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1 – 10 of over 2000Hongyi Mao, Shan Liu, Jinlong Zhang, Yajun Zhang and Yeming Gong
Scholars have examined the possible relationship between information technology (IT) and organizational agility. Although the general-level effect of IT is undisputed, empirical…
Abstract
Purpose
Scholars have examined the possible relationship between information technology (IT) and organizational agility. Although the general-level effect of IT is undisputed, empirical research on how different types of IT contribute to various aspects of organizational agility remains scarce. Therefore, this study aims to propose an integrated framework of internal capability and external environment to address this research gap.
Design/methodology/approach
This study investigates the potential mediating effects of absorptive capacity and the moderating effects of information intensity in the IT‒agility relationship. With a dataset comprising 165 organizations in China, this work provides empirical evidence that the effects of absorptive capacity and information intensity are multifaceted and nuanced, thereby revealing the latent mechanisms of IT competency and organizational agility.
Findings
Absorptive capacity partially mediates the effects of IT knowledge and IT operations on market capitalizing agility and fully mediates their effects on operational adjustment agility. However, no direct or indirect effects of IT objects are found on both types of organizational agility. Information intensity also positively moderates the effects of IT operations and IT objects on absorptive capacity. However, no significant moderation is found with regard to IT operations.
Originality/value
This study provides novel insights by demonstrating clearly the different mediating roles of absorptive capacity in the relationship among various types of IT competency and diverse aspects of organizational agility. This work also underscores the moderating role of information intensity in shaping absorptive capacity through IT competency.
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Hao Wang, Shan Liu, Baojun Gao and Arslan Aziz
This study aims to explore whether seeking recommendations for doctors from offline word-of-mouth or online reviews influences patient satisfaction after treatment, and how the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore whether seeking recommendations for doctors from offline word-of-mouth or online reviews influences patient satisfaction after treatment, and how the source of recommendation affects this effect.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a unique dataset of more than three million reviews from a popular Chinese online health community, this study used the coarsened exact matching method and built fixed-effect models to conduct empirical analysis.
Findings
The results suggest that selecting doctors according to recommendations can improve patient satisfaction and mitigate their dissatisfaction when encountering service failures. However, online recommendations were found to be less effective than offline sources in improving patient satisfaction.
Originality/value
This study provides important insights into patient satisfaction and doctor-patient relationships by revealing the antecedents of satisfaction and the potential for improving this relationship. It also contributes to the understanding of how recommendations in the healthcare context can improve patient satisfaction and alleviate the negative impact of service failures.
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Shan Liu, Fan Xia, Jinlong Zhang and Lin Wang
Although crowdsourcing has gained significant attention and is being used by numerous companies to develop new products and solve practical issues, the performance of…
Abstract
Purpose
Although crowdsourcing has gained significant attention and is being used by numerous companies to develop new products and solve practical issues, the performance of crowdsourcing is not optimistic. The purpose of this paper is to develop a validated risk profile of crowdsourcing and investigate the relationships among different types of risks and those between risks and performance in crowdsourcing.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the quantitative data collected from 136 crowdsourcing participants in China, two dimensions (i.e. social system and technical system risks) and five sub-dimensions (i.e. crowdsourcer, relationship, crowdsourcee, complexity, and requirement) of crowdsourcing risks are developed and validated. A theoretical model that integrates crowdsourcing risks and performance is developed. The technique of partial least squares is employed to assess the measurement model and test the hypotheses.
Findings
The empirical evidence determines the positive association of social system risks with technical system risks, which in turn negatively affect crowdsourcing performance. Specifically, relationship risk is positively affected by crowdsourcer and crowdsourcee risks, and these risks positively affect requirement and complexity risks. However, requirement and complexity risks negatively affect crowdsourcing performance.
Originality/value
This study explores the interrelationship between various risks and the relationship between risk and performance in the context of crowdsourcing by integrating risk-based view with socio-technical theory. Systematic but different risk mitigation strategies should be designed in crowdsourcing to manage risks and enhance performance.
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Peiran Gao, Yeming Gong, Jinlong Zhang, Hongyi Mao and Shan Liu
The purpose of this paper is to explore the joint effects of different types of IT resources and top management support. Especially, the authors attempt to mainly examine a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the joint effects of different types of IT resources and top management support. Especially, the authors attempt to mainly examine a negative synergy or substitution relationship between IT infrastructure resources and CEO support, and a positive synergy or complementary relationship between IT human resources and CEO support among the large-sized enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
A research model that integrates IT infrastructure resources, IT human resources, CEO support and the degree of usage of IT for business objectives (i.e. IT business spanning capability) is developed. Based on a sample of 112 large-sized enterprises, partial least squares is used to analyze the research model.
