Echo Huang

Extending the theory of planned behaviour as a model to explain post-merger employee behaviour of IS use

Abstract A merger that fails to adequately address technology integration and its consequent impact on employee IS behaviour is almost doomed from the start. The theory of planned behaviour, a widely accepted expectancy-value model of attitude–behaviour relationship, suggests an individual’s behaviour is determined by attitudes toward behaviour, subjective norm, and perceived behaviour control. This paper examines ways of expanding the model in the specific area of financial merger through inclusion of an additional risk variable. Exploratory results from field experiments are then presented.

Influences of Web interactivity and social identity and bonds on the quality of online discussion in a virtual community

People participate in virtual communities (VCs) for knowledge sharing or social interaction. However, most studies of VCs have focused on elucidating knowledge sharing rather than predicting virtual social interactions. This study considers “quality of online discussion” an appropriate metric for assessing group-level outcomes of virtual social interactions, and thus for predicting member willingness to sustain an ongoing relationship with a virtual community (VC). This study develops a research model, grounded in Web interactivity, social identity and social bond theories, for predicting the quality of online discussion in terms of cognitive and social influences. Empirical results from an online survey of a VC verify distinct direct and indirect social influences (perceived internalization bonds and perceived identification bonds) and cognitive influences (perceived communication and perceived control). Implications for academics and practitioners are also discussed.

Architecture and collaborations among agents in mobile educational game

We describe a multi-agent based context-aware mobile educational game that can generate a series of learning activities for users doing on-the-job training in their working environment. In this paper, we reveal the multi-agent architecture (MAA) that is designed in the mobile educational game. The multi-agent architecture design enables development of a lightweight, flexible, and scalable game on the platform with limited resources such as mobile phones. Six agents have been implemented that worked together in this game. Each agent has its own tasks and sometimes needs help from other agents. Using agents in developing system can not only solve the limited resource issue, but also provide us a way to add further functions and to replace agents into the game easily to improve the game anytime. This paper focuses on designing the tasks that each agent needs to do and the collaborations that may happen among agents.

Factors for web mining adoption of B2C firms: Taiwan experience

Abstract This paper focuses on the web mining adoption of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in terms of organizational innovation theories. It first examines the current literature of information systems studies and suggests that the context of web mining adoption needs to be taken into account. This paper proposes an analytical model employing a number of internal, external factors, and the stages of web mining adoption. The model explores the relationships influencing the stages of web mining adoption. Empirical testing is based on a sample of 68 B2C firms from Taiwanese SMEs. The results show that firms Internet strategy, internationalized strategy, and business complexity along with competitive pressure influence on the stage of web mining adoption. The implications of findings for the management of web mining adoption and suggestions for the future study are discussed.

The Effect of Story in Mobile Educational Game

The trend of designing and developing mobile apps attracts many researchers’ attention on using mobile devices to make users have feelings that they are living in the era or the place in which they can learn knowledge of particular domain, e.g., the users can learn rainforest plants and ecology in the Amazon River zone of a botanic garden (Chang and Chang 2006; Chen et al. 2004; Kurti et al. 2007; Wu et al. 2008). Some other researchers further develop mobile games for educational purpose; these games not only make users do learning activities in authentic environments such as museums and historical sites, but also make them get motivated if compared with the abovementioned mobile learning systems (Chang et al. 2008; Wu et al. 2010).

A Study on Taxpayers` Willingness to Use Self-Service Technology-Based Online Government Services

Technology is forming a society of do-it-yourselfers, in which customers can perform services on their own, without the help of live tellers. However, customers with insufficient knowledge of technology may not be ready for Self-Service Technologies (SSTs) to serve themselves, thus weakening their intent to adopt SSTs in delivering service. Identifying users’ attitudes toward using online service via SSTs is a critical issue for providers, particularly for government agencies. This study presents a theoretical model to examine and explain taxpayers’ willingness to adopt the personal income tax-filing system, which is a typical enhanced self-service information system (SSIS). Moreover, readiness to use technology has been addressed on the individual level in the context of mental status by revealing the effect of individual’s beliefs on taxpayers’ acceptance of online taxation systems (OTS). The managerial implications and recommendations are provided.

Context-Aware Mobile Role Playing Game for Learning

This book chapter discusses the research findings of a context-aware mobile role-playing game that can automatically generate personalized context-aware learning activities based on the students’ current locations and the surrounding learning objects and the knowledge it covered. Furthermore, the game can automatically create transition stories in between two learning activities. These stories give students immersive learning experiences and make them get engaged in doing learning activities.

e-Health Informed Foreign Patient and Physician Communication: The Perspective of Informed Consent

The rapidly growth of mobility population of exchange students, foreign workers, and tourists raises the communication challenge of foreign patient-physician communication in local hospitals (clinics). Language is not the only one skill during a medical visit, health literacy is another important skill used to understand the medical information delivered by doctors. Skills in understanding and applying information about health issues are critical to the process of patient-physician communication and may have substantial impact on health behaviors and health outcomes.

Influence Mechanisms That Leverage Participation Quality in a Professional Virtual Community: The Social-Relationship Perspective

Despite the considerable attention paid to the determinants of participation e.g., time spent and visit frequency in professional virtual communities PVCs, what and how to enhance participation quality have seldom been addressed. Participation quality is an affective outcome of social emotion for assessing the success of a PVC. By using the social-relationship perspective, this work develops a theoretical model based on relationship commitment and social psychology theories to examine how dedication-constraint mechanisms influence participation quality in a PVC. Empirical results of a PVC demonstrate that the dedication-based mechanisms i.e. affective commitment and normative commitment are more salient than the constraint-based mechanism i.e. calculative commitment to leverage participation quality. Additionally, identity-based attachment influences participation quality more than bond-based attachment does. Interestingly, the constraint-based mechanism positively affects identity-based attachment, yet negatively affects bond-based attachment to a virtual community.

Electronic Payment Use and Legal Protection

This study examines why consumers accept and continue to use e-payment for online purchase, specifically, the relationship between their perceived benefits, legal protection, risk avoidance, and satisfaction with prior experiences. The analytical results presented in this study indicate that beliefs (benefits, legal protection and risk allocation) differentially affect e-payment use behavior. Notably, consumer beliefs and confirmation affect satisfaction with e-payment use and continuance intention. Finally the practical and theoretical implications of this study are discussed.