Information Deficiency: Implications for Information Systems Design

Determining the information needs of management has been an important area of MIS research. Yet most existing techniques focus only on user perceived importance of information. The notion of Information Deficiency integrates both user perceived importance and user perceived availability of an information category. This paper proposes that Information Deficiency is a more important indicator of how crucial a category is to the system designer in relation to other categories. A laboratory experiment that was used to test this notion is described and implications for systems design are discussed

Service System Design (SSD) Innovation through Consumer Participation

This study reports on the issue of consumer-led design ideas in service innovations. The research is conducted through a “service science” lens, which treats consumers, providers, and technologies as parts of a service system wherein their interaction results in potentially mutual benefits. However, do consumers want to provide input into the design of services, can their ideas be valuable, and how and when do we approach consumers are some questions, which need empirical investigation. Thus, the objective of this research is to uncover the dimensions of consumer participation in service design. We applied a qualitative research design using focus group discussions. The results show that consumers provide informative use-based ideas to the organization if there exists, a level of trust between the two. The paper makes two contributions; a framework, which is instructive to an organization in order to include consumers in SSD and it extends the service science literature, which states that consumers are service systems with operant resources to be utilized effectively for the creation of value

Challenges in Short Text Classification: The Case of Online Auction Disclosure

Text classification is an important research problem in many fields. We examine a special case of textual content namely, short text. Examples of short text appear in a number of contexts such as online reviews, chat messages, twitter feeds, etc. In this research, we examine short text for the purpose of classification in internet auctions. The “ask seller a question” forum of a large horizontal intermediary auction platform is used to conduct this research. We describe our approach to classification by examining various solution methods to the problem. The unsupervised K-Medoids clustering algorithm provides useful but limited insights into keywords extraction while the supervised Naïve Bayes algorithm successfully achieves on average, around 65% classification accuracy. We then present a score assigning approach to this issue which outperforms the other two methods. Finally, we discuss how our approach to short text classification can be used to analyse the effectiveness of internet auctions

Agile Usage: Refining a Theoretical Model

Agile methodologies (AM), which emphasize iterative and incremental development with just-in-time processes and documentation, have been adopted by an increasing number of organisations. Despite this progress there is lack of clarity on their effective use after initial adoption. While there is much research on the use of various agile methods and practices, there is very limited understanding on the critical factors that impact their continued and effective usage. To address this gap, an integrated model called the Agile Usage Model (AUM) was developed, by coalescing insights from organisational level Information Systems implementation, traditional innovation diffusion models, and post-adoptive agile usage. The objective of this study is to use multiple data collection methods to further evaluate and refine the AUM. The final refined conceptual model of Agile Usage is presented along with implications for research and practice

Information Technology and Organizational Contexts: Orienting Our Work Along Key Dimensions

The locus of the Information Systems discipline is at the intersection of organizations, people, and those technologies and systems specifically related to the acquisition, storage, analysis, interpretation, and communication of data. However, much of the published research is trifurcated, emphasizing one dimension and virtually ignoring the others. We argue that a deeper understanding of and an appropriate emphasis on the technological dimension, the information technology artifact, will significantly benefit research in the discipline. By doing this in a manner that explicitly recognizes the organizational and human contexts, we will better orient our work toward the needs of our various constituencies. We look at two specific examples of potentially rich areas of enquiry: workflow management and the semantic Web. Using a design science paradigm, we describe how these two can serve as exemplars to address the key research concerns of the discipline. We conclude by discussing the roles that authors, journals, and the discipline itself can play in addressing the challenges that are presented

Analyzing Sentiments from Social Media: The Case of Financial Markets

Investors seeking quality information rely on market experts on financial news platforms such as Google Finance or Bloomberg. However, in recent years, stock discussion forums hosted on social media platforms are competing with financial news platforms and vying to become an important and credible source of information in this knowledge driven economy. Stock discussion forums are likely to attract retail investors who seek and share their opinions at no cost, and are competing with financial news platforms. This research compares the effect of information available on these two knowledge sources on stock returns. We use text mining methods to capture the sentiments revealed on a popular stock discussion forum and a news media platform and compare their ability to predict market returns. We find that sentiments from both social media and news media platforms predict future stock returns but the effect of social media appears to be stronger and more long lasting compared to news media

Exploring Information Disclosure In Online Auctions

This research examines how a seller’s reputation score and auction pre-configuration affects people’s participation in communication within online auction communities. A leading horizontal intermediary auction platform is used to conduct this research. Its seller “feedback” mechanism and “ask seller a question” forum are chosen as representatives of post- and intra-transactional information disclosure. A self-developed classification approach is used to classify the buyer-initiated questions. The results of multinomial logistic regression indicate that product quality, shipment and payment issues are aspects that concern buyers the most in the early stages of an auction. Subsequently, their attention is likely to shift to seller credibility and price negotiations as listing durations get longer. In terms of the influ- ence of seller feedback ratings, our findings suggest that lower-rated traders are more likely to be asked questions about product description and seller credibility. Buyer concern about seller uncertainty is only alleviated if the seller has a good reputation. Even medium-rated sellers are suspected of being opportunistic. Moreover, buyers are more willing to discuss transaction-related issues and raise negotiation-associated questions with sellers who have already achieved high reputation scores. Finally, the theoretical and managerial implications are elaborated

Understanding Intention To Repurchase On Auction Websites From Users\u27 It Reliance

Does the level of users’ information technology (IT) reliance lead to differences in the motivation of their intention to repurchase on auction websites? This study identifies two seller service propositions that positively affect buyers’ repurchase intentions either directly or indirectly and aims to make two important contributions. First, this study introduces the concept of service provision, which suggests that buyers’ expectations of service and their perception of service provision around purchase has an impact on customers’ intention to repurchase from the same online seller in auction website. Second, this study examines the impact of service provision on buyers’ repurchase intention both directly and indirectly

Understanding Service Provision and Online Repurchase Intention in Online Auction Contexts

This study investigates how service provision can help to establish business value and further develop customer loyalty onauction websites. With respect to the increasing importance for long-term success of auction websites, this study also examinesthe moderating effect of webpage design in retaining customers by comparing different types of auction websites (i.e., customised vs. unified webpage design). The findings suggest that the service provision around purchasing does not have a direct impact on buyers’ repurchase intention. However, service provision contributes to the development of business value and customer loyalty, and this in turn motivates buyers’ intention to repurchase from the same online seller on auction websites

High Resolution Vascular Imaging of the Rat Spine using Liposomal Blood Pool MR Agent

High resolution, vascular magnetic resonance imaging of the spine region in small animals poses several challenges. The small anatomical features, extravascular diffusion, and the low signal-to-noise ratio limit the use of conventional contrast agents. We hypothesize that a long circulating, intravascular liposomal-encapsulated MR contrast agent (liposomal-Gd) would facilitate visualization of small anatomical features of the perispinal vasculature not visible with conventional contrast agent (Gd-DTPA)