Customer defection due to service elimination and post-elimination customer behavior: An empirical investigation in telecommunications

Service industries require rapid innovations in their service portfolios to gain and maintain competitive advantages. Service elimination is a potential tool for portfolio renewal, though it might threaten increased defection rates. To contribute to both service elimination and customer defection literature, this paper proposes a model of customer responses to service elimination, with practical implications for decision-makers in rapidly innovating telecommunication markets.In particular, the main study, conducted in the context of Hungary’s telecommunications sector, reveals that customers’ tenure, usage intensity, and age reduce the negative effects of a price increase on their defection; the price increase, degree to which customers interact with service providers, customer defection, and competitive effects in turn increase post–service elimination usage intensity.These findings suggest implementation strategies that can reduce customer defection following price increase due to service elimination, by focusing on new customers, light users, and the quality of customer interactions.     

财务会计与税务会计公允价值的比较及其相互借鉴

公允价值的计量一直是困扰着财务会计与税务会计的一大难题。本文比较了财务会计与税务会计在公允价值计量上的差异,分析两者在公允价值计量上的缺陷,并就两者在使用范围、确定技术、操作指引、内部控制程序及信息披露上的相互借鉴作了一初步思考。     

Effective use of analytic DSS and job performance: Looking beyond technology acceptance

This study extends and test the work done on effective use of information systems (IS) by developing measures for this construct which expands the conceptualization of use beyond the popular technology acceptance model (TAM). Effective use posits dimensions of use (informed action, representational fidelity, and transparent interaction) which are intended to measure a user’s ability to effectively use an IS in a given context. Moving beyond simple adoption and use contexts is an important distinction that expands researcher’s and practitioner’s ability to assess usage effectiveness. In a work context, it is more important to have high performance and effective usage of systems in comparison to just having high usage rates. Therefore this study uses the context of analytic decision support systems (DSS) and tests the relationship between the proposed dimensions of effective use and job performance. A survey (N = 265) of executives with work experience using analytic DSS was conducted to maximize realism and generalizability. This study is the first to empirically test the proposed relationships of effective use to performance. Results indicate that informed action is a significant predictor of individual job performance. However, representational fidelity and transparent interaction are not significant predictors of job performance.     

Marketing Research With Telephone Surveys: Is It Time to Change?

ABSTRACT

Telephone surveys have been an important mode for collecting primary data in the marketing field in recent decades. However, the scenario of telephone coverage is changing mainly due to a massive increase in mobile phone-only usage, which can put the quality of telephone survey estimates at risk. The advance of mobile phones as the preferred telecommunication is a global phenomenon occurring in every country, although at varying speeds. This article examines the relationship between telephone coverage and the coverage bias of telephone survey estimates in the current scenario of telephone coverage across European countries. Findings reveal that the capacity for fixed-line telephone-based sampling frames to represent the overall adult population is becoming critical, especially in countries with declining fixed-line-telephone penetration rates.     

Fair Microfinance Loan Rates

This paper uses a reduced form credit risk model to determine fair lending rates for microfinance loans. A fair lending rate is defined to be that rate which makes the loan have a net present value of zero to the lender, after the inclusion of the lender's costs of issuing and monitoring the loan.     

Reference Process Flows for Telecommunication Companies

The telecommunication market is experiencing substantial changes. New business models, innovative services, and technologies require reengineering, transformation, and process standardization. Enterprise Architecture Frameworks support the transformation by specifying methods, procedures, and reference models. With the Enhanced Telecom Operation Map (eTOM), the TM Forum offers an international de facto reference process framework, based on specific features and requirements of the telecommunication industry. However, this reference framework only offers a hierarchical collection of processes on different levels of abstraction; a control view in terms of a sequential ordering of tasks and hence a real process flow as well as an end-to-end view on the customer are missing. In this paper, we extend the eTOM reference model by reference process flows, in which we abstract and generalize the knowledge about processes in telecommunication companies. With reference process flows, we aim to assist companies in achieving a structured and transparent re-structuring and re-design of their processes. We demonstrate the applicability and usefulness of our reference process flows in two case studies, and evaluate them by means of criteria for reference model evaluation. Our reference process flows have been accepted as a standard by the TM Forum and published as part of eTOM version 9. We further elaborate on those components of our approach which can be applied outside the telecommunication industry.     

Morality or economic interest? The impact of moral motives and economic factors on the purchase of fair trade groceries

In this article, we compare the impact of moral motives and economic factors on the purchase of fair trade groceries. Moral motives are measured by three different constructs, which are derived from different theoretical perspectives: one from the classical theory of attitude, one from the subjectively expected utility theory and one from the norm‐activation model. The empirical results of the analysis show that moral motives as well as economic factors are important determinants for explaining the purchase of fair trade groceries. Furthermore, the study indicates that the impact of moral motives is greater than that of economic factors, and among the moral factors, the personal norm is especially explanatorily powerful.     

