An empirical study of information contribution to online feedback systems: A motivation perspective

Online feedback systems (OFSs) are increasingly available on online shopping websites; they allow consumers to post their ratings and consumption reviews for products. We employed motivation theory and a goal attainment perspective to model a set of motivating and inhibiting factors that could influence a consumer's intention to contribute to an OFS. Our experiment, which involved 168 university students, showed that a consumer's intention to contribute product reviews is influenced by perceived satisfaction gained in helping other consumers, perceived satisfaction gained in influencing the merchant, perceived probability of enhancing self-image, and perceived executional costs. In addition, the presence of an economic rewarding mechanism was found to promote a contribution when a consumer's perceived probability of enhancing self-image was relatively high or when perceived cognitive cost was relatively low. Implications of our findings are discussed.     

Community engagement and online word of mouth: An empirical investigation

How customer engagement in a firm’s social media marketing platform ? online brand community ? might affect word-of-mouth behavior is an open research issue as well as a vital business problem in e-commerce. To this end, we collected a set of longitudinal data that include community engagement behavior, e-commerce transactions, and customers’ post-purchase reviews. Using a control function approach, we find that consumer engagement in a brand community not only increases the likelihood of generating post-purchase reviews but also increases the likelihood of posting positive online reviews. Furthermore, we find that customer tenure has a positive moderating effect.     

Reciprocity norms and information-sharing behavior in online consumption communities: An empirical investigation of antecedents and moderators

This study seeks a better understanding of information-sharing behavior in online consumption communities by investigating both the antecedents and moderating mechanisms of such behavior. Using self-reported data collected over two periods, along with objective behavioral data, the authors show that a reciprocity norm functions as a proximal determinant of information-sharing behavior. This norm also channels the effects of social, hedonic, and utilitarian community values on sharing behavior. The results reveal that the conversion of reciprocity norms into information-sharing behavior depends on individual and contextual conditions. These significant insights reflect the integration of consumer resource allocation theory with a reciprocity framework to establish an explanatory platform for members’ information-sharing behavior in online communities. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Retaining and attracting users in social networking services: An empirical investigation of cyber migration

Users are the most critical strategic resource of any online social networking service (SNS). This paper offers strategic recommendations for SNS providers based on an empirical study exploring why users switch from a primary SNS to others. We first identify important characteristics that combine to distinguish SNSs from conventional information systems, then develop a “cyber migration” research model that includes push, pull and mooring factors which influence user intention to switch from one SNS to another. Findings from a field survey of 180 users reveal four significant factors that promote switching: dissatisfaction with socialization support, dissatisfaction with entertainment value, continuity cost, and peer influence. Strategies grounded in these factors are suggested for SNS providers to better attract and retain users.     

The influence of user-generated content on traveler behavior: An empirical investigation on the effects of e-word-of-mouth to hotel online bookings

The increasing use of web 2.0 applications has generated numerous online user reviews. Prior studies have revealed the influence of user-generated reviews on the sales of products such as CDs, books, and movies. However, the influence of online user-generated reviews in the tourism industry is still largely unknown both to tourism researchers and practitioners. To bridge this knowledge gap in tourism management, we conducted an empirical study to identify the impact of online user-generated reviews on business performance using data extracted from a major online travel agency in China. The empirical findings show that traveler reviews have a significant impact on online sales, with a 10 percent increase in traveler review ratings boosting online bookings by more than five percent. Our results highlight the importance of online user-generated reviews to business performance in tourism.     

Not all posts are treated equal: An empirical investigation of post replying behavior in an online travel community

The post replying behavior in online communities (OCs) has garnered little consideration, even though the feedback behavior represents the central social dynamic of OCs and greatly determines the vibrancy of OCs. To fill this gap, this study aims to identify major sharing post-related variables that explain the heterogeneity in the post replying behavior in knowledge sharing OCs. The research model is validated through a panel dataset assembled from an online travel community. The results reveal that sharing post length and vividness, contributors’ expertise and degree centrality, and members’ social interactions have significant associations with the number of replying posts.     

