1,721,001 research outputs found
Let’s collaborate, but I will be the first author! Exploring the importance of the first authorship for IS researchers
Full text linkCollaboration among researchers is typically seen as the quintessence of academic excellence, leading to improvements in the research quality, capitalization on the diversity of perspectives and gains in productivity. Despite these benefits, many research teams find themselves torn by competition,
antagonism and resentment. Desire to be the first author and resultant underperformance of non-first co-authors is often at the root of these conflicts. At the same time little is known about what motivates
researchers in general and IS researchers in particular to engage as first authors. To fill this gap, this study uses survey methodology to explore the attitudes of IS researchers and their resulting behavior when it comes to authors order. Qualitative and quantitative evidence collected from 398 IS
researchers is used to support our analysis. We find that researchers’ desire to be the first authors is mainly driven by such determinants as career aspirations, visibility, leadership and sense of ownership, and less so by the desire to satisfy their self-esteem and self-actualization needs. In
addition, the value placed on being the first author appears to be the function of researchers’ career level, with Ph.D. students attaching significantly higher value to it than senior scholars
Publication trade-offs for junior scholars in IS: conjoint analysis of preferences for quality, first authorship, collaboration and time
Full text linkA publication record provides evidence of research productivity and is critical for junior scholars starting their careers in academia. Publication attributes, such as level of the publication outlet, order and number of authors, are typically used to evaluate its quality. However, time spent on a publication is a limited commodity, and researchers face significant trade-offs when deciding which publications they should concentrate on. To better understand the choices made, conjoint analysis with 241 junior IS scholars was conducted. We find that when “quality vs. number of authors” and “quality vs. time” trade-offs are considered, quality is prioritized. However, the emphasis on quality is less
pronounced when “rank as an author” is at stake. Especially Ph.D. students tend to choose first authorship when dealing with “quality vs. rank as an author” trade-off. Our findings provide intriguing insights into how publication attributes weigh against each other when research collaboration decisions are made
Enhancing understandability of process models through cultural-dependent color adjustments
Full text linkNational culture influences natural language communication. Yet, semi-formal or documented communication media such as process models have largely ignored these influences. In process models, secondary notation elements such as colors, however, provides designers with visual cues to potentially increase the efficiency and effectiveness without changing the semantics of the model itself. We propose that colors are a promising mechanism in tailoring process models to meet cultural preferences in order to enhance understandability. We test this assumption through an experiment with postgraduate students from a Confucian culture (China) and a Germanic Culture (Germany and Austria). Past research has shown that people understand such models better if important elements are highlighted through colors. We hypothesize that this general design principle only works if the applied color schemes match cultural preferences while mismatches can even diminish the level of understanding. Our results show that colors that are preferred in Asian cultures aid process model understandability of Confucian participants. In contrast, diverse effects occur if models with these colors are provided to members of a Germanic culture. Based on our findings, we derive implications for the culturally appropriate presentation of conceptual process models and we emphasize a need to construct modeling studies with cultural values and norms in mind
A framework for the study of positive deviance in organizations
Full text linkPositive deviance describes behavior that deviates from salient norms, yet is positive in its intention or effect. It has received considerable attention in the sociology literature, and is increasingly being studied in the context of the workplace. The development of a cumulative tradition in this domain, however, is hindered by the continued coexistence of multiple definitions of positive deviance in organizations and the use of various measurements and research designs. In this paper, we synthesize existing definitions and approaches to the organizational study of positive deviance, integrate them into a coherent conceptual framework, and offer methodological advice and illustrations
Technology-induced anxiety: Manifestations, cultural influences, and its effect on the adoption of sensor-based technology in German and Australian hospitals
No full textSensor-based systems have healthcare transformation potential but acceptance problems jeopardize their diffusion. We theorize that perceived technology threats induce anxiety and diminish usage intentions. We use data from the pre-implementation phase in German and Australian hospitals to explore the formation of three types of anxieties, their impact on usage intentions, and the relationships between them and national culture. We find negative effects of relational and work-related anxieties on usage intentions while surveillance anxieties show no association. The anxieties can be partially linked to national culture characteristics. Our findings support implementation initiatives and offer a deeper understanding of technology-induced anxieties.Griffith Business School, Department of Accounting, Finance and EconomicsFull Tex
Constructive deviance as a driver for performance in retail
No full textA growing body of research is concerned with deviance in the workplace. While much research has explored negative forms of deviance, we examine constructive deviance: behaviour that deviates from salient norms and benefits the reference group. We empirically explore manifestations, determinants and performance outcomes of constructive deviance in standardised work processes. We do this through a mixed-methods study in bakery trading departments of an Australian retailer. We illustrate that constructive deviance occurs in these settings and show that some manifestations of constructive deviance improve organisational performance and pave the way for applying constructive deviance as a strategic tool in retail
The effects of organisational capabilities and pro-environmental attitude of management on the adoption of proactive environmental strategies for obtaining competitive advantage: An empirical evidence of the hotel industry in Thailand
No full textBusinesses in this century are facing a critical challenge concerning environmental problems. It has been argued that unstainable business operations are one of the major factors that contribute to the deterioration of the environment. Social pressures and current environmental regulations are now forcing business organisations to become more active in environmental management. Some organisations adopt environmental management practices for regulation requirements only, while many organisations go beyond those regulations by implementing voluntary actions to prevent environmental problems. Various studies have found that becoming involved in environmental management could lead an organisation to obtain a competitive advantage and to improve performance. However, becoming an environmentally friendly organisation does not mean overnight success, as it requires the organisation to have resources and capabilities that support environmental protection activities.
