Kevin K.W. Ho

The Impact of Information in Electronic Auctions: An Analysis of Buy-It-Now Auctions

Our study on the Buy-it-now (BIN) option at electronic auctions examines the impact of information in making electronic transactions more efficient. We show that the BIN price itself works as valuable information, which can improve the performance of auctions even though the option may discourage bidders from participating in auctions because of the possibility of losing the auction when a competing bidder executes the option. With auction data, we empirically show that, even when the BIN option is not executed, the performance of auctions with the BIN option is better than that of auctions without the option. This shows that the BIN price helps bidders get a better estimate of the final auction price, while the negative discouraging impact is not so significant. We suggest that market makers should try their best to provide more information with devices like BIN and to minimize the negative side effects of more information.

The Effect of Culture and Product Categories on the Level of Use of Buy-It-Now (BIN) Auctions by Sellers

While previous studies on buy-it-now (BIN) auctions focus on the impact of BIN format on economic performances, our study focuses on factors that affect the level of use of BIN auctions by sellers. We propose a conceptual model where culture and product categories are two important factors on the level of use of BIN auctions. Our empirical investigation shows that the level of use of BIN auctions can be explained by the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions. While power distance brings a positive impact, uncertainty avoidance and individualism bring negative impacts on the level of use of BIN auctions by sellers of different countries. Our result also shows that the level of use of BIN auctions by sellers increases with the ease of judging product quality. Our results provide valuable insights for marketplace operators to refine their business strategies and market mechanisms for expanding their businesses to overseas markets.

Use of smartphones by art and design students for accessing library services and learning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore art and design students’ use of smartphones for accessing library services and learning at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI). Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey involving 51 HKDI students was conducted to examine the students’ utilization of apps and the internet on mobile devices to find information for the purpose of academic learning, social networking, and collaborative learning. Findings – Survey results showed that while the HKDI students were all smartphone owners and active users of such mobile communication devices, only a minority of them “frequently” use these mobile devices for formal learning purposes. They demonstrated a keen preference to use search engines, social communications, and other diverse use of smartphones. Except for research and image/audio-visual needs, the rest of their needs and usage behaviour is similar to mainstream university students. Practical implications – The results suggest opportunities for the libraries to develop services and facilities that could better fulfil students’ information needs, and to improve the network coverage outside the library. Originality/value – This is probably the first study of its kind to explore art and design students’ use of smartphones for learning needs. In particular, the recent capability of smartphones and mobile internet speed are comparable with desktops, it is vital to re-examine the much changed environment and user needs.

How Does a Social Network Site Fan Page Influence Purchase Intention of Online Shoppers: A Qualitative Analysis

This research revisited how fan pages in the social network site created by online merchants affects the purchase intention of online shoppers using qualitative research methods. Through fine-tuning the research model developed by Jahn and Kunz (2012) which is grounded on the Uses and Gratifications Theory, the authors conducted a qualitative study through interviewing consumers who participated in fan pages. Based on their responses in the interviews, the authors reconfirmed that content-oriented needs and social interaction value of relationship-oriented needs had positive impacts on fan page usage intensity and fan page engagement, respectively. Plus, the authors discovered that content-oriented needs had a positive impact on fan page engagement. The theoretical contributions, managerial implications of this study are also discussed.

A Study on the Intention to Adopt Third Generation 3G Wireless Service on a Small Community with Unique Culture: The Use of Hofstede Cultural Dimensions in Predicting the Interaction between Culture and the Technology Acceptance Model on Guam

Most of the prior studies conducted in mobile commerce and wireless service adoption are using the technology acceptance model as their theoretical foundation and are conducted in metropolis. To gain a better understanding on whether the findings of these adoption studies can be generalized in other regions, and in particular, those communities with a small population and have a unique cultural background, the author revisits the third generation 3G wireless adoption service issue using data collected from Guam. The result shows that the people on Guam have a different 3G wireless service adoption behavior compared with the people from Hong Kong. It is noted that perceived enjoyment plays a mediator role between the impacts of perceived service availability and social influence on the adoption intention. This result helps researchers and practitioners to gain insight for conducting adoption study for communities with a different cultural background, where their information and communication technology infrastructures are rapidly developing.

