Decision Making in an Automated Environment: The Effects of Anonymity and Proximity with a Group Decision Support System*

Recent advances in information systems technology have made it possible to support the work of interacting groups using networked personal computers. A laboratory experiment was conducted using a group decision support system to evaluate effects of anonymity and proximity on group process in automated group problem solving. Twenty groups of four persons each performed an idea-generating task using an interactive electronic brainstorming program. This experiment's main findings were: (1) Group members working anonymously and apart generated more comments. (2) Working in the same room increased satisfaction. (3) Highest levels of perceived system effectiveness were reported under anonymity.     

Cognitive Fit: A Theory-Based Analysis of the Graphs Versus Tables Literature*

A considerable amount of research has been conducted over a long period of time into the effects of graphical and tabular representations on decision-making performance. To date, however, the literature appears to have arrived at few conclusions with regard to the performance of the two representations. This paper addresses these issues by presenting a theory, based on information processing theory, to explain under what circumstances one representation outperforms the other. The fundamental aspects of the theory are: (1) although graphical and tabular representations may contain the same information, they present that information in fundamentally different ways; graphical representations emphasize spatial information, while tables emphasize symbolic information; (2) tasks can be divided into two types, spatial and symbolic, based on the type of information that facilitates their solution; (3) performance on a task will be enhanced when there is a cognitive fit (match) between the information emphasized in the representation type and that required by the task type; that is, when graphs support spatial tasks and when tables support symbolic tasks; (4) the processes or strategies problem solvers use are the crucial elements of cognitive fit since they provide the link between representation and task; the processes identified here are perceptual and analytical; (5) so long as there is a complete fit of representation, processes, and task type, each representation will lead to both quicker and more accurate problem solving. The theory is validated by its success in explaining the results of published studies that examine the performance of graphical and tabular representations in decision making.     

Exploring the Effects of the Privacy‐Handling Management Styles of Social Networking Sites on User Satisfaction: A Conflict Management Perspective

The issue of consumer information privacy, arguably the most substantial and persistent problem confronting e‐commerce companies in general and online social networking service providers in particular, often results in unsatisfied customers. Researchers have investigated privacy from various perspectives and in a multitude of settings, yet there have been few attempts to understand privacy versus satisfaction, particularly from the perspective of conflict management. Because users’ privacy can be negatively affected by social networking sites (SNSs), this study focuses on the privacy conflicts between SNSs and their users. Drawing on conflict management theory, this article investigates the effects of different conflict management styles exhibited by an SNS on users’ satisfaction with its privacy practices, which then affects their intention to disclose personal information. The SNS examined in this study is Facebook, the most popular SNS with the largest number of users. Data were collected using an online survey and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that the two cooperative conflict management styles demonstrated by the SNS—accommodating and problem‐solving—positively affect users’ satisfaction with the privacy practices of the SNS both directly and indirectly through perceived privacy risk control. With regard to uncooperative styles, an avoiding style negatively affects user satisfaction directly, whereas an asserting style negatively affects user satisfaction indirectly through perceived privacy risk. The results also support that satisfaction is positively related to intention; users who are satisfied with the privacy practices of SNSs are more willing to disclose personal information than unsatisfied ones.     

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the End‐User Computing Satisfaction Instrument: Replication within an ERP Domain*

Over the past decade, organizations have made significant investments in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. The realization of benefits from these investments depends on supporting effective use of information technology (IT) and satisfying IT users. User satisfaction with information systems is one of the most important determinants of the success of those systems. Drawing upon a sample of 407 end users of ERP systems and working within the framework of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), this study examines the structure and dimensionality, and reliability and validity of the end‐user computing satisfaction (EUCS) instrument posited by Doll and Torkzadeh (1988) . In response to Klenke's (1992) motion to cross‐validate management information system (MIS) instruments and to retest the end user computing satisfaction instrument using new data, this study's results, consistent with previous findings, confirm that the EUCS instrument maintains its psychometric stability when applied to users of enterprise resource planning application software. Implications of these results for practice and research are provided.     

Measurement biases in user involvement research

Considerable research has been conducted to demonstrate user involvement's effect on information system success. User involvement and system success typically have been measured by asking users for their perceptions of these variables. This paper reports on a field study conducted to investigate the possibility that this approach to measuring study variables tends to overstate the benefits of user involvement. The link of user involvement to user satisfaction is found to be significantly weaker when user involvement is assessed by systems analysts than when it is self reported. Further, this difference is found to be greater for systems with few users than for systems with many users. The findings suggest that common method variance and self-serving bias may have overstated the apparent benefits of user involvement in past research on information systems. Suggestions for future research are presented.     

