Scholarly Works, Business Information Technology

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https://hdl.handle.net/10919/24337

Research articles, presentations, and other scholarship

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 120

Extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology for sustainable technologies context
Neves, Catarina; Oliveira, Tiago; Cruz-Jesus, Frederico; Venkatesh, Viswanath (Elsevier, 2025-02-01)
Following the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) recommendations, sustainable technologies are increasingly being introduced as a step toward more sustainable behaviors and efforts against environmental problems. However, a holistic investigation of the main factors influencing its adoption and use is necessary. To this end, this work aims to explain the determinants of sustainable technologies used by consumers. Specifically, we develop a contextualized model that extends the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) by leveraging a mixed-methods approach and, therefore, conducting three studies. The so-developed contextualized model of consumer adoption of sustainable technology is tested using 2003 observations from five European countries. Such a sample also provides the opportunity for a cross-country comparison. We found that habit, environmental knowledge, information provision, and innovativeness were significant predictors of sustainable technology use. Additionally, the cross-country comparison revealed that although conclusions are generally consistent across the countries, they differ in some effects, like social influence and price value. Taken together, we thus provide insights into the consumers' motivations to adopt and use sustainable technologies.
Flood-induced mobility in rural and urban coastal jurisdictions: a homeowner's perspective
Bukvic, Anamaria; Zobel, Christopher W. (Springer, 2024-11-01)
Coastal flooding often exceeds homeowners' capacity to cope with repetitive damages and profoundly disrupts their livelihoods. Permanent relocation has been proposed as a solution for some coastal areas experiencing recurrent flooding and anticipating acceleration of impacts. However, it is unclear if homeowners living in such areas would support this strategy, where they would choose to go, and why. This study evaluates the willingness to relocate and the reasoning behind it among rural and urban homeowners residing in coastal high-risk areas. The rural versus urban comparison explores how attitudes toward relocation differ between these settings with distinct sociodemographic, economic, and cultural profiles. A mail survey administered on the Eastern Shore, Maryland, and in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, Virginia, measured how willingness to relocate differs across the socioeconomic spectrum, prior flood exposure, concerns with flood impacts, and preferences for relocation destination. The survey responses were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that more than one-third of respondents would consider relocating. The willingness to relocate was marginally influenced by socioeconomic factors and flood experiences and instead was significantly correlated with the risk of disastrous flooding, inadequate insurance compensation, and worsening crime. However, data show a clear shift in relocation support and the distance of the preferred destination from minor to significant flooding. Rural respondents are slightly less likely to relocate than urban ones. Descriptive statistics indicate nuanced differences in flood experiences, reasons to relocate, and preferences for a new destination between rural and urban populations.
Proposing a design theory for a human-learning-guided virtual negotiator for online trading platforms
Cao, Mukun; Wang, G. Alan; Lowry, Paul Benjamin (2025-09)
Negotiation-based transactional mechanisms provide flexibility and economic benefits to both sellers and buyers on online trading platforms. Although automated negotiation is a highly desired feature among online platform providers, the complexity and un- certainty of human behavior in human-to-computer (HtC) negotiation make it a problematic solution. This study proposes a design theory for a human-learning guided virtual negotiator (HLG-VN) framework that emulates human learning using multiple machine learning (ML) techniques that collectively mimic four human learning activities: didactic, feedback, observational, and analogical learning. Fol- lowing the design science research methodology, we built an instantiation system for the proposed design theory and empirically tested it using experiments based on HtC negotiations. The empirical results show that our system outperformed the benchmark system in terms of both economic and some key social-psychological outcomes. Furthermore, the experiment results confirm the effectiveness and cor- rectness of the HLG-VN framework. The proposed design theory provides a theoretical base for using ML techniques to build a virtual negotiator agent for an automated negotiation system. Thus, various agents could be designed and developed based on the theory for online trading platforms, thus improving negotiation efficiency and reducing transaction costs.
