Mixing rich and asynchronous communication for new service development performance

This article explores the nature of relationships between internal communication modes, new service development (NSD) competencies (specifically learning and development competencies) and NSD performance. To do so, it draws on and advances communication theory by comparing and contrasting the contingent approach, favoured by media richness theory and media synchronicity theory, with the multiplicative manner of dual coding theory. Antecedent roles of rich and asynchronous communication modes for two NSD competencies are investigated, and their function as critical contingency variables affecting the competencies–performance link is unravelled. An empirical quantitative study of senior managers of leading service firms was conducted, with a survey‐based methodology. Results show that a learning competency drives development competency which in turn drives NSD performance. Asynchronous communication is essential for learning competency but not for development competency. In contrast, rich communication underpins development but has no direct effect on learning competency. Rich communication is essential for NSD performance when a firm has a low development competency. The interaction between asynchronous and rich communication is shown to be positive for learning, whereas surprisingly it is negative for development competency.     

Videotex for news and business data: Comparison of user response to two information retrieval applications

An empirical comparison of user response to two information services offered by a prototype videotex system indicated that the business (ie farm market data) service was rated as more efficient and that users browsed more in that service than in the consumer (ie news) service. Further, both efficiency ratings and amount of browsing were more strongly correlated with amount of service use, ratings of service value and ratings of dependence upon the service for the business service than for the consumer service. Browsing thus seems to be a utitarian surveillance behaviour rather than a communication play behaviour in this setting.     

服装店铺服务属性层级体系的研究

作为零售终端的服装店铺,其优质健全的顾客服务对每一个服装公司来说都至关重要。建立完善的服装店铺服务属性层级体系,有助于研究哪些服装店铺服务属性对服装消费决策影响较大,帮助企业赢得顾客并获得更多利润。从"服务"的定义出发,在回顾相关文献的基础上,通过实地考察对店铺服务属性进行补充,并结合专家访谈法和问卷调研法,提出服装店铺服务属性的层级体系。研究还发现,不管是男性消费者还是女性消费者,最关注的前两位店铺服务属性都是店员服务态度和店内服务设施,男性消费者比女性消费者更加关注售后服务和店员补救能力,女性消费者则更看重店员沟通能力和商品陈列。     

抓好过程控制确保专网通信服务质量

为满足用户需求，向用户提供优质服务，通信服务质量管理首先要重视并运用以人为本的管理理念和方法，以不断建立健全服务工作的规章制度为基础。加强服务的硬件设施维护，保证服务设备运行正常。同时，要做好各服务部门间、服务岗位间服务串连，不能因内部原因而影响服务。要运用激励机制，提高服务人员的积极性，促进服务水平的提高。积极做好与用户的沟通和交流，增加与用户的相互理解，对用户提出的意见和建议要认真加以分析研究，并及时反馈整改信息。     

Retaining telecommunication services when universal service is defined by functionality: Japanese consumers' willingness-to-pay

This study uses contingent valuation to measure Japanese customers' willingness-to-pay to maintain combinations of five telecommunication services that are considered substitutes if universal service is defined on the basis of functionality. The analysis revealed the following results. First, consumers are more willing to pay to retain voice communication services than data transmission services. Second, customers accept Internet Protocol telephony as a substitute for plain old telephone service (POTS) as a universal service, and they are willing to pay much more than Japan's current Universal Service Fund charge. Third, even when mobile phone service (MOB) is available, consumers will pay to retain fixed-line voice services. Finally, consumers have an equal desire to keep fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and fixed-line voice services, but it is less than the demand for MOB. Thus, under the present definition of POTS as a universal service, FTTH could be considered as a basic telecommunication service.     

The phoneless in the broadband age: A pilot study in Massachusetts

Questions about universal service continue to evolve as information and communication technology advances, bringing new platforms, services, and business models. Concerns about exclusion remain, particularly in times of transition to new technologies and platforms. While the universal service literature is rich in econometric studies that indicate the drivers of household telephone penetration, without qualitative data directly from those households that experience phonelessness, we cannot understand the causes well enough to design effective policy. This research explores why people are phoneless in the current environment of increased platform and business model choices. Particular focus is placed on understanding the relationship between new technology, platforms and business models and phonelessness. Data is obtained from surveys completed by approximately 100 individuals in Massachusetts who are currently without any voice connection, either landline or mobile, or have been sometime in the past ten years. The survey includes questions about different platforms and communication services in order to learn how they have led to phonelessness. The results of the pilot study show that the vast majority of phoneless households do not choose to be phoneless. The study also shows that the most frequent causes of phonelessness in this population are unemployment and unpredictable bills. Many instances of unpredictable bills leading to phonelessness occur with wireless service or bundled services but are the result of business models for service provision rather than the platforms themselves. Prepaid wireless service is a market-based solution that helps households prevent phonelessness by reducing unpredictability. Universal service policy for voice and broadband can better reduce exclusion with greater attention to business models and practices versus technologies and platforms, and increased emphasis on prepaid service to reduce unpredictability.     

