E-Commerce Commons^™

Use Of Rss Feeds To Push The Online Content To Users, Dan Ma

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Many websites use Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds to actively push their online content to users rather than waiting for users to pull the content passively. In this paper, I construct a theoretical game model to study the profitability of an RSS-PUSH delivery mechanism. The model assumes a general profit structure for websites and heterogeneous users. To access valuable online content, users incur a variety of costs. They choose either to visit the website in the conventional way (the PULL model) or, if it is supported by the website, to use RSS (the PUSH model). Interestingly, I show that although …

Effects Of Website Environmental Cues On Consumers’ Response And Outcome Behaviors, Eunju Yoon

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mehrabian and Russell (1974) developed the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model in environmental psychology. This model is used to examine the effects of physical stimuli on human emotions and response behaviors. The development of the Internet and electronic commerce has spurred interest in online shopping research. The S-O-R model has been applied widely to examine consumers’ emotions and responses towards online website stimuli (Eroglu, Machleit, & Davis, 2001; Eroglu, Machleit, and Davis, 2003; Menon & Kahn, 2002; Richard, 2005).

The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of website environmental cues on the consumer’s affective (i.e., hedonic attitude) and …

Reputation As Public Policy For Internet Security: A Field Study, Qian Tang, Leigh L. Linden, John S. Quarterman, Andrew Whinston

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Cybersecurity is a national priority in this big data era. Because of the lack of incentives and the existence of negative externality, companies often underinvest in addressing security risks and accidents, despite government and industry recommendations. In the present article, we propose a method that utilizes reputation through information disclosure to motivate companies to behave pro-socially, improving their Internet security. Using outbound spam as a proxy for Internet security, we conducted a quasiexperimental field study for eight countries through SpamRankings.net. This outgoingspam-based study shows that information disclosure on outgoing spam can help reduce outgoing spam, approximately by 16 percent. This …

Groupon, Inc., Kevin Beiles, Trip Humphrey, Ed Solarz, Jeffrey S. Harrison

Robins Case Network

Groupon’s CEO Andrew Mason made a terrible mistake when he refused to accept Google’s $6 billion dollar offer to acquire his company. About a year after its IPO in 2011, Groupon’s market capitalization was only $2.5 billion, and its main product was coming to be thought of as junk e-mail. The company has pursued growth through expanding into new services and products, with the goal of becoming an e-commerce platform that “locks in” the business of local merchants.

Social Media Helps Small Businesses, Nicholas J. Oxborrow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Beemer and Shook (2009) explain that developing customers one at a time is the only way. There are no short cuts to this. Traditionally, a small business would develop their relationships by going from door-to-door to raise awareness and grow their brand. How fast they achieved this depended on the budget and time available to their business. Traditionally, large businesses had the power of reaching their markets through huge advertising budget, which small companies could not match.

In today’s business environment, social media has become a new marketing tool that is available to all businesses, that instantly develops relationships with …

Comparative Analysis Of Dispersion Parameter Estimates In Loglinear Modeling: Applied To E-Commerce Sales And Customer Data, Scott Davis

Statistics

When loglinear models are applied to count data the issue of over-dispersion often arises. Moment and maximum likelihood estimation methods in accounting for over-dispersion are widely used because they allow for model checking tools such as Chi-square, F, and likelihood ratio tests. Here is a comparison between R functions that each uses one method; glm.nb uses MLE, and glm.poisson.disp uses MME. The Index of Dissimilarity and visual model selection (ECDF plots) are also incorporated. These are applied to sales data using product and customer information compiled over the last five years that was generously provided by an e-commerce company.

A Computational Analysis Of Bundle Trading Markets Design For Distributed Resource Allocation, Zhiling Guo, Gary J. Koehler, Andrew B. Whinston

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Online auction markets play increasingly important roles for resource allocations in distributed systems. This paper builds upon a market-based framework presented by Guo et al. (Guo, Z., G. J. Koehler, A. B. Whinston. 2007. A market-based optimization algorithm for distributed systems. Management Sci. 53(8) 1345–1458), where a distributed system optimization problem is solved by self-interested agents iteratively trading bundled resources in a double auction market run by a dealer. We extend this approach to a dynamic, asynchronous Internet market environment and investigate how various market design factors including dealer inventory policies, market communication patterns, and agent learning strategies affect the …

Guest Editors’ Introduction: Poverty, Technology, Microfinance And Development, Robert J. Kauffman, Frederick J. Riggins

