Mark Xu

Gaining customer knowledge through analytical CRM

Purpose – This paper aims to examine how customer relationship management (CRM) systems are implemented in practice with a focus on the strategic application, i.e. how analytical CRM systems are used to support customer knowledge acquisition and how such a system can be developed.Design/methodology/approach – The current practice of CRM application is based on examining data reported from a four‐year survey of CRM applications in the UK and an evaluation of CRM analytical functions provided by 20 leading software vendors. A conceptual model of an analytical CRM system for customer knowledge acquisition is developed based on the findings and literature review.Findings – Current CRM systems are dominated by operational applications such as call centres. The application of analytical CRM has been low, and the provision of these systems is limited to a few leading software vendors.Practical implications – The findings shed light on the potential area in which organisations can strategically use CRM systems. I...

Web-based expert systems: benefits and challenges

Convergence of technologies in the Internet and the field of expert systems have offered new ways of sharing and distributing knowledge. However, there has been a general lack of research in the area of web-based expert systems (ES). This paper addresses the issues associated with the design, development, and use of web-based ES from a standpoint of the benefits and challenges of developing and using them. The original theory and concepts in conventional ES were reviewed and a knowledge engineering framework for developing them was revisited. The study considered three web-based ES: WITS-advisor -- for e-business strategy development, Fish-Expert -- for fish disease diagnosis, and IMIS -- to promote intelligent interviews. The benefits and challenges in developing and using ES are discussed by comparing them with traditional standalone systems from development and application perspectives.

E-Business Adoption in SMEs: Some Preliminary Findings from Electronic Components Industry

The lack of anticipated engagement in e-business by Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) is a rising concern to the UK government and service providers alike. This article is based on the e-adoption model to examine the current practice of e-business technology adoption in SMEs and the driving forces for and against the adoption. Through interviews with 40 owner managers in the electronic components industry, the article reveals that most of the small firms in this industry are at the lower level of the “e-adoption ladder†—predominantly using the Internet and e-mail. SMEs in this industry have not yet widely engaged in online transactions. The current level of adoption is driven by both internal and external factors, including operational benefits, industry common practice, and peer pressure. External forces such as a lack of push from suppliers and customers and a lack of strategic vision of using advanced e-business technology for competitive advantages have determinant effects on the level and scale of e-adoption in SME sector. The e-adoption ladder model is modified by incorporating the influential factors identified within this study. The findings have many implications for researchers, service providers, and policy makers.

Developing WSN-based traceability system for recirculation aquaculture

Aquaculture has moved from conventional open systems to high density and highly productive land-based recirculation systems. Consumers have increased consumption of fish and fish products due to recognition of their nutritional value along with social progress and the improvement of living standards. A traceability system is considered as an effective tool to guarantee safety in fish products and improve the supply chain transparency. This paper developed a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) based Traceability System for Recirculation Aquaculture (RATS). System tests shows that the WSN-based traceability system has comparable data accuracy and advantage of easy installment and configuration.

To share or not to share? Research-knowledge sharing in higher education institution: preliminary results

The world has witnessed that knowledge has become a valuable resource and asset in a new economy, which demands people not only to create knowledge but also to attain, apply and share knowledge effectively. Knowledge sharing is viewed as a natural activity in higher education institutions HEIs, especially in relation to its core activity, i.e., research. This study focuses on the nature of research-knowledge sharing in a university, exploring three aspects: 1 why sharing; 2 why not sharing; 3 what and when to share. Since there is a dearth of research examining knowledge sharing in academia, a qualitative approach has been employed in order to gain in-depth understanding and insights about the desired phenomenon. This study suggests that the way research-knowledge is shared does not follow a single standard pattern. The results generate original insights into the issues and have practical implications for university academics and leaders.

Evaluation on home storage performance of table grape based on sensory quality and consumers’ satisfaction

With continuous rise of table grapes consumption and increased public awareness of food safety, the quality control of grapes in storage after purchase is not sufficiently examined. Home storage constitutes the last and important stage in grape supply chain. Literature review shows that few researches on grape quality focus on the home storage stage compared with numerous researches reported on the quality control during postharvest and transportation process. This paper reports the performance evaluation of grape quality at home storage and consumers’ satisfaction using integrated sensory evaluations. The internal attributes, including Texture, Taste and Odor of the table grapes and the appearance indices, Color and Cleanliness are examined. Key results show that during home storage, all the internal attributes decrease rapidly as time goes on, and cleanliness and color appear to be deteriorating in a lower speed. A comprehensive quality index was created to measure the quality of table grape which has high correlation with the Overall acceptability perceived by consumers.

A framework for the successful implementation of food traceability systems in China

ABSTRACT Implementation of food traceability systems in China faces many challenges due to the scale, diversity, and complexity of Chinas food supply chains. This study aims to identify critical success factors specific to the implementation of traceability systems in China. Twenty-seven critical success factors were identified in the literature. Interviews with managers at four food enterprises in a prestudy helped identify success criteria and five additional critical success factors. These critical success factors were tested through a survey of managers in 83 food companies. This study identifies six dimensions for critical success factors: laws, regulations, and standards; government support; consumer knowledge and support; effective management and communication; top management, company wide, and vendor support; and information and system quality.

Twitplomacy: Social Media as a New Platform for Development of Public Diplomacy

Social media, underpinned by mobile devices and smart-technology, is rapidly changing the way how people communicate. In the context of public diplomacy, micro-blogging-based diplomacy, e.g. Twitplomacy is emerging. Twitplomacy has been carried out by not only the central government of a state and relevant organizations, but also millions individuals globally. Twitplomacy has been seen as a new platform expanding the channels of public diplomacy. Its impact on diplomacy policy and international relations tends to be huge but too early to know and difficult to quantify. This paper uses microblogs collected from United States Embassy in China, examined the characteristics and functions of Twitplomacy, the participants and the motivation, as well as the effect of Twitplomacy. The results are insightful to both researchers and practitioners in the community of diplomacy and international relations.

Estimating technical efficiency of Chinese table grape wholesalers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to estimate the technical efficiency of Chinese table grape wholesalers and subsequently to examine the degree to which the calculated efficiency correlates with a set of explanatory variables. Design/methodology/approach – A two-stage procedure is applied in this paper. First, a non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique is applied to investigate the degree of technical efficiency for Chinese table grape wholesalers. Second, Tobit regression is used to analyze the factors influencing technical efficiency. Findings – Research results reveal that the mean technical efficiency of the sample is 0.544 and 0.860 under constant returns scale (CRS) and VRS assumptions, respectively, and the scale efficiency (SE) is 0.620. The variables of experiences, number of grape varieties on sale, daily selling volumes and fixed sale ratio have a significant effect on technical efficiency, while the other exogenous variables do not affect the efficiency in any significant...

Efficient versus accurate algorithms for computing a semantic logic-based similarity measure

There are three types of Web services matchmakers: logic-based, non logic-based, and hybrid. Logic-based matchmakers employ the semantics of the Web services. Non-logic based matchmakers employ other approaches such as syntactic and structural matching. Hybrid matchmakers combine both approaches. This paper presents and compares two algorithms for computing a semantic logic-based similarity measure in the perspective of Web service matching. The first algorithm offers an efficient solution, while the second algorithm proposes a more accurate result. Both algorithms are evaluated using the SME2 tool. Performance evaluation shows that efficient algorithm reduces substantially the computing time while the accurate algorithm ameliorates considerably the precision of the matching process.