Seongcheol Kim

An institutional analysis of an e-government system for anti-corruption: The case of OPEN

Abstract E-government is increasingly being used to improve transparency in the government sector and to combat corruption. Using institutional theory as an analytical perspective, this study documents and evaluates the development of an anti-corruption system called OPEN (Online Procedures ENhancement for civil application) in the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Incorporating three distinctive (yet interrelated) dimensions of institutionalization (regulatory/coercive, cognitive/mimetic, and normative), and four anti-corruption strategies embedded in the system, this study investigates how an e-government system for anti-corruption in a local government has evolved and become a prototype of a national system to be used for the same purpose. The findings show that in implementing OPEN, a system for anti-corruption, the regulatory dimension was most effective, and (as in many IS implementations) strong leadership was crucial to its success.

Developing a decision model for business process outsourcing

Information technology (IT) outsourcing has been one of the critical issues in organization management. Business process outsourcing (BPO) is an advanced type of IT outsourcing, which will be the next big wave in information technology services. Nevertheless, since prior studies have only examined issues related to traditional IS outsourcing, there have been few researches that introduce and discuss the important factors that should be considered in the decision of BPO adoption. This paper identifies factors affecting the BPO decision and structures a decision model using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. By proposing a quantitative decision model, this paper will not only assist management in making better decisions in outsourcing their business processes, but also help them to obtain the most benefits from BPO.

Understanding the factors affecting online elderly user's participation in video UCC services

Video user-created content (video UCC) is currently being spotlighted by business practitioners and researchers. However, little consideration is being made on elderly peoples adoption of this innovative service. This paper highlights this issue of elderly online users and discovers the factors affecting their participation decisions in video UCC services. This study introduces elderly-specific constructs such as perceived physical condition (physical age), life course events (psycho-social age), perceived user resources, prior similar experience, and computer anxiety, each reflecting the complex aging process. Then, the relationship between these constructs and the conventional constructs from the technology acceptance model (TAM) (perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and compatibility) is hypothesized and tested. Data was collected from 290 online users older than 50 years of age. The results show that elderly people are not highly resistant to change and will adopt video UCC if some conditions are satisfied. In addition, elderly-specific variables could be good antecedents for conventional TAM constructs, while having direct effects on the intention construct for some cases (perceived physical condition, life course events, and perceived user resources). We believe the implications of this study are important for both researchers and practitioners.

Fixed and mobile service convergence and reconfiguration of telecommunications value chains

The value chain model serves as a proper analytical tool of industry processes, particularly under rapidly changing telecommunications environments. This article attempts to provide a better understanding of the convergence between the fixed and mobile telecommunication industries by investigating changes in the value chains. Specifically, this article develops a new type of fixed-mobile convergence value chain, and highlights the importance of content and application providers in the new value chain. Some examples of fixed and mobile service convergence in Korea are discussed, and these confirm progress in fixed and mobile convergence, and reconfiguration of value chains.

Is the smartwatch an IT product or a fashion product? A study on factors affecting the intention to use smartwatches

Smartwatches, among many wearable form factors, have become an important starting point for the wide dissemination of wearable devices. Not only are smartwatches a new IT product, they are also a fashion product. Recognizing the smartwatch as the converging point of IT innovation and fashion, the current study examines whether factors germane to the characteristics of fashion products affect the intention to use smartwatches. Utilizing the technology acceptance model (TAM) as the base framework, the current study extended the model by incorporating perceived enjoyment and perceived self-expressiveness, which are influenced by an individuals vanity and need for uniqueness. The findings from 562 Korean respondents indicated that the characteristics of smartwatches as fashion products significantly explain the intention to use a smartwatch, particularly the individuals desire for uniqueness. A limited effect of vanity on self-expressiveness implies that the smartwatch is not yet deemed a luxury commodity. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as the limitations of the study are further discussed. Study focuses on factors affecting smartwatch use intention by extending TAM model.Smartwatch is not only an IT innovation but also a fashion product.Enjoyment and self-expressiveness are key predictors of smartwatch use intention.People with higher need for uniqueness would be more likely to use smartwatch.Smartwatch is not yet a luxury product, and should overcome some hurdles to be one.

Understanding User Resistance to Participation in Multihop Communications

Multihop communications will be a key element and will play an important role in 4G wireless networks. To deliver multihop functionality successfully, user participation is imperative. Unfortunately, users of a network may not wish to forward data for others and consume their own scarce resources without rewards. There is an inherent tension between an individuals rationality and whole network welfare, reducing the viability of multihop communications. To understand better why users may be resistant to multihop communications and the sources of such resistance, we propose 4 types of perceived risk that generate such resistance. Based on an online survey, this study found new theoretical links among perceived risk, resistance and participation intention.

Earnings Management of Acquiring Firms in Stock-for-Stock Takeovers in the Telecommunications Industry

This article investigates whether acquiring telecommunications firms managed their earnings by means of discretionary accruals prior to the announcement of stock-for-stock takeovers in the U.S. telecommunications industry during the period of 1990 to 2006. The results show that acquiring telecommunications firms manage earnings upward prior to stock-for-stock takeovers. In addition, this article finds that there is a negative short-term wealth effect over the days surrounding stock-for-stock takeover announcements, and there is an inverse relation between earnings management and short-term wealth.

Competitive dynamics in the Korean video platform market

Competition between traditional pay TV and OTT is not severe in Korea.Traditional pay TV has competitive superiority over the OTTs except YouTube.YouTube provides the highest level of gratification among Korean video platforms. Netflix is commonly referred as an over-the-top (OTT) media, and it takes a role of a video platform changing the market. The purpose of this research is to explain the competition in Korean video platform market, in particular competition between traditional pay TV and OTT. In this study, the theory of the niche is adopted to explain the competitive dynamics in video platform market in Korea. This theory is a unique framework to conceptualize and empirically measure the impact of new media on the old one. It explains and predicts the existence, displacement, and extirpation of players in the ecosystem. To make up for the previous researches, multiple resources such as gratification and time spent using media are measured in this study. The result indicates that the case of the Korean market was significantly different from the case of America, in that competition between traditional pay TV and OTT was not severe.

Factors Affecting User Participation in Video UCC (User-Created Contents) Services

The role of users has evolved to become one that includes innovation and participation in the creation of novel products and their use (Von Hippel 1986). In prehistoric times, humans had the desire to create and share their artistic activities and experiences. A case in point is Lascaux1, which exemplifies the human endeavor regarding the creation of art. In the media environment, users no longer passively consume media contents; instead, they actively demand their preferred contents and try to create their own contents themselves.

Response to potential information technology risk: Users’ valuation of electromagnetic field from mobile phones

Abstract As information technologies have become embedded in daily life, end-users encounter unexpected dangers from using IT. Electromagnetic field (EMF) risk from mobile phones is an example of those dangers. In this paper, we explore how much users value their tolerance of EMF risk by scrutinizing their preference structure of mobile phone devices. The preference structure was generated from conjoint analysis including three attributes of mobile phone devices: brand, price, and electromagnetic emission. In addition, we examined four groups which were clustered based upon their preference structure. Results show that the risk is differently perceived by user clusters and approximately 80% of respondents are likely to change their mobile phone brands for better protection from EMF risk.