Markus Makkonen

Consumer value of camera-based mobile interaction with the real world

Camera-based mobile interaction with the real world allows consumers to connect digital information with the real-world environment, and furthermore, to interact with real-world objects and places. To explore and understand the types of consumer value in the context of such consumer-level applications, we applied the critical incident technique to reflect actual use experiences from 107 application users with a recognized consumer value framework by Holbrook. The findings of the study suggest that at the current state value is heavily based on utilitarian efficiency and excellence. Although the applications enable a diverse value, they have yet to fulfill their potential in providing hedonic and other-oriented value.

Perspectives on Digital Content Markets: A Literature Review of Trends in Technologies, Business and Consumer Behaviour

In this paper, we focus on digital content markets (DCMs), which have typically been seen as an offspring of technological and business innovations. However, recent trends indicate that these two perspectives are not enough when attempting to understand how DCMs actually work. Technology is obviously a prerequisite for business innovations, which in turn provide new possibilities for consumers. Nevertheless, consumer behaviour is not only a result of technological and business innovations, but by itself a crucial factor of DCMs. In this paper, we attempt to clarify the general view of DCMs by carrying out a literature study that is based on the above mentioned three perspectives: technology, business and consumer behaviour. As a result of our study, we present critical issues for both doing further research and improving the ways of trading and distributing digital content. Especially, we highlight the crucial role of societal transformations for the development of DCMs.

Visualising maritime vessel open data for better situational awareness in ice conditions

Situational awareness of maritime vessels in ice conditions is important for the operation of supply chains. In the artic sea areas, the ice conditions pose a major challenge for maritime vessels getting stuck in the ice and being significantly delayed in arrival to harbor. Data science and open data provide new opportunities to overcome these challenges. This paper introduces available open data sources and data visualizations that can be used to develop applications, for example, for detecting maritime vessel collision, predicting estimated time of arrival to harbor, as well as maritime vessel route optimization in ice conditions. The paper begins by introducing available open data sources and existing computational studies on maritime vessels in ice conditions, then presents the developed data science solution and visualizations of the open data along with the open source software code, and finally concludes with a discussion on the potential application areas and opportunities for further research.

Identifying the Sales Patterns of Online Stores with Time Series Clustering

During the past decades, electronic commerce, especially in the business-to-consumer (B2C) context, has emerged as a popular research topic in information systems (IS). However, this research has traditionally been dominated by the consumer focus instead of the business focus of online stores. In this explorative study, we aim to address this gap in prior research by identifying the most typical sales patterns of online stores operating in the B2C context. By segmenting the monthly sales time series of 399 online stores with time series clustering, we are able to identify four approximately equally sized segments, of which two are characterised by a clear upward or downward trend in the sales and two are characterised by strong seasonal sales variation. We also investigate the potential segment differences in terms of several key business and technical parameters as well as discuss more broadly the applicability of time series clustering to IS.

Why Do Users Switch Mobile Applications? Trialing Behavior as a Predecessor of Switching Behavior

Mobile application providers face high user losses because users can easily and often switch to an alternative application. Researchers have recently started to study information technology (IT) switching. However, no studies have concentrated on the unique context of mobile applications. Mobile application switching differs from the switching behavior related to many other IT products and services because of the highlighted role of alternatives, beta versions, updates, reviews, and users’ spontaneous behavior. To address this gap, we develop a mobile-specific model by using a qualitative research approach. As a theoretical contribution, we introduce trialing behavior as a predecessor of switching behavior and present six new behavioral antecedents for them. As practical implications, we suggest ways for mobile application providers and developers to reduce user churn.

