Internet of Things and Competitive Advantage: A Dynamic Capabilities Perspective

2023 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Sullivan, Yulia; Wamba, Samuel Fosso; Dunaway, Mary

Abstract: Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the enabling technologies of Industry 4.0. A ... Expand

Abstract: Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the enabling technologies of Industry 4.0. Although IoT has shown great promise for organizations, its practical use in generating value alone or in combination with existing IT capabilities remains unclear. Drawing upon the literature on dynamic capabilities and innovation capability, we propose IoT-enabled innovation capability (IoT-IC), consisting of three dimensions (IoT use for sensing, seizing, and reconfiguring) to explain competitive advantage. We examine three ordinary IT capabilities (flexible IT infrastructure, IT business experience, and relationship infrastructure) as the predictors of IoT-IC. We also test the moderating effect of competitive aggressiveness in influencing the relationship between IoT-IC and competitive advantage. Analysis of survey data from 175 U.S. companies provides empirical support for our research model. The results suggest that flexible IT infrastructure, IT business experience, and relationship infrastructure are positively associated with IoT-IC. Furthermore, the effect of IoT-IC on competitive advantage is positively moderated by competitive aggressiveness. The results point to the important role of existing IT capabilities in shaping IoT-IC and expand our understanding of the relationship between IoT-IC and competitive advantage at different levels of competitive aggressiveness. Collapse

Topics: internet of things mobile system competitive advantage innovation management information technology infrastructure

Methods: survey descriptive statistic partial least squares regression parametric test Student's t-test

Theories: dynamic capabilities theory knowledge based theory of the firm resource based view of the firm

Which Enemy to Dance with? A New Role of Software Piracy in Influencing Antipiracy Strategies

2023 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 0

Authors: Sun, Can; Ji, Yonghua; Geng, Xianjun

Abstract: Software piracy is a challenging issue faced by software firms and governments a ... Expand

Abstract: Software piracy is a challenging issue faced by software firms and governments all over the world. To control software piracy, firms exert considerable effort in antipiracy measures. This paper uses game theoretical models to study how software firms should determine their antipiracy efforts and product prices. There are two unique aspects of our model. First, antipiracy efforts have both a direct effect and a cross effect on software piracy. Second, we capture two types of competitions when piracy exists: one between a legitimate product and its pirated counterpart, and the other between two pirated products. We find several interesting results. We show that due to pirated products’ buffer effect not studied before, eliminating piracy does not necessarily mean higher profit for firms. This reveals an unexplored advantage of desktop software comparing with Software as a Service (SaaS) that can totally eliminate piracy. Direct and cross effects have different impacts on firms’ decisions and profits. Opposite to what one might expect, when a firm’s antipiracy effort becomes more effective in increasing the cost of pirating its own product but not its competitor’s product, the firm becomes worse off under certain conditions. By contrast, if the antipiracy effort’s cross effect is higher, therefore increasing the cost of pirating its competitor’s product, a firm will always be better off. The managerial implication is that if a firm ignores the cross effect, it could underinvest in antipiracy effort, causing its profit to suffer. History: Karthik Kannan, Senior Editor; Amit Mehra, Associate Editor. Funding: C. Sun’s research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72201262, 71921001]. Collapse

Topics: network effect software as a service IS economics digital piracy consumer surplus

Methods: mathematical model survey computational algorithm

Theories: game theory

The platform's store-brand supplier selection and quality information provision decisions

2023 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Sun, Fei; Chen, Jing; Yang, Hui; Zhang, Hui

Abstract: We investigate the strategies of an e-commerce platform (EP), selecting a suppli ... Expand

Abstract: We investigate the strategies of an e-commerce platform (EP), selecting a supplier for its store brand and determining whether to provide information that can reduce consumers’ uncertainty about their quality pref­ erences. The EP can choose either a non-competing outside supplier or a competing inside supplier that sells a high-quality brand product through the EP. Consumers have complete knowledge about the qualities of the two products, although they remain uncertain about which product best meets their need. We find that the EP has an incentive to disclose information when the ratio of the cost per unit quality of the inside supplier’s product relative to that of the EP’s own-brand product is high, and it prefers the inside supplier when this ratio is low. We identify the EP’s optimal strategy profile. Specifically, when this ratio is low, the EP selects the inside supplier and refrains from disclosing information when the ratio is sufficiently low. However, when the ratio is high, the EP selects the outside supplier and discloses information only if the ratio is sufficiently high. We also find that market competition softens both when the EP selects the inside supplier and when it discloses information. Collapse

