Pak Yoong

• MSc; PhD
• Professor Emeritus at Victoria University of Wellington

Research on transition to higher education and young people with disabilities has increased in recent years. However, there is still limited understanding of transition issues and how digital technologies, such as social media and mobile devices, are used by this group of students to manage these issues. This article presents the findings of an emp...

Research and practice about self-determination in the context of disability has centred on teaching skills and providing support to help people with impairments to be independent. However, limited research exists about the impact of Information and Communication Technologies, in particular social media and mobile devices, on the development of self...

This article introduces Transition 2.0, a paradigm shift designed to study and support students with disabilities' transition to higher education. Transition 2.0 is the result of a qualitative study about how a group of young people with vision impairments used digital technologies for their transition to university. The findings draw from observat...

A growing number of young people with disabilities is pursuing university education. Available research on the impact of Information and Communication Technologies on this matter has mainly focused on assistive technologies and their compensatory role for the adjustment of this group of students to the tertiary setting. However, limited research ha...

The term lurker connotes a low-value role in online communities. Despite making up the majority of members, these invisible individuals are often cast as peripheral players who should be encouraged to participate more fully. We argue that the lurker concept is problematic and that online communities, and the roles associated with them, need to be r...

This article describes the use of historical methods in information systems research and provides a practical example of how this technique was used in a recent research project. Though the information systems researcher already has a rich cornucopia of research methods to choose from, historical research has the power to offer insights over and ab...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe different concepts of valuable knowledge that are perceived to be lost when an older expert departs from a knowledge-intensive organisation. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case research methodology and semi-structured interviews involving 17 participants from five small-to-medium enterpr...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe different concepts of valuable knowledge that are perceived to be lost when an older expert departs from a knowledge-intensive organisation. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case research methodology and semi-structured interviews involving 17 participants from five small-to-medium enterpr...

Entrepreneurs are typically resource poor when they set out to create their IT innovation. They must seek out and use resources that they do not have to create their innovation. How they do so is at the heart of this study. Successful realisation of such innovations requires collective effort, involving resources and actors both internal and extern...

A social network perspective helps identify and analyse informal knowledge transfer among people and organisations with the aim to recommend organisational interventions and improvements, for example in the form of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) support. This paper particularly focuses on a key concept of social network analysis (SN...

This paper reports on a research study that involved the use of blended action learning to support leadership development within the New Zealand education sector. An important contributor to the success of this technology-enabled approach to professional learning was the role taken by the blended action learning facilitator. Two complementary aspec...

Invisible members of online communities; those who access, but do not post material, have traditionally been conceived of as being inactive, peripheral, non-productive participants. The term lurker connotes a poorly understood, low-value and marginal role, characterised by a reluctance, or lack of readiness, to contribute. This paper argues that in...

This paper reports on the use of historical methods in a recent information systems doctoral research project. The paper concentrates on the use of the methodology rather than the findings themselves. The use of historical methods is rare in information systems and this paper outlines the valuable insights it can bring for researchers. Historical m...

This study investigated how online communities helped drive change in a three-year professional development programme for New Zealand teachers. The programme aimed to embed effective ICT-based teaching practices in schools, together with a student-centred approach that positioned the teacher's role as a facilitator of learning. An unofficial bloggi...

All too often, valuable knowledge is lost from organisations when experts leave - both the experts and their expertise represent valuable assets (Huber, 1999). When older experts leave the workforce, they take with them significant experience and critical knowledge essential to the smooth management of organisations (Hylko, 2005). Employers, howeve...

The purpose of this research was to explore the use of ICT to support leadership learning within an education context. Leadership development opportunities that encourage reflection, the development of self-awareness, the sharing of practice, and that support the transfer of learning back to the workplace are challenging to fit into the life of bus...

This chapter argues that leaders need to better understand the roles played by informal knowledge brokers in connecting overlapping online communities of practice (CoPs). It illustrates how distributed individuals playing a key knowledge broker role – the Connector-leader – helped to drive transformative professional change. The research context wa...

Distributed leadership is a practice that spreads leadership over a number of people who work cooperatively and interdependently to achieve the purpose of their group. Unlike heroic models of leadership, which rely on the capabilities of one person, distributed leadership encourages all members to contribute their knowledge and expertise. Online en...

This chapter introduces a framework for analyzing governance arrangements of KM programs. The framework is used to analyze the organizational structures, processes and relational mechanisms, including leadership matters, which guide the KM program of a large European corporation. The analysis focuses on the issues KM leaders and staff encounter in...

