bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Targeted Advertising on the Web with Inventory Management
Authors: Chickering David Maxwell , Heckerman David
Published: December 2003

Companies that maintain Web sites can make considerable revenue by running advertisements, and they therefore compete to attract advertisers. The ability to deliver high click-through rates on a site can attract advertisers and, under an appropriate pricing model, can also increase revenue directly. Consequently, companies can benefit from delivery systems that display advertisements selectively to those visitors most likely to click though. To satisfy contractual obligations, however, these systems must simultaneously manage inventory. We developed a delivery system that maximizes click-through rate given inventory-management constraints in the form of advertisement quotas. The system uses predictive segments in conjunction with a linear program to perform the constrained optimization. Using a real Web site (msn.com), we demonstrated the efficacy of the system. We can generalize our system to find revenue-optimal advertisement schedules under a wide variety of pricing models.
Forecasting Software in Practice: Use, Satisfaction, and Performance
Authors: Sanders Nada R. , Manrodt Karl B.
Published: December 2003

Using survey data from 240 US corporations, we evaluated practitioners' use and satisfaction with forecasting software and its performance. Despite the many commercial forecasting software packages, only 10.8 percent of the respondents reported using them. Forty-eight percent reported using spreadsheets to make forecasts. Sixty percent reported being dissatisfied with forecasting software. However, we found that those who used commercial forecasting software packages had the best forecast performance, as measured by mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). Those using commercially available packages had errors 6.7 percent lower than those using spreadsheets and 17.2 percent lower than those who used no program. Also, they were more satisfied with their software than those using spreadsheets. In fact, users of forecasting software programs reported a 12.2 percent reduction in forecast error. We found that 61 percent of respondents routinely adjusted forecasts produced by software based on their judgment. Roughly 85 percent of respondents considered ease of use and easily understandable results the most important software features.
The Performance Impacts of Quick Response and Strategic Alignment in Specialty Retailing
Authors: Palmer Jonathan W. , Markus M. Lynne
Published: December 2003

The Quick Response (QR) program is a hierarchical suite of information technologies (IT) and applications designed to improve the performance of retailers. Consultants advise retailers to adopt the program wholesale, implying that more and higher levels of technology are better than less technology and lower levels. Academicians, on the other hand, argue that good technology is “appropriate” technology. That is firms should adopt only those technologies that suit the specific strategic directions pursued by the firm. Who is right? Which approach to investing in IT yields better performance results? Surprisingly, this cross-sectional survey of 80 specialty retailers found more support for the practitioners' claims than for the academicians'. Adoption of the QR program at a minimal level was associated with higher performance, although there was no performance impact due to higher levels of QR use. Firms did appear to match their IT usage to their business strategies, but there was no linkage between strategic alignment and firm performance, and there was surprisingly little variation in business or IT strategy. In short, the findings of our study suggest that both practitioners and academicians need to refine their theories and advice about what makes IT investments pay off.
Research Report: Disruptive Technologies—Explaining Entry in Next Generation Information Technology Markets
Authors: Nault Barrie R. , Vandenbosch Mark B.
Published: December 2003

The most difficult challenge facing a market leader is maintaining its leading position. This is especially true in information technology and telecommunications industries, where multiple product generations and rapid technological evolution continually test the ability of the incumbent to stay ahead of potential entrants. In these industries, an incumbent often protects its position by launching prematurely to retain its leadership. Entry, however, happens relatively frequently. We identify conditions under which an entrant will launch a next generation product thereby preventing the incumbent from employing a protection strategy. We define a capabilities advantage as the ability to develop and launch a next generation product at a lower cost than a competitor, and a product with a greater market response is one with greater profit flows. Using these definitions, we find that an incumbent with a capabilities advantage in one next generation product can be overtaken by an entrant with a capabilities advantage in another next generation product only if the entrant's capabilities advantage is in a disruptive technology that yields a product with a greater market response. This can occur even though both next generation products are available to both firms. We also show that the competition may require the launching firm to lose money at the margin on the next generation product.
Memory-Based Feedback Controls to Support Groupware Coordination
Authors: Bordetsky Alex , Mark Gloria
Published: December 2003

In this paper we first present an empirical study of groupware use illustrating problems that users faced with restricted feedback about others' activities. Awareness can aid users in learning interdependencies, and in forming conventions to regulate system use and information-sharing. As a solution to providing awareness, we integrate the framework of organizational memory with intelligent agent technology to provide a coordination mechanism that enables the structuring of awareness events and gives information about the users' feedback control. In the proposed model, feedback control relationships are captured into a multilayered model of organizational memory and transferred to users by agents-facilitators. The approach is based on a system dynamics approach to organizational learning.
Providing Decisional Guidance for Multicriteria Decision Making in Groups
Authors: Limayem Moez , DeSanctis Gerardine
Published: December 2003

