Paul Benjamin lowry is an associate professor of information systems and the Kevin and Debra rollins Faculty Fellow at the Marriott School of Management, Brigham young university, where he also directs the IS Ph.D. Preparation Program. He received his Ph.D. in management information systems from the university of arizona. His research interests include behavioral information security, human-computer interaction (aBstraCt: Social computing technologies typically have multiple features that allow users to reveal their personal information to other users. Such self-disclosure (SD) behavior is generally considered positive and beneficial in interpersonal communication and relationships. using a newly proposed model based on social exchange theory, this paper investigates and empirically validates the relationships between SD technology use and culture. In particular, we explore the effects of culture on information privacy concerns and the desire for online interpersonal awareness, which influence attitudes toward, intention to use, and actual use of SD technologies. Our model was tested using arguably the strongest social computing technology for online SDinstant messaging (IM)-with users from China and the united States. Our findings reveal that cross-cultural dimensions are significant predictors of information privacy concerns and desire for online awareness, which are, in turn, found to be predictors of attitude toward, intention to use, and actual use of IM. Overall, our proposed model is applicable to both cultures. Our findings enhance the theoretical understanding of the effects of culture and privacy concerns on SD technologies and provide practical suggestions for developers of SD technologies, such as adding additional control features to applications.soCial ComPuting teChnologies (SCTs), such as blogs, Twitter, instant messaging (IM), podcasts, and social networking web sites (e.g., Facebook), have become increasingly popular in the past few years. These technologies facilitate online social interaction and therefore create or recreate social conventions and social contexts [82, 103]. Many SCTs allow individuals to intentionally and voluntarily self-disclose their personal information to others in interpersonal relationships. For example, IM users reveal their current status to their "buddies." Facebook users share their personal profiles and updates with their friends and sometimes even strangers. Such self-disclosure (SD) behavior is generally considered positive and beneficial in interpersonal communication and relationships because it reduces stress, builds intimacy, and increases social approval for one's ideas [5,19, 35,86,94]. Thus, enabling SD is one of the key reasons for the success of many SCTs. we refer to SCTs that support the SD process online as SD technologies.Social computing as a field of research is relatively young, and so far the understanding of SD technologies is limited [82]. New research needs to explore new theories of motivation for social computing that take into account behav...

This study investigates how knowledge sharing (KS) contributes to firm performance (FP) through the enhancement of innovation and/or intellectual capital (IC) using data collected from Chinese high-technology firms. The paper proposes three alternative models that suggest different mediating roles of innovation and IC components in the KSFP nomological network based on existing theory. The paper then compares these models in terms of in-sample explanatory and out-of-sample predictive powers using consistent partial least squares path modeling (PLSc). Results indicate that in the best performing model, innovation and IC simultaneously mediate the relationship between KS and FP in this specific context. The findings offer insights regarding the parallel mediation roles of innovation and IC in the KSFP process, showcase the predictive utility of PLSc, and can help managers set priorities when leveraging KS to achieve specific performance goals.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the fit between intellectual capital (IC) and knowledge management (KM) strategy and its impacts on firm performance. Design/methodology/approach Based on the fit view, the authors posit that firms can enhance performance by aligning the structure of their IC with KM strategy, as reducing the extent to which their actual IC profile deviate from the “ideal” profile when implementing certain type of KM strategy. Using survey data collected from 328 high technology firms in China, the authors tested the research model. Findings The more fit a firm’s IC is to its KM strategic type, the better operational and financial performance it can achieve. Research limitations/implications The sample of high technology firms in China might limit the generalization of the findings. Nonetheless, this study is based on and extends prior research, which provides a deepened understanding of the role of IC-KM strategy fit in organizational settings. Practical implications The paper suggests that firms should adjust their IC according to KM strategy they employ. According to the findings, managers can selectively develop IC to achieve performance goals under certain type of KM strategy. Originality/value As one of the first studies to investigate the relationship among IC, KM strategy and firm performance in a holistic way, it indicates that the IC-KM strategy fit can be a novel explanation for performance variances through the alignment of knowledge-based capability and strategy.

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