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A consistent expectation on the part of public policy-makers, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) has been that information and communications technologies (ICTs) will be a driver of economic growth and social development for the people away from poverty in the nations that harness them effectively. As this process proceeds around the world in the presence of dramatic technical progress, poverty nevertheless continues to be a difficult and grinding social problem to combat. In spite of the promised changes, the reality is that today there are greater population pressures, continuing inertial forces for economic stagnation, unstable social conditions and regional strife, …

Niche-Seeking In Influence Maximization With Adversary, Long Foong Liow, Shih-Fen Cheng, Hoong Chuin Lau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In hotly contested product categories dominated by a few powerful firms, it is quite common for weaker or late entrants to focus only on particular segments of the whole market. The rationale for such strategy is intuitive: to avoid direct confrontation with heavy-weight firms, and to concentrate in segments where these weaker firms have comparative advantages. In marketing, this is what people called “go niche or go home". The niche-building strategy may rely on “homophily", which implies that consumers in a particular market segment might possess certain set of attributes that cause them to appreciate certain products better (in other …

Message From General Chair And Program Co-Chairs [Of Icec '12, 14th Annual International Conference On Electronic Commerce, Held In Singapore, 7-8 August 2012], Robert J. Kauffman, Martin Bichler, Hoong Chuin Lau, Christopher Yang, Yinping Yang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Singapore, a major hub in the Asia Pacific region well known for its multi-racial and multicultural society, is proud to host the 14th International Conference on Electronic Commerce. Singapore Management University (SMU), the School of Information Systems (SIS) and the Living Analytics Research Center (LARC) are also delighted to be able to support the delivery of this event.

(Hidden) Social Influences In Switching Mobile Service Platforms, Virpi K. Tuunainen, Tuure Tuunanen, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

During the past few years, the mobile industry has gone through a radical change from business focusing on excellence in device manufacturing and supply chain management to ecosystems around successful focal players, such as Apple and Google, controlling these service platforms. In order to compete in this environment, these firms need to understand what makes a consumer switch between these mobile service platforms. To that end, we conducted an inductive qualitative study with university students from Finland and USA as subjects (142 altogether), delving into how and why consumers switch mobile phones, and what are the factors affecting their decisions. …

Consumer Micro-Behavior And Tv Viewership Patterns: Data Analytics For The Two-Way Set-Top Box, Ray M. Chang, Robert J. Kauffman, Insoo Son

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Consumer behavior patterns related to home digital media use are changing due to technological innovations. We examine them in the presence of two-way cable television (CATV) settop boxes. They permit viewers to change channels, switch to the Internet, and order paid programming, among other functions. We focus on micro-level data that are generated from consumer CATV viewing behavior. We capture clickstreams of channel-changing behavior when consumer use a remote control handset to interact with the set-top box in their home. We explore a variety of data analytics results that characterize patterns of consumer channel-switching behavior, as a basis for suggesting …

Bidder Behaviors In Repeated B2b Procurement Auctions, Jong Han Park, Jae Kyu Lee, Hoong Chuin Lau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

B2B auctions play a key role in a firm's procurement process. Even though it is known that repetition is a key characteristic of procurement auctions, traditional auctioneers typically have not put in place a suitable mechanism that supports repetitive auctions effectively. In this paper, we empirically investigate what has taken place in repeated procurement auctions based on real world data from a major outsourcing company of MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) items in Korea. From this empirical study, we discovered the followings. First, we discovered that the repeated bidders contribute majority of all bids, and that the number of new …

The Pricing Model Of Cloud Computing Services, Jianhui Huang, Dan Ma

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Cloud computing service providers offer computing resource as a utility and software as a service over network. Many believe that Cloud computing is making an industry-wise paradigm shift for IT use. Besides its technique issues, the business feature of Cloud computing attracts our interests. Specifically the practice of Amazon EC2 introduces an interesting pricing scheme. Amazon provides users with virtual computing instances as a combination of interruptible service (i.e., spot instance) and uninterruptible service (i.e., on-demand and reserved instance). Spot instance is charged at a per use price which is dynamically changing over time; users of spot instance face the …

Investment Timing For Mobile Payment Systems, Robert J. Kauffman, Jun Liu, Dan Ma

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The recent launch of Google Wallet has brought the issue of technology solutions in the mobile payment (m-payment) area to the forefront. In deciding whether and when to adopt m-payment technology, senior managers in banks are naturally concerned about uncertainties regarding future market conditions, technology standards, and consumer and merchant responses, especially their willingness to adopt. This study applies economic theory and modeling for decision-making under uncertainty to bank investments in mobile payment technology. We assess the projected benefits and costs of investment as a continuous-time stochastic process to determine optimal investment timing. We find that the value of waiting …

The Role Of Interactivity In Interent Business On Customer Experiential Values And Behavioral Intentions, So Ra Park

