The Dark Side of Digitalization: Three Case Studies of the Negative Implications of Information Technology

While the use of information technology (IT) can have both positive and negative implications, extant information systems (IS) studies have predominantly focused on positive accounts of IT use over the years. This thesis aims to examine the emerging roles of IT and the unintended consequences of IT use. Although studying the dark side phenomena of IT use at different levels of analysis is important because the use of IT can have negative implications in hedonic, organizational, and societal settings, most of the existing research focuses on an individual level of analysis in a work context. This thesis, therefore, focuses on understanding how the use of IT contributes to unintended implications (1) in a hedonic context with an individual level of analysis, (2) in a work context with an organizational level of analysis, and (3) in a societal context with a societal level of analysis. More specifically, the role of IT in mobile gaming addiction, digital debt accrual, and Hikikomori development is examined in terms of its unintended consequences using three levels of analysis, respectively. Accordingly, three qualitative case studies are presented to answer the following research questions: (1) “How do negative implications arise as a result of IT use in a hedonic context?” (2) “How do negative implications arise as a result of IT implementation and use at the organizational level?” and (3) “How do negative implications arise as a result of IT use at a societal level?” To address the first research question, the first case study chosen is Empires and Puzzles. This is one of the world’s most commercially successful mobile games, rated as a top 10 grossing app in the role-playing games and strategy games category on both the iOS and Android platforms. The study examines this case to identify the specific mechanisms of mobile gaming addiction, thus representing one of the earliest in-depth studies to offer a hedonic perspective of dark side phenomena. In particular, this study reveals the mechanisms of how the characteristics, features, and content of a mobile game influence gamers’ psychological states and induce addiction. To address the second research question, the second case study chosen is the Fintech Platform Company. The company has undertaken more than 100 systems development projects for multiple resource-constrained client companies that are likely to accrue digital debt. The study provides a theoretical framework of how digital debt is accrued as a result of systems development. Findings show that digital debt has negative organizational implications that not only influence individuals, but also the entire organization and a number of stakeholders. Finally, to address the third research question, the third case study chosen is the Yokayoka Hikikomori Support Center. Based in the city of Fukuoka, this is one of the most successful Hikikomori treatment centers in Japan, using a variety of different treatment alternatives, both online and offline. The study suggests a theoretical framework of how IT contributes to Hikikomori development, a recognized mental disorder that manifests as a state of acute social withdrawal. Based on its findings, this study adopts a technology affordances and constraints perspective of the phenomenon to shed light on how IT induces the pathological behaviors associated with this recognized mental disorder, and thus may serve as a crucial first step toward its treatment. Taken together, by addressing the research questions, these findings make several important theoretical contributions to the dark side of IT literature: 1) challenge the existing knowledge in this area, particularly knowledge centered on perspectives at an individual level in a work context by providing three empirically grounded theoretical frameworks that help address the lack of empirical studies on the roles of IT from the dark side research in a hedonic context, and at organizational and societal levels; 2) explore three aspects of negative outcomes on individuals, organizations, and societies; and 3) challenge the dominant position of existing studies by providing empirical evidence of a process perspective on how the use of IT can result in negative outcomes by constructing detailed theoretical frameworks that identify the mechanisms used to illustrate the dark side at different levels of analysis. Beyond its theoretical implications, this thesis also makes a number of contributions to practice: 1) serves as a detailed roadmap for practitioners through which to understand how the mechanisms work, and consequently to identify effective and appropriate interventions to dull the negative impacts on individuals in a hedonic context; 2) provides a comprehensive and empirically supported framework for practitioners who face difficulty in understanding and managing adverse impacts on organizations so as to use the theoretical framework as a detailed blueprint to assess and identify appropriate remedial actions; and 3) provides a detailed roadmap for practitioners who seek to understand the contributions of IT on negative social outcomes so as to design effective treatments and interventions and address the adverse social consequences

Who Heightens Regional Tension?:

Thesis advisor: Robert RossThe regional great power competition between the United States and China is escalating in various dimensions such as economic, political, and security realms. Who instigates such tension and how? To answer these questions, this paper inquires whether it is the declining power, the United States, or the rising power, China, that causes regional tension to heighten. Applying the theories on power transition and power transition war to the three case studies on South Korea, Taiwan, and the South China Sea dispute in Vietnam, how the United States is provoking China to adopt policies that increase tension will be examined.Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2022.Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.Discipline: Political Science

