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Divinus Oppong-Tawiah

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Divinus Oppong-Tawiah

Divinus Oppong-Tawiah

Assistant Professor of Operations Management and Information Systems

divinus@schulich.yorku.ca

(416) 736-2100 ext. 77954

Office: S337L SSB

  • Area of Expertise

    • Operations Management and Information Systems ›

    Research Interests

    • Business Analytics
    • Design Science
    • Digital Platforms
    • Network Science
    • Persuasion & Gamification
    Download CV
  • I’m an information systems researcher studying how new technologies evolve organizational forms and practices. I focus mostly on how sociality – social norms, social relationships and social influence mechanisms – unfolds and shapes digitally enabled organizational work. I study these concepts in contexts such as IT innovation in digital platforms; collective intelligence and open innovation in online communities; and sustainable, organizational IT practices. I use a variety of empirical methods: network science, data science, design science, econometric analysis, randomized controlled trials, and quasi experimental causal inference methods. Overall, my research aims to deepen understanding of how organizations leverage information systems and information technologies to innovate, compete and survive in the digital economy.

    I am always interested in discussing collaborations and future opportunities in these areas.

    Honours

    2018 ICIS Doctoral Consortium Fellow

    2017 OCIS Doctoral Consortium Fellow

    2017 Best Reviewer Award (SIGADIT at ICIS 2017)

    2014 Best Paper Award (Information Systems Division, ASAC 2014)

    2014 Grenville Smith Fellowship, McGill University (2014-2018)

    2013 Graduate Fellowship, Queen’s University (2013-2014)

    Recent Publications

    Divinus Oppong-Tawiah, Xerxes Minocher, Farzam Boroomand & Jane Webster (Forthcoming), "Meaningful Work as an Ethical Approach: Shaping the Next Generation of Organizational Gamification", Information System Frontiers.

    Keywords
    • AI
    • Dark side
    • Ethical design
    • Gamification
    • Theoretical review
    • Work design

    View Paper

    Abstract

    Gamified information systems have become widespread in organizations along with unintended ethical consequences. In parallel, recent advances in artificial intelligence and their promise for gamification raise new ethical concerns in the workplace. Building on a generational review of research progress in the field, we draw from work design, affordances, and value-sensitive design literatures to develop a theoretical framework and a related ethical design approach to encourage more meaningful work with organizational gamification. Our frameworks specify how game elements and their associated affordances can help transition organizational gamification from an add-on to an integrated part of instrumental work systems. We discuss how tying an ethical reflection into a historically informed view of progress in the field overcomes limitations in previous generations of gamification research and helps to resolve long-standing as well as emerging ethical concerns.

    Oppong-Tawiah, D and Jane Webster (2023), "Corporate Communication as ‘Fake News’: Firms’ Greenwashing on Twitter", Sustainability, 15(8), 6683.

    Keywords
    • CSR Communication
    • Deception Detection
    • Financial Market Performance
    • Greenwashing; Fake News
    • Profile Deviation

    Open Access Download

    Abstract

    Fake news on social media has engulfed the world of politics in recent years and is now posing the same threat in other areas, such as corporate social responsibility communications. This study examines this phenomenon in the context of firms’ deceptive communications concerning environmental sustainability, usually referred to as greenwashing. We first develop and validate a new method for automatically identifying greenwashing, using linguistic cues in a sample of tweets from a diverse set of firms in two highly polluting industries. We then examine the relationship between greenwashing and financial market performance for the firms in our sample. Prior research has identified these issues as some of the most important gaps in the extant literature. By addressing them, we make several important contributions to corporate sustainability research and practice, as well as introducing notable improvements to automatic greenwashing detection methods.

    Pandey, R., M. Rungtusanatham, and D. Oppong-Tawiah (2023), "Asymmetric Investments in Sourcing Relationships, Supplier Shirking, and Cross-Functional Information Sharing as a Moderator", International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 43(6), 849-878.

