Simon Kloker

Bio: Simon Kloker is an academic researcher from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Real-time Delphi & Delphi method. The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 15 publications receiving 46 citations.

Citizen Science in Information Systems Research

Abstract: The industry of modern schooling leads to surface learning of exaggeratedly voluminous curricula and excessively high-stakes assessments that instrumentalize the pursuit of knowledge In order to return to a more mindful, authentic, and humanly paced approach, disruption from the present model is needed Paradoxically, the COVID-19 pandemic might be the catalyst that will bring this about

Non-addictive Information Systems

Abstract: Addiction in the context of information technology gained increased public interest within the last years. Only recently, companies like Apple, Google, and Instagram announced to fight smartphone addiction and integrated matching features in their systems. However, if and how these features really help is still an open question. At present, there is only a very rudimentary understanding of IT-triggered disorders and addictions in information systems. Even in clinical research, there is no consensus on the nature of these addictions yet. Nevertheless, the omnipresence of information technology in our daily lives and its unpredictable effects on our moods require this problem to be addressed in a profound manner. This paper links findings from psychology and neuroscience to the information systems terminology and derives the Four-Component Model for Non-addictive Information Systems (4-NAIS). The 4-NAIS allows locating how information technology interacts with the reinforcement cycle of addictions and provides a deeper understanding of where interventions and design decisions may really help tackle IT-triggered disorders.

Designing a Crowd Forecasting Tool to Combine Prediction Markets and Real-Time Delphi

Abstract: The FAZ.NET-Orakel is a crowd forecasting tool, made available to readers of the German-based Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Its main component is a prediction market used for forecasting economic indices as well as current political events. A shortcoming of prediction markets is their inability to exchange qualitative information. Therefore, we elaborate the combination of prediction markets with the Real-time Delphi method. We argue that several synergy effects may be achieved by this approach: First, prediction markets can be used to select experts for the Delphi survey. Second, valuable information and debates, which may be of interest, can be collected qualitatively. Third, the gamified approach of the prediction markets can raise commitment to the survey.

Trustworthy AI: How Ethicswashing Undermines Consumer Trust.

Abstract: Ethicswashing is a neologism that has, due to the release of ethical guidelines for trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) by the European Union, recently gained in popularity. Although the term is closely related to the concept of greenwashing, it is currently primarily used to describe companies’ undertakings to keep ethical debates running in order to influence or avoid strict regulations. However, it is not clear yet whether ethicswashing has further implications similar to those already revealed for greenwashing or sharewashing. In an online survey with 94 participants, we find that perceived ethicswashing has a significant negative effect on consumer trust, whereby the effect is mediated by the perception of risk and consumer confusion (based on PLS SEM). With our results, we thus contribute a further flipside to the discussion of ethics in AI and provide a starting point for developing a comprehensive understanding of ethicswashing and its influence on trust.

Manipulation in prediction markets - Chasing the Fraudsters

Abstract: Prediction markets are a common instrument in forecasting and corporate knowledge management. Based on the “wisdom of the crowd” its forecasts regularly outperform polls as well as statistical models. In addition, it offers a convenient way to collect dispersed information in organizations and incite employees to reveal private information as well as to stay informed. Although such markets are well established, there still remain open questions regarding their operation and maintenance. Especially the issue of manipulation and fraud, which are reported in many cases, is only rarely addressed; if so, only very theoretical or with complex algorithms, hard to implement for practitioners. Yet, a rigid framework, uncovering weaknesses of prediction markets and offering applicable prevention and detection strategies is missing. We propose the Fraud Cube, a concise framework unveiling fraudster’s thought process and thus potential attack vectors. Additionally, we present an easy to implement detection algorithm based on state of the art detection heuristics. Finally, we show not less than comparable detection rates to established detection algorithms whilst providing superior applicability.

Predicting a firm's forecasting ability: The roles of organizational illusion of control and organizational attention

Abstract: Recent research shows that forecasting ability is an organizational distinctive competence. We propose and test a model accounting for interfirm differences in forecasting ability. After controlling for reciprocal effects, we find that two principal firm-level factors (i.e., organizational illusion of control and organizational attention) influence both bias and magnitude of errors in estimates. High organizational illusion of control increases positive forecast bias. As for organizational attention, higher relative investments in market information appear to reduce positive forecast bias and magnitude of errors; they also moderate forecast bias due to illusion of control. Finally, higher relative investments in employee capability increase both negative forecast bias and, unexpectedly, magnitude of errors for the majority of observed cases.

