Toward a Unified View of IS Certification: A Structured Literature Review on Theoretical Lenses

IS certifications are frequently used measures to alleviate consumers’ concerns or increase trust-worthiness toward service providers. Yet, scholarly work trying to understand the effects of IS certi-fication produces contradictory results. In particular, the diversity of theoretical lenses used renders it hard for researchers to stand on common ground. Utilizing a structured review of IS literature, we analyze more than 3100 articles to (1) identify commonly used theories for IS certification, (2) com-pare these theories using the certification ecosystem as conceptual basis, and (3) outline strengths and shortcomings of identified theoretical approaches. We contribute to the existent body of knowledge by presenting theoretical lenses in a structured way as well as evaluating their suitability in the context of IS certification. Our results suggest that some theories are well suited (e.g., Signal-ing Theory), yet researchers need to control for missing antecedents and avoid fragmentary use of theories. Further, we encourage researchers to draw on the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Cue Utilization/Consistency Theory as valuable, though underutilized theoretical lenses. Eventually, we suggest that future research should develop an integrated theoretical model since, according to our results, a blended theoretical lens may be most valuable to understand and predict the effectiveness of IS certification

A Design Theory for Certification Presentations

Prior information system research remains inconsistent of the effects of system certifications. In their current use, certifications are often reduced to graphical seals. This approach fails to incorporate detailed assurance information emanating from the certification process. To address this gap, we adopt a design science approach and deploy a four-phase research design to clarify how to design impactful IS certification presentations. First, we identify sources of users’ limited understanding of seals and formulate a design proposal for a certification presentation by drawing upon the elaboration likelihood model. In the second phase, we formulate and validate a set of design meta- requirements and guidelines to improve certification presentation, using cognitive load theory and Toulmin’s model of argumentation as kernel theories. In the third phase, new certification presentations that comply with the proposed guidelines are developed and evaluated for their effectiveness. We show that presentations that augment seal-based certification presentations with richer assurance information improve certification effectiveness. This increases users’ assurance and trust perceptions when the presentations align with the users’ cognitive information processing needs in ways that reduce their cognitive load and enhance argument quality of assurance information

Antecedents of Trust in the Ridesharing Service: The Moderating Effect of User Experience

Trust has been recognized as a significant factor in the sharing economy. However, there is still a lack of research that empirically examines the critical antecedents of trust in the ridesharing service, especially in China. Drawing upon Zucker (1986)’s trust building framework, this study develops a theoretical model to examine four antecedents, regarding structural assurance, government support, platform reputation and disposition to trust, on users’ trust beliefs and continuance intention of ridesharing. 307 valid data was collected in one of the largest ridesharing platforms in China, and structural equation modelling method was used to examine the research model. Empirical results suggest that platform reputation is the most significant antecedent of trust, followed by government support, structural assurance and disposition to trust. Specifically, user experience positively moderates the impact of structural assurance on trust, while negatively moderates the influences of government support and platform reputation on trust. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the final section

The Role of Cybersecurity Risk Disclosures in Influencing Stakeholder Intentions and the Moderating Role of Privacy Concern

Regulators have urged companies to enhance the informativeness of cybersecurity risk disclosures in financial statements. However, little is known about how the perceived attributes of cybersecurity risk disclosures may influence various stakeholders\u27 attitudes and behavioral intentions. Drawing on the Belief Reinforcement Model (BRM) and Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study examines how privacy concern moderates the role of the perceived presence of specificity and the belief about the verifiability of cybersecurity risk disclosures on trust violation and the behavioral intentions of different stakeholders (i.e., users, investors, and employees). The evidence from our experiment suggests that the perceived presence of specific disclosure elements and the belief about disclosure verifiability influences the behavioral intentions for all three stakeholders through beliefs and attitudes. Further, those influences vary depending on the level of individuals\u27 privacy concerns. Keywords Cybersecurity; Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM); Trust Violation; Data Breach; Belief Reinforcement Model (BRM); Disclosure; Specificity; Stakeholders; Ability-Based Trust

“They’re All the Same!” Stereotypical Thinking and Systematic Errors in Users’ Privacy-Related Judgments About Online Services

Given the ever-increasing volume of online services, it has become impractical for Internet users to study every company’s handling of information privacy separately and in detail. This challenges a central assumption held by most information privacy research to date—that users engage in deliberate information processing when forming their privacy-related beliefs about online services. In this research, we complement previous studies that emphasize the role of mental shortcuts when individuals assess how a service will handle their personal information. We investigate how a particular mental shortcut—users’ stereotypical thinking about providers’ handling of user information—can cause systematic judgment errors when individuals form their beliefs about an online service. In addition, we explore the effectiveness of counter-stereotypic privacy statements in preventing such judgment errors. Drawing on data collected at two points in time from a representative sample of smartphone users, we studied systematic errors caused by stereotypical thinking in the context of a mobile news app. We found evidence for stereotype-induced errors in users’ judgments regarding this provider, despite the presence of counter-stereotypic privacy statements. Our results further suggest that the tone of these statements makes a significant difference in mitigating the judgment errors caused by stereotypical thinking. Our findings contribute to emerging knowledge about the role of cognitive biases and systematic errors in the context of information privacy

