Knowledge that Transforms

Examining action research publications in leading Information Systems journals as a particular genre of research communication, we develop the notion of style composition to understand how authors ...

Firms invest in a variety of information technologies and seek to align their IT asset portfolios with two key performance outcomes: efficiency and innovation. Existing research makes the universal...

A firm can upgrade relevant skills of its programmers by ensuring their participation in carefully chosen open source projects. Highly skilled programmers are more valuable for the firm but partici...

Empirical research is an important methodology for the study of conceptual modeling practices. The recently published article Representing Part-Whole Relations in Conceptual Modeling: An Empirical...

This study investigates the role of IT in stimulating energy-efficient behavior in private households. We present the example of Velix, a web portal designed to motivate the customers of a utility company to reduce their electricity consumption. In particular, we consider the effectiveness of goal setting functionality and defaults in influencing energy conservation behavior. For this purpose, we use the IT artifact as a test of the theoretical propositions underlying its design. Based on data collected from a field experiment with 1,791 users, we test hypotheses regarding the structural relations between defaults and goals, the impact of defaults and goals on energy reduction, and the moderating role of feedback on goal choice. Our results confirm the positive impact of goal setting on energy conservation. We show that default goals both influence goal choice and lead to significant savings. However, if the default goals are set too low or too high with respect to a self-set goal, the defaults will detrimentally affect behavior. The results of our mediation analysis reveal that the impact of default goals on savings is mediated by goal choice. We also show that feedback on goal attainment moderates the effect of default goals on goal choice. The results have implications for behavioral and design theory and could serve as a blueprint for future research endeavors, particularly with regard to applications based on future smart metering infrastructures.

The next two papers in this issue are, first, a critique of an earlier MIS Quarterly paper by Graeme Shanks, Elizabeth Tansley, Jasmina Nurendini, Daniel Tobin, and Ron Weber, Representing Part-Whole Relations in Conceptual Modeling: An Empirical Evaluation (32:3, pp. 553-573), and, second, a response to that critique. As may or may not be clear from the two papers, this represents a continuation of a debate between the two sets of researchers that has persisted over some years and over several papers. Because an underlying issue of contention between the two sets of authors has been what Bunge said and meant in his book, Treatise on Basic Philosophy: Volume 3: Ontology I: The Furniture of the World (Boston: Reidel, 1977), and how that might inform the practice of modeling, it seemed appropriate to include selections from that book as a Senior Editor Appendix so interested readers can come to their own conclusions. The SE Appendix is available on the MIS Quarterly's website (http://misq.org) in the Online Supplements section. An initial selection of quotes was compiled by the senior editor, and both sets of authors have had the opportunity to add other appropriate quotes.

Most research on IT value has been from the vantage point of a single firm. Multifirm studies have largely been dyadic and emphasize transaction costs over cocreation of value. Contemporary environ...