The mediating role of the dimensions of the perceived risk in the effect of customers’ awareness on the adoption of Internet banking in Iran

One of the major issues banks are faced with in providing Internet Banking (IB) services is the adoption of these services by the customers. This study seeks answer to the question that whether bank customers’ awareness of the services and advantages of IB is effective in reducing the negative effect of customers’ perceived risk on their intention of IB adoption. To this end, the two constructs of the dimensions of the perceived risk and IB awareness are simultaneously considered. Besides, in the research model, the effect of IB awareness on each dimension of the perceived risk and the effect of these dimensions on intention of IB adoption by the customers are investigated. The results indicate that IB awareness acts as a factor reducing all dimensions of the perceived risk (including time, financial, performance, social, security, and privacy). In addition, it was found out that except for social risk, other dimensions of the perceived risk have significantly negative effect on the intention of IB adoption. Finally, proving the direct and positive effect of IB awareness on adoption intention, it was concluded that the dimensions of customers’ perceived risk plays a mediating role in the positive effect of IB awareness on IB adoption intention. In this respect, management approaches centered on the concept of IB awareness are offered for reducing the dimensions of customers’ perceived risk.     

Why do teachers continue to use teaching blogs? The roles of perceived voluntariness and habit

The importance of teaching blogs motivates schools to adopt them. The value realized from these teaching blogs depends on teachers' ongoing participation and contribution, but limited research explains why teachers continue to use teaching blogs after their initial adoption. To promote teachers' continued usage of teaching blogs, it is important to know the underlying reasons. This study extended Bhattacherjee's expectation–confirmation model by adding two moderating effects (perceived voluntariness and habit) on the intention–usage relationship. Longitudinal data were collected from a survey questionnaire completed by 195 Taiwanese senior and vocational school teachers. The partial least squares model was used to test the measurement and structural models. The results indicate that confirmation has a direct effect on perceived usefulness, while satisfaction is jointly determined by perceived usefulness and confirmation. The continuance intention of teaching blogs is jointly determined by satisfaction and perceived usefulness, with 34% variance explained. The continued usage of teaching blogs is jointly determined by perceived voluntariness and habit, with 42% variance explained. The results also show that a higher level of perceived voluntariness for teaching blogs increases the effect of continuance intention on continued usage. However, habit does not moderate the intention–usage relationship. The implications for theory and practice, as well as suggestions for future research, are also discussed.     

The role of disclosure of personal information in the evaluation of risk and trust in young peoples’ online interactions

This study examined the relationship between the evaluation of risk, trust and disclosure of personal information in young peoples’ online interactions. A series of 18 focus groups were conducted with young people aged 9–19 years old. The results suggested that the majority of young people have a high level of awareness of the risks and potential outcomes associated with their online behaviour. Participants perceived disclosure of personal information to be important for the development of online relationships, and discussed associated strategies for evaluating trust and verifying identity. The study suggests that the perceived benefits associated with the disclosure of personal information and interacting with ‘strangers’ online may outweigh the perceived risks associated with these behaviours as the result of the importance of peer relationships and the exploration of identity during adolescence. Identified age-related differences and similarities in relation to the themes are explored, and areas for future research discussed.     

Why provide an online review? An extended theory of planned behavior and the role of Big-Five personality traits

Online review, an important form of reputation systems, has been studied intensively because of its powerful impact on online retailers, intermediaries, and customers. However, to date, very little attention has been paid to factors that influence an individual’s intention to provide an online review. An extended theory of planned behavior and Big-Five personality framework are used in this study. We empirically examine our model by using a cross-sectional survey study, collecting data from a sample of 171 online shoppers. Results show that attitude, perceived pressure, neuroticism, and conscientiousness are significant predictors of an individual’s intention to provide an online review. Findings may help online retailers and/or intermediaries increase the number of online reviews provided, which will lead to more accurate rating information about transactions, products, or services and may serve as a stepping-stone to continuous improvements. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.     

Investigating the nonlinear and conditional effects of trust—The new role of institutional contexts in online repurchase

Trust is paramount to developing and maintaining long-term relationships in all stages of the customer lifecycle, including the repurchase stage. This research goes beyond the simple finding documented in the extant trust literature that the effect of trust will diminish. It sheds light on the role of institutional contexts and develops a nuanced understanding of the boundary conditions under which trust operates in the repurchase stage, where knowledge-based trust becomes more predominant. Drawing on a different theoretical tenet, prospect theory, we find that customers exhibit distinctively different transaction intentions in the two perceptual conditions of high and low trust in institutional contexts. Specifically, the nonlinear relationship between trust and repeat online transaction intention is inverted U-shaped curvilinear when trust in institutional contexts is high, but is U-shaped when trust in institutional contexts is low. With data collected from both e-commerce and mobile banking contexts using two different measures of institutional contexts, we employed a new and advanced latent moderated structural (LMS) equations approach for analysis and provided robust results. Our findings largely confirm the hypotheses and offer theoretical, methodological, and practical implications.     

