COVID-19 Pandemic Management and Control: Effects of Information and Communication Technologies

In late 2019, a new coronavirus, COVID-19, was reported in Wuhan, China. The origin of this virus is still debated. Nevertheless, this new coronavirus spreads like wildfire and is now a global pandemic. Different countries have responded to the pandemic in different ways with varying results. In this research, we investigate the effects of information and communication technologies (ICT) on COVID-19 pandemic management and control. Information and communication technologies have impacted nearly every industry in the world from finance and banking to universities and nonprofit organizations (Siau and Long, 2009). The health care system, which is composed of hospitals, individual physician practices, specialty practices, as well as managed care providers, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies, is no exception (Siau et al., 2002; Siau, 2003). Mobile technologies (Siau and Shen, 2002), which are new in healthcare informatics (Siau and Shen, 2006), are also widely used in disseminating information (Katerattanakul and Siau, 2003), and contact tracing in managing and controlling the spread of COVID-19. A country’s development and maturity in ICT should affect its COVID-19 pandemic management and control. For example, those countries that have a more developed ICT should be able to capitalize on its ICT strengths to administer contact tracing and pandemic management. This research will utilize the Growth Theory, which is an economic theory investigating reasons for growth and development, as the conceptual foundation. Based on the Growth Theory, we hypothesize that ICT affects COVID-19 pandemic management and control. The hypotheses will be empirically tested using secondary data on COVID-19 and ICT. Anecdotal data from various websites and news media will also be collected to triangulate the results. This research will provide insights into the use of ICT in pandemic control and identify the best practices in using ICT for pandemic management and control

The relationship of long-term orientation with knowledge sharing in virtual community

Some studies have looked at how people from different countries share knowledge, information and ideas but the research is still limited. Therefore, this research takes up the challenge to find out the relationship of societal culture and knowledge sharing in multi-national and cross-cultural ‘virtual community.’ The purpose of this paper is to quantitatively assess the relationship of long-term orientation which influences sharing of knowledge, ideas and information in virtual community among different cultural groups. Data were collected from the world’s second largest multinational PC manufacturing company that serves customers across 160 countries. The analysis from five of the countries specifically examines the relationship of long-term orientation with knowledge sharing in the virtual community context. The finding is a positive relationship implying that managers of virtual communities need to provide both resources and time for members to build relationships and to positively share and co-create knowledge (aimed at the future) rather than concentrate on the past and present thus stifling knowledge sharing. The study contributes by uniquely combining in one study, long-term (cultural) orientation, and knowledge sharing in virtual communities from different countries. The limitation of the study is the use of only one cultural dimension of Hofstede. Future studies should use other dimensions as well as dimensions other than Hofstede’s. Nonetheless, this study has given practical guides to managers of virtual communities

Noise or Quality? Cross-nested Hierarchical Effects of Culture on Online Ratings

Previous feedback system research in a variety of contexts has focused on the impact that ratings (as proxies for quality) have on a variety of social and economic outcomes with equivocal findings. These mixed findings may be partially due to noise (factors not related to quality) embedded in aggregated or average positive and negative ratings. One significant source of ratings noise may come from culturally diverse raters’ issuing ratings in virtual environments. Culture impacts how groups of individuals are socialized to behave and think, which may result in members’ having different attitudes towards publicly downgrading (negative ratings) or praising (positive ratings) other members in the feedback system. In this paper, I investigate how culture influences rating practices specifically in public electronic knowledge sharing communities. Using a cross-nested hierarchical linear model, I demonstrate empirically that cultural differences at the community, occupation, and national levels interact in unique ways to increase or decrease an individual’s propensity to give and receive a positive or a negative rating. My study contributes to the literature on rating systems along with having practical ramifications for the designers of feedback systems

Identifying the Impact of Perceived Shared Cultural Values on Knowledge Sharing Through a Social Media Application

