Mairéad Hogan

Perceptions of Low-Cost Carriers’ Compliance with EU Legislation on Optional Extras

Low-cost carriers (LCCs) market their flights as low cost and, so, aim to garner as much additional revenue as possible from ancillary services such as baggage and priority boarding. The airlines therefore encourage purchase of these services by their customers. As a result of this and other practices by airlines, the European Union has introduced legislation to deal with various areas of concern in order to protect the consumer. Airlines have responded to the legal requirement that all optional extras should only presented to the consumer on an ‘opt-in’ basis by using ‘grey’ Web design patterns such as the ‘must-opt’ presentation of optional extras, whereby the user must choose to accept or reject the item before continuing with the interaction. This study examines user perceptions of the level of compliance of two airlines with the relevant European legislation.

Age Differences in Technophobia: An Irish Study

This study examined levels of technophobia in a sample of 150 older adults who are members of active retired associations in Ireland and 291 undergraduate students. Technophobia was assessed using Rosen and Weils Measuring Technophobia Instruments, which determine anxiety, cognitions and attitudes towards computer technology. Technophobia levels were tested for differences between (1) the older adults and students, and (2) the genders. A significant difference in levels of technophobia was found between the two groups, with older adults having higher levels of technophobia than do students. Some gender differences were also evident in the study, with older women showing higher levels of anxiety and technophobia than do the female students.

Must-Opt Imperatives and Other Stories Make Passengers of Low Cost Carriers’ Feel Put-upon: User Perceptions of Compliance with EU Legislation

Low cost carriers (LCCs) market their flights as low cost and aim to garner as much additional revenue as possible from ancillary services such as baggage and priority boarding. Therefore, airlines encourage customers’ purchase of these services. On account of this and other airline practices, the European Union introduced legislation to address areas of concern in order to protect the consumer. Airlines have responded to the legal requirement that all optional extras should only be presented to the consumer on an ‘opt-in’ basis by using ‘grey’ Web design patterns, such as the ‘must-opt’ presentation of optional extras, whereby the user must choose to accept or reject the item before continuing with the interaction. Through the method of verbal protocols, this study examines consumers’ perceptions of two LCCs’ level of compliance with the relevant European legislation.

How do firms present choice to consumers? Some unusual decision constructs along the B2C transaction process

Certain features amongst some online retailers are atypical of ‘good’ design; the transaction process presents consumers with optional extras that not only slowed the process down, but also stressed and agitated consumers. An established norm is that web design, employing human computer interaction (HCI) principles, develops applications that are easy to use and make the consumer experience positively engaging and productive (Rogers et al., 2011; Shneiderman and Plaisant, 2010; Sklar, 2006). This norm is in question today, as many points in commercial Business-to-Consumer (B2C) transactions are riddled with pitfalls intended to slowdown, confuse or trick consumers (Barry and Torres, 2009). This paper offers a taxonomy of decision constructs encountered throughout online B2C transactional processes. The findings make an incremental contribution in theorising, identifying and categorising new and established decision constructs, as well as reporting on whether the decision constructs are used and examining them in terms of factors such as opacity, clarity and user frustration.

Identifying Essential and Optional Decision Constructs in On-line Transactional Processes

Decision-making for users during an on-line transactional process has become fragmentary and ‘start-stop’. Much of this discontinuance arises from decision points presented to users or consumers. Recent studies into Web development and user interface design practices amongst some airlines concluded that many optional extras are not presented as opt-in decisions, and are therefore in breach of European Union regulation. Furthermore, some airlines are using ‘imaginative’, sometimes unusual, decision constructs such as a ‘must-opt’. This construct has been the source of the research question in this paper; what are the nature and types of decision constructs that users encounter throughout on-line transactional processes? The findings presented herein make an incremental contribution in identifying and categorizing some new decision constructs alongside established ones.

Project Managers — Do They Need to Be Certified?

The purpose of this study is to examine the drivers behind the certification of project managers in Irish organisations, to identify the benefits and drawbacks of project management certification and to determine whether it is really necessary for project managers to be certified. Five organisations in Ireland participated in the study and one project manager from each organisation was interviewed. The size of the organisations, the level of experience of the project managers interviewed and the certification programmes completed varied. Differences as well as similarities across the organisations were identified. The results of the study put forward that the selection of an appropriate certification programme can depend on factors such as the availability of certification providers for training and support; the ease with which the certification programme can be adapted to suit the business; and the requirement to renew certification. While the findings show that project management certification does have several benefits these benefits do not require certification and could be realised by simply having good project management practices in place.