Information Systems Theory Research Articles

Who Gets Started on Kickstarter? Racial Disparities in Crowdfunding Success

Crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter are expected to democratize funding by increasing the availability of capital to traditionally underrepresented groups, but there is conflicting evidence about racial disparities in success rates. This paper contributes to the information systems literature on crowdfunding by examining the racial dynamics in the Kickstarter platform. In particular, we study three (sometimes conflicting) cues that allow potential backers to infer race: fundraiser photo, project photo, and textual content of project description. We create a novel set comprised of project characteristics; the race of project and fundraiser photo subjects, determined using facial recognition software; and the full text of project descriptions. Our analysis results in three main findings. First, there are substantial differences in the textual content of project descriptions across racial groups. It is possible to predict with high accuracy the race of those associated with a Kickstarter project based only on the words in the description. Second, projects with Black fundraisers or subjects in project photos face significantly lower success rates, even when controlling for observable project characteristics and the textual content of project descriptions. Third, we address cases when the racial cues are not aligned. Race in the fundraiser photo has a greater effect on success probability than does race in the project photo; visually-identifiable race in general has a greater effect on success probability than does textually-identifiable race.The results expand information systems theory on crowdfunding, identity, and discrimination, utilize novel big data techniques, and yield empirical results that demonstrate bias in an important online platform. This work has important practical implications both for online platform designers and for users of said platforms.

Book Reviews

In Book Reviews, we review an extensive and diverse range of books. They cover theory and applications in operations research, statistics, management science, econometrics, mathematics, computers, and information systems. In addition, we include books in other fields that emphasize technical applications. The editor will be pleased to receive an email from those willing to review a book, with an indication of specific areas of interest. If you are aware of a specific book that you would like to review, or that you think should be reviewed, please contact the editor. The following books are reviewed in this issue of Interfaces, 46(4), July–August 2016: Phishing for Phools: The Economics of Manipulation and Deception, George A. Akerlof and Robert J. Shiller; and Applied Probability: Models and Intuition, Arnold I. Barnett.

The Communicative Work of Organizations in Shaping Argumentative Realities

It is argued here that large-scale organization and networked computing enable new divisions of communicative work aimed at shaping the content, direction, and outcomes of societal conversations. The challenge for argumentation theory and practice lies in attending to these new divisions of communicative work in constituting contemporary argumentative realities. Goffman’s conceptualization of participation frameworks and production formats are applied to articulate the communicative work of organizations afforded by networked computing that invents and innovates argument in all of its senses—as product, process, and procedure. Communicative work, however, may be scaffolding argumentative contexts and practices that are quite different than what has constituted past argumentative realities. The computerization of argument happens as organizations invent and innovate argument practice relative to the demands and opportunities of interorganizational communication. The cases and examples examined here suggest that argument practice is evolving around the logic of conversation and the principle of personalization. The analysis challenges argumentation theory to seriously engage with the construction of communicative contexts and the realization of ideas about disagreement management in organizational practice and information infrastructures. Directions for integrating insights from a design perspective on argument with insights from organizational and information systems theory are proposed for coming to terms with an era of large-scale organization and computerization, in particular the evolution of argument practice, the inscription of argument in the built environment, and the absorption of socio-cultural argument practices by organizations and computation.

Book Reviews

In Book Reviews, we review an extensive and diverse range of books. They cover theory and applications in operations research, statistics, management science, econometrics, mathematics, computers, and information systems. In addition, we include books in other fields that emphasize technical applications. The editor will be pleased to receive an email from those willing to review a book, with an indication of specific areas of interest. If you are aware of a specific book that you would like to review, or that you think should be reviewed, please contact the editor. The following books are reviewed in this issue of Interfaces, 46(3), May–June 2016: Inequality: What Can Be Done?, Anthony B. Atkinson; and R for Marketing Research and Analytics, Chris Chapman and Elea McDonnell Feit.