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Customers’ experiential value is based on holistic experience customers would have when they interact with a product/service. Experiential value is defined as “relativistic preference characterizing a subject’s experience with some object” (Holbrook, 1994). Internet is characterized for interactivity and it should have a role in customers’ experiential value. Therefore, this research investigates the role of interactivity (e-store interaction, C2C interaction, and content interaction) and web store utility on intrinsic and extrinsic customer experiential value. The final dependent variable is behavioral intentions. To test the research model, a survey was designed to capture online consumers’ perception of interactivity within e-stores, experiential …

Effect Of E-Service Quality On Customer Online Repurchase Intentions, Tung-Hsuan Liu

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

In the early years of online retailing, having an online presence and low prices were believed to be key drivers of success. More recently, electronic service quality has become essential as an online marketing strategy. Online stores provide higher service quality to create online customer loyalty, improve customer satisfaction, and keep a lasting competitive advantage.

According to the literature review, service quality is an important instrument of developing a competitive advantage in e-business. It is one of the most critical factors for maintaining long-term relationships with customers, building customer loyalty, and encouraging repeat purchases (Li & Suomi, 2007). Therefore, service …

Vertical Differentiation And A Comparison Of Online Advertising Models, Mei Lin, Xuqing Ke, Andrew B. Whinston

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Designing business models that take into consideration the role of advertising support is critical to the success of online services. In this paper, we address the challenges of these business model strategies and compare different ad revenue models. We use game theory to model vertical differentiation in both monopoly and duopoly settings, in which online service providers may offer an ad-free service, an ad-supported service, or a combination of these services. Offering both ad-free and ad-supported services is the optimal strategy for a monopolist because ad revenues compensate for the cannibalistic effect of vertical differentiation. In a duopoly equilibrium, exactly …

An Exploration Of Engagement: A Customer Perspective, Laura M. Flynn

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

This study examines a proposed framework for measuring customer engagement with support from employee engagement literature. Archival data was utilized to evaluate these relationships which included 4.530 participants that were customers of a business-to-business (B2B) organization and utilized the business' website. A similar factor structure resulted for the measurement of customer engagement. Structural equation modeling showed partial support for the hypothesized predictors of engagement (i.e. commitment, brand image, preference and decision making) because the relationship between satisfaction and engagement was not significant. The hypothesized outcome variables of engagement were also partially supported with loyalty, sales, average order value, and website …

Invasive Species And E-Commerce, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

ISSUE

Internet commerce (hereafter e-commerce) is a growing and vital part of the United States economy. Total e-commerce sales in the United States for 2011 totaled $194 billion, an increase of 16% over 2010. From 2002 to 2011, the proportion of reported e-commerce sales in the U. S. grew from about 1.4% to 5.5% of total retail sales (United States Census Bureau News 2012). Globally, e-commerce is expected to increase at a rate of 13.5% annually, amounting to $1.4 trillion in yearly sales by 2015 (Enright 2011). A portion of this activity includes the sale and trade of living organisms. …

The Impact Of Nationality, Gender, And Education On Students’ Buying Attitudes Towards Ethical And Socially Responsible Products, Christina Blundin, Suphamas Chatvisedphan, Siraprapa Dusadeewanich, Elena Perova, Xuebo Wang

MBA Student Scholarship

In today’s corporate climate, a company’s ethical and social responsible (ESR) involvement raises concern amongst consumers. Companies seek methods to demonstrate their high level of ESR in order to win customers’ loyalty. Prior research has been performed examining different variables with regards to the purchase of ESR products. This study utilizes empirical evidence from a private university in Rhode Island, Johnson & Wales University to investigate the significance of demographic variables such as nationality, gender and educational level with regards to students' ESR buying attitude. Additionally considered and analyzed external factors are product price, advertisement and industry concern. Results indicate …

F.A.C.E.S. (Faculty Academic Community Education Showcase): Professional Growth Experiences In A Career University, Paul J. Colbert, Ph.D.

MBA Faculty Conference Papers & Journal Articles

Institutes of higher education exist for the purpose of developing, fostering, nurturing, and stimulating the intellectual growth and development of students. The core values of a college education provide students conceptual and practical educational opportunities that focus on improving their skills and knowledge. These skills and knowledge translate into purposeful, real-life learning experiences. However, in the academic community, learning is not restricted to students. Faculty, too, must be supported and provided opportunities for personal and professional growth and development. Although professional development is not a novel concept in the education profession, schools often take up the gauntlet, but fall short …

Self-Enhancement As A Motivation For Sharing Online Advertising, David G. Taylor, David Strutton, Kenneth Thompson

WCBT Faculty Publications

Marketers have long understood that consumers' self-concepts influence the products they purchase; conversely, products purchased influence people's self-concepts. Might the same self-enhancement framework apply in to shared online advertisements? Using the symbolic interactionist perspective of identity theory, this study empirically tests the proposition that online consumers use electronic word of mouth, and specifically the sharing of online advertising, to construct and express their self-concepts. The results suggest that self-brand congruity, entertainment value, and product category involvement increase the self-expressiveness of online ads, which then increase the likelihood of sharing those ads. These findings have both theoretical and managerial implications.