This chapter describes the use of blended action learning in a professional development context. Action learning is a process that involves small groups of learners working on issues or problems they face in their every day work with the support of a facilitator. Although action learning sets most often meet face-to-face, ICT is increasingly being...

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how online communities of practice facilitate the embedding of personal professional knowledge in a complex online environment. Design/methodology/approach This research consisted of exploratory, interpretivist case research, using qualitative methods. Forty‐one individuals from five online communities in a n...

The construction industry is facing a number of pressures to decrease costs, improve productivity and have a competitive edge in terms of quality of service and customer satisfaction. Recent advancements in mobile technology provide new avenues for addressing this situation. This paper presents the role of emerging mobile technologies and, in parti...

This case study explores the thinking and motivation behind the creation of an atypical e- commerce business model, and the aspirations of the entrepreneurs behind this creation. Unlike most B2C e-commerce providers, a small New Zealand company called Firstin, selling products of a mostly technological nature, does not give its customers the opport...

This paper reports on a case research project that investigated how online communities facilitate professional change. The context was an ICT professional development programme which aimed to transform teaching in New Zealand. Research indicates that transformations in professional behaviour require changes in professional knowledge – interpretive...

This research in progress paper reports on the results of a pilot study investigating the transfer of knowledge in a social network, such as a Community of Practice, that comprises members of various organisations and therefore represents knowledge transfer at an inter-organisational level. The study aims to identify and analyse knowledge transfer...

This paper reports on an interpretive case research project that investigated how online communities facilitate the embedding of professional knowledge. The study context was a New Zealand programme that aimed to integrate ICT into school teaching, while building a student-centred pedagogy. For many participants, this amounted to paradigm shift, ch...

This research in progress paper reports on an investigation into the nature of inter-organisational knowledge transfer among people working in the New Zealand R&D sector. Knowledge transfer structures, in the form of advice giving and seeking, as well as individual learning preferences were explored. This paper presents results of a study using a m...

This paper describes a qualitative case study involving the formation of a number of facilitated action learning groups each comprising six teachers from different services in the New Zealand early childhood education sector. Action learning is a process that involves small groups or sets of learners working on issues or problems that they face in...

Purpose To provide a conceptual model for the discovery and articulation of emergent organizational knowledge, particularly knowledge that develops when people work with new technologies. Design/methodology/approach The model is based on two widely accepted research methods – action learning and grounded theory – and is illustrated using a case st...

This paper reports on the results of a larger research project that investigated the factors impacting on inter-organisational transfer in the New Zealand State Sector. Seven gatekeepers (boundary-spanning individuals) from different organisations were interviewed about their experiences in facilitating knowledge transfer between a cross-sector wor...

This paper reports on a research project that investigated the key factors impacting on interorganisational knowledge transfer during a collaborative project involving a group of New Zealand State Sector organisations. Interviews were undertaken with seven gatekeepers (boundary-spanning individuals). The gatekeepers were found to have performed mul...

This theoretical article re-examines the issue of relevance in Information Systems (IS) research. It argues that the commonly presented view, in which IT practitioners (operating in a restricted range of roles and organisational settings) are seen as representing "IS practice", is limiting. A call is made for a deeper understanding of the concept o...

This paper will discuss recent initiatives to encourage the development of broadband networks in New Zealand. It is widely believed that the availability of good quality broadband will lead to improved economic development at the regional level. This paper considers the role played by both national and regional government in improving access to bro...

One of the difficulties of conducting applied qualitative research on the applications of emerging technologies is finding available sources of relevant data for analysis. Because the adoption of emerging technologies is, by definition, new in many organisations, there is often a lack of experienced practitioners who have relevant background and ar...

As universities become increasingly research driven and funded on a research-basis, there is an increased need to attract graduate research students. The easiest way of doing this is to draft highly-talented undergraduate students into the research programmes. However, in a booming industrial job market, this is no easy task for Information Systems...

This paper reports on a work in progress that is using historical methods to research the development of learning regions in New Zealand. Historical methods involve the collection of both primary and secondary sources of data, which are then analysed to establish relationships between cause and effect. Historical methods enable the researcher to ex...

As universities become increasingly research driven and funded on a research-basis, there is an increased need to attract graduate research students. The easiest way of doing this is to draft highly-talented undergraduate students into the research programmes. However, in a booming industrial job market, this is no easy task for Information Systems...

This paper reports part of a study that examines how to harness the expert knowledge of older workers. Five older workers, from both public and private sector organisations, were interviewed face to face regarding their potential contributions to other colleagues based on their expertise on work practices. Preliminary results revealed the following...