Factors influencing the continuance intention to the usage of Web 2.0: An empirical study

New business models and applications have been continuously developed and popularized on the Internet. In recent years, a number of applications including blogs, Facebook, iGoogle, Plurk, Twitter, and YouTube known as Web 2.0 have become very popular. These aforementioned applications all have a strong social flavor. However, what social factors exert an influence onto their use is still unclear and remains as a research issue to be further investigated. This research studies four social factors and they are subjective norm, image, critical mass, and electronic word-of-mouth. A causal model of the satisfaction and continuance intention of Web 2.0 users as a function of these four social factors is proposed. Results indicate that user satisfaction with Web 2.0 applications significantly affects electronic word-of-mouth, which in turn significantly influences their continuance intention. In addition, subjective norm, image and critical mass all have a significant impact onto satisfaction, which in turn has an indirect significant influence on electronic word-of-mouth. Finally, all social factors have a significant direct impact on continuance intention. Finally, implications for service providers and researchers are discussed.     

An empirical investigation of information technology structure, control and corporate governance

In a study involving 72 large publicly-held organizations, the relationships between information technology (IT) structure, control, and corporate governance were examined. Despite the fact that some have called centralized systems electronic dinosaurs, many companies are turning to this traditional approach because it does offer one thing that decentralized systems generally lack, namely, control. The results indicate that information technology structure (centralized vs. decentralized) is strongly related to management equity ownership and to concentration of stock holding. For example, an organization where top executives and managers own a relatively high percentage of the company's stock possesses a more centralized information technology structure than an organization with a relatively lower percentage of management ownership. This means that user departments in the latter have more control over their IT functions than users in the former. Conversely, companies with a high level of stock concentration have a more decentralized IT structure. In addition, the research revealed a statistically significant relationship between a company's equity to debt ratio and the level of IT centralization.     

Predicting consumer intentions to shop online: An empirical test of competing theories

The proliferation of commercial Web sites providing consumers with a new medium to purchase products and services has increased the importance of understanding the determinants of consumer intentions to shop online. This study compared the technology acceptance model and two variations of the theory of planned behavior to examine which model best helps to predict consumer intentions to shop online. Data were gathered from 297 Taiwanese customers of online bookstores, and structural equation modeling was used to compare the three models in terms of overall model fit, explanatory power and path significance. Decomposing the belief structures in the theory of planned behavior moderately increased explanatory power for behavioral intention. The results also indicate that the decomposed theory of planned behavior provides an improved method of predicting consumer intentions to shop online. Finally, the implications of this study are discussed.     

An empirical investigation of student acceptance of course websites

The World Wide Web (WWW) is the future in teaching and learning. This paper uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) constructs of usefulness and ease of use to assess university students’ acceptance of course websites as an effective learning tool. A survey instrument was distributed to 450 undergraduate students and a total of 403 usable responses were obtained. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were implemented using structural equation modeling techniques through LISREL version 8.52. A structural equation model was used to fit and validate the Course Website Acceptance Model (CWAM) and the results indicated good fit to the data. Course website usefulness and ease of use proved to be key determinants of the acceptance and usage of course website as an effective and efficient learning technology. The causal relationships between the constructs considered by the CWAM were well supported, accounting for 83% of the total variance in the course website acceptance and usage.     

An empirical study of information technology enabled business process redesign and corporate competitive strategy

Business process redesign (BPR) has been widely touted as a means for leveraging the power of information technology to change business processes radically, resulting in substantial improvements in organizational effectiveness and efficiency. This study represents an early attempt at examining the strategic nature of the phenomenon. Because BPR is radical change and has the ability to alter both the competitive and operational nature of the corporation, it is critical that BPR be coordinated with corporate strategy. Through a survey of information system executives, the relationships between corporate competitive strategy and three types of BPR – intrafunctional, interfunctional and interorganizational – were examined. It was found that organizations following a cost strategy tended to do more BPR projects on interfunctional processes. Furthermore, the positive effect of a cost strategy on interfunctional BPR was found to be strengthened by the degree of integration of IS and business planning. It was also found that while interorganizational BPR was not related to a specific strategy, it was strongly related directly with IS–business planning integration.     