Are Negative Reviews Always Helpful? Effects of Emotional Arousal on the Usefulness of Negative Reviews and How Merchants Should Respond
Du, Zhanhe; Chai, Hu; Lu, Haijiao; Li, Lixu; Lowry, Paul Benjamin (2025-09)
In the rapidly evolving digital marketplace, understanding consumer behavior in response to negative reviews is of considerable practical and academic importance. Negative reviews influence consumer decision-making, but not all are accurate or helpful. Moreover, the interplay between emotional arousal and the perceived utility of negative reviews, particularly for high-risk purchases and costly products, remains largely unexplored. Addressing this gap, our study leverages attribution theory to scrutinize the curvilinear relationship between emotional arousal and the usefulness of negative reviews in high-risk purchases. We employed a robust mixed-methods design comprising three different studies aimed to triangulate further and understand these phenomena: Study 1 involved an objective content analysis of 6,147 negative reviews from prominent Chinese e-commerce platforms; Study 2 was a controlled scenario-based experiment with 99 consumers, aimed to test the underlying causal relationships; finally, Study 3 involved in-depth qualitative interviews and coding with 60 consumers. Our findings demonstrate an inverted U-shaped relationship between emotional arousal and the perceived utility of negative reviews in high-risk purchase scenarios. This relationship is mediated by prosocial motives, emphasizing that emotionally aroused consumers will likely find negative reviews helpful only up to a certain point, after which the utility diminishes. Notably, positive merchant responses serve as a crucial moderating variable in the emotional arousal-negative review usefulness relationship and the connection between prosocial motives and review usefulness. Our study advances the online review literature by offering nuanced insights into the complex relationship between emotional arousal and the utility of negative reviews in high-risk purchase scenarios. Our results have immediate implications for e-commerce platforms, enabling them to convert the challenge posed by negative reviews into actionable opportunities through informed response strategies.
Heeding the messenger: The influence of sender characteristics on security message compliance intentions
Schuetz, Sebastian; Bansal, Gaurav; Weng, Qin; Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Thatcher, Jason (Wiley, 2025)
How security messages can be used to motivate information technology (IT) users’ security behaviour has been of keen interest to IS research. To that end, studies have focused on the content of security messages; however, few studies have examined the influence of message senders. In this paper, we build on social influence theory and integrate it with the concept of inferences of manipulative intent (IMI) to develop a model that examines how perceptions of sender characteristics—cybersecurity expertise, coercive power, and similarity—can yield positive and negative influence on message outcomes, captured in recipients’ message compliance intentions. We test our model in four different studies using field and scenario experiments across three target populations: the general public, students, and employees. Perceived expertise, power, and similarity had similar effects among the general public and students: Perceived expertise was positively associated with message outcomes, but perceived power and similarity were negatively associated. In contrast, employees reacted differently from the general public and students in that they responded positively to perceived power, with perceived expertise and similarity having negligible effects. Across these three target populations, we found that participants reacted to senders high in perceived power and similarity with IMI, which reduced their message compliance intentions. Our results suggest that senders must be chosen carefully, depending on the target population, because selecting the wrong sender can increase the likelihood of a message being rejected.
A Visual Literature Review on Continuous Intention to Use Online Learning Systems
AlMarzouq, Mohammad; Rouibah, Kamel; Brown, Nicholas James; Lowry, Paul Benjamin (2025-07-02)
This study examines factors influencing continuous intention to use (CITU) e-learning systems in universities and professional organizations through a systematic literature review (SLR) of studies from 2004 to 2022. Using a novel graphical synthesis method, we reconstruct the nomological network to map key constructs, revealing a predominant focus on utilitarian motivations like satisfaction and perceived usefulness. Key gaps include limited research on CITU outcomes, system characteristics, and intrinsic motivations. Most studies assume voluntary use, despite non-voluntary contexts in education and training. Additionally, longitudinal and mixed-methods studies remain scarce, with geographic coverage heavily skewed toward Asia. Our contributions include a novel graphical synthesis for visualizing research gaps and actionable recommendations for advancing CITU research in e-learning.
Enhancing team creativity among information technology professionals through knowledge sharing and motivational rewards: A self-determination perspective
Cui, Xiling; Yang, Xuan; Ren, Jifan; Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Du, Timon Chih-ting (Elsevier, 2025-06-01)
This study aims to investigate how to leverage knowledge sharing (KS) to boost team creativity among information technology (IT) professionals. We examine the effects of intrinsic and intangible extrinsic rewards on in-role and extra-role KS, which increases team creativity. We use data collected from 322 employees in 80 teams from organizations in the IT industry to test the research model and confirm the important roles of KS and motivational rewards. The two types of KS show different patterns in terms of their antecedents and outcomes. Specifically, in-role KS does not affect team creativity directly, while extra-role KS does. Intrinsic rewards significantly affect both in-role and extra-role KS, and the effect on the latter is greater. Image rewards have a greater effect on in-role KS than on extra-role KS. In addition, the two forms of intangible extrinsic rewards exhibit internalization. The study pioneers in addressing a pressing research gap by investigating and comparing the effects of the two types of KS—in-role and extra-role KS—on team creativity.