ἐμπάθɛια (Empatheia) and Caritas: The Role of Religion in Fair Trade Consumption

There is much still to learn about the nature of fair trade consumers. In light of the Pope’s encyclical Caritas in Veritate, this article sought to advance the current understanding by investigating the role of religion in fair trade consumption. In this study, fair trade consumers and non-consumers across many religions as well as the non-religious described their consumption of fair trade products as well as the use of their religious beliefs in their purchase behavior. It appears that the non-religious are slightly more inclined toward buying fair trade products. Of the religious observers studied, Buddhists have a greater propensity to buy fair trade. The relationship between religion and fair trade consumption is complex in that religious affiliation – group membership – alone is not enough to encourage members to buy fair trade; rather, it is the use of religious beliefs as a criterion in consumption behavior that linked religion to fair trade consumption.     

An innovation resistance theory perspective on mobile payment solutions

Mobile payment solutions (MPSs) are experiencing growth and popularity across the globe because of their convenience and other benefits in performing transactions. However, despite these circumstances and the benefits offered, MPSs are still suffering from challenging situations related to their adoption and usage. The main challenge MPSs have faced in retail is because of the presence of consumer resistance toward their use. The present study investigates the different consumer barriers toward the intentions to use and recommend MPSs. The current study examines the adoption and usage of MPSs through the lens of innovation resistance. We developed the research model based on the innovation resistance theory (IRT) and tested it using a large cross-sectional study with 1256 MPS users. The study findings suggest that usage, risk, and value barriers are negatively associated with intentions to use MPSs. On the other hand, only usage and value barriers have a negative association with users’ intention to recommend MPSs. In comparison, the tradition and image barriers did not share any association with the user intentions. The study offers different implications for practitioners and researchers.     

An Empirical Study of Business-to-Business Electronic Marketplace Usage: The Impact of Buyers' E-Readiness

This study addresses critical questions regarding the extent of business-to-business electronic marketplace usage for purchasing, and the degree and impact of buyers' e-readiness on the range of electronic marketplace usage. The data from a Web-based survey of 359 purchasing professionals in the United States suggests that buyers with more experience in using information technology, the Internet to facilitate purchasing, and information systems for enhancing supply chain management would more likely use electronic marketplaces for purchasing. This study has significant theoretical implications because it confirms the important role of e-readiness in the electronic marketplace usage model. The practical implications of this study are also discussed.     

On the simultaneity of real and financial policies

This study investigates the interdependencies between a firm's real and financial decisions. One cause of this interdependence is, as with several previous studies, the real costs associated with bankruptcy. A classical multiperiod model is developed which allows for the endogeneity of debt issues, interest rates, the probability of firm default, and dividends. The modeling suggests an explanation for dividend determination which differs from traditional views. The resulting explanation is that funds are always channelled into the most profitable use. Thus, the model generates an optimal quantity of dividends which cannot be altered without decreasing the expected return to equity.     

浅析新会计准则下公允价值会计计量

目前,公允价值已经被很多国家的法律法规接受。但是,公允价值的计量问题却一直是困扰人们的一个难题。当某种产品存在活跃市场时可以用公允价值计量,当同类产品不存在活跃市场时却很麻烦。对公允价值应用的争论与疑虑多来源于此。会计产生于消息信息不对称的需要,研究这些问题及其解决对策,对促进会计理论和会计实务向更高层次发展,具有非常重要的理论和现实意义。     

A note on tariffication strategy cases in telecommunications

The tariff policy of a telecommunication operator has a strategic importance on achieving optimal revenues and a fundamental impact on its position in the competition with other operators on the liberalised telecommunication market. The payment for a connection through a telecommunication network may be determined by a rate for one call unit, by the duration of the call unit and their count during a call. An operator derives the rate and the duration of the call unit from a detailed analysis of large databases that contain statistical data on counts and duration of particular calls depending on the type of call. Usually only the operator knows these data files and keeps them confidential. In this note we show how it is possible to estimate revenues from telecommunication traffic only knowing a set of basic parameters.     

我国通信业客户忠诚驱动因素研究

客户忠诚指客户行为的持续性,它对确立企业的核心竞争力具有重要影响。文章认为,客户忠诚是内外部环境因素共同作用的结果。而通讯服务质量、信任、转网成本、员工忠诚是影响通讯业客户忠诚的重要因素。其中,良好的通讯服务质量是维系客户忠诚的保障;信任是客户再购买行为产生的前提;转网成本对通讯业客户忠诚有着不可忽视的影响;员工忠诚有助于客户忠诚的建立。我国通讯运营商要建立客户忠诚,必须以客户导向的营销理念作为企业经营管理的主导思想;加强技术创新,为客户提供全方位的优质服务;与客户之间建立相互信任的合作关系,为长远合作奠定基础;提高转网成本和员工忠诚度,为建立客户忠诚打下坚实的内部基础。     

公允价值——理想会计追求的悖论

公允价值从其价值内涵来说,是一种基于新古典经济学价格或马克思劳动价值论所讲的交换价值,由人们的效用价值来决定.金融危机之时,人们对建立在短期市场均衡理论之上的市场价格公允价值计量提出质疑,企图通过修订对活跃市场的定义来完善公允价值的市场价格计量模式,但公允价值市场计量模式的完善又将公允价值引入一个新的困境.     

