Alok Gupta

University of Minnesota Twin Cities | UMN · Management Information Systems Research Center

Motivated by the deep transformation of the transportation sector toward electric and shared mobility, this research develops a decision support system that enables real-time allocation of shared electric vehicles (SEVs) to either the rental market or aggregated as a virtual power plant to the electricity market. The multipurposing of SEVs beyond t...

We live in a time when digital technologies reshape most aspects of business and social life. This challenges received assumptions about modes of operation in organizations. As a result, scholars and practitioners increasingly use the label “digital” to signify that something has changed to the extent that a plethora of long-established management...

This paper advances the understanding of the information systems (IS) discipline by developing a multidimensional conceptualization of the discipline’s intellectual diversity and applying it to information systems research (ISR). It provides an empirical analysis of the intellectual diversity exhibited by the full set of ISR articles published in o...

Firms are increasingly adopting different sales channels to reach new potential buyers. Yet, extant research has mainly focused on B2C online and offline posted price channels. B2B multichannel and, especially, systems with multiple pricing mechanisms are largely underexplored. This paper investigates the strategic behaviors of B2B buyers in a uniq...

Single-Sourcing Versus Multisourcing: An Empirical Analysis of Large Information Technology Outsourcing Arrangements Policy Abstract As the information technology (IT) services landscape matures, clients are increasingly adopting multisourcing arrangements that involve multiple vendors. Although a large body of IS literature addresses issues of whe...

This study examines the impact of coordination capabilities provided by enterprise systems (ES), manifested in ES standardization and extensiveness, on merger and acquisition (M&A) outcomes in the short and long term. Specifically, we examine the extent to which the ES standardization and ES extensiveness of the acquiring and target firms contribut...

This paper examines the relationship between enterprise systems (ES) and the likelihood of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The key argument is that since ES can reduce agency costs associated with internal coordination and the transaction cost of coordinating with external partners, ES may be related to the likelihood of M&A. Using a sample of 3,28...

A common problem in many mature markets is how to deal with congestion—a situation in which transaction requests from market participants cannot be accommodated in an expedited manner. This paper examines the congestion problem in sequential Dutch auction markets. Transactions in these markets typically involve perishable goods, making market clear...

Combinatorial auctions have seen limited applications in large-scale consumer-oriented marketplaces, partly due to the substantial complexity to keep track of auction status and formulate informed bidding strategies. We study the bidder support problem for the general multi-item multi-unit (MIMU) combinatorial auctions, where multiple heterogeneous...

A consensus is beginning to emerge that the next phase of artificial intelligence (AI) induction in business organizations will require humans to work with AI in a variety of work arrangements. This article explores the issues related to human capabilities to work with AI. A key to working in many work arrangements is the ability to delegate work t...

We study a novel operational problem that considers vehicle positioning in on-demand rental networks, such as car sharing in the wider context of a competitive market in which users select vehicles based on access. Existing approaches consider networks in isolation; our competitor-aware model takes supply situations of competing networks into accou...

As artificial intelligence (AI) can increasingly be used to support decision-making in various areas, enhancing the understanding of human-AI collaboration is more important than ever. We study delegation between humans and AI as one form of collaboration. Specifically, we investigate whether there exist distinct patterns of human delegation behavi...

With knowledge and expertise increasingly being recognized as important, firms have made significant investments in document repositories as part of their knowledge management initiatives. Document repositories are intended to enhance the ability to access codified knowledge and help improve task performance through knowledge reuse. However, it is...

We analyze how advice from an AI affects complementarities between humans and AI, in particular what humans know that an AI does not know: “unique human knowledge.” In a multi-method study consisting of an analytical model, experimental studies, and a simulation study, our main finding is that human choices converge toward similar responses improvi...

The most commonly cited issues with mobile apps are low user engagement and retention levels. In this paper, we use a randomized control trial to test the efficacy of crowdsourcing on enhancing user engagement and retention in the context of mobile gaming apps. We examine two specific crowdsourcing features: the ability to submit content and the ab...

Despite the growing popularity of online referral programs, a minimal amount is known regarding the theoretical foundations that drive the key actions associated with successful referrals. In this paper, we study which type of referral reward structure is most effective in maximizing word-of-mouth by conducting two randomized experiments in mobile...

Procurement mechanisms used by businesses have evolved from simple single‐item auctions to complex multi‐unit, multi‐attribute, and multi‐object auctions and their combinations. These state‐of‐the‐art mechanisms offer many economic benefits but also introduce challenges such as the increased complexity in decision making for the participants. Our p...

We develop a general-purpose agent-based simulation and modeling approach to analyze how user–recommender interactions affect recommender systems in the long run. Our explorations show that, over time, user–recommender interactions consistently lead to the longitudinal performance paradox of recommender systems. In particular, users’ reliance on re...

A key to the content diversity on user‐generated content platforms is what subject users choose to contribute on. This research investigates how two factors can shape contributors’ subject choice decisions, namely, the amount of existing content and content contributed by online friends or “friend content.” Our experimental findings show that both...

