Focused Immersion: When Do Information Technology Affordances Disrupt It?

The rise of the use of Information Technology (IT) in many activities throughout people’s lives has led to questions about the impact on our attention. While most studies in this area have examined the role of task-specific technology, we still know little about the broader role of IT in people’s environments. In this study, we examine how and when exposure to technology affordances, such as having a smartphone at hand, affects focused immersion in a task. Based on theory on construal levels, and confirmed by our study, we posit that higher level, abstract ways of thinking protect against the negative impact of IT affordances on focused immersion. This insight can potentially help individuals tailor their IT environments to their needs for a deeper engagement in their activities. Further, by connecting strands of literature on focused immersion, this work can facilitate the development of a more comprehensive theory of focused immersion

Valid Construct Measurement Using Multiple Models

Invalid measurement of constructs in survey research often remains undetected and can lead to false conclusions. An important determinant of a construct’s measurement validity is how it is modeled. A construct can often be modeled in different ways, such as the sum of its parts or the cause of its effects. Since each of these models is associated with a unique set of errors, the common practice of specifying only a single model undermines validity. Current guidelines on measurement have not focused on how better validity can be achieved by comparing and combining multiple models. In this paper we provide a framework for the development and use of multiple models. This, we hope, would lead researchers view their construct of interest from different perspectives and thus measure it more validly

How to Tie a Construct to Indicators: Guidelines for Valid Measurement

Invalid measurement of constructs in information systems research often remains un-detected and can lead to false conclusions. The prescriptive literature on measurement has led to a better understanding of the sources of error in various areas, including con-ceptual modeling, common method bias, and estimation procedures. It has also called for heterogeneity in indicators to overcome sources of error associated with each indicator specifically. It has not led, however, to widespread measurement practice that takes these separate insights into account. This paper aims to facilitate this by integrating insights from the literature. It complements extant guidelines on the development of measurement with a typology of the ways to tie a construct to its indicators. It demonstrates the recommendations with an empirical illustration. This, I hope, will lead researchers adopt more heterogeneous indicators, allowing them to measure their constructs with better confidence in validity

Information Technology Addiction: Construct Development and Effects on Work Performance

IT addiction is a growing threat to quality of life and work performance. Online social networks, computer games and email are among the main culprits of such addiction. Surprisingly, the MIS literature has paid scant attention to this important area of research. An important limitation of past research is a focus that is too narrow to study the overall dynamics of IT addiction. My dissertation aims to elucidate these dynamics by incorporating multiple technologies and using a multi-method approach. Based on theories of reward and self-control, I will first define IT addiction and develop an instrument to measure it. I will then employ an experiment to validate the scale and to examine the effects of IT addiction on work performance. The results should pave the way for further academic inquiry into the nature of this ever-important construct, and should suggest practical measures to overcome its deleterious effects in the workplace

Towards a Synthesis of the Guidelines for the Development of Measurement

The emergence of FinTech companies has drawn much speculation about their potential to disrupt incumbent financial institutions and take as much as 20% of their earnings by 2020. While time will tell about these predications, one emerging reality is that FinTech is creating a new ecosystem where the structure has incumbents, start-ups and tech firms forming alliances, partnerships, and investments. This paper investigates how Australian banks are assessing and developing initiatives within the FinTech ecosystem. We draw from the concepts of sensing and responding to analyse more than 3000 news articles, reports, and press releases covering the period 2008-2014 from four Australian Banks. Within the limitations of the method, our findings indicate that Australian Banks are actively embracing FinTech by creating mechanisms for inbound FinTech knowledge flows, monitoring and facilitating FinTech activities of start-ups, crowd-sourcing FinTech ideas, launching hubs to encourage internal FinTech innovations, modernizing their platforms with the adoption of technologies commonly associated with startups and investing in Fintech start-ups. These findings indicate banks’ continuous adaptive behaviour and open avenue for future research

Lenovo: Being on Top in a Declining Industry

For the first time since the 2008 financial crisis, Lenovo, the world’s largest PC maker, had not only failed to increase its revenues and profits but also a net loss. Lenovo’s market share was still growing, but the PC market itself was shrinking by about five percent annually. Lenovo hoped to broaden its leadership toward smaller computing devices, a market that had seen more growth. It purchased Motorola Mobility in 2014 and continued to invest in its smartphone business through branding and innovation. Yet, in 2016, this business did not make a profit and only grew in some geographical markets. Lenovo faced fierce competition from giants such as Apple and Samsung and from Chinese manufacturers that had quickly grown in market share. How could Lenovo reignite growth and sustain its position as a global industry leader

The Hong Kong Jockey Club: Transforming Customer Experience Through Information Technology

For over 125 years, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (“the Club”) had been Hong Kong’s sole organizer of horseraces. Although it had made horserace betting a popular game in Hong Kong, its customers were aging. To change this, the Club launched a project to make the game more enjoyable for its customers of the technology-savvy generation. Based on market research and the latest technological developments, the project team set out to transform the customers’ journey from studying horses to placing a bet. It wanted to develop large multi-touch tables with an integrated smartcard payment system. But this meant major technical and organizational hurdles along the way. After two years the Club launched the world’s largest betting entertainment tables. This teaching case describes the Club’s project from defining the problem to evaluating its innovation, emphasizing the importance and difficulties of customer-oriented design

