Empowerment Mitigates Gender Differences in Tertius Iungens Brokering

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Nicolaou, Nicos; Kilduff, Martin

Abstract: Tertius iungens brokering that brings together people who might not otherwise me ... Expand

Abstract: Tertius iungens brokering that brings together people who might not otherwise meet is crucial for organizational effectiveness. But we know little about whether and why women and men differ in their propensity to engage in this brokering. Our paper focuses on the origins and mitigation of gender differences in the propensity to bring people together. In study 1, we showed that the Totterdell et al. (2008) propensity-to-join-others scale that we used in study 2 and the Obstfeld (2005) tertius iungens scale overlapped not only conceptually, but also empirically, and that these measures of tertius iungens were distinct from mediation- and separation-brokering propensities (Grosser et al. 2019). In study 2, we used a natural experiment to examine the tertius iungens brokering propensities of 876 identical and 625 fraternal same-sex twins. We found that brokering propensity was lower for women than for men, although the propensity toward sociability in terms of making friends and acquaintances was lower for men. We also found that for women, relative to men, tertius iungens brokering propensity was largely affected by environmental influences, such as the experience of stereotyping and discrimination, rather than representing an inherited disposition. Moreover, the differences between men and women with respect to brokering were mitigated for empowered samples, such as well-educated or entrepreneurial individuals. Our research asks new questions about how environmental pressures and empowerment affect social networking. Gender differences in brokering may be amenable to mitigation through empowering practices that include education and entrepreneurial experience. Collapse

Topics: entrepreneurship social network

Methods: survey natural experiment theory development chi squared test principal component analysis

Undesirable framing effects in information systems projects: Analysis of adjective usage in IS project business cases

2022 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Benschop, Nick; Nuijten, Arno L.P.; Hilhorst, Cokky A.R.; Keil, Mark

Abstract: Many information systems (IS) projects encounter significant problems. The liter ... Expand

Abstract: Many information systems (IS) projects encounter significant problems. The literature suggests that decisionmakers can be misled by overoptimistic estimates. We argue that such overoptimism may also be present in the choice of language in business cases. In this study, we analyzed the usage of such framing in 20 business cases for large IS projects of the Dutch government. Our findings show that newly proposed systems are systematically framed using positive adjectives, whereas the existing systems are framed using negative adjectives. This pattern of framing may subconsciously bias the decision-makers toward investing in new IS projects. Collapse

Topics: IT project IT project management project management agile software development

Methods: linguistic analysis chi squared test Z-test qualitative coding nonparametric test

Theories: technological frames of reference

A Multi-Dimensional Theory of Transparency, Trust, and Risk in Technology Adoption

2022 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Märtins, Julian; Kehl, Robin; Westmattelmann, Daniel; Schewe, Gerhard

Abstract: With regard to the complexity of emerging technologies, technology acceptance r ... Expand

Abstract: With regard to the complexity of emerging technologies, technology acceptance research examines the role of transparency, trusting beliefs, and perceived risks in individuals' technology adoption process. However, IS research lacks an established theoretical explanation of the interrelationship of those multi-dimensional constructs. Referring to organizational science, an integrative model considering transparency, trusting beliefs, and perceived risks is developed. To obtain generalizable results, we collected quantitative survey data for two different technologies: A banking app and a foodsharing app. The proposed research model was then tested using structural equation modeling and multigroup analysis. The results indicate that transparency should be understood as an antecedent of trusting beliefs. This relationship is technologyindependent, whereas the relationship between trusting beliefs and individuals' intention to use depends on the technology in question. The study also suggests that perceived risks are context-specific and should not generally be considered as moderators. Collapse

Topics: mobile application usage intention technology adoption privacy information exchange

Methods: survey structural equation modeling survey design partial least squares regression PLS tool

Social enterprises in electronic markets: web localization or standardization

2021 | Electronic Markets | Citations: 1

Authors: Benmamoun, Mamoun; Alhor, Hadi; Ascencio, Christine; Sim, Woojong

Abstract: The question of how social enterprises (SEs)—organizations that work to solve so ... Expand

Abstract: The question of how social enterprises (SEs)—organizations that work to solve social issues through innovative ideas and strategies—utilize the web to internationalize has received little attention in electronic business literature. We address this issue by examining whether SEs pursue a web globalization strategy that is standardized across national markets or localized and culturally customized to individual locales. Accepted knowledge about e-commerce corporations predicts that these firms would be better off with web localization. However, an investigation using content analysis and two case studies complemented with face-to-face and digital interviews reveals that SEs differ inherently from for-profit businesses in web globalization. Specifically, this paper shows that SEs adopt a web strategy high on standardization to mobilize, educate, advocate, and recruit would-be donors, influencers, and volunteers. Such a strategy allows SEs to build legitimacy and reinforce their global brand. Our empirical findings show the uniqueness of SEs’ digital context from profit-oriented e-commerce corporations and the need for a suitable theoretical framework. Collapse

