E-negotiation System Development: Using Negotiation Protocols to Manage Software Components

A major challenge in developing an e-negotiation system (ENS) is that the system should fit into the context which varies with negotiation cases. To mitigate context dependency, we propose to separate e-negotiation protocols from ENS and adopt a component-oriented approach. In this paper, we present a framework for e-negotiation protocols that implements this approach. The framework has been tested by developing several ENSs of which two had been tested in laboratory negotiation experiments with more than 100 participants.     

Chatbots in e-commerce: The effect of chatbot language style on customers’ continuance usage intention and attitude toward brand

The utilization of chatbots has grown in popularity in recent years, leading to an increasing interest among academics and practitioners. This study investigates the effect of chatbot language style on customers' continuance usage intention and attitude toward brand. Two scenario-based experiments were conducted to examine the underlying mechanism. The results show that when chatbots adopt an informal (vs. formal) language style, customers’ continuance usage intention and brand attitude increase through the mediating role of parasocial interaction. Further, this study identifies brand affiliation as a pertinent moderator, such that the effect of chatbot language style is attenuated for people who have no prior relationship with the brand. The findings contribute to the existing chatbot literature and offer practical implications for brand managers to develop optimal language strategies when deploying chatbots in e-commerce.     

Negotiation Support and E-negotiation Systems: An Overview

With negotiation being an often difficult process involving complex problems, computer-based support has been employed in its various phases and tasks. This article provides a historical overview of software used to support negotiations, aid negotiators, and automate one or more negotiation activities. First, it presents several system classifications, including implemented models, system architectures, and configurations of various systems interacting with human negotiators. Then, it focuses on NSSs (negotiation support systems) and related systems introduced in the early 1980s and on ENSs (e-negotiation systems), which are deployed on the web. These broad categories are discussed from four perspectives: real-life applications, systems used in research and training, research results, and research frameworks.     

Understanding antecedents of continuance and revisit intentions: The case of sport apps

Prior studies have investigated the antecedents of sport application (Sapp) adoption, but few researchers have concentrated on attitudinal, cognitive and behavioural factors' effects on users’ continuance intention (CI) and revisit intention (RI). This study focused on the Sapp CI antecedents of use intensity and commitment to – and competence and satisfaction with – these tools. Analyses using structural equation modelling were conducted with data on 362 Sapp users from Malaga, Spain. The results confirm that commitment to and competence with Sapps are positively related to satisfaction and use intensity, which have a positive impact on CI and RI.     

The Impact of Academic Research on Business Practice Experiences from Marketing

In the past four decades, academic researchers have developed a variety of concepts they claim are relevant to business practice. This article analyzes the impact of eight of these concepts from a decision-oriented perspective. Four of them – econometric models, diffusion models, causal analysis and mental accounting – have yet to exert a significant influence on business practice. In contrast, concepts like price decisions and structures, conjoint measurement, decision support systems and pricing processes – all developed to solve practical problems – have proven to be highly useful. It seems evident that overly complex methodology, abstract reasoning and the reliance on incidental data substantially hinder the success of concepts in practice. On the other hand, concepts that provide managers with economically valuable insights are well-received in business practice. The impact of practical experience on the definition of research projects has remained limited. This is due less to the reluctance of the parties involved and more to the objective obstacles such as confidentiality and the complexity of problems. Academic researchers are encouraged to more assertively seek out research guidance from business practitioners, and practitioners should more actively provide recommendations needed for relevant research.     

The role of utilitarian and hedonic aspects in the continuance intention to use social mobile apps

The purpose of this research is to understand the main factors that determine users’ continuance intention to use social mobile Apps, considering two utilitarian (i.e., perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use) variables and a hedonic (i.e., perceived enjoyment) variable. As social mobile Apps may be utilitarian or hedonic, we aim to evaluate possible differences in the significance of the aforementioned antecedent factors in utilitarian Apps (i.e., TripAdvisor) and hedonic Apps (i.e., Instagram). The data were collected from an international sample of users; the Partial Least Squares method was applied to analyze the research model, using SMARTPLS 3.0. To analyze the moderating effects, a multi-group PLS analysis was carried out to compare the differences between the path relationships in the two Apps. The results show that continuance intention to use is explained by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, satisfaction and user experience (control variable), and the impact of utilitarian variables is generally greater for utilitarian Apps, whereas the impact of perceived enjoyment is higher for hedonic Apps. This study contributes to the general body of knowledge about mobile Apps by providing a comprehensive theoretical foundation and practical implications that illuminate the continuance use of social mobile Apps.     