Internet electronic product catalogs: an approach beyond simple keywords and multimedia

Internet-based Electronic Product Catalogs (IEPCs) are one of the most important parts of electronic markets. They are the merchant’s interactive interface towards online customers. Based on the features of their carrier, the interactive and ubiquitous Internet, IEPCs are online, permanently up-to date, and enable customization as well as direct communication between seller and buyer. Even though IEPCs are more sophisticated compared to paper-based catalogs, the search for products on the Internet is still a cumbersome process. Surveys show, that online customers have difficulties navigating through merchants’ sites to find the products they need. In this paper, a comprehensive approach for IEPCs as complex information spaces will be presented. First a detailed requirements analysis for IEPCs will be conducted. Then a concept for organizing information within IEPCs, which goes beyond simple keywords and multimedia, will be presented. Finally, technologies for its implementation will be identified.     

How to select search keywords for online advertising depending on consumer involvement: An empirical investigation

In paid search advertising on Internet, advertisers bid for specific keywords. Consumer involvement affects a consumer’s purchase intention. However, there has been no research on selecting keywords in paid search advertising depending on consumer involvement from the advertisers’ perspective. Our paper investigates the effects of several factors including impressions, click-through rate, conversion rate, the number of competitors and the quantity of online customer reviews on the performance of individual keywords. Our analysis shows that regardless of consumer involvement, the conversion rate and the number of reviews significantly affect to the performance of individual keywords but the click-through rate does not. In addition, the effects of impressions and the number of competitors partially exist depending on consumer involvement. This study provides managerial insights into paid search advertising and can give some assumptions in the theoretical modeling literature for allocating advertising budgets.     

The atmospheric factors of online storefront environment design: An empirical experiment in Taiwan

The purpose of our study was to identify the effect of atmospheric factors such as music and color on participants’ emotional responses and subsequent shopping behavior in an online store setting. In this study, a laboratory experiment was conducted to test our hypotheses. The experiment was a 2 (music: fast/slow) × 2 (color: warm/cool) between-subjects factorial design with one control group. The results indicated that both music and color factors had a significant effect on participants’ emotional response, which in turn influenced their intention to purchase. Specifically, participants felt more aroused and experienced greater pleasure when they were exposed to fast-tempo music and a warm color website than those people who experienced slow-tempo music and cool colors. In addition, both pleasure and arousal emotions were significant predictors of approach–avoidance intention. We expected that a well-designed website with adequate music and color attributes would create a desired environment and thus entice and retain target customers. Our findings should help in deciding on ambient factors in online website design. Although studies on atmospheric effects in traditional stores have been abundant, knowledge of their effect in the online retail context has been sparse.     

The power of eWOM: A re-examination of online student evaluations of their professors

Over the past few years, a number of studies have examined the impact of the Rate My Professors (RMP) website (RateMyProfessors.com) on higher education. The focal area of examination is whether students’ evaluations of their professors on RMP are valid. The current study attempts to push the RMP discussions to a deeper level through two studies. Study 1 illustrates that students rely on the valence of review information on RMP to make their course selection decisions without considering its validity. Study 2 shows that students’ decision-making process tends to be biased as a result of review information available. The results of both studies suggest it is necessary for institutions to test new teaching evaluation models online.     

Purchase behavior in virtual worlds: An empirical investigation in Second Life

Virtual worlds are an emerging online transaction context in which millions of players around the world participate and trade virtual items with one another. However, little research has been conducted into purchase behavior in this new context. To address this gap, we developed and tested a conceptual model of purchase behavior in virtual worlds using a combination of existing and new constructs. An online survey was conducted within Second Life (n = 250) and tested using structural equation modeling. We conclude with implications for practice and research limitations.     