Exploring the relationship between information satisfaction and flow in the context of consumers’ online search

The study investigate the subjective aspect of consumers’ online information satisfaction within the frame of flow experience in two processes: ongoing and goal-directed information search. A total of 391 samples for ongoing processes and 415 samples for goal-directed processes obtained in this study were analyzed with structural equation modelling. Flow is conceptualized in the study with Enjoyment, Time Distortion, Curiosity, Perceived Control and Concentration dimensions. The results indicate that flow experience has significant effects on consumers’ online information satisfaction in both processes. Enjoyment, Time distortion, Curiosity and Perceived Control dimensions affect online information satisfaction positively in the ongoing process, which is largely carried out with hedonic urges. In addition to Enjoyment, Perceived Control and Concentration dimensions have positive and Curiosity dimension has negative effects in goal-directed online information satisfaction, which is largely carried out with utilitarian urges. In addition, the results indicate that Enjoyment, Time distortion and Curiosity dimensions have significantly stronger positive effects on online information satisfaction in ongoing search processes compared with goal-directed processes, and Concentration dimension has significantly stronger positive effects on online information satisfaction in goal-directed search processes compared with ongoing processes.     

Who are interested in online science simulations? Tracking a trend of digital divide in Internet use

Although the Internet has become a major source for disseminating educational resources for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), little is known about the extent to which these resources are being used, their relationship to academic performance, and the type of users accessing these resources online. This study used two innovative tools, Google Trends and Web analytics, to explore interest in and usage of the PhET website, one of the most well-known online science simulation resources. This study found that search interest in the PhET science simulations has been growing continuously since 2005. However, search interest in PhET was positively correlated with academic performance and income, and negatively correlated with the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students. Moreover, Internet users in states with more White students were more interested in the PhET science simulations. Yet Internet users in states with more Black students were less interested in these science simulations. These findings suggest that the way online STEM resources are being used is likely to widen, rather than narrow, the achievement gap. This is the first study to utilize Internet search trend data and Web analytics tools for monitoring Internet use for educational purposes.     

Conformity on the Internet – The role of task difficulty and gender differences

Conformity and the effects of social influence have been studied for a long time in face-to-face situations but have received less attention in contexts of computer-mediated communication (CMC) such as the Internet. The purpose of this study was to investigate conformity behavior in use of the Internet. The social context for the participants was the Internet communities from which they were recruited. Four hypotheses were tested by a survey containing knowledge and logic questions. Half the participants were subjected to conformity manipulations and the result showed a clear conformity to erroneous majority alternatives. Of the participants in the Conformity group (n = 477) 52.6% conformed at least once, with an average 13.0% of participants conforming on each critical question. The conformity increased with higher task difficulty, both subjective and objective. The fourth hypothesis, that women would conform to a higher degree than men, received no support. Instead, the results showed higher conformity for men on both difficult and logical questions. Reasons for conformity on the Internet such as turning to the group for guidance, avoiding social isolation and protecting one’s self-esteem are discussed with reference to theory and earlier research.     

Development of the assistive mobile robot system: AMOS—to aid in the daily life of the physically handicapped

It can be exhausting, both physically and emotionally, to assist physically handicapped persons. Therefore, an assistive mobile system called AMOS (Assistive MObile robot System) has been developed to help alleviate this burden. The purpose of AMOS is to pick up and transport daily use objects, placing them in a designated indoor location semi-autonomously. AMOS consists of a self-contained mobile robot body, a user interface with a touch-panel and a computer network (Ethernet LAN, Internet). The user interacts with the mobile robot through a Web browser connected to a computer network, allowing for communication anytime, from anywhere and by anyone. This mode provides a simple way for communicating with and determining the status of the robot. Experiments were performed to verify the successful operation of AMOS. Although the system performed as designed, it would prove useful to the extend service area of the robot through communication mechanisms and the user interface.     

