MIS Phd students will rehearse their upcoming conference presentations. The abstracts and copies of the paper are below:

1. Fit does Matter! An Empirical Study of Product Fit Uncertainty in Online Marketplaces – to be presented at ICIS 2010 by Yili Hong

Abstract (click here for the paper)

This paper examines the antecedents and consequences of product uncertainty in online marketplaces by conceptualizing the dimensions of product uncertainty – description uncertainty (identifying product characteristics), performance uncertainty (inferring product‟s future performance) and fit uncertainty (matching product‟s characteristics with buyer‟s needs), with the focus on product fit uncertainty. It also theorizes the distinction, relationship, and effects of the three dimensions of product uncertainty. Finally, it proposes a set of IT artifacts to reduce product fit uncertainty.

The hypotheses are tested with survey and website transaction data from 274 buyers in Taobao, the largest online marketplace in China. The results first demonstrate the distinction between three dimensions of product uncertainty, show that relative to description and performance uncertainty, only fit uncertainty has significant effect on price premiums, satisfaction, product returns, and repurchase intentions, and support the effects of the use of IT artifacts, such as instant messenger, product forums, and decision support tools on reducing fit uncertainty. Implications for research, theory and practice are discussed.

2. Impact of Past Performance and Strategic Bidding on Winner Determination of Open Innovation Contest – to be presented at WISE 2010 by Yang Yang

Abstract (click here for the paper)

Online innovation contests – seekers posting innovation projects to which solvers submit solutions – have been used by more and more firms for idea seeking and problem solving. Most studies of contests take the perspective of innovation seekers, and little is known about solvers’ strategy and responses. However, contest performance relies on understanding of the quality of solvers it may draw and the arrival times of best solutions. This paper provides insights to these questions. Specifically, we show that past performance of a solver is a good predictor of his future winning probability and that winners are more likely to be those who submit early or later during the submission period as opposed to those submit in the middle. We also find that strategic waiting (to submit solutions) may increase winning probability. Furthermore, we show that different contests appear to attract solvers with different expertise, which invalids the common assumption of fixed solver expertise distribution across projects in previous literature.

3. Digital Innovation and Craftsmanship: The Case of C. F. Martin & Company – to be presented at ICIS 2010 by Gordon Burtch

Abstract (click here for the paper)

Craftsmanship is a concept often left unaddressed in the IT innovation literature. Further, this literature often fails to consider innovation that involves human labor on the shop floor. With the sheer volume of organizations that operate in craft-based industries, placing a strident focus upon craftsmanship and predominantly innovating on the shop floor, this is particularly concerning. This work therefore examines the influence of considered craftsmanship on the nature and consequences of digital innovation in the guitar manufacturing process at C. F. Martin & Company. We propose a model of innovation that incorporates the concept of the activity system, drawn from the field of activity theory.

Individual innovations cause disturbances in actor-tool-task relationships (activity systems). This drives a series of reconfigurations, in an effort to eliminate said disturbances. Preliminary qualitative evidence is provided, supporting the proposed model, in the form of a series of semi-structured interviews.

4. Is IT the Great Equalizer? A Social Class based Longitudinal Analysis of Technology Diffusion – to be presented at ICIS 2010 by Yili Hong

Abstract (click here for the paper)

Technology in general and the Internet in particular have often been seen as the ―great equalizer‖ in that it provides a level playing field for all individuals in the society in terms of competing for social and economic opportunities. However, technology philosophers such as Andrew Feenberg have argued that technology diffusion mirrors the existing social order. Which of these worldviews actually holds is an open question, and in this research, we try to answer it using data on adoption of multiple technologies by individuals in the US over different time periods. Our results suggest that technology diffusion largely takes place along existing social class lines, and that the arrival of newer technologies ensures that the digital divide perpetuates.