建立矿区物业服务满意度测评模型的探索与实践

建立服务质量满意度测评体系对基地物业管理进行测量和考核,可以有效地规范物业服务行为,查找物业服务单位在服务质量管理工作中存在的薄弱环节,增强物业服务人员的服务意识,提高服务技能,增进物业服务单位和居民用户之间的沟通与交流。通过建立质量管理体系,规范服务质量满意测评,启用满意度测评体系,建立物业服务满意度测评模型。并将测评模型在东方地球物理公司矿区服务事业部所属基地院区调研、建立和实施,有效地提高服务质量,促进管理服务水平的持续提升。     

Managing a capital equipment business's market share

Several factors are investigated as possible contributors to market share for capital equipment business: product quality, service quality, a business's image for quality, and marketing communications. Cross-lagged correlations with PIMS data imply that product quality and image for quality influence market share, marketing communication influences image, and service quality results from all of these sources of influence.     

Access to and penetration of ICT in rural Thailand

This paper presents an econometric study of information and communication technology (ICT) in all 70,000 rural villages in Thailand, where the ICT considered consists of fixed-line telephone service, mobile telephone service, public telephones, computers, and Internet service. The results may provide information that helps policymakers decide where to put limited resources to promote ICT, and helps profit-seeking ICT companies target regions that maximize revenues. The study found that education is far more important than income in predicting the percentage of households who adopt ICT services, and that some unexpected variables such as the penetration of pickup trucks are useful predictors as well. Even in areas where fixed-line phone service is available, 70% of households with computers choose not to become Internet subscribers, although many presumably have enough money and technical knowledge. By separating availability from penetration of ICT, the study found that they can have different predictors, which means that researchers who do not separate them may get misleading results. There is no evidence showing mobile telephone service as a substitute for fixed-line telephone service. Also, public telephone service had little or no impact as a substitute for fixed-line or mobile telephone service, so phone companies need not fear that deployment of more public telephones will decrease their subscribership. Finally, there appears to be significant unmet demand for telephone service in rural Thailand where the infrastructure does not yet exist.     

Xiaolingtong versus 3G in China: Which will be the winner?

Xiaolingtong (XLT), a new type of mobile phone system based on PHS technology for wireless access of fixed-line telephone networks, has grown very rapidly in China. However, there are many doubts about the future of XLT once 3G (the third generation of mobile communication) is finally employed. This paper proposes a theoretical framework to assess and compare XLT and 3G from four perspectives: technology, market demand, business models and government policy. It concludes that XLT and 3G will coexist with existing 2G/2.5G mobile communication networks for a considerable period of time. With service collaboration and integration, the coexistence of both of these technologies can enhance China's mobile communication infrastructure and support the growth of mobile commerce.     

Evaluation of mobile services and substantial adoption factors with Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

Emergence of new technological innovations in networks, platforms, and applications has enabled service providers to gain back their massive investment in their infrastructures. However, due to lagging adoption, many service innovations have failed to generate profit. The adoption of different mobile service categories depends on several factors. The current explorative study aims to use Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to identify the most relevant mobile services for consumers and the factors driving the adoption. The results of the AHP analyses indicate that functionality of services is of utmost important for the majority of respondents. The results reveal that basic mobile communication services are the most preferred ones, although several services within different categories are available. The results have important implications for mobile network operators, service and application providers on how to develop and implement specific mobile services. The current study also offers new insights for researchers by showing that AHP is applicable to analyze consumers' preferences.     

Rural telephone in Indonesia and Thailand: Social and economic benefits

This article considers the need for telecommunications in the rural areas of Indonesia and Thailand. Using the findings from questionnaire surveys in the two countries, the authors examine how the telephone is used when limited facilities are available, the effects of telephone service in terms of improved communication and work efficiency, and the consequences of not having access to a telephone     

Public policy in two-way cable: Difficult issues for a developing technology

The technological development of two-way cable communication has advanced rapidly without concurrent public policy development. In an effort to bring the policy issues to light, the authors describe existing US policy in two-way cable communication, identify definitional problems, suggest policies for implementing two-way service, and outline some of the responsibilities of local franchising authorities peculiar to two-way services, particularly in the area of upstream spectrum allocation.     

A layered United States Universal Service Fund for an everything-over-IP world

Support through the United States Federal Universal Service Fund for high-cost areas has been principally defined in terms of telephone service. Fund growth due to increases in wireless lines and implicit support for broadband infrastructure has created an untenable situation, and fundamental reform is expected. The cause underlying this growth is convergence between the telephone network, wireless networks, the Internet, and cable networks. This convergence will pose additional serious long-term challenges to the fund. This paper proposes a restructuring of the high-cost funds based on a layered model. Both contributions and distributions are focused on network infrastructure, without distinction between voice and broadband. The proposal uses a new definition of communication services to guarantee technology neutrality, and includes service area reform and cost efficiency measures. This layered approach repositions the fund for future converged networks.     

