Fethi Calisir

The relation of interface usability characteristics, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use to end-user satisfaction with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems

Over the past few years, firms around the world have implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to have a standardized information system (IS) in their respective organizations and to reengineer their business processes. While millions of dollars have been spent on implementing ERP systems, previous research indicates that potential users may still not use them. This study, based on data from 51 end-users in 24 companies examines various usability factors affecting end-user satisfaction with ERP systems. The results indicate that both perceived usefulness and learnability are determinants of end-user satisfaction with ERP systems. In addition perceived ease of use and system capability affect perceived usefulness, while user guidance influences both perceived usefulness and learnability. Implications of these findings are discussed and further research opportunities described.

Influence of text structure and prior knowledge of the learner on reading comprehension, browsing and perceived control

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the influence of text structure and prior knowledge of the learner on reading comprehension, browsing and perceived control. Three types of texts are distinguished, differing in structure (traditional linear text, hierarchical hypertext, and mixed hypertext). In all conditions, subjects were allowed 40 min to read through the document. After completing the reading part of the experiment, they were asked to fill out the perceived control questionnaire followed by the reading comprehension test. As far as reading comprehension was concerned, knowledgeable subjects had higher reading comprehension scores than nonknowledgeable subjects in the linear condition. In addition, nonknowledgeable subjects in the mixed condition had higher reading comprehension scores than nonknowledgeable subjects in the linear condition. However, with respect to perceived control and browsing, the performance of knowledgeable and nonknowledgeable subjects was equivalent in all three conditions. The findings combined suggest that a hierarchical hypertext is most appropriate for nonknowledgeable subjects, probably because this structure provides a clear insight into the organizational structure of the hypertext.

Internet banking versus other banking channels: Young consumers' view

Financial institutions offer new banking channels to their customers, as technology adds new dimensions to the classic banking systems. One of the most popular self-service banking technologies is Internet banking. This study examines how young consumers perceive Internet banking in relation to other six banking channels (brick and mortar, automated teller machine (ATM), phone banking, wireless application protocol (WAP), electronic fund transfer at point of sale (EFTPOS), and bank branches in stores). Correspondence analysis and cluster analysis revealed the banking channels that are close with Internet banking. The results indicate that Internet banking, ATM, and phone banking substitute each other. The results also show that Internet banking is considered to be efficient for ease of use and access, and that the users of Internet banking lack confidence in the security of the web sites of Internet banking. The article concludes with a discussion of implications, limitations, and directions for future research.

The impacts of banner location, banner content and navigation style on banner recognition

This study is an attempt to examine factors that might impact banner recognition. These factors include banner location, banner content and navigation style. Via an experimental design conducted on a sample of 90 students, we manipulate these factors over several levels. Our key finding is that banner recognition is affected by the interaction of banner content and navigation style. In particular, as far as aimless browsing participants were concerned, they recognized the banner ad with a URL address significantly better than the one with some service information as well as the URL address. However, for goal-directed search participants, there was no significant difference among the three banner content types. The results also indicated that goal-directed search participants had higher recognition scores than aimless browsing subjects only when the banner ad with some service information and URL address was used. Managerial implications of these results are discussed and future research avenues are proposed.

The effects of text structure and prior knowledge of the learner on computer-based learning

This study is an attempt to investigate the effects of document structure and knowledge level of the reader on reading comprehension, browsing, and perceived control. Four types of texts are distinguished, differing in structure (linear text, hierarchical hypertext, mixed hypertext, and generative text). All the materials were on a PC. In all conditions, participants were allowed 1h to read through the document. After completing the reading part of the experiment, they were asked to fill out the perceived control questionnaire followed by the reading comprehension test. As far as reading comprehension was concerned, knowledgeable participants had higher reading comprehension scores than non-knowledgeable participants only in the linear text. In addition, there were no significant differences in terms of the reading comprehension scores of the knowledgeable participants among the four topologies. However, the performance of non-knowledgeable participants differed with respect to the type of the topology. In particular, non-knowledgeable participants in the hierarchical and generative conditions performed better than those in the other two conditions. With respect to perceived control, the performance of knowledgeable and non-knowledgeable participants was equivalent in all four conditions. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the computer-based learning.

