A Decompositional Analysis of IT Certifications in Electronic Markets and their Impact on Customer and Platform Provider Perceptions

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Alexander Benlian; Professor Dr. Ali Sunyaev
• Subject Area: Accounting and Finance ; Data Management, Data-Intensive Systems, Computer Science Methods in Business Informatics
• Term: from 2016 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 327130595

• Final Report Year: 2023

Final Report Abstract

Electronic markets have become a central part of everyday life in the 21st century due to their ease of use and ubiquity. However, electronic markets are characterized by various new uncertainties (e.g., regarding the IT security of online platforms) and an increased vulnerability to misuse (e.g., sale of personal data). As a result, many customers are hesitant to do business online or have doubts about the provider of an online platform. To reduce uncertainties and support the development of stable electronic markets, IT certifications are used as a proven means in research and practice, for example, by signaling transparency about IT security. IT certifications are neutral attestations by independent intermediaries (i.e., certification bodies) of specific system characteristics, operations, and management principles. Despite the increasing importance of IT certifications for providers and customers, theoretical mechanisms driving their effectiveness remain an open field of research due to contradictory empirical findings. For example, although IT certifications can differ significantly in their structural characteristics, these differences have not been considered in research. To address existing research gaps on the effectiveness of IT certifications, the project was dedicated to deepening the theoretical understanding of the effects of IT certifications. To this end, (1) the structural differences between certifications were identified as a factor influencing their effectiveness (opening the previous "black box"); (2) previous theories explaining the impact of IT certifications on customer and provider perceptions were critically reflected and extended; and (3) recommendations for the effective design of certifications were derived and empirically validated. By combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, all project objectives were achieved and important findings for research and practice were developed. Overall, the results of the research project contribute to a deeper understanding of which structural design parameters of IT certifications under which conditions cause a positive perception among customers and providers. The results create a conceptual-methodological toolkit for further research on IT certifications in (heterogeneous) electronic markets. Developed and validated explanatory models help resolve previous research's contradictory results. Furthermore, a deeper understanding of possible interactions allows practitioners to identify the causes of unfulfilled effects based on the validated explanatory models to derive and implement appropriate (counter- )measures in the next step.

Publications

• “Unblackboxing” Decision Makers’ Interpretations of IS Certifications in the Context of Cloud Service Certifications. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 1064-1096.
  Lansing, Jens; Benlian, Alexander & Sunyaev, Ali
  
• Strategic signaling through cloud service certifications: Comparing the relative importance of certifications’ assurances to companies and consumers. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(4), 101579.
  Lansing, Jens; Siegfried, Nils; Sunyaev, Ali & Benlian, Alexander
  
• The effectiveness of IS certification in E-commerce: does personality matter?. Journal of Decision Systems, 28(3), 233-259.
  Löbbers, Julian & Benlian, Alexander
  
• A multi-perspective lens on web assurance seals: contrasting vendors’ intended and consumers’ perceived effects. Electronic Commerce Research, 22(4), 1573-1615.
  Löbbers, Julian; Lins, Sebastian; Kromat, Theresa; Benlian, Alexander & Sunyaev, Ali
  
• Do bad experiences loom larger than good ones? The role of prior purchase experiences on the effectiveness of IS certifications. Journal of Decision Systems, 29(2), 79-101.
  Siegfried, Nils; Winkler, Nane & Benlian, Alexander
  
• Why Don't You Join In? A Typology of Information System Certification Adopters. Decision Sciences, 53(3), 452-485.
  Lins, Sebastian; Kromat, Theresa; Löbbers, Julian; Benlian, Alexander & Sunyaev, Ali
  
• A Taxonomy of IS Certification's Characteristics. 2021 2nd International Conference on Internet and E-Business, 1-8. ACM.
  Renner, Maximilian; Lins, Sebastian & Sunyaev, Ali
  
• Advancing the presentation of IS certifications: theory-driven guidelines for designing peripheral cues to increase users’ trust perceptions. Behaviour & Information Technology, 42(13), 2255-2278.
  Lins, Sebastian & Sunyaev, Ali
  
• A Design Theory for Certification Presentations. ACM SIGMIS Database: The DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, 54(3), 75–118.
  Lins, Sebastian; Becker, Jan-Michael; Lyytinen, Kalle & Sunyaev, Ali
  
• The Contingent Effects of IS Certifications on the Trustworthiness of Websites. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 25(3), 594-617.
  Adam, Martin; Lins, Sebastian; Sunyaev, Ali & Benlian, Alexander