Intelligent user interfaces, particularly in interactive group settings, can be based on system explanations that guide model building, application, and interpretation. Here we extend Silver's (1990, 1991) conceptualization of decisional guidance and the theory of breakpoints in group interaction to operationalize feedback and feedforward for a complex multicriteria modeling system operating within a group decision support system context. We outline a design approach for providing decisional guidance in GDSS and then test the feasibility of the design in a preliminary laboratory experiment. Findings show how decisional guidance that provides system explanations at breakpoints in group interaction can improve MCDM GDSS usability. Our findings support Dhaliwal and Benbasat's (1996) conjecture that system explanations can improve decisional outcomes due to improvement in user understanding of decision models. Further research on intelligent agents, particularly in interactive group settings, can build on the concepts of decisional guidance outlined in this paper.
Research Report: The Role of Behavioral Modeling in Computer Skills Acquisition: Toward Refinement of the Model
Authors: Johnson Richard D. , Marakas George M.
Published: December 2003

Recent empirical work by Compeau and Higgins (1995) investigated the role of behavioral modeling training in the development of computer skills. Their efforts have provided insight into our understanding of the role of computer self-efficacy (CSE) and behavioral modeling (BM) techniques with regard to training effectiveness. Contrary to their expectations, however, several of the hypothesized relationships were not supported, especially those relating to outcome expectancy. In this paper, an empirically derived model of the CSE construct proposed by Marakas, Yi, and Johnson (1998) is offered to highlight potential theoretical, methodological, and measurement issues which may have contributed to or exacerbated the unexpected results obtained in the Compeau and Higgins study. The empirical work contained herein is intended to both replicate and extend the work of Compeau and Higgins and to assist in resolving several key issues left unsettled by their seminal work in this area.
Research Report: The Evolving Relationship Between General and Specific Computer Self-Efficacy—An Empirical Assessment
Authors: Agarwal Ritu , Sambamurthy V. , Stair Ralph M.
Published: December 2003

The concept of computer self-efficacy (CSE) recently has been proposed as important to the study of individual behavior toward information technology. This paper extends current understanding about the concept of self-efficacy in the context of computer software. We describe how two broad types of computer self-efficacy beliefs, general self-efficacy and task-specific self-efficacy, are constructed across different computing tasks by suggesting that initial general CSE beliefs will strongly predict subsequent specific CSE beliefs. The theorized causal relationships illustrate the malleability and development of CSE beliefs over time, within a training environment where individuals are progressively provided with greater opportunity for hands-on experience and practice with different software. Consistent with the findings of prior research, judgments of self-efficacy then serve as key antecedents of the perceived cognitive effort (ease of use) associated with technology usage. Further, we theorize that self-efficacy judgments in the task domain of computing are strongly influenced by the extent to which individuals believe that they are personally innovative with respect to information technology. Panel data were collected using a longitudinal research design within a training context where 186 subjects were taught two software packages in a sequential manner over a 14-week period. The emergent patterns of the hypothesized relationships are examined using structural equation modeling techniques. Results largely support the relationships posited.
Research Report: A Reexamination of IT Investment and the Market Value of the Firm—An Event Study Methodology
Authors: Im Kun Shin , Dow Kevin E. , Grover Varun
Published: December 2003

Evaluating the effectiveness of Information Technology (IT) investments has always been an elusive but important goal of IS researchers. This study builds on a prior study that examined changes in the market value of the firm as reflected by the stock price in response to IT investment announcements. Data on stock prices were analyzed for 238 publicly traded companies. In addition to the stock price analysis, reaction of trading volume to the announcements was also examined to identify whether IT investment announcements affect investors' beliefs about IT value. Potentially confounding factors such as industry, size, and time lag effects were also analyzed. Size and time lag effects were found for all IT investment announcements. Reactions of price and volume were negatively related to firm size and became more positive over time. The positive excess return for smaller firms shows that smaller firms can leverage the lower price/performance ratio of new IT and reap greater rewards from IT investments than larger firms. Also, the result of time lag effect demonstrates that the stock market has recently begun to identify both tangible and intangible benefits of IT investments. For recent IT investment announcements, industry classification and firm size also affected the reactions of stock price to the announcements. This study provides optimism on the stock market reaction to IT investment announcements as well as further insight into the study of IT impacts on organizational performance.
Cognitive Support for Real-Time Dynamic Decision Making
Authors: Lerch F. Javier , Harter Donald E.
Published: December 2003