    Keywords
    • Asymmetric Sourcing Relationships
    • Cross-Functional Information Sharing
    • Heteroskedasticity-Based Instrumental Variable Approach
    • OLS Estimation
    • Shirking

    View Paper

    Abstract

    Purpose
    With asymmetric investments in exchange (i.e. sourcing) relationships, both sourcing firms and suppliers invest but one party invests more than the other. This paper aims to examine the associations between asymmetric (i.e. unequal) investments in exchange relationships and the tendency of the strategic supplier base to shirk as perceived by the sourcing firm, as well as the moderation effects of cross-functional information sharing within a sourcing firm on these associations.

    Design/methodology/approach
    The authors analyzed survey data from 500 US middle-market manufacturers via ordinary least squares (OLS) estimation. Besides appropriate controls, the authors also employed the heteroskedasticity-based instrumental variable approach to ensure that analytical inferences are not influenced by endogeneity.

    Findings
    On average, when a sourcing firm invests more than its strategic supplier base into their exchange relationships, the perceived tendency of the strategic supplier base to shirk decreases. This negative association is more pronounced when a sourcing firm facilitates cross-functional information sharing. Conversely, when the strategic supplier base invests more than the sourcing firm into their exchange relationships, the perceived tendency of the strategic supply base to shirk is not detected unless the sourcing firm facilitates cross-functional information sharing.

    Originality/value
    Prior research reveals that investments by a sourcing firm or by suppliers influence supplier shirking. This paper provides new evidence as to how and why asymmetric investments in exchange relationships relate to the perceived tendency of the strategic supplier base to shirk and new evidence as to how and why cross-functional information sharing safeguards against this tendency when investments in exchange relationships are unequal.

    Oppong-Tawiah, D., Webster, J., Staples, S., Cameron, A.-F., Ortiz de Guinea, A. and Tam, H. (2020), "Developing a Gamified Mobile Application to Encourage Sustainable Energy Use in the Office", Journal of Business Research, 106, 388-405.

    Keywords
    • Design Science
    • Environment
    • Gamification
    • Green IS
    • Lean Development
    • Persuasive Design
    • Sustainability

    View Paper

    Abstract

    Faced with growing pressures to become more environmentally sustainable, many companies are exploring innovative ways to incorporate “green” practices into their business processes. We focus on employees and their pro-environmental behaviours in the workplace. Drawing on gamification and persuasive design principles, we utilized five design cycles to develop and test a system that tracks employees’ electricity usage on their computer-related equipment, engages them through a mobile application using a garden metaphor, and encourages them to reduce their energy consumption. The results of the design cycles built on each other, demonstrating that the system decreases employees’ electricity consumption and increases their motivation to continue engaging in pro-environmental behaviours. Possible extensions to the system were also explored. Reflecting on our experiences, seven guidelines emerged related to gamification design and the wider field of design science research. Limitations and future research directions for gamification and environmental sustainability research are discussed.

    Chan, Y.E. and Oppong-Tawiah, D. (2017), "The Influence of IT and Knowledge Capabilities on the Survival of University IT Startups", International Journal of Technoentrepreneurship, 3(2), 150-172.

    Keywords
    • Business Incubators
    • Dynamic Capabilities
    • Information Technology
    • IT Capabilities
    • IT Entrepreneurship
    • IT Startups
    • IT-Enabled Innovation
    • Knowledge Assets
    • Knowledge Capabilities
    • New Product Development
    • NPD
    • RBV
    • Resource-Based View
    • Startup Agility
    • Startup Performance
    • Startup Survival Rates
    • Technology Capabilities
    • University Incubators
    • University Startups

    View Paper

    Abstract

    Despite continuing interest in the role of university incubators in fostering IT entrepreneurship, empirical evidence on the link between incubation and IT startup survival has been mixed. This paper offers a fresh, unifying perspective by examining how university startups’ IT-enabled agility relates to their survival. We use the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities and new product development (NPD) literatures to create a conceptual framework of the impact of startup firms’ knowledge assets, technology capabilities, agility and innovation on their survival. Our framework suggests that startups’ survival rates increase when they use dynamic IT knowledge capabilities to pursue innovations with emerging technology capabilities in rapidly evolving IT markets. Implications for university incubator research, policy and management are discussed.

    Courses Taught

    MMAI 5040 Business Applications of Artificial Intelligence I
    OMIS 5110 Information Systems

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