Toward an Understanding of Consumer Attitudes on Online Review Usage

ABSTRACT

With the rapid e-commerce growth and changes in consumers’ behaviors, many businesses are forced to adapt their business model to match their target customers’ needs. To provide consumers with more product details and increase their confidence in making online purchases, online businesses offer an online review as an alternative to physically interacting with a product. Although consumers have become familiar with the use of online product reviews, many aspects of user behavior toward the usage of online reviews are still not well understood. This study explores the factors underlying the acceptance of consumers’ online review usage when considering purchasing an item. The study results provide insight into the factors that affect customers’ use of online reviews prior to a purchase. This study furthers the body of knowledge that deals with online reviews and system usage, providing results that allow e-commerce businesses to adapt their business model to better fit consumers’ expectations.     

Synthesis,structural characterization,and magnetic property of nanostructured ferrite spinel oxides (AFe2O4, A = Co,Ni and Zn)

Nanostructured ferrite spinels AFe₂O₄ (A = Co, Ni, Zn) were successfully synthesized via a co-precipitation method using oxalate salt as a precursor in an anionic surfactant system in combination with a simple calcination process. High crystallinity samples of nanoparticle spinels in a grain size range of 15–100 nm were obtained by varying the calcination temperature (300–700 °C) and time (1–5 h). Their pore sizes were controlled in a range of 3 nm up to a hundred nm by tailoring the calcination conditions. Raising the calcination temperature was found to decrease the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, and broaden the pore structure due to enhanced crystal growth and agglomeration of interparticles of spinels. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of ferrite spinels calcined at 300 °C showed mesoporous structures with narrow pore size distribution, and the maximum BET surface area of CoFe₂O₄, NiFe₂O₄ and ZnFe₂O₄ were found at 201 (Co), 315 (Ni), and 273 (Zn) m² g⁻¹, respectively. The magnetic hysteresis loops of the ferrite spinels at room temperature demonstrated ferromagnetism in CoFe₂O₄, superparamagnetism–ferromagnetism in NiFe₂O₄, and paramagnetism in ZnFe₂O₄. The highest saturation magnetization (M_s), remanent magnetization (M_r), and coercivity (H_c) were obtained from high crystallinity spinels calcined at 700 °C. Nanostructured AFe₂O₄ with high surface area and mesoporosity promises potentials as novel magnetic catalysts.     

Supporting managers' internal control evaluations: an expert system and experimental results

Internal control issues are of significance to entities to assure the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of the financial reports. Although management is responsible for maintaining an effective internal control system, the literature contains no example of a system devised to aid managers detecting internal control weaknesses. This type of system might prove to be highly beneficial. Nonetheless, it is not obvious that this system would yield positive results because managers may not be willing or feel comfortable using it. This study reports on the development of such system, plus empirical testing of its value and managers' perceptions on its usefulness.     

Cloud Computing: An Examination of Factors Impacting Users’ Adoption

With a rapid growth in technology, cloud computing has become increasingly popular among individual users and businesses around the world. This computing technology continues to attract attention in both academic and business settings. The popularity of cloud computing is due to its ability to provide faster on-demand infrastructure, self-service, and independent ability to contribute to, and access, resources. Despite many potential benefits of cloud computing usage, there are certain aspects that have prohibited some consumers to accept this technology and remain reserved toward its adoption. There are some crucial factors to consider before cloud computing can be accepted entirely by the individual, larger business, or academic groups. This study thus aims at investigating how cloud computing is perceived by potential users and which factors have a tendency to encourage or discourage them to adopt cloud computing.     

Aggregation phenomena of amphiphilic UVB absorptive oligoesters containing p‐alkoxycinnamate and poly(ethylene oxide) blocks

The synthesis of new amphiphilic oligoesters containing a hydrophobic block based on p‐alkoxycinnamate and hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) is reported. Two hydrophobic monomers, 1,2‐(bis(4‐(2‐carboxyvinyl)phenoxy))ethane ( M2 ) and 1,12‐(bis(4‐(2‐carboxyvinyl) phenoxy))dodecane ( M12 ), were synthesized. Four oligoesters, poly((1,2‐(bis(4‐(2‐carboxyvinyl)phenoxy))ethane) ‐co‐(poly(ethylene oxide)200)) ( P2‐200 ), poly((1,2‐(bis(4‐(2‐carboxyvinyl)phenoxy))ethane)‐co‐(poly(ethylene oxide) 400)) ( P2‐400 ), poly((1,12‐(bis(4‐(2‐carboxyvinyl)phenoxy)) dodecane)‐co‐(poly(ethylene oxide)400)) ( P12‐400 ), and poly((1,12‐(bis(4‐(2‐carboxyvinyl)phenoxy))dodecane)‐co‐ (poly(ethylene oxide)1000)) ( P12‐1000 ) were then constructed by reacting the M2 or M12 with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with lengths of ～ 4 (PEO 200), ～ 10 (PEO 400), or ～ 23 (PEO1000) units using multiple esterifications. These oligoesters possess UVB absorption properties and show good solubility in various organic solvents. Self‐assembly of the oligoesters into aqueous spherical colloids could be induced through an acetone to water solvent displacement technique. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Process and reality in information systems benefit analysis

The identification of the potential benefits of a proposed information system project is a very challenging and important task. However, little research describes how this is actually carried out. The objective of this research was to answer the core question: how do organizations identify the expected benefits of proposed IS projects? To accomplish this objective, the authors studied 24 projects by interviewing 20 subjects from 13 organizations. Based on these interviews, a model of the benefit identification process was formulated showing it to be a set of loosely defined, overlapping, iterative activities. The study suggests that, despite great uncertainty about the potential benefits, proposers were compelled to use the benefit identification process to persuade the organization to be committed to the project. This effort to build commitment under great uncertainty may contribute to the overstatement or understatement of expected benefits. The study offers managers an understanding of the process and guidance for carrying it out. It also suggests that future researchers validate the model, use it to help identify best practices and test related hypotheses.     

Extraction and characterization of gelatin from black-bone chicken by-products

Food Science and Biotechnology - In this study, gelatins from black-bone chicken feet and skin (BCFG and BCSG) were extracted using different NaOH concentrations, and their physicochemical...