Changing of flood risk due to climate and development in Huaihe River basin, China

Assessing the response of flood risk caused by climate change and social development is very important in terms of determining high risk areas in different periods as well as making disaster mitigating plans. We establish a flood risk assessment model based on geographic information system and natural disaster risk assessment theory. In order to compare the index value in different periods and spaces, we utilize the spatial and temporal standardization method to standardized index. To avoid one-sidedness caused by using one weight calibration method only, we employ the least square method to synthesize weights determine by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method and the Entropy weight method. We adopt the observed data of the Huaihe River basin from 1960 to 2010 to assess the changing of flood risk between period I (1960–1980) and period II (1980–2010). After pre-processing the atmosphere–ocean coupled global circulation models (AOGCM) data, including bias correction and downscaling, we use the corrected data to predict the flood risk during future period III (2010–2040). The results show that high risk areas and moderate to high risk areas during period I take up 17.68 and 33.88 % of the total area of the Huaihe River basin, respectively. During period II, the high risk areas show an increasing percent change of 1.93 % and a decreasing trend in moderate to high risk areas of 3.8 %. Compared with period II, the high risk areas and the moderate to high risk areas during period III show an increasing trend of 8.02 and 0.77 %, which is the result of the combined effects of climate change and social development. The results presented here can provide useful information for decision-makers.

Business network information ecological chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a new tool, business network information ecological chain (BNIEC) aiming to solve the current information problems in business network, make more profits to business websites and to maintain the sustainable development of the business network environment in Internet of Things (IoT) era. Design/methodology/approach – From multi-disciplinary perspectives, learning from the knowledge in information ecology, economics, the IoT and system theory, this paper first analyzes the positioning of BNIEC in different subjects. Second, it proposes the definition, components and characteristics of BNIEC and designs the BNIEC concept map helping to understand the BNIEC system. Last, this paper builds the structural model and the information flow models of BNIEC. Findings – The study first presents the concept of BNIEC and based on the trans-disciplinary point of view, builds the structure model of BNIEC from three aspects: nodes, relations among nodes and link modes and illustrates the model using the knowledge from the system theory. Also, it builds two kinds of the information flow models by the related information knowledge in IoT. Originality/value – This paper aims to introduce not only a new tool but an ecological idea to business network companies, to create a pleasant network environment, more than that, to make more benefits for themselves. Meanwhile, it has important significance in the sustainable development of the business network environment, business websites, business network information resources and information technology. Especially in today’s IoT era, it shows an ecological thinking to solve the information problems in business network that we may face in the future.

Book Reviews

In Book Reviews, we review an extensive and diverse range of books. They cover theory and applications in operations research, statistics, management science, econometrics, mathematics, computers, and information systems. In addition, we include books in other fields that emphasize technical applications. The editor will be pleased to receive an email from those willing to review a book, with an indication of specific areas of interest. If you are aware of a specific book that you would like to review, or that you think should be reviewed, please contact the editor. The following books are reviewed in this issue of Interfaces, 46(2), March–April 2016: Causes of Supply Chain Disruptions: An Empirical Analysis in Cold Chains for Food and Pharmaceuticals, Verena Brenner; Multichannel Commerce: A Consumer Perspective on the Integration of Physical and Electronic Channels, Manuel Trenz.

Book Reviews

In Book Reviews, we review an extensive and diverse range of books. They cover theory and applications in operations research, statistics, management science, econometrics, mathematics, computers, and information systems. In addition, we include books in other fields that emphasize technical applications. The editor will be pleased to receive an email from those willing to review a book, with an indication of specific areas of interest. If you are aware of a specific book that you would like to review, or that you think should be reviewed, please contact the editor. The following books are reviewed in this issue of Interfaces, 46(1), January–February 2016: Operations Planning: Mixed Integer Optimization Models, Joseph Geunes; Extension of Data Envelopment Analysis with Preference Information: Value Efficiency, Tarja Joro and Pekka J. Korhonen; and Rational Action: The Sciences of Policy in Britain and America, 1940–1960, William Thomas.