This research examines how decision makers manage their attentional resources when making a series of interdependent decisions in a real-time environment. Decision strategies for real-time dynamic tasks consist of two main overlapping cognitive activities: monitoring and control. Monitoring refers to decision makers' tracking of key system variables as they work toward arriving at a decision. Control refers to the decision maker's generation, evaluation, and selection of alternative actions. In real-time tasks, these two activities compete for the same attentional resources. The questions that motivate the two studies presented here are: (1) can decision making be improved by increasing individuals' attentional resources, thereby enhancing their ability to monitor the system, and (2) can decision making be improved by providing individuals with feedback and/or feedforward control support? Our findings show that some kinds of cognitive support degrade performance, rather than enhance it. These results indicate that providing support for real-time dynamic decision making may be very difficult, and that designing effective decision aids requires a detailed understanding of the underlying cognitive processes.
A Conceptual Model and Algebra for On-Line Analytical Processing in Decision Support Databases
Authors: Thomas Helen , Datta Anindya
Published: December 2003

Data warehousing and On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP) are two of the most significant new technologies in the business data processing arena. A data warehouse, or decision support database, can be defined as a “very large” repository of historical data pertaining to an organization. OLAP refers to the technique of performing complex analysis over the information stored in a data warehouse. The complexity of queries required to support OLAP applications makes it difficult to implement using standard relational database technology. Moreover, currently there is no standard conceptual model for OLAP. There clearly is a need for such a model and an algebra as evidenced by the numerous SQL extensions offered by many vendors of OLAP products. In this paper we address this issue by proposing a model of a data cube and an algebra to support OLAP operations on this cube. The model we present is simple and intuitive, and the algebra provides a means to concisely express complex OLAP queries.
Research Commentary: Desperately Seeking the “IT” in IT Research—A Call to Theorizing the IT Artifact
Authors: Orlikowski Wanda J. , Iacono C. Suzanne
Published: December 2003

The field of information systems is premised on the centrality of information technology in everyday socio-economic life. Yet, drawing on a review of the full set of articles published in Information Systems Research (ISR) over the past ten years, we argue that the field has not deeply engaged its core subject matter—the information technology (IT) artifact. Instead, we find that IS researchers tend to give central theoretical significance to the context (within which some usually unspecified technology is seen to operate), the discrete processing capabilities of the artifact (as separable from its context or use), or the dependent variable (that which is posited to be affected or changed as technology is developed, implemented, and used). The IT artifact itself tends to disappear from view, be taken for granted, or is presumed to be unproblematic once it is built and installed. After discussing the implications of our findings, we propose a research direction for the IS field that begins to take technology as seriously as its effects, context, and capabilities. In particular, we propose that IS researchers begin to theorize specifically about IT artifacts, and then incorporate these theories explicitly into their studies. We believe that such a research direction is critical if IS research is to make a significant contribution to the understanding of a world increasingly suffused with ubiquitous, interdependent, and emergent information technologies.
An Evaluation of Self-Organizing Map Networks as a Robust Alternative to Factor Analysis in Data Mining Applications
Authors: Kiang Melody Y. , Kumar Ajith
Published: December 2003

Kohonen's self-organizing map (SOM) network is one of the most important network architectures developed during the 1980s. The main function of SOM networks is to map the input data from an n-dimensional space to a lower dimensional (usually one- or two-dimensional) plot while maintaining the original topological relations. Therefore, it can be viewed as an analog of factor analysis. In this research, we evaluate the feasibility of using SOM networks as a robust alternative to factor analysis and clustering for data mining applications. Specifically, we compare SOM network solutions to factor analytic and K-Means clustering solutions on simulated data sets with known underlying factor and cluster structures.

