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(1999) study. These differences were significant
for all except two of the approaches (policies on
data management and setting priorities). The
approaches on which opinion differed the most
were training (t(53) = 8.24, p < 0.001) and scope
of Web-related activities (t(53) = 8.08, p < 0.001).
Information technology staff involved in manag-
ing end-user development should recognise the
importance to end users of appropriate training
to support their development activities and of the
need for clear distinctions to be made to enable
the confidence of end users in determining which
projects are appropriate for them.
There have been previous calls for increased
provision of training to Internet users (Aggar-
wal, 2003). The results of this study reinforce
the importance of this. However, given the rela-
tive prevalence of self training in end-user Web
development training, the role of self training
should be further explored. It has been suggested
that when end users are self taught, the emphasis
is predominantly on how to use software rather
than broader analysis and design considerations
(Benham, Delaney, & Luzi, 1993). The many
topics that cover introductory Web development
typically give a detailed, step-by-step coverage
of examples that illustrate product features. Ex-
amples are presented as solutions to requirements
without the design stages being made explicit.
Thus, end users may have a narrow knowledge
focused on software features but lacking in tech-
niques for developing Web applications that are
user-friendly, reliable, and maintainable. Taylor et
al. (1998) found that few, if any, quality principles
are applied in end-user development. Therefore,
organizations that rely on self training must en-
sure that end users have materials available that
will help provide all of the skills necessary for
developing good quality Web applications. This is
consistent with Shaw, DeLone, and Niederman's
(2002) finding that documentation to support train-
ing was perceived as one of the most important
information technology support factors in terms
of user satisfaction. Given the current heavy reli-
ance on end-user developed applications and the
increased risks associated with end-user develop-
ment in the Internet domain, it is essential that
organizations support end users as they strive to
become proficient Web developers.
Guidelines on the kinds of applications that are
suitable for end-user Web development should also
be provided (Goupil, 2000). Several authors have
proposed guidelines recommending what kinds of
applications are appropriate for end-user develop-
ment (Salchenberger, 1993), and what kinds are
not (Bowman, 1990). These types of guidelines
need to be researched further so that more detailed
assistance can be provided to prospective end-user
developers. In particular, the ability to tailor rec-
ommendations on what types of applications are
appropriate to individual end users' backgrounds
would be very valuable. Given the current heavy
reliance on end-user developed applications and
the increased risks associated with end-user de-
velopment in the Internet domain, it is essential
that organizations support end users as they strive
to become proficient Web developers.
As discussed in the Introduction, each of the
approaches to risk reduction was classified as
relating to standards setting, resource allocation,
or management and support of application
development (Nelson & Todd, 1999). Nelson
and Todd (1999) found that organizations in their
study placed most emphasis on setting standards,
followed by resource allocation, and that support of
development was the least used type of approach.
They noted that most firms in their study appeared
to be relying on a monopolistic control strategy,
as described by Gerrity and Rockart (1986) and
Alavi et al. (1987-1988) and then concluded that
while such a strategy may be the best approach
given the relative infancy of Web technology,
it could prove to be an unstable strategy in the
future. The results of the study reported in this
chapter suggest that end-user developers would
support a change to the strategies used to manage
end-user Web development with greater emphasis
being placed on support of development via such
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