Solving the Classification Problem in Discriminant Analysis Via Linear and Nonlinear Programming Methods*

This paper demonstrates the feasibility of applying nonlinear programming methods to solve the classification problem in discriminant analysis. The application represents a useful extension of previously proposed linear programming-based solutions for discriminant analysis. The analysis of data obtained by conducting a Monte Carlo simulation experiment shows that these new procedures are promising. Future research that should promote application of the proposed methods for solving classification problems in a business decision-making environment is discussed.     

Profitability of loyalty reward programs: An analytical investigation

Loyalty programs, as a prevalent CRM strategy, aim to enhance customers’ loyalty and thereby increase a firm’s long-term profitability. Recent analytical and empirical studies demonstrate inconsistent findings on the efficacy of loyalty programs in fulfilling these goals. In this study, an analytical model is developed to analyze the effect of customers’ valuation and their post-purchase satisfaction level on a loyalty program’s profitability. The results reveal how customers’ satisfaction plays a significant role in profitability of loyalty programs. We consider a profit-maximizing firm selling a good or service through two periods. Valuation is modeled as a deterministic parameter, as well as a stochastic variable with two arbitrary distributions. Depending on the customers’ valuation distribution, the model results in either a linear or a nonlinear optimization problem. Optimization problems are solved analytically, in terms of the model parameters. The obtained solutions provide some useful insights into the effects of customers’ satisfaction on the profitability of loyalty programs. Specifically, it is shown that depending on the customers’ satisfaction level, it may be optimal not to offer a loyalty reward.     

The Effectiveness of Different Representations for Managerial Problem Solving: Comparing Tables and Maps

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) enable decision makers to view tabular data geographically, as maps. This simple yet powerful visual format appears to facilitate problem solving, yet how it does so is not clear, nor do we know the types of problems that benefit from this representation. To begin to understand the contributions of geographic representations over tabular representations, we conducted a three-factor experiment in problem solving. The experiment contained two different representations (map and table), three different geographic relationships (proximity, adjacency, and containment), and three levels of task difficulty (low, medium, and high). We found that maps generally produced faster problem solving than tables, and that problem-solving time increased with task difficulty. Most importantly, for the proximity and adjacency geographic relationships we found that maps kept problem-solving time low, while tables tended to increase time dramatically. However, we found that the number of knowledge states for each task explains performance times quite well and is a useful tool for understanding performance differences and interaction effects. As tasks become more difficult, representing them as maps generally keeps the number of knowledge states small, while for tables, the number of knowledge states increases dramatically. Correspondingly, problem-solving times increase dramatically with tables, but not with maps. In sum, as difficulty increases, maps are more effective for problem-solving tasks. Using maps, the tasks are simplified using visual heuristics that keep problemsolving times and error rates from rising as quickly as they do with tables.     

DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR ILL-STRUCTURED PROBLEMS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Decision support systems (DSSs) are more complex than most other traditional decision-aid systems. For what types of problems are they more effective, and what design characteristics make them more effective? The laboratory experiment reported here examined the effect of three design characteristics of these systems in the context of decision makers faced with ill-structured problems. The characteristics were presence or absence of decision-aid heuristics, degree of interaction between the user and the system, and whether or not the system was computerized. The dependent variables were (1) quality of user performance, (2) user productivity of ideas, (3) user confidence in the quality of his/her performance, (4) user satisfaction with the decision aid or support system, (5) changes in user attitude toward the problem addressed, and (6) changes in user attitude toward computers. Use of heuristics and increased interaction had positive effects on decision quality, user productivity, and attitude toward computers; they had negative effects on user confidence, satisfaction, and attitude toward the problem addressed. Whether or not the system was computerized did not have a significant effect on any dependent variable. The findings concerning negative effects, in particular, suggest the need for research on the design of heuristics for addressing ill-structured problems—heuristics that will deliver the positive but not the negative effects observed in this study. The findings also suggest the need for research on how to benefit from computers in the context of solving ill-structured problems.     