Exploring undergraduate students’ usage pattern of mobile apps for education

In recent years, with the general adoption of smartphones with computing power comparable to desktop computers, mobile applications (apps) have experienced a surge in popularity. However, there are few studies conducted about their educational use, especially in Southeast Asia. To close this research gap, this study aims to provide a current overview of mobile apps usage in higher education. Besides exploring the actual use of apps, the technology acceptance model was applied to examine (1) undergraduate students’ perceptions, which involve perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, towards adopting mobile apps for educational purposes, and (2) their overall attitude toward such adoption. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data from 150 undergraduate students in Business, Education, and Engineering in Hong Kong. The results show undergraduate students use mobile apps frequently to engage in learning activities related to their academic studies, with a particularly focus on communication and collaborative working, accessing academic resources, and checking a dictionary. However, the discrepancies in using apps for academic purposes are not significant between the three faculties. Meanwhile, perceived usefulness has a more positive impact on overall attitude compared with the impact of perceived ease of use. The investigation will help tertiary institutions, library service providers, and educators develop and assess strategic planning for education collaborating with mobile apps. This paper could also give app developers some suggestions for app design based on actual usage and students’ information needs.

The Role Of Learners' Academic Background On E-Learning: An Empirical Study On The Use Of Discussion Forum

Nowadays, instructional technologies are the enabler for educators to have more choices in course planning, course design, and lecturing. These technologies not only strengthen the communication between instructors and learners, but also let the learners get an easily access their course materials at anytime and from anywhere. As a result, many educational institutes, including formal universities and online educational service providers, are now using E-learning technologies to deliver their courses as pure online courses or hybrid courses. In this research, the effectiveness of using online discussion forum in teaching is evaluated based on five teaching criteria related to knowledge construction process: learners motivation, learners independence, learner-learner interaction, learner-instructor interaction, and learners satisfaction. The authors findings indicated that IT majors are more positive towards the use of online discussion forum in E-learning.

Success of Electronic Government Information Portal: Technological Issues or Managerial Issues?

Abstract The Hong Kong Government promulgated the 1998 Digital 21 Information Technology (IT) Strategy in November 1998. The primary focus of this strategy was to build up capabilities and infrastructure to support a thriving information economy, and to create a strong foundation for business growth and governmental service expansion in the use of IT. Hypotheses are formulated to test research concepts from Information Systems related to technology adoption. We find that managerial issues, rather than technological problems, led to the low adoption rate. Implications of our findings from a practitioners perspectives are discussed.

Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivations of Master of Library and Information Science students: A cross-cultural comparative study:

This study examined the career and learning motivation of students studying a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree programs at universities located in four different countries, namely the University of Hong Kong, National Taiwan Normal University, Peking University, and the University of Copenhagen. The MLIS students from these four universities were invited to take part in a self-completion online questionnaire survey, and 200 responses were collected in total. We discovered that their prior working experience in the library had an impact on their decision to pursue the MLIS program. We also categorized the career and learning motivation factors of MLIS learners into intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and discovered that the participants were motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors to pursue their graduate studies in the Library and Information Science (LIS) field. We found that intrinsic factors influenced the students of University of Copenhagen significantly more than the other student groups, and this could be explained by Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Our findings can assist with the formulation of development strategies for MLIS programs through a review of the LIS curriculum and help MLIS programs in different countries attract more people to pursue a career in LIS.

Applications of Social Media in Academic Library Services: A Case of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library

In recent years, social media have had a vast number of users and attracted academic libraries to use this new media to connect with their user communities. It allows librarians to communicate and share information with, and even provide services to users. This study examines the Pao Yue-kong Library at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University PolyUL that has been using social media to promote their information resources and services. However, throughout websites observations and tracking records on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube of the PolyUL, it was found users are not as numerous as other commercial organizations. Some recommendations were suggested to the PolyUL for enhancing communication with its users.