Investigating young adults' use of Internet credit services: A reflective-impulsive dual-process model

While Internet credit services are proliferating fast, they bring serious debt problems, especially to young adults, and further result in negative psychological and social issues. The present study aims to investigate the influential factors underlying the usage of Internet credit services among young adults. Particularly, a dual-process model is proposed by integrating both the reflective and impulsive decision-making process. While the reflective process is modelled based on the theory of planned behaviour, the impulsive process is manifested by examining the antecedents of impulse to use Internet credit services, including immediate gratification, materialism, and self-control. A survey was administered among young adults and 992 valid questionnaires were collected. PLS-SEM methods were applied to analyse the data. It was revealed that the reflective decision-making process exerts significant influence on young adults' usage of Internet credit services, and the impulsive process plays important role in impacting people's usage of Internet credit services among the lower income group. In addition, immediate gratification and materialism were found to positively affect the impulse to use, whereas self-control was identified as an inhibitor of impulse to use Internet credit services. Implications of the finding are discussed at the end of the paper.     

The Hierarchy of Internet Communication Effects: A New Paradigm for Understanding Internet Promotion

ABSTRACT

The applicability of the traditional marketing models to online marketplaces has been of great interest since the advent of the Internet. This study examines the applicability of the Hierarchy of Communication Effects model to the online auction environment through the use of proprietary archival data. The results provide support for a new model, which we call the Hierarchy of Internet Communications Effects, which is applicable to online environments. The Hierarchy of Internet Communications Effects is analogous to other hierarchical effects models from consumer behavior literature known as the learning hierarchies. We provide suggestions to promote products or services at different stages in the Hierarchy of Internet Communications Effects; several implications and limitations are discussed, and future research is suggested.     

Channels for search and purchase: Does mobile Internet matter?

Recent industry reports indicate that consumers own four digital devices on an average, and switching devices during shopping is the “new normal.” The addition of mobile Internet as a new channel of search and purchase has spurred the adoption of the digital medium, and easy accessibility of the Internet on multiple devices is influencing shopping patterns. A consumer may prefer some channels for search and others for purchase or use a combination of channels to search and purchase simultaneously. As a new channel, it is unclear 1) whether mobile Internet offers greater search or purchase benefits and 2) what type of products are more suitable for mobile Internet search and purchase. In this study, we develop a framework that describes the factors that drive the use of mobile Internet in a multi-channel environment. We test the framework using survey data from a sample of U.S consumers. The main findings from our study indicate that 1) the choice of channel combinations that include mobile relative to other channel combinations increases with an increase in perceived search convenience of mobile channel. 2) in the digital channel, mobile and desktop differ in their utility along search dimensions. The probability of choosing channel combinations that include mobile increases due to search convenience whereas desktop is attractive due to perceived gains of price comparison search; and 3) mobile Internet search increases for consumers searching for utilitarian products. The insights from this study deepen our understanding of how digital media is used in the search-purchase process and have important managerial implications.     

Comparative analysis of innovative diffusion in the high-tech markets of Japan and South Korea: a use–diffusion model approach

In recent years, many scholars and practitioners have raised doubt as to whether or not conventional research on the diffusion of innovation can explain and predict the needs and behavioral patterns of consumers in the raiding and converging market environment. Thus, it has been suggested that the use–diffusion model would be a good alternative framework to study innovation diffusion. This study explores whether the new model is effective in explaining and predicting the needs and innovative behavioral patterns of consumers in the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) market in Japan and South Korea. Nation-wide surveys were conducted in Japan and South Korea for data collection, resulting in a large random sample (n = 500 in Japan and n = 500 in South Korea). Important findings of the study are: (1) product experience and sophistication of technology were found to be the most important factors in explaining the innovative diffusion process among IPTV users; (2) functional similarity, complementarity, and substitution effect were also main determinants for enhancing users’ satisfaction with IPTV services; (3) complexity and relative advantage were crucial measures of IPTV’s current technological level, functional performance, and quality with regard to services; and (4) a comparative analysis of diffusion patterns of IPTV between Japan and South Korea indicated that IPTV users in Japan appeared to be still in the phase of early adopters, while South Korean users have gone beyond to the phase of early majority in the adoption cycle.     

