“They Deserved It”: Using the Just World Hypothesis to Understand Blaming, Apathy, and Support on Social Media

Social media offers a forum for individuals to share experiences after being wronged by an individual, an organization, a group, or a government. While some individuals gain support through sharing experiences on social media, other victims become the subject of attacks or receive little to no response from others regarding their injustice. An individual’s response to a victim’s social media post may be explained by the just world hypothesis. In this article, we explain the just world hypothesis and how this theory applies to when individuals respond to victims on social media. The just world hypothesis offers a means to understand factors that encourage negative social media behaviors. In this conceptual article, we explain how future research may leverage the just world hypothesis as a theoretical lens to examine why individuals engage in victim blaming, victim apathy, or victim support using social media

Emotional Dissonance and the IT Professional – A Replication

This study is a conceptual replication of the Rutner, Hardgrave, and McKnight (2008) model of emotional dissonance analyzed as an antecedent of work exhaustion and job satisfaction extending the original Moore (2000a) model of turnover intention. Using a sample of IT workers from a Fortune 500 company, we tested the model of emotional dissonance and turnover intention. Our sample size is 303, nearly double the sample size (N=161) used in the original study. We successfully replicated five of the seven hypotheses tested in original paper. These results strengthen theories in information systems exploring job satisfaction and turnover intention among IT workers. Future research might consider new stressors or issues facing IT workers that could be investigated with emotional dissonance

The Challenges of Using of Information Technology to Counter Human Trafficking

In our society, many social entrepreneurs have endeavored to create and distribute technology designed to impact society for good. In this paper we highlight technologies used to counter human trafficking, namely sex trafficking. While these technologies offer significant promise to identify both victims and perpetrators of human trafficking, there are significant reasons why users (i.e., law enforcement officers) resist using information systems that may help with rescuing victims and bringing traffickers to justice. Based on interviews with (1) members of a non-profit organization that trains law enforcement officers to use information systems to counter human trafficking and (2) law enforcement officers, we identify several reasons why law enforcement officers fail to use new information systems or adapt their existing use of information systems to counter human trafficking

The Role of Fitbits in Corporate Wellness Programs: Does Step Count Matter?

Striving to promote the health and well-being of their workforce and decrease insurance expenditures, many organizations are incorporating wearable fitness trackers into their corporate wellness programs. Research suggests that these devices encourage individuals to make healthier choices; however, little is known about the drivers and impact of fitness trackers on employee health and well-being. We seek to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the following research questions: (1) what is the impact of wearable fitness device use on employee health and well-being? (2) what is the impact of wearable fitness device use on step count? Our results indicate that extended use has a positive impact on employee well-being and step count, which fully mediates the relationship between feature use and health. These findings have implications for research into wearable fitness trackers and, more specifically, for research on the uses of wearable fitness devices in corporate wellness programs

I Track, Therefore I Am: Exploring the Impact of Wearable Fitness Devices on Employee Identity and Well-being

Corporate wellness programs can help employees improve their health and well-being. There are many advantages to a healthy workforce including increased productivity and lower health insurance premiums. A growing trend in corporate wellness programs is to offer wearable fitness trackers to employees to help them monitor their activity so that they can make better choices about their health. It is estimated that more than 13 million wearable fitness devices will be used in corporate wellness programs by 2018. Our research will explore this phenomena by investigating the effect of wearable fitness devices on employee identity and well-being. We will use a case study about a financial institution that has recently implemented the use of Fitbits as part of its corporate wellness program. Our results will have the potential to shed light on the impacts of wearable fitness device initiatives on employees and organizations

Stereotyping and Stigmatizing IT professionals Toward a model of devaluation

An understanding between information technology (IT) and business units is important to information systems research in that their alignment is critical for organizational performance in the digital environment. Negative perceptions and associated behavioral outcomes can affect group cohesion and effectiveness. The present research uses the lens of stigma and stereotypes to explore a notion of non-productive relationships between the IT and nonIT groups. The primary focus of this study was to analyze interviews with IT professionals to explore and identify potential antecedents to stigma. The differences between IT professionals and users are defined and explicated, illustrating the occurrence of stereotyping among and between the various groups. We found that relationships between the IT and nonIT groups appear to support a notion of differentness. The support of stigmatization between these two groups likely exists in interpersonal relationships during situations of stress, cultural differences, and expectations. Relationships in the pervasive digital environment between business units are critical for organizational performance. Each unit maintains its own culture and, therefore, the associated views and behavioral outcomes. The existence of different groups implies a difference in perception, expectation, and ultimately performance. doi:10.17705/3JSIS.0001