Economic analysis of the introduction of the MVNO system and its major implications for optimal policy decisions in Korea

This study analyzes the anticipated economic effects arising from the introduction of the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) system in the mobile communications service market. For the analysis, actual data (or estimated data)—such as price elasticity, the number of subscribers, traffic volume, rate, and access charge—were combined with an assumption about a competition scenario in the future market. Based on this analysis, consumer surplus, and change in the service provider's profits were estimated according to the type of policy that may be adopted for the MVNO system by the regulator. The results of the analysis indicate that consumer surplus appears to increase largely because of the reduction of the mobile service rate by the promotion of “service-based competition,” which occurs upon adoption of an MVNO policy in the mobile communication service market. Moreover, the introduction of an MVNO system into the mobile communication market seems to be socially beneficial regardless of policy type if access charges are set reasonably by a cost-plus or retail-minus method. In particular, in order to make sense of the introduction of a special MVNO, whether by the cost-plus method or the retail-minus method, the correct discount rate must be used in setting an access charge between the special MVNO and the significant market power (SMP) mobile network operator (MNO).     

Measuring convergence of China's ICT industry: An input-output analysis

The convergence of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry is ubiquitous phenomena, which can be classified from the supply/demand side or complementary/substitute relation. According to the classification, the paper measures the convergence of China's ICT sectors based on its 2002 input-output (IO) table, including five manufacturing sectors and two service sectors. Then, using IO table cross-entropy updating technique, the paper investigates the convergence evolution of four ICT manufacturing sectors from 1997 to 2002. The research finds the following conclusions. In 2002, the supply side convergence of manufacturing sectors was higher than that of service sectors, while service sectors featured a higher degree of the demand side convergence. The year of 2002 witnessed high complementary convergence between some China's ICT manufacturing and service sectors. During the period from 1997 to 2002, the supply side convergence dominated the convergence of China's ICT industry, while the demand-side convergence experienced little structural change.     

Second liberalization in Japan

The Japanese government revised the Public Telecommunications Law and issued the relevant Act and Ordinance on 23 October 1982. Ten years have passed since the first liberalization opened up the public networks for data communication. The newly revised Law paves the way for more liberal use of leased circuits and networks from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation (NTT). Further, it permits activities of specialized telecommunications service agencies to compete with the government-owned and monopolized NTT in the domestic data communication market. Industrial and financial circles have demanded both, as they would like to spread their computer communication networks more extensively, and offer some specialized telecommunication services within their own community. The historical and social background to this remarkable liberalization were discussed in a recent article in Telecommunications Policy.     

基于GPRS的城市路灯远程监控系统

随着GPRS(general packet radio service,通用分组无线业务)无线通信技术的发展,远程监控变得简单。设计了一种基于GPRS的智能型,集控制、监测、节能于一体的城市路灯远程监控系统,大大提高了路灯管理的自动化水平。     

How to perform collaborative servitization innovation projects: the role of servitization maturity

Although current literature indicates that openness and collaboration are crucial for success in an innovative servitization solution within interorganisational servitization projects, research is limited compared to that on product and technology innovation projects. Moreover, this emerging servitization literature is limited to the traditional lead-firm perspective within larger consortiums. To help redress the balance, our research studied six collaborative servitization projects in mobile information and communication technologies (mICT) to explore why some open innovation efforts succeed in simultaneous service and product innovation with a market application of innovative solution, while others do not. The study provides empirical evidence that only a small number of projects resulted in an effective servitization innovation solution. This conclusion emphasises the complexity of creating service innovation in the mICT sector. By comparing better performing servitization projects with those that were less successful suggests that higher performance, in terms of novel service development, requires more than mere strong intention, adequate leadership and change management competencies. Rather, it also requires real servitization maturity in terms of a shared servitization framework and market-oriented innovation.     

Factors influencing the user acceptance of digital home services

Digital home services provide multimedia entertainment, communication, and healthcare services to the public in order to make their lives more convenient. Many articles predict that the digital home service market will be huge and that many will take advantage of this situation. The purpose of this paper is to identify the future market for digital home services in South Korea by exploring the existing critical information and literature. This study proposes a conceptual model for assessing the adoption of digital home services, for which survey data from 600 heads of households in Korea were collected and used to test the proposed model. This paper also examines customer characteristics and their relationship with the acceptance of digital home services. First, the findings indicate that infra-service is mainly determined by age, region, job, family type, house type, and attitude towards adoption of new products. Second, home entertainment service is also significantly affected by gender, age, region, family type, family member, house type, and attitude towards adoption of new products. Third, home healthcare service was positively affected by gender, region, job, and usage period of high-speed internet. This study may provide companies with valuable guidelines for the implementation of digital home services.