Internet service providers' service quality and its effect on customer loyalty of different usage patterns

This study attempts to investigate the dimensions of an ISP's service quality, and their effects on customer loyalty in high-tech services. Data was obtained from 1231 internet users. The analyses include segmenting ISPs' customers on the basis of their usage pattern and evaluating their perceptions of Internet service quality dimensions. Through the use of structural equation modelling and bias correct bootstrapping techniques, the study confirms that service quality dimensions can influence both attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. These effects, however, are different across different groups of ISP customers. The contribution of the present paper stems from the modelling of mediation effects and the incorporation of Internet usage that can help better explain the impact of service quality dimensions on customers' loyalty in high-tech service settings.     

Consumer perceptions to support IoT based smart parcel locker logistics in China

In recent years, the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) based smart parcel lockers has developed very rapidly in Asia due to the wider applications from retailers, e-commerce companies, logistics companies, and consumers. The revolution of smart technologies has transformed the traditional way of last-mile delivery from logistics outlets to IoT-based parcel lockers due to the flexibility, convenience, and 24/7 accessibility. However, there are still many obstacles affecting the transformation of last-mile delivery especially in consumers perceptions towards the smart technologies. Therefore, in this study, we performed research based on the theory of service quality and customer satisfaction in the adoption of relevant technologies. This article divides the smart parcel lockers' service quality into five dimensions: service price, service reliability, convenience, fault handling capability, and service diversity. In this study, 272 valid questionnaires were collected from China to investigate consumer satisfaction with the smart parcel locker services. Statistical analysis, including the reliability and validity, was performed, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The correlation between variables and the degree of influence on customer satisfaction and regression analysis was also undertaken in this study. The results revealed that the service price does not positively affect consumer satisfaction, and the other four underlying factors have a positive effect on consumer satisfaction. This research has significant impacts by determining the parcel lockers' core factors so as to foster the further development of last-mile services in the future.     

SME Internet use and strategic flexibility: the moderating effect of IT market orientation

Abstract

One of the most important topics in the marketing literature has been the concept of market orientation. However, questions remain as to the dynamics of how market orientation translates into intermediate capabilities. This study explores relationships among different types of Internet usage, IT market orientation (the extent to which IT is aligned to manage customer and competitor information and internal activities), and strategic flexibility (firm capability to respond to the need for change). Specifically, use of the Internet for communication with relevant stakeholders, owing to its market-sensing potential, should be positively and significantly related to strategic flexibility for SMEs with more IT market-oriented alignment. The market-sensing potential of Internet communication to impact strategic flexibility positively for SMEs is likely to be lost under low IT market-oriented-alignment conditions. In contrast, IT market orientation should not moderate the relationship between Internet use for transactions with relevant stakeholders and strategic flexibility, given that the typical order taking and processing is a static, routine function for SMEs. Results supported hypothesised relationships. By delineating the type of Internet usage and required IT alignment that contribute to leveraging the Internet effectively, findings hold implications for future research by clarifying boundary conditions for Internet effects. Specifying how and when Internet use promotes strategic flexibility, an important enabler of competitive advantage, helps small business owner/managers better utilise their limited resources.     

Cutting the Internet's Environmental Footprint: An Analysis of Consumers' Self-Attribution of Responsibility

This research project investigates consumers' willingness to adopt online pro-environmental behaviors. First, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study that revealed respondents' low awareness of the environmental impact of Internet usage and reluctance to change their online behaviors. Consumers tend to decline all responsibility and expect companies and public authorities to take the necessary measures. Moreover, they are led by contradictory motives: not harming the environment on the one hand and continuing to use the Internet the way they currently do on the other. Based on these findings, two quantitative studies were conducted to investigate the determinants of consumers' self-attribution of responsibility to reduce the digital footprint of their online activity (e.g., using an eco-friendly search engine). Our conceptual model emphasizes the mechanisms of cognitive dissonance and highlights the crucial role of skepticism toward pro-environmental solutions. Implications for IT companies and public policy makers are discussed.     

The Market Orientation of Internet Support Companies

ABSTRACT

Several studies have expanded the work by Jaworski and Kohli (1993) by using their market orientation framework model and applying it to a variety of industries. The results of recent studies have uncovered moderate to strong relationships between the concepts of market orientation and organizational performance. Although there is a large body of research on the topic of market orientation, there is a gap pertaining to market orientation across organizations that comprise fast-paced environments such as those that exist within the Internet commerce environment. This study explores market orientation in the context of Web Hosting and Internet service providers to understand the impact market orientation can have on new and emerging industries. The study results indicate that market orientation is positively related to performance. Implications for theory construction and managerial practice are discussed.     

