The Study of Man. By Michael Polanyi. Price, $1.75. Pp. 102. University of Chicago Press, 5750 Ellis Ave., Chicago 37, 1959. One subtitle to Polanyi's challenging and fascinating book might be The Evolution and Natural History of Error , for Polanyi is at pains to expunge what he believes to be the false notion contained in the contemporary view of science which treats it as an object and basically impersonal discipline. According to Polanyi not only is this a radical and important error, but it is harmful to the objectives of science itself. Another subtitle could be Farewell to Detachment , for in place of cold objectivity he develops the idea that science is necessarily intensely personal. It is a human endeavor and human point of view which cannot be divorced from nor uprooted out of the human matrix from which it arises and in which it works. For a good while

Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) has become a popular method for estimating path models with latent variables and their relationships. A common goal of PLS-SEM analyses is to identify key success factors and sources of competitive advantage for important target constructs such as customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, behavioral intentions, and user behavior. Building on an introduction of the fundamentals of measurement and structural theory, this chapter explains how to specify and estimate path models using PLS-SEM. Complementing the introduction of the PLS-SEM method and the description of how to evaluate analysis results, the chapter also offers an overview of complementary analytical techniques. A PLS-SEM application of the widely recognized corporate reputation model illustrates the method.

Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling

Partial least squares (PLS) has been introduced as a “causal-predictive” approach to structural equation modeling (SEM), designed to overcome the apparent dichotomy between explanation and prediction. However, while researchers using PLS-SEM routinely stress the predictive nature of their analyses, model evaluation assessment relies exclusively on metrics designed to assess the path model’s explanatory power. Recent research has proposed PLSpredict, a holdout sample-based procedure that generates case-level predictions on an item or a construct level. This paper offers guidelines for applying PLSpredict and explains the key choices researchers need to make using the procedure.,The authors discuss the need for prediction-oriented model evaluations in PLS-SEM and conceptually explain and further advance the PLSpredict method. In addition, they illustrate the PLSpredict procedure’s use with a tourism marketing model and provide recommendations on how the results should be interpreted. While the focus of the paper is on the PLSpredict procedure, the overarching aim is to encourage the routine prediction-oriented assessment in PLS-SEM analyses.,The paper advances PLSpredict and offers guidance on how to use this prediction-oriented model evaluation approach. Researchers should routinely consider the assessment of the predictive power of their PLS path models. PLSpredict is a useful and straightforward approach to evaluate the out-of-sample predictive capabilities of PLS path models that researchers can apply in their studies.,Future research should seek to extend PLSpredict’s capabilities, for example, by developing more benchmarks for comparing PLS-SEM results and empirically contrasting the earliest antecedent and the direct antecedent approaches to predictive power assessment.,This paper offers clear guidelines for using PLSpredict, which researchers and practitioners should routinely apply as part of their PLS-SEM analyses.,This research substantiates the use of PLSpredict. It provides marketing researchers and practitioners with the knowledge they need to properly assess, report and interpret PLS-SEM results. Thereby, this research contributes to safeguarding the rigor of marketing studies using PLS-SEM.

Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: guidelines for using PLSpredict

Purpose Structural equation modeling (SEM) depicts one of the most salient research methods across a variety of disciplines, including hospitality management. While for many researchers, SEM is equivalent to carrying out covariance-based SEM, recent research advocates the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) as an attractive alternative. We systematically examine how PLS-SEM has been applied in major hospitality research journals with the aim of providing important guidance and, if necessary, opportunities for realignment in future applications. As PLS-SEM in hospitality research is still in an early stage of development, critically examining its use holds considerable promise in order to counteract misapplications which otherwise might reinforce over time. Design/methodology/approach We reviewed all PLS-SEM studies published in six SSCI-indexed hospitality management journals between 2001 and 2015. Tying in with prior studies in the field, our review covers reasons for usin...

An assessment of the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in hospitality research

Dorothy Leonard-Barton warns readers upfront that her new book, "Wellsprings of Knowledge: Building and Sustaining the Sources of Innovation," is not a quick read. Indeed it is not, though the author, a Harvard Business School professor, tries hard to soften a knot of strategy research with true-life examples from several technology companies. Unfortunately, business books tend to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger movies: the special effects and twists are a lot more important than the basic plot, which doesn't change much.