Manipulation Of Online Reviews: An Analysis Of Ratings, Readability, And Sentiments, Nan Hu, Indranil Bose, Noi Sian Koh, Ling Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

As consumers become increasingly reliant on online reviews to make purchase decisions, the sales of the product becomes dependent on the word of mouth (WOM) that it generates. As a result, there can be attempts by firms to manipulate online reviews of products to increase their sales. Despite the suspicion on the existence of such manipulation, the amount of such manipulation is unknown, and deciding which reviews to believe in is largely based on the reader's discretion and intuition. Therefore, the success of the manipulation of reviews by firms in generating sales of products is unknown. In this paper, we …

Online Privacy Policy Of The Thirty Dow Jones Corporations: Compliance With Ftc Fair Information Practice Principles And Readability Assessment, Yuanxiang Li

Theses Digitization Project

This project conducted a statistical study of online privacy to examine how well corporations comply with FIPs and assess how easy their privacy was to read.

Organisational Factors Determining Export Performance And Electronic Commerce Adoption: An Empirical Investigation, Breda Kenny, Mairéad Clohessy

Irish Business Journal

Ireland’s economic performance over the past two decades was largely driven by the exporting sector of the economy. Vigorous export growth largely reflected the success of the economy in securing inward foreign direct investments flows, mainly from the United States (Central Bank and Financial Services Authority of Ireland, 2009). Given that Ireland has a population of just over 4.23 million (CSO, 2006) it is imperative that Irish organisations expand into foreign markets to gain a larger market base. It is against this background of international trade that this paper is set. This is a study of export performance and electronic …

Rtbs: Your Audio Companion, 3am, Cori Schwabe, Casey Mattison, Kathryn Kawa, Allea Grummert, Nick Holle, Gabbi Silke, Derrick Sloan, Brittany Guindon, Amanda Hinrichs

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Advertising Projects

Radio Talking Book Service, a non-profit organization that assists the visually impaired by providing a free radio reading service, came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a challenge: increase brand and service awareness throughout Nebraska.

We began by conducting both secondary and primary research, developing key insights and examining all possible target audiences. We investigated the day-to-day life of the visually impaired, learning that many who have experienced vision loss suffer from decreasing independence and increasing feelings of loneliness. Our primary research revealed that these individuals turn first to eye care professionals, resource organizations for the visually impaired and residential …

Cross-Cultural Comparative Study Of Users’ Perception Of The Navigation Organization Of An E-Commerce Web Application, Tetiana A. Bilyayeva

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The object of this study was to assess the influence of native language, as a principal cultural characteristic, one users’ behavior when using a web-based e-commerce application. The study expands on previous research by comparing English and Russian users. The research also considered demographic data to assess additional factors that influence behavior and task performance. The research design encompassed an online shopping application with two different navigation menus. One menu was based on the action-object model and the other was based on the object-action model. The user interface was created in two different languages (Russian and …

Semantic Inference On Heterogeneous E-Marketplace Activities, Jingzhi Guo, Lida Xu, Zhiguo Gong, Chin-Pang Che, Sohail S. Chaudry

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

An electronic marketplace (e-marketplace) is a common business information space populated with many entities of different system types. Each of them has its own context of how to process activities. This leads to heterogeneous e-marketplace activities, which are difficult to make interoperable and inferred from one entity to another. This study solves this problem by proposing a concept of separation strategy and implementing it through providing a semantic inference engine with a novel inference algorithm. The solution, called the RuleXPM approach, enables one to semantically infer a next e-marketplace activity across multiple contexts/domains. Experiments show that the cross-context/cross-domain semantic inference …

Optimal Decision Making For Online Referral Marketing, Zhiling Guo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Widely available web 2.0 technologies not only bring rich and interactive user experiences, but also easily help users advertise products or services on their own blogs and social network webpages. Online referral marketing, for example, is a business practice that rewards customers who successfully refer other customers to a website or upon completion of a sale usually via their own social contacts. The referral rewards come in different forms such as shopping vouchers, redeemable points, discounts, prizes, cash payments, etc. We develop an analytical model to evaluate the business potential of incorporating an online referral marketing program into the firm's …