Kathy Ning Shen

Knowledge contribution in virtual communities: accounting for multiple dimensions of social presence through social identity

Integrating social presence theory and social identity theory, this study brings system design and social influence aspects together to explain their joint effects on knowledge contribution in virtual communities (VCs). Different from most prior information systems (IS) research that adopts a uni-dimensional approach and restricts social presence to be the subjective nature of media, we developed and empirically tested a model explaining the effects of multi-dimensional social presence on social identification processes and knowledge contribution. An online survey was conducted with four different VCs of interest. The results showed the difference in relative contribution of social presence dimensions on social identity as well as knowledge contribution. Both practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

System design effects on online impulse buying

Purpose – Integrating the two‐system (reflective vs. impulsive) model and the “stimulus‐organism‐response” framework, the purpose of this paper is to construct and empirically test a model that examines online impulse buying as a phenomenon triggered by system design factors.Design/methodology/approach – A laboratory experimental design with a 2×2 full factorial design involving 151 undergraduate students was used to validate the effects of system design stimuli on online impulse buying. Interactivity and vividness, two design factors, were manipulated and a fictitious VCD movie store was created, with four storefronts representing each combination of treatments.Findings – A compelling and sociable virtual experience as conceptualized with telepresence and social presence has a significant effect on buying impulses over and above traditional marketing/product stimuli. Such virtual experience can be created through the usage of interactive and vivid website features. Furthermore, cognition positively moder...

Adoption of mobile commerce: a confidence model

This study was driven by three underlying motivations. One of them is the gap between high penetration rate of mobile phone and relatively low adoption rate of m-commerce. The second is to reconcile the inconsistent findings in prior IT adoption research regarding the consistency of the relationship between attitude and intention. Finally, we hope to provide the theoretical underpinning for various interventions to promote m-commerce adoption. In this study, we extended the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by integrating confidence as a moderator for the relationship between attitude and intention. Furthermore, trial, communication and observation are identified as the sources for confidence with m-commerce and their effects are mediated through exposure. The research model was empirically tested and supported. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Effects of national culture on e-government diffusion-A global study of 55 countries

We use the GLOBE model to study e-government diffusion across 55 countries.Some of national cultural characteristics have a direct impact on e-government diffusion.Economic development has a moderating effect on culture and e-government diffusion.The results could advance the development of national e-government diffusion strategies. This study aims to examine whether and how national culture affects e-government diffusion. To explore the possible relationship, we analyze two sets of international-level indexes: (1) the indexes of five of the societal cultural practices of the GLOBE project 35; and (2) the e-government development and participation indexes from the most recent United Nations e-government survey 71. Because economic development reportedly plays an important role in both e-government diffusion and cultural dynamics, we also examine the relationships between GNI per capita, culture, and e-government diffusion. A sample of 55 countries was studied. We find that culture does have an effect on e-government diffusion in various ways, and that economic development in the form of GNI per capita has a moderating effect on the relationship between culture and e-government diffusion. We discuss the implications of these findings for e-government strategy. In addition, we identify the limitations of the study and propose areas for future research. This study is among the first to use the GLOBE approach to study cultural effects on e-government diffusion while endeavoring to explore the relationship between culture and e-government diffusion.

Facebook usage among Arabic college students: preliminary findings on gender differences

With immense popularity and candid participation, social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook have great impacts on both commercial and social life. Despite their popularity, research on SNS is far behind the practice. Particularly, research outside of western countries is very limited, given the global nature of SNS. With the young generation in the Arabic world embarking on Internet use, SNS, and particularly Facebook, have become a main arena for their identity construction and relationship development, playing a vital role in shaping future society. The purpose of this exploratory study is to provide descriptive information about the use of Facebook by Arabic college students, with a focus on gender differences in motivations and perceived consequences of Facebook usage. This study represents an initial attempt to tackle the SNS phenomenon in the Arabic world, and its results suggest a promising research opportunity in gender differences in SNS usage patterns. By contributing empirical evidence from the UAE, our study helps develop an understanding of the regional uniqueness in SNS usage.