Knowledge sharing (KS) has been determined by many researchers as an important tool for problem-solving experiences and achieving success. Recent studies have explained KS as an activity in which knowledge is exchanged through individuals or between organizations. KS can help facilitate decision-making capabilities, stimulate cultural change, and create innovation. Through KS, individuals and organizations can capture explicit and tacit knowledge to save time and money. Previous studies have indicated a lack of research in how perceived shared cultural values impact KS through a social media application. The purpose of this research was to add new information to the body of knowledge in regard to identifying perceived shared cultural values as measured by demographic factors such as age, race, religion, language, and socio-economic status to understand how these characteristics impacted an individual’s ability to share knowledge through social media applications. The goal was to fill the gap in the literature by explaining the effect of perceived shared cultural values on knowledge creation and sharing through the usage of social media applications. The results showed potential generalizability in identifying the type of KS (tacit and explicit) that will occur. Previous studies that focused on KS, culture, social media, and barriers are discussed regarding how these features impact an individual’s ability to share knowledge. Perceived shared cultural values were identified to gain an insight into how these perceived values correlated with actual knowledge being exchanged through social media applications. To test the hypotheses, data were collected based on the analysis of social media postings. A total of 42 participants took the survey. The survey specifically collected the participants’ age, race, religion, language, and socioeconomic status. A total of 113 postings were collected, 30 of which contained no exchange of knowledge. The remaining 83 were analyzed independently by three subject matter experts. The postings of the knowledge being shared between the participants based on their perceived shared cultural values was analyzed and placed into two categories: tacit and explicit KS. The structural equation modeling technique was used to analyze the relationships between the different perceived shared cultural values. The tacit and explicit models were not supported. All ten hypotheses were not supported due to the p-values that were calculated through bootstrapping. The strength of the relationships was calculated and displayed by using SmartPLS. The data collected from the postings and the demographics collected through a survey were an attempt to test the 10 hypotheses. The results indicated that all the hypotheses were not supported due to their significance levels. Several limitations existed in this study, such as sample size, diverse population, amount of knowledge being shared through the social media application, instructional method, and remote nature of teacher involvement. Implications regarding how this study differed from previous studies’ results were provided. Future research suggestions were made to extend the body of knowledge