Topics: website electronic market electronic business entrepreneurship electronic mail

Methods: case study qualitative content analysis qualitative interview qualitative coding personal interview

Theories: internationalization theory

Bringing transparency and trustworthiness to loot boxes with blockchain and smart contracts

2021 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 8

Authors: Carvalho, Arthur

Abstract: The ever-increasing reliance on loot boxes by the video game industry has attrac ... Expand

Abstract: The ever-increasing reliance on loot boxes by the video game industry has attracted scrutiny from consumer groups and regulators. For example, this practice of selling random assortments of virtual items for a price has been criticized for its lack of transparency since, before purchasing a loot box, players do not necessarily know the possible items they can win and the associated probabilities. Even in the rare cases when the list of items and probabilities are available, there are no guarantees that a game is actually using that information when randomly drawing an item, which naturally results in a trust problem. We draw from decision theory to explain the transparency and trust issues faced by loot boxes, and from a recently proposed decision model by Pedersen et al. (2019) to motivate the use of blockchain technology in this context. Following the design science research framework (Peffers et al., 2007), we then explain how loot boxes can be coded as smart contracts running on a blockchain network, and why this solution effectively tackles the transparency and trust problems we mentioned above. We illustrate the use of the proposed smart contract by developing a decentralized application (DApp) that mimics the process of purchasing and opening a loot box. We carefully analyze our solution by considering its computational complexity, accuracy, security, and cost aspects. We further discuss topics related to gover­ nance and deployment so as to help the video game industry with a potential real-life implementation of our solution. Collapse

Topics: loot box blockchain smart contract Ethereum video game

Methods: computational algorithm design artifact design science Pearson's chi squared test of goodness of fit statistical hypothesis test

Theories: decision theory

A linguistic signaling model of social support exchange in online health communities

2020 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 57

Authors: Chen, Langtao; Baird, Aaron; Straub, Detmar

Abstract: Health care consumers and patients are increasingly using online health communit ... Expand

Abstract: Health care consumers and patients are increasingly using online health communities (OHCs) to exchange social support and enhance their well-being. The success of OHCs in promoting health, however, depends not just on posting activity by participants, but, crucially, on whether or not responses are subsequently received. While previous studies have considered various mechanisms by which the likelihood of social support provisioning can be increased (e.g., the establishment of social capital), the impacts of linguistic signals have yet to be considered. Therefore, we consider whether or not linguistic signals in posts—including sentiment valence, linguistic style matching, readability, post length, and spelling—impact the amount of support received. Adopting an overarching theoretical framework of signaling theory, this study proposes a model that explains the signaling roles of linguistic features within OHC posts in promoting social support provision from OHC participants. The research model is empirically tested on a large dataset collected from an OHC platform covering multiple health conditions. Results show that affective linguistic signals, including negative sentiment and linguistic style matching, are effective in invoking both informational and emotional support from the community. We also find that informative linguistic signals including readability, post length, and spelling are positively associated with informational support receipt, while readability and spelling are also positively associated with emotional support receipt. Overall, this research not only enriches our current understandings of the linguistic signaling in OHCs, but also provides practical insights into improving social support exchange in OHCs. Collapse

Topics: personality online community social media open source electronic health

Methods: regression analysis method sentiment analysis support vector machine classification method Poisson regression

Theories: signaling theory

Re-examining the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT): Towards a Revised Theoretical Model

2019 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Dwivedi, Yogesh K.; Rana, Nripendra P.; Jeyaraj, Anand; Clement, Marc; Williams, Michael D.

Abstract: Based on a critical review of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Techno ... Expand

Abstract: Based on a critical review of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this study first formalized an alternative theoretical model for explaining the acceptance and use of information system (IS) and information technology (IT) innovations. The revised theoretical model was then empirically examined using a combination of meta-analysis and structural equation modelling (MASEM) techniques. The meta-analysis was based on 1600 observations on 21 relationships coded from 162 prior studies on IS/IT acceptance and use. The SEM analysis showed that attitude: was central to behavioural intentions and usage behaviours, partially mediated the effects of exogenous constructs on behavioural intentions, and had a direct influence on usage behaviours. A number of implications for theory and practice are derived based on the findings. Collapse

Topics: behavioral intention information system use social influence technology adoption database system