Multiple curve Lévy forward price model allowing for negative interest rates

In this paper, we develop a framework for discretely compounding interest rates that is based on the forward price process approach. This approach has a number of advantages, in particular in the current market environment. Compared to the classical as well as the Lévy Libor market model, it allows in a natural way for negative interest rates and has superb calibration properties even in the presence of extremely low rates. Moreover, the measure changes along the tenor structure are significantly simplified. These properties make it an excellent base for a postcrisis multiple curve setup. Two variants for multiple curve constructions based on the multiplicative spreads are discussed. Time‐inhomogeneous Lévy processes are used as driving processes. An explicit formula for the valuation of caps is derived using Fourier transform techniques. Relying on the valuation formula, we calibrate the two model variants to market data.     

Critical factors characterizing consumers’ intentions to use drones for last-mile delivery: Does delivery risk matter?

Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, has become popular in military and recreational circles. Although their usage in commerce is relatively low, a continuous rise in commercial use, especially for last-mile delivery, in the future is anticipated. Consequently, there is a necessity for a greater understanding of consumers' readiness to accept the latest technological application to increase knowledge, business, and managerial practice. Specifically, this study aims to investigate consumers’ intentions to deploy drones for last-mile delivery. The study applies the social cognitive theory and the model of goal-directed behaviour. It investigates the effect of outcome expectancy, lifestyle compatibility, perceived self-efficacy, consumer attitude, and the desire of usage for delivery drones among European millennial consumers. Additionally, it examines whether delivery risk moderates the influence of attitude and desire to use delivery drones. The authors discovered that the aforementioned are positively related to consumer attitude. Consumer attitude as such is positively associated with the desire and intention to use this method of delivery. Furthermore, the intention to use drone delivery is positively influenced by the desire for this delivery, outcome expectancy, and lifestyle compatibility. These findings indicate the importance of desire and lifestyle compatibility as predictors. At the theoretical level, the results support the perspective that social cognitive theory, together with the model of goal-directed behaviour, is an adequate framework to account for consumer intentions.     

Is the shopper always the king/queen? Study of omnichannel retail technology use and shopping orientations

Technology is transforming how retail services are delivered and the experience lived by consumers. Online and offline channels are converging to deliver a seamless omnichannel shopping experience. However, despite retailers’ significant technology investments, shoppers do not always adopt omnichannel usage. Understanding omnichannel retail technology (ORT) usage and how it interacts with shopping orientations is thus an important research challenge.The model is tested through a field study that targets real users of a 3D virtual reality application.The results first show that omnichannel use positively influences performance and effort expectancy perceptions. Second, the effect of ORT use on decision quality depends on task orientation. Third, task orientation moderates the effect of omnichannel use on performance expectancy. Fourth, recreational orientation positively influences shoppers’ perceived experience. Fifth, perceived value is an important predictor of retail patronage intentions.     

The role of self selection, usage uncertainty and learning in the demand for local telephone service

Telephone services are often characterized by the presence of ‘fixed’ plans, involving only a fixed monthly fee, as well as ‘measured’ plans, with both fixed fees and per-unit charges for usage. Consumers are faced with the decisions of which plan to choose and how much to use the phone and these decisions are not, in general, independent. Due to the presence of a time lag between plan choice and usage decisions, consumers are uncertain about usage at the plan-choice stage. We develop a structural discrete/continuous model of plan choice and usage decisions of consumers that accounts for such uncertainty. Prior research has also found that consumers switch less often from fixed plans to measured plans to gain from potential savings than vice versa. Consumer uncertainty regarding their mean usage levels and different rates of learning by consumers in the two plans is a potential explanation for this phenomenon. We extend our discrete/continuous model to account for consumer learning about their mean usage and estimate different rates of learning for the two types of plans. We estimate our model using data from the 1986 Kentucky local telephone tariff experiment. Even in the absence of any price variation over time, we are able to measure the price elasticities both of usage and of choice of plan. Using our parameter estimates, we simulate the effects of the introduction of a metered plan in a market with only a fixed plan and vice versa, on both firm revenues and consumer surplus. We also find that consumers learn very rapidly if they are on the measured plan but learn very slowly when they are on the fixed plan. We investigate an alternative assumption on the nature of the learning process in which only consumers in the measured plan have an opportunity to learn. We find that our empirical results are robust to this change of specification. We conduct counterfactual simulations to simulate enhanced calling plans from the firm and consumer points of view. Additional simulations to measure the value of information in this category are also carried out. We compute the value of both complete information, where the entire uncertainty about future usage is resolved, as well as that of limited information, where the consumer's uncertainty about mean usage is resolved, but the uncertainty about specific month-to-month usage remains. We find that the value of information is modest. We also find that a large proportion of the value of information is that about the mean usage, with the value of the information about a specific month's usage being relatively small.