Individuals’ usage of smoking cessation online health communities

Smoking is still a significant threat to human health. To reduce the prevalence of smoking, the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the importance of offering help to quit tobacco use. Recently, smoking cessation online health communities (OHCs) have become an important online tool to help smokers kick their smoking habits. Smoking cessation OHCs are collectives of people who communicate with each other about quitting smoking through dedicated sites on the Internet. These OHCs offer substantial benefits to users, such as enriching their medical knowledge, enhancing their emotional comfort, reducing their stress, and improving their smoking cessation performance. However, smoking cessation OHCs face the great challenge of low levels of participation. Many users only visit these OHCs once and never return, despite the benefits. To improve the longevity of such OHCs and unleash their full potential, therefore, it is imperative to understand what motivates users’ continued usage of online smoking OHCs, and what prompts them to contribute knowledge to theseOHCs. Retaining users and knowledge-sharing have been central topics for Information Systems (IS) researchers studying post-adoption stage of OHC usage. However, few studies have investigated users’ post-adoption behaviors in the specific context of smoking cessation OHCs. Extant literature has focused primarily on the technology perspective of smoking cessation OHCs and ignored their inherent social factors (such as social support and social capital). An understanding of the interplay of social and technical beliefs that might explain behavioral intentions in this context remains obscure. This study examines the determining factors of two forms of IS post-adoption behaviors in the context of smoking cessation OHCs: the continuance intention and knowledge-sharing. A mixture of quantitative survey research and qualitative interview research is employed in this study. The quantitative method was used to answer research questions about the determinants of both continuance intention and knowledge-sharing. The qualitative approach was adopted to further examine what determines users’ continuance intention toward smoking cessation OHCs. The empirical data in this study was collected from individual users of smoking cessation OHCs in China and Finland. The results show that continuance intentionis influenced by users’ systems-related beliefs (e.g., perceived usefulness), by their social-related beliefs (e.g., perceived informational support, perceived emotional support, and perceived companionship), and by their knowledge-sharing behaviors. Similarly, knowledge-sharing is determined by users’ systems-related beliefs (e.g., perceived usefulness), by social-related beliefs (e.g., social ties and reciprocity), and by attitudes (e.g., satisfaction). In addition, users’ systems-related beliefs (e.g., perceived usefulness) were found to be affected by their social-related beliefs, such as perceived esteem support, perceived emotional support, shared language, shared vision, and commitment. This research contributes to the literature on IS post-adoption behaviors and smoking cessation OHCs. Specifically, it contributes to understanding individual users’ post-adoption behaviors by highlighting the impacts of different user beliefs and attitudes on two forms of IS usage. It sheds light on the roles of users’ systemsrelated beliefs (e.g., perceived usefulness), social-related beliefs (e.g., social support and social capital), and attitudes (e.g., satisfaction) in determining their usage behaviors. Additionally, it contributes to understanding users’ different beliefs by examining the relationships between them. The findings related to the impact of social-related beliefs on systems-related beliefs offer a comprehensive picture of the roles of different users’ beliefs in smoking cessation OHCs. Furthermore, it contributes to the literature on smoking cessation OHCs by offering insights into retaining users and motivating their knowledge contributions. The findings on the determinants of both continuance intention and knowledge-sharing extend understanding about how to design and maintain smoking cessation OHCs. From a practical view, this research has important implications for smoking cessation OHC managers, specifically regarding keeping the OHC active and sustainable via retaining users and encouraging them to share knowledge. It also helps smoking cessation intervention designers to develop successful and sustainable digital interventions. By supporting the longevity of smoking cessation OHCs, these findings additionally offer implications to healthcare service providers regarding the needs of versatile smoking cessation assistance and support.Tupakointi on suuri uhka ihmisten terveydelle. Tupakoinnin vähentämiseksi Maailman terveysjärjestö (World Health Organization,WHO) on korostanut tupakoinnin lopettamisen avun antamisen merkitystä. Viime aikoina tupakoinnin lopettamiseen liittyvät terveysverkkoyhteisöt (online health communities, OHCs) ovat muodostuneet tärkeiksi verkkotyökaluiksi tupakoinnin lopettamisessa. Tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöt ovat Internetissä olevia tarkoituksellisia yhteisöjä ihmisille jotka kommunikoivat keskenään tupakoinnin lopettamisesta. Nämä verkkoyhteisöt tarjoavat merkittäviä etuja käyttäjilleen, kuten lääketieteellisen tietämyksen lisääntyminen, henkisen hyvinvoinnin lisääntyminen, stressin vähentäminen, ja tupakoinnin lopettamisen tuloksellisuuden vahvistaminen. Kuitenkin tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöt kärsivät alhaisesta osallistumisaktiivisuudesta. Monet käyttäjät käyvät yhteisöissä kerran eivätkä koskaan palaa, hyödyistä huolimatta. Tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöjen jatkuvuuden kehittämiseksi ja täyden hyödyn realisoimiseksi on välttämätöntä ymmärtää mikä motivoi käyttäjiä jatkamaan käyttöä, ja mikä rohkaisee heitä tuottamaan tietämystä näihin verkkoyhteisöihin. Käyttäjien säilyttäminen ja tietämyksen jakaminen ovat olleet keskeisiä tietojärjestelmätieteen tutkimusteemoja tutkittaessa terveyden verkkoyhteisöjen käyttöä. Kuitenkin vain harvat tutkimukset ovat selvittäneet käyttäjien käyttöönoton jälkeistä käyttäytymistä juuri tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöissä. Olemassa oleva kirjallisuus on keskittynyt pääosin tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöjen tekniikkaan ja laiminlyönyt niihin oleellisesti liittyvät sosiaaliset tekijät (kuten sosiaalinen tuki ja sosiaalinen pääoma). Tällaisessa yhteydessä sosiaalisten ja teknisten tekijöiden vuorovaikutukseen liittyvä ymmärrys jää epämääräiseksi. Tämä tutkimus tarkastelee määrittäviä tekijöitä kahdelle tietojärjestelmien käyttöönoton jälkeiselle käyttäytymiselle tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöjen puitteissa: käytön jatkamisen aikomus ja tietämyksen jakaminen. Tässä tutkimuksessa käytetään sekä kvantitatiivista kyselytutkimusta että kvalitatiivista haastattelututkimusta. Kvantitatiivista metodia käytettiin vastaamaan tutkimuskysymyksiin koskien sekä käytön jatkamisen aikomusta että tiedon jakamista. Kvalitatiivista lähestymistapaa käytettiin edelleen tarkentamaan mikä määrittää käytön jatkamisen aikomusta tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöissä. Tämän tutkimuksen empiirinen data kerättiin yksittäisiltä käyttäjiltä tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöissä Kiinassa ja Suomessa. Tulokset osoittavat, että käyttäjän tietojärjestelmään liittyvät uskomukset (esim. koettu hyödyllisyys) ja sosiaaliseen yhteisöön liittyvät uskomukset (esim. koettu tuki informaation muodossa, koettu emotionaalinen tuki, koettu kumppanuus) ja käyttäjien tiedon jakamiseen liittyvä käyttäytyminen vaikuttavat käytön jatkamisen aikomukseen. Samalla tavalla, tietämyksen jakaminen määrittyy tietojärjestelmään liittyvien uskomusten (esim. koettu hyödyllisyys) ja sosiaaliseen yhteisöön liittyvien uskomusten (esim. sosiaaliset siteet ja vastavuoroisuus) sekä mielipiteiden (esim. tyytyväisyys) kautta. Lisäksi käyttäjien sosiaalisen yhteisöön liittyvien uskomusten (esim. koettu kunnioitukseen liittyvä tuki, koettu emotionaalinen tuki, jaettu kielenkäyttö, jaettu visio ja sitoutuminen) havaittiin vaikuttavan käyttäjien tietojärjestelmän liittyviin uskomuksiin (esim. koettu hyödyllisuus). Tämä tutkimus tuottaa tietoa tietojärjestelmätieteen kirjallisuuteen tietojärjestelmien omaksumisen jälkeisestä käytöksestä ja tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöistä. Erityisesti se tuottaa tietoa omaksumisen jälkeisestä käytöksestä korostamalla erilaisia käyttäjien uskomuksia ja mielipiteitä kahden käyttäytymismuodon suhteen. Tutkimus valaiseen käyttäjien järjestelmään liittyvien uskomusten (esim. koettu hyödyllisuus), sosiaaliseen yhteisöön liittyvien uskomusten (esim. sosiaalinen tuki ja sosiaalinen pääoma) sekä mielipiteiden (esim. tyytyväisyys) roolia tietojärjestelmän käyttöönoton jälkeisessä käyttäytymisessä. Lisäksi se tuottaa tietoa käyttäjien erilaisista uskomuksista tutkimalla niiden välisiä yhteyksiä. Sosiaaliseen yhteisöön liittyviin uskomuksiin kohdistuvat tutkimustulokset tarjoavat kattavan kuvan erilaisten käyttäjien uskomuksien merkityksestä koskien tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöjä. Edelleen tutkimus antaa panoksensa tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöjä koskevaan kirjallisuuteen tarjoamalla näkökulmaa siihen miksi tietyt käyttäjät pysyvät pitkään verkkoyhteisössä, ja mikä motivoi heitä antamaan tietämyksensä tarjolle. Sekä käyttämisen jatkumiseen että tiedon jakamiseen liittyviin syihin kohdistuvat tutkimustulokset laajentavat ymmärrystämme siitä kuinka suunnitella ja pitää yllä tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöjä. Käytännön näkökulmasta tutkimuksella on tärkeitä johtopäätöksiä tupakoinnin verkkoyhteisöjen hallinnoijille, erityisesti siihen kuinka pitää yhteisö aktiivisena ja kestävänä säilyttämällä jäsenet ja rohkaisemalla heitä jakamaan tietämystä. Tutkimus myös auttaa tupakoinnin lopettamisen toimenpiteiden suunnittelijoita tuottamaan onnistuneita ja kestäviä interventioita. Tukemalla tupakoinnin lopettamisen verkkoyhteisöjen pitkäikäisyyttä nämä tutkimustulokset tarjoavat näkökulmia terveydenhuollon palveluiden tuottajille tupakoinnin lopettamisen liittyvään monimuotoiseen avustamiseen ja tukeen