Explaining virtual community participation: Accounting for the IT artifacts through identification and identity confirmation

This study draws upon self-verification theory, social identity theory and self-categorization theory to investigate the dual effects of system design, i.e., identity confirmation (the self) and identification (the community), on virtual community (VC) participation. An important theoretical development is the conceptualization of VC identity and the elucidation of its system design determinants. Community presentation, i.e., system design features for presenting a virtual community identity, is hypothesized to facilitate identification by setting the boundaries for inter-group comparison and highlighting the in-group homogeneity. Furthermore, system design features that prior research identified as determinants for identity confirmation, i.e., self-presentation, deep profiling, and co-presence, are argued to have impacts on identification directly by influencing social comparison and indirectly by making the VC identity attractive. The research model accounts for the dual roles of system design features, i.e., effects on identification and identity confirmation, in explaining VC participation. The implications of these results for both theory and practice are discussed.

When Do Online Consumers Shop in an Offline Store: The Moderating Effects of Product Characteristics

This study serves as an initial attempt to demonstrate empirically how online consumers react to the offline channel extensions (i.e., opening physical stores) of e-tailers. Specifically, we examine how the attributes of offline channels influence consumer intentions to switch to offline channels and how they also lead to incremental demands on online channels. We investigate how these effects vary across highly complex utilitarian and hedonic products. The results of the study indicate that although store openings encourage online consumers to shop there when purchasing highly complex utilitarian products, the addition of offline stores results counterintuitively in incremental patronage of the online channels when consumers shop for highly complex hedonic products. This study validates the guiding role of product characteristics in designing offline channels for e-tailers and suggests that incorporating product type and complexity into the design is likely to contribute to the development of stores tailored to specific consumer segments.

Website design: place for luxury brands in cyberspace?

ABSTRACT A great challenge for luxury marketers is how to harness Internet’s incredible influence on customers while still maintaining and adhering to the customer-based brand equity (CBE) of luxury brands. This study aims to investigate the effect of website design on the CBE of luxury brands. Integrating the research on aesthetic design and luxury branding, we develop and empirically validate a research model, specifying that two aesthetic design dimensions (aesthetic formality and aesthetic appeal) can stimulate a strong sense of luxury, which in turn leads to a positive evaluation of CBE. Furthermore, the effect of aesthetic design on the sense of luxury is contingent upon brand familiarity prior to the exposure of a luxury brand website. The research model is validated with a survey study involving 201 participants. The paper includes implications for website design to deliver online brand experience and develop CBE with specific online consumer groups. As an early attempt to examine the website design effect on online branding experience and brand equity, this study contributes to both literature of website aesthetics and online luxury branding.

Structural correlation between communities and core-periphery structures in social networks: Evidence from Twitter data

Abstract Social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, have become important venues for business and individuals. Social interactions between actors result in the formation of meso‑scale subgroup structures, such as communities. Community detection is a classic task of social network analysis. Identification of another meso‑scale structure, named core-periphery, arises recently. Much existing research discriminated communities from core-periphery structures, and performed the two tasks individually by completely different methodologies. The two meso‑scale structures can both attribute to unequal influence and asymmetric interactions of actors in social networks. This research tries to unify communities and core-periphery structures by regarding the two subgroup structures as the same thing, by which community structure characterizes the boundary of a subgroup and core-periphery structure characterizes its internal structure. Experiments are conducted on one-month twitter data, and results can provide empirical evidences that social communities always have core-periphery structures.

Determinants of Information Technology Expenditure: A Contingent Model

In this article, we propose and test a model to explain the determinants of an organization’s IT budget. The research model extends prior research by providing a strong theoretical underpinning for the driving forces of IT budget, incorporating both dynamic and static contingencies internal to the organization, as well as from the external environment. We find that these contingencies are positively related to the IT budget decision. Our findings also demonstrate a moderating, as well as direct effect of the industry strategic role of IT, contributing to previous research, which identifies only a direct effect. Drawing on a comprehensive database and using objective measures for our research, we aim to provide a reference metric for an organization’s IT budget decision