A key to the content diversity on user-generated content platforms is what subjects users choose to contribute on. This research investigates how two factors can shape contributors' subject choice decisions, namely, the amount of existing content and content contributed by online friends, or "friend content." Our experimental findings show that bot...

We examine the dynamic inventory liquidation problem, in which a retailer liquidates a fixed number of identical items over a time period by strategically setting prices periodically according to knowledge about stochastic demand. We propose to solve the liquidation problem by deriving a deterministic representation of stochastic demand. Assuming t...

We develop a general agent-based modeling and computational simulation approach to study the impact of various factors on the temporal dynamics of recommender systems' performance. The proposed agent-based simulation approach allows for comprehensive analysis of longitudinal recommender systems performance under a variety of diverse conditions, whi...

One of the central issues in auction design is how much information should be disclosed to bidders. In this paper, we examine bidder's identity disclosure in sequential business-to-business (B2B) auctions. Specifically, we compare two information disclosure policies, one that publicly discloses winners’ identities (the status quo) and an alternativ...

We develop a dynamic structural model of competitive bidding in multiunit sequential business-to-business auctions. Our model accounts for two notable characteristics of these auctions: (i) bidders have multiple purchase opportunities for the same product, and (ii) winning bidders in each round can acquire multiple units of the same product. We app...

This paper compares two modes for outsourcing the development of information services projects: singlesourcing (where one vendor handles all outsourced activities) and multisourcing (where multiple vendors handle those activities). We assess the relative efficacy of these two outsourcing modes by identifying the effects of three factors: task modul...

It has been often suggested that much of the widespread use of economic experiments has been possible only because of the developments in information technology. Yet, the information systems (IS) domain has been largely lagging in its use of the methodology. This commentary is aimed at spurring the use of economic experiments in the IS domain by ex...

We conduct an exploratory study using a customized Facebook application to understand how social ties are linked to an economic measure of trust. We employ the Investment Game, a well-established economic game designed to generate a quantifiable trust measure. We consider the relationship between observed trust and three "revealed preference" tie s...

Interest in using digital before existing research concepts seem to be on the rise in the IS field. This panel is positioned to explore what value lies in labelling our research as digital "x" as opposed to the well-established IT "x" (where "x" can be strategy, infrastructure, innovation, artifact, capability e.t.c). The question this raises is th...

While information technology benefits society in numerous ways, it unfortunately also has potential to create new vulnerabilities. This special issue intends to stimulate thought and research into understanding and mitigating these vulnerabilities. We identify four mechanisms by which ubiquitous computing makes various entities (people, devices, or...

Motivated by the importance of having reliable online rating systems, we examine the ebb and flow of online ratings with a focus on whether aberrations in online ratings cast a long shadow in subsequent ratings. Our study consists of two complementary pieces: first, we reveal the dynamics following rating aberrations using an econometric analysis o...

The proliferation of online auctions has attracted significant research interest in understanding real-life bidding behavior. However, most of the empirical work has focused on business-to-consumer (B2C) auctions. A natural question is whether the findings obtained from B2C auctions are applicable to business-to-business (B2B) auctions, which often...

There is significant information asymmetry in the information technology (IT) outsourcing market. Clients are uncertain about vendors' capabilities and vendors are uncertain about clients' requirements. Prior literature has examined many devices to reduce such information asymmetry, e.g., vendor reputation, client-vendor prior relationship, vendors...

The shift toward sustainable electricity systems is one of the grand challenges of the 21st century. Decentralized production from renewable sources, electric mobility, and related advances are at odds with traditional power systems where central, large-scale generation of electricity follows inelastic consumer demand. Information systems innovatio...

Wicked problems like sustainable energy and financial market stability are societal challenges that arise from complex socio-technical systems in which numerous social, economic, political, and technical factors interact. Understanding and mitigating them requires research methods that scale beyond the traditional areas of inquiry of Information Sy...

With the large amount of data available via different channels, firms have increasingly viewed information transparency as an important component of their strategy. This paper examines how the disclosure of winners' information affects sellers' revenues in multi-channel, B2B sequential auctions. Using a field experiment, we find that bidders tend t...

This paper broadens the scope of evaluating the design of economic mechanisms that is traditionally done solely from an economic perspective. We introduce and demonstrate the application of acceptability to evaluate complex economic mechanisms. In particular, we apply our approach to the evaluation of continuous combinatorial auctions, which repres...

We contend that in order to compete effectively in a digital business environment, firms should develop a transparency strategy by selectively disclosing information outside the boundaries of the firm. We make the case for transparency strategy by showing why it is relevant in the digital business world, and the consequences of not having such a st...

The rapid pace of technological innovation necessitates that information technology (IT) services firms continually invest in replenishing the skills of their key asset base, the human capital. We examine whether human capital investments directed toward employee training are effective in improving employee performance. Our rich employee level pane...

Advancements in information technology offer opportunities for designing and deploying innovative market mechanisms that can improve the allocation and procurement processes of businesses. For example, combinatorial auctions--in which bidders can bid on combinations of goods--have been shown to increase the economic efficiency of a trade when goods...