Topics: data breach supply chain management outsourcing electronic commerce product differentiation

Theories: game theory

HOW PARTS CONNECT TO WHOLE IN BUILDING DIGITAL GENERATIVITY IN DIGITAL PLATFORM ECOSYSTEMS

2023 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Sun, Jiamei; Xu, Dongming; Karanasios, Stan

Abstract: Generativity drives digital innovation and platform growth by engaging many oth ... Expand

Abstract: Generativity drives digital innovation and platform growth by engaging many other businesses with diverse digital skills and resources in a digital platform. As the proliferation of generativity research grows, the Information Systems (IS) literature demonstrates the basic understanding of this notion in the areas of properties of digital technologies, social events, and/or the interaction between these two without an integrated view of how generativity is raised to enable the digital innovation. Therefore, considering that digital platforms are a kind of ecosystem, we aim to develop a new understanding of this emerging phenomenon by employing a holistic perspective. Through the information ecology theoretical lens, we develop a digital generativity process model that explains how the technological and social resources interact to generate perpetual digital innovation in digital platform ecosystems (DPE). This study contributes to generativity research by providing a dynamic and holistic view of generativity formalization in DPEs. Collapse

Topics: innovation management digital ecosystem digital innovation digital platform technological change

Methods: business process modeling qualitative content analysis literature sample grounded theory applicability check

Reconceptualizing platforms in information systems research through the lens of service-dominant logic

2023 | Journal of Strategic Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Sun, Ruonan; Gregor, Shirley

Abstract: Platforms have gained significant attention in the field of information systems ... Expand

Abstract: Platforms have gained significant attention in the field of information systems (IS) research. However, the concept of platforms remains fluid and complex due to the diverse phenomena associated with it. Research to date tends to cluster around two predominant perspectives: the economic network perspective and the architectural design perspective. To reconcile the diver­ gent perspectives of platforms and establish a more cohesive foundation for IS theorizing, we undertake an interpretive literature review through the lens of service-dominant (S-D) logic. Drawing on an extensive analysis of the literature, we develop an S-D Platform Framework that provides a deep understanding of the multifaceted nature of platforms as a vital IS capability for value co-creation. This framework sheds light on the fundamental facets of relationality, ambi­ dexterity, and cooperativity, which explain the deep structure of platforms in the realm of IS research. Building on our proposed framework, we put forth an agenda that aims to guide future studies towards a more theoretically compelling trajectory. Collapse

Topics: participatory design information technology capability network effect innovation management digital platform

Methods: literature study theory development design methodology synthesis design artifact

Theories: service-dominant logic co-evolution theory

Impact of content ideology on social media opinion polarization: The moderating role of functional affordances and symbolic expressions

2023 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Sun, Ruonan; Zhu, Hui; Guo, Feng

Abstract: We offer theory and evidence regarding the impact of content ideology (i.e., emo ... Expand

Abstract: We offer theory and evidence regarding the impact of content ideology (i.e., emotionally charged beliefs expressed in sentiments) on opinion polarization (i.e., conflicting attitudes about an event) on social media. Specifically, we consider the moderating role of functional affordances and symbolic expressions to draw in­ ferences about opinion polarization. From a sentiment analysis of 3600 posts and a survey of 468 Weibo users, we find that content ideology is positively related to social media opinion polarization. The effect of content ideology is greater when users receive stronger symbolic expressions. Further, our results show an insignificant moderating relationship between functional affordances and this effect. The findings suggest that it is critical to consider content ideology and symbolic expressions when assessing the relationship between published content and polarized opinions on social media. Collapse

Topics: social media affordance Twitter filter bubble accounting

Methods: survey survey design descriptive statistic regression analysis method computational algorithm

Theories: theory of affordance

Searching for Product-Market Fit with Externally Developed Components: Effects on Time to Product-Market Fit

