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Integrating social presence theory and social identity theory, this study brings system design and social influence aspects together to explain their joint effects on knowledge contribution in virtual communities (VCs). Different from most prior information systems (IS) research that adopts a uni-dimensional approach and restricts social presence to be the subjective nature of media, we developed and empirically tested a model explaining the effects of multi-dimensional social presence on social identification processes and knowledge contribution. An online survey was conducted with four different VCs of interest. The results showed the difference in relative contribution of social presence dimensions on social identity as well as knowledge contribution. Both practical and theoretical implications are discussed. (Contains 5 tables, 2 figures and 2 notes.)

This research examines Chinese expatriates working in Chinese multinational companies subsidiaries in the United Arab Emirates. We identify three salient social referents used by Chinese expatriates to assess distributive justice, i.e. employees working in mainland China, locals from the host country, and employees working in developed country multinational companies in the host country. For each referent, we explore the determinants of perceived distributive justice. The results show that equity and non‐monetary rewards are stable and influential factors for perceived distributive justice. Compensation disparity vis‐à‐vis employees working in mainland China and in international multinational companies has a significant effect on perceived distributive justice. However, compensation disparity is not used when it comes to assessing perceived distributive justice compared to locals in the host country. Finally, our findings suggest that only equity and non‐monetary rewards have significant effects on expatriation satisfaction, not perceived distributive justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Integrating the two-system (reflective vs. impulsive) model and the "stimulus-organism-response" framework, the purpose of this paper is to construct and empirically test a model that examines online impulse buying as a phenomenon triggered by system design factors. Design/methodology/approach – A laboratory experimental design with a 2x2 full factorial design involving 151 undergraduate students was used to validate the effects of system design stimuli on online impulse buying. Interactivity and vividness, two design factors, were manipulated and a fictitious VCD movie store was created, with four storefronts representing each combination of treatments. Findings – A compelling and sociable virtual experience as conceptualized with telepresence and social presence has a significant effect on buying impulses over and above traditional marketing/product stimuli. Such virtual experience can be created through the usage of interactive and vivid website features. Furthermore, cognition positively moderates the relationship between buying impulse and the actual purchasing behavior. Practical implications – The findings provide valuable guidance in website design that can stimulate online impulse buying. The results also indicate the importance of providing cognitive intervention at the purchasing stage. Originality/value – A significant extension of the "stimulus-organism-response" framework is to introduce presence as the system stimulus that captures the overall virtual experience and to specify the associated design features; i.e. interactivity and vividness. By incorporating the two-system model, this study offers a theoretical underpinning of the role of cognitive processing in impulse buying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims at clarifying important contingencies for the success of knowledge management systems (KMS). More specifically, a model is developed based on the IS success model, the resource-based view and the knowledge-based view to explain both direct and indirect effects of KMS on organizational performance.Design/methodology/approach – To test the proposed model, a survey study was conducted involving over 100 organizations that implemented various functions of KMS. The data were analyzed using structural equation modelling for the simultaneous testing of the measurement and structural models.Findings – The empirical results provided strong support for the proposed research model. KMS usage was found to have both direct and indirect effects on organizational performance. In particular, organizational agility and innovativeness were confirmed as important mediators of KMS effects.Research limitations/implications – The findings of this research highlight the necessity of adopting a contingency theory for studying the effects of KMS on organizational performance and demonstrate the important role of some of these contingencies.Practical implications – Practically, the empirical results shed light on the significance and relative importance of specific KMS applications. i.e. enterprise portals, supply chain management, customer relationship management, and competitive intelligence.Originality/value – This research fills an important theoretical gap in KM research and provides valuable insights for practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way knowledge is represented influences the effectiveness with which that knowledge can be shared and reconstructed. Of particular interest to this study is the hypertext knowledge representation. Based on the schema theory, we propose a model explaining the effect of the hypertext knowledge representation on the user's problem solving performance. The sophistication of the knowledge structure that the user can construct from the hypertext knowledge representation is proposed as an intervening variable mediating the effect of hypertext on the problem solving performance. According to our model, the hypertext representation of the "collective schemata" of a group of experts allows the user to acquire a more complex and better integrated knowledge structure that is more similar to the experts' than does a linear representation. The model further hypothesizes that the complexity, integration and degree of similarity of an individual's schemata to that of domain experts in turn improves significantly the individual's problem solving performance. Compared to the linear representation, the hypertext representation of expert knowledge is expected to improve the quality of problem solving in the organization through the facilitation of the acquisition of more sophisticated knowledge structures by the users. A field experiment was used to verify the hypotheses of our model. This research demonstrates the important role of hypertext knowledge representation in supporting knowledge construction and problem solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]