The comparisons indicate that the SOM networks provide solutions superior to unrotated factor solutions in general and provide more accurate recovery of underlying cluster structures when the input data are skewed. Our findings suggest that SOM networks can provide robust alternatives to traditional factor analysis and clustering techniques in data mining applications.
Combining IS Research Methods: Towards a Pluralist Methodology
Authors: Mingers John
Published: December 2003

This paper puts forward arguments in favor of a pluralist approach to IS research. Rather than advocating a single paradigm, be it interpretive or positivist, or even a plurality of paradigms within the discipline as a whole, it suggests that research results will be richer and more reliable if different research methods, preferably from different (existing) paradigms, are routinely combined together. The paper is organized into three sections after the Introduction. In §2, the main arguments for the desirability of multimethod research are put forward, while §3 discusses its feasibility in theory and practice. §4 outlines two frameworks that are helpful in designing mixed-method research studies. These are illustrated with a critical evaluation of three examples of empirical research.
On Heterogeneous Database Retrieval: A Cognitively Guided Approach
Authors: Krishnan Ramayya , Li Xiaoping , Steier David , Zhao Leon
Published: December 2003

Retrieving information from heterogeneous database systems involves a complex process and remains a challenging research area. We propose a cognitively guided approach for developing an information-retrieval agent that takes the user's information request, identifies relevant information sources, and generates a multidatabase access plan. Our work is distinctive in that the agent design is based on an empirical study of how human experts retrieve information from multiple, heterogeneous database systems. To improve on empirically observed information-retrieval capabilities, the design incorporates mathematical models and algorithmic components. These components optimize the set of information sources that need to be considered to respond to a user query and are used to develop efficient multidatabase-access plans. This agent design, which integrates cognitive and mathematical models, has been implemented using Soar, a knowledge-based architecture.
Research Report: Empirical Test of an EDI Adoption Model
Authors: Chwelos Paul , Benbasat Izak , Dexter Albert S.
Published: December 2003

This paper is the first test of a parsimonious model that posits three factors as determinants of the adoption of electronic data interchange (EDI): readiness, perceived benefits, and external pressure. To construct the model, we identified and organized the factors that were found to be influential in prior EDI research. By testing all these factors together in one model, we are able to investigate their relative contributions to EDI adoption decisions. Senior purchasing managers, chosen for their experience with EDI and proximity to the EDI adoption decision, were surveyed and their responses analyzed using structural equation modeling. All three determinants were found to be significant predictors of intent to adopt EDI, with external pressure and readiness being considerably more important than perceived benefits. We show that the constructs in this model can be categorized into three levels: technological, organizational, and interorganizational. We hypothesize that these categories of influence will also be determinants of the adoption of other emerging forms of interorganizational systems (IOS).1
Collaborative Decision Making: A Connectionist Paradigm for Dialectical Support
Authors: Raghu T. S. , Ramesh R. , Chang Ai-Mei , Whinston Andrew B.
Published: December 2003

The facilitation and analytical support of argumentation-based collaborative decision making is the focus of this research. We model collaborative decision making as an argumentation process. We develop a connectionist modeling framework, a network representation formalism for argument structures, connectionist network mechanisms, and their models of computations to extract the behavior of argument structures. We use two examples from the case study literature to illustrate the concepts. Several interesting properties of the connectionist network models are observed from our computational results. We find that although the length of the computation is affected by parametric values, the final activation levels of the units are largely unaffected. We observe that the initial activation levels of the defeasible units seem to have no effect on their final activation levels. The proposed modeling approach generates valuable insights into the characteristics of specific argumentative discussions. While the intention of this work is not to introduce the connectionist paradigm as a means to bring arguments to a closure (resolution), we show that certain resolution mechanisms can be easily implemented under the connectionist framework.
Should Optional Properties Be Used in Conceptual Modelling? A Theory and Three Empirical Tests
Authors: Bodart François , Patel Arvind , Sim Marc , Weber Ron
Published: December 2003

An important feature of some conceptual modelling grammars is the features they provide to allow database designers to show real-world things may or may not possess a particular attribute or relationship. In the entity-relationship model, for example, the fact that a thing may not possess an attribute can be represented by using a special symbol to indicate that the attribute is optional. Similarly, the fact that a thing may or may not be involved in a relationship can be represented by showing the minimum cardinality of the relationship as zero. Whether these practices should be followed, however, is a contentious issue. An alternative approach is to eliminate optional attributes and relationships from conceptual schema diagrams by using subtypes that have only mandatory attributes and relationships.