Preventing Customer Churn in the Mobile Telecommunication Industry: Is Mobile Money Usage the Missing Link?

The paper examines the influence of mobile money usage on customer continuance intention (CCI). The study conveniently sampled 507 mobile money users to test the research model using PLS-SEM. Satisfaction, trust and active usage of mobile money were found to influence CCI. Active usage of mobile money was also confirmed as a mediator in the relationship between satisfaction and trust, on customer continuance. The study thus validated a theoretical model of customer continuance intention as it relates to mobile money usage. It has also provided a new perspective on managing customer churn in an emerging market.     

A new direction to better understand post-adoption behavior: The theory of need for information systems

A comprehensive review of the information systems literature suggests that the traditional perception–intention–usage framework may be deficient in explaining post-adoption behaviors. As an effort to fill this gap, the current paper presents a new theory – the theory of need for information systems (TNIS) – and introduces two new constructs – need for technology and need for information. Drawing on the needs-based perspective on behaviors, TNIS conceptualizes these two need constructs as the key predictors of continuance intention and usage. The current paper also discusses useful insights, important implications, and an appropriate instrument for measuring the two new constructs. This study thus contributes to a novel framework to advance theoretical understanding of post-adoption behaviors and to direct future research toward new avenues.     

Fashion shopping on the go: A Dual-stage predictive-analytics SEM-ANN analysis on usage behaviour,experience response and cross-category usage

With the proliferation of mobile commerce, mobile shopping has become the buzzword in the electronic commerce industry. To examine the predictive factors that affect the usage behaviour, experience response, and cross-category usage in mobile fashion shopping, an integrated research framework, comprising of the Mobile Technology Acceptance Model and individual attributes in terms of lifestyle orientations was proposed. The quantitative data, derived from 500 qualified responses, collected through a survey questionnaire, was validated via a two-stage predictive-analytics SEM-ANN approach to identify the non-compensatory and non-linear relationship. All six of the ANN models showed consistent relationships and rankings with the SEM results. The findings imply that mobile commerce developers and designers should ensure that the functions provided can satisfy the evaluation criteria of users with different lifestyle orientations, whereby the advantages of the mobile commerce platforms should be highlighted in the marketing messages to drive first-time usage, as well as extended usage across different mobile commerce platforms (i.e., mobile sites and mobile applications) and product categories. From the theoretical perspective, the findings revealed the indirect influence of the individual attributes on the usage intention of innovative mobile technology. The research is also the first to adopt non-compensatory neural network analysis to compensate the linear SEM analysis in the study on mobile shopping of fashion products.     

The Marketing of Employee Volunteerism

Employee volunteerism can be an effective strategy for increasing the effectiveness of corporate philanthropy. However, in order to be effective, volunteer initiatives should be directed by the firm to ensure a strategic fit and focus on the core competencies of the firm. Therefore, internal marketing strategies are needed to ensure managers receive employee support. Our research quantitatively extends research by Peloza and Hassay (Journal of Business Ethics 64(4), 357–379, 2006) who argued that employee volunteerism is motivated by egoistic, altruistic and organizational citizenship motives. Our findings suggest that volunteer opportunities that fulfill egoistic and organizational citizenship motives will be effective, but that the altruistic motive is not significant. We also find that formal policies concerning manager recognition or time off are not effective, providing more discretion for individual managers. Implications for managers seeking to increase the effectiveness (and therefore support the business case) of their corporate philanthropy are discussed.     

Instant messaging continuance: A media choice theory perspective

Instant Messaging (IM) has become one of the most popular applications for many Internet users. While prior research has primarily focused on IM initial adoption, continued usage (or continuance) has not drawn much attention. This research integrates media choice theories with motivation theory to explain IM continuance. It tests the proposed model using data collected from a sample of 207 Chinese university students via an online survey. Results indicate that perceived enjoyment, perceived critical mass are key to IM continuance intention. Perceived social presence and perceived critical mass are positively associated with perceived enjoyment. We also find that perceived social presence, perceived media richness and perceived enjoyment have significant effects on perceived usefulness.     

On Combining Partial and Incompatible Information in E-negotiation and E-arbitration

The complexity of the problems to be addressed in an e-democracy framework and the variety of involved stakeholders, with different backgrounds, views and access to information sources, lead us to consider the case in which an e-negotiation should be performed among subjects who have partial, sometimes incompatible, information and can hardly gather to discuss issues together, under the supervision of a facilitator. We propose a statistical method which addresses the issue of partial and incompatible information, merging it and then using it to get a final decision, possibly in an automatic way, through processes of e-negotiation and e-arbitration.      