International Web Development

Abstract

Throughout the world, use of the Internet is growing exponentially and bringing mankind closer together. The Internet has become a powerful force in people's lives bringing information from around the globe to the tip of one's fingertips, changing the way the world purchases products and services, and creating new means of communication and media. The possibilities created by the Internet would seem limitless. Unique to each region of the world though is the degree to which the Internet has been adopted and is being utilized. The progression of Internet development has been shown to occur in three stages: acquisition of Web literacy, Web use as an information medium, and Web use for purchasing goods and services. In each of the following geographical regions, North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Oceania, countries can be described as existing in one of these stages. A sampling of the countries within each region analyzes how and to what degree the people of that nation utilize the Internet and who provides the services offered, what services are offered, and obstacles presented in offering those services. Furthermore, the role the Internet plays in commerce, and the extent to which the government of that country has taken in regards to its polices in either regulating and/or promoting the Internet is examined. The factors have been shown to be important in Web development. Today the United States is at the forefront of Internet use and technology; however, it will not be long before that position is challenged by Japan and other countries in Europe and Asia as the Internet becomes more pervasive across the globe.     

Internet user behaviour in France and Britain: exploring socio‐spatial disparity among adolescents

The Internet has radically transformed society – although its diffusion has been uneven. Various studies of digital inequality have been undertaken in Anglo‐Saxon communities. Few studies have investigated digital inequality from a socio‐spatial perspective (urban vs. suburban, rather than urban vs. rural) in a French setting. This absence underscores a gap in knowledge and methodology. It highlights the complexities of gathering comparable data on Internet user behaviour beyond national borders. This paper takes a multidisciplinary approach to investigate emerging trends in Internet use across different territories (inner‐city and suburban, as opposed to urban vs. rural) by means of in‐depth interviews with Internet users aged 13–15 years old in France and Britain. The aim is to provide a broad understanding of the way in which teenage Internet users behave online in different territories. The investigation reveals a number of converging trends that are common to both France and Britain and some unexpected disparity.     

Consumer acceptance of the mobile Internet

Technological innovations are often designed to help consumers save time. However, some consumers refuse to use innovations and downgrade their usability with increasing usage time. The purpose of this research is to find out how consumers?? personality in younger (vs. older) men (vs. women) affects behavioral choices of the mobile Internet, as an example of new technology, and how usage time affects perceived ease of use of innovative (vs. established) media. The study shows that innovativeness, low desire for social contact, and technology optimism, in interaction with demographics, determine whether consumers choose mobile Internet services over substitutes. Job-related dependency on technology and gender directly affect choice behavior. The study reveals that ease of use is downgraded as more time is spent using the mobile Internet, whereas there is no such relation for established media. The results help explain overoptimistic forecasts that were made in the field of technology acceptance.     

Smart Cards in the Internet Commerce Era

Abstract

Smart cards are the latest wave in the world of electronic commerce. The latest development in smart cards technology is its Internet related applications, which are mostly related to the support of online payment systems and its infrastructure. This paper propels the role and potential impact of the smart card and provides insights on implementing new technologies. It is intended to develop plans and discuss solutions and navigate through the myriad of processing investment decisions impacting the anticipated widespread acceptance of the smart card in the Internet commerce era. Managerial implications for Internet commerce are addressed as well.     

Arrow: A flexible architecture for an accounting and charging infrastructure in the Next Generation Internet

Current pricing and charging methods for the Internet are not based on actual usage of this service, which leads to unfairness and more important, it does not deliver the right signals through financial incentives to network providers to upgrade critical links of their networks. The development of new multimedia applications and the convergence to an integrated services network will foster the tremendous growth of the Internet even more. With the Next Generation Internet not only technical services like bandwidth reservation will be introduced, but also new applications will emerge within the Internet. Charging the Internet in a fashion that provides feedback to users and providers has been proposed since the early '90s, however, only a few implementations and real-world examples are known today. This is due to subsidizing the Internet in its early stages and due to a technical development that did not care much about charging. With the recent redesign of the Internet protocol suite and discussions on multiple service classes in the Internet, architectures for charging and accounting have to be revisited, too. Economic models for the Internet cannot be tested fully and validated in non-real-world environments, because of the unknown user behavior. With this uncertainty over what models and pricing schemes to choose, it is evident that a specific charging and accounting platform will never be accepted by the community. In this paper a novel and flexible architecture for charging and accounting is proposed that provides a wide range of mechanisms and lets researchers experiment in an environment as close as possible to the targeted system. As a first step, four different pricing schemes are described, qualitatively assessed on the proposed platform, and a prototypical implementation performed. One of the economic models that have been implemented on Arrow is based on different service classes including reservation and recalculates prices dynamically depending on the traffic situation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A multidisciplinary digital forensic investigation process model