"Wellsprings of Knowledge: Building and Sustaining the Sources of Innovation"

Following the call for awareness of accepted reporting practices by Ringle, Sarstedt, and Straub in 2012, the purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in Industrial Management & Data Systems (IMDS) and extend MIS Quarterly (MISQ) applications to include the period 2012-2014.,Review of PLS-SEM applications in information systems (IS) studies published in IMDS and MISQ for the period 2010-2014 identifying a total of 57 articles reporting the use of or commenting on PLS-SEM.,The results indicate an increased maturity of the IS field in using PLS-SEM for model complexity and formative measures and not just small sample sizes and non-normal data.,Findings demonstrate the continued use and acceptance of PLS-SEM as an accepted research method within IS. PLS-SEM is discussed as the preferred SEM method when the research objective is prediction.,This update on PLS-SEM use and recent developments will help authors to better understand and apply the method. Researchers are encouraged to engage in complete reporting procedures.,Applications of PLS-SEM for exploratory research and theory development are increasing. IS scholars should continue to exercise sound practice by reporting reasons for using PLS-SEM and recognizing its wider applicability for research. Recommended reporting guidelines following Ringle et al. (2012) and Gefen et al. (2011) are included. Several important methodological updates are included as well.

An updated and expanded assessment of PLS-SEM in information systems research

This research explores information technology (IT) project managers’ reuse of knowledge associated with soft skills when managing user expectations. Through interviews with IT project managers, sev...

Developing soft skills to manage user expectations in IT projects: Knowledge reuse among IT project managers

This work presents a model stemming from literature on task-technology fit that seeks to match individual user characteristics and features of brain-computer interface technologies with performance to expedite the technology-fit process The individual-technology fit model is tested with a brain-computer interface based on a control signal called the mu rhythm that is recorded from the motor cortex region Characteristics from eighty total participants are tested across two different sessions Performance is measured as a person's ability to modulate his/her mu rhythm It appears that the version of software used in recording and interpreting EEGs, instrument playing, being on affective drugs, a person's sex, and age all play key roles in predicting mu rhythm modulation

https://www.computer.org/csdl/pds/api/csdl/proceedings/download-article/12OmNvTTcc2/pdf

Not All Created Equal: Individual-Technology Fit of Brain-Computer Interfaces

The authors investigate consumers’ willingness to switch from a preferred manufacturer brand to an unfamiliar private-label brand if taste is perceived as identical. Consumer decisions are examined through recordings of electrical brain activity in the form of electroencephalograms (EEGs) and self-reported data captured in surveys. Results reveal a willingness of consumers to switch to a less-expensive brand when the quality is perceived to be the same as the more expensive counterpart. Cost saving options for consumers and advertising considerations for managers are discussed.

/pdf/the-story-of-taste-using-eegs-and-self-reports-to-understand-ln048py8r5.pdf

The Story of Taste: Using EEGs and Self-Reports to Understand Consumer Choice

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) offer users with severe motor disabilities a nonmuscular input channel for communication and control but require that users achieve a level of literacy and be able to harness their appropriate electrophysiological responses for effective use of the interface. There is currently no formalized process for determining a user's aptitude for control of various BCIs without testing on an actual system. This study presents how basic information captured about users may be used to predict modulation of mu rhythms, electrical variations in the motor cortex region of the brain that may be used for control of a BCI. Based on data from 55 able-bodied users, we found that the interaction of age and daily average amount of hand-and-arm movement by individuals correlates to their ability to modulate mu rhythms induced by actual or imagined movements. This research may be expanded into a more robust model linking individual characteristics and control of various BCIs.

Adriane B. Randolph

Papers

An updated and expanded assessment of PLS-SEM in information systems research

Developing soft skills to manage user expectations in IT projects: Knowledge reuse among IT project managers

Not All Created Equal: Individual-Technology Fit of Brain-Computer Interfaces

The Story of Taste: Using EEGs and Self-Reports to Understand Consumer Choice

Individual Characteristics and Their Effect on Predicting Mu Rhythm Modulation