Essential validation criteria for rigorous covariance-based structural equation modeling
Gaskin, James; Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Rosengren, Warren; Fife, Thomas (2025)
Covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) is a robust analytical technique for validating complex measurements and theoretical models. Despite criticisms regarding overfitting, misspecifica-tion, and sample size limitations, SEM remains invaluable for rigorous theoretical model testing when applied correctly. This Methods Article aims to streamline the extensive SEM criteria into essential con-siderations segmented across three critical stages: data preparation, measurement validation, and struc-tural modeling. This provides scholars with a comprehensive guide tailored to meet the stringent re-quirements of top-tier scientific journals. We outline data design considerations, progress through key SEM processes, and conclude with guidelines for testing specific hypotheses. We also illuminate rele-vant validation criteria for each stage, forming a foundational framework for rigorous SEM analysis. Ne-glecting any of these criteria can trigger irreversible analytical errors. We provide examples of how missing some criteria can drastically change results. We also demonstrate an ongoing issue with inade-quate reporting of these criteria in IS journals, exacerbating these issues. Currently, SEM instruction is dispersed across numerous books and articles across different fields and decades, often with complex explanations. Our principal contribution is consolidating a comprehensive set of validation criteria into an articulated guide for scholars not yet proficient in SEM. However, this is not a step-by-step walkthrough for advanced SEM users. We advocate for a structured, transparent reporting system for these criteria, shifting the responsibility for methodological clarity onto the author and facilitating a more precise understanding for readers. Our recommendations aim to enhance the integrity of SEM applications in research by elevating reporting standards.
Understanding the postadoption use of gamified learning systems against the conflicting role of the game layer
Li, Han; Luo, Xin Robert; Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Zhang, Jie (Elsevier, 2025-06)
Gamification is driving widespread application adoption, with a $70.4 billion projected market by 2030. However, the consequences of gamification on sustained use beyond initial adoption remain largely unclear. This study explores how the game layer may induce psychological fatigue and hinder continued use, particularly in learning systems. Drawing on self-determination theory and cognitive load theory, we analyzed the perceptions of 307 Duolingo users. The results reveal mixed impacts of the game layer on postadoption usage, influenced by gaming motivation and perceived learning complexity. This research underscores the nuanced effects of gamification and offers insights for improving gamified learning system design.
Uncovering the effects of non-hedonic social media use on knowledge workers' depression through the conservation of resources theory
Cui, Xiling; Lei, Yang; Huo, Baofeng; Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Yang, Xuan (Elsevier, 2025-06)
Leveraging the conservation of resources theory, this study investigates the influence of non-hedonic social media (SM) uses, namely broad socialization, deep communication, information retrieval, and information sharing, on forming knowledge-working professionals’ depression through SM overload and strain. The analysis of a two-wave data collection with 440 participants suggests that broad socialization and information sharing have both positive and negative effects indirectly on depression. In contrast, deep communication and information retrieval are beneficial in reducing depression. Our study contributes to the existing literature by exploring the distinct effects of the four non-hedonic social media use on depression.
Black Representation and District Compactness in Southern Congressional Districts
Goedert, Nicholas; Hildebrand, Robert; Pierson, Matthew; Travis, Laurel; Fravel, Jamie (2024-04-01)
This paper explores the assumed trade-off between district compactness and Black representation in legislative districts in the American South. We perform analysis both on heuristically generated districts using current US demographics, and on historical congressional maps since the 1970s. Computations are performed using an iterative heuristic to find feasible solutions guided by multiple objectives. We find that while the trade-off has been strongly observed historically, it is possible to effectively address both goals simultaneously in most cases. We are able to demonstrate maps substantially superior to the present enacted maps on both dimensions in at least seven of nine states analyzed. Nevertheless, the trade-off appears more necessary in states with larger and/or more heavily rural Black populations than in more urbanized states, where the drawing of compact Blackinfluence districts is easier.