Missing the Mark: Problems with Marker Variable Choice, Reporting, and Interpretation in the Detection of Common Method Variance

Abstract: This article investigates in two ways the use and reporting of marker variables to detect common method variance (CMV) in organizational research. First, a review of 398 empirical articles and 41 unpublished dissertations that employ marker variables indicates that authors are not reporting adequate information regarding marker variable choice and use, are choosing inappropriate marker variables, and are possibly making errors in their assessment of CMV effects. Second, two data sets are presented that investigate the properties of six prospective markers to assess the degree to which they capture specific, measurable causes of CMV and the conclusions these markers produce when applied to substantive relationships. Results from the review and empirical investigation are used to expand the set of conditions scholars should consider when determining whether to employ a marker technique over other alternatives for detecting and controlling CMV and how best to do so.

Construction of Design Science Research Questions

Abstract: Posing research questions represents a fundamental step to guide and direct how researchers develop knowledge in research. In design science research (DSR), researchers need to pose research questions to define the scope and the modes of inquiry, characterize the artifacts, and communicate the contributions. Despite the importance of research questions, research provides few guidelines on how to construct suitable DSR research questions. We fill this gap by exploring ways of constructing DSR research questions and analyzing the research questions in a sample of 104 DSR publications. We found that about two-thirds of the analyzed DSR publications actually used research questions to link their problem statements to research approaches and that most questions focused on solving problems. Based on our analysis, we derive a typology of DSR question formulation to provide guidelines and patterns that help researchers formulate research questions when conducting their DSR projects.

Being (more) Human in a Digitized World.

Abstract: As we write this guest editorial for this special issue, the world is confronted with the enormous challenge of combating an unprecedented never-before-in-history crisis of Covid19, the magnitude of its impact far from known. Yet, optimists as most of us are, we believe the world will tide over it in due course despite the damage that it may cause to the socioeconomic aspects of our everyday life. What we do know is that we have retreated more and more into the digitized world. As information systems academics taking bird’s eye view, taking a step back to observe the world in its response to the crisis, two aspects seem to be stark in their undisputed role. First, the manner in which the world has drawn upon the “cumulative culture” to meander through potential, albeit temporary solutions, rejecting some, experimenting with some others and readily adopting few others; second, the sudden spike in our already growing dependence on information technology to aid undisturbed continuance, to the extent possible, in our everyday living. Both these, in many ways are related to the theme of the special issue “Being (more) human in a digitized world” – “cumulative culture” being a core distinguishing feature of humanness and the increasing dependence on information technology and its many avatars symbolizing the digitized world. In the context of an increasingly digitized world, the human species’ cumulative cultural evolution embodies the quintessential spirit (Shakespeare’s ‘dust’) of humanness reflected in the accumulated toolkit of practices, socially learned behaviors, sophisticated technologies and complex institutions (Boyd and Richerson 1996; Shipton and Nielsen 2015; Tomasello 1999). The very process of social cognition that required humans to understand each other as “intentional agents like the self” coupled with the process of social-cultural learning (Tomasello 1999) has catalyzed the evolution of a cumulative culture. The social cognition is also reflected in our emotional connect and our creative pursuits. The intensely digital social environments of the day reinforce the cumulative culture through their affordances for cultural learning, social referencing as well as for conformist transmission (Henrich 2015), behaviors that have traditionally been observed in anthropological studies. The innate characteristics of information technology especially in strengthening the two dimensions of human intelligence – working memory and cognitive capabilities, have merely facilitated this reinforcement. While business benefits from information technology and systems are no longer a matter of dispute in information systems research, ethical and social implications arising from the use of information technology devices, applications and platforms continue to occupy center stage in contemporary debates surrounding technology. Contemporary digital technologies have allowed significant changes to the way social interactions are effected both as individuals in organizational boundaries but also as individuals in larger social contexts. Our use of these digital technologies has enabled a culture whose uniqueness arises from the transformation in how we seek, perceive and consume information itself. This * Priya Seetharaman priyas@iimcal.ac.in