2023 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Sun, Yichen; Lim, Shi-Ying; Goh, Khim Yong

Abstract: Nascent digital start-ups that leverage digital technology (DT) could use exter ... Expand

Abstract: Nascent digital start-ups that leverage digital technology (DT) could use externally developed components (EDCs) to search for DT features needed for product-market fit (PMF). Drawing on the organizational search literature, we investigate the relationship between nascent digital start-ups' search breadth and search depth (in terms of EDCs use) on their time to achieve PMF (proxied by the receipt of Series A funding). We employ a survival analysis using data on startups and their EDC use from Crunchbase and LinkedIn. Our results reveal that higher search breadth reduces the time to PMF, whereas higher search depth increases it. Higher levels of interdependency between the DT and nascent digital start-ups' business strengthen search breadth's time reduction effect. Our findings contribute to the literature on digital entrepreneurship and organizational search and offer suggestions for how nascent digital start-ups should develop their DT in the early years.2 Ries 2011). This involves a process of learning and refinement known as entrepreneurial search (Mauer et al. 2018). For instance, to search for PMF, scholars have advocated that nascent digital start-ups conduct iterative cycles of "hypothesize -test -measure -learn" and modify their product offerings based on feedback received , Contigiani and Levinthal 2019, Ries 2011.The recent advent of easily accessible and highly re-combinable externally developed components (EDCs) has changed how nascent digital start-ups could develop their DT while searching for PMF. EDCs are components developed by third-party developers or companies that can be used for a fee or for free (e.g., open-source components). Examples of EDCs include Google Analytic 1 (analytics and business intelligence), Twilio SendGrid (email), Braintree (payment), Redis (databases), Apache Spark (data infrastructure), and Docker (PaaS and IaaS). They are generally relatively inexpensive and can be used to supplement or even replace the internal development of some components of the DT. Developers do not need in-depth knowledge of the EDCs to use them. Thus, it would be faster and less resource-intensive for nascent digital start-ups to search for the configuration of DT features for PMF by using EDCs than to develop the features from scratch (Boehm and Abts 1999, von Hippel andKatz 2002). Collapse

Topics: digital entrepreneurship logistics management LinkedIn innovation management business-to-consumer

Methods: propensity score matching experimental group survival analysis robustness check hazard function

Do Human Faces Matter? Evidence from User-Generated Photos in Online Reviews

2023 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Sun, Yan; Yang, Sung-Byung

Abstract: The importance of online reviews in e-commerce cannot be overstated, but few st ... Expand

Abstract: The importance of online reviews in e-commerce cannot be overstated, but few studies have focused on user-generated photos (UGPs) in reviews, especially human faces in UGPs. In this study, using Amazon online review data, we divide online reviews into text with UGPs, UGPs with faces, and UGPs with multiple faces based on the presence and number of faces, and discuss their effects on review helpfulness. Drawing on media richness theory and emotional contagion effects, we argue that faces provide a richness of information that can increase the effectiveness of photos as information mediators. Moreover, we argue that facial expressions and emotional states, as read-in and read-out devices that convey individual emotions, affect other consumers' perceived review helpfulness. This study contributes to the literature on online reviews, media richness theory, and emotional contagion effects, while providing practical insights for e-commerce sites and consumers seeking to write effective online reviews. Collapse

Topics: online review media richness user-generated content Microsoft Azure application programming interface

Methods: descriptive statistic sentiment analysis literature study

Theories: media richness theory

Introduction to the Minitrack on Application and Adoption of Emerging Technologies: From Artificial Intelligence to Metaverse

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Sundaram, David; Chan, Johnny; Peko, Gabrielle

Abstract: ... Expand

Abstract: Collapse

Topics: technology adoption user acceptance knowledge representation identity management

Methods: machine learning qualitative interview

Theories: theory of task technology fit TAM2

Introduction to the Minitrack on The Social and Economic Dynamics of the Metaverse, Smart Contracts, and Non-Fungible Tokens

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Sundaram, David; Sadovykh, Valeria; Peko, Gabrielle; Craig, Kevin

Abstract: ... Expand

Abstract: Collapse

Topics: smart contract

Methods: design science case study