Age Differences in Technology Readiness and Its Effects on Information System Acceptance and Use: The Case of Online Electricity Services in Finland

Bled eConference, organized by University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, has been shaping electronic interactions since 1988 and is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2017. Bled eConference is the oldest, most traditional and well renowned conference in the field. It attracts speakers and delegates from business, government, information technology providers and universities and is the major venue for researchers working in all aspects of “e”. The theme of this year’s conference is dedicated to “Digital Transformation – From Connecting Things to Transforming Our Lives”. The evolution of digital technologies and solutions (e.g. Internet of things, mobile technology, social media, cloud and high performance computing, artificial intelligence and advanced machine learning, virtual and augmented reality, big data & big data analytics, service architecture, digital technology platforms, 3D printing, robotics etc. …) has significantly impacted on the way how business is conducted and had big implications on our lives. The nowadays digital economy calls for transformation of businesses, governments, education and societies as whole. It also calls for enabling policies and politics for cross border and global digital business. Digital transformation is reflected in the organizations’ ability of comprehensive transformation of business activities, processes, competencies and business models in order to take advantage of digital technologies. Digital technologies require changes in our mind set, culture and functioning and have strategic impact on both the organization itself and its business ecosystems. In this year’s conference, we address various aspects of digital transformation and provide directions and guidelines for organizations to overcome challenges on their way of successful digital transformation. Themes covered in the papers of these proceedings are focused to digital transformation challenges, opportunities and cesses, furthermore to business model innovation, social media and big data analytics implementation, e-health, digital wellness and wellbeing experiences, new applications and organizational models, and novel approaches and cases in education in digital economy.Recently, there has been a tremendous rise in the growth of social media platforms all over the world. Most social media platforms are created for worldwide consumption and it is usually a significant challenge to develop these platforms for users from various cultural backgrounds. While culturally centric user behaviour of social media platforms has been well-documented, the cultural values inherent within the design of these platforms has not been thoroughly explored. This study proposes a conceptual cultural values model to examine the cultural characteristics inherent within WeChat, a Chinese social media platform. We use a research model based on Chinese cultural values to validate the model for the full scale study.The purpose of this paper is to take a look at the current state of the research related to consumer emotions in the context of electronic commerce (e-commerce). As the popularity of online shopping is constantly growing, the author performed an integrative literature review of 66 journal articles on e-emotions (consumer emotions visible in an online environment) and classified the articles into four groups. According to the analysis of the groups, consumer emotions are present at various points of the e-commerce relationship from pre-purchase intentions to postconsumption behavior. Based on this literature review, directions for future research in e-emotions are also introduced

The expected and perceived well-being effects of short-term self-tracking technology use

Individuals and the healthcare sector have become increasingly interested to measure and improve health and well-being by using different self-tracking technologies. Physical activity, nutrition, and sleep are a few of the various measures that can be self-tracked by different technological solutions. This study investigates the expected and perceived well-being effects of short-term self-tracking technology use with focus on the implementation phase. The study is based on thematic analysis of ten semi-structured interviews. The results reveal that the perceived well-being effects of using a self-tracking technology are relatively minor during the implementation phase - in line with the pre-implementation expectations. The possible increase in well-being is expected to occur in a longer time scale. Perceived psychological well-being is found to be affected the most during the implementation phase. The results also reveal interesting findings regarding the use and acceptance of self-tracking technologies. Based on the results, theoretical and practical implications are presented.

To sit or to stand, that is the question: examining the effects of work posture change on the well-being at work of software professionals

Despite the central role of human resources in determining the success of software companies, relatively little academic research has been conducted on the well-being at work aspect of software professionals. This study aims to address the aforementioned gap by examining the effects of using standing instead of sitting workstations on the well-being at work of software professionals in terms of their physical activity, mental alertness, stress, and musculoskeletal strain. An intervention study consisting of two measurements was conducted for 29 employees of a large Finnish software company by using questionnaires and the Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment service. The findings of the study suggest that the usage of standing instead of sitting workstations results in only modest promotions of physical activity, does not have an effect on mental alertness, actually tilts the stress-recovery balance towards stress, but decreases musculoskeletal strain in the neck and shoulders, although increasing it in the legs and feet.