The Impact of a Third-Party Assurance Seal in Customer Purchasing Intention

ABSTRACT

Although e-commerce is evolving at an incredible speed, asymmetric information and opportunism have increased online purchasing risks and market inefficiencies. The lack of face-to-face contact and the inability of the customer to touch and feel tangible products necessitate that online business must provide customers with reliable information and convince customers of their trustworthiness. While the research on Third-Party Assurance Seals (TPAS) is not new, the effectiveness of TPAS has not been persuasively addressed by empirical studies. Our study is different from previous efforts in that it is comprehensive because it combines consumer trust, perceived risk, and influences of TPAS in the B2C e-commerce context. The results of the study show that (1) the effects of TPAS on perceived risk are channeled through perceived trustworthiness, thus demonstrating the mediating role of perceived trustworthiness in B2C e-commerce, (2) perceived risk, perceived usefulness of website, and subjective norm appear to be significant predictors of intention to purchase from the website, (3) a third-party assurance seal strongly affects online shoppers' perceived trustworthiness toward online retailers, while the seal appears to have little effect on perceived risk directly; perceived risk is strongly associated with intention to purchase from the website.     

Online Gambling: Murky Legal Status and Vulnerable Socio-Economic Environment Pose Public Policy Challenges

ABSTRACT

The marketing of online gambling has been successful, measured by the revenues being generated and by its tremendous growth in popularity. After examining a growing body of relevant literature, this study analyzes the legal environment of the United States and European markets and its impact on the affected stakeholders. It was found that the legal status of Internet gambling in the United States is in a flux while enforcement is largely ineffective. An exploration of several future scenarios for the legal environment identifies the dire need for clarification of the legal status of the market as the federal government's most important policy challenge. Some suggestions made regarding future research include studies on promotion and consumer welfare.     

在线信息对酒店网上预订的影响研究——基于携程网酒店在线预订数据的分析

在线信息如何影响消费者购买决策是酒店在线服务的一个关键问题。文章基于携程网1092家酒店网上预订数据,通过对数线性回归模型,分析了酒店特征信息、顾客评论信息和预订平台推荐信息对4类不同等级酒店在线预订的影响。研究表明：顾客评论信息对各类酒店网上预订影响最显著,但对五星级酒店的影响最小;酒店特征信息对五星级酒店网上预订影响最大,其中客房价格信息对四星级、三星级和经济型酒店的影响不显著;推荐信息对四星级酒店影响很显著,但其中的用户评级对四星级以外的酒店无显著影响。文章通过对顾客评论信息中的5方面内容分析发现：顾客对酒店设施、服务水平、周边环境的评价均显著影响酒店网上预订,而客房卫生评价对酒店预订的影响不显著。该研究可为酒店在线分类管理与客户信息服务提供指导。     

What Makes Consumers Willing to Pay for Online Services? Discovering Consumer Opinions and Determinant Factors on Charged Online Services

ABSTRACT

Recently, more and more service e-businesses began to charge their consumers on the services provided to assure revenues for their survival. An understanding of consumer opinions on and behaviors toward the charged online services is critical to successful business models for service e-business. Through survey data analyses, the exploratory study reported herein attempts to discover consumer opinions and behaviors regarding charged online services. The findings of this study would contribute effectively to the formulation and implementation of sustainable business models for e-businesses in the service sector.     

Trust Promoting Seals in Electronic Markets

Abstract

In order to promote web sales, companies conducting electronic commerce are constantly seeking viable and efficient ways to increase web traffic. One approach is to build consumers' trust, and ultimately to increase web sales. Many business-to-consumer online merchants follow this approach and display trust-promoting seals on their websites. However, whether these seals really fulfill the tasks they have promised has remained unexplored. This study empirically examines the influence of trust-promoting seals on consumers' online purchasing decisions. The results show that the trust-promoting seals are generally effective in promoting web sales, and some seals enhance promotion better than others.     

The Psychological Influences of Threat on B2C E-commerce Adoption: An Extended Study and Explanatory Framework

In order to better understand how internet users actually decide to conduct business transactions or related activities in a B2C e-commerce environment, this article adds a new lens of study by investigating the roles of Threat Appraisal (TA) and Perceived Coping Appraisal (PCA) from the end user's perspective. Based on established academic theories and relevant industrial practices, it is suggested that TA and PCA are critical behavioral components influencing the user's intentions to participate in online transactions. These functions serve as important inputs to formalizing our understanding of how services offered by e-commerce websites are utilized.     

Strategic marketing concepts and models

In this second of two articles on strategic marketing planning the author describes the techniques that have been developed to aid analysis of marketing information. Analytical frameworks such as the product life‐cycle, the growth‐share matrix, the Business Assessment Array and the Directional Policy Matrix are discussed and the benefits and pitfalls associated with strategic planning frameworks are considered by the author.     

国外网络旅游信息搜寻研究进展与启示

文章通过对国外近15年来相关文献的分析,发现国外关于网络旅游信息搜寻的研究起步较早,研究视角较宽泛,理论研究与方法应用较为成熟。研究重点主要集中在网络旅游信息需求与搜寻动机、搜寻内容偏好、搜寻行为特征、搜寻者特性和网络旅游信息源等5个方面。研究方法上,注重定性与定量方法的有机结合,并借助先进的网络软件和技术,研究结论更具科学性和说服力。最后,基于国外研究现状,展望未来研究方向,以期为国内相关研究与实践提供借鉴。     

基于IDT和ToD理论的网络欺诈分析

基于人际间欺诈理论和欺诈识别理论所提出的伪造、隐藏、模糊化、诱骗、仿冒、制造、重新包装和“双簧戏”等欺诈手段，分析了网络欺诈的表象及特点，描述了五大类网络欺诈形式，即金融类欺诈、基于诱饵的欺诈、通讯类欺诈、信心类欺诈和其他类欺诈，以期为反欺诈提供思路。     

卫星定位接收机射频模块的研制

简要介绍了我国卫星定位系统的性能和特点,根据接收机的有关技术指标要求,设计并研制了接收机射频电路,文章的最后给出了电路测试和系统调试的结果。