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Contemporary businesses are rapidly embracing virtual collaboration as a flexible, cheaper, and more efficient method for conducting group work. Past research has shown, however, that virtual groups operate quite differently than face-to-face groups. In this study, Social Impact Theory provides a framework to investigate whether virtual collaboration heightens social loafing—the tendency for individuals to contribute less than full effort to a group. The theory predicts that member distance, inherent in virtual collaboration, increases the propensity of group members to loaf, and decreases group performance. Two hundred seventy-nine participants assigned to face-to-face or virtual groups completed a business resources allocation task. Results suggest that virtual collaboration negatively affects group performance and that social loafing behavior may partially explain this result. The findings imply that organizations should carefully consider whether virtual collaboration can be seamlessly substituted for face-to-face group interaction.

This paper reviews the nearly 20 years of scholarly research on information technology outsourcing (ITO), with an explicit focus on developing a taxonomy for AIS academics and extracting valuable suggestions for AIS practitioners. Our taxonomy subdivides the ITO research into separate streams: (1) initial outsourcing decision and its determinants, (2) execution of the outsourcing contract and dynamics of outsourcing relationships, and (3) measurement of outsourcing results and the long-term organizational consequences of outsourcing. We consider the primary research questions addressed, summarize the major findings, and identify the theories and methods used. Finally, we highlight the limited accounting studies on ITO and discuss directions for potential synergies between accounting and IS scholars.

This study draws from the literature in positive psychology and organizational behavior to examine the role of an individual's psychological capital (PsyCap) on the budget participation-job performance relationship. PsyCap is an emerging construct that represents an individual's positive state of psychological development, and is characterized by the individual's hope, efficacy, optimism, and resiliency. We surveyed 109 employees working in organizations across the United States who are actively involved in the budget-setting process or have budgetary responsibilities. The results of a mediation analysis show that budget participation is significantly and positively associated with employees' levels of PsyCap, which is in turn significantly and positively associated with higher levels of job performance. Supplemental analysis using a structural equation modeling technique also supported the hypotheses of this study.

We are in a historic moment of horse-versus-locomotive competition.-͑p. 10͒With that, Ian Ayers launches the opening salvo in his campaign to prepare us for the brave new world of Super Crunching. The horse, of course, is you-relying on intuition, personal experience, and expertise to make a decision. The locomotive is the Super Cruncher, fueled by massive stores of information and statistical tools to make data-driven decisions. The outcome is inevitable-how can a horse compete against a locomotive? The answer is obvious-it cannot. So the real question Ayers asks is, will you come along for the ride? SUMMARY OF THE BOOKAs defined in the book, Super Crunching is the statistical analysis of data to inform real-world decisions. It is used, for example, by Amazon to determine which books to recommend to you based on a statistical analysis of your past purchases. The statistical techniques are straightforward: regression analysis, randomization, probability estimates, and Bayesian updating.The basic premise of using statistical methods to analyze data and draw conclusions is nothing new. Indeed, Oliver Wendell Holmes noted in 1897 that "the man of the future is the man of statistics" ͑p. 215͒. So what makes Super Crunching different? One, the sheer size of the data available for crunching is staggering. Acxiom, a database aggregation company detailed in the book, would require 2,000 miles of diskettes to store its raw data. This massive database connects with other massive databases to create mountains of data we can scarcely comprehend. Two, the technological resources available to disseminate the data to throngs of users is unparalleled. Cheap, compact, and powerful storage devices, combined with the ever-expanding reach of the Internet, make it easy to capture and mine the wealth of data that had previously been stored in books, on tapes, or on diskettes. Third, recognition of the power of data analysis has finally moved outside the confines of academics and actuaries. Super Crunchers are not "egghead academics" striving to publish journal articles ͑p. 11͒, but rather are decision-makers looking to improve a business, a political campaign, a sports team, health care, etc. THE CORE THEMES OF SUPER CRUNCHERSThe impact of Super Crunching on our everyday lives is a core theme of the book. The aforementioned Amazon, plus Netflix, Wal-Mart, eHarmony, Lowe's, Harrah's Casino, Capital One, Continental Airlines, and many more, use Super Crunching to tailor website formats, coupon offers, and promotional gimmicks, as well as to match potential dates and even set product prices.