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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@comm.virginia.edu
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