In this paper, we first present a theory that led us to predict that optional attributes and relationships should be used in conceptual schema diagrams only when users of the diagrams require a surface-level understanding of the domain being represented by the diagrams. When users require a deep-level understanding, however, optional attributes and relationships should not be used because they undermine users' abilities to grasp important domain semantics. We describe three experiments which we then undertook to test our predictions. The results of the experiments support our predictions.
Beyond EDI: Impact of Continuous Replenishment Program (CRP) Between a Manufacturer and Its Retailers
Authors: Raghunathan Srinivasan , Yeh Arthur B.
Published: December 2003

Electronic data interchange (EDI), used traditionally to exchange business documents, has recently been extended to facilitate interorganizational collaborative processes such as the continuous replenishment program (CRP). The key characteristics of CRP are the sharing of real-time inventory data by retailers with manufacturers and continuous replenishment of retailer inventory by manufacturers. Prior research on EDI has focused on the transaction efficiency of EDI. We analyze the impact of information sharing and continuous replenishment in the CRP context and study the factors that affect the value of CRP. The study quantifies the value derived from CRP and the optimal number of retailers a manufacturer should partner with.
Assessing the Validity of IS Success Models: An Empirical Test and Theoretical Analysis
Authors: Rai Arun , Lang Sandra S. , Welker Robert B.
Published: December 2003

The purpose of the present study is to empirically and theoretically assess DeLone and McLean's (1992) and Seddon's (1997) models of information systems (IS) success in a quasi-voluntary IS use context. Structural modeling techniques were applied to data collected by questionnaire from 274 system users of an integrated student information system at a midwestern university. The Seddon structural model and the DeLone and McLean structural model each contained five variables (system quality, information quality, perceived usefulness, user satisfaction, and IS use). Both models exhibit reasonable fit with the collected data. The empirical findings are assessed in the broader theoretical context of the IS success literature, including the Technology Acceptance Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Our results support DeLone and McLean's focus on integrated IS success models and their observation that IS success models need to be carefully specified in a given context. The Seddon model conceptually elaborates and clarifies aspects of the DeLone and McLean model, thereby effectively integrating core theoretical relationships espoused in the IS success literature. Our study also supports Seddon's three construct categories (system and information quality, general perceptual measures aboutnetbene fts about IS use, and IS behavior), as defining IS success and its impact on nature of IS use.
Group Polarization and Computer-Mediated Communication: Effects of Communication Cues, Social Presence, and Anonymity
Authors: Sia Choon-Ling , Tan Bernard C. Y. , Wei Kwok-Kee
Published: December 2003

Group polarization is the tendency of people to become more extreme in their thinking following group discussion. It may be beneficial to some, but detrimental to other, organizational decisions. This study examines how computer-mediated communication (CMC) may be associated with group polarization. Two laboratory experiments were carried out. The first experiment, conducted in an identified setting, demonstrated that removal of verbal cues might not have reduced social presence sufficiently to impact group polarization, but removal of visual cues might have reduced social presence sufficiently to raise group polarization. Besides confirming the results of the first experiment, the second experiment showed that the provision of anonymity might also have reduced social presence sufficiently to raise group polarization. Analyses of process data from both experiments indicated that the reduction in social presence might have increased group polarization by causing people to generate more novel arguments and engage in more one-upmanship behavior. Collectively, process and outcome data from both experiments reveal how group polarization might be affected by level of social presence. Specifically, group discussion carried out in an unsupported setting or an identified face-to-face CMC setting tends to result in weaker group polarization. Conversely, group discussion conducted in an anonymous face-to-face CMC setting or a dispersed CMC setting (with or without anonymity) tends to lead to stronger group polarization. Implications of these results for further research and practice are provided.
Research Report: Better Theory Through Measurement—Developing a Scale to Capture Consensus on Appropriation
Authors: Salisbury Wm. David , Chin Wynne W. , Gopal Abhijit , Newsted Peter R.
Published: December 2003

Proper measurement is critical to the advancement of theory (Blalock 1979). Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) is rapidly becoming an important theoretical paradigm for comprehending the impacts of advanced information technologies (DeSanctis and Poole 1994). Intended as a complement to the faithfulness of appropriation scale developed by Chin et al. (1997), this research note describes the development of an instrument to capture the AST construct of consensus on appropriation. Consensus on appropriation (COA) is the extent to which group participants perceive that they have agreed on how to adopt and use a technology. While consensus on appropriation is an important component of AST, no scale is currently available to capture this construct. This research note develops a COA instrument in the context of electronic meeting systems use. Initial item development, statistical analyses, and validity assessment (convergent, discriminant, and nomological) are described here in detail. The contribution of this effort is twofold: First, a scale is provided for an important construct from AST. Second, this report serves as an example of rigorous scale development using structural equation modeling. Employing rigorous procedures in the development of instruments to capture AST constructs is critical if the sound theoretical base provided by AST is to be fully exploited in understanding phenomena related to the use of advanced information technologies.
Decentralized Mechanism Design for Supply Chain Organizations Using an Auction Market
Authors: Fan Ming , Stallaert Jan , Whinston Andrew B.
Published: December 2003