The Shapes of Cultures: A Case Study of Social Network Sites/Services Design in the U.S. and China

With growing popularity of the use of social network sites/services (SNSs) throughout the world, the global dominance of SNSs designed in the western industrialized countries, especially in the United Sates, seems to have become an inevitable trend. As internationalization has become a common practice in designing SNSs in the United States, is localization still a viable practice? Does culture still matter in designing SNSs? This dissertation aims to answer these questions by comparing the user interface (UI) designs of a U.S.-based SNS, Twitter, and a China-based SNS, Sina Weibo, both of which have assumed an identity of a “microblogging” service, a sub category of SNSs. This study employs the theoretical lens of the theory of technical identity, user-centered website cultural usability studies, and communication and media studies. By comparing the UI designs, or the “form,” of the two microblogging sites/services, I illustrate how the social functions of a technological object as embedded and expressed in the interface designs are preserved or changed as the technological object that has developed a relatively stable identity (as a microblogging site/service) in one culture is transferred between the “home” culture and another. The analysis in this study focuses on design elements relevant to users as members of networks, members of audience, and publishers/broadcasters. The results suggest that the designs carry disparate biases towards modes of communication and social affordances, which indicate a shift of the identity of microblogging service/site across cultures

Knowledge Sharing in Multicultural Organizations

Knowledge management is critical to achieving competitive advantage in the marketplace. The prominence of multicultural organizations also requires an understanding of knowledge-sharing behavior in multicultural teams. In spite of the need to accommodate these new conditions, a gap exists in the research on knowledge sharing in multicultural organizations. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that affect knowledge sharing in a multicultural context. In the research questions I examined the role that culture, monetary rewards, social units, and diversity play in knowledge sharing in a multicultural environment. This study used Hofstede\u27s cultural dimension theory, Sveiby\u27s knowledge-based theory, and agency theory as the theoretical foundation. A cross-sectional survey design was used for data collection. Data were collected from line managers in multicultural organizations in the United Arab Emirates (n=79). Sampling consisted of a nonprobability sample using convenience sampling. Multiple regression and path analyses were used to analyze the data. Results of this study indicated a positive relationship between the combined effect of rewards, social units, and cultural diversity on knowledge sharing in a multicultural context. There was also a positive relationship between rewards and knowledge sharing. However, no statistically significant relationship between social units or cultural diversity and knowledge sharing was found. This study may promote positive social change by improving understanding of how knowledge is shared in multicultural teams and by contributing to better cross-cultural communication. This study may be useful to managers of multicultural teams who want to improve knowledge sharing in their teams

Journeys to the Edge: Exploring the Dimensions of Tacit Knowledge Sharing in Communities of Practice

Tacit knowledge sharing has featured strongly in knowledge management literature in the last two decades. Knowledge management is an essential component attributed to underpinning organisational success and tacit knowledge sharing contributes directly to enhancing knowledge creation and to obtaining a competitive advantage in the business environment. Over the same period Communities of Practice (CoP) have risen in prominence as vehicles for tacit knowledge sharing and are seen as hotbeds of informal learning processes. There is, however, limited research into what may influence tacit knowledge sharing in CoPs. Additionally, although recognised as knowledge intensive organisations there has been limited research into knowledge sharing within and across educational institutions. The higher education (HE) sector in general has undergone significant change from a complex evolving landscape of political upheaval, funding divergence and an increasingly competitive worldwide market. Knowledge creation, combining and leveraging to improve an institution’s performance, should therefore be considered of critical importance.Information Technology (IT) and Digital leadership have a key role in transforming Universities to meet the challenges in a global knowledge economy. The IT community within HE has a Sector Professional Organisation (SPO) that supports a number of voluntary CoPs which have operated over the last twenty years. The aim of the research was to explore the dimensions of tacit knowledge sharing in Communities of Practice working within the Higher Education Information Technology Sector.The study was undertaken from an interpretivist stance and used a phenomenological design with semi-structured interviews with participants who had experience of membership spanning several CoPs as the key data collection technique. The analysis was thematic in nature and brought to light expected and unexpected themes from the experiences of the participants.The key contribution is centered on the study findings that link the nature and movement of tacit knowledge from the core to the periphery of the CoP with its membership and leadership behaviors that are impacting on its success. From this a conceptual model that informs future HE IT CoP design and key leadership characteristics necessary for success, whilst supporting transferability, due to the findings’ close association with tacit knowledge sharing was developed and is presented

The Valuation of User-Generated Content: A Structural, Stylistic and Semantic Analysis of Online Reviews

The ability and ease for users to create and publish content has provided vast amount of online product reviews. However, the amount of data is overwhelmingly large and unstructured, making information difficult to quantify. This creates challenge in understanding how online reviews affect consumers' purchase decisions. In my dissertation, I explore the structural, stylistic and semantic content of online reviews. Firstly, I present a measurement that quantifies sentiments with respect to a multi-point scale and conduct a systematic study on the impact of online reviews on product sales. Using the sentiment metrics generated, I estimate the weight that customers place on each segment of the review and examine how these segments affect the sales for a given product. The results empirically verified that sentiments influence sales, of which ratings alone do not capture. Secondly, I propose a method to detect online review manipulation using writing style analysis and assess how consumers respond to such manipulation. Finally, I find that societal norms have influence on posting behavior and significant differences do exist across cultures. Users should therefore exercise care in interpreting the information from online reviews. This dissertation advances our understanding on the consumer decision making process and shed insight on the relevance of online review ratings and sentiments over a sequential decision making process. Having tapped into the abundant supply of online review data, the results in this work are based on large-scale datasets which extend beyond the scale of traditional word-of-mouth research