Madhavan Parthasarathy

Understanding Post-Adoption Behavior in the Context of Online Services

This paper examines post-adoption behavior (continued adoption versus discontinuance) within the context of online service use. Innovation diffusion theory is used as a theoretical framework to extend information technology adoption research to the case of post-adoption behavior. This theory is used to formulate 11 research hypotheses distinguishing discontinuers from continuing adopters and exploring reasons behind their discontinuance (replacement versus disenchantment). These hyp otheses were then empirically tested using data collected from a field survey of online service users. Our results indicate that potential discontinuers can be discriminated from continued adopters based on their sources of influence (external and interpe rsonal), perceived service attributes (usefulness and compatibility), service utilization, and network externality (complementary product usage), during their time of initial adoption. We also found that later adopters are more likely to discontinue due to disenchantment than replacement, and are more influenced by interpersonal sources and utilize the service less during their adoption period than replacement discontinuers. Implications for research and practice are drawn.

Customer Switching Behavior in Online Services: An Exploratory Study of the Role of Selected Attitudinal, Behavioral, and Demographic Factors

With a quarter of a billion Internet users worldwide and estimates of more than one-half billion people online by the year 2003, growth in the online services industry has been exponential. With this growth has come concern about customer “churn”, a concern that parallels issues of customer switching behavior in services industries in general. This manuscript reports results of two field studies, conducted among two randomly selected samples of online service users, that investigate the degree to which selected behavioral (information that customers used when making the online service decision, their service usage), attitudinal (risk-taking propensity), and demographic (income and education) factors are effective in discriminating between continuers and switchers. The research in Study 1 is replicated in Study 2 and extended to consider additional attitudinal factors of satisfaction and involvement. Implications for managers and researchers are discussed.

Salesforce automation and the adoption of technological innovations by salespeople: Theory and implications

In the past few years, organizations have spent millions of dollars adopting salesforce automation (SFA) systems, and this trend continues to grow. Despite its significance, very little academic research has been devoted to understanding the factors that can influence the adoption and implementation of SFA systems. Contends that SFA is a two‐stage process that involves adoption at: (a) the organizational level, and (b) the level of the individual salesperson ‐ with organizational adoption preceding individual salesperson adoption. Draws on diffusion theory and the existing SFA trade literature to discuss factors that can influence SFA adoption at both these levels and their implications for management.

Managerial risk perceptions of international entry‐mode strategies

Purpose – The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate how opportunity for control and firm capability interact to moderate the amount of risk that managers associate with various international entry‐mode strategies. A secondary goal is to investigate how managers perceive the need to retain control over three core functional areas (marketing, production, and R&D) when making entry‐mode decisions.Design/methodology/approach – A field experiment design was implemented in a sample of US business owner/executives. Using an online data collection method, the study asked a sample of small‐business owners and managers to assess the amount of risk they associated with three modes of entering the Japanese market: non‐ownership (export), equal partnership (50/50 joint‐venture), and sole‐ownership. They were also asked how much control they needed to retain over R&D, production, and marketing for the venture to be successful.Findings – Ownership‐provided control interacts with capability to influence manager...

Ethical Implications of Target Market Selection

Marketers have been criticized recently for the selection of target markets, especially for targeting disadvantaged segments of a society with harmful products. Very little has been done, however, to provide guidelines for marketers developing target market strategies. This article examines the ethical dimensions of target market selection. The proposed model for analyzing target markets allows for differences in both the sophistication of consumer segments and the products benefits or harmfulness to users and society. Within this proposed framework, market failures related to target market selection are identified. Furthermore, the ethical and public policy implications of various categories of market failure are explored. Finally, future research directions are suggested for both the micro and macro levels.

A re‐evaluation of the product innovation‐decision process: the implications for product management

Most existing product innovation‐decision models view decision making from a very cognitive perspective in that they presume that decision to adopt a new product is preceded by steps that parallel product information procurement and evaluation. Argues that such an approach is unnecessarily limiting given that a substantial proportion of individuals do not base their decisions on attribute processing, even for relatively complex products. Critically evaluates two of the most widely cited adoption models and based on this analysis proposes a more holistic model that incorporates real world decision factors, and presents its managerial implications.

Dynamic market definition: an international marketing perspective

Starting from the premise that market definition is critical to developing effective and efficient market entry strategies, shows that current approaches to market definition are unable to meet these challenges, that their deficiency is compounded for multinational entry strategies, and that the crux of their weakness is reliance on a static interpretation of a dynamic construct – time. Next, advances the proposition that accounting for the time‐based effects can improve the strategic planning process, and then, following the percepts of diffusion theory, develops a framework that conceptualizes multinational markets in terms of their media availability and economic development, key variables that reflect an innovations rate of adoption at distinct stages of the diffusion process. Finally, applies the framework to data that illustrate its ability to help marketing managers achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency from their global, market expansion strategies.

Multiple diffusion and multicultural aggregate social systems

Extends the diffusion of innovations paradigm to today’s pluralistic marketplace by introducing the concept of multiple diffusion, whereby an innovation diffuses in multiple sub‐social systems, each with a distinct pattern of adoption, that together comprise the aggregate diffusion pattern for a given society. Identifies variables that affect the multiple diffusion process, presents propositions related to them, and discusses implications of this framework for marketing researchers and practitioners.

Modeling Online Service Discontinuation with Nonparametric Agents

The internet and world wide web are an increasingly important resource, both as a market and as an information source, to both individual users and business entities. An estimated 120 million active web users exist in the United States alone. Access to these electronic marketplaces and information sources is accomplished through either a direct internet connection or through a service provider. Internet service providers (ISPs) enable internet and web access for most of these users either via dial-up modems (62.2 percent), or DSL connections (17 percent). Customers of ISPs frequently switch or discontinue service. The model selection perspective is used to extend previous work in this area through the development of a multi-agent system with neural network wrappers. The nonparametric (neural network) agents identify over 92 percent of those users that either stop or change service, which is a 15 percent increase over previous models.

Patient perceptions of electronic medical records: physician satisfaction, portability, security and quality of care

Physicians are adopting electronic medical records in much greater numbers today and are escalating the rate of adoption. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides incentives for physicians to adopt this technology. The objectives of this paper are to determine whether patient satisfaction is affected by computer use in the exam room and whether patients who have experienced computers in the exam room perceive differences in the utility of electronic medical records. Physicians received higher overall satisfaction scores when a computer was used to retrieve patient information. Physicians received similar satisfaction scores when a computer was used to enter patient information. Patients who have experienced electronic medical records perceive benefits such as increased portability of the record but do not believe that physicians who use electronic medical records produce better health outcomes. Patients who have experienced electronic medical records do not desire more control over their record than those who have traditional medical records.