José Malavé

Customer behavior in electronic commerce: a Bayesian approach

Online shopping has increasingly replaced traditional retail shopping, as a large number of consumers have adopted it on a global scale. However, while it is well established in developed countries, e-commerce is still at an early stage in emerging markets, hence there is a need to unveil which factors contributes to its adoption. The main objective of this study is to integrate the theory of planned behavior, the theory of reasoned action, and the technology acceptance model using a Bayesian approach to determine the key predictors of online purchase intention among internet users in Colombia. The results demonstrate the pertinence of the theory of reasoned action and technology acceptance model, models to explain online purchase intention, confirming that the intention to purchase online is mostly determined by the attitudes to e-commerce which, in turn, are explained by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and the subjective norm related to online shopping.

The System Metaphor Framing Power in Organization Theory: Historical Roots and Managerial Implications

Research on metaphors in organization theory has addressed issues such as conditions of metaphor effectiveness and the articulation of novel and complex metaphors. Scholars have noticed, however, a need for studies on the roots and preeminence of certain metaphors, particularly that of the organization as a delimited object, a system. This essay explores —by applying insights derived from Lakoff theory of metaphor and recent contributions by Cornelissen and colleagues to the analysis of historical examples— the roots and framing power of the system metaphor in organization theory. It also highlights an implication of the system metaphor use: it both delimits an object (the organization) and institutes a particular allocation of power within it. What management theorists (notably, Gary Hamel) find at the root of some troubles in coping with contemporary challenges is a particular distribution of power in large organizations deriving from the way of conceiving and designing them.