Findings
Whereas the positive moderating role of CEO support in the effectiveness of IT human resources is insignificant, CEO support and IT infrastructure resources have a substitution relationship in predicting IT business spanning capability. Furthermore, the results can explain under which conditions IT infrastructure resources insignificantly or significantly affect IT business spanning capability in large-sized enterprises. Specially, IT infrastructure resources significantly affect IT business spanning capability only when CEO support is low. Thus, in the presence of high CEO support, IT executives in large-sized enterprises should prioritize developing highly effective IT resources, such as IT human resources.
Originality/value
This paper highlights the joint effects of two critical IT resource types (i.e. IT infrastructure and IT human resources) and CEO support in the IT assimilation process among the large-sized enterprises, ultimately contributing to information systems theories and practices.
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Yujuan Zheng, Shan Liu, Wei Huang (Wayne) and James Jiunn-Yih Jiang
The purpose of this paper is to formulate and test a theoretical model to explain inter-organizational cooperation behaviors among suppliers in automotive new product development…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to formulate and test a theoretical model to explain inter-organizational cooperation behaviors among suppliers in automotive new product development (NPD) projects. This study aims to investigate the effects of cost and benefit factors on trust and inter-organizational cooperative behaviors among suppliers in automotive NPD projects from the perspective of social exchange theory (SET).
Design/methodology/approach
The structural equation modeling method is applied to test the proposed model, which is based on the analysis of survey data from 272 product managers of automotive part suppliers.
Findings
Knowledge sharing and coordination effort influence inter-organizational cooperation indirectly through trust. Specially, trust is negatively influenced by coordination effort but positively affected by knowledge sharing. Requirement uncertainty moderates the relationship between cost–benefit factors and trust differently. Specifically, requirement uncertainty increases the negative influence of coordination effort on trust but also strengthens the positive effect of knowledge sharing on trust.
Originality/value
This study provides a relatively comprehensive cost–benefit framework for further understanding the formation mechanism of inter-organizational cooperation among suppliers. It also contributes to SET by incorporating the contextual factor to explain the moderating effect of requirement uncertainty on the relationships between cost–benefit factors and trust in the context of automotive NPD projects.
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Qing Tang, Fen Liu, Shan Liu and Yunfeng Ma
The purpose of this paper is to explore the key factors that affect consumer redemption intention toward mobile coupons recommended in social network sites (SNS).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the key factors that affect consumer redemption intention toward mobile coupons recommended in social network sites (SNS).
Design/methodology/approach
A research model that integrates recommendation trust, positive utilities, and negative utilities of coupon redemption is developed. With the important role of trust in social recommendation taken into consideration, the key drivers of recommendation trust were analyzed in the model. Data were collected from 210 users with mobile coupon recommendation experience in one of the largest SNS (i.e. WeChat) in China. The authors used partial least squares technique to analyze the model.
Findings
Recommendation trust and positive utilities (economic benefits and perceived enjoyment) positively affect the intention of mobile coupon redemption. Perceived risk, as a negative utility, negatively influences coupon redemption intention. In addition, swift trust (structure assurance, perceived similarity, trust propensity, and expertise of the recommender), knowledge-based trust (familiarity with the retailers), and emotion-based trust (social tie strength) are key drivers that promote recommendation trust.
Originality/value
While prior research investigated mobile coupon redemption behavior in which coupons were issued by merchants, limited research analyzed consumer responses toward mobile coupons in social recommendation. This study examines the effects of recommendation trust, positive utilities, and negative utilities on mobile coupon redemption in the context of social recommendation and recognizes the key drivers of recommendation trust.
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Guoyin Jiang, Shan Liu, Wenping Liu and Yan Xu
Social media facilitates consumer exchanges on product opinions and provides comprehensive knowledge of online products. The interaction between consumers and e-retailers evolves…
Abstract
Purpose
Social media facilitates consumer exchanges on product opinions and provides comprehensive knowledge of online products. The interaction between consumers and e-retailers evolves into a collective set of dynamics within a complex system. Agent-based modeling is well suited to stimulate such complex systems. The purpose of this paper is to integrate agent-based model and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to simulate decision behaviors of e-retailers in competitive online markets.
Design/methodology/approach
An agent-based network model using the TOPSIS driven by actual price data is developed. The authors ran an experimental model to simulate interactions between online consumers and e-retailers and to record simulation data. A nonparametric test is used to conduct data analysis and evaluate the sensibility of parameters.
