IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jomega/v37y2009i3p579-590.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A comparison of spreadsheet users with different levels of experience

Author

Listed:
  • Lawson, Barry R.
  • Baker, Kenneth R.
  • Powell, Stephen G.
  • Foster-Johnson, Lynn

Abstract

How do experienced spreadsheet users compare to inexperienced ones, and what light can this comparison shed on spreadsheet best practices? This is the question we address in this paper, using the results from a survey of nearly 1600 respondents. This survey was completed by a wide range of spreadsheet users and focused on their significant characteristics and practices. We were interested in their training, experience, collaboration, and quality control methods. We also examined the number of spreadsheet functions they used regularly, the manner in which they created spreadsheets, and the types of tests they used to check results. We compared two subgroups corresponding to two extremes with respect to their self-reported level of experience and skill. Each subgroup was represented by roughly 10% of the total respondents. Our results suggest that there is a substantial difference between these groups, not only in their personal backgrounds and the corporate setting within which they work, but also in their individual spreadsheet skills and practices. We find that the most experienced subgroup exhibits many desirable characteristics and practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Lawson, Barry R. & Baker, Kenneth R. & Powell, Stephen G. & Foster-Johnson, Lynn, 2009. "A comparison of spreadsheet users with different levels of experience," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 579-590, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jomega:v:37:y:2009:i:3:p:579-590
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305-0483(07)00126-0
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ioannou, George & Mavri, Maria, 2007. "Performance-Net: A Decision Support System for Reconfiguring a Bank's Branch Network," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 190-201, April.
    2. Rasmussen, Rasmus, 2007. "QAP--not so hard in spreadsheets," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 541-552, October.
    3. Carter, Arthur E. & Ragsdale, Cliff T., 2002. "Scheduling pre-printed newspaper advertising inserts using genetic algorithms," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 415-421, December.
    4. Edwards, John S. & Finlay, Paul N. & Wilson, John M., 2000. "The role of OR specialists in `do it yourself' spreadsheet development," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 127(1), pages 14-27, November.
    5. Conway, D. G. & Ragsdale, C. T., 1997. "Modeling optimization problems in the unstructured world of spreadsheets," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 313-322, June.
    6. Huq, Faizul & Cutright, Kenneth & Martin, Clarence, 2004. "Employee scheduling and makespan minimization in a flow shop with multi-processor work stations: a case study," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 121-129, April.
    7. Rasmussen, Rasmus, 2004. "On time series data and optimal parameters," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 111-120, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pongpattrachai, Dichapong & Cragg, Paul & Fisher, Richard, 2014. "IT infusion within the audit process: Spreadsheet use in small audit firms," International Journal of Accounting Information Systems, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 26-46.
    2. Danny Weathers & Scott D. Swain, 2024. "A scaffolded learning approach to increasing student comfort with Microsoft Excel," Journal of Marketing Analytics, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(2), pages 198-208, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cunha, Claudio Barbieri & Mutarelli, Fernando, 2007. "A spreadsheet-based optimization model for the integrated problem of producing and distributing a major weekly newsmagazine," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(2), pages 925-940, January.
    2. Chiang, Wen-Chyuan & Russell, Robert & Xu, Xiaojing & Zepeda, David, 2009. "A simulation/metaheuristic approach to newspaper production and distribution supply chain problems," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(2), pages 752-767, October.
    3. Liang, Wen-Yau & Huang, Chun-Che, 2008. "A hybrid approach to constrained evolutionary computing: Case of product synthesis," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1072-1085, December.
    4. John F. Raffensperger, 2003. "New Guidelines for Spreadsheets," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 2(2), pages 141-154, August.
    5. Wei-Kang Wang & Wen-Min Lu & Yu-Han Wang, 2013. "The relationship between bank performance and intellectual capital in East Asia," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 1041-1062, February.
    6. John Miltenburg, 2019. "Online Teaching in a Large, Required, Undergraduate Management Science Course," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 19(2), pages 89-104, January.
    7. John F. Wellington & Stephen A. Lewis, 2021. "Getting Beyond the First Result of Solving a Vehicle Routing Problem," INFORMS Transactions on Education, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 9-27, September.
    8. Tamás Kalmár-Nagy & Giovanni Giardini & Bendegúz Dezső Bak, 2017. "The Multiagent Planning Problem," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2017, pages 1-12, February.
    9. Tang, Lixin & Wang, Gongshu, 2008. "Decision support system for the batching problems of steelmaking and continuous-casting production," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 976-991, December.
    10. Larry J. LeBlanc & Michael R. Galbreth, 2007. "Implementing Large-Scale Optimization Models in Excel Using VBA," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 37(4), pages 370-382, August.
    11. Das, Abhiman & Ray, Subhash C. & Nag, Ashok, 2009. "Labor-use efficiency in Indian banking: A branch-level analysis," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 411-425, April.
    12. F A F Ferreira & S P Santos & P M M Rodrigues, 2011. "Adding value to bank branch performance evaluation using cognitive maps and MCDA: a case study," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 62(7), pages 1320-1333, July.
    13. LeBlanc, Larry J. & Grossman, Thomas A. & Bartolacci, Michael R., 2019. "Ensuring scalability and reusability of spreadsheet linear programming models," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 55-69.
    14. Ray, Subhash, 2016. "Cost efficiency in an Indian bank branch network: A centralized resource allocation model," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 69-81.
    15. Bektas, Tolga, 2006. "The multiple traveling salesman problem: an overview of formulations and solution procedures," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 209-219, June.
    16. Wallström, Peter & Segerstedt, Anders, 2010. "Evaluation of forecasting error measurements and techniques for intermittent demand," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(2), pages 625-636, December.
    17. Laha, Dipak & Sarin, Subhash C., 2009. "A heuristic to minimize total flow time in permutation flow shop," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 734-739, June.
    18. Carter, Arthur E. & Ragsdale, Cliff T., 2006. "A new approach to solving the multiple traveling salesperson problem using genetic algorithms," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(1), pages 246-257, November.
    19. Taylor, James W. & Snyder, Ralph D., 2012. "Forecasting intraday time series with multiple seasonal cycles using parsimonious seasonal exponential smoothing," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 748-757.
    20. Fang, Kan & Wang, Shijin & Pinedo, Michael L. & Chen, Lin & Chu, Feng, 2021. "A combinatorial Benders decomposition algorithm for parallel machine scheduling with working-time restrictions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 291(1), pages 128-146.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jomega:v:37:y:2009:i:3:p:579-590. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/375/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.