The dark side of information technology use

A large body of research has considered the positive aspects of information technology (IT) use. However, emerging research and practice commentary is beginning to focus on complex and often alarming ways in which use of IT affects organisational and social life. This Special Issue focuses on these ‘dark’ effects of IT use.     

Robust real-time pattern matching using bayesian sequential hypothesis testing

This paper describes a method for robust real time pattern matching. We first introduce a family of image distance measures, the "Image Hamming Distance Family". Members of this family are robust to occlusion, small geometrical transforms, light changes and non-rigid deformations. We then present a novel Bayesian framework for sequential hypothesis testing on finite populations. Based on this framework, we design an optimal rejection/acceptance sampling algorithm. This algorithm quickly determines whether two images are similar with respect to a member of the Image Hamming Distance Family. We also present a fast framework that designs a near-optimal sampling algorithm. Extensive experimental results show that the sequential sampling algorithm performance is excellent. Implemented on a Pentium 4 3 GHz processor, detection of a pattern with 2197 pixels, in 640 x 480 pixel frames, where in each frame the pattern rotated and was highly occluded, proceeds at only 0.022 seconds per frame.     

User acceptance of hedonic digital artifacts: A theory of consumption values perspective

Hedonic digital artifacts have become prevalent in today's society. Their users typically pay for them, and in exchange are generally provided with benefits involving enjoyment. Today's research on technology adoption and use, though, has focused mostly on organizational or personal aids that provide efficiency and effectiveness and are free of charge for users. To bridge this gap, we identified several value drivers of hedonic digital artifacts and measured them in the context of mobile phone ringtones using the theory of consumption values. Hypothesis testing was performed using PLS on data collected from 422 ringtone users. Results confirmed that the overall value of hedonic digital artifacts is a third-order composite assessment, which successfully predicted behavioral usage and positive word-of-mouth intentions. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.     

Should I e-collaborate with this group? A multilevel model of usage intentions

The use of online collaboration tools for virtual teamwork has been studied extensively, but mainly at the individual-level. We decided to examine the effect of macro-level factors (i.e., team attributes) and applied hierarchical linear modeling analysis to a sample of data collected from 96 individuals nested in 34 virtual teams. Our results suggested that the development of behavioral e-collaboration intentions by individual virtual team members was affected by their perceptions about the system, as described by individual-level IT use theories, and macro-level factors pertaining to the team. The collaboration technology was perceived to be less useful when employed to communicate with social loafers; and collective social loafing negatively influenced the teams’ potency assessments. After controlling for individual-level perceptions of system usefulness, team potency augmented team members’ intentions to use the online collaboration technology with similar teams. It also improved team performance.     

Untangling the complex role of guilt in rational decisions to discontinue the use of a hedonic Information System

The discontinuance of the use of hedonic information systems (IS) has become somewhat prevalent. Nevertheless, little is known about why some individuals might decide to discontinue using a technology which they often use frequently and the use of which is typically intrinsically rewarding. Prior research has alluded to the ideas that (1) IS discontinuance merits its own theorizing, possibly separate from continuance and that (2) guilt feelings is a unique driver of IS discontinuance decisions. However, the literature still lacks cohesive models that explain discontinuance and especially the complex processes through which guilt influences such decisions, and perhaps that further illuminate differences between the processes underlying IS discontinuance and continuance. This study bridges these gaps and proposes and examines a model that explicates the complex effects of guilt and theory of planned behavior (TPB) predictors on the discontinuance of an instance of mostly hedonic IS, namely Social Networking Sites (SNS). In order to develop this model it is proposed that guilt, which is a self-reflective moral emotion that can influence cognition, is associated with attitudinal, normative, and control perceptions regarding the discontinuance act in a complex network of partial-mediation and moderation effects. The proposed model was tested and largely validated with structural equation modeling applied to data collected from 487 SNS users. It also pointed to possible unique features of the TPB as applied to IS discontinuance. Applicability checks further illuminated sources of guilt in this context. Decomposing the guilt effects on discontinuance and integrating them with the TPB is important since it not only extends theory both in IS and social sciences and hints at differences in planned behavior processes between IS continuance and discontinuance, but also because the findings point to mechanisms which can be used for attenuating guilt and planned behavior effects on IS discontinuance. Overall, this study validates a rationale-based theory of IS discontinuance, and can serve as a platform for further studying this notable, yet under-examined corrective behavior.     

Board-Level Information Technology Governance Effects on Organizational Performance: The Roles of Strategic Alignment and Authoritarian Governance Style

ABSTRACT

We report on two empirical studies that explore key factors that help translate information technology governance by the board of directors into organizational performance. The first study shows that strategic alignment partially mediates the effect of board-level information technology governance on performance. The second study demonstrates that authoritarian governance style negatively moderates the effect of board-level information technology governance on performance. Together, these studies open up the black box between board-level information technology governance and organizational performance.     

Design and Analysis of Experiments on Nonconvex Regions

Modeling a response over a nonconvex design region is a common problem in diverse areas such as engineering and geophysics. The tools available to model and design for such responses are limited and have received little attention. We propose a new method for selecting design points over nonconvex regions that is based on the application of multidimensional scaling to the geodesic distance. Optimal designs for prediction are described, with special emphasis on Gaussian process models, followed by a simulation study and an application in glaciology. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.     

A novel approach for modeling deregulated electricity markets

The theoretical framework developed in this study allows development of a model of deregulated electricity markets that explains two familiar empirical findings; the existence of forward premiums and price-cost markups in the spot market. This is a significant contribution because electricity forward premiums have been previously explained exclusively by the assumptions of perfect competition and risk-averse behavior while spot markups are generally the outcome of a body of literature assuming oligopolistic competition. Our theoretical framework indicates that a certain premium for forward contracting is required for efficient allocation of generation capacity. However, due to the uniqueness of electricity and the design of deregulated electricity markets this premium might be substantially higher than its optimal level.     

Watermarks encrypted in a concealogram and deciphered by a modified joint-transform correlator

We describe an electro-optical method of deciphering a watermark from a recently invented encoded image termed a concealogram. The watermark is revealed as a result of spatial correlation between two concealograms, one containing the watermark and the other containing the deciphering key. The two are placed side by side on the input plane of a modified joint-transform correlator. When the input plane is illuminated by a plane wave, the watermark image is reconstructed on part of the correlator's output plane. The key function deciphers the concealed watermark from the visible picture only when the two specific concealograms are matched. To illustrate the system's performance, both simulation and experimental results are presented.