Social compensation or rich-get-richer? The role of social competence in college students’ use of the Internet to find a partner

Online dating continues to grow rapidly in popularity every day, yet the role of social competence in online dating behavior remains unclear. This study was designed to expand previous research and conduct a comprehensive investigation on how social competence is associated with college students’ online dating behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes. Two hypotheses were tested: The social compensation hypothesis (SCH)—socially incompetent individuals would engage in more online dating, and the rich-get-richer hypothesis (RGRH)—socially competent individuals would use online dating more than their incompetent counterparts. The results showed that incompetent individuals, despite their ability to see benefits in online dating, did not show a favorable attitude towards online dating. They indicated a more frequent use of and a stronger preference for face-to-face dating compared to online dating, which contradicted the SCH. There were weak associations between competence traits and online dating behavior. Socially competent individuals perceived less benefit and showed less interest in online dating, which disconfirmed the RGRH.     

The predictors of users’ satisfaction in an anonymous environment: the role of the negative true self

ABSTRACT

The anonymity of cyberspace enables people to express themselves more freely than in the physical world. Thus, when interacting with others online, some people choose to reconstruct a virtual identity that is partly or even totally different from their physical identity. Using the advanced self-discrepancy theory and the framework of psychological well-being, the current study theoretically modelled the expression of three domains of the self (the ought self, the ideal self and the negative true self) that affects the fulfilment of autonomy and self-acceptance, further influencing people’s overall satisfaction in an anonymous online environment. The data (n?=?837) were collected from QQ, an anonymous social networking platform from China. The results suggested that virtual identity reconstruction in the online world was significantly associated with the fulfilment of autonomy and self-acceptance. Additionally, autonomy and self-acceptance played important roles in shaping user satisfaction.     

The role of modelling in achieving information systems success: UML to the rescue?

Much computer science literature addresses the mechanics of the Unified Modelling Language (UML) and requirements modelling, but little research has addressed the role of UML in the broader organizational and project development context. This study uses a socio-technical approach to consider UML as a technology embedded in a social environment. In this study, project developers were interviewed in detail about their use of UML along with influences on their decisions to use this approach and the results of using it. Data were analyzed using causal mapping. Major findings included: (1) that definitions of success may differ by unit of analysis (e.g., developer, project, organization) and that the relationship among these definitions are complex; (2) a very large number of variables impacting project success were identified; (3) a number of important variables exist in complex (non-linear) relationships with project success; and (4) the majority of interviewees linked the use of UML to project success.     

Do online reviews affect product sales? The role of reviewer characteristics and temporal effects

Online product reviews provided by consumers who previously purchased products have become a major information source for consumers and marketers regarding product quality. This study extends previous research by conducting a more compelling test of the effect of online reviews on sales. In particular, we consider both quantitative and qualitative aspects of online reviews, such as reviewer quality, reviewer exposure, product coverage, and temporal effects. Using transaction cost economics and uncertainty reduction theories, this study adopts a portfolio approach to assess the effectiveness of the online review market. We show that consumers understand the value difference between favorable news and unfavorable news and respond accordingly. Furthermore, when consumers read online reviews, they pay attention not only to review scores but to other contextual information such as a reviewer’s reputation and reviewer exposure. The market responds more favorably to reviews written by reviewers with better reputation and higher exposure. Finally, we demonstrate that the impact of online reviews on sales diminishes over time. This suggests that firms need not provide incentives for customers to write reviews beyond a certain time period after products have been released.

Why do you return the favor in online knowledge communities? A study of the motivations of reciprocity

Online knowledge community administrators are attempting to encourage their users to contribute knowledge in order to provide value to members and maintain sustainability. A large number of online knowledge communities fail mainly due to the reluctance of users to return the favor and share knowledge. Many studies on this topic have highlighted the importance of reciprocity for knowledge contribution which forms a virtuous feedback loop for the community sustainability. However, it is unclear how reciprocity is developed and what influences its development. Motivated by this, this study focuses on investigating the antecedents of knowledge receivers’ reciprocity in online knowledge communities. It formulates and tests a theoretical model to explain reciprocity behavior of community members based on equity theory and Social Identity explanation of De-individuation Effects (SIDE) model. Our proposed model is validated through a large-scale survey in an online forum for English learning. Results reveal that indebtedness and community norm not only are key antecedents of intention to reciprocate but are also positively related to each other. The perceived anonymity of the online knowledge community not only has a positive effect on intention to reciprocate, but also has an interactive effect with community norm on intention to reciprocate. Theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.     

The role of users in interactive systems design: When computers are theatre,do we want the audience to write the script?

