Social Couponing Sales: The Influence of “Likes”

Social media and social commerce continue to transform the way individuals interact with each other, but even more so how they interact with businesses and organizations. The power and influence of the social group has made social couponing sites such as Groupon or LivingSocial big players in the e-commerce marketplace. In this research we explore whether the inclusion of social media “Likes” in advertisements for discount vouchers on social couponing sites is correlated with the level of sales. Specifically, we examine how the final level of sales are affected by the practice of displaying the “soft” variables of: the sold vouchers, the number of followers or number of likes, the amount of the price discount, and both the initial and final price

CONCERNING SNS USE: HOW DO ISSUES OF PRIVACY AND TRUST CONCERN USERS?

As the popularity of social networking sites (SNSs) continues to grow, the research on what affects user intentions is also experiencing increased attention. This study investigates the effect of privacy and trust in other SNS users on trust in the SNS and the relationship between trust in the SNS, social norms and the intention to use an SNS. Data collected from online surveys were analyzed using linear regression analysis. The findings indicate that perceived privacy and trust in other SNS users has a positive relationship with trust in the SNS. However, the data showed no significant relationship between trust in the SNS and intention to use the SNS, unless mediated by social norms. This finding contributes to the literature on SNS intention to use, by confirming that social norms play a significant role in the way SNS users evaluate their intention to use

Introductory Information Systems Course Redesign: Better Preparing Business Students

Aim/Purpose The dynamic nature of the information systems (IS) field presents educators with the perpetual challenge of keeping course offerings current and relevant. This paper describes the process at a College of Business (COB) to redesign the introductory IS course to better prepare students for advanced business classes and equip them with interdisciplinary knowledge and skills demanded in today’s workplace. Background The course was previously in the Computer Science (CSC) Department, itself within the COB. However, an administrative restructuring resulted in the CSC department’s removal from the COB and left the core course in limbo. Methodology This paper presents a case study using focus groups with students, faculty, and advisory council members to assess the value of the traditional introductory course. A survey was distributed to students after implementation of the newly developed course to assess the reception of the course. Contribution This paper provides an outline of the decision-making process leading to the course redesign of the introductory IS course, including the context and the process of a new course development. Practical suggestions for implementing and teaching an introductory IS course in a business school are given. Findings Focus group assessment revealed that stakeholders rated the existing introductory IS course of minimal value as students progressed through the COB program, and even less upon entering the workforce. The findings indicated a complete overhaul of the course was required

The Business Value of Knowledge Management

Knowledge has been recognized as a critical competitive asset and research about knowledge management (KM) has received increasing attention. However, knowledge has also been viewed not only as an asset, but as a process that includes acquiring, organizing, and communicating the knowledge of organizational members. Additionally, organizational culture has been shown to influence the behaviors central to knowledge creation and transfer, and therefore it is proposed that these two contextual factors will have a positive relationship to business value. Using a survey of IT executives, this study empirically tests these relationships and shows a significant relationship exists between KM process implementation and business value as well as between organizational culture and business value. Practical and research implications are discussed

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Satisfaction with Social Networking Sites: Effect of Playfulness and Change in Use

The tremendous growth experienced by social networking sites (SNSs) has introduced a multitude of social phenomena into the study of these online information systems (IS). Such explosive growth can create an evolution in a site’s original intended use, giving rise to issues that both enhance and plague the users as well as the developers of such sites. With stories in the news of employees fired or students punished or dismissed outright from their schools’ programs, this study introduces a new construct, change in intended use (CIU), to determine possible effects on satisfaction. Using the framework of the expectation-confirmation theory (ECT), this study also incorporates perceived playfulness into the model as a predictor of satisfaction to further the research in understanding satisfaction with a SNS. The survey results indicate that a change in intended use does have a significant negative effect on satisfaction with the SNS

Enterprise Social Software: an Empirical Assessment of Knowledge Sharing in the Workplace

Social software has become pervasive including technologies such as blogs, wikis, and social networking sites. Interactive Web 2.0 technology is distinguished from earlier Internet channels, with content provided not only from the website host, but also and most importantly, user-generated content. These social technologies are increasingly entering the enterprise, involving complex social and psychological aspects as well as an understanding of traditional technology acceptance factors. Organizations trying to reap potential benefits of enterprise social software (ESS) must successfully implement and maintain ESS tools. This research develops a framework for assessing knowledge sharing based on reciprocal determinism theory and augmented with technology acceptance, sociological, and psychological factors. Semi-structured interviews with IT professionals, followed by a written survey of employees using ESS are used to collect data. The hermeneutic circle methodology is used to analyze the interview transcripts and structural equation modeling is used to analyze the survey data. Results show technological advantage has no significant effect on the intention to share knowledge, but community cohesiveness and individual willingness significantly affect knowledge sharing intention and behavior. The study offers a synthesized model of variables affecting knowledge sharing as well as a better understanding of best practices for organizations to consider when implementing and maintaining ESS tools for employee knowledge sharing and collaboration

Achieving Alignment between IS Research and IS Curriculum: towards Stronger IS Discipline Identity

The IS discipline identity discourse has traditionally been focused on the IS research. With considerable effort devoted to the IS curriculum development, it has not been seriously considered in the discussions on the IS identity. Here we argue that IS students and their recruiters, along with IS faculty, are key internal stakeholders of the IS discipline. As such they are engaged in the process of co-creating the IS discipline teaching identity through IS curriculum creation and consumption. We propose, that a stronger identity of the IS academic discipline can be achieved through alignment between three elements: IS research, IS curriculum and the needs of IS practitioners. We examine the degree of alignment between IS curriculum standards and key IS research subareas identified in extant research, and point out directions for future research and curriculum development

ERP Skills in the Business Curriculum: Improving Program and Student Outcomes

Organizations face relentless competitive pressure, requiring them to perform with ever-increasing efficiencies. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can improve organizational performance by integrating and automating core business processes across separate functional areas such as accounting, finance, manufacturing, sales, and human resources. As a result, these connected, functional areas provide a cohesive business unit with a holistic view of the organization and faster response times for business concerns and decision-making. With these potential benefits, it is no surprise the ERP software market continues to grow annually, with an estimated global market value of $82.3 billion in 2016 (Statista 2018). This growth, expected to continue, is partly attributed to growth in the Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery model where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can purchase cloud-based applications and data storage from ERP providers such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft (Irriberri, Kwon, and Henson 2015). ERP solutions were once an option only for large enterprises that could afford the infrastructure required to implement these complex systems. But SaaS offers scalability and reduces the need for hardware and associated support, making ERP affordable to SMEs. As the industry-wide demand for ERP resources grows, so does the demand for workers with skills in ERP software. There is evidence that graduates with these skills earn higher salaries upon entering the marketplace (Cronan & Douglas 2012). In response, business schools are increasingly offering ERP education in various forms. One popular delivery system for ERP education is the SAP University Alliance. As the leader in ERP software service, the company claims 91% of the Forbes Global 2000 as SAP customers. As the demand for ERP services and requisite skills grows, so does the participation in the SAP University Alliance (SAP UA 2018). Reported at over 1,400 educational institutions in 2015 (Alshare, El-Masri, & Lane 2015), SAP states that number has grown to over 3,500 current alliance members (SAP UA 2018). This paper presents observational research describing the implementation of enterprise resource planning principles and development of software skills in a College of Business program