E-Mail and V-Mail Usage: Generalizing Across Technologies

Many researchers and practitioners describe electronic mail (e-mail) and voice mail (v-mail) together and assume that their usage and impacts are similar. However, empirical evidence on the issue is mixed. For example, whereas some research found similar relations to hold across both e-mail and v-mail, other research presents evidence suggesting that e-mail and v-mail are used differently and their impacts are distinct.

This research investigates whether theories derived and tested with respect to e-mail are generalizable to v-mail. Specifically, the research examines whether the antecedents of e-mail use are different than the antecedents of v-mail use. To do so, the research tests a theoretical model for both e-mail and v-mail usage in the same organization. This model expands the technology acceptance model (TAM) to incorporate antecedents of perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEU). These antecedents, which are based on theories of communications media choice and use, include social influence about usage of the medium, social presence of the medium, physical and informational accessibility of the medium, media style, and availability of training and support on use of the medium.

Results indicate important differences between antecedents of e-mail and v-mail usage, in both the determinants of system use and in the determinants of PU and PEU. Specifically, the relations between use and beliefs appear to be more complex than originally proposed in TAM. The effect of social influence on use and its relation to beliefs differ across the two media, suggesting that strong social norms may have a moderating effect on the relation between beliefs and use.     

Congratulatory Messages For New Year

Spring Greetings It is a great pleasure for me to have this opportunity to wish a pros- perous and peaceful New Year in 2008 to all distinguished readers of China’s Foreign Trade.With the Country’s continued fast economic development,I believe the year 2008 will be a unique period of time in the history of China,with the upcoming"Beijing Olympic 2008".I am also pleased and consider myself lucky to be a part of this colorful historical event.     

Congratulatory Messages For China-ASEAN FTA

On 1 January 2010, ASEAN and China ushered in the New Year with the launch of the China- ASEAN Free Trade Area （CAFTA）. The FTA, ten years in the making, creates a free trade area of more than 1.9 billion people with a combined GDP of almost US$6 trillion. It is the third largest FTA in the world, the largest FTA among developing countries, and an important building block in regional economic integration.     

Congratulatory Messages For The New Year

It is a great pleasure for me to have this opportunity to wish a prosperous and peaceful New Year in 2008 to all distinguished readers of China＇s Foreign Trade. With the Country＇s continued fast economic development,     

Congratulalory Messages For The New Year

Bulgaria Dear Chinese Friends,
It is a true honor for me to use the pages ofchina＇s Foreign Trade and address this Chinese Lunar New Year wishes to you and your families on my behalf and on behalf of the people of Bulgaria.     

Congratulatory Messages For the New Year

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Beijing wishes a happy and a prosperous New Year in 2007 to the People and Government of the People＇s Republic of China. In the year of 2007, we look forward to strengthening the relationships between the two countries and further cooperation between the Government of the People＇s Republic of China and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in various fields.     

Congratulatory Messages For The Spring Festival

尊敬的中国外贸的读者朋友们值此中国传统节日-春节即将来临之际,谨向大家致以节日的祝贺!在过去的2010年里。上海合作组织全力落实2009年6月16日叶卡捷琳堡峰会、2010年6月11日塔什干峰会、2009年10月14日北京政府首脑理事会会议确定的目标和任务,     

Factors Affecting E-Mail Marketing Sourcing Decisions: A Transaction Cost Perspective

Electronic marketing strategy is an important priority for e-business, but limited research has been undertaken to understand and predict decisions regarding the insourcing or outsourcing of these marketing activities. This study focuses specifically on e-mail marketing and uses an established seven function classification of the activities which include: designing, building, testing, deploying, tracking, reporting, and analyzing. Transaction cost theory was employed as a predictor of insourcing and outsourcing decisions for each of these e-mail marketing activities. To test these functions, case studies were used for tracking the value of two attributes of transactions–asset specificity and uncertainty (behavioural uncertainty, environmental volatility, and environmental diversity)–under three levels of analysis. Results show that specific skills and tacit knowledge used to manage functions are major factors for sourcing decisions, and overpower the effect of uncertainty. It was also found that companies consider an outsourcing option for each individual function rather than the combined or whole e-mail marketing functions. The paper concludes with a discussion of limitations, implications for academics and practitioners, and future research directions.     

Determinants of Innovation

The study examines how firm size, market structure, profitability and growth influence innovative activity in small to medium sized Australian manufacturing businesses, using the recently released Confidentialised Unit Record File drawn from the Business Longitudinal Survey of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Regression analysis is conducted to determine the factors that effect subsequent innovative activity for the full sample of businesses, as well as for sub-samples of firms from high and low-technological opportunity industries. Most variables, including size, R&D intensity, market structure and trade shares are found to be conducive to further innovative activity for the full sample and for high-tech firms. For low-tech industries, fewer variables are significant.     

Determinants of export performance

Comparative advantage, government incentives and entrepreneurial dynamics as determinants of a country’s export performance are discussed in this article. The author’s particular attention is focussed on the present situation and future perspectives of the less developed countries.