Motivated information processing in organizational teams: Progress,puzzles, and prospects

Much of the research into group and team functioning looks at groups that perform cognitive tasks, such as decision making, problem solving, and innovation. The Motivated Information Processing in Groups Model (MIP-G; De Dreu, Nijstad, & Van Knippenberg, 2008) conjectures that information processing within such groups is strongly affected by two types of motivation: epistemic motivation (low–high) is thought to drive the depth of information processing, whereas social motivation (pro-self–pro-social) will influence the kind of information that is processed. The model predicts that high quality group outcomes may be expected especially when high epistemic motivation is coupled with pro-social motivation, because under these conditions groups process information extensively to foster collective goals. Here we review the model, its evidence, and some puzzling findings. We integrate this work with adjacent literatures on shared mental models and transactive memory systems, and extend the model to situations in which groups face rivaling out-groups and regulate intergroup competition and conflict. Throughout our review, we highlight possibilities for further research and propose testable hypotheses.     

垄断双边平台的价格策略和数量策略设计问题

考虑垂直差异化下双边参与者的选择行为,利用无穷维多类别用户均衡分析方法建立了垄断双边平台企业的价格策略和数量策略的 MPEC模型.其中,着重研究价格策略中双边平台市场均衡的多重性问题,利用供应曲线和需求曲线综合分析用户均衡多重解的几何特征及价格可行集合.针对非零用户均衡多重性的问题,本文还讨论了乐观和悲观两种用户均衡预期下的最优价格策略设计方法及平台最优数量策略,并发现了最优乐观价格策略和最优数量策略的对偶性.为更好结合平台实际运营,本文考虑平台具有一定的初始用户规模,研究了双边平台用户均衡定点问题的用户规模轨迹迭代方程的极限解,进而获得给定用户规模的平台最优价格策略,为平台企业提供定价决策参考.     

实时交通信息作用下公交多公司博弈研究

研究了提供公交车实时到站信息服务,对乘客出行行为的影响以及公交公司在基于自身利润最大化目标下,决策是否提供信息进行分析.模型中假设,理性的出行者随机到达车站或者利用公交信息提前规划自己的行程.计划出行的人数依赖于公交车的发车频率以及提供信息的质量的高低.基于固定需求的乘客出行分析,研究了公交公司在选择是否提供信息和设定运营频率以最大化利润.得到不同运营策略的公交公司的发车频率及最优利润.发现乘客利用信息成本越低,公交公司在提供信息方面越积极,公交公司可能在降低社会总成本的情况下落入“囚徒困境”.如果乘客利用信息的成本较高,而信息提供成本较低,则可能出现一家公交公司提供信息而另一家通过增加服务频率来差异竞争的均衡结果.     

分布决策环境下生产-分销协同计划研究

针对分布决策环境下因信息不对称使得供应链协同计划求解困难及难以达到全局最优的问题,本文利用多层规划理论和方法构建一个供应链生产-分销协同计划模型,采用模糊交互式协商和遗传算法的优化求解方法对协同计划模型进行求解。该方法求解的结果是一组满足约束条件的满意解,各节点企业根据自身偏好和约束信息决定是否接受该满意解,或者修正各自目标满意度隶属函数重新求解。决策过程具有一定的柔性。最后通过算例给出供应链生产-分销协同计划满意解的求解过程,对文中所建立的模型和算法进行了有效地说明和验证。求解结果说明该模型和协商方法能够有效地解决非对称信息条件下供应链生产-分销协同计划的求解和冲突问题。     

ASSESSING INFORMATION SYSTEM VALUE: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Linear models of information system value that are a function of information attributes are empirically studied by having managers in two firms make assessments of the importance of attributes, the level of satisfaction produced by various levels of each attribute, and the overall value of total systems. The results verify that such models may be quite useful in information system design. It is also shown that ordinally ranked attributes work as well as the interval-scaled attributes in the linear model. Since ordinal measures are easier to obtain, this suggests that “linear ordinal” models may be the most practical method of quantifying information systems value.     

THE PREDICTIVE ABILITY CRITERION IN EXPERIMENTAL JUDGMENT RESEARCH IN ACCOUNTING*

Previous experimental judgment research in accounting has been interpreted as supportive of the linear model as an appropriate representation of decision-making behavior in nearly all of the tasks investigated. Moreover, nonlinear models have come to be viewed as adding relatively little predictive power over that provided by the linear model, even in tasks considered to be inherently nonlinear. These conclusions were based largely upon evaluating the predictive ability of the linear model in terms of statistics measuring the proportion of variance accounted for by the model. In the present paper it is argued that, since these statistics are not independent of the experimental design, it is not clear whether the high correlations are indicative of the model's success in representing decision-making processes or instead are more the result of various features of the experimental design. It is suggested that correlational tests be supplemented with qualitative tests of the predictive ability of a model. Implications for accounting are discussed.     

UNSUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION THE CASE OF A COMPUTER-BASED ORDER ENTRY SYSTEM

This paper discusses results of a longitudinal field experiment to evaluate the implementation of a computer-based system. This new system includes the introduction of an optically scanned order input form and new computer programs. It is hypothesized that successful implementation would be affected by the quality of service and the personal costs and benefits to the users of the new system. The experimental results show a marked reduction in job satisfaction after implementation of the new system. The implications of the findings for the implementation of computer-based systems in general are discussed.     

Assessment of leader problem-solving capabilities

We describe the development of and initial psychometric evidence for a set of five constructed response measures designed to assess complex problem-solving skills and knowledge expected to influence leadership. Structured (cued) and unstructured (uncued) problem solving scenarios intended to assess process skills associated with creative problem solving are presented first. Solution construction tasks developed to assess attention to constraints and characteristics in the broader problem context are presented next. Finally, social judgment tasks intended to assess understanding of people and social systems and a task sort to assess knowledge of leadership roles are presented. Preliminary evidence for the reliability and construct validity of these constructed response measures supports their efficacy in assessing skills that underlie effective organizational leadership.     

The Impact of Information System Personnel Skill Discrepancies on Stakeholder Satisfaction

System development efforts depend to a large degree upon how well information systems (IS) managers, IS specialists, and IS users work together in a project team structure. Yet, these individuals frequently work under different perceptions about matters of importance to development, management, and success. This paper introduces a framework for examining IS specialists' skill requirements from a multiple‐stakeholder perspective. Derived from discrepancy theory, the framework concedes that different stakeholders hold a variable set of expectations for IS personnel skill levels as well as a perception of skills held by IS personnel. We examine differences in expectation and performance expressed by each group and describe the impact of the discrepancy on user satisfaction, career satisfaction of IS specialists, and on job performance evaluations by IS managers. Results confirm that a discrepancy between an IS specialist's expectations of skill and their perceived skill self‐proficiency impacts career satisfaction. Similar relations hold for IS managers and users. Since different stakeholders may hold different perceptions, satisfaction of all parties becomes problematic unless a common frame of reference can be determined.     

Presenting Geographic Information: Effects of Data Aggregation,Dispersion, and Users' Spatial Orientation

Geographic information systems (GIS) have taken on an increasingly important role supporting decision making in many organizations. GIS have been used to support a breadth of tasks including oil and mineral exploration, facility location, logistics support, and facilities management decisions. The effectiveness of GIS as a decision support tool comes primarily from the visual display of data in the form of maps. When presenting information as a geographic map, the level of data aggregation potentially affects aspects of task complexity such as information load and the potential for pattern recognition by the user. Other task attributes expected to be related to data aggregation effects include problem size, the degree of data dispersion, and users' spatial orientation skills. We conducted an experiment to study these effects and their interactions. Subjects used a GIS including map-based information characterized by different levels of problem size, data dispersion, and data aggregation. Spatial orientation skill was examined as a covariate in the experimental treatments. The results indicate that all of these geographic information characteristics have significant impacts on decision performance. Moreover, many interactions are present among the factors. We evaluate these interactions in order to derive implications for practice and for future research.     

考虑稳定匹配条件的双边满意匹配决策方法

双边匹配问题是指如何在两个不相交的主体集合中依据各主体针对潜在匹配对象给出的偏好信息来确定合适的匹配结果,其在经济管理领域中存在着大量的实际背景,是许多学者关注的研究课题。在本文中,针对双边主体给出偏好序值信息的双边匹配问题,给出了一种考虑稳定匹配条件的双边满意匹配决策方法。首先给出了双边匹配、稳定匹配和满意匹配的相关概念;然后考虑到稳定匹配条件,并以双边主体满意度最大为目标,构建了多目标双边匹配优化模型;进一步地,采用线性加权法将多目标优化模型转换为单目标优化模型,并通过求解优化模型来获得最优匹配结果。最后,通过一个算例说明了本文提出方法的实用性和有效性。