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To Brush or Not to Brush: Product Rankings, Consumer Search, and Fake Orders
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2023 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0
Authors: Jin, Chen; Yang, Luyi; Hosanagar, Kartik

Abstract: Brushing—online merchants placing fake orders of their own products—has been a w ... Expand

Abstract: Brushing—online merchants placing fake orders of their own products—has been a widespread phenomenon on major e-commerce platforms. One key reason why merchants brush is that it boosts their rankings in search results. Products with higher sales volume are more likely to rank higher. Additionally, rankings matter because consumers face search frictions and narrow their attention to only the few products that show up at the top. Thus, fake orders can affect consumer choice. We focus on this search-ranking aspect of brushing and build a stylized model to understand merchants’ strategic brushing behavior as well as how it affects consumers. We consider a high-type merchant (who sells a more popular product) and a low-type merchant (who sells a less popular product) competing on an e-commerce platform where product rankings evolve over time. We find that if brushing gets more costly for merchants (e.g., due to stricter platform policies), it may sometimes surprisingly harm consumers as it may only blunt brushing by the high-type merchant but intensify brushing by the low-type merchant. If search is less costly for consumers (e.g., due to improved search technologies), it may not always benefit consumers, either. Moreover, the design of the ranking algorithm is critical: placing more weight on sales-volume-related factors may trigger a nonmonotone change in consumer welfare; tracking recent sales only as opposed to cumulative sales does not always dial down brushing and, in fact, may sometimes cause the low-type merchant to brush more.History: Ravi Bapna, Senior Editor; De Liu, Associate Editor.Funding: C. Jin gratefully acknowledges the Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund [Tier 1, Grant R-253-000-144-133], The Wharton School Dean’s Postdoctoral Research Fund, and Mack Institute Research Fund. All authors gratefully acknowledge the 2019 Networks, Electronic Commerce and Telecommunications Institute (NET) Summer Research Grant.Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.1128. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: IS economics consumer surplus electronic commerce fake review electronic market

Methods: computational algorithm literature sample

Theories: economic search theory
Transitioning from University to Working Life: A Comparison of Business Graduates’ Perceptions of Skills before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic
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2022 | HICSS | Citations: 0
Authors: Gagnon, Elisa

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted business schools and students. The unusual c ... Expand

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted business schools and students. The unusual circumstances created by the pandemic situation have provided a unique occasion to look at challenges and opportunities facing business graduate students when transitioning from university to working life. Using a survey from business students who graduated before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study explores the role of skills (IT and non-IT skills) in the transition from university to working life as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business students’ skills and career decisions. It was found that non-IT skills were perceived as more essential than IT skills, and having IT skills such as data analytics and business applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) were more essential skills for students who graduated during the pandemic. Finally, business students who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic are considering acquiring new digital/technological skills. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: pandemic IT skill IT career artificial intelligence problem solving

Methods: survey descriptive statistic parametric test paired t-test survey design

Theories: economic search theory
Understanding the Emergence and Recombination of Distant Knowledge on Crowdsourcing Platforms

2017 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 2
Authors: Rhyn, Marcel; Blohm, Ivo; Leimeister, Jan Marco

Abstract: Crowdsourcing represents a powerful approach for organizations to engage in dist ... Expand

Abstract: Crowdsourcing represents a powerful approach for organizations to engage in distant search and mobilize knowledge distributed amongst a diverse network of people. While organizations generally succeed in generating large amounts of knowledge, they frequently fail to identify useful ideas that have the potential to solve problems or serve as innovation. We combine text mining and network analysis to examine how such contributions emerge on crowdsourcing platforms and how organizations may identify them. We find that useful ideas typically originate from members in a crowd with only few network ties and that these contributions become especially useful when they are enriched with local knowledge provided by experienced members on the platform. We extend existing research by examining the effects of network relationships and knowledge (re)combination in crowdsourcing. We also discuss the potential of network analysis and text mining to support organizations in tracking the origin of contributions and analyzing their content. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: crowdsourcing problem solving information exchange information retrieval analytical information system

Methods: natural language processing network analysis term frequency–inverse document frequency cross sectional research computational algorithm

Theories: economic search theory social network theory
ACHIEVING MORE BY PAYING LESS? HOW RETAILERS CAN BENEFIT BY BIDDING LESS AGGRESSIVELY IN PAID SEARCH AUCTIONS

2017 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0
Authors: Schlangenotto, Darius; Kundisch, Dennis

Abstract: Current research on paid search highlights its ability to enhance online as well ... Expand