User participation in the design process may be an axiom of quality design but in the design of interactive, innovative computer systems, user participation may be neither feasible nor desirable. Here, user centred methodologies miss the point. If computers are a medium rather than a tool, then we need a new design paradigm that recognizes the difference between using a product and experiencing a show. In this paper the role of users in interactive systems design within the context of Multimedia product development is discussed. The main features of Multimedia product development are outlined through reference to an empirical study of two organizations and the role of users in the design process is discussed. Finally a different design paradigm is suggested.     

Does online interactivity matter? Exploring the role of interactivity strategies in consumer decision making

Given that the Internet does not afford an opportunity to inspect products before purchase, some customers hesitate to shop online. Online interactivity can supplement online decision-making with added product information. Based on the theories of impression management and deception, this study focuses on sellers’ online interactivity strategies (SOIS) and aims to explore the role of SOIS played in online purchase decision-making process. According to the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) paradigm, this study aims to understand how each component of SOIS affects transaction intention through consumer perceptions (perceived deception and perceived diagnosticity) and how this affect is moderated by product types (search goods and experience goods) in online marketplaces. Data collected from 475 respondents support most of our hypotheses. Product type positively moderates only the link between image creation and perceived deception. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.     

When is trust not enough? The role of perceived privacy of communication tools in comfort with self-disclosure

In what circumstances might privacy concerns about new communication tools like instant messaging help predict the degree to which people feel comfortable communicating via these new communication tools? The current study examined whether topic intimacy and perceived privacy predict levels of comfort with disclosure, and whether these associations are moderated by overall levels of trust and frequency of technology use. Participants reported on the degree to which they would feel comfortable discussing each of 32 topics (e.g., “times when I felt that I was in love”) using 10 different communication tools. Topic and tool interacted, such that the privacy of the communication tool was related to disclosure comfort only for intimate topics. Privacy concerns were more important to less frequent technology users, and topic intimacy mattered most to participants with low levels of trust. Results are discussed in terms of implications for extending models of disclosure to the selection of new communication tools.     

‘Is this normal?’ The role of category predicates in constructing mental illness online

One of their functions of online mental health communities is the construction of coherent identities for their members based on the various characteristics of different mental health conditions. This paper contains microanalyses of 2 message threads on mental health discussion forums—one concerning depression and the other ‘emetophobia’ (fear of being sick)—which illustrate some of the discursive functions of such forums. Conversation analytic techniques are employed, such as the use of second stories for social support purposes, and the generation of category predicates for building up a set of activities that constitute ‘normality’ in this context. It is argued that these socially situated practices constitute a more important function of online support groups than the mere dissemination of ‘advice’.     

Why pay attention to paths in the practice of environmental modelling?

Taking the ‘path perspective’ helps to understand and improve the practice of environmental modelling and decision making. A path is the sequence of steps taken in a modelling project. The problem solving team faces several forks where alternative choices can be made. These choices determine the path, together with the impact of uncertainties and exogenous effects. This paper discusses phenomena that influence the problem solvers' choices at the forks. Situations are described where it can be desirable to re-direct the path or backtrack on it. Phenomena are identified that can cause the modelling project to get stuck on a poor path. The concept of a path draws attention to the interplay of behavioral phenomena and the sequential nature of modelling processes. This helps understand the overall effect of the behavioral phenomena. A path checklist is developed to help practitioners detect forks and reflect on the path of the modelling project.     

An epidemiological assessment of online groups and a test of a typology: What are the (dis)similarities of the online group types?

A vast multitude of online groups exist, and authors have been rapidly investigating their dynamics. Extant studies have provided great information on the effects of online group membership, but limitations are often noted in these studies. Amongst the most concerning limitations are issues of generalizability. Authors are often unsure whether their results are able to generalize to other online groups, including those that are seemingly similar. For this reason, some researchers have created typologies of online groups, in hopes that online groups that fall within the same category will be generalizable; however, no study has analyzed the merit of an online group typology, and conclusions are based upon speculation. For this reason, the current study analyzed the dynamics of three different online groups, which fall within separate categories of an online group typology: a cancer support forum, a LGBT forum, and a Harry Potter fan forum. The results demonstrate that these groups vary in their properties, including group members’ group identity, well-being, and social support. These results provide support for an online group typology, and precisely demonstrate in what manner these groups differ. Additionally, the results offer valuable information about the individual groups, as some variables were previously unstudied in some group types. The discovery of these previously unknown dynamics leads to the potential of new studies, which is discussed. Therefore, the current study provides important implications for future studies, as well as the interpretation of future research results.