Achieving strategic alignment between business and information technology with information technology governance: the role of commitment to principles and Top Leadership Support
Lowry, Michelle Rene; Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Chatterjee, Sutirtha; Moody, Gregory D.; Richardson, Vernon J. (Taylor & Francis, 2024-08-25)
IT governance (ITG) is crucial in achieving IT strategic alignment, but many organizations find this to be an elusive goal. We thus expand ITG into two components: ITG mechanisms and ITG principles. We propose that beyond the mere option of ITG mechanisms, organizations must fully embrace the broader “spirit” of ITG, which occurs when an organization is committed to ITG principles coupled with top leadership support. To test our theorization, we first developed and validated two new measures. We used the ITG framework of COBIT to create a measure of commitment to COBIT principles (CCP), and we found that CCP fully mediates ITG mechanisms’ relationship with strategic alignment. We thus illuminate a missing link between adopting ITG mechanisms and achieving strategic alignment by demonstrating the need to focus on ITG principles. We show that top leadership support for IT, including support at the board level, not only enhances CCP but also directly contributes to improved strategic alignment. Our study establishes that adopting ITG mechanisms is necessary but insufficient for achieving strategic alignment. Effective organizations go beyond implementing isolated ITG mechanisms; they fully embrace integrated COBIT-based principles, guided by a strong infusion of top leadership support, including board-level support.
Long Live the Metaverse: Identifying the Potential for Market Disruption and Future Research
Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Boh, Waifong; Petter, Stacie; Leimeister, Jan Marco (2025)
The Metaverse represents a transformative frontier, blending physical and virtual realities into immersive, persistent digital environments. This article explores the foundational components, emerging markets, and critical challenges shaping the Metaverse’s evolution. Although initial industry enthusiasm has been tempered by financial setbacks and shifting priorities toward generative AI, the Metaverse remains nascent, following a familiar hype cycle with other disruptive technologies. Drawing parallels with historical technological breakthroughs, we argue that continued hardware, software, and telecommunications advancements will unlock the Metaverse’s potential for profound societal and economic impact. We explore the potential for business approaches and collaborative efforts across various market sectors, including consumer goods and commercial services, as well as healthcare and industrial realms. To do so, we explain how technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and extended reality (XR) increase user participation through consuming content that creates a sense of presence while at the same time outlining Metaverse challenges, risks, technological difficulties, and sociotechnical factors. By dissecting specific use cases and proposing strategies for managing challenges like data privacy, security, and inclusivity, we chart a path for researchers and practitioners to foster innovation. The article concludes with a call to action for researchers to lead visionary efforts, urging them to anticipate and shape the future possibilities of the Metaverse beyond current technological and market constraints. By breaking down the Metaverse into targeted applications, this work provides a roadmap for advancing theory, design, and practice to unlock the Metaverse’s full disruptive potential. We challenge the notion that the Metaverse is “dead,” instead framing it as an enduring societal and economic transformation catalyst.
Balancing fear and confidence: A strategic approach to mitigating human risk in cybersecurity
Galletta, Dennis F.; Moody, Gregory D.; Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Willison, Robert; Boss, Scott; Chen, Yan; Luo, Xin; Pienta, Daniel A.; Polak, Peter; Schuetze, Sebastian; Thatcher, Jason (2025)
Despite technological advances, cybersecurity breaches persist, with human actions often being the weakest link. Educational programs and policies have been ineffective in reducing threats, as shown by rising trend data breaches and costs, averaging $9.48 million in 2023. The growing threat persists despite the plethora of tools and techniques, indicating a need for a strategic shift. Drawing on interviews with C-level IS executives and earlier experimental research, this paper advocates for greater care in warning users about security dangers, and simultaneously building their confidence in their ability to improve their cybersecurity safety. Managers must carefully balance their communications, instilling appropriate concern without causing excessive fear or negativity.
Evidence of horizontal gene transfer and environmental selection impacting antibiotic resistance evolution in soil-dwelling Listeria
Goh, Ying-Xian; Anupoju, Sai Manohar Balu; Nguyen, Anthony; Zhang, Hailong; Ponder, Monica A.; Krometis, Leigh-Anne H.; Pruden, Amy; Liao, Jingqiu (Nature Research, 2024-11-19)
Soil is an important reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and understanding how corresponding environmental changes influence their emergence, evolution, and spread is crucial. The soil-dwelling bacterial genus Listeria, including L. monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, serves as a keymodel for establishing this understanding. Here, we characterize ARGs in 594 genomes representing 19 Listeria species that we previously isolated from soils in natural environments across the United States. Among the five putatively functional ARGs identified, lin,which confers resistance to lincomycin, is the most prevalent, followed by mprF, sul, fosX, and norB. ARGs are predominantly found in Listeria sensu stricto species, with those more closely related to L. monocytogenes tending to harbor more ARGs. Notably, phylogenetic and recombination analyses provide evidence of recent horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in all five ARGs within and/or across species, likelymediated by transformation rather than conjugation and transduction. In addition, the richness and genetic divergence of ARGs are associated with environmental conditions, particularly soil properties (e.g., aluminum and magnesium) and surrounding land use patterns (e.g., forest coverage). Collectively, our data suggest that recent HGT and environmental selection play a vital role in the acquisition and diversification of bacterial ARGs in natural environments.