Abstract: Current research on paid search highlights its ability to enhance online as well as offline conversions. Yet, research investigating the impact of placing paid search ads on less prominent positions on subsequent consumer behavior is limited to the online environment. This paper presents a controlled field experiment which investigates whether the targeting of a less prominent ad position can be beneficial for bricks-and-mortar retailers who sell their products via local stores. Preliminary Results indicate that paid search advertising budgets could be allocated more efficiently by targeting less prominent ad positions, thus allowing a bricks-and-mortar retailer with a limited marketing budget to increase the reach of their marketing campaign, attract more consumers to its website and achieve an overall increase in conversions. These findings illustrate that search theory continues to apply in the realm of paid search and that different consumer types are likely to click on differently positioned ads. Advertisers could leverage this behavior to reach preferred types of customers by targeting specific ad positions. Bricks-and-mortar retailers could consider targeting less prominent ad positions when seeking to reduce advertising costs while simultaneously extending their reach to customers and achieve an increase in conversions. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: marketing management website web page business-to-consumer search engine

Methods: experiment field experiment experimental group

Theories: economic search theory
Free Versus for-a-Fee: The Impact of a Paywall on the Pattern and Effectiveness of Word-of-Mouth Via Social Media

2016 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0
Authors: Oh, Hyelim; Animesh, Animesh; Pinsonneault, Alain

Abstract: Information goods providers such as print newspapers are experimenting with diff ... Expand

Abstract: Information goods providers such as print newspapers are experimenting with different pricing models for their online content. Despite research on the topic, it is still not clear how information pricing strategy influences word-of-mouth (WOM) via social media, which has become a dominant channel for raising awareness about a newspaper's articles and attracting new visitors to its website. Using The New York Times' paywall rollout as a natural experiment, our study examines how the implementation of paywall by a firm (i.e., a shift from free to for-a-fee) influences the pattern and effectiveness of online WOM in social media. Our results indicate that implementing a paywall (i.e., charging for content that was earlier available for free) has a disproportionate impact on WOM for popular and niche articles, creating a longer tail in the WOM (i.e., content sharing) distribution. Further, we find that the impact of WOM on the NYT's website traffic weakens significantly after the introduction of a paywall. These results show that a paywall has implications for product and promotion strategies. The study offers novel and important implications for the theory and practice of strategic use of social media and paywall. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: paywall website Twitter online word of mouth price management

Methods: experimental group natural experiment longitudinal research literature sample descriptive statistic

Theories: economic search theory
Theory in North American Information Systems Research: A Culturomic Analysis

2016 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0
Authors: Soper, Daniel S; Turel, Ofir

Abstract: Since its inception, North American information systems (IS) research has relied ... Expand

Abstract: Since its inception, North American information systems (IS) research has relied on a broad and varied collection of theories. The core of this theoretical landscape is an important determinant of the IS research community’s identity, and, as such, researchers have discussed it extensively in recent years. Nevertheless, we know few concrete facts about the composition, consistency, or evolution of this theoretical core over time. Using a set of 318 theories in conjunction with n-gram analyses, we address these issues empirically by computationally analyzing the complete text of every research paper published in three leading North American IS journals over a 24-year period. In examining these 2,215 papers and more than 3.54 billion n-gram records, we identify the theories that constitute the overall core of North American IS research and provide insights into the evolution of that core. We further identify and quantify the nature of theoretical pluralism in North American IS research and examine the evolution of the theoretical density of IS research studies over time. Finally, our results shed light on the patterns of theory co-occurrence in North American IS research studies and demonstrate how such information can facilitate increasingly imperative efforts aimed at theory consolidation and generalization. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: database system Google+

Methods: literature sample natural language processing descriptive statistic multidimensional scaling theory development

Theories: technology acceptance model unified theory of acceptance and use of technology theory of reasoned action theory of planned behavior agency theory
Understanding Executive Job Search
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2014 | Organization Science | Citations: 4
Authors: Cappelli, Peter; Hamori, Monika

Abstract: We apply the exploitation/exploration dichotomy faced by organizations in busine ... Expand

Abstract: We apply the exploitation/exploration dichotomy faced by organizations in business strategy to the decisions of individual executives as to whether to continue in their current organization and exploit career opportunities there or explore new ones through the avenue of job search. Specifically, we observe whether executives pursue offers from an executive search firm to be considered for positions at other organizations. Insights from the multi-armed bandit problem help explain who searches and who does not, focusing on the structural attributes of each individual’s situation. Individuals are more likely to search where their current roles are less certain and where broader career experience makes search more useful because the array of possible opportunities is greater. The results also shed light on the operations of executive search firms, who are central actors in executive careers. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: IT career database system financial performance marketing management mergers and acquisition

Methods: statistical hypothesis test Compustat Student's t-test regression analysis method experimental design

Theories: economic search theory
THE IMPACT OF SMARTPHONES, BARCODE SCANNING, AND LOCATION-BASED SERVICES ON CONSUMERS’ SEARCH BEHAVIOR

2013 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0
Authors: Daurer, Stephan; Molitor, Dominik; Spann, Martin; Manchanda, Puneet

Abstract: With their barcode scanning capabilities, positioning technologies and internet ... Expand