Navigating an Interdisciplinary Approach to Cybercrime Research

The internet has created new markets and enabled alternative business models for criminal activity, such as human trafficking. Consequently, research is needed to understand the complexity, occurrence, and impact of internet-enabled crime on victims and society. Many scholars have called for interdisciplinary approaches to study and develop interventions to address a broad range of cybercrimes, but this call is challenging to implement. Therefore, we provide a confessional account of our experience associated with developing an interdisciplinary research team and conducting research related to a specific form of cybercrime, predatory crime involving deceptive or covert solicitations. Our confessional account allows us to reflect on our project and discuss the challenges we have encountered along with a discussion of how we have addressed these challenges. We offer guidance to researchers in various stages of conducting interdisciplinary research based on our experiences with a specific form of cybercrime, internet-enabled crime

Three faces of context and their implications for career: a study of public sector careers cut short

This paper examines the impact of context on careers. It is based on a study of senior managers in an English Local Authority. It offers two important contributions: first, an empirical contribution examining how context matters to individuals in their career-making in the setting of the UK public sector. Our findings point to three aspects or faces of context: proximal events, ideology and enduring structural features. The first, context as ideology, attends to meaning-making that is collective in nature, and that incorporates concepts of power, domination, subordination and resistance. Our second refers to the enduring structural features. These are on-going trends and developments, predictable and traceable over the medium to long-term which offer rules and resources, thus structuring opportunity and constraint. Finally, the third face, context as proximal events, refers to (often unexpected) contingencies that arise at particular moments. Although bounded both spatially and temporally, they can significantly impact on career decision making. The second contribution of the paper builds upon this empirical base to develop theoretical and conceptual understanding of the link between career and context, illustrating the interconnectedness of the various faces of context and the dynamic ways in which these influence career-making over time

Defining ourselves:Personal bioinformation as a tool of narrative self-conception

Where ethical or regulatory questions arise about an individual’s interests in accessing bioinformation about herself (such as findings from screening or health research), the value of this information has traditionally been construed in terms of its clinical utility. It is increasingly argued, however, that the “personal utility” of findings should also be taken into account. This article characterizes one particular aspect of personal utility: that derived from the role of personal bioinformation in identity construction. The suggestion that some kinds of information are relevant to identity is not in itself new. However, the account outlined here seeks to advance the debate by proposing a conception of the relationship between bioinformation and identity that does not depend on essentialist assumptions and applies beyond the narrow genetic contexts in which identity is customarily invoked. The proposal is that the identity-value of personal bioinformation may be understood in terms of its instrumental role in the construction of our narrative identities, specifically that its value lies in helping us to develop self-narratives that support us in navigating our embodied existences. I argue that this narrative conception provides useful insights that are pertinent to the ethical governance of personal bioinformation. It illuminates a wider range of ethical considerations in relation to information access; it accounts for variations in the utility of different kinds of information; and it highlights that the context in which information is conveyed can be as important as whether it is disclosed at all. These arguments are illustrated using an example drawn from psychiatric neuroimaging research

Shopping for a cause : exploring the role of information systems in ethical consumption.

There is a growing awareness and concern from consumers about the negative impacts of their consumption decisions on the environment, public health, and the global economy. Consequently, consumers are beginning to seek assurance that the products they consume are environmentally and socially conscious. One way consumers can address these concerns is by purchasing ethically sourced products, an activity referred to as ethical consumption. For consumers to take responsibility for the environmental impact of their consumer choices, they must be provided information on the ethical attributes of the products they purchase. Ethical consumption apps (ECAs) provide consumers with this information. ECAs provide real-time information to the consumer on the ethical attributes of products. These mobile apps allow the user to scan products of interest and receive information on the provenance, environmental effects, safety, and social impacts of products at the time of purchase. While ECAs have the potential to encourage ethical consumption, research investigating these applications, their functionality, and use remains scant. The goal of this research is to fill this gap by investigating the following research questions: (1) how do consumers use information provisioned through ethical consumption apps? and (2) what is the impact of ECA use on purchasing behavior? To investigate these research questions, I conduct a qualitative study using a grounded theory approach. Based on the findings of data collected from ECA users and producers, I propose a Model of IT Enabled Behavior Change. This model illuminates the role of information systems in ethical consumption. Moreover, these findings are applicable to understanding how individuals utilize information systems to support voluntary behavior change. These findings have implications for theory, practice, and society