Worldwide usage of mobile smart devices has increased dramatically over the past two decades. The popularity of these devices has grown as a result of their increased processing power, storage capacity, and memory; they can now hold enormous amounts of both personal and private business data. In addition to the consideration of mobile devices, the scope of any forensic investigation has also grown to include cloud environments. Previously, we proposed a working model that can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of an investigation in a multidisciplinary environment. The study presented herein, however, evaluates a straw man model derived from current practice models to identify the required improvements. The study also proposes a new improved process model known as a multidisciplinary digital forensic investigation process model.     

基于“使用与满足”理论的农村老年居民数字素养研究——以雄安居民的调查为例

随着数字技术的发展和互联网的普及，数字素养也逐渐成为了21世纪人们必备的素养之一，然而大部分老年群体的数字素养仍有所欠缺。此背景下，本文以雄安新区的农村老年居民为研究对象，基于30份样本的实地访谈调查，结合“使用与满足”理论分析农村老年居民数字素养的现状。研究发现，雄安农村老年居民使用互联网的原因主要是社交和娱乐；在智能生活方面，互联网的使用情况参差不齐，使用率普遍较低。在此基础上，本文聚焦于农村老年居民，结合农村特点和居民习惯，提出适合农村老年居民的数字素养提升路径，帮助农村地区老年人更舒适、更便利地生活，从而提升全民的数字素养水平。     

大学生对互联网金融的认知和使用调查分析——以温州市高校为例

本文以温州市高校大学生为调查对象,通过设计问卷,统计分析了他们对互联网金融的认知和使用情况,得出了大学生对互联网金融的认知有待深入、互联网金融产品的使用范围较窄等结论。     

It Don't Come Easy: Overcoming Obstacles to Technology Use Within a Resistant Consumer Group

To identify ways in which resistance can be overcome and technology's potential realized, we study acceptance and use of a specific technology, the Internet, by a specific resistant group, older consumers. Using interviews and a survey of consumers who are over 65 years old, we discover that curiosity and proactive coping drive technology optimism, which then predicts adoption and heavier usage. Motivated seniors with technology discomfort get help to adopt and continued assistance to learn usage repertoires. Surprisingly, technology discomfort is positively rather than negatively related to usage enthusiasm. Implications are drawn for consumer groups resistant to technology.     

Mobile banking: Exploring determinants of its adoption

As accessibility of technology, availability of information, and ability to interact through the Internet increase and evolve, more people are gravitating toward increasing their use of the Internet. Although the number of Internet banking users has grown rapidly in recent years, not all customers are ready to accept mobile banking services. It remains a challenge for banks to explore how to attract more customers to adopt the use of banking services via a mobile channel. This study examines the factors that impact acceptance of the use of mobile banking. A total of 309 subjects participated in this study. Data were collected via a survey instrument. A multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings suggest factors that banks should consider when implementing mobile banking services, thus allowing them to design services that meet the needs of their customers.     

Empirical Testing of the Reference-Price Effect of Buy-Now Prices in Internet Auctions

Retailers selling items through Internet auctions frequently use buy-now prices (BNPs), which allow the immediate selling of an item to consumers at a fixed price. Previous research has proposed several theories of the usage of BNPs by bidders. We study the usage of BNPs from a seller's point of view. We propose that a retailer may use BNPs as external reference prices, influencing bidders’ valuations in Internet auctions. We focus on the effect of BNPs on bidders’ willingness to pay (WTP) and study under what conditions a BNP can be effectively used as an external reference price. Results of two empirical studies clearly indicate that BNPs have a reference-price effect. In addition, we find that this effect is moderated by (1) the difficulty of value assessment and (2) product value.