Matthew K. O. Lee

A Trust Model for Consumer Internet Shopping

E-commerce success, especially in the business-to-consumer area, is determined in part by whether consumers trust sellers and products they cannot see or touch, and electronic systems with which they have no previous experience. This paper describes a theoretical model for investigating the four main antecedent influences on consumer trust in Internet shopping, a major form of business-to-consumer e-commerce: trustworthiness of the Internet merchant, trustworthiness of the Internet as a shopping medium, infrastructural (contextual) factors (e.g., security, third-party certification), and other factors (e.g., company size, demographic variables). The antecedent variables are moderated by the individual consumers degree of trust propensity, which reflects personality traits, culture, and experience. Based on the research model, a comprehensive set of hypotheses is formulated and a methodology for testing them is outlined. Some of the hypotheses are tested empirically to demonstrate the applicability of the theoretical model. The findings indicate that merchant integrity is a major positive determinant of consumer trust in Internet shopping, and that its effect is moderated by the individual consumers trust propensity.

Online social networks: Why do students use facebook?

The growth and popularity of online social networks has created a new world of collaboration and communication. More than a billion individuals around the world are connected and networked together to create, collaborate, and contribute their knowledge and wisdom. Despite the importance of online social networks, there is relatively little theory-driven empirical research available to address this new type of communication and interaction phenomena. In this paper, we explored the factors that drive students to use online social networks (e.g., Facebook). Specifically, we conceptualized the use of online social networks as intentional social action and we examined the relative impact of social influence, social presence, and the five key values from the uses and gratification paradigm on We-Intention to use online social networks. An empirical study of Facebook users (n=182) revealed that We-Intention to use online social networks is strongly determined by social presence. Among the five values, social related factors had the most significant impact on the intention to use. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The impact of electronic word‐of‐mouth: The adoption of online opinions in online customer communities

Purpose – Web‐based technologies have created numerous opportunities for electronic word‐of‐mouth (eWOM) communication. This phenomenon impacts online retailers as this easily accessible information could greatly affect the online consumption decision. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which opinion seekers are willing to accept and adopt online consumer reviews and which factors encourage adoption.Design/methodology/approach – Using dual‐process theories, an information adoption model was developed to examine the factors affecting information adoption of online opinion seekers in online customer communities. The model was tested empirically using a sample of 154 users who had experience within the online customer community, Openrice.com. Users were required to complete a survey regarding the online consumer reviews received from the virtual sharing platform.Findings – The paper found comprehensiveness and relevance to be the most effective components of the argument quality construct ...

Consumer privacy concerns about Internet marketing

The Internet is quickly becoming the world’s largest public electronic marketplace. It is estimated to reach 50 million people worldwide, with growth estimates averaging approximately 10% per month. Innovative business professionals have discovered that the Internet can A BUYER’S-EYE VIEW OF ONLINE PURCHASING WORRIES. • H U A I Q I N G W A N G , M A T T H E W K . O . L E E , A N D C H E N W A N G •

A theoretical model of intentional social action in online social networks

Online social networks (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and the like) have become truly significant new phenomena in human communication and interaction patterns and may have a profound impact in the way people communicate and connect with each other. In this study, the decision to use an online social network is conceptualized as intentional social action and the relative impact of the three modes of social influence processes (compliance, internalization, and identification) on intentional social action to use (collective intention) is examined. An empirical study of Facebook users (n=389) found that collective intention to use a social networking site is determined by both subjective norm and social identity. Further, social identity is found to be a second-order latent construct comprised of cognitive, evaluative, and affective (first-order) components. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Critical success factors of enterprise resource planning systems implementation success in China

ERP implementation issues have been given much attention since two decades ago due to its low implementation success. Nearly 90 percent of ERP implementations are late or over budget (Martin, 1998) and the success rate with ERP implementation is about 33%. In China, the success rate of implementing ERP systems is extremely low at 10% (Zhu and Ma, 1999) which is much lower than that in West countries. This study attempts to study critical success factors affecting enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems implementation success in China with focus on both generic and unique factors. User satisfaction and Whites ABCD classification method are used to judge whether an ERP system implementation is a success or a failure. Survey methodology and structural equation modeling technique of PLS-graph are used to collect and analyze data. Discussions on the results of data analysis are made.

Web strategies to promote internet shopping: is cultural-customization needed?

Building consumer trust is important for new or unknown Internet businesses seeking to extend their customer reach globally. This study explores the question: Should website designers take into account the cultural characteristics of prospective customers to increase trust, given that different trust-building web strategies have different cost implications? In this study, we focused on two theoretically grounded practical web strategies of customer endorsement, which evokes unit grouping, and portal affiliation, which evokes reputation categorization, and compared them across two research sites: Australia (individualistic culture) and Hong Kong (collectivistic culture). The results of the laboratory experiment we conducted, on the website of an online bookstore, revealed that the impact of peer customer endorsements on trust perceptions was stronger for subjects in Hong Kong than Australia and that portal (Yahoo) affiliation was effective only in the Australian site. A follow-up study was conducted as a conceptual replication, and provided additional insights on the effects of customer endorsement versus firm affiliation on trust-building. Together, these findings highlight the need to consider cultural differences when identifying the mix of web strategies to employ in Internet store websites.

Understanding customer knowledge sharing in web-based discussion boards: An exploratory study

Purpose – The proliferation and advance of web‐based technologies create expanded opportunities for retailers to gain a better understanding of their customers. However, the success of these web‐based discussion boards depends solely on whether customers are willing to share their knowledge and experience with other customers in these discussion boards. Thus, this study aims at identifying the factors that drive knowledge sharing among customers in web‐based discussion boards.Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory study with 104 respondents was conducted to identify and categorize the key factors of customer knowledge sharing in web‐based discussion boards.Findings – The results indicate that the enjoyment of helping others is the most frequently cited reason for customer knowledge sharing in web‐based discussion boards. On the other hand, the lack of knowledge self‐efficacy is the mostly cited reason explaining why customers do not want to share knowledge with others.Research limitations/implicatio...

Understanding the sustainability of a virtual community: model development and empirical test

With the proliferation of Web 2.0 technologies, there is an expanded opportunity for individuals to get involved in information exchange. In this study, the sustainability of a virtual community for teachers and educators were investigated. The research model borrows the key concepts from the IS continuance model, social influence theory, the uses and gratifications paradigm, and relationship marketing to explain user intention to continue using a virtual community, as well as intention to recommend the community to others. Satisfaction, commitment, group norms are found to have significant impacts on intention to continue using and intention to recommend. Among the three factors, satisfaction has the highest impact on behavioral intentions. Individual-related factors (purposive value and self-discovery) are found to have significant impacts on user satisfaction, while social-related factors are more important in determining commitment and group norms. The results of this study provide important implications for both research and practice.

IT outsourcing contracts: practical issues for management

Presents a practical and systematic overview of some key IT outsourcing contractual issues, exploring and highlighting management implications where appropriate. Discusses issues such as service level, transfer of assets, staffing, pricing and payment, warranty and liability, dispute resolution mechanism, termination, intellectual property matters, and information security. Gives practical advice on pre‐contractual negotiation and post‐contractual management. By discussing these issues systematically from a management and practical perspective, contributes to bridging the gap between theory and practice and seeks to offer useful information to management considering IT outsourcing.