Copyright (c) 2010 Association for Information Systems All rights reserved. http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais Recent documents in Journal of the Association for Information Systems en-us Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:30:55 PST 3600 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss2/3 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss2/3 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:12:56 PST We review reasons for the increased interest in network analyses in organization studies and information research. We also note the impact of new information technology capabilities for this increase in terms of improvements in analysis techniques, new ways to generate and maintain connections within and between social units, and new social connection-focused IT capabilities. We also review main streams of network-based analyses in information system research. We conclude by making some propositions for future research in information systems and networks, and summarize the main contributions made in this special issue. Harri Oinas-Kukkonen http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss2/2 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss2/2 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:12:55 PST This article examines the co-evolution of players' individual performance and their interaction network in a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG). The objective is to test whether the application of theories from the real world is valid in virtual worlds. While the results indicate that the structural effects and demographic variables active in the real world influence the evolution of the players' interaction network in MMOGs (e.g. transitivity, reciprocity, and homophily), they do not provide evidence that players' structural embeddedness in the interaction network influences player performance. These findings have important implications for researchers and practitioners who need to understand social processes in MMOGs (e.g., when launching marketing campaigns in MMOGs) or who study MMOGs and then use their findings to draw conclusions about the real world (e.g., when analyzing the relationship between employee performance and network structure). Johannes Putzke http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss2/1 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss2/1 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:12:53 PST Online discussion groups have become an increasingly popular way to create social networks where individuals congregate electronically to share advice and ideas. In order to better understand sustainability, we propose that research needs to go beyond examining quantitative changes in the structural dynamics of online discussion groups (such as membership size and message volume) and include investigation of the social dynamics characterizing the underlying qualities of the interactions among members. We take a mixed-methods approach to provide qualitative and empirical support for our theory by investigating the dynamics of one successful online discussion group over a five-year period. Our data set includes all 150,267 messages posted to 27,743 threads by 9,042 unique individuals over a five year period in a group that is focused on sharing advice about a medical topic (back pain). We find support for our hypotheses that 1) shifts in the structural and social dynamics underlying resource availability lead to changes in communication activities, but in unexpected ways: Fewer members contributed significantly more message volume. In turn, 2) shifts in the structural and social dynamics underlying communication activities lead to changes in coping strategies: As message volume increased and became more social, members increased their efforts and were less likely to defect. Finally, 3) shifts in the structural and social dynamics underlying coping strategies lead to changes in attraction and retention: as individual efforts increased, more individuals were retained; however, fewer new members were attracted to join the group. Our main thesis is that each online discussion group is a product of its structural and social dynamics in combination, and the influence of these factors on sustainability is best understood when they are examined in relation to each other over time. Catherine Ridings http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss1/2 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss1/2 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:44:37 PST Research on IT innovations has largely relied on economic-rationalistic models and focused on individuals or organizations as the unit of analysis. The intent of this paper is to advance an alternative research agenda that explores the institutional underpinnings of IT innovation diffusion at the inter-organizational level. Through a multi-stage research study, we examine the legitimation function of organizing visions for IT innovations and develop a taxonomy of legitimation strategies employed by the proponents of an IT innovation. We first built a preliminary theoretical framework that synthesizes key arguments on legitimacy drawn from the organization theory and IS literatures. Next, we conducted an exploratory case study of institutional entrepreneurship surrounding computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems. We examined the discursive actions of CPOE vendors by content analyzing 165 press releases issued between 1998 and 2006. We then combined the findings of the literature analysis and the case study to create a taxonomy of discursive strategies for building IT innovation legitimacy. A post-hoc analysis of the case study data reveals a number of interesting patterns in the CPOE vendors' use of the legitimation strategies and helps us formulate a set of research questions to guide future investigations. The work reported in this paper lays a foundation for a deeper understanding of the role of legitimacy and legitimation in shaping diffusion of IT innovations. It also contributes to the conceptual and methodological elaboration of the organizing vision framework. Evgeny A. Kaganer http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss1/1 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol11/iss1/1 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:44:35 PST This study aims to understand how website interactivity (active control and reciprocal communication) can impact purchase intention through website involvement and how the impacts are moderated by the type of products featured on websites. In a laboratory experiment, 186 participants were asked to perform purchasing tasks of non-fictional books or greeting cards on websites of varying levels of interactivity. Results indicate that websites with a high level of active control lead to cognitive involvement and, in some instances, affective involvement. Websites with reciprocal communication lead to affective involvement for functional products but not expressive products. Responses from the participants also reveal that an increase in website involvement leads to higher purchase intention. