[AISWorld] Contents of Volume 19, Issue 6 (June) Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS)

[JAIS]

Contents of Volume 19, Issue 6 (June) Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS), Official Publication of the Association for Information Systems
Published: Monthly Electronically
ISSN: 1536-9323
Published by the Association for Information Systems, Atlanta, USA (http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/)

Editor-in-Chief:  Professor Suprateek Sarker, University of Virginia, USA

Paper

>From Placebo to Panacea: Studying the Diffusion of IT Management Techniques with Ambiguous Efficiencies: The Case of Capability Maturity Model

Saeed Akhlaghpour, University of Queensland
Liette Lapointe, McGill University

Abstract

In light of the inherent shortcomings of single-perspective approaches in IT diffusion research, in this paper, we develop a multi-perspective framework for studying the diffusion of IT management techniques. The framework is then applied to explain the diffusion of capability maturity model (CMM). This research contributes to information systems theory by (a) illustrating how several different theoretical perspectives (i.e., forced-selection, efficient choice, fashion, and fad) can be used to explain an IT management innovation diffusion; (b) identifying the specific limitations of each perspective; and (c) demonstrating how these perspectives can be reconciled and yield a holistic understanding of the diffusion trajectory. Building on 20+ years of CMM research, the propositions of this paper shed more light on the underlying dynamics driving the adoption decision among software vendors, and will inform IS scholars and practitioners about the types of actions that can foster the dissemination of emerging IT management techniques.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below:
Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol19/iss6/4


Paper

Helpfulness of Online Review Content: The Moderating Effects of Temporal and Social Cues

Liqiang Huang, Zhejiang University
Chuan-Hoo Tan, National University of Singapore
Weiling Ke, Clarkson University
Kwok Kee Wei, National University of Singapore

Abstract

This study advances our understanding of consumer evaluation of search product review content, which can vary in its concreteness, by considering contextual review cues that are often tagged to product review content. Anchoring on construal level theory, we differentiate two forms of contextual review cue—namely, temporal cue (i.e., when the review was posted) and social cue (i.e., who posted the review)—and posit their individual and joint moderation effects on the relationship between product review content and perceived review helpfulness. The experimental results reveal interesting insights. First, when the temporal cue indicates near distance, concrete product review content is perceived as more helpful. By contrast, abstract review content is perceived as more helpful when the temporal cue is distant. Second, social cues are non-instrumental in affecting the evaluation of concrete product review content; however, near social cues have bearings on the evaluation of abstract product review content. Third, we also find a significant joint effect of temporal and social cues on the relationship between product review concreteness and review helpfulness. The assessment of abstract reviews’ helpfulness is strengthened when both social and temporal cues reveal near psychological distance. This research contributes not only to the product review literature by providing integrated understanding of product review (i.e., considering both content and contextual cues), but also to construal level theory by identifying the moderating consequences of temporal and social cues as rooted in two dimensions of psychological distance.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below:
Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol19/iss6/3


Paper

Research in Information Systems: Intra-Disciplinary and Inter-Disciplinary Approaches

Monideepa Tarafdar, Management Science Department, Lancaster University Management School
Robert M. Davison, City University of Hong Kong

Abstract

The deep embeddedness of information systems (IS) in many areas of human activity poses a dual challenge to the IS discipline: advancing an expanding disciplinary boundary that includes an increasing set of IS topics; and engaging with other disciplines in order to understand IS-enabled phenomena. An inability to meet these challenges could lead to conceptually stunted development of the IS discipline, missed opportunities to inform other disciplines and a failure to effectively contribute to solving the pressing problems of our time. We undertook this study to investigate both how IS research has addressed these challenges in the past and how it can continue to do so in the future. Drawing on the concept of knowledge-materialization through knowledge-creating practice, and based on approaches for disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge creation, we theorize four different types of knowledge contribution that IS researchers can produce, encompassing both an intradisciplinary and an interdisciplinary view. We then analyze a wide-ranging sample of research studies published in 176 papers in the AIS basket of eight journals to investigate the nature of their contribution vis-à-vis these types. We find that the predominant types of knowledge contribution are intradisciplinary, with relatively few interdisciplinary contributions. Based on our analysis, we explain why each type of knowledge contribution is important to the IS discipline and provide guidance for IS scholars in planning their research strategies for these contributions. We comment on the implications of our study for IS scholars and for the vigor and growth of the IS discipline.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below:
Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol19/iss6/2


Editorial

Review and Theory Symbiosis: An Introspective Retrospective

Dorothy E. Leidner, Baylor University

Abstract

This paper presents a polylithic framework of review and theory development (RTD) papers. Based upon a reflective analysis of review papers that I have written, read, and/or reviewed, I build a framework suggesting four types of RTD papers: organizing reviews, assessing reviews, specific-theorizing reviews, and broad-theorizing reviews. The four types vary according to the research focus and research objectives, with research focus ranging from primarily description to the identification of gaps, and research objective ranging from primarily synthesizing to primarily theorizing. The framework and accompanying discussion are intended to provide scholars a perspective of the different ways that theory development and review papers intersect. The paper proposes criteria to help evaluate the quality of RTD papers and provides suggestions to authors on how to craft RTD papers.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below:
Available at: http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol19/iss6/1





Elizabeth White Baker, PhD
Production Managing Editor, Journal of the AIS
jais at comm.virginia.edu