The Role of Leadership in Group Support Systems Failure

This paper reports on a research case study in which the use of a Group Support System (GSS) by a multi-organizational alliance failed. The paper argues that the leadership style of the meeting champion may be a much greater moderating factor in GSS meeting success than previously thought. Transformational Leadership Theory is used to explain the results, and implications for both researchers and managers are drawn. Two themes emerge: first, the case shows where the concept of phony democracy may or may not occur. Second, the case illustrates conditions under which a GSS may generate, as opposed to mitigate conflict. For managers, it suggests that using a GSS may not be optimal if they choose to adopt a Transactional leadership style. For researchers, this work offers insights into boundary conditions affecting GSS usage, extending a paucity of research in negative GSSusage cases.     

Online travel information value and its influence on the continuance usage intention of social media

This study tests an empirical model formulated by extending the Triandis model to examine the structural relationships among online travel information value (OTIV), near- and long-term consequences, affect, social factors, facilitating conditions, affective community commitment (ACC), current usage, and continuance usage intention (CUI) among travel-related social media users in Korea. Data were collected through an online survey using the national panel system. A total of 403 respondents were selected based on whether they had traveled at least once within the last 12 months and used at least one social media daily. Eight hypothesized relationships out of eleven were supported. Specifically, as an antecedent of the Triandis model, OTIV had a strong effect on near- and long-term consequences and affect. In addition, the effect of ACC on CUI was stronger than that for current usage. We presented theoretical and practical implications and proposed avenues for future research.     

When does Ethical Code Enforcement Matter in the Inter-Organizational Context? The Moderating Role of Switching Costs

Drawing on signaling theory, we suggest that a supplier’s enforcement of ethical codes sends signals about the supplier that affect a buyer’s decision to continue their commitment to the supplier. We then draw on side-bet theory to hypothesize how switching costs influence the importance of a supplier’s enforcement of ethical codes in predicting a buyer’s continuance commitment to a supplier. We empirically test our model with data from 158 purchasing managers across three manufacturing industries. Results confirm the connection between ethical code enforcement and continuance commitment, but suggest that a supplier’s enforcement of ethical codes matter less when switching suppliers is perceived as too costly.     

网络购物粘性行为前置因素研究

以网络购物中的消费者粘性行为前置影响因素为切入点,通过文献回顾,提出用户视角的网络粘性是在持续使用基础上所形成的一种心理依赖行为,并以此为基础构建网络消费者粘性的前置因素假设,通过问卷调查的方式进行实证分析。研究表明:持续使用意向在各前置因素与粘性行为的形成之间起中介效应作用;消费者的感知因素如感知有用性、心流、满意度均通过中介变量对粘性产生影响;同时,网络的结构化特征结构嵌入也通过持续使用意向促进粘性的产生;消费者的网络使用习惯则直接促使粘性的产生。     

A cross-national study of Twitter users’ motivations and continuance intentions

Given the explosive popularity and growth of microblogging worldwide and its potential use in the areas of public policy, civic activism, as well as marketing and advertising, the questions of why and how individuals use these services warrant a comprehensive research. While some studies addressing motivations to join and continue using Twitter have been published, no research to date has investigated these issues in the context of developing economies. This exploratory study seeks to build an understanding of Twitter usage and continuance motivations in Ukraine, and compares them to those of the US users. The findings of the study suggest that participants in both countries use Twitter for professional development, entertainment, status maintenance, and social interaction and exchange. The Ukrainian participants, however, emphasize Twitter use for identity negotiation and self-expression, as well as for news updates and sharing. The study also examines how different motivations of joining Twitter affect current Twitter usage and continuance intentions, and provides implications for public policy and advertising.     

E-Government Portal Characteristics and Individual Appeal: An Examination of E-Government and Citizen Acceptance in the Context of Local Administration Portals

E-government applications have become an important interface between citizens and public administration. However, quantitative research on e-government usage shows a tendency toward generic research models and in part lacks statistical rigor. Especially mediating conditions are often not taken into account appropriately. This contribution addresses this gap and provides a conceptually extended model of technology acceptance in the context of online city portals. The proposed model is tested with a large sample (n = 1,273) using structural equation modeling. Ease of use, usefulness, and privacy were found to be determinants of e-government portal acceptance, which in turn determines continuance intention of e-government portals. Furthermore, Internet competence and need for personal interaction were found to be direct determinants of continuance intention on the level of individual user appeal. The findings are discussed in terms of theory, and implications for public managers of online city portals are derived.