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Zhenhui Jiang http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss12/2 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss12/2 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:42:41 PST This study investigates factors that affect usage changes in mobile data services (MDS). First, we conducted an exploratory study based on 378 survey responses to learn about important decision factors of MDS usage. It revealed a discrepancy between the forces influencing usage increase and those of usage decrease. Based on the findings from the exploratory study and Hertzberg's two-factor theory, we postulated information quality as the motivator and system quality as the de-motivator of MDS usage. Then, we undertook a confirmative study on the respective roles of these factors in encouraging and discouraging the usage of MDS. We proposed a research model and empirically tested our hypotheses with partial least square (PLS) analysis based on 478 responses from MDS users. Information quality (as a motivator) was positively associated with MDS usage increase, but system quality (as a de-motivator) was not. Also, system quality was negatively associated with usage decrease, but information quality was not. Last, their association was partially moderated by the type of motivation for using MDS. Information quality had a stronger influence on MDS usage increase when the main motive was utilitarian rather than hedonic. Sanghoon Lee http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss12/1 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss12/1 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:42:39 PST Interfaces now employ a variety of media-rich, social, and advanced decision-making components, including recommendation agents (RA) designed to assist users with their tasks. Social presence has been identified as a key consideration in website design to overcome the lack of warmth, social cues, and face-to-face interaction, but few studies have investigated the interface features that may increase social presence. Recent research on RAs has similarly acknowledged social presence as a key factor in the design of online RAs and in building trust in this technology, but there has been limited empirical work on the topic. In this study an experiment was conducted to explore how social technology cues, media capabilities, and individual differences influence social presence and trust in an RA. RA personality (extraversion), vividness (text, voice, and animation), and computer playfulness were found to influence social presence, with social presence serving in a mediating role and increasing user trust in the RA. Vividness also had a moderating effect on the relationship between RA extraversion and social presence such that increased levels of vividness strengthen this relationship. Traci J. Hess http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss11/4 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss11/4 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:47:40 PST Antony Bryant http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss11/3 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss11/3 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:47:39 PST The paper offers a critique of traditional methodical approaches to Information Systems Development (ISD), arguing that a number of assumptions (for example, universality and rationality) underlying these approaches lead to incomplete ontological and epistemological considerations, and thereby contribute to IS failures in many cases. The paper proposes that ethical analysis undertaken in conjunction with traditional ISD approaches may be a way to address some of the limitations experienced during traditional ISD. Drawing upon ideas from postmodern ethics formulated by Zygmunt Bauman, the paper argues that increased focus on the moral responsibility of key ISD players (such as the team of analysts) may improve the ISD process. Finally, this paper suggests how, consistent with the postmodern stance, such moral responsibility can be implemented in the context of ISD. The paper concludes with the contributions and future implications of this research. Sutirtha Chatterjee http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss11/2 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss11/2 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:47:38 PST We combined scenarios based on information ethics issues identified by Mason (privacy, accuracy, property, and access) with questions based on the stages of moral development proposed by Kohlberg to empirically test two theories rooted in sociology: generational subculture theory and life-cycle theory. Evidence from more than 1,100 managers across China strongly supports generational subculture theory by revealing significant differences in information ethics among the Republican, Revolutionary, and Reform generations. The generation gaps suggest that events such as the Cultural Revolution as well as the implementation of both the Open Door Policy and the One-Child Policy have shaped the information ethics of Chinese managers. We also discovered fundamental tensions between Western moral philosophies (based on rules, democracy, individual rights, and personal freedoms) and the traditions of Chinese culture (based on relationships, hierarchy, collective responsibilities, and social harmony). The ethical dimensions of the evolution from traditional China to modern China, and from particularistic trust to systemic trust, are discussed. Combined with previous Chinese management research by Martinsons, our study implies that it will be difficult to resolve data privacy and intellectual property issues. It also raises concerns about cross-cultural research such as GLOBE and Hofstede that rely on narrow demographic samples. Further research is recommended to examine the information and knowledge management of Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y (or Millennial Generation), and other sub-cultural groups, in order to determine the generalizability of "doing the right thing". Maris G, Martinsons http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss11/1 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss11/1 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:47:37 PST The ethical integrity and accountability of Information Technology (IT) professionals is important given our reliance on various forms of IT. We examined the applicability of Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of Cognitive Moral Development (CMD) in non-Western contexts by investigating the ethical values of IT professionals in Asia's two largest economies. Analysis of survey data from Japan (n=289) and China (n=290) indicates support for the basic six-stage model of CMD. The concept of abiding by universal laws and rules (termed stage 4 reasoning by Kohlberg) was widely accepted by IT professionals in both Japan and China, despite the Confucian cultural emphasis on personal relationships with particularistic obligations. However, differences between Japanese and Chinese IT professionals were found while, in direct contrast with the stage-wise theory of CMD, the respondents from Japan and especially China exhibited significant volatility, reasoning at different stages simultaneously. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed. Robert M. Davison http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss10/3 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss10/3 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:40:46 PDT Kalle Lyytinen http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss10/2 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss10/2 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:40:45 PDT The chief objective in many online communities is to allow for knowledge sharing and learning, which is enabled by technologies such as discussion forums. The value realized from these communities depends on ongoing participation in terms of two key activities i.e., knowledge seeking and contribution. However, a large number of communities fail, as they cannot sustain these activities. This poses the question of how these two activities can be simultaneously promoted. While previous research has separately explicated a number of different antecedents for the two activities, this study adopts a socio-technical perspective of an online community and considers usability and sociability as two salient antecedents applicable to both activities. Usability and sociability are multi-dimensional constructs, where individual's perceptions of the two may be determined by dimensions such as ease of use and social interactivity. This paper proposes that individuals may place different importance on these dimensions when seeking knowledge, compared to contributing knowledge. The research model is tested through a survey of users of a learning-focused community system. Our findings indicate that individuals do, indeed, differ in their emphasis on the identified dimensions when they engage in the two activities. Specifically, ease of use and system reliability are considered as more important for usability, and moderator perception as more important for sociability when individuals seek knowledge. On the other hand, individuals perceive tracking fulfillment as more important for usability and social interactivity as more important for sociability when they contribute knowledge. These differences have implications for future research and practice. Chee Wei Phang http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss10/1 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss10/1 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:40:44 PDT The sourcing of application development is becoming increasingly complex. While much prior work has investigated sourcing in a homogeneous marketplace, sourcing choices have increased in complexity, with a myriad of choices ranging from insourcing to domestic outsourcing to engaging Application Service Providers (ASP) to offshoring . In this study, based upon four organizational theories (Transaction Cost, Resource-Based View, Resource-Dependence View, and the Knowledge-Based View of the Firm), we suggest 10 attributes that firms consider when deciding upon outsourcing of applications. We tested the attributes' strength by performing conjoint analysis on data collected from 84 IS executives. We constructed profiles, which are combinations of attributes having different levels. Each executive responded to 18 such distinct profiles and selected corresponding outsourcing choices. Our results found that the three most significant drivers of an IT application service choice were cost, risk, and vendor capability. However, the importance of these drivers varied across the different sourcing options. Based upon this, we offer implications for decision-makers and researchers, along with directions for future research. Andrew Schwarz http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss9/2 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss9/2 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:56:10 PDT The question of why a user adopts an information technology (IT) artifact has received ample research attention in the past few decades. Although recent adoption research has focused on investigating some of the relational and experiential aspects associated with adopting and using IT artifacts, the theories utilized have been static in nature. Furthermore, many have been based on traditional models like TAM and TPB, which focus on the utilitarian benefits that users accrue from their interactions with IT artifacts. Independently, recent research has paid much-needed attention to factors surrounding the use of IT artifacts. In this paper, we offer an overview of a theoretical model that connects these two interrelated processes. Starting with a survey of concepts related to social interactions, we present an argument in support of viewing IT artifacts as social actors, whose characteristics are manifested within the context of interactions. The proposed interaction-centric model highlights how the characteristics of an IT artifact, together with the user's internal system and other structuring factors, affect users' choices in terms of how to utilize the artifact. The nature of that utilization, subsequently, affects the beliefs users form about the artifact and the outcomes from using it. Furthermore, the model proposes that users will also form beliefs about their bond or relationship with the IT artifact. These beliefs do not refer to observations made in a single interaction, but rather concern users' mental representations of past interactions and outcomes. To facilitate the study of the relationship that develops from user-artifact interactions over time, the model describes how past interactions affect future ones. Specifically, it proposes that deciding how to utilize an IT artifact in subsequent interaction, consistent with theories of relationship development, is influenced by already held beliefs about the artifact and the relationship with it. Sameh Al-Natour http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss9/1 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss9/1 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:56:08 PDT Increasing organizational investment in technology for training and learning underscores how important it is for researchers to understand and investigate technology-mediated learning (TML). However, the limited empirical data in this area fails to provide a consistent and comprehensive picture of the TML phenomena. A critical aspect missing from existing research is the focus on the learning process. In this paper, we articulate a theoretical model, based on Adaptive Structuration Theory, for TML that explicitly configures elements of the learning process, including team, technology, and learning technique structures. Existing TML research from the information systems (IS) and education literatures is summarized and research gaps are identified. The paper not only helps to explain inconsistencies in previous research, but also develops specific propositions for future research. The propositions stated in the paper represent the theoretical relationships among the constructs in the TML model. The model provides a vehicle for researchers, both in IS and education, to summarize and integrate existing research and theories and to guide future research in this important area. Saurabh gupta http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss8/2 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss8/2 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:43:41 PDT Social network analysis (SNA) offers a richer and more objective way of examining individual journal