Findings
Simulation results showed that different profits could be obtained for various brands under different social network structures. E-retailers could achieve more profits through cross-selling than single-selling; however, the highest profits can be achieved when some adopt cross-selling, whereas others use single-selling. From a game perspective, the equilibrium for price-adjustment frequency can be determined from the simulation data. Thus, price adjustment differences significantly affect e-retailer profit.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into the evolutionary dynamics of online markets. This work also indicates how to build an integrated simulation model with an agent-based model and TOPSIS and how to use an integrated simulation model and interpret its results.
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Hongyi Mao, Shan Liu and Yeming Gong
To achieve digital transformation, organizations have continued to rely on integrating the capabilities of information technology (IT) to facilitate decision-making and developing…
Abstract
Purpose
To achieve digital transformation, organizations have continued to rely on integrating the capabilities of information technology (IT) to facilitate decision-making and developing their reconfiguration capability to enhance agile operations. The pressure imposed by digital transformation necessitates investigations on leveraging different IT capabilities to attain substantial organizational agility in an optimal configuration. This study aims to provide a new perspective on balancing IT structural capabilities and proposes a framework for evaluating their coalignment and complementary returns based on resource orchestration theory.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi-method approach is used to evaluate the research model. This study tests hypotheses and explores the potential coalignment and complementary returns of balance in structural models and response surface analysis. Then, it analyzes the qualitative data and provides complementary findings to corroborate and confirm complex relationships.
Findings
Balanced structural IT capabilities facilitate organizational agility but cooperate differently with internal (e.g. IT proactive stance) and external (e.g. environmental volatility) environmental factors. Balance between IT integration and reconfiguration must be maintained from several approaches during search/selection and configuration/deployment.
Originality/value
This study theorizes and empirically investigates the interactive mechanisms of two IT capabilities in influencing organizational agility under different boundary conditions. It enriches the understanding of balancing capabilities for organizational agility in digital transformation.
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Lin Wang, Lu Peng, Rui Liu, Ligang Cui and Shan Liu
The purpose of this study is to propose a new coordinated dynamic demand lot-size and delivery planning problem (CDLSDP), in which the delivery policy is integrated into the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to propose a new coordinated dynamic demand lot-size and delivery planning problem (CDLSDP), in which the delivery policy is integrated into the coordinated dynamic demand lot-size problem (CDLSP).
Design/methodology/approach
As a non-deterministic polynomial complete (NP-complete) problem, this CDLSDP seems difficult to be solved by a polynomial-time method. To handle this problem effectively and efficiently, a four-phase heuristic that balances the setup and inventory costs in the coordinating and delivery stages is designed to find near-optimal solutions.
Findings
Numerous computational experiments show that the proposed four-phase heuristic is effective and efficient. For 1,800 experiments with different scales, and different joint setup costs, solutions by the proposed heuristic have an average gap no more than 1.34% from the optimal solution.
Research limitations/implications
To decrease total system cost, the CDLSDP optimizes the time-phased replenishment and delivery schedule, which includes joint setup cost, item setup, delivery and inventory cost, for each period. An effective and efficient four-phase heuristic is designed to solve the CDLSDP.
Originality/value
Compared with the traditional CDLSP, the delivery policy is considered by the new CDLSDP. Moreover, the proposed four-phase heuristic is a good candidate for solving the CDLSDP.
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Shan Liu, Shiqian Guan, Qing Zhu and Chao Fang
This study aims to explore how relational and contractual governance affect crowdsourcer satisfaction under boundary conditions, including internal (i.e. task complexity) or…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how relational and contractual governance affect crowdsourcer satisfaction under boundary conditions, including internal (i.e. task complexity) or external (i.e. environmental complexity) factors.
Design/methodology/approach
We empirically validate the hypotheses using survey data collected from 255 crowdsourcers on a leading platform (i.e. Zhubajie.com). Partial least squares technique and hierarchical regression analysis are used to test the research model.
Findings
Both forms of governance mechanisms positively affect crowdsourcer satisfaction. Task complexity negatively moderates the linkage of relational governance and crowdsourcer satisfaction. However, environmental complexity weakens the positive effect of contractual governance but enhances the effect of relational governance on satisfaction.
Originality/value
This study deepens the current understanding of governance mechanism in crowdsourcing by discovering the effectiveness of contractual and relational governance. We also contribute to the governance and crowdsourcing literature by revealing the mechanisms of how governance takes effect under task and environmental complexities.
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