According to the natural-resource-based view of the firm, a sustainable competitive advantage can be obtained when an organisation is able to utilise its unique resources and capabilities to support environmentally friendly economic activities. Moreover, it has been found that a pro-environmental attitude in the people in an organisation contributes to the successful implementation of those activities. This study builds upon the natural-resource-based view of the firm and the new environmental (ecological) paradigm to tackle the research question of what determinants are necessary to obtain a competitive advantage through proactive environmental strategies (PES). Therefore, the objective of this study is twofold: (1) to identify determinants that complement the adoption of PES, and (2) to detail the specific benefits that can arise from the adoption of such strategies.
Previous studies have shown that the adoption of PES can be driven by four determinants: the organisational capabilities of learning, innovation, and quality management, and the pro-environmental attitude of management. However, these factors have been studied separately in different models. Moreover, previous research on PES has focused extensively on the manufacturing and service industries in developed economies. Little is known about the determinants and consequences of the adoption of PES in developing countries where inadequate environmental sustainability is a major threat to their economies. Therefore, this study focuses on a developing country, Thailand, which depends heavily on the tourism industry, but where environmental problems endanger the future of this industry. A holistic research framework is proposed to study the adoption of PES in this country.
This study employed an explanatory mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods, in order to enhance the generalisability of the findings. The quantitative data were collected through paper and online self-administered surveys. The structural equation modelling with partial least squares (PLS-SEM) was applied to analyse 97 questionnaire responses exploring the relationships between several variables in the research model. Eleven semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted to find explanations to the quantitative findings.
The results from quantitative and qualitative data reveal that pro-environmental attitudes of owners and top management, as well as learning orientation, innovativeness, and quality management capability are the necessary determinants for the adoption of PES in the hotel industry in Thailand. Although the quantitative analysis shows that pro-environmental attitudes of departmental managers have no direct effect on PES, the qualitative findings provide an explanation that the pro-environmental attitude and support of owners and top management are more important for the adoption of PES in hotels in Thailand which have a centralised organisational structure. In addition, this study extends the natural-resource-based view of the firm by arguing that businesses in both developed and developing economies can obtain competitive advantage from the adoption of PES supported by their unique organisational capabilities including learning orientation, innovativeness and quality management capability. Even though the passive learning style, the centralised organisational structure, the seniority issue in Thai culture, and the considerateness (in Thai called ‘Kreng Jai’) could potentially affect the learning climate in hotels, it is argued that learning capability is essential for hotels that aim to achieve sustained competitive advantage through PES. In addition, it was found that each capability complements the adoption of PES in a different aspect. Therefore, these capabilities are equally necessary in the adoption of PES. It can be concluded that all determinants found in developed economies are also important for the adoption of PES in developing economies.
This study confirms that PES contributes to several organisational outcomes. More specifically, green strategies lead directly to positive environmental performance in terms of the consumption of utilities, waste management, and environmental risk management and to quality performance in terms of internal business processes, employee and customer satisfaction, leading to cost competitiveness and competitive advantage through differentiation. Moreover, both cost and differentiation competitiveness contribute to financial performance in terms of operating profit, return on environmental related investment, sales volume and operating cash flows. As this study focusses exclusively on a developing country, findings will extend previous studies by adding to the literature showing that PES is highly relevant for the hotel industry in both worlds. Positive organisational outcomes can be obtained from the adoption of PES for hotels in both developed and developing economies. The theoretical and managerial contributions of this thesis could pave the way for the successful implementation of green initiatives in Thailand which, in turn, could improve its travel and tourism competitiveness.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)Dept Account,Finance & EconGriffith Business SchoolFull Tex
Acceptance of Ambient Intelligence in Hospitals: A Comparison between Germany and Australia on the Example of the Medication Support
No full textNo Full Tex
Model-Master-Transfer: Formally Deconstructing Educational Games to Build a Quantitative Theory
No full textWe live in an increasingly interconnected, complex world, where our collective decisions can have unanticipated indirect consequences on the world. What is today a hands-on job may soon be a job of managing variables at a computer screen. However, people have tremendous difficulty handling even relatively mild levels of complexity in experiments. Yet, in the context of many modern computer games, people eagerly teach themselves vastly complex systems, all without any external guidance or coercion. Educational video games research is a menagerie of different methodologies and paradigms. Meta analyses have found that mixed results in the literature are difficult to interpret due to the combination of different theoretical approaches, different data reporting conventions, and a general focus on proof-of-concept studies. They recommend a transition to narrower investigations of specific causal relationships between game properties and outcomes of engagement and learning, but this requires a way to incorporate them into the broader picture of educational and serious games research.
In this thesis, I focus on educational games and propose the Model-Master-Transfer (MMT) framework to break down educational game usage into a set of formal subprocesses that can be studied in more depth individually, and specify how such narrow studies can then be assembled to build up a causal model of the underlying effects. The framework is illustrated using different educational examples. The conceptual study contributes a comprehensive framework to the ambiguous research on educational learning using games. MMT is then used in empirical experiments to address two sub-problems: 1) Why players sometimes choose to lose the game, completely derailing its intended purpose; 2) The design of inherently learnable systems in terms of how the complexity of a game relates to the player’s ability to master it - searching for forms of complexity that elicit curiosity to learn about that complexity. These experiments demonstrate the value and manner of how to apply MMT to investigate specific psychological phenomena while retaining a logically coherent place in our understanding of how educational and serious games achieve positive outcomes - a logically coherent place provided by the framework ofMMT. This body of work provides practical applications for game developers and educators alike, as well as interesting theoretical implications for cognition, curiosity, and complexity.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)School of Info & Comm TechScience, Environment, Engineering and TechnologyFull Tex
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