Abstract: With their barcode scanning capabilities, positioning technologies and internet access smartphones converge online and offline world in consumers’ search. Combining context-specific information with consumer search data allows us to measure how consumers search on the mobile Internet. Our research objective is to investigate the drivers of consumer search on the mobile Internet. We use a novel and unique behavioral data set from a mobile location-based smartphone product information (i.e., barcode scanning) application. Our data comprises more than 200 million observations at the individual consumer level. Our preliminary results provide insights in consumer search behavior using smartphones. We show that information needs differ by the type of products that are scanned. We expect that our findings will give marketers a better understanding of consumers’ search behavior and thus help companies to proactively target them with marketing programs in order to acquire “search prone consumers” and to better retain existing consumers. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: mobile application smartphone mobile system social media consumer behavior

Methods: descriptive statistic digital trace data conjoint analysis instrumental variables estimation chi squared test

Theories: economic search theory consumer search theory
Escaping the Prior Knowledge Corridor: What Shapes the Number and Variety of Market Opportunities Identified Before Market Entry of Technology Start-ups?
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2013 | Organization Science | Citations: 0
Authors: Gruber, Marc; MacMillan, Ian C.; Thompson, James D.

Abstract: The choice of the firm's market environment is one of the fundamental decisions ... Expand

Abstract: The choice of the firm's market environment is one of the fundamental decisions of firm founders. We study the pre-entry generation of founders' market choice sets by investigating their search for market opportunities in which the firm's technological resources, as embodied in a product or service, can be commercialized. Analyzing data collected through personal interviews with founders of 496 technology ventures, we find that founding teams with more diverse industry experience and more diverse external knowledge sourcing relationships identify not only a larger number of but, in particular, more varied (distant) market opportunities. However, the extent to which strategic variety of such opportunities is identified depends on the founders' technological expertise, whereas technological expertise is less relevant in identification of the number of opportunities. Furthermore, by showing that the extent and nature of the firm's pre-entry opportunity set has a significant effect on the likelihood of subsequent firm diversification, we document how initial constraints in founders' choice sets can have a lasting impact on the growth potential that the new firm exploits over time. We discuss the implications of our findings for the literatures on organizational learning and innovation, entrepreneurship, as well as the strategy literature examining firm growth, diversification, and value creation. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: marketing management innovation management entrepreneurship organization learning value creation

Methods: qualitative interview personal interview survey design post-hoc analysis statistical hypothesis test

Theories: economic search theory resource based view of the firm
MEASURING INDIVIDUAL SEARCH COSTS ON THE MOBILE INTERNET

2012 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0
Authors: Daurer, Stephan; Molitor, Dominik; Spann, Martin

Abstract: The advent of smartphones enables more and more consumers to use the mobile inte ... Expand

Abstract: The advent of smartphones enables more and more consumers to use the mobile internet. In addition, there is a continuing integration of location-based services (LBS). By means of Global Positioning Systems or WiFi-triangulation LBS provide context-aware information to consumers. This leads to a convergence of online and offline worlds. The usage of LBS delivers additional information to consumers (e.g., alternative offers or detailed product information). Particularly during the search process, information about prices or geographic distances, that are relevant for the purchase, are of importance. The goal of this study is to estimate search costs in a mobile internet context. We first illustrate the relevant literature on search theory (online/offline, mobile/desktop) and consumer behavior. Then we estimate search costs via a choice-based conjoint analysis for a large representative online sample. Our empirical results show that mobile search and LBS have a significant impact on consumer behavior. We quantify search costs in monetary units on an individual level by using geographic distance as a trade-off for price. We find that consumers trade off one extra minute of travel to another store with an average price reduction of 0.87 €. Collapse

Semantic filters: economic search theory

Topics: consumer behavior mobile system willingness to pay smartphone information storage and retrieval system

Methods: survey psychometrics conjoint analysis survey design F-test

Theories: economic search theory

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Found 17 articles

To Brush or Not to Brush: Product Rankings, Consumer Search, and Fake Orders

Transitioning from University to Working Life: A Comparison of Business Graduates’ Perceptions of Skills before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Understanding the Emergence and Recombination of Distant Knowledge on Crowdsourcing Platforms

ACHIEVING MORE BY PAYING LESS? HOW RETAILERS CAN BENEFIT BY BIDDING LESS AGGRESSIVELY IN PAID SEARCH AUCTIONS

Free Versus for-a-Fee: The Impact of a Paywall on the Pattern and Effectiveness of Word-of-Mouth Via Social Media

Theory in North American Information Systems Research: A Culturomic Analysis

Understanding Executive Job Search

THE IMPACT OF SMARTPHONES, BARCODE SCANNING, AND LOCATION-BASED SERVICES ON CONSUMERS’ SEARCH BEHAVIOR

Escaping the Prior Knowledge Corridor: What Shapes the Number and Variety of Market Opportunities Identified Before Market Entry of Technology Start-ups?

MEASURING INDIVIDUAL SEARCH COSTS ON THE MOBILE INTERNET