Traditional development of large-scale information systems is based on centralized information processing and decision making. With increasing competition, shorter product life-cycle, and growing uncertainties in the marketplace, centralized systems are inadequate in processing information that grows at an explosive rate and are unable to make quick responses to real-world situations. Introducing a decentralized information system in an organization is a challenging task. It is often intertwined with other organizational processes. The goal of this research is to outline a new approach in developing a supply chain information system with a decentralized decision making process. Particularly, we study the incentive structure in the decentralized organization and design a market-based coordination system that is incentive aligned, i.e., it gives the participants the incentives to act in a manner that is beneficial to the overall system. We also prove that the system monotonically improves the overall organizational performance and is goal congruent.
XML–Based Schema Definition for Support of Interorganizational Workflow
Authors: van der Aalst W. M. P. , Kumar Akhil
Published: December 2003

The full potential of the Web as a medium for electronic commerce can be realized only when multiple partners in a supply chain can route information among themselves in a seamless way. Commerce on the Internet is still far from being “friction free,” because business partners cannot exchange information about their business processes in an automated manner. In this paper, we propose the design for an eXchangeable Routing Language(XRL) using eXtensible MarkupLanguage (XML) syntax. XML is a means for trading partners to exchange business data electronically. The novel contribution of our work is to show how XML can also be used to describe workflow process schemas to support flexible routing of documents in the Internet environment. The design of XRL is grounded in Petri nets, which is a well-known formalism. By using this formalism, it is possible to analyze correctness and performance of workflows described in XRL. Architectures to facilitate interoperation through loose and tight integration are also discussed. Examples illustrate how this approach can be used for implementing interorganizational electronic commerce applications. As a proof of concept, we have also developed XRL/flower, a prototype implementation of a workflow management system based on XRL.
When Subordinates Become IT Contractors: Persistent Managerial Expectations in IT Outsourcing
Authors: Ho Violet T. , Ang Soon , Straub Detmar
Published: December 2003

This paper investigates the persistence of managerial expectations in an IT outsourcing context where the traditional relationship between supervisor and subordinate changes to one of client-manager and contractor. A mixed-method approach was used, in which a qualitative methodology preceded a large-scale quantitative survey. Data were collected from 147 survivors of a government IT organization which had undergone IT outsourcing in the previous year. Findings show that role overload, the presence of strong ties between manager and contractor, and the lack of prior outsourcing experience increased the persistence of managerial expectations. In turn, persistence of expectations had a distinct influence on managerial perceptions of contractor performance.
Measuring Information Technology Payoff: A Meta-Analysis of Structural Variables in Firm-Level Empirical Research
Authors: Kohli Rajiv , Devaraj Sarv
Published: December 2003

Payoffs from information technology (IT) continue to generate interest and debate both among academicians and practitioners. The extant literature cites inadequate sample size, lack of process orientation, and analysis methods among the reasons some studies have shown mixed results in establishing a relationship between IT investment and firm performance.

In this paper we examine the structural variables that affect IT payoff through a meta analysis of 66 firm-level empirical studies between 1990 and 2000. Employing logistic regression and discriminant analyses, we present statistical evidence of the characteristics that discriminate between IT payoff studies that observed a positive effect and those that did not. In addition, we conduct ordinary least squares (OLS) regression on a continuous measure of IT payoff to examine the influence of structural variables on the result of IT payoff studies.

The results indicate that the sample size, data source (firm-level or secondary), and industry in which the study is conducted influence the likelihood of the study finding greater improvements on firm performance. The choice of the dependent variable(s) also appears to influence the outcome (although we did not find support for process-oriented measurement), the type of statistical analysis conducted, and whether the study adopted a cross-sectional or longitudinal design. Finally, we present implications of the findings and recommendations for future research.
Developing and Validating an Observational Learning Model of Computer Software Training and Skill Acquisition
Authors: Yi Mun Y. , Davis Fred D.
Published: December 2003

