Voluntary and Involuntary Self-Disclosure in Decision-Making Virtual Teams

This study investigates the roles of visual representation and verbal self-disclosure in decision making virtual teams via a content analysis of group discussions. Findings indicate that visual representation encourages increased self-disclosure in the form of personal and universal revelations of facts and thoughts during virtual group communication. Increased revelations are in turn found to impact the nature of group decisions. These results theoretical and practical implications for virtual decision making

An Integrated Perspective of Multitasking and Multiple Team Membership

Workers in today’s business environments are confronted with heavy workloads that reflect not only their regular job expectations but also their involvement in multiple teams at the same time. The majority of the current literature has studied these two topics (multitasking and multiple-team membership) independently. The goal of this paper is to integrate both conceptual outlooks by examining relevant works in both streams of research and merging them into an integrated framework. By analyzing new data collected from focus groups, and taking an individual worker’s perspective, the results of this study suggest that participating in multiple teams simultaneously, fragments workers assigned activities into three levels: individual, project and group. Workers handle these multiplied demands by juggling their individual and team related assignments and multitasking within levels and across levels. This juggling is influenced by situational elements such as deadlines and deliverables, and personal factors such as multitasking skill and expected outcomes. This study is the first to examine individual multitasking activity in conjunction with multiple team duties, and its results highlight an important area for further research

International Perceptions of Online Banking Security Concerns

Concern about security is and always has been one of the major factors af ecting the adoption of online banking. It is therefore essential for online banks to not only take proper security measures but to ensure that their customers and potential customers perceive their services as secure. This research highlights the significance of user perceptions of security by examining the content of the security policies of banks throughout the world. The security policy is illustrated as a tool for banks to use to manage their users\u27 perceptions. The investigation also uncovers some notable differences among the expected security concerns within different regions. If banks understand their target audiences\u27 e-commerce backgrounds, they can more effectively manage their potential users\u27 perceptions of security

IT as a Resource for Competitive Agility: an Analysis of Firm Performance during Industry Turbulence

In an increasingly fast-paced business context, agility is crucial to firm performance. Competitive agility, the ability of a firm to rapidly sense and respond to changes in its environment, is especially important during industry turbulence. This research examines whether investment in Information Technology (IT) enhances firms’ competitive agility using analysis of firm performance during industry growth and contraction. The research approach addresses the causality question faced by previous IT productivity studies by focusing on ex-ante IT investment and subsequent firm performance during periods of unanticipated industry shocks. Findings indicate that IT investment enhances competitive agility but only in industries with unanticipated growth, calling for further investigation into the use of IT during unanticipated industry downturn

Automobile Recycling Alternatives: Why Not? A Look at the Possibilities for Greener car Recycling.

Prepared for Neighbors Organized to Stop the Hazards of All Metal Shredders! (NO SHAMS!), 651/224-7308. Sponsored by Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization, Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota