The Social Psychology of Groups. J. W Thibaut & H. H. Kelley. New York: alley, 1959. The team of Thibaut and Kelley goes back to 1946 when, after serving in different units of the armed services psychology program, the authors joined the Research Center for Group Dynamics, first at M.LT and then at the University of Michigan. Their continued association eventuated in appointments as fellows at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, 19561957. It is during these years that their collaboration resulted in the publication of The Social Psychology of Groups. The book was designed to "bring order and coherence to present-day research in interpersonal relations and group functioning." To accomplish this aim, the authors introduced, defined, and illustrated basic concepts in an effort to explain the simplest of social phenomena, the two-person relationship. These basic principles and concepts were then employed to illuminate larger problems and more complex social relationships and to examine the significance of such concepts as roles, norm, power, group cohesiveness, and status. The lasting legacy of this book is derived from the fact that the concepts and principles discussed therein serve as a foundation for one of the dominant conceptual frameworks in the field of family studies today-the social exchange framework. Specifically, much of our contemporary thinking about the process of interpersonal attraction and about how individuals evaluate their close relationships has been influenced by the theory and concepts introduced in The Social Psychology of Groups. Today, as a result of Thibaut and Kelley, we think of interpersonal attraction as resulting from the unique valence of driving and restraining forces, rewards and costs, subjectively thought to be available from a specific relationship and its competing alternatives. We understand, as well, that relationships are evaluated through complex and subjectively based comparative processes. As a result, when we think about assessing the degree to which individuals are satisfied with their relationships, we take into consideration the fact that individuals differ in terms of the importance they attribute to different aspects of a relationship (e.g., financial security, sexual fulfillment, companionship). We also take into consideration the fact that individuals differ in terms of the levels of rewards and costs that they believe are realistically obtainable and deserved from a relationship. In addition, as a result of Thibaut and Kelley's theoretical focus on the concept of dependence and the interrelationship between attraction and dependence, there has evolved within the field of family studies a deeper appreciation for the complexities and variability found within relationships. Individuals are dependent on their relationships, according to Thibaut and Kelley, when the outcomes derived from the existing relationship exceed those perceived to be available in competing alternatives. Individuals who are highly dependent on their relationships are less likely to act to end their relationships. This dependence and the stability it engenders may or may not be voluntary, depending on the degree to which individuals are attracted to and satisfied with their relationships. When individuals are both attracted to and dependent on their relationships, they can be thought of as voluntarily participating in their relationship. That is, they are likely to commit themselves to the partner and relationship and actively work for its continuance. Thibaut and Kelley termed those relationships characterized by low levels of satisfaction and high levels of dependence "nonvoluntary relationships. …

The Social Psychology of Groups

A perception-based model for EDI adoption in small businesses using a technology-organization-environment framework

Integrating TTF and UTAUT to explain mobile banking user adoption

To better explain resistance to information technology implementation, we used a multilevel, longitudinal approach We first assessed extant models of resistance to IT Using semantic analysis, we identified five basic components of resistance: behaviors, object, subject, threats, and initial conditions We further examined extant models to (1) carry out a preliminary specification of the nature of the relationships between these components and (2) refine our understanding of the multilevel nature of the phenomenon Using analytic induction, we examined data from three case studies of clinical information systems implementations in hospital settings, focusing on physicians' resistance behaviors The resulting mixed-determinants model suggests that group resistance behaviors vary during implementation When a system is introduced, users in a group will first assess it in terms of the interplay between its features and individual and/or organizational-level initial conditions They then make projections about the consequences of its use If expected consequences are threatening, resistance behaviors will result During implementation, should some trigger occur to either modify or activate an initial condition involving the balance of power between the group and other user groups, it will also modify the object of resistance, from system to system significance If the relevant initial conditions pertain to the power of the resisting group vis-a-vis the system advocates, the object of resistance will also be modified, from system significance to system advocates Resistance behaviors will follow if threats are perceived from the interaction between the object of resistance and initial conditions We also found that the bottom-up process by which group resistance behaviors emerge from individual behaviors is not the same in early versus late implementation In early implementation, the emergence process is one of compilation, described as a combination of independent, individual behaviors In later stages of implementation, if group level initial conditions have become active, the emergence process is one of composition, described as the convergence of individual behaviors

A multilevel model of resistance to information technology implementation

Trust is an important aspect of decision making for Internet applications and particularly influences the specification of security policy, i.e., who is authorized to perform actions as well as the techniques needed to manage and implement security to and for the applications. This survey examines the various definitions of trust in the literature and provides a working definition of trust for Internet applications. The properties of trust relationships are explained and classes of different types of trust identified in the literature are discussed with examples. Some influential examples of trust management systems are described.

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A survey of trust in internet applications

Mobile banking is an emerging application of mobile commerce that could become an additional revenue source to both banks and telecom service providers. It is a form of service convergence enabled by innovative technologies. Despite the alleged benefits of mobile banking, its acceptance has been short of industry expectations. One plausible explanation may be consumers' initial lack of trust in available services. The objective of our research is to reveal the mechanisms associated with the initial formation of people's trust in mobile banking and intention to use the service. For this, we attempt to understand the effect of four antecedent variables (structural assurances, relative benefits, personal propensity to trust and firm reputation) on shaping a person's initial trust in mobile banking and its usage intention. They represent four types of trust-inducing forces: institutional offering (structural assurances), cognition (perceived benefits), personality (personal propensity) and firm characteristics (firm reputation). We examine individual significance of the selected antecedents and also their comparative reliability in explaining the two exogenous variables. The technical basis of our empirical research is the innovative mobile banking solution that uses cellphones with a built-in smart chipset. The survey data are analyzed using structural equation modelling. The analysis showed that three variables (relative benefits, propensity to trust and structural assurances) had a significant effect on initial trust in mobile banking. Also, the perception of initial trust and relative benefits was vital in promoting personal intention to make use of related services. However, contrary to our expectation, the reputation as a firm characteristics variable failed to attract people to mobile banking.