This case study describes the thinking and motivation behind the creation of an atypical e-commerce business model, and the aspirations of the entrepreneurs behind this creation. Unlike most B2C e-commerce providers, a small New Zealand company called Firstin, specialising in technology, does not give its customers the opportunity to fulfil a speci...

An IS professional's ability to perform in his or her role is vital to the utilisation of information systems within an organisation. The introduction of e-commerce has opened a new set of challenges for the IS professionals who are most frequently tasked with developing e-commerce solutions. However, they often do not have the competencies require...

The nature of information technology work has changed dramatically in the past decade. The rise of the Internet has driven massive shifts in both what IT people are asked to do, and how they are required to do it. The Internet has made possible such far-reaching phenomena as electronic commerce, outsourcing and offshoring, new styles of programming...

This paper describes part of a research programme that explores the development of telecentres and the role of key players in these ventures. A single case study was conducted on the development of the Kapiti Telecentre, which is based on the Kapiti coast, a semi-rural and developing community situated approximately 50 km north of Wellington, New Z...

When researchers extend a conventional communication application to mobile devices, the communication becomes ubiquitous. We recently examined a mobile communication application from a usability perspective. We found that despite the potentially high utility of the mobile communication application, it had usability issues that required user interfa...

International trade, and in particular exports, is one of the outputs of the New Zealand transport supply chain. The success with which this supply chain is managed greatly impacts the success of New Zealand's trade economy. This paper reports part of a study that examined the factors that contribute to information technology deployment in the tran...

Understanding the knowledge, skills and abilities of information systems professionals has been a longstanding goal of information systems research. An IS professional's ability to perform in his or her role is vital to the utilisation of information systems within an organisation. This research addresses the question: in what ways has the recent a...

This paper reports part of a study that examines how to harness the knowledge assets of older workers. Five older workers, from both public and private sector organisations, were interviewed face-to-face regarding their potential contributions to other work colleagues based on their expertise on work practices. Preliminary results revealed the foll...

One of the difficulties of conducting applied qualitative research on the applications of emerging technologies is finding available sources of relevant data for analysis. Because the adoption of emerging technologies is, by definition, new in many organizations, there is often a lack of experienced practitioners who have relevant background and ar...

The construction process requires collaboration between many physically dispersed parties for it to be undertaken efficiently and successfully. Victoria University is undertaking long-term research into technology driven mobile collaboration within the New Zealand building industry. The intention of this research is to develop mobile tools that ass...

This paper describes how two research methodologies, grounded theory and action learning, were combined to produce a rigorous yet creative and flexible method for field study of a recent IT-based innovation, virtual teams. Essentially, an action learning program was used to train facilitators of virtual teams and generate research data while ground...

This paper reports preliminary results from a study that examines factors influencing knowledge sharing among members of business clusters based in Wellington, New Zealand. Business clusters are local concentrations of competitive firms in related industries that do business with each other. Earthquake Engineering, Creative Capital, Natural Hazards...

This paper reports preliminary results from a study that examines factors influencing knowledge sharing among members of business clusters. Business clusters are local concentrations of competitive firms in related industries that do business with each other. Earthquake Engineering, Natural Hazards, Optics and Software are examples of clusters stud...

This paper reports part of a study that examines how members of a senior management team in a public sector organisation make decisions under urgency. Four regional managers, who are geographically dispersed around New Zealand were interviewed, either face-to-face or via telephone, regarding their experiences of decisionmaking under urgency. Prelim...

This paper reports part of a study that examines how members of a senior management team in a public sector organisation make decisions under urgency. Four regional managers, who are geographically dispersed around New Zealand were interviewed, either face-to-face or via telephone, regarding their experiences of decision - making under urgency. Pre...

Personal information privacy is arguably the most important issue facing the growth and prosperity of the Internet, especially of e-commerce. Protecting personal information privacy has ignited a debate that pits privacy advocates against technology ...

Personal information privacy is arguably the most important issue facing the growth and prosperity of the Internet, especially of e-commerce. Protecting personal information privacy has ignited a debate that pits privacy advocates against technology ...

Although electronic face-to-face meetings are increasingly being used by organizations to improve the productivity of their strategic planning teams, design task forces, quality circles, sales management, and other organizational groups (Alavi, 1993; Dishman & Aytes, 1996), the rate of adoption of the technologies to support these meetings appears...

The objectives of this chapter are to describe the nature of reflective practice and the development of reflective practice in one human aspect of information technology application, namely, the facilitation of face-to face electronic meetings.