ЕФЕКТИВНІСТЬ ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ІНФОРМАЦІЙНИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ ДЛЯ ПІДГОТОВКИ ФАХІВЦІВ ТА ОРГАНІЗАЦІЇ НАДАННЯ ПЕРВИННОЇ МЕДИКО-САНІТАРНОЇ ДОПОМОГИ СІЛЬСЬКОМУ НАСЕЛЕННЮ

<p><strong>Мета:</strong> з’ясувати ефективність використання інформаційних технологій для підготовки фахівців та надання медичної допомоги на прикладі навчально-практичних центрів первинної медико-санітарної допомоги.</p><p><strong>Матеріали і методи. </strong>Під час виконання роботи застосовувались методи теорії інформаційних систем та інформаційного моделювання, соціологічний та статистичний методи. З метою дослідження ефективності інформатизації закладу охорони здоров’я проведено аналіз амбулаторного прийому 2486 сільських мешканців.</p><p><strong>Результати.</strong> Використання інформаційних та телемедичних технологій на первинному рівні дозволило покращити доступність та якість медичної допомоги, підвищити ефективність підготовки фахівців для майбутньої роботи у сільських амбулаторіях.<strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Висновки</strong>. Застосування інформаційних технологій та створення навчально-практичних центрів сприятиме покращенню лікувально-профілактичної роботи у сільських населених пунктах. </p><p>КЛЮЧОВІ СЛОВА: <strong>інформаційні технології, первинна медико-санітарна допомога, сільські заклади охорони здоров’я.</strong></p>

РАЗВИТИЕ ПОНЯТИЙНОГО АППАРАТА ЗНАНИЕВОГО КЛАСТЕРА

The most effective network structure of emerging model of socio-economic system where knowledge gain a special role is the clusters that are characterized by a unique opportunity to generate new knowledge and business ideas, research and development works and technologies using fruitful partnership of scientific, educational and business organizations. In the context of the knowledge economy progressive development, a new type of clusters will obviously be formed with some specific features. Since intellectual production becomes an attribute of this new economy, it requires a number of scientific issues to be solved; they concern identification of distinctive features of this type of cluster as well as development of definitions to describe them. The purpose of this research is to develop categorical apparatus to describe a “knowledge-based cluster”. As a methodological device used to develop the definition of the “knowledge-based cluster” category, a method of two-level triadic decryption of the basic category of dynamic information systems theory is applied. This paper contains an overview and critical analysis of the cluster definitions of both foreign and Russian researchers. It discloses the development of scientific understanding of the knowledge-based clusters phenomenon, the authors' choice of this category has been grounded. The use of the content analysis method, and a two-level triadic decryption of the basic category has allowed as part of the study to identify categories that reflect the essential characteristics of clusters operating in the knowledge economy, and to construct a definition of the “knowledge-based cluster” category. The scientific theory of economic clusters is enriched with the system of concepts used for description of this new type of knowledge-based clusters. The findings of the research will find their application in development of the concept of formation management and development of knowledge-based clusters, which will ultimately contribute to specification and development of the clusters theory.

Re-visiting axioms of information systems

Based on the investigation of the axioms used in the theory of information system, the notion of simplified continuous information system is introduced which is considered as a generalization of continuous information systems. Just like the continuous information system, it is also a concrete representation of continuous domains and categorically equivalent to the category of continuous domains and Scott continuous functions. What is more, all types of information systems studied in the literature so far turn out to be special cases of the new type. By defining linear information systems and their entailment functions, we show that the states of a Scott-style information system are exactly the fixpoints of its entailment function. Some axioms about an entailment relation can be characterized by the properties of the corresponding entailment function, and in particular, the simplified continuous information systems are solely determined by the idempotence of entailment functions.