Trade-offs Between Equity and Efficiency in Prioritizing Critical Infrastructure Investments: A Case of Stormwater Management Systems
Baghersad, Milad; Zobel, Christopher W.; Farahani, Mehdi H.; Behara, Ravi S. (Sage, 2024-03)
Critical infrastructures in many countries face the problem of aging and, thus, require significant upgrades to continue serving their purpose for the next few decades, especially in the face of extreme weather events caused by global climate change. Given the urgent need for such improvements and the substantial funding gaps being experienced, prioritizing investments in critical infrastructures is a challenging task for governments. Furthermore, the need to assure equitable solutions, as well as to consider deep uncertainty due to climate change, adds to the complexity of the problem. We seek to address this complexity by developing a set of models that explicitly consider both horizontal and vertical equity, along with efficiency, in prioritizing stormwater infrastructure improvement projects. While horizontal equity seeks to provide equal resources to everyone, vertical equity aims to allocate relatively more resources to vulnerable groups who are disproportionately susceptible to shocks and are more likely to fall into chronic poverty. By differentiating between losses in horizontal equity and vertical equity due to efficiency considerations, the models provide a practical approach to find the right balance among efficiency, horizontal equity, and vertical equity. The initial models are then extended into regret-based optimization models to help address the issue of deep uncertainty. A case study of stormwater infrastructure improvement in the City of Miami is presented, through which the performance of the models is explored both with and without the projected sea-level rise scenarios. The findings highlight the value of the proposed approach in promoting equity while maintaining efficiency.
Innovative research directions on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles in the context of intelligent computing technologies
Lowry, Paul Benjamin (2024-07-07)
In his keynote speech, Prof. Lowry addresses the pressing issues of global environmental, social, and governance challenges and presents ESG as a critical framework for sustainable development. He outlines the interconnected nature of these challenges, emphasizing the need for integrated and intelligent approaches to tackle them effectively. • Environmental Issues: Prof. Lowry highlights the urgency of addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and resource depletion. Climate change is driven by rising greenhouse gases, resulting in global temperature rise, increased CO2 levels, and sea-level rise. Biodiversity is under threat due to habitat destruction and species extinction. Pollution affects air, water, and soil, leading to severe health and ecological consequences. Resource depletion, particularly of water, minerals, and fossil fuels, threatens global sustainability. • Social Issues: Key social challenges include poverty, inequality, health crises, and educational disparities. Poverty affects millions, with COVID-19 exacerbating the situation. Inequality manifests in economic, gender, and racial disparities, limiting access to resources and opportunities. Health crises, such as pandemics and lack of healthcare access, undermine global well-being. Educational disparities hinder development, with significant numbers of children and adults lacking access to quality education. • Governance Issues: Governance challenges, including corruption, lack of transparency, political instability, and weak rule of law, impede sustainable development. Corruption diverts public resources and erodes trust in institutions. Transparency is essential for accountability and informed citizen participation. Political instability disrupts governance and economic development, while weak rule of law leads to injustice and human rights abuses. ESG and Intelligent Computing: Prof. Lowry argues for integrating ESG principles with intelligent computing technologies, such as AI, machine learning, data analytics, and IoT, to enhance ESG practices. These technologies can predict environmental impacts, optimize resource management, ensure fair labor practices, enhance transparency, and engage stakeholders. He presents case examples of Unilever and Singapore's Smart Nation Initiative, demonstrating successful applications of intelligent computing in addressing ESG issues. Research Opportunities: Prof. Lowry concludes by calling for trans-disciplinary collaboration and innovative research to harness intelligent computing for ESG, driving sustainable and equitable global development. In doing so, he identifies research opportunities in AI for climate change mitigation, sustainable supply chain management, environmental monitoring, social impact analysis, governance enhancement, and circular economy promotion. By advancing research in these areas, intelligent computing can significantly contribute to sustainable development and address critical ESG challenges.