Global virtual teams are playing an increasingly, important role in international business by offering organizations the opportunity for reaching beyond traditional boundaries. However, their use has outpaced our understanding of their dynamics and unique characteristics. For example, global, multicultural, interorganizational, virtual teams and th...

The development of personal relationships between team members is recognised as an important factor in enhancing effective working relationships among members of both co-located and virtual teams. However, little has been written on how to build these online relationships among virtual team members. This paper reports part of a qualitative research...

Electronic meeting facilitation (e-facilitation) continues to be a critical success factor in the use of information technology to support face-to-face collaborative work. Yet researchers and practitioners continue to struggle to understand the subtleties and difficulties in the application of meeting facilitation techniques in the ‘electronic’ con...

Effective meeting facilitation is recognised as a critical factor in group support systems (GSS) use but relatively little is known about how organisations can train and develop their “electronic meeting facilitators”. This article describes an action learning (AL) approach to the training of GSS facilitators. It begins with a description of the th...

This paper reports preliminary results from a case research on the question of how project managers adapt to managing IS projects when the project is beyond their comfort zone. 'Comfort zone' is used in this study to denote the area or areas in which a project manager has technical expertise, or a background in a particular area of IS, and at the s...

Describes a case research study into how knowledge workers adopt telework as an alternative work arrangement. It reports how knowledge workers in two New Zealand organisations organise their workload to take advantage of the information and Internet technology available to them in their work and home environments. The findings of the study indicate...

The objectives of this chapter are to describe the nature of reflective practice and the development of reflective practice in one human aspect of information technology application, namely, the facilitation of face-to face electronic meetings.

Although electronic face-to-face meetings are increasingly being used by organizations to improve the productivity of their strategic planning teams, design task forces, quality circles, sales management, and other organizational groups (Alavi, 1993; Dishman & Aytes, 1996), the rate of adoption of the technologies to support these meetings appears...

Reports part of a grounded theory study in which 15 facilitators, already experienced in conventional meetings, were trained to become facilitators of face-to-face electronic meetings. Presents a model - “Active reflection” - of the reflective practice processes used by the trainee facilitators. Active reflection is a term which describes the train...

The need for effective facilitation in Group Support Systems (GSS) environments is well documented. Results from recent studies of facilitation in face-to-face electronic meetings have demonstrated that more and different research is required before we have a clearer picture of GSS facilitation. The training of GSS facilitators has been acknowledge...

This paper focuses on some organizational and social aspects of the International Office of the Future (IOF). In particular, it proposes an action learning model that could be used to prepare present generation office workers for the dynamic, complex, and turbulent IOF.

In the International Office of the Future (IOF), individuals will use a variety of technologies to assist them in communicating, in collaborating, and coordinating their activities across distance and time. These technologies are designed to enhance workflow automation, office conferencing and communications, information filtering, shared calendari...

An abstract is not available.

The identification of strategic options, conducted on a periodic basis, is a critically important aspect of today's modern organizational life. Many business leaders are aware that the clarity with which they view these strategic issues can directly impact on the successful operation of their firms. The current turbulent business environment makes...

CPS is a scheme allowing students to assess their progress during a course by taking informal multi‐choice tests. A computer program marks the answer‐cards and produces for each student a report sheet listing the correct answers and offering remedial advice for incorrectly answered questions. Operation of the scheme is very simple and requires no s...

The proliferation of network enabled mobile devices is creating an extraordinary opportunity for designing of new applications. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a mobile facsimile application (ClikiFax) for the construction industry. Construction is an information intensive industry in which the accuracy and timeliness of info...

Small-world networks represent a decentralised network topology in which several actors are strongly connected with each other. A high clustering coefficient and a high number of short paths within a social network characterise such a network. Particularly in the context of inter-organisational knowledge transfer among R&D organisations, the struct...

Little is known of the role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) play in facilitating regional development. In order to address this issue a literature search was carried out and the concept of the "Learning Region" was identified as relevant. The term "Learning Region" is used to identify regions that are innovative, economically...

A "Learning Region" is characterised by the existence of high quality linkages between different regional stakeholders such as: local businesses; community groups; and education providers. This sharing of information leads to innovation and economic success. Within a regional area interaction and exchange of information is easier and cheaper than i...

The term "Learning Region" is used to identify regions that are innovative, economically successful, and inhabited by active and engaged citizens. Such regions are characterised by strong linkages between local businesses, community groups and education providers. Information and communications technology (ICT) may enhance the efforts of regions to...

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Victoria University of Wellington, 1996. Includes bibliography.