Personal Values and Motivational Complexities in Mobile Shopping

With the expansion of mobile shopping (m-shopping) consumption, there is an increased need to understand the variety of consumer motives for consumer engagement in such behaviour. While the m-shopping industry is growing at a rapid pace, the paradoxes of consumer behaviour include the fact that consumers are enthusiastic about conducting searches through m-shopping but when making purchases, they go back to online shopping. This study sought to address this paradox by exploring the motivational complexity of m-shopping. Accordingly, the research objectives were twofold: to explore personal values that drive m-shopping consumption, and to investigate the possible value conflicts of m-shoppers. Based on data collected (n=251) through the hard-laddering approach, this study found 10 types of personal values that motivate m-shopping: Self-respect, Recognition, Exciting Life, Family Well-being, A Sense of Accomplishment, Centre of Attention, Self-direction, Financial Independence, Sense of Belongingness, and Financial Security. Based on two personality characteristics, that is, social character and openness to change, a typology of the personal values of m-shoppers was developed to explain personal values that drive m-shopping consumption. This study also found several value conflicts that are likely to occur in m-shopping consumption. Identified conflicts were: Exciting Life vs. Financial Security, Centre of Attention vs. Financial Independence, and Family Well-being vs. Self-direction. The analysis showed that consumers have to compromise and prioritize between their conflicting personal values. The study augments previous literature in personal values research and m-shopping research, as it provides researchers with a better understanding of how m-shopping consumption satisfies the personal values of consumers. This study provides a springboard for further m-shopping research and personal value oriented investigations in relation to segmentation development as well as m-shopping dissemination. Managerially, this study provides insight into creating a more favourable service design and marketing strategies for m-shopping consumption

Exploiting Resource Fluidity for Digital Transformation – A Revelatory Case Study

Digital transformation (DT) is a prevalent phenomenon across multiple industries with substantial impacts at the organizational, industry, and societal levels. Although DT have been explored in various contexts, most studies have taken for granted that the focal organizations could afford and own the human, technological, and monetary resources required for successful DT. However, not all organizations would want to bear the costs of owning these resources, and could seek to access them, but not own them, in a dynamic and transient arrangement. Using the case study of a mega church in New Zealand, we find that successful DT of such organizations is underpinned by attaining resource fluidity, which consists of 3 phases: the (1) Acquisition, (2) Activation, and (3) Application phases. This paper elaborates on each of these phases and presents a framework that could guide organizations to leverage resources they have access to, but not own to enact DT

Database Security System for Applying Sophisticated Access Control via Database Firewall Server

Database security, privacy, access control, database firewall, data break masking Recently, information leakage incidents have occurred due to database security vulnerabilities. The administrators in the traditional database access control methods grant simple permissions to users for accessing database objects. Even though they tried to apply more strict permissions in recent database systems, it was difficult to properly adopt sophisticated access control policies to commercial databases due to performance degradations. This paper proposes a database security system including a database firewall server as an enhanced database access control system which can efficiently enforce sophisticated security policies to provide database with confidentiality using a data masking technique for diverse conditions such as the date, time, SQL string, and table columns to database systems

Efficacy and Tolerability of GCSB-5 for Hand Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of GCSB-5, a mixture of 6 purified herbal extracts, in treating hand osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 220 patients with hand OA who had baseline a visual analog scale joint pain score of >30 of 100 mm at 3 hospitals between September 2013 and November 2014. After randomization, patients were allocated to receive oral GCSB-5 600 mg or placebo, bid for 12 weeks. The primary end point was the change in the Australian/Canadian OA Hand Index (AUSCAN)-defined pain score at 4 weeks relative to baseline. Secondary end points included the frequency Outcome Measures in Rheumatology–OA Research Society International (OMERACT-OARSI)-defined response at 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after randomization.FindingsThe allocated treatment was received by 109 and 106 patients in the GCSB-5 and placebo groups, respectively. At 4 weeks, the median (interquartile range) change in AUSCAN pain score relative to baseline was significantly greater in the GCSB-5 group than in the placebo group (–9.0 [–23.8 to –0.4] vs –2.2 [–16.7 to 6.0]; P = 0.014), with sustained improvement at 8, 12, and 16 weeks (P = 0.039). The GCSB-5 group also had a significantly greater OMERACT-OARSI–defined response rate than did the placebo group at 4 weeks (44.0% vs 30.2%), 8 weeks (51.4% vs 35.9%), 12 weeks (56.9% vs 40.6%), and 16 weeks (50.5% vs 37.7%) (P = 0.0074). The 2 treatments exhibited comparable safety profiles.ImplicationsGCSB-5 was associated with improved symptoms of hand OA, with good tolerability, in these patients. GCSB-5 may be a well-tolerated alternative of, or addition to, the treatment of hand OA. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01910116

Alpha-tocopherol exerts protective function against the mucotoxicity of particulate matter in amphibian and human goblet cells

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) in ambient air is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders and mortality. The cytotoxicity of PM is mainly due to the abnormal increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damage cellular components such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. The correlation between PM exposure and human disorders, including mortality, is based on long-term exposure. In this study we have investigated acute responses of mucus-secreting goblet cells upon exposure to PM derived from a heavy diesel engine. To this end, we employed the mucociliary epithelium of amphibian embryos and human Calu-3 cells to examine PM mucotoxicity. Our data suggest that acute exposure to PM significantly impairs mucus secretion and results in the accumulation of mucus vesicles in the cytoplasm of goblet cells. RNA-seq analysis revealed that acute responses to PM exposure significantly altered gene expression patterns; however, known regulators of mucus production and the secretory pathway were not significantly altered. Interestingly, pretreatment with alpha-tocopherol nearly recovered the hyposecretion of mucus from both amphibian and human goblet cells. We believe this study demonstrates the mucotoxicity of PM and the protective function of alpha-tocopherol on mucotoxicity caused by acute PM exposure from heavy diesel engines