Richard Widdows

M‐loyalty: winning strategies for mobile carriers

Purpose – This study aims to investigate determinants of satisfaction and loyalty decisions in the use of mobile services.Design/methodology/approach – A research model was designed to identify multi‐dimensions of mobile service quality and perceived value, and investigate their influences on satisfaction and loyalty. Structural equation modeling was employed to test hypotheses.Findings – Statistical analysis identified five distinct dimensions of mobile service quality, and their direct and indirect effects on economic value, emotional value on loyalty intention through satisfaction. Two dimensions of perceived value (i.e. economic value, emotional value) had significant influences on customer satisfaction, and then, on loyalty intention. Also, the results show interrelationship between economic and emotional value.Originality/value – In particular, each dimension of mobile service quality appeared to have different effects on perceived economic value, emotional value, and the level of satisfaction. Acco...

E‐customers' third party complaining and complimenting behavior

Purpose – To provide an initial framework for online third party complaining and complimenting behavior as a consequence of online product or customer service failure or success, using a third party consumer evaluation web site.Design/methodology/approach – Based on critical incidents supplied by consumers in a third party consumer forum web site, a clear picture of the type and frequency of online service failures and successes is expected to develop using critical incident technique and scientific text analyzing methods for qualitative analysis.Findings – The speed of shipping, shipping materials or packaging and customer service appear to be critical for the online transaction to be a success. Ease of ordering was shown to influence the likelihood of complimenting the most. The results provided support for the existence of bivalent satisfiers, monovalent satisfiers and monovalent dissatisfiers within the online retail environment.Research limitations/implications – Text analyzer has certain software li...

The Internet and the Consumer: Countervailing Power Revisited

The Internet is a tool with the potential to enable consumers to effectively participate in collective bargaining in the marketplace. The purpose of this paper is to address the viability of the concept of countervailing power in the Internet era. First, some theoretical perspectives on how on-line consumer networks have the potential to be a new source of countervailing power are introduced. Next, the potential for consumer countervailing power in the Internet era is discussed. A case study that illustrates the viability of the propositions is then presented. Finally, implications and limitations of the paper are briefly discussed: if the potential for countervailing power can be established, then the circumstances under which collective bargaining would occur and the determinants of its outcome would be of vital interest to consumer economists and policy makers.

Trust, empathy, social identity, and contribution of knowledge within patient online communities

People are increasingly utilising patient online communities (POC) to seek useful health information and empathetic support. Success of POC is reliant upon the willingness of members to contribute useful information and knowledge. Few studies have examined the influence of interpersonal bonds between members on members’ contribution of information and knowledge within the context of POC. We investigated how trust, social identity, and empathy influence members’ willingness to contribute knowledge to POC. Results indicated that trust and social identity within POC positively influenced the development of empathy. Empathy in turn exerted a positive influence on willingness to contribute personal knowledge and experience. Social identity also directly influenced members’ willingness to contribute knowledge. The findings highlight the importance of trust, empathy, and a sense of group cohesiveness within online health settings in motivating members to contribute knowledge and support to other participants in POC.

Social and economic factors associated with parents' decisions about after-school child care: An exploratory study in a medium-sized community

This exploratory study examined social and economic factors associated with the after-school child care decisions of parents (n=41) of elementary school children in a medium-sized community. Self-care (latchkey), family day care, and center arrangements were represented in the sample. Differences in type of arrangement were found to be related to marital status, city vs. rural residence, parental preferences for characteristics of after-school arrangements, and childs gender, age, and arrangement preferences. There were no differences across arrangement types regarding the perceived safety, informal resources, and age of the neighborhood. Cost was not a significant variable, although lower-income parents showed greater sensitivity to costs of after-school care. Directions for future research are discussed.

The influence of social capital on knowledge creation in online health communities

This study investigates how social capital influences knowledge creation in online health communities (OHCs), based on social capital theory. The study proposes that three social capital dimensions, namely trust, shared language, and network density, affect OHC members’ externalization and combination of knowledge creation, and that these in turn lead to membership continuance intention (MCI). Trust also directly contributes to MCI in the model. Three hundred fifty-three members from eight existing US based OHCs participated in surveys. The results provide overall support for the proposed model. Among the three dimensions of social capital, network density plays a critical role in developing both externalization and combination of knowledge creation. Externalization of knowledge in turn affects members’ MCI. Supplemental analysis shows that trust and shared language influence OHC members’ knowledge creation indirectly via network density.