UTILIZAÇÃO DE TEORIAS EM PESQUISAS NA ÁREA DE ADMINISTRAÇÃO DA INFORMAÇÃO NO BRASIL: REFLEXÕES INICIAIS

Theories have multiple roles in a field of knowledge, from the understanding of the causes of a phenomenon to the prevision of its behavior. Thus, analyzing the use and the role of theories in an area of knowledge is a way to understand its genesis and to discuss points to be explored. The objective of this paper is to analyze the use of theories in Information Systems (IS) research in terms of frequency and diversity. We analyzed all papers published in RESI and JISTEM, the two main IS journals in Brazil, from their founding (2002/2004) to 2014, comprising 396 articles. The Gregor taxonomy for analyzing theories (2006) was used; this taxonomy considers different roles of theories, such as analyzing, explanation, prediction, explanation/prediction, design and action. A group of 32 articles cited 18 different theories and each theory was cited by up to two articles. These results were compared with the research of Lim et al. (2009), which identified the most commonly used theories in MIS Quarterly and Information System Research journals: 70% of the 386 analyzed articles employed at least one theory, and the 10 most cited theories are present in 90% of the articles. A much smaller number of papers in national journals use theories (5.3%) and a lower number of different theories are used (18) compared to the papers in American journals (70% and 154). Even considering the differences among the journals, the lower use of theories in Brazilian IS research gives cause for concern.

Book Reviews

In Book Reviews, we review an extensive and diverse range of books. They cover theory and applications in operations research, statistics, management science, econometrics, mathematics, computers, and information systems. In addition, we include books in other fields that emphasize technical applications. The editor will be pleased to receive an email from those willing to review a book, with an indication of specific areas of interest. If you are aware of a specific book that you would like to review, or that you think should be reviewed, please contact the editor. The following books are reviewed in this issue of Interfaces, 45(6), November–December 2015: Stochastic Optimization Methods: Applications in Engineering and Operations Research, Kurt Mardi; The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics for a Warming World, William D. Nordhaus.

Book Reviews

In Book Reviews, we review an extensive and diverse range of books. They cover theory and applications in operations research, statistics, management science, econometrics, mathematics, computers, and information systems. In addition, we include books in other fields that emphasize technical applications. The editor will be pleased to receive an email from those willing to review a book, with an indication of specific areas of interest. If you are aware of a specific book that you would like to review, or that you think should be reviewed, please contact the editor. The following books are reviewed in this issue of Interfaces, 45(5), September–October 2015: Integer Programming, Michele Conforti, Gérard Cornuéjols, and Giacomo Zambelli; and Mapping Urban Practices Through Mobile Phone Data, Paola Pucci, Fabio Manfredini, and Paola Tagliolato.

Meta-Synthesizing Qualitative Research in Information Systems

The beauty of qualitative research is in its appreciation of context, pluralism and diversity. However, this appreciation creates a problem; the results from such studies are often dissonant or appear to be disconnected. On the other hand, there is a growing acceptance and appeal for the rich insights gained from qualitative studies in Information Systems. In this paper, we propose the Qualitative Meta-Synthesis as a credible method to create substantive Information Systems theories from qualitative studies. We reflect on how Qualitative Meta-Synthesis has been used in other fields before proposing a set of guidelines. The paper makes a contribution to practice and theory. To theory, the paper offers emergent fields in Information Systems, especially those that depend a great deal on qualitative research (such as community informatics, e-government and ICT for development) a tool with which to create micro-, meso- and macro- level theories. For practice, the paper offers an approach that could assist policy makers to make sense of the dissonant findings from qualitative studies towards the creation of policy.