Trusting IT Artifacts: How Trust Affects our Use of Technology

Despite recent interest in the role of trust in Information Systems, the potential of IS to foster trust in business relationships remains largely untapped. In order to better realize this potential, this dissertation examines three areas of IS trust research for which research is particularly limited: (1) the IT artifact as a target of trust, (2) IS-based source credibility as an antecedent of trust, and (3) the effect of anonymity on trust in online environments. The objective of this dissertation is to examine the effects of IS on trust in each of these areas. To do so, a multi-paper dissertation format is adopted in which each area examined constitutes a distinct, though complimentary, study. Together, these studies further research on how IS can enhance trust in business relationships

A Social Presence Model of Task Performance: A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Model

Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model, we build a social presence model of task performance and hypothesize that social presence impacts task performance through two routes – central and peripheral. Using a meta- analytic sample of 80 studies, we test our model with the multivariate meta-analytic structural equation modeling methodology. We find support for all our hypotheses. We show that in the central route, social presence positively impacts task performance through its positive effect on flow. In the peripheral route, social presence positively impacts trust, which in turn negatively impacts task effort. Finally, reduced task effort improves task performance. We also show the moderating role of task complexity, which negatively moderates the social presence-flow relationship and positively moderates the social-presence-trust relationship

Examining the Creation of Information Privacy Culture in Healthcare Organizations to Achieve Collective HIPAA Compliance Practice

The digitization and transfer of patient records has increased the risk of patient data being improperly handled by healthcare organizations. In light of this growing concern, the United States government and state authorities have implemented various regulations to mitigate the privacy concerns. Beside privacy regulations, healthcare organizations have been forced by other pressures such as organization’s competitive pressures, resources, ethical responsibilities, and legitimacy to implement privacy safeguards. However, surveys show that healthcare organizations fail to achieve information privacy compliance. This study examined the creation of information privacy culture from the different occupational communities in healthcare organizations to help achieve information privacy compliance. This research applied the dynamic social impact theory (DSIT) and the theory explains how coherent structures of cultural elements are developed from the interactions of people located in the same spatial location. This study argues that interaction is important because healthcare professionals have different attitudes about each other’s field that requires cultural synergy to enable healthcare organizations to achieve HIPAA compliance practice. Survey data was collected from two healthcare organizations with one being exposed to information privacy message to its’ occupational communities and the other without being exposed to information privacy message to its employees to test the hypotheses. A total of 98 participants were included in Hospital A, and 83 participants were included in Hospital B. Gender was distributed between 86 females, 88 males, and 7 no response. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to test the relationships between the variables and determine the fitness of the research model. A series of independent sample t-tests were conducted to examine for differences in the scales by hospital. The findings supported the fundamental predictions of the study that communicating patients’ information privacy concerns as issue of importance to the occupational communities will lead to the development of information privacy belief and a positive attitude toward patient information privacy concerns. The information privacy attitude will have a positive impact in creating information privacy culture. Tolerance of diversity on the other hand, will have a positive effect on reducing job tensions between the different groups. It was finally predicted that the coherent culture created, and reduced tension will have a positive impact on collective HIPAA compliance practice. The results supported all the key assumptions of the study and the findings were consistent with extant literature

Three Research Essays on the Effects of Charity Website Design on Online Donations

