Andrea Everard

Privacy Concerns Versus Desire for Interpersonal Awareness in Driving the Use of Self-Disclosure Technologies: The Case of Instant Messaging in Two Cultures

Social computing technologies typically have multiple features that allow users to reveal their personal information to other users. Such self-disclosure (SD) behavior is generally considered positive and beneficial in interpersonal communication and relationships. Using a newly proposed model based on social exchange theory, this paper investigates and empirically validates the relationships between SD technology use and culture. In particular, we explore the effects of culture on information privacy concerns and the desire for online interpersonal awareness, which influence attitudes toward, intention to use, and actual use of SD technologies. Our model was tested using arguably the strongest social computing technology for online SD—instant messaging (IM)—with users from China and the United States. Our findings reveal that cross-cultural dimensions are significant predictors of information privacy concerns and desire for online awareness, which are, in turn, found to be predictors of attitude toward, intention to use, and actual use of IM. Overall, our proposed model is applicable to both cultures. Our findings enhance the theoretical understanding of the effects of culture and privacy concerns on SD technologies and provide practical suggestions for developers of SD technologies, such as adding additional control features to applications.

An Examination of the Technology Acceptance Model in Uruguay and the US: A Focus on Culture

Abstract In recent years, there has been a large body of literature devoted to the acceptance and use of information technology. Researchers have built on the work of Davis to refine the technology acceptance model (TAM) and to use it in various research settings to predict acceptance of information systems. The present study extends that research into Latin America by examining email usage among two distinct populations and investigating possible moderating effects that Hofstedes four cultural dimensions have on the TAM constructs. We examine potential moderating effects by using inferential statistics to test the hypotheses of this research. Our findings indicate that TAM functions well across cross-cultural boundaries but in their current form, it is impossible to test the impact of the individual culture dimensions on the relationships in the TAM model. To address this obstacle an alternative to Hofstedes measurement is suggested for future research.

An Experimental Study of Antecedents and Consequences of Online Ad Intrusiveness

Internet advertising has shown signs of continued healthy growth in spite of the burst Internet bubble. Several types of ads have been used, and there are important generic characteristics that can be gleaned from these ads: whether they obscure content and whether users have the control to remove them. These factors were tested in a laboratory study with 258 student participants. It was hypothesized that the factors would predict intrusiveness, which would predict perceived irritation. This, in turn, would predict attitudes about the site and, finally, intentions to return. Intrusiveness was also predicted to directly relate to recognition of the ads. All hypotheses were supported at high levels of statistical significance using analysis of variance and structural equation modeling. Explained variance was very high for intrusiveness (42%) and irritation (63%), but very low explained variance for ad recognition (11%) resulted in an alternative model that doubled explained variance by removing intrusiveness as a mediator between the factors and ad recognition. The interaction between user control and obscuring of the content behaved as hypothesized, and interaction charts illustrate the effects as predicted. Future studies should continue to focus on characteristics rather than on types of ads and generalize the results to other types of participants and settings.

Does spell-checking software need a warning label?

Users---ironically, often those most verbally armed---put too much trust and little effort in questioning spell- and grammar-checking programs.

A social network analysis of interlocked directorates in electronic commerce firms

Abstract Using social network analysis, this research examines whether a pattern of interlocked directorates exists among the top 50 e-commerce firms and how this network differs from the network of other leading firms. Further, it looks at whether a firm’s measure of centrality is associated with its visibility. The results suggest that the location of e-commerce firms in these networks is more important than simply the number of ties. The findings point to the role of e-commerce firms in establishing links between both firms and industries. These findings also suggest that e-commerce firms are most interesting to study when looked at in terms of a larger network of firms, and that it is in the ties between the e-commerce and the traditional and well-established firms where many potential research opportunities lie.

The longitudinal effects of the mission-driven focus on the credibility of the AACSB

Purpose – The main contribution of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) appears to be the credibility they add to a school that has achieved accreditation and the branding they provide to an accredited school that helps the market differentiate between high quality programs and those that have not achieved that status. The authors ask a simple question in this paper – if the AACSB were a business school, would it receive accreditation? Design/methodology/approach – The paper tests the assumptions by examining all accredited US programs to determine whether the quality of the schools accredited prior to the change to the mission-driven approach was equal to the quality of the schools accredited after the change. Findings – The paper empirically demonstrate that since the move to a mission-driven focus in the early 1990s, the AACSB has not achieved its own mission and may have damaged its credibility in the process. Research limitations/implications – This failure raises the que...

Influence of culture on attitude towards instant messaging: balance between awareness and privacy

This research-in-progress paper investigates how attitudes towards privacy and awareness mediate the relationship between culture and attitude towards Instant Messaging (IM). A conceptual model is proposed to explain the relationships between culture and attitude towards privacy and between culture and attitude towards awareness. Attitudes towards privacy and awareness are then hypothesized to affect attitude towards IM. Related research about IM, user attitudes, and cultural dimensions are reviewed and a proposed survey study is described.

Are MIS students learning what they need to land a job

The issue of declining IS enrollments is so troublesome that even ACM/AIS has redesigned its recommended curriculum in an attempt to reverse this trend [1]. Although all majors in most accredited Business Schools are required to take the Introduction to IS course, the real or perceived value of this course is unclear. This paper looks at the real or perceived value of the content of the Introduction to Information Systems course and the possible impact on declining enrollments.

Online ad intrusiveness

In spite of the large extent and variety of on-line ads, their effects on users are largely unknown. Although the diversity of ads on the web is staggering, and new types spring up all the time, their properties can be abstracted to a relatively small number of important generic features. These characteristics include whether they obscure content and whether users have the control to remove them. These factors were tested in a laboratory study and results will be shared with participants at the conference.

Contributors to the High-impact IS Journals (1977-2014): An Aid for Setting Research Standards

Interest in the rankings of contributors to academic literature is evidenced by the numerous publications across most business and economic disciplines. This study presents the most prolific authors 1) over the entire history of the 11 high-impact IS journals and 2) over the ten most recent years for each of the journals. We include the number of authors who have published in the journals but who may not be considered prolific based on our classification; this data is important and especially critical for IS departments that set research standards. Identifying and ranking authors in the IS discipline is interesting for several reasons. While some may be curious to see how they perform compared to these researchers, a more beneficial application of the findings in this paper pertains to establishing realistic promotion and tenure standards. Although 11,204 authors published in the 11 high-impact journals, 7,734 (69%) of those authors published only once in these journals in the 1977-2014 period. This fact is essential for any IS department that sets promotion and tenure guidelines. Using our findings will help colleges and IS departments establish reasonable and attainable promotion and tenure standards based on the actual performance of others in the discipline.