We use an economic experiment to demonstrate that socially mediated trust levels are higher in online social networks, even though the notion of friendship formation in such networks is understood less than physical-world tie formation. We do so by designing a novel Facebook application to play a non-anonymous Investment Game that allows us to stud...

We develop a general agent-based modeling and simulation approach to study the impact of various factors on the temporal dynamics of recommender systems' performance. In this paper, we specifically focus on exploring the product consumption strategies and show that, in the long run, they can significantly impact the system's recommendation quality...

We study multi-unit sequential Dutch auctions in a complex B2B context. Using a large real-world dataset, we apply structural econometric analysis to recover the parameters governing the distribution of bidders' valuations. The identification of these parameters allows us to simulate auction results under different designs and perform policy counte...

IT outsourcing has three broad forms: (i) Single-Sourcing, where the client outsources to one primary vendor, (ii) Single-Sourcing with subcontracting, where the primary vendor involves other/secondary vendors in the project, and (iii) Multi-Sourcing, where the client outsources to multiple primary vendors. Using a dataset of large IT outsourcing c...

Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) networks are a form of collaboration where several firms share resources such as diagnostics, prevention tools, and policies to provide security for their computer networks. While decisions to outsource security operations of an organization may seem counterintuitive, there are potential benefits from joinin...

Healthcare is an important social and economic component of modern society, and the effective use of information technology in this industry is critical to its success. As health insurance premiums continue to rise, competitive bidding may be useful in generating stronger price competition and lower premium costs for employers and possibly, governm...

External financing is critical to ventures that do not have a revenue source but need to recruit employees, develop products, pay suppliers, and market their products/services. There is an increasing belief among entrepreneurs that electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), specifically blog coverage, can aid in achieving venture capital financing. Conflicti...

Managed security service provider (MSSP) networks are a form of collaboration where several firms share resources such as diagnostics, prevention tools, and policies to provide security for their computer networks. While the decision to outsource the security operations of an organization may seem counterintuitive, there are potential benefits from...

In the aftermath of many natural and man-made disasters, people often wonder why those affected were underprepared, especially when the disaster was the result of known or regularly occurring hazards (e.g., hurricanes). We study one contributing factor: ...

Organizations today have access to enormous data sets, and sophisticated business analytical tools are needed to harness the tremendous potential of these data to improve day-to-day decision making. To encourage further developments in this rapidly growing area of interdisciplinary research, Management Science will publish a special issue dedicated...

We provide evidence that firms appoint independent directors who are overly sympathetic to management, while still technically independent according to regulatory definitions. We explore a subset of independent directors for whom we have detailed, microlevel ...

We gather detailed data on organizational practices and information technology (IT) use at 253 firms to examine the hypothesis that external focus---the ability of a firm to detect and therefore respond to changes in its external operating environment---increases ...

Combinatorial auctions—in which bidders can bid on combinations of goods—can increase the economic efficiency of a trade when goods have complementarities. Recent theoretical developments have lessened the computational complexity of these auctions, but the issue of cognitive complexity remains an unexplored barrier for the online marketplace. This...

Electronic auctions are increasingly being used to facilitate the procurement of goods and services in organizations. Multiattribute auctions, which allow bids on multiple dimensions of the product and not just price, are information technology–enabled sourcing mechanisms that can increase the efficiency of procurement for configurable goods and se...

Many professions are plagued by disparities in service delivery. Racial disparities in policing, mortgage lending, and healthcare are some notable examples. Because disparities can result from a myriad of mechanisms, crafting effective disparity mitigation ...

We compare two strategies for outsourcing the development of information services projects: multisourcing and single-sourcing. We model these sourcing strategies when incentive contracts are based on a verifiable project metric that may or may not be aligned with the project outcome. We also model the interdependence of client and vendor efforts so...

The Internet has brought consumers increased access to information to make purchase decisions. One of the consequences is an increase in the price elasticity of demand, or the percent change in demand due to a percent change in price, because consumers are better able to compare offerings from multiple suppli- ers. In this paper, we analyze the imp...

This article discusses the role of commonly used neurophysiological tools such as psychophysiological tools (e.g., EKG, eye tracking) and neuroimaging tools (e.g., fMRI, EEG) in Information Systems research. There is heated interest now in the social sciences in capturing presumably objective data directly from the human body, and this interest in...

Internet-based selling offers firms many new opportunities regarding the strategies for design of mechanisms to support consumer transactions. This chapter examines the use of transparency as a strategy for Internet-based selling for maximizing firms' value from their selling activities on the World Wide Web. We define transparency as the extent to...

Air travel distribution has been transformed by Internet technology because of an increase in market transparency, the level of availability and accessibility of product and price information. This article attempts to explain and interpret changes in the market for online travel with the market entry of air carrier consortium-owned Orbitz, a second...

We study the role of different contract types in coordinating the joint product improvement effort of a client and a customer support center. The customer support center's costly efforts include transcribing and analyzing customer feedback, analyzing market trends, and investing in product design. Yet this cooperative role must be adequately incent...