The relative importance of usability and functionality factors for online auction and shopping web sites

– The purpose of this study is to determine the relative importance of the usability and functionality factors for online auction and shopping web sites from the perspective of young consumers., – The Analytical Network Process (ANP) was used to analyse the relative importance of the usability and functionality factors., – The findings show that customers of online auction and shopping web sites give higher priority to usability and usability factors than to functionality, with navigation and interaction being the factors of highest relative importance., – First, customers assign higher priority to usability factors. Thus, early in the design phase, designers should attach more importance to navigation‐ and interaction‐related aspects of their web sites. Second, designers of web sites should include basic and advanced search options to increase the number of the web site users., – The study is the first to examine the relative importance of the usability and functionality factors of online auction and shopping web sites. Furthermore, the study fills this gap by identifying the complex interrelationships between various features of usability and functionality, and their impact on each other, by examining two Turkish online‐auction and shopping web sites.

Web advertising vs other media: young consumers’ view

This paper examines how young consumers perceive the Web as an advertising medium in relation to eight traditional media on 15 constructs elicited from subjects. Results indicate that the Web is perceived to be very far from most of the other media, except point of purchase and direct mail. Conducting correspondence analysis and cluster analysis revealed the reasons for why the Web advertising is located close to point of purchase and direct mail. A noticeable finding was that farthest away from the Web is outdoor. Implications based on the findings are discussed.

Impacts of learning orientation on product innovation performance

Purpose – The present study aims to examine the effect of learning orientation (commitment to learning, shared vision, open‐mindedness) on the product innovation performance (product innovation efficacy and efficiency) of companies in Turkey.Design/methodology/approach – A structural equation‐modeling approach was applied to identify the variables that significantly affected the product innovation performance. Using LISREL 8.54, the data collected from 150 companies were used to test the proposed research model.Findings – Empirical testing of the research model revealed that open‐mindedness was the sole predictor of product innovation efficacy as well as efficiency. However, the effects of shared vision and commitment to learning on the product innovation performance were found to be insignificant.Practical implications – Relevant implications are provided for management as to how to improve product innovation performance.Originality/value – The present study puts forward a theoretical model that identifi...

Factors affecting intention to quit among IT professionals

Turnover among information technology (IT) professionals still remains a challenge for many companies. IT professionals suffer from high stress levels. This, in turn, may lead to burnout and result in quitting their jobs. Knowing the factors that affect the quitting decision of IT professionals is important for companies to decrease the turnover rate of qualified employees. To this end, this study investigated the impact of stressors, job stress, organizational commitment, locus of control and job satisfaction on intention to quit among IT professionals in Turkey. A total of 204 questionnaires were collected from IT professionals. The results show that job satisfaction is explained by stressors and locus of control, whereas the effect of job stress on job satisfaction is found to be insignificant. Additionally, both organizational commitment and job satisfaction predict intention to quit. The paper concludes with discussion and recommendations for future research.

Competitive strategies, innovation, and firm performance: an empirical study in a developing economy environment

ABSTRACT This paper studies the relationships between competitive strategies, innovation, and firm performance within the context of Turkish manufacturing companies. The data were collected from top management of the firms via Computer Assistant Telephone Interviewing method. One hundred and forty manufacturing firms operating in various sectors including textile, automotive supply, computer and electronics provide the basis for this empirical research. In order to test our model, we employ structural equation modelling using partial least squares. The results show that competitive strategies such as cost-leadership and differentiation can lead to innovation, which, in turn, increase firm performance. Managers implement cost-leadership and differentiation strategies to take part in competitive market conditions; however, they should put additional importance on innovation that plays a significant role as a bridge between competitive strategies and firm performance.