Simulation-Based Research in Information Systems - Epistemic Implications and a Review of the Status Quo

Simulations provide a useful methodological approach for studying the behavior of complex socio- technical information systems (IS), in which humans and IT artifacts interact to process information. However, the use of simulations is relatively new in IS research and the current presence and impact of simulation-based studies is still limited. Furthermore, simulation-based research is quite different from other approaches, making it difficult to position and evaluate it adequately. Therefore, this paper first analyses the epistemic particularities of simulation- based IS research. Based on this analysis, a structured lit- erature review of the status quo of simulation-based IS research was conducted, to understand how IS scholars currently employ simulation. A comparison of the epis- temic particularities of simulation-based research with its status quo in IS literature allows to critically examine epistemic inferences in the respective research process. The results provide guidance for prospective simulation-based IS research through discussing the theory-based derivation of simulation models, as well as different simulation techniques, validation techniques, and simulation uses

It’s more than memes: User risk appetite and app enjoyment predict simulated mobile trading app behavior

Mobile trading application users have rocked the financial world and are becoming a noteworthy for their ability to contribute to financial uncertainty, often at great risk to their personal wealth. While participation in meme stock culture likely contributes to this risky behavior, other factors such as personal risk appetite and enjoyment could also explain a user’s willingness to engage in risky actions on these platforms. In this paper, we describe the results of an experiment whereby participants engaged in a simulated financial trading task designed to mimic the Robinhood trading app. We took a mixed method approach to investigating users’ experiences, using time-series machine learning clustering as well as questionnaire measures. We identified distinct clusters of users based on app usage data which reflected degrees of risky behavior and found that these features were associated with a user’s perceived risk appetite and the degree to which they enjoyed the simulated technology. Taken together with past evidence that suggests that risk appetite and enjoyment are associated with application use, we posit that these factors play a role in explaining risky behavior on mobile trading platforms, which has implications for financial application design and future research on financial technology applications

Governance Mechanisms in Digital Platform Ecosystems: Addressing the Generativity-Control Tension

Digital platform owners repeatedly face paradoxical design decisions with regard to their platforms’ generativity and control, requiring them to facilitate co-innovation whilst simultaneously retaining control over third-party complementors. To address this challenge, platform owners deploy a variety of governance mechanisms. However, researchers and practitioners currently lack a coherent understanding of what major governance mechanisms platform owners rely on to simultaneously foster generativity and control. Conducting a structured literature review, we connect the fragmented academic discourse on governance mechanisms with each aspect of the generativity-control tension. Next to providing avenues for prospective digital platform research, we elaborate on the double-sidedness of governance mechanisms in fostering both generativity and control

Governance Mechanisms in Digital Platform Ecosystems: Addressing the Generativity-Control Tension

Digital platform owners repeatedly face paradoxical design decisions with regard to their platforms’ generativity and control, requiring them to facilitate co-innovation whilst simultaneously retaining control over third-party complementors. To address this challenge, platform owners deploy a variety of governance mechanisms. However, researchers and practitioners currently lack a coherent understanding of what major governance mechanisms platform owners rely on to simultaneously foster generativity and control. Conducting a structured literature review, we connect the fragmented academic discourse on governance mechanisms with each aspect of the generativity-control tension. Next to providing avenues for prospective digital platform research, we elaborate on the double-sidedness of governance mechanisms in fostering both generativity and control