Kar Yan Tam

Understanding continued information technology usage behavior: a comparison of three models in the context of mobile internet

There are provided a dust generation preventing structure of a wafer storage case and a process for preventing dust generation thereof, wherein dust generation is effectively prevented by blocking or suppressing free movement of particles constantly generated from a surface of a wafer storage case of a synthetic resin with a coating layer of a surfactant, and a wafer storing method using the wafer storage case. The wafer storage case of synthetic resin is used for housing wafers, and a surface of the wafer storage case is coated with a coating layer of a coating agent to prevent dust generation from the surface.

Understanding the Adoption of Multipurpose Information Appliances: The Case of Mobile Data Services

We have come to a stage when information technology (IT) innovations have permeated every walk of life. Many new technologies can be used for many different purposes and in different contexts other than the workplace. The current study attempts to understand individual adoption of IT innovations that are used beyond work settings. We define a new class of IT innovations called multipurpose information appliances, which are personal, universally accessible, and multipurpose. The ubiquitous nature of these appliances has led to a constant permeability between the separate contexts of social life. An adoption model that reflects the unique characteristics and usage contexts of multipurpose information appliances was developed. The model consists of five sets of adoption factors and was tested using data collected on mobile data services adoption. Our findings show that the determinants of multipurpose information appliance adoption decisions are not only different from those in the workplace, but are also dependent on the nature of the target technology and its usage context. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Web Personalization as a Persuasion Strategy: An Elaboration Likelihood Model Perspective

With advances in tracking and database technologies, firms are increasingly able to understand their customers and translate this understanding into products and services that appeal to them. Technologies such as collaborative filtering, data mining, and click-stream analysis enable firms to customize their offerings at the individual level. While there has been a lot of hype about web personalization recently, our understanding of its effectiveness is far from conclusive. Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) literature, this research takes the view that the interaction between a firm and its customers is one of communicating a persuasive message to the customers driven by business objectives. In particular, we examine three major elements of a web personalization strategy: level of preference matching, recommendation set size, and sorting cue. These elements can be manipulated by a firm in implementing its personalization strategy. This research also investigates a personal disposition, need for cognition, which plays a role in assessing the effectiveness of web personalization. Research hypotheses are tested using 1,000 subjects in three field experiments based on a ring-tone download website. Our findings indicate the saliency of these variables in different stages of the persuasion process. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Understanding the impact of web personalization on user information processing and decision outcomes

Personalized information technology services have become a ubiquitous phenomenon. Companies worldwide are using the web to provide personalized offerings and unique experiences to their customers. While there is a lot of hype about delivering personalized services over the web, little is known about the effectiveness of web personalization and the link between the IT artifact (the personalization agent) and the effects it exerts on a users information processing and decision making. To address the impact of personalized content, this article theoretically develops and empirically tests a model of web personalization. The model is grounded on social cognition and consumer research theories adapted to the peculiar features of web personalization. The influence of a personalization agent is mediated by two variables: content relevance and self reference. Hypotheses generated from the model are empirically tested in a laboratory experiment and a field study. The findings indicate that content relevance, self reference, and goal specificity affect the attention, cognitive processes, and decisions of web users in various ways. Also, users are found to be receptive to personalized content and find it useful as a decision aid. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

The Impact of Information Technology Investments on Firm Performance and Evaluation: Evidence From Newly Industrialized Economies

The impact of information technology (IT)investments on firm performance has been the subject of active research in recent years. However, findings of almost all studies are based on data collected in the United States. Little work has been done elsewhere to validate these results and to see if they are applicable across national boundaries. In this study, we fill this gap by comparing four newly-industrialized economies (NIEs) with regard to the impact of IT capital on business performance. Secondary data collected from various sources are used to assess the impact over the period from 1983 to 1991. Findings based on four business measures and a market valuation model based on Tobins q are reported. While the current results are consistent with work done in the United States in general, discrepancies among the four NIEs are observed. Combined with findings from previous work, three pieces of evidence seem to emerge that are generally observed across country boundaries. First, IT investment is not correlated with shareholders return. Second, there is little evidence that the level of computerization is valued by the market in developed and newly-developed countries. Third, there is no consistent measurement of IT investment as indicated by the mixed results across different performance ratios. Modeling and measurement concerns expressed in previous U.S.-based studies are also observed in our comparative study. Our findings provide a starting point to accumulate a body of comparative studies for the development of a theory that links IT investment, firm performance, and macro factors such as national technology policy in an integrated framework.

Understanding the behavior of mobile data services consumers

Due to rapid advances in the Internet and wireless technologies, a ubiquitous computing world is becoming a reality in the form of mobile computing. At the center of this phenomenon is mobile data services which arise from the convergence of advanced mobile communication technologies with data services. Despite the rapid growth in mobile data services, research into consumers’ usage behavior is scarce. This study attempts to identify and empirically assess the factors that drive consumers’ acceptance of mobile data services. A research model based on the decomposed theory of planned behavior and incorporating factors that represent personal needs and motivations in using mobile data services is presented. The model is tested via an online survey of 811 consumers of four categories of mobile data services (i.e., communications, information content, entertainment, and commercial transactions) associated with different usage contexts. We found that attitude, social influence, media influence, perceived mobility, and perceived monetary value influence consumers’ intention to continue usage of mobile data services. In addition, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived enjoyment influence attitude toward continued usage of mobile data services. Finally, separate analysis of the different categories of mobile data services highlights the influence of individual usage context on consumers’ behavior.

Genetic algorithms, function optimization, and facility layout design

Abstract The use of genetic algorithms to solve function optimization problems requires a coding scheme that represents solutions as strings of finite length. In this paper, a coding scheme designed for facility layout is presented. A solution is represented by the postorder sequence of the nodes in a slicing tree. New solutions are generated by applying the various genetic operators in each generation. The genetic algorithm approach is compared with a local search technique in solving problems with sizes ranging from 12 to 30 facilities. The results demonstrate that a genetic algorithm can be a viable tool to solve large scale layout problems.

Organization adoption of open systems: a “technology-push, need-pull” perspective

Abstract The growing popularity of open systems in organizational computing has made it important to understand the key determinants of open-systems adoption. Existing innovation diffusion theories, however, have been criticized for their inability to provide an adequate explanation for diffusion of complex organizational technology. This study used the ‘technology-push’ (TP) and ‘need-pull’ (NP) concepts, borrowed from the engineering/R&D management literature to examine the key factors in the adoption decision. Based on this theory, a research model was developed and tested by collecting data from senior IT executives in 89 organizations. The results generally offered support for the model and for the usefulness of applying the TP-NP theory to explain the adoption decision. Organization size had the largest impact on the decision. Migration costs was the next greatest influence. We also found that the organization would be less likely to adopt the new technology, unless the existing systems appeared to be unsatisfactory.

Impact of information presentation modes on online shopping: An empirical evaluation of a broadband interactive shopping service

With the increasing cost-effectiveness of communication technologies, online shopping has emerged as one of the most important areas of electronic commerce. A major problem facing online shopping service providers is the heterogeneity of user profile. Unlike organizational systems that have a well-defined universe of users and system boundary, these shopping services are designed for public users with very different cognitive and demographic profiles. The major challenge lies in designing friendly and effective user interfaces for online shoppers. Previous studies on online shopping suggest that a good user interface with an appropriate mode of information presentation is the key to system acceptance. In this article, we report on an empirical study that looks at product information presentation modes in an actual broadband supermarket shopping environment. Four prototypes with different combinations of text and picture displays were developed and evaluated in an experimental setting. The findings suggest that there is a close relation between product familiarity and shopping effectiveness. When the system is used to purchase familiar product items, pictures are better than text in terms of both efficiency and effectiveness. However, when users are not familiar with the product items, the advantages of pictures over text diminish. Implications of the findings and future research areas are discussed.With the increasing cost-effectiveness of communication technologies, online shopping has emerged as one of the most important areas of electronic commerce. A major problem facing online shopping service providers is the heterogeneity of user profile. Unlike organizational systems that have a well-defined universe of users and system boundary, these shopping services are designed for public users with very different cognitive and demographic profiles. The major challenge lies in designing friendly and effective user interfaces for online shoppers. Previous studies on online shopping suggest that a good user interface with an appropriate mode of information presentation is the key to system acceptance. In this article, we report on an empirical study that looks at product information presentation modes in an actual broadband supermarket shopping environment. Four prototypes with different combinations of text and picture displays were developed and evaluated in an experimental setting. The findings suggest that there is a close relation between product familiarity and shopping effectiveness. When the system is used to purchase familiar product items, pictures are better than text in terms of both efficiency and effectiveness. However, when users are not familiar with the product items, the advantages of pictures over text diminish. Implications of the findings and future research areas are discussed.

What leads to user acceptance of digital libraries

While millions of dollars have been spent building digital libraries, research indicates that millions of potential users may still be ignoring them.