Business Commons^™

Q&A Platforms Evaluated Using Butler University Q&A Intelligence Index, Trent Ritzenthaler, Richard Fetter, Ginger Lippert

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

A new study using the Butler University Q&A Intelligence Index measures how various mobile Q&A platforms deliver quality, accurate answers in a timely manner to a broad variety of questions. Based on the results of our analysis, ChaCha led all Q&A platforms on mobile devices.

Results of the study are based upon review of a large set of responses from each of the major Q&A platforms, coupled with a comparison of disparate Q&A platforms that serve answers in different ways. Our methodology included the creation of a new metric, termed the Butler University Q&A Intelligence Index, which measures the likelihood …

Beating Competitors To International Markets: The Value Of Geographically Balanced Networks For Innovation, Pankaj C. Patel, Stephanie A. Fernhaber, Patricia P. Mcdougall-Covin, Robert P. Van Der Have

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Being able to launch new products internationally is critical for technology-based ventures to recoup the high costs of R&D and to exploit their innovations fully. Despite the widely recognized importance of networks within the innovation development process, there appear to be contrasting viewpoints as to whether local or foreign network partners contribute more in the race to internationalize. Drawing on the theoretical underpinnings of comparative advantage, we propose and empirically confirm that ventures pursuing a balance of local and foreign network connections for the development of an innovation are able to bring the product more rapidly into the international marketplace. …

The Effect Of Virtuality On Individual Network Centrality And Performance In On-Going, Distributed Teams, Priscilla Arling, Mani Subramani

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

For distributed teams to succeed, individuals must interact successfully within team social networks. To understand individual performance in distributed teams, we consider a multi-dimensional view of individual virtuality and its relationship with centrality in the team’s face-to-face network and ICT network. We leverage social network theory and hierarchically analyze data from 254 individuals in 18 teams. We find that members with higher dispersion are less central in the face-to-face network while those with higher ICT use are more central in the ICT network. Centrality in the ICT network, but not centrality in the face-to-face network, is positively related to performance. …

Virtual World Affordances: Enhancing Brand Value, Sora Park, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, David Dewester, Brenda Eschenbrenner, Sunran Jeon

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Virtual worlds are three-dimensional, computer-generated worlds that are a natural extension of the existing Internet. Although many businesses are jumping on the bandwagon to maintain a presence in virtual worlds, there is no well-established knowledge or theory to guide businesses in their involvement in these environments. In this paper, we identify affordances in the virtual worlds that can be used to increase the state of flow experienced in a business virtual site, which in turn may enhance brand equity, or the perceived added value of a brand to customers. We present a conceptual model that can be used to guide …

A Cross Cultural Study Of Corporate Blogs In The U.S. And In Korea, Sunran Jeon, Seong No Yoon, Jongheon Kim

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Corporate blogging is now world wide due to the potential benefits of blogging. The purpose of this study is to investigate corporate blogging in the U.S. and Korea. The framework to compare corporate blogging in two countries is corporate blogging strategies developed by Lee et al. (2006). Comparing corporate blogging strategies in the U.S., top-down corporate blogging strategy IV (promotion) is mostly adopted in Korea, and most companies use their blogs at the third party site. Promotion blogs have gained popularity and high readership in Korea unlike U.S.

Asp Effects In The Small Size Enterprise: A Case Of Bizmeka Of Korea Telecom, Hwanyoung Kim, Sunran Jeon, Jongheon Kim

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

An application service provider (ASP) is a business model providing information technology (IT) enabled solutions to customers over the Internet. Utilizing an ASP model, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can acquire affordable IT solutions. Korea Telecom (KT), a leading IT company in Korea, provides an ASP service called Bizmeka to SMEs. In this study, we identify factors influencing the perceived benefits of Bizmeka usage. We also examine the relationship between the perceived benefits of Bizmeka usage and customer satisfaction. Based on the results of our survey, we found the following factors to be important in determining customer satisfaction with ASPs: …

The Hidden Value Of It: A Review Of Information Technology And The Productivity Paradox, Priscilla Arling

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Book review of "Lucas, H. C. (1999). Information technology and the productivity paradox: Assessing the value of the investment in IT. New York: Oxford University Press."

New Product Innovation With Multiple Features And Technology Constraints, Kathy A. Paulson Gjerde, S. A. Slotnick, M. J. Sobel

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

We model a firm's decisions about product innovation, focusing on the extent to which features should be improved or changed in the succession of models that comprise a life cycle. We show that the structure of the internal and external environment in which a firm operates suggests when to innovate to the technology frontier. The criterion is maximization of the expected present value of products during the life cycle. Computational studies complement the theoretical results and lead to insights about when to bundle innovations across features. The formalization was influenced by extensive interviews with managers in a high-technology firm that …

Seeing Is Believing; Or Is It? An Emperical Study Of Computer Simulations As Evidence., Robert B. Bennett, Jordan H. Leibman, Richard Fetter

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Relying on the old adage, "seeing is believing," we conclude that the jury may give undue weight to an animated reconstruction of the accident .... It would be an inordinately difficult task for the plaintiff to counter, by cross-examination or otherwise, the impression that a computerized depiction of the accident is necessarily more accurate than an oral description of how the accident occurred. Because the expert's conclusion would be graphically depicted in a moving and animated form, the viewing of the computer simulation might more readily lead the jury to accept the data and premises underlying the defendant's expert's opinion... …