The ability to detect and accurately estimate the strength of interaction effects are critical issues that are fundamental to social science research in general and IS research in particular. Within the IS discipline, a significant percentage of research has been devoted to examining the conditions and contexts under which relationships may vary, often under the general umbrella of contingency theory (cf. McKeen et al. 1994, Weill and Olson 1989). In our survey of such studies, the majority failed to either detect or provide an estimate of the effect size. In cases where effect sizes are estimated, the numbers are generally small. These results have led some researchers to question both the usefulness of contingency theory and the need to detect interaction effects (e.g., Weill and Olson 1989). This paper addresses this issue by providing a new latent variable modeling approach that can give more accurate estimates of interaction effects by accounting for the measurement error that attenuates the estimated relationships. The capacity of this approach at recovering true effects in comparison to summated regression is demonstrated in a Monte Carlo study that creates a simulated data set in which the underlying true effects are known. Analysis of a second, empirical data set is included to demonstrate the technique's use within IS theory. In this second analysis, substantial direct and interaction effects of enjoyment on electronic-mail adoption are shown to exist.

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A Partial Least Squares Latent Variable Modeling Approach for Measuring Interaction Effects: Results from a Monte Carlo Simulation Study and an Electronic-Mail Emotion/Adoption Study

Despite the importance to researchers, managers, and policy makers of how information technology (IT) contributes to organizational performance, there is uncertainty and debate about what we know and don't know. A review of the literature reveals that studies examining the association between information technology and organizational performance are divergent in how they conceptualize key constructs and their interrelationships. We develop a model of IT business value based on the resource-based view of the firm that integrates the various strands of research into a single framework. We apply the integrative model to synthesize what is known about IT business value and guide future research by developing propositions and suggesting a research agenda. A principal finding is that IT is valuable, but the extent and dimensions are dependent upon internal and external factors, including complementary organizational resources of the firm and its trading partners, as well as the competitive and macro environment. Our analysis provides a blueprint to guide future research and facilitate knowledge accumulation and creation concerning the organizational performance impacts of information technology.

Review: information technology and organizational performance: an integrative model of it business value

Analytic hierarchy process : An overview of applications

Information systems researchers have a long tradition of drawing on theories from disciplines such as economics, computer science, psychology, and general management and using them in their own research. Because of this, the information systems field has become a rich tapestry of theoretical and conceptual foundations. As new theories are brought into the field, particularly theories that have become dominant in other areas, there may be a benefit in pausing to assess their use and contribution in an IS context. The purpose of this paper is to explore and critically evaluate use of the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) by IS researchers.

The paper provides a brief review of resource-based theory and then suggests extensions to make the RBV more useful for empirical IS research. First, a typology of key IS resources is presented, and these are then described using six traditional resource attributes. Second, we emphasize the particular importance of looking at both resource complementarity and moderating factors when studying IS resource effects on firm performance. Finally, we discuss three considerations that IS researchers need to address when using the RBV empirically. Eight sets of propositions are advanced to help guide future research.

Review: the resource-based view and information systems research: review, extension, and suggestions for future research

1. Interaction. The interactions learners have with each other build interpersonal skills, such as listening, politely interrupting, expressing ideas, raising questions, disagreeing, paraphrasing, negotiating, and asking for help. 2. Interdependence. Learners must depend on one another to accomplish a common objective. Each group member has specific tasks to complete, and successful completion of each member’s tasks results in attaining the overall group objective.

将“Cooperative Learning”融入课堂——浅谈英语素质教育

The resource-based view has been proposed to investigate the impact of information technology (IT) investments on firm performance. Researchers have shown that a firm's ability to effectively leverage its IT investments by developing a strong IT capability can result in improved firm performance. We test the robustness of this approach and examine several related issues. Our results indicate that firms with superior IT capability indeed exhibit superior current and sustained firm performance when compared to average industry performance, even after adjusting for effects of prior firm performance. However, the differences in the results from various analyses suggest that the impact of "halo effects" and prior financial performance of firms must be taken into consideration in future tests of IT capability. Further, it is critical to develop theoretically derived multidimensional measures of IT capability in order to continue to apply the RBV approach to assess the impact of IT investments on firm performance.

Issues in linking information technology capability to firm performance

Gamification is the application of game-based thinking to everyday tasks to make them more engaging. Based on this concept, gamified systems are being developed in applications such as health, training, social media, and e-commerce. The excitement and anticipation around gamification reflect a fundamental shift in the way we interact with technology systems. Hence, from a research perspective, gamification offers fresh opportunities to design and research newer technology environments that have a blend of utilitarian and hedonic characteristics. But currently there is not much clarity on the concept of gamification, the different ways gamification can affect outcomes, and how this new type of information system could be researched and designed. We address these issues in this commentary by explicating the concept of gamification and distinguishing it from other game-based designs. We then present a framework for design and research on gamified information systems, and identify theoretical bases that could inform this research. We conclude with sample questions that offer directions for future research on this promising and fun topic.

Towards Meaningful Engagement: A Framework for Design and Research of Gamified Information Systems

A decision model for interdependent information system project selection

Because digital games are fun, engaging, and popular, organizations are attempting to integrate them within organizational activities as serious components, with the anticipation that they can improve employees' motivation and performance But in order to do so and to obtain the intended outcomes, it is necessary to first obtain an understanding of how different digital game designs impact players' behaviors and emotional responses Hence, in this study, we address one key element of popular game designs: competition Using extant research on tournaments and intrinsic motivation, we model competitive games as a skill-based tournament and conduct an experimental study to understand player behaviors and emotional responses under different competition conditions When players compete with players of similar skill levels, they apply more effort as indicated by more games played and longer duration of play But when players compete with players of lower skill levels, they report higher levels of enjoyment and lower levels of arousal after game-playing We discuss the implications for organizations seeking to introduce games premised on competition and provide a framework to guide information system researchers to embark on a study of games

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Digital games and beyond: what happens when players compete?

Technology-mediated learning methods are widely used by organizations and educational institutions to deliver information technology training. One form of technology-mediated learning, e-learning, in which the platform is the tutor, is quickly becoming the cost-effective solution of choice for many corporations. Unfortunately, the learning outcomes have been very disappointing. E-learning training makes an implicit assumption that learners can apply a high level of self-directed learning to assimilate the training content. In contrast, based on perspectives from social cognitive theory, we propose that instructional strategies need to persuade learners to follow self-regulated learning strategies. We test our ideas with participants who were trained through e-learning to design a website. Our findings indicate that participants who were induced to follow self-regulated learning strategies scored significantly higher on learning outcomes than those who were not persuaded to do so. We discuss our findings, and suggest that the interaction among information technology features, instructional strategies, and psychological learning processes offers a fruitful avenue for future information systems training research.

Radhika Santhanam

Papers

Issues in linking information technology capability to firm performance

Towards Meaningful Engagement: A Framework for Design and Research of Gamified Information Systems

A decision model for interdependent information system project selection

Digital games and beyond: what happens when players compete?

Using Self-Regulatory Learning to Enhance E-Learning-Based Information Technology Training