Robert C. Nickerson

Issues in Mobile E-Commerce

Though many companies are still just beginning to grasp the potential uses and impacts of the Web and e-commerce, advances in technologies and their application continue. These advances often present various managerial and technological issues for individuals, companies, governments, and other entities. One significant area of technological advancement is the development of mobile e-commerce, which encompasses interactive business activities and processes related to a (potential) commercial transaction conducted through communications networks that interface with wireless devices. These systems provide the potential for organizations and users to perform various commerce-related tasks without regard to time and location (anytime from anywhere). This emerging mobile e-commerce environment presents a new set of issues. This paper identifies and categorizes some of these issues so that researchers, developers, and managers have a starting point for focusing their activities within the emerging m-commerce domain. Our examination finds categories that include technological (both client and infrastructure) issues, application issues, and areas for future research.

A Method for Taxonomy Development and its Application in Information Systems

A fundamental problem in many disciplines is the classification of objects in a domain of interest into a taxonomy. Developing a taxonomy, however, is a complex process that has not been adequately addressed in the information systems (IS) literature. The purpose of this paper is to present a method for taxonomy development that can be used in IS. First, this paper demonstrates through a comprehensive literature survey that taxonomy development in IS has largely been ad hoc. Then the paper defines the problem of taxonomy development. Next, the paper presents a method for taxonomy development that is based on taxonomy development literature in other disciplines and shows that the method has certain desirable qualities. Finally, the paper demonstrates the efficacy of the method by developing a taxonomy in a domain in IS.

A multi-national study of attitudes about mobile phone use in social settings

Mobile phones have taken on the role of providing truly portable and individual communications and computing. Unlike many devices, however, mobile phones can be used anywhere and anytime. Consequently, they are used in social situations such as restaurants and theatres where co-located people can be bothered by their use. How people perceive the impact of mobile phones in these situations may vary by user factors such as age, gender and work status, and by the country in which the user is located. This paper presents the results of a multi-national study of attitudes about mobile phone use in social situations.

The Use and Value of Models in Decision Analysis

A normative approach to the use of models is presented in which modeling is viewed as a source of information. The value of modeling can then be interpreted from the value of information perspective. The expected value of modeling is defined as the increase in the expected value of the outcome that results from the use of the model-supplied information. With this definition the value of modeling is characterized under a variety of conditions. From a practical point of view the most useful result is that, under certain conditions, the expected value of modeling is maximum when the prior expectations of the value of the outcome for each alternative are equal.

A MODEL OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE ACCEPTANCE OF MOBILE PHONE USE IN PUBLIC PLACES

Since the first commercial launch of cellular telecoms by NET in Tokyo Japan in 1979 and the launch of the NMT system in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in 1981, the mobile phone has undergone continual incremental innovation for changing market needs. This study investigates the factors affecting the attitudes towards the social acceptance of mobile phones in public places and how this attitude affects its usage. Theories on innovation and technology acceptance were reviewed, and studies relating demographic factors to technology acceptance were examined. A model was proposed relating the usage frequency and attitudes towards acceptance of mobile phone in public places to demographic factors, such as country, age, education, gender, and work status. A survey was conducted among mobile phone users, and the sample consisted of 1079 respondents in the United States, France, Italy, Turkey, and Finland. A structural equation model was developed to analyze the survey data. Results of the analysis indicate that the attitudes about mobile phone use in public places depend on country, and age factors. This attitude in turn significantly affects the usage frequency of mobile phones. In addition, usage frequency also is affected by gender and work status. Implications of the findings for both academicians and practitioners are discussed

Am I Disturbing You?: A Research Model for Investigating the Use of Mobile Phones in Social Settings

Mobile business is conducted extensively through mobile phones, which, unlike wired e-commerce client computers, can be used anywhere and anytime, and consequently are often used in social settings such as while walking on a sidewalk, eating in a restaurant, driving a car, and waiting for an airplane. Use of mobile phones in these situations affects not only the user but also co-located people who can be bothered by ringing phones, overheard conversations, and clicking keys. The purpose of this paper is to present a research model that we are using to investigate the acceptable use of mobile phones in social situations. The model examines both voice and text use of mobile phones in various social settings, and incorporates the location and time of use. The paper also introduces an empirical research study we are conducting in which we have obtained data from over 1000 people in five countries.

A Model of Attitude toward Mobile Location-Based Services

At a recent Cornell Hospitality Research summit, Expedia presented its study that more Internet access occurs through mobile devices than by laptop or desktop. This trend is going to increase in the future. Location-based service is the new frontiers for hospitality practitioners to enhance customer engagement and retention. This research studies the attitude to location-based services for hospitality customers, and how it relates to the perceived usefulness of the mobile phone, a latent construct measured by the perceived social functions and perceived usability of mobile phone. A survey was conducted among customers of hotels and restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. A structural equation model was developed. Results indicate that usability and social functions are important aspects of perceived usefulness of the mobile phone, and this perceived usefulness affects the attitude to location-based services. Implications of the research for hospitality practitioners are discussed.

Selecting a stored data approach for mobile apps

Stored data is a critical component of any application. The stored data component of mobile applications (apps) presents special considerations. This paper examines stored data for mobile apps. It identifies three types of mobile apps and describes the stored data characteristics of each type. It proposes decision factors for selecting a data storage approach for a mobile app and the impact of the factors on the usability of the app. The paper surveys over 70 apps in a specific domain (that of walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain) to examine their data storage characteristics. It also presents a case study of the development of one app in this domain (eCamino) and how the decision factors were applied in selecting the stored data approach for this app. The paper also discusses the implications of the research for apps in other domains. The paper concludes that in general the data storage approach selected for a mobile app depends on the characteristics of the situation in which the app will be used, but in the domain examined one particular approach (synchronized data storage) has clear benefits over other approaches.

User Interest in Future Mobile Applications

Identifying what mobile applications users will want to use in the future is difficult. This paper presents a scenario-based approach for investigating the interest that users have in thirteen future mobile applications. The paper also examines eleven constructs to determine how they impact interest in the scenarios. The subjects surveyed in the research were located in five countries: the U.S., Italy, Spain, Portugal, and France. The results show that certain future applications are of more interest than others and that this interest is fairly consistent across the countries studied. The results also show that most of the constructs positively impact interest in the scenarios.