Computer skills are key to organizational performance, and past research indicates that behavior modeling is a highly effective form of computer skill training. The present research develops and tests a new theoretical model of the underlying observational learning processes by which modeling-based training interventions influence computer task performance. Observational learning processes are represented as a second-order construct with four dimensions (attention, retention, production, and motivation). New measures for these dimensions were developed and shown to have strong psychometric properties. The proposed model controls for two pretraining individual differences (motivation to learn and self-efficacy) and specifies the relationships among three training outcomes (declarative knowledge, post-training self-efficacy, and task performance). The model was tested using PLS on data from an experiment (N= 95) on computer spreadsheet training. As hypothesized, observational learning processes significantly influenced training outcomes. A representative modeling-based training intervention (retention enhancement) significantly improved task performance through its specific effects on the retention processes dimension of observational learning. The new model provides a more complete theoretical account of the mechanisms by which modeling-based interventions affect training outcomes, which should enable future research to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of modeling-based training interventions. Further, the new instruments can be used by practitioners to refine ongoing training programs.
The Impact of Experience and Time on the Use of Data Quality Information in Decision Making
Authors: Fisher Craig W. , Chengalur-Smith InduShobha , Ballou Donald P.
Published: December 2003

Data Quality Information (DQI) is metadata that can be included with data to provide the user with information regarding the quality of that data. As users are increasingly removed from any personal experience with data, knowledge that would be beneficial in judging the appropriateness of the data for the decision to be made has been lost. Data tags could provide this missing information. However, it would be expensive in general to generate and maintain such information. Doing so would be worthwhile only if DQI is used and affects the decision made.

This work focuses on how the experience of the decision maker and the available processing time influence the use of DQI in decision making. It also explores other potential issues regarding use of DQI, such as task complexity and demographic characteristics. Our results indicate increasing use of DQI when experience levels progress through the stages from novice to professional. The overall conclusion is that DQI should be made available to managers without domain-specific experience. From this it would follow that DQI should be incorporated into data warehouses used on an ad hoc basis by managers.
A Partial Least Squares Latent Variable Modeling Approach for Measuring Interaction Effects: Results from a Monte Carlo Simulation Study and an Electronic-Mail Emotion/Adoption Study
Authors: Chin Wynne W. , Marcolin Barbara L. , Newsted Peter R.
Published: December 2003

The ability to detect and accurately estimate the strength of interaction effects are critical issues that are fundamental to social science research in general and IS research in particular. Within the IS discipline, a significant percentage of research has been devoted to examining the conditions and contexts under which relationships may vary, often under the general umbrella of contingency theory (cf. McKeen et al. 1994, Weill and Olson 1989). In our survey of such studies, the majority failed to either detect or provide an estimate of the effect size. In cases where effect sizes are estimated, the numbers are generally small. These results have led some researchers to question both the usefulness of contingency theory and the need to detect interaction effects (e.g., Weill and Olson 1989). This paper addresses this issue by providing a new latent variable modeling approach that can give more accurate estimates of interaction effects by accounting for the measurement error that attenuates the estimated relationships. The capacity of this approach at recovering true effects in comparison to summated regression is demonstrated in a Monte Carlo study that creates a simulated data set in which the underlying true effects are known. Analysis of a second, empirical data set is included to demonstrate the technique's use within IS theory. In this second analysis, substantial direct and interaction effects of enjoyment on electronic-mail adoption are shown to exist.
Replicating Online Yankee Auctions to Analyze Auctioneers' and Bidders' Strategies
Authors: Bapna Ravi , Goes Paulo , Gupta Alok
Published: December 2003

We present a simulation approach that provides a relatively risk-free and cost-effective environment to examine the decision space for both bid takers and bid makers in web-based dynamic price setting processes. The applicability of the simulation platform is demonstrated for Yankee auctions in particular. We focus on the optimization of bid takers' revenue, as well as on examining the welfare implications of a range of consumer-bidding strategies—some observed, some hypothetical. While these progressive open discriminatory multiunit auctions with discrete bid increments are made feasible by Internet technologies, little is known about their structural characteristics, or their allocative efficiency. The multiunit and discrete nature of these mechanisms renders the traditional analytic framework of gametheory intractable (Nautz and Wolfstetter 1997). The simulation is based on theoretical revenue generating properties of these auctions. We use empirical data from real online auctions to instantiate the simulation's parameters. For example, the bidding strategies of the bidders are specified based on three broad bidding strategies observed in real online auctions. The validity of the simulation model is established and subsequently the simulation model is configured to change the values of key control factors, such as the bid increment. Our analysis indicates that the auctioneers are, most of the time, far away from the optimal choice of bid increment, resulting in substantial losses in a market with already tight margins. The simulation tool provides a test bed for jointly exploring the combinatorial space of design choices made by the auctioneer's and the bidding strategies adopted by the bidders. For instance, a multinomial logit model reveals that endogenous factors, such as the bid increment and the absolute magnitude of the auction have a statistically significant impact on consumer-bidding strategies. This endogeniety is subsequently modeled into the simulation to investigate whether the effects are significant enough to alter the optimal bid increments or auctioneer revenues. Additionally, we investigate hybrid-bidding strategies, derived as a combination of three broad strategies, such as jump bidding and strategic-at-margin (SAM) bidding. We find that hybrid strategies have the potential of significantly altering bidders' likelihood of winning, as well as their surplus.
Improving Analysis Pattern Reuse in Conceptual Design: Augmenting Automated Processes with Supervised Learning
Authors: Purao Sandeep , Storey Veda C. , Han Taedong
Published: December 2003