Methods: meta analysis structural equation modeling theory development descriptive statistic survey design

Theories: unified theory of acceptance and use of technology technology acceptance model

Extrinsic versus Intrinsic Rewards for Contributing Reviews in an Online Platform

2018 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Khern-am-nuai, Warut; Kannan, Karthik; Ghasemkhani, Hossein

Abstract: Firms have considered various forms of incentives for writing reviews, including ... Expand

Abstract: Firms have considered various forms of incentives for writing reviews, including the use of extrinsic rewards to attract reviewers. Building on this literature, we study the implications of monetary incentives on online reviews in the context of a natural experiment, where one review platform suddenly began offering monetary incentives for writing reviews. We refer to this as the treated platform. Along with data from Amazon.com and using the difference-in-differences approach, we compare the quantity and quality of reviews before and after rewards were introduced in the treated platform. We find that reviews are significantly more positive but that the quality decreases. Taking advantage of the panel data, we also evaluate the effect of rewards on existing reviewers. We find that their level of participation after monetary incentives decreases but not their quality of participation. Last, even though the platform enjoys an increase in the number of new reviewers, disproportionately more reviews appear to be written for highly rated products.The online appendix is available at https://doi-org.tudelft.idm.oclc.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0750. Collapse

Topics: online review video game consumer behavior electronic commerce intrinsic motivation

Methods: longitudinal research robustness check autoregressive moving average model experimental group augmented Dickey–Fuller test

Service Agreement Trifecta: Backup Resources, Price and Penalty in the Availability-Aware Cloud

2018 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Yuan, Shuai; Das, Sanjukta; Ramesh, R.; Qiao, Chunming

Abstract: Service Level Agreements (SLA) for cloud services entail complex trade-offs betw ... Expand

Abstract: Service Level Agreements (SLA) for cloud services entail complex trade-offs between interrelated variables such as price, penalty, and service availability (uptime) guarantee, with resource management strategies affecting fulfillment of the SLA. In this study, we address three key components of the SLA-based cloud resource management and pricing problem, from the service-provider’s perspective: (1) availability-aware backup resource provisioning; (2) price-penalty schedule determination; and (3) penalty-deferred pricing over two periods. Using the convexity of the provider’s expected total cost over the number of backup resources, we present a dichotomous search algorithm to derive the total cost minimizing number of backup resources for a given level of SLA-specified service availability guarantee. Next, we derive closed-form solutions for the lower bound of the feasible price range, yielding a schedule of breakeven price-penalty combinations, which establishes the baseline required in the economic modeling of the service contracts and related negotiation processes, and may also elicit client preference information. We then model a two-period pricing problem specifically designed to incentivize penalty deferrals in the event of an SLA violation. Detailed experimental studies of the proposed models have been carried out using real-world datacenter log data. The computational study validates the convexity of the probability density function of SLA violations over the number of backup resources. The results demonstrate significant interaction effects between the SLA parameters (price, penalty rate, and provisioning cost) and the backup resource provisioning decisions made by the provider, leading to key practical managerial implications for SLA design and resource deployment in the availability-aware cloud.The online appendix is available at https://doi-org.tudelft.idm.oclc.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0755. Collapse

Topics: backup cloud computing price management resource allocation high-performance computing

Methods: computational algorithm experiment Pearson's chi squared test of goodness of fit mathematical model machine learning

Emergent User Roles of a Digital Workplace: A Network Analysis Based on Trace Data

2017 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 11

Authors: Frank, Leonhard; Gimpel, Henner; Schmidt, Marco; Schoch, Manfred

Abstract: Communication and collaboration software for knowledge workers are introduced wi ... Expand

Abstract: Communication and collaboration software for knowledge workers are introduced with high expectations, especially in knowledge-intense industries. While advantages of such tools are well documented in theory, many initiatives have yet to achieve the desired outcomes in practice. Research has dealt with roles in the digital workplace and found that one-size-fits-all solutions are not suitable. However, for a lack of real-world data the matter is still not sufficiently understood. To close this gap, we conduct a sequential mixed method study. We perform an exploratory analysis based on trace data within a service organization and reconstruct its social structure. Through a cluster analysis, eight distinct emergent user roles are identified. Additionally, we analyze covariates of cluster membership, such as organizational hierarchy, through statistical testing. Lastly, semistructured interviews help to explain our findings qualitatively. We contribute to research and practice by deepening the understanding of heterogeneous user behavior in a digital workplace. Collapse

Topics: electronic mail knowledge work user behavior privacy user requirement

Methods: qualitative interview cluster analysis mixed method digital trace data descriptive statistic

Theories: SECI model of knowledge dimensions