James H. Gerlach

Perceived risk and the consumer buying process: internet airline reservations

Purpose – This research aims to investigate the premise that the use of internet airline reservation systems is perceived to be riskier than traditional airline reservation shopping.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 263 respondents investigated perceived risk at various stages of the consumer buying process.Findings – The results reveal that perceived risk for airline reservation services follows a pattern throughout the consumer buying process. When viewed as a dynamic process, perceived risk for internet airline services shows more radical changes in risk levels than the traditional service. The analyses indicate that performance, physical, social, and financial risk are related to perceived risk at certain stages of the consumer buying process.Practical implications – A major finding of this study is that there is a risk premium for internet airline reservation services and the risk premium permeates all stages of the consumer buying process. It is further demonstrated that the internet risk pr...

Understanding human-computer interaction for information systems design

Over the past 35 years, information technology has permeated every business activity. This growing use of information technology promised an unprecedented increase in end-user productivity Yet this promise is unfulfilled, due primarily to a lack of understanding of end-user behavior End-user productivity is tied directly to functionality and ease of learning and use. Furthermore, system designers lack the necessary guidance and tools to apply effectively what is known about human-computer interaction (CHI) during systems design. Software developers need to expand their focus beyond functional requirements to include the behavioral needs of users. Only when system functions fit actual work and the system is easy to learn and use will the system be adopted by office workers and business professionals. The large, interdisciplinary body of research literature suggest HCIs importance as well as its complexity. This article is the product of an extensive effort to integrate the diverse body of HCI literature into a comprehensible framework that provides guidance to system designers. HCI design is divided into three major divisions system model, action language, and presentation language. The system model is a conceptual depiction of system objects and functions. The basic premise is that the selection of a good system model provides direction for designing action and presentation languages that determine the systems look and feel. Major design recommendation sin each division are identified along with current research trends and future research issues.

A comparison of consumer views of traditional services and self‐service technologies

Purpose – Few marketing studies look at service classifications for self‐service technologies (SSTs) and none directly compare consumer‐based perceptions of traditional services to SSTs. To fill this gap, this study aims to examine how customers perceived traditional services and SSTs on service classifications criteria proposed by Lovelock, Bowen and Bell.Design/methodology/approach – In two separate studies consumer ratings for each classification method on each service were obtained. Using multi‐dimensional scaling (MDS), 13 traditional services and 12 SSTs were separately mapped onto a perceptual space of service classifications.Findings – The comparison of the two perceptual spaces reveals that consumers viewed the classifications of convenience, person/object, and delivery for SSTs differently than that for traditional services. The classifications of traditional services were represented by two dimensions of customization/standardization and person/object. In contrast, the classifications of SSTs w...

Consumer views of self-service technologies

This study examined how customers perceived and classified a set of 12 self-service technologies (SSTs) based on multidimensional scaling. The authors describe first, how the classifications developed by Lovelock are perceived by consumers and then, how the individual SSTs map onto those classifications. Results of the study show that 67% of the variance in classification is explained by two dimensions of customization/standardization and separability/inseparability. The authors also propose a typology for the SSTs based on their groupings in the classification framework. The authors discuss the managerial implications of the findings and suggest directions for future academic research.

Determining the cost of IT services

Providing managerial information to explain costs in the context of personnel and equipment activities and processes.

Internal Accounting Controls in the Office of the Future

The law, as well as good business practice, requires adequate internal accounting controls. Modeling and machine analysis of office information systems can ensure compliance.

Transportation agencies experiences with decision support systems for airport ground access planning

This article reports on a field investigation into the ways that transportation agencies use quantitative and qualitative information for making strategic decisions regarding airport ground access. The study analyzes the value of this information for planning airport ground access improvements at seven major international airport sites.The major finding of the research is that quantitative modeling for strategic decision support is very difficult, costly and time consuming. Modelers are confident that the models are accurate and reliable but executives generally lack confidence in the results. Transportation officials believe that the information supplied is flawed by a number of defects that minimize its value for strategic decision makers. The information defects described in this article provide an analysis of the structural difficulty of using quantitative modeling for transportation problems of strategic importance. To date, qualitative information is not frequently used, but some transportation agencies are considering its application to designing transportation services. Although this study is limited to airport ground access, the authors feel that this evidence, in conjunction with the evidence from other studies in the transportation area, dictates a need for wariness in the development of decision support systems for transportation planners. Developers of decision support systems for transportation planners must be aware of modeling costs and defects and consider how to improve the timeliness, relevance and credibility of information quantitative models provide transportation executives. Fundamentally it is important to recognize that decision makers tend, either singularly or in concert with other individuals or groups, to be the champions of a long-term vision for the community. When modeling produces inconsistent or wide ranging results that contradict their position, decision makers may not only discard modeling activities, but lose confidence in the models altogether. As a consequence, transportation planners are faced with the challenge of how to improve quantitative modeling. The most reliable and effective means for improvement is incorporation of qualitative techniques which provide greater understanding of customer perceptions and human behavior.

Understanding and managing OOT adoption

Why do so many companies hesitate to adopt object-oriented technology (OOT)? The authors use organizational learning theory to illuminate the obstacles involved, and then offer guidelines that can help managers mitigate them.

An approach to dialog management for presentation and manipulation of composite models in decision support systems

Abstract This paper discusses an object-oriented approach to user interface design that facilitates the exploration of components of a composite-model based DSS. A semantic network of objects is used as the framework to organize the user interface representation. The network is graphically represented and can be directly manipulated by the user. It serves as a framework to assist the user in understanding the conceptual model underlying the DSS. As a result, the network representation should support both fast user learning of the system and easy user control of actions when using the DSS.

The Influence of Open Source Software Volunteer Developers' Motivations and Attitudes on Intention to Contribute

This study differs from previous studies on open source software OSS developer motivation by drawing upon theories of volunteerism and work motivation to investigate the motives and attitudes of OSS volunteer developers. The role of commitment is specifically interesting, which is well established in the volunteerism and work motivation literature as a predictor of turnover and positively related to work performance, but has been overlooked by OSS researchers. The authors have developed a research model relating motivations, commitment, satisfaction, and length of service to intention to contribute to OSS projects in the future. The research model is evaluated using data from an online survey of 181 OSS volunteer developers. The research results and more discussion of these areas of interest will be evaluated and discussed further in the article.