Adoption as Sensemaking: Toward an Adopter-Centered Process Model of IT Adoption

Current technology adoption research focuses on relationships between attitudes, intentions, behavior, and their various antecedents, but little is known about how these relationships develop and the processes by which adoption actually takes place. Karl Weick’s model of sensemaking in organizations is presented as a basic model for understanding adoption attitudes and behavior from an adopter-centered, process-oriented perspective. This perspective provides the opportunity for a much richer understanding of how adoption occurs and how it can be influenced. Seven properties of sensemaking are discussed in terms of adoption, the sensemaking model is compared to Rogers’ innovation-decision process model, and many research questions are mentioned to guide future process-oriented adoption research

Uncertainty Avoidance and Consumer Perceptions of Global e-Commerce Sites: A Multi-Level Model

47 pagesOnline purchasing is a decision-making process that involves inherent uncertainty. Yet consumer tolerance for uncertainty differs across cultures, requiring e-vendors to decide whether to adapt websites to different cultures when operating globally. We examine the effect of Hofstede’s cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance (UA) on consumer perceptions of e-loyalty. Viewing information quality, trust, and system quality as uncertainty reduction mechanisms, UA is hypothesized to moderate relationships involving these constructs in a recognized model of IS success. Specifically, we posit that relationships involving these constructs will be stronger for consumers from high UA cultures. Using data drawn from over 3,500 actual consumers from 38 different countries, and controlling for the impact of other cultural dimensions, results suggest that UA moderates the effects of information quality on perceived usefulness, and of trust on e-loyalty, but not system quality relationships. We discuss practical implications of our research, in regard to designing websites intended for global use

The Influence of Uncertainty Avoidance on Consumer Perceptions of Global E-Commerce Sites

We examine the effect of Hofstede’s (2001) cultural dimension of uncertainty avoidance (UA) on consumer perceptions of eloyalty. Viewing information quality, trust, and system quality as uncertainty reduction mechanisms, UA is hypothesized to moderate relationships involving these constructs in a recognized model of IS success. Using data drawn from over 3,500 actual consumers from 38 different countries, and controlling for the impact of other cultural dimensions, results suggest that UA moderates the effects of information quality on perceived usefulness, and of trust on e-loyalty, but not system quality relationships. The moderating effect of UA on the information quality-satisfaction relationship was non-significant, indicating uncertainty reduction effects may operate via a cognitive rather than an affective route. We close with implications

The Circadian Rhythm of Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

To review the literature on the circadian rhythm of blood pressure during pregnancy. Data Sources : Computerized searches on MEDLINE, CINAHL, and MIRLYN. Study Selection : Selected studies from 1969 to 1997 were evaluated. Data Extraction : Data were extracted and information was organized under the following areas: definition of and the interconnection between circadian rhythm and blood pressure; the circadian variability of blood pressure throughout the trimesters; the patterns of the circadian rhythm of blood pressure in pregnancies defined as normal and those complicated by chronic hypertension and preeclampsia; and clinical implications. Data Synthesis : The circadian rhythm of blood pressure in pregnancy is the same as in the nonpregnant state, with a nocturnal decrease, especially during sleep. In patients with chronic hypertension, the nocturnal fall in blood pressure may be steeper. Patients with mild preeclampsia may experience a less pronounced nocturnal decrease in blood pressure. Patients with severe preeclampsia may display a reversed circadian rhythm, with no decrease and/or an increase in nocturnal blood pressure. Conclusions : The patterns of the circadian rhythm of blood pressure during normal pregnancy and pregnancies complicated by chronic hypertension and preeclampsia warrant consideration when monitoring patients and implementing management plans.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71412/1/j.1552-6909.2000.tb02771.x.pd

Ernst Freund as Precursor of the Rational Study of Corporate Law

Gindis, David, Ernst Freund as Precursor of the Rational Study of Corporate Law (October 27, 2017). Journal of Institutional Economics, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2905547, doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2905547The rise of large business corporations in the late 19th century compelled many American observers to admit that the nature of the corporation had yet to be understood. Published in this context, Ernst Freund's little-known The Legal Nature of Corporations (1897) was an original attempt to come to terms with a new legal and economic reality. But it can also be described, to paraphrase Oliver Wendell Holmes, as the earliest example of the rational study of corporate law. The paper shows that Freund had the intuitions of an institutional economist, and engaged in what today would be called comparative institutional analysis. Remarkably, his argument that the corporate form secures property against insider defection and against outsiders anticipated recent work on entity shielding and capital lock-in, and can be read as an early contribution to what today would be called the theory of the firm.Peer reviewe

Perceived value impact as an antecedent of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude : a perspective on the influence of values on technology acceptance

textManagement information system scholars and practitioners have been puzzled by the difficulties in achieving technology acceptance. They have tended to believe that these difficulties are the results of a flawed understanding of the specific technology or a generalized attitude of technology avoidance. This research shows that perceptions of and attitudes toward acceptance of information technologies are related to the values of potential adopters. Sub-organizations in systems self-organize around their common values, and use those values to make sense of their environments. Therefore, mental models of information technologies are influenced by the values of those who interact with them. This study tested hypotheses that beliefs and attitudes toward technology are related to the perceptions of how that technology will impact the fulfillment of the adopters’ values. Also, the study tested whether or not the values changed across suborganizations. The study explored these questions in the context of three suborganizations within a children’s hospital considering the implementation of a computer-based patient record (CBPR) system. Questionnaires and interviews were used to explore the relationships of value importances and the CBPR’s perceived impact on the realization of the values with perceptions of usefulness, ease of use and attitude toward the CBPR. The relationships found suggest a strong influence of value-related perceptions on acceptance. Specific values related to technology acceptance were identified and contrasted among the suborganizations. Implications and suggestions for theory and practice based on the findings are provided.Business Administratio

A Learning-Based Model of Quality of Use: Insights from a Case Study of ERP Implementation

It has been argued that simple conceptualizations of usage are inadequate for understanding and studying use of complex information technologies. In this paper we argue that quality of use, instead of simple usage, is useful for understanding the extent to which a complex information technology is being used. An inductive case study of complex technology was conducted which led to the development of a learning-based model of quality of use. This model suggests the inclusion of factors relating to training (either formal or informal), learning, perceptions, and attitudes, their impact on quality of use, and their change over time. Moreover, it describes how perceptions of the system at a given time, along with newly acquired knowledge of the system, may influence perceptions at a later time. Evidence from the case study along with constructs and relationships from the literature are provided to support the model. Implications for future research are also discussed