An empirical investigation of the relationship of IS strategy with firm performance

Given the important impact that an IS strategy has on the potential value IS brings to an organization, we develop and test a model of IS Strategy and Firm Performance. Our survey-based study provides strong evidence that firms with defined IS strategies (either IS Innovator or IS Conservative) perform better than those without defined IS strategies. Organizations without a clearly defined IS strategy actually experienced a negative relationship with firm performance. These organizations should realize the potentially negative outcomes of such a lack of strategy and work to extricate themselves before a consistent pattern of investing in IS without clear organizational benefit develops. Furthermore, the study suggests that the IS Innovator strategy is, in particular, associated with more superior firm performance than the IS Conservative strategy under conditions of environmental dynamism. Organizational leaders need to consider the external environments under which their organizations are operating and evaluate the influence those environments may have on their IS strategy’s ability to impact performance. Post hoc analysis results also reveal a fourth potential IS strategy, one that strives for ambidexterity. Ambidextrous firms were found to be associated with the most superior performance, leading to a potential extension of the existing IS strategy typology and a call for future research.     

Effect of knowledge sharing visibility on incentive-based relationship in Electronic Knowledge Management Systems: An empirical investigation

Previous studies have confirmed the knowledge sharing visibility (KSV) may ensure the incentive-sharing relationship within traditional organizations. However, considering high loafing tendency in IT-based and distributed environments, this effect should be re-examined. This study examines how KSV impacts on incentive-based relationship in IT-based knowledge management systems. The data were collected from real KM systems in an innovative service company. The results show that, in distributed environment, KSV was still a critical moderators in the prediction of employee’s knowledge sharing behaviors. In the electronic KMS environment, the positive relationship between incentive and KS is stronger when employees’ perceived KSV is higher. This research contributes theoretically to KS literature in examing the KSV as the three-way moderators on incentive-based relationship in IT-based environment, from real organizational samples.     

Designing electronic use policies to enhance employee perceptions of fairness and to reduce cyberloafing: An empirical test of justice theory

Organizations are attempting to curtail cyberloafing or employee use of company Internet and email systems for non-work purposes by implementing electronic use policies, but their design is based on anecdotal support instead of theory or empirical research. Using procedural justice theory, we propose policies containing signed versus implied consent, for cause versus periodic monitoring, zero tolerance or progressive discipline versus managerial discretion in disciplinary procedures, and appeals to peers or management versus no appeals will improve employee perceptions of policy fairness and thus, decrease cyberloafing. Results from two experiments and a field study found that zero tolerance, progressive discipline, and appeal processes were related to higher perceptions of policy fairness while periodic monitoring was related to less cyberloafing.     

Social presence,trust, and social commerce purchase intention: An empirical research

Lacking the presence of human and social elements is claimed one major weakness that is hindering the growth of e-commerce. The emergence of social commerce might help ameliorate this situation. Social commerce is a new evolution of e-commerce that combines the commercial and social activities by deploying social technologies into e-commerce sites. Social commerce reintroduces the social aspect of shopping to e-commerce, increasing the degree of social presences in online environment. Drawing upon the social presence theory, this study theorizes the nature of social aspect in online SC marketplace by proposing a set of three social presence variables. These variables are then hypothesized to have positive impacts on trusting beliefs which in turn result in online purchase behaviors. The research model is examined via data collected from a typical e-commerce site in China. Our findings suggest that social presence factors grounded in social technologies contribute significantly to the building of the trustworthy online exchanging relationships. In doing so, this paper confirms the positive role of social aspect in shaping online purchase behaviors, providing a theoretical evidence for the fusion of social and commercial activities. Finally, this paper introduces a new perspective of e-commerce and calls more attention to this new phenomenon of social commerce.