The role of dissonant relational multiplexity in information system implementation failures: Insights from a grounded theory approach
Chatterjee, Sutirtha; Chakraborty, Suranjan; Fulk, H. Kevin; Lowry, Paul Benjamin (2024)
In this study we investigate information system (IS) failures by leveraging a novel construct—dissonant relational multiplexity (RM)—to develop a unique perspective of these failures. Dissonant RM exists when two organizational stakeholders have multiple types of relationships that are in conflict. To investigate the salience of dissonant RM in IS failures, we use a case study combined with the analysis procedures of the grounded theory methodology (GTM) to examine a major failure in enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. Our analysis and theorization highlight that RM became increasingly dissonant in the relationships between key organizational stakeholders because of a shift in technological frames, which represent cognitive perceptions about technology. Further, a key insight from our findings is that the move to dissonant RM occurred through a process that we term relational unbalancing. In addition, we also find evidence of an opposing relational balancing process that was used by stakeholders to address dissonant RM. Such stakeholder efforts were often undermined by inherent constraints in the implemented technology. The relational balancing efforts were not productive, and the dissonant RM continued to exist, ultimately contributing to the failure of the ERP implementation. Our study shows that IS failures are characterized by elements of both determinism and indeterminism, are undoubtedly sociotechnical in nature, and are shaped by technological constraints and stakeholder perceptions of those constraints. From a practical standpoint, our study highlights the importance of managing multiplex stakeholder relationships in an IS implementation process, especially when the multiplexity is shaped by the technology.
Asymmetries in Potential for Partisan Gerrymandering
Goedert, Nicholas; Hildebrand, Robert; Travis, Laurel; Pierson, Matthew (2024)
This paper investigates the effectiveness of potential partisan gerrymandering of the U.S. House of Representatives across a range of states. We use a heuristic algorithm to generate district maps that optimize for multiple objectives, including compactness, partisan benefit, and competitiveness. While partisan gerrymandering is highly effective for both sides, we find that the majority of states are moderately biased toward Republicans when optimized for either compactness or partisan benefit, meaning that Republican gerrymanders have the potential to be more effective. However, we also find that more densely populated and more heavily Hispanic states show less Republican bias or even Democratic bias. Additionally, we find that in almost all cases we can generate reasonably compact maps with very little sacrifice to partisan objectives through a mixed objective function. This suggests that there is a strong potential for stealth partisan gerrymanders that are both compact and beneficial to one party. Nationwide, partisan gerrymandering is capable of swinging over one hundred seats in the U.S. House, even when compact districts are simultaneously sought.
How do consumers make behavioral decisions on social commerce platforms? The interaction effect between behavior visibility and social needs
Jia, Yanli; Liu, Libo; Lowry, Paul Benjamin (2024)
The online phenomenon of social commerce (i.e., s-commerce) platforms has emerged as a combination of online social networking and e-commerce. On s-commerce platforms, consumers can observe others’ behavioral decisions and can distinguish those made by their friends from those made by their followees (i.e., the people a focal consumer follows but who do not follow that consumer back). Given this distinction, our study examines how consumers’ behavioral decisions—regarding, for example, purchases, ratings, or “likes”—are made on s-commerce platforms, with a focus on how they are influenced by prior decisions of friends and followees. Combining panel data from a large s-commerce platform and two controlled experiments, we identify a strong normative social influence pattern in which consumers tend to follow others’ prior decisions to gain social approval. Because the occurrence of normative social influence depends on both consumer behaviors with high public visibility and strong consumer needs to establish social ties, the unique information concerning behavior visibility and consumers’ social needs in the panel data allows us to identify normative social influence and to distinguish it from informational confounding mechanisms. Our panel data results show that on a friend network, where consumers’ behavioral decisions are visible, females exhibit a greater tendency to follow others’ prior decisions than males. We attribute this result to the stronger social needs of females. However, on a followee network, where behavioral decisions are invisible, these differences become less evident. Moreover, the two experiments demonstrate that making decision contexts private or activating social needs via a priming procedure can thwart (or even turn off) normative social influence. Our findings challenge prior research that identifies informational social influence as the predominant driver of conformity behaviors and thus have important implications for practice related to normative social influence, such as the development of techniques for satisfying consumers’ different social needs depending on their gender or any other situational factors on s-commerce platforms.

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