by both professional developers and non-technical end users. Moreover, business intelligence and artificial intelligence are increasingly popular in the industry nowadays, where spreadsheets have been used as, or integrated into, intelligent or expert systems in various application domains. However, it has been repeatedly reported that faults often exist in operational spreadsheets, which could severely compromise the quality of conclusions and decisions based on the spreadsheets. With a view to systematically examining this problem via survey of existing work, we have conducted a comprehensive literature review on the quality issues and related techniques of spreadsheets over a 35.5-year period (from January 1987 to June 2022) for target journals and a 10.5-year period (from January 2012 to June 2022) for target conferences. Among other findings, two major ones are: (a) Spreadsheet quality is best addressed throughout the whole spreadsheet life cycle, rather than just focusing on a few specific stages of the life cycle. (b) Relatively more studies focus on spreadsheet testing and debugging (related to fault detection and removal) when compared with spreadsheet specification, modeling, and design (related to development). As prevention is better than cure, more research should be performed on the early stages of the spreadsheet life cycle. Enlightened by our comprehensive review, we have identified the major research gaps as well as highlighted key research directions for future work in the area.
This paper explores the impacts of spreadsheets on business operations in a water utility parastatal in Malawi, Sub-Saharan Africa. The organisation is a typical example of a semi-government body operating in a technologically underdeveloped country. The study focused on spreadsheet scope of use and life cycle as well as organisational policy and governance. The results will help define future spreadsheet usage by influencing new approaches for managing potential risks associated with spreadsheets in the organization. Generally, findings indicate that the proliferation of spreadsheets in the organization has provided an enabling environment for business automation. The paper also highlights management, technological and human factor issues contributing to high risks associated with the pervasive spreadsheet use. The conclusions drawn from the research confirms that there is ample room for improvement in many areas such as implementation of comprehensive policies and regulations governing spreadsheet development processes and adoption.
This paper explores the impacts of spreadsheets on business operations in a water utility parastatal in Malawi, Sub-Saharan Africa. The organisation is a typical example of a semi-government organisation operating in a technologically underdeveloped country. The study focused on spreadsheet scope of use and life cycle as well as organisation policy and governance. The results will help define future spreadsheet usage by influencing new approaches for managing potential risks associated with spreadsheets in the organization. Generally, findings indicate that the proliferation of spreadsheets in the organization has provided an enabling environment for business automation. The paper also highlights management, technological and human factor issues contributing to high risks associated with the pervasive spreadsheet use. The conclusions drawn from the research confirms that there is ample room for improvement in many areas such as implementation of comprehensive policies and regulations governing spreadsheet development processes and adoption.
The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the Health Belief Model (HBM), and a modified HBM including intention were compared in their ability to predict dieting and fasting. Female university students (n = 373) completed a survey assessing variables from the TPB and the HBM. Three months later, a subsample reported subsequent weight loss behaviours. The TPB predictor model explained 35% of the variance in follow-up dieting and 67% in intention. The HBM model explained 29% of the variance in follow-up dieting and the modified HBM model explained 38% of the variance in follow-up dieting and 57% in intention.. The TPB model for fasting explained 14.5% of the variance in follow-up fasting and 58% in intention. The modified HBM model explained 19% of the variance in follow-up fasting and 41% in intention. Results show all models were able to predict a significant portion in the variance of dieting and fasting follow-up behaviour; however the variance explained in follow-up fasting increased when intention was added to the HBM model. Attitude measures were the strongest predictors of behavioural intention and intention was the strongest predictor of follow-up dieting and fasting in the TPB and modified HBM models. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
This study investigated which intention-based model, namely: (1) the technology acceptance model (TAM; Model 1); (2) the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Model 2); and (3) the decomposed TPB (DTPB; Model 3) is best for predicting and explaining employees’ behavioral intention to use hotel information system (HIS). Data were obtained from employees of 13 upscale hotels in Jeju, South Korea, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine and compare the three competing theoretical models (CTMs) in terms of overall model fit, explanatory power, and paths significance. The findings of this study revealed that if the key objective is to predict behavioral intention to use HIS, the TAM is preferable. However, if the key objective is to explain behavioral intention to use HIS, the DTPB is preferable.
This paper summarizes the results of published studies that have applied the theories of reasoned action and planned behavior to the prediction of exercising intentions and behavior. In particular, the paper illustrates the knowledge we have gained from the application of thesetheoriesand how these theoretical frameworks could be used to guide the development of exercise promotion programs. Finally, research are noted.
This study addresses the issue of risks and controls in end-user development. It analyzes two questions related to the design and construction of spreadsheet applications by end-users. The first question focuses on the types of controls and the levels of risk associated with the applications themselves. The second question pertains to the extent to which control mechanisms are used to minimize the risk factors in development and use of spreadsheet data. In other words, a basic auditing premise was tested: If managers are aware of the risk factors in the spreadsheets they develop, do they apply controls in design and implementation to assure that these risks are effectively controlled? Purchase this article to continue reading all 8 pages >
This article describes a reasonable scenario for information technology, and its use within a major organization in the year 1990. The scenario is based upon a model used at Xerox to portray the use of Information Systems (IS) internally within the corporation in the year 1990. Assumptions are made about the technology and economics, and by coupling these with observed trend lines from historical data, predictions about the 1990 IS organization, technology, investment requirements, and support structure are drawn. Estimates are developed for the extent of distributed processing at four levels of the organizational hierarchy. Finally, a number of conclusions which deal with the changing nature of the IS technology and role of IS management are described.
Ten discretionary users were asked to recount their experiences with spreadsheets and to explain how one of their own sheets worked. The transcripts of the interviews are summarized to reveal the key strengths and weaknesses of the spreadsheet model. There are significant discrepancies between these findings and the opinions of experts expressed in the HCI literature, which have tended to emphasize the strengths of spreadsheets and to overlook the weaknesses. In general, the strengths are such as allow quick gratification of immediate needs, while the weaknesses are such as make subsequent debugging and interpretation difficult, suggesting a situated view of spreadsheet usage in which present needs outweigh future needs. We conclude with an attempt to characterize three extreme positions in the design space of information systems: the incremental addition system, the explanation system and the transcription system. The spreadsheet partakes of the first two. We discuss how to improve its explanation facilities.