This dissertation, which comprises three essays, examines the effects of charity website characteristics on people\u27s attitudes and online donation behaviors based on the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion (Essay 1), the halo effect (Essay 2), and self-schema, congruity, and visual rhetoric (Essay 3). Essay 1: The Elaborating Role of Personal Involvement with Charity Giving and Helper\u27s High on the Effects of Website Quality: Multiple Roles of Variables Although the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) has been utilized for decades, researchers have not leveraged its full capabilities and richness in understanding the multiple roles postulate and employing the central and peripheral routes to persuasion. The central theme of this study is that cues can assume multiple roles, serving as central or peripheral cues, depending on an elaboration state. Moreover, this study asserts that a variable cannot be determined as a central or peripheral cue without consisting the elaboration state and associated theoretical explanations. This study theorizes and empirically tests the multiples roles postulate in the context of charity website and online donations. Using websites as a persuasion channel, this study investigates the effects of charity website quality, consisting of information content quality and system quality, on attitude toward the charity website, which in turn influences willingness to donate to the charity website. In keeping with the multiple roles postulate, this research investigates two charity-specific motivational constructs, personal involvement with charity giving and helper\u27s high as elaboration states, proposing that people with high personal involvement are more likely to be persuaded by information content, including financial, performance, and donation information. Likewise, individuals who reflect greater helper\u27s high, will rely more on system quality characteristics (including navigability, download delay, visual aesthetics, and security) in evaluating and forming their attitudes toward the charity websites. The results of structural equation modeling supported all hypotheses. This study extends the ELM by supporting the multiple roles postulate that has not received adequate attention in prior research and introducing charity-specific elaboration motivations. Essay 2: Beautiful is Good and Good is Reputable: Multi-Attribute Charity Website Evaluation and Reputation Formation under the Halo Effect The halo effect has been extensively employed to understand how people make judgments of quality about an object. However, there is little research on how people evaluate multi-attribute objects and what types of salient halos exist in their evaluation. In addition, little research has investigated the initial reputation formation of an unknown object. Based on these two research lacuna, the purposes of this study is to identify if there are evidences of various salient halos in evaluating multi-attributes objects and to theorize initial reputation formation. To accomplish these research objectives, this study employs charity websites as a multi-attribute donation channel consisting of three dimensions of information contents (mission, financial, and donation assistance information) and four dimensions of system functionalities/features (i.e., navigability, download speed, visual aesthetics, and security). This study proposes collective halo, aesthetics halo, two-sided quality halo, quality halo, and reputation halo in the context of charity website evaluation. The results of structural equation modeling and other analyses show evidence of the proposed halos. Essay 3: The Effects of Schema Congruity and Visual Consistency on Social Judgment of Charity Websites Effectively designed websites can positively enhance the donors\u27 perceptions so as to facilitate online donations. Drawing on extensive research on self-schema, congruity, and visual rhetoric, this study examines the effects of schema congruity (SC) and visual consistency (VC) on the perceived warmth and competence of charity websites. This study theorizes schema-visual congruity, an interaction between SC and VC. Using a controlled lab experiment, this study finds significant main effects of schema congruity and visual consistency on perceived warmth and competence. Also, there is a positive interaction between SC and VC, supporting the need for schema-visual congruity as a determinant of perceived warmth and competence. Consistent with prior eCommerce and donation research, this study finds that positive perceptions of charity websites (i.e., warmth and competence) increase attitude toward donation to the website, which in turn influences donation intention

Tuote-esittely videoiden vaikutus kuluttajien ostokäyttäytymiseen verkossa : tapaustutkimus viidestä pohjoismaalaisesta verkkokaupasta

Tämän maisterin tutkielman tarkoituksena on tarkastella tuote-esittely videoiden käyttöä verkkokaupassa ja niiden vaikutusta kuluttajien ostokäyttäytymiseen. Tutkielmassa käsitellään tuote-esittelyn merkitystä verkkokaupassa, sekä verkkokaupan kasvun esteitä. Tuote-esittelyn merkitys on verkkokaupassa korostunutta, sillä asiakkailla ei ole mahdollisuutta varmistua tuotteiden laadusta ennen ostopäätöstä. Kuluttajien ostopäätökset nojaavat verkkokaupassa yrityksien tuotesivuilta löytyviin tuotetietoihin. Kattavat tuotekuvaukset ovat näin ollen avainasemassa hyvän asiakaskokemuksen varmistamisessa. Tässä maisterin tutkielmassa tarkastellaan A/B testituloksia viidestä pohjoismaalaisesta verkkokaupasta, aineiston tutkielmalle tarjosi teknologiayritys Videoly. Tutkimuksessa ilmeni, että tuote-esittely videot verkkokaupassa johtavat aiempaa korkeampaan konversioon. Tämä tutkimus vahvistaa aiempia löydöksiä liittyen visuaalisten ja dynaamisten tuote-esittely muotojen tehokkuuteen verkkokaupassa.The key objective of this master’s thesis is to look at product-related video displays in online retailing and whether product presentation videos could positively impact purchasing behavior. In this master’s thesis I discuss the importance of online product display, focusing especially on the business-to-consumer area. Online business is growing rapidly but there is still a lot of potential that is underexploited. Online product presentation is vital in an online retail environment since customers do not get to touch or see the products before buying them and must rely on the descriptions of the products provided by the seller. Successful online product presentation strategies can be used to alleviate the lack of physical examination of products in online retailing. In this master’s thesis I examine five Nordic online stores by utilizing A/B test data provided by a tech company; Videoly. This study found that product presentation videos had a positive impact on users’ purchasing behavior. Using product presentation videos in online stores result in higher conversions. Findings of this thesis bring additional evidence to the power of visual and dynamic product presentation forms in online retailing