Understanding dynamics between initial trust and usage intentions of mobile banking

Research Article Gimun Kim Konyang University gmkim@konyang.ac.kr Bongsik Shin San Diego State University bshin@mail.sdsu.edu Kyung Kyu Kim Yonsei University kyu.kim@yonsei.ac.kr Ho Geun Lee Yonsei University h.lee@yonsei.ac.kr More and more publications are highlighting the value of IT in affecting business processes. Recognizing firmlevel dynamic capabilities as key to improved firm performance, our work examines and empirically tests the influencing relationships among IT capabilities (IT personnel expertise, IT infrastructure flexibility, and IT management capabilities), process-oriented dynamic capabilities, and financial performance. Processoriented dynamic capabilities are defined as a firm’s ability to change (improve, adapt, or reconfigure) a business process better than the competition in terms of integrating activities, reducing cost, and capitalizing on business intelligence/learning. They encompass a broad category of changes in the firm’s processes, ranging from continual adjustments and improvements to radical one-time alterations. Although the majority of changes may be incremental, a firm’s capacity for timely changes also implies its readiness to execute radical alterations when the need arises. Grounded on the theoretical position, we propose a research model and gather a survey data set through a rigorous process that retains research validity. From the analysis of the survey data, we find an important route of causality, as follows: IT personnel expertise  IT management capabilities  IT infrastructure flexibility  process-oriented dynamic capabilities  financial performance. Based on this finding, we discuss the main contributions of our study in terms of the strategic role of IT in enhancing firm performance.

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IT Capabilities, Process-Oriented Dynamic Capabilities, and Firm Financial Performance*

Over the past few years, various electronic market systems have been introduced by market-making firms to improve transaction effectiveness and efficiency within their markets. Although successful implementation of electronic marketplaces may be found in several industries, some systems have failed or their penetration pace is slower than was projected, indicating that significant barriers remain. This paper analyzes the economic forces and barriers behind the electronic market adoptions from the perspective of market process reengineering. Four cases of electronic market adoptions--two successful and two failed--are used for this analysis. Economic benefits are examined by investigating how the market process innovation enabled by information technology (IT) reduces transaction costs and increases market efficiency. Adoption barriers are identified by analyzing transaction risks and resistance resulting from the reengineering. Successful deployment of electronic market systems requires taking into account these barriers along with the economic benefits of adoption. The paper presents suggestions based on these case studies, which are relevant to the analysis, design, and implementation of electronic market systems by market-making firms.

Market process reengineering through electronic market systems: opportunities and challenges

Although the potential for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) to improve performance of firms involved in industry value chain is widely known, little evidence regarding improved performance for the entire supply channel has been reported. Some researchers have found th at EDI networks can benefit EDI champion, but it remains largely unclear whether EDI adopters-who are often coerced to implement the electronic networks by the champion-gain similar payoffs from their EDI investments. To measure impacts of EDI investments for the EDI adopters, we have investigated the performance of 31 grocery retail chains (EDI adopters) that implemented EDI networks with Campbell (EDI champion) for a supply channel reengineering innovation known as "continuous replenishment process." Analysis of daily data on inventory and stockouts levels for the 31 retail chains demonstrates that these EDI adopters have achieved a significant increase in their inventory turns while simultaneously reducing stockouts as a result of this EDI-enabled supply channel reengineering. This paper thus provides empirical evidence that EDI adopters can achieve dramatic performance improvements if EDI networks are used for interfirm process reengineering.

Research Report. Can Edi Benefit Adopters

This study investigates factors that affect usage changes in mobile data services (MDS). First, we conducted an exploratory study based on 378 survey responses to learn about important decision factors of MDS usage. It revealed a discrepancy between the forces influencing usage increase and those of usage decrease. Based on the findings from the exploratory study and Hertzberg’s two-factor theory, we postulated information quality as the motivator and system quality as the de-motivator of MDS usage. Then, we undertook a confirmative study on the respective roles of these factors in encouraging and discouraging the usage of MDS. We proposed a research model and empirically tested our hypotheses with partial least square (PLS) analysis based on 478 responses from MDS users. Information quality (as a motivator) was positively associated with MDS usage increase, but system quality (as a de-motivator) was not. Also, system quality was negatively associated with usage decrease, but information quality was not. Last, their association was partially moderated by the type of motivation for using MDS. Information quality had a stronger influence on MDS usage increase when the main motive was utilitarian rather than hedonic.

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Ho Geun Lee

Papers

Understanding dynamics between initial trust and usage intentions of mobile banking

IT Capabilities, Process-Oriented Dynamic Capabilities, and Firm Financial Performance*

Market process reengineering through electronic market systems: opportunities and challenges

Research Report. Can Edi Benefit Adopters

Understanding post-adoption usage of mobile data services: The role of supplier-side variables