Conceptual design is an important, but difficult, phase of systems development. Analysis patterns can greatly benefit this phase because they capture abstractions of situations that occur frequently in conceptual modeling. Naïve approaches to automate conceptual design with reuse of analysis patterns have had limited success because they do not emulate the learning that occurs over time. This research develops learning mechanisms for improving analysis pattern reuse in conceptual design. The learning mechanisms employ supervised learning techniques to support the generic reuse tasks of retrieval, adaptation, and integration, and emulate expert behaviors of analogy making and designing by assembly. They are added to a naïve approach and the augmented methodology implemented as an intelligent assistant to a designer for generating an initial conceptual design that a developer may refine. To assess the potential of the methodology to benefit practice, empirical testing is carried out on multiple domains and tasks of different sizes. The results suggest that the methodology has the potential to benefit practice.
Portfolios of Control in Outsourced Software Development Projects
Authors: Choudhury Vivek , Sabherwal Rajiv
Published: December 2003

This paper examines the evolution of portfolio of controls over the duration of outsourced information systems development (ISD) projects. Drawing on five cases, it concludes that many findings from research on control of internal ISD projects apply to the outsourced context as well, but with some interesting differences. The portfolios of control in outsourced projects are dominated by outcome controls, especially at the start of the project; although the precision and frequency of these controls varies across projects. Behavior controls are often added later in the project, as are controls aimed to encourage and enable vendor self–control. Clan controls were used in only two of the cases—when the client and vendor had shared goals, and when frequent interactions led to shared values. In general, the outsourced projects we studied began with relatively simple controls but often required significant additional controls after experiencing performance problems. Factors influencing the choice and evolution of controls are also examined.
Delegating Pricing Decisions
Authors: Bhardwaj Pradeep
Published: December 2003

An outstanding problem in marketing is why some firms in a competitive market delegate pricing decisions to agents and other firms do not. This paper analyzes the impact of competition on the delegation decision and, in turn, the impact of delegation on prices and incentives. The theory builds on the simplest framework of competition in two dimensions: prices and (sales agents') effort. Specifically, we are interested in answering the following questions: (1) Does competition affect the price-delegation decision and, if yes, why? (2) How do prices vary under price-delegation and no-price-delegation scenarios? (3) Do the incentives to the sales representatives vary under the delegation and no-delegation scenarios?

To address these issues, we build a game-theoretic model that consists of two firms selling through their sales representatives. These representatives are company employees. Sales are a function of prices and selling efforts. The risk-neutral firms decide whether or not to delegate the pricing decision to risk-averse sales representatives. The wages to the sales representatives consist of salary plus a commission on gross margins. The commission on gross margins can be adjusted, either through communicated marginal cost of production, which we call “virtual” marginal cost, or directly. The firm and the sales representative are assumed to have the same information about the market, that is, there is no information asymmetry.

With competition in two dimensions, the strategic nature of decision variable price depends on the relative intensity of competition. With unobservable contracts and risk-averse sales representatives, firms delegate the pricing decision when price competition is intense. Part of the uncertainty in demand is absorbed by the firm by keeping “virtual” marginal cost greater than the marginal cost of production. The competing firm infers this through the risk aversion of the sales representatives. Under price delegation the sales representatives' wages are higher, and they set a price that is higher than what the firms would have set themselves. This leads to softening of price competition that is to the advantage of both firms. When the effort competition is dominant, however, the firms prefer to make the pricing decision themselves, because this reduces the intensity of effort competition among agents.

A single-instrument commission structure in which the firms adjust the “virtual” marginal cost is compared to a two-instrument commission structure in which the firms can adjust the commission rate, as well the “virtual” marginal cost. Under no price delegation, the two incentive schemes are the same. However, under price delegation the risk premium with the two-instrument scheme is lower. However, the prices and efforts are higher with the single-instrument scheme. When price competition is intense, the increase in risk premium with the single instrument scheme is more than compensated for by the increase in profits. This is the benefit of softening price competition through higher prices.