Escalation of Commitment in Software Projects: An Elaboration Likelihood Model Perspective

• Main Authors: Chang, Wan-Ting, 張菀庭
• Other Authors: Liang, Ting-Peng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/8t3dym

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 資訊管理學系 === 105 === Escalation of commitment is common in software project development. There are a few theories that have been used to explain this behavior, including the framing effect and self-responsibility. This study investigates the issue from the dual-path elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to examine how different persuasion routes may play roles in the decision process. An experiment was designed to study the effect of different descriptions of project status that may lead to different decision routes (central versus peripheral routes). The experiment design includes message appealing (rational vs emotional appealing), message strength (strong, medium and weak), and framing (positive vs. negative) as main variables and the responsibility as a moderator. The subject was asked to decide whether s/he would continue the project under a given scenario. Our results includes the following: 1. Message appealing, message framing, and message strength have significant interaction effect on the subject’s decision routes; 2. In positive framing, message appealing and strength has significant interaction effect on the use of the central route; 3. When message strength is medium or strong, message appealing and framing has significant interaction effect on the use of the central route; 4. Regarding to decision escalation, the likelihood of escalation is lower when the decision route is central (thinking) under the emotional appealing, positive framing, and strong message; 5. The likelihood of escalation is lower when the decision route is central under the emotional appealing, negative framing, and weak message description.