influence and relationships among journals than studies based on individual perceptions, since it avoids personal biases. This article demonstrates how SNA can be used to study the nature of the IS discipline, by presenting results from an exploratory SNA of 125 previously ranked journals from IS and allied disciplines. While many of the most prominent journals in the network are still associated with IS's foundational disciplines, we identify several IS journals that play important roles in disseminating information throughout different subcomponents of the network. We also identify related groups of journals based not only on patterns of information flow, but also on similarity in citation patterns. This enables us to identify the core set of journals that is important for "pure IS" research, as well as other subsets of journals that are important for specialty areas of interest. Overall, results indicate that the IS discipline is still somewhat fragmented and is still a net receiver, as opposed to a net provider, of information from allied disciplines. Like other forms of analysis, SNA is not entirely free from biases. However, these biases can be systematically researched in order to develop an improved, consistent tool with which to examine the IS field via citations among member journals. Thus, while many challenges remain in applying SNA techniques to the study of IS journals, the opportunity to track trends in the discipline over time, with a larger basket of journals, suggests a number of valuable future applications of SNA for understanding the IS publication system. Greta L. Polites http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss8/1 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss8/1 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:43:39 PDT Supply Chain Management (SCM) is seldom more difficult than during disaster relief efforts. As supply chains quickly form in response to a disaster, a slow information flow presents a major hindrance to coordinating the allocation of resources necessary for disaster relief efforts. This paper identifies impediments to the flow of information through supply chains following large scale and catastrophic disasters. Given the scarce body of literature on this subject, a grounded theory case study was conducted to examine an extreme case. The study concentrates on the efforts of multiple organizations and individuals that provided relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which battered the Gulf Coast of the southeastern United States in late 2005. Data was gathered from diverse sources, including government agencies, profit and non-profit organizations, and individuals, during and after the disaster. Based on our data analysis, we not only identify information flow impediments (i.e., inaccessibility, inconsistent data and information formats, inadequate stream of information, low information priority, source identification difficulty, storage media misalignment, unreliability, and unwillingness), but also identify likely sources of these impediments, and examine their consequences to organizations' disaster recovery efforts. Our findings suggest some potential design principles for devising solutions capable of reducing or alleviating the impact of information flow impediments in future disasters. Jamison M. Day http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss7/2 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss7/2 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:40:40 PDT This paper explains how visual representations of data enable individual sensemaking in data exploration tasks. We build upon theories of human perception and cognition, including Cognitive Fit Theory, to explain what aspects of visual representations facilitate sensemaking for the viewer. We make three primary contributions. First, we give a general characterization of visual representations that would be used for data exploration tasks. These representations consist of a scene, objects within the scene, and the characteristics of those objects. Second, we extend Cognitive Fit Theory into the data exploration task domain. We explain that the data exploration task has a number of spatial subtasks including observing data points, looking for patterns or outliers, making inferences, comparing observed facts or patterns to one's own knowledge, generating hypotheses about the data, and drawing analogies from the context being observed to another context. Third, we offer a set of theoretical propositions about how visual representations of data can serve the sensemaking goal. Specifically, visual representations best facilitate sensemaking in data exploration tasks when they (1) support the four basic human visual perceptual approaches of association, differentiation, ordered perception, and quantitative perception, (2) have strong Gestalt properties, (3) are consistent with the viewer's stored knowledge, and (4) support analogical reasoning. We propose that visual representations should possess several of these four aspects to make them well-suited for the task of data exploration. Jeff Baker http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss7/1 http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol10/iss7/1 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:40:38 PDT This study is part of a program aimed at creating measures enabling a fairer and more complete assessment of a scholar's contribution to a field, thus bringing greater rationality and transparency to the promotion and tenure process. It finds current approaches toward the evaluation of research productivity to be simplistic, atheoretic, and biased toward reinforcing existing reputation and power structures. This study examines the use of the Hirsch family of indices, a robust and theoretically informed metric, as an addition to prior approaches to assessing the scholarly influence of IS researchers. It finds that while the top tier journals are important indications of a scholar's impact, they are neither the only nor, indeed, the most important sources of scholarly influence. Other ranking studies, by narrowly bounding the venues included in those studies, distort the discourse and effectively privilege certain venues by declaring them to be more highly influential than warranted. The study identifies three different categories of scholars: those who publish primarily in North American journals, those who publish primarily in European journals, and a transnational set of authors who publish in both geographies. Excluding the transnational scholars, for the scholars who published in these journal sets during the period of this analysis, we find that North American scholars tend to be more influential than European scholars, on average. We attribute this difference to a difference in the publication culture of the different geographies. This study also suggests that the influence of authors who publish in the European journal set is concentrated at a moderate level of influence, while the influence of those who publish in the North American journal set is dispersed between those with high influence and those with relatively low influence. Therefore, to be a part of the top European scholar list requires a higher level of influence than to be a part of the top North American scholar list. Duane Truex