Smartphone addiction : construct development, measurement, and effects on performance

The use of the smartphones can be rewarding when the information it communicates positively alters our expectations. Such rewards strengthen our brain’s impulsive system by reinforcing concomitant behaviors and can give rise to addiction. Such an addiction can lead to depression, work-family conflict, and poor performance. While these adverse effects have raised academic interest into the phenomenon of Smartphone Addiction, we still lack articulated theories that can help us conceptualize it and operationalize the construct. The objective of this dissertation is to elucidate what Smartphone Addiction is and how it affects performance. We start by synthesizing theories underlying addiction and self-control to define and embed the construct. We then use this conceptual foundation to develop a multi-method instrument to measure the construct and to examine its relationship with performance. We focus on a specific mechanism by which it can affect self-control performance. We hypothesize that Smartphone Addiction leads individuals to take more breaks from work, to use their smartphone during these breaks, and that such use negatively affects the replenishment of breaks, carrying adverse consequences for performance at self-control. We test our hypotheses using an experiment, a questionnaire survey, and the experience sampling method. The results of the study show that while individuals high in Smartphone Addiction are more inclined to take breaks from work, and to use smartphones during these breaks, the effect of these breaks on subsequent self-control performance is not necessarily negative. This dissertation contributes to the literature in various ways. It develops the construct of Smartphone Addiction and embeds it into theories of self-control and addiction. This fundament can be used for other IT-related addictions, given the strong parallels in the use of smartphones and the use of tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. The dissertation also provides a method of measurement to study Smartphone Addiction in a way that is less prone to the sources of measurement error that are common in the field. In this dissertation, we have used it to take a step to elucidate the adverse consequences of Smartphone Addiction on work habit and self-control performance. These substantive and methodical contributions should pave the way for further inquiry into the phenomenon of IT-related addiction to help individuals and organizations prevent its deleterious effects.published_or_final_versionBusinessDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph

Anticipating, avoiding, and alleviating measurement error: A synthesis of the literature with practical recommendations

Researchers’ ability to draw inferences from their empirical work hinges on the degree of measurement error. The literature in Information Systems and other behavioural disciplines describes a plethora of sources of error. While it helps researchers deal with them when taking specific steps in the measurement process, like modelling constructs, developing instruments, collecting data, and analysing data, it does not provide an overall guide to help them prevent and deal with measurement error. This paper presents a synthesis of the insights in the literature through a decomposition of the logic of measurement. It shows how researchers can classify sources of error, evaluate their impact, and refine their measurement plans, in terms of specific steps or overall measurement approaches. We hope this will aid researchers in anticipating, avoiding, and alleviating error in measurement, and in drawing valid research conclusions

Supporting Autonomous Motivation for Physical Activity With Chatbots During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Factorial Experiment

BackgroundAlthough physical activity can mitigate disease trajectories and improve and sustain mental health, many people have become less physically active during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal information technology, such as activity trackers and chatbots, can technically converse with people and possibly enhance their autonomous motivation to engage in physical activity. The literature on behavior change techniques (BCTs) and self-determination theory (SDT) contains promising insights that can be leveraged in the design of these technologies; however, it remains unclear how this can be achieved. ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a chatbot system that improves the user’s autonomous motivation for walking based on BCTs and SDT. First, we aimed to develop and evaluate various versions of a chatbot system based on promising BCTs. Second, we aimed to evaluate whether the use of the system improves the autonomous motivation for walking and the associated factors of need satisfaction. Third, we explored the support for the theoretical mechanism and effectiveness of various BCT implementations. MethodsWe developed a chatbot system using the mobile apps Telegram (Telegram Messenger Inc) and Google Fit (Google LLC). We implemented 12 versions of this system, which differed in 3 BCTs: goal setting, experimenting, and action planning. We then conducted a feasibility study with 102 participants who used this system over the course of 3 weeks, by conversing with a chatbot and completing questionnaires, capturing their perceived app support, need satisfaction, physical activity levels, and motivation. ResultsThe use of the chatbot systems was satisfactory, and on average, its users reported increases in autonomous motivation for walking. The dropout rate was low. Although approximately half of the participants indicated that they would have preferred to interact with a human instead of the chatbot, 46.1% (47/102) of the participants stated that the chatbot helped them become more active, and 42.2% (43/102) of the participants decided to continue using the chatbot for an additional week. Furthermore, the majority thought that a more advanced chatbot could be very helpful. The motivation was associated with the satisfaction of the needs of competence and autonomy, and need satisfaction, in turn, was associated with the perceived system support, providing support for SDT underpinnings. However, no substantial differences were found across different BCT implementations. ConclusionsThe results provide evidence that chatbot systems are a feasible means to increase autonomous motivation for physical activity. We found support for SDT as a basis for the design, laying a foundation for larger studies to confirm the effectiveness of the selected BCTs within chatbot systems, explore a wider range of BCTs, and help the development of guidelines for the design of interactive technology that helps users achieve long-term health benefits