Using quantitative data in mixed-design grounded theory studies: an enhanced path to formal grounded theory in information systems

This article discusses a key development in the use of grounded theory (GT) in information systems (IS) – the use of quantitative data in mixed studies to build on and elaborate theories. We examine the design of one of our research projects and describe how this mixed-design GT project helped elaborate emerging theories using slices of qualitative and quantitative data. Our contributions are threefold: (i) we show that the use of mixed data and techniques can be leveraged to help build credible theories in IS because it allows researchers to build theories of greater abstraction and scope: it helps sense-making in the drive from substantive to parsimonious formal theories; (ii) in line with classic GT, we propose a mixed typological design to help build a pathway to formal grounded theories in rupture with existing literature; and (iii) we highlight GT as a meta-theory of research design and revisit some of its main principles in a mixed-design perspective.

Book Reviews

In Book Reviews, we review an extensive and diverse range of books. They cover theory and applications in operations research, statistics, management science, econometrics, mathematics, computers, and information systems. In addition, we include books in other fields that emphasize technical applications. The editor will be pleased to receive an email from those willing to review a book, with an indication of specific areas of interest. If you are aware of a specific book that you would like to review, or that you think should be reviewed, please contact the editor. The following books are reviewed in this issue of Interfaces, 45(4), July-August 2015: Multicriteria Decision Aid and Artificial Intelligence: Links, Theory and Applications, Michael Doumpos and Evangelos Grigoroudis; and Optimized Response-Adaptive Clinical Trials: Sequential Treatment Allocation Based on Markov Decision Problems, Thomas Ondra.

The effect of online social value on satisfaction and continued use of social media

Social media offers customers a unique service value proposition. Recognizing service value as a pivotal concept, this study develops an aggregate construct of online social value, whereby customers evaluate utilitarian and hedonic benefits relative to what they must sacrifice in effort and risk in deriving a value calculation of online social networking services which predicts satisfaction and continued use of online social media, such as Facebook. By empirically testing a model that explains online social value, this research contributes to information systems (IS) theory by introducing a customer value perspective in the social media context and helps service providers by identifying factors predicting satisfaction and continued use that might be employed to improve offerings to keep customers coming back.

Applying Task-Technology Fit Model to the Healthcare Sector: a Case Study of Hospitals’ Computed Tomography Patient-Referral Mechanism

With the growth in the number of elderly and people with chronic diseases, the number of hospital services will need to increase in the near future. With myriad of information technologies utilized daily and crucial information-sharing tasks performed at hospitals, understanding the relationship between task performance and information system has become a critical topic. This research explored the resource pooling of hospital management and considered a computed tomography (CT) patient-referral mechanism between two hospitals using the information system theory framework of Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model. The TTF model could be used to assess the 'match' between the task and technology characteristics. The patient-referral process involved an integrated information framework consisting of a hospital information system (HIS), radiology information system (RIS), and picture archiving and communication system (PACS). A formal interview was conducted with the director of the case image center on the applicable characteristics of TTF model. Next, the Icam DEFinition (IDEF0) method was utilized to depict the As-Is and To-Be models for CT patient-referral medical operational processes. Further, the study used the 'leagility' concept to remove non-value-added activities and increase the agility of hospitals. The results indicated that hospital information systems could support the CT patient-referral mechanism, increase hospital performance, reduce patient wait time, and enhance the quality of care for patients.

Booklovers' world: An examination of factors affecting continued usage of social cataloging sites

Little is known about what factors influence users' continued use of social cataloging sites. This study therefore examines the impacts of key factors from theories of information systems (IS) success and sense of community (SOC) on users' continuance intention in the social cataloging context. Data collected from an online survey of 323 social cataloging users provide empirical support for the research model. The findings indicate that both information quality (IQ) and system quality (SQ) are significant predictors of satisfaction and SOC, which in turn lead to users' intentions to continue using these sites. In addition, SOC was found to affect continuance intention not only directly, but also indirectly through satisfaction. Theoretically, this study draws attention to a largely unexplored but essential area of research in the social cataloging literature and provides a fundamental basis to understand the determinants of continued social cataloging usage. From a managerial perspective, the findings suggest that social cataloging service providers should constantly focus their efforts on the quality control of their contents and system, and the enhancement of SOC among their users.