Cross-sectional research: A critical perspective, use cases, and recommendations for IS research (2023)

Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 141, 2023, Article 107615

Wearable devices have several benefits for the fast-growing senior adult population. However, the adoption rate of these devices by seniors is low and our understanding of their attitudes and behaviors is limited. This study explored the psychological barriers that influenced seniors' attitudes and intentions to use wearable devices by conducting mixed-methods research. Forty four members of the senior population were interviewed prior to and subsequent to using wearable devices. Next, a quantitative study was conducted using an online survey with 321 valid responses to confirm the qualitative study's findings. The results showed that perceived complexity and uncertainty were the most significant barriers that negatively impacted seniors' attitudes about their decisions to use wearable devices. Surprisingly, the results showed that perceived disability positively impacted seniors' attitudes about using wearable devices. These results provide interesting implications for both theory and practice.

International Journal of Information Management, Volume 69, 2023, Article 102615

Microtask gig workers (MGWs) rely on digital platforms to arrange work agreements with requesters to complete well-defined microtasks. Many MGWs use an electronic network of practice (ENP) to facilitate information sharing about desirable and undesirable microtasks. This study uses social capital theory to theorize how social capital’s dimensions – structural, cognitive, and relational – shape the development of uncertainty-reducing and individualized-skill benefits. Based on survey data from 436 Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers, the findings demonstrate that unique social capital dimensions affect specific ENP benefits. Understanding the communication style of an ENP (i.e., cognitive social capital) positively influences the uncertainty-reducing benefits of microtask information quality (MIQ) related to MTurk work. Combined with expectations of reciprocity and trust in ENP members (i.e., relational social capital), MIQ shapes microtask opportunity recognition (MOR), whereby individual MGWs identify opportunities to complete financially beneficial microtasks. The present study demonstrates that contextual factors, based on the coopetive nature of microtask ENPs, affect the interrelated structure of social capital theory and its underlying dimensions. Lastly, post hoc findings demonstrate the influence of MOR on MGWs’ financial performance, challenging previously held assumptions about the role of MIQ within the microtask literature.

Journal of Business Research, Volume 157, 2023, Article 113546

Digital transformation has a significant impact on firm internationalization. This paper aims to provide a systematic literature review to analyze two decades of literature on key issues related to digital transformation at the individual, firm, and macro (international) levels and its impact on firms’ internationalization process. We show the impact of human (soft side) and non-human components (i.e., knowledge, leadership, digital servitization, technological) of digital transformation that can either allow or threaten it and their impact on firms’ internationalization. In addition, our findings show that digital transformation can positively and negatively impact firm internationalization at the individual, firm, and macro levels. Moreover, we review the existing theories related to digital transformation and internationalization and identify the current gaps in these theories. Finally, we provide directions for future research to address these gaps.

International Journal of Information Management, Volume 69, 2023, Article 102597

Affordance theory provides one of the most prominent lenses through which the socio-technical aspects of a system’s use can be investigated and understood. In this context, the literature has proposed that perceived and actualized affordances may be adjusted over time. Yet, how the adjustment of affordances occurs has not been explained in detail. Thus, in this article, we develop a conceptual model of feedback mechanisms that includes a more explicit description of how affordances are perceived by users, whether actualized and adjusted. With the model, we introduce the central concept of a generative base, out of which affordance perceptions emerge and which can be updated through affordance actualizations. With this base, we integrate mental model (MM) theory to explain better the differing perceptions before and after actor–artifact interactions. Our conceptual model is illustrated and specified using an empirical case of the mental mobile health (mHealth) app “Between The Lines” in Germany. In this study, we conducted 40 interviews in two rounds with 20 teenage app users. Our results show that the users’ perceptions of mHealth affordances become adjusted and hence change over time due to experiencing the actualization process, which may lead to an update of the generative base, including the user’s MM.

Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Volume 169, 2023, Article 102972

While big data analytics (BDA) carries great potential for supply chain management (SCM), actual advanced applications of these approaches are still limited in practice. Within this context, we seek to identify what can foster an SCM professional’s proficient use of BDA, and define BDA proficiency as an individual’s ability to effectively use BDA. Grounding our research in the theoretical framework of technology acceptance, we consider perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude toward, and behavioral intention to use BDA as potential influential antecedents. Using primary survey data from 212 SCM professionals, we find that all but one of these hypothesized relationships are confirmed among the sample. This offers valuable insight on how to drive the intention of SCM professionals to use BDA, which serves as a foundation to become proficient in it. In addition, we hypothesize about the impact of BDA proficiency on generating business value in terms of both quality and cost performance, two important outcome variables in SCM research. While the impact on cost performance is confirmed, the impact on quality performance is non-significant, bringing greater clarity to the differentiated performance impacts of BDA proficiency. When further scrutinizing these links to performance under the moderating effect of environmental competitiveness, we not only find the impact of BDA proficiency on cost performance to be greater under higher levels of environmental competitiveness, but also that under such greater levels the link from BDA proficiency to quality performance becomes significant. Overall, our research provides insight not only into what can foster an SCM professional’s BDA proficiency, but also into its impact on performance under various levels of environmental competitiveness.

Resources Policy, Volume 80, 2023, Article 103256

In November 2021, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) was held in Glasgow, UK, the global leaders from nearly 200 countries stressed taking immediate action on the climate issue and how to ensure global net-zero emissions by 2030. It is possible to accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy systems, the present study seeks to identify and analyse key barriers to Low Carbon Operations (LCO) in emerging economies. A critical literature review was undertaken to recognise the barriers linked to the adoption of LCO. To validate these barriers, an empirical study with a dataset of 127 respondents from the Indian automobile industry was conducted. The validated barriers were analysed using Best Worst Method (BWM) and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) techniques. BWM is used to determine the priority ranking of barriers, while the DEMATEL method is employed to elucidate the cause-effect inter-relationships among the listed barriers. The results suggest that ‘Economic’ is the most influential category of barriers followed by ‘Infrastructure’ and ‘Operational’. The results also show that the barriers ‘Economic’, ‘Environmental’, ‘Infrastructure’ and ‘Organizational Governance’ belong to the cause group. Some significant managerial implications are recommended to overcome these barriers and to assist firms in the successful adoption of LCO and achieving net-zero emissions. The work was carried out in the automotive industry in India but provides findings that may have wider applicability in other developing countries and beyond.