To advance the stream of culture-themed Information Systems (IS) research, this study ushers in the cultural tightness-looseness (CTL) theory and conceptualises the focal construct, the cultural tightness (CT), into the social media usage context. By integrating the CTL theory and the customer value perspective, this study proposes a research model to examine how an espoused tight culture affects individuals’ value assessment and behaviour of social media use. The model is validated using a cross-sectional field survey dataset of Chinese social media users, sampling a typical tight culture. The findings demonstrate that the espoused tight culture plays a paramount role in influencing users’ value assessment and usage behaviour related to social media. This study contributes to the cultural IS literature by providing a context-specific understanding of overall cultural interactions of social media use in a tight culture.

Task-related conflict and person-related conflict in software testing are inevitable and can impact the effectiveness and efficiency of the software development process. The dimensionality of conflict in software testing is reasonably well understood, although in past research both types of conflict have frequently been modeled as reflective constructs that can obstruct the effectiveness of their use as organizational assessment and training tools. One contribution of this study is an empirical model of conflict sources in software engineering; such sources of conflict threaten to derail efficient software development outcomes in firms. A second contribution of this research is the development of a formative measurement model for purposes of development of assessing task conflict and person conflict in software teams. These validated measures can be utilized as training and development instruments for on-the-job remediation of development team conflict. As is indicated in the organizational behavior and software engineering literature, deploying valid measures of workplace stressors such as conflict can lead to the managerial application of effective strategies and tactics to improve workplace morale and satisfaction, to the great benefit of productivity and retention.

This study incorporates insights from services marketing and information systems (IS) usage research, and proposes a service value perspective of continued use of Mobile Technology Mediated Services (MTMS). Our study illustrates that customers strongly recognize the value of MTMS in building utilitarian and hedonic benefits, which influences their intentions to continue using the service. Our study shows that, when assessing value of MTMS, customers are less concerned with effort-based cost for the service use. Instead, the effort-based cost is recognized as a negative predictor of utilitarian and hedonic benefits of MTMS usage. Accounting for the dual role of MTMS patrons as a service customer and a user of IT artifacts, our study contributes to IS theory by incorporating the value perspective into IS usage literature in the service context. The findings provide practical guidelines for MTMS managers to develop value-based strategies for business survival and marketing extension.