Shiro Uesugi

The impact of personality on acceptance of privacy-sensitive technologies: A comparative study of RFID and finger vein authentication systems

The wide and rapid diffusion of ICT has created an environment where consumers must interact with new technology with which they may not be comfortably familiar. Although they often do not fully understand the technological details of these products, consumers find that they need to use a variety of services based on newly introduced ICT, such as Radio Frequency Identification Technology(RFID), Near Field Communication (NFC), or contactless Finger Vein Authentication System (FVAS). Questions regarding whether or not consumers are comfortable with a new technology and how they react when the new technology is introduced need to be addressed, especially in the case where privacy sensitive technology is concerned. This paper investigates the differences in two systems and the reaction to these differences by comparing the results of a questionnaire administered to two separate groups of subjects. It also presents findings from applying the Big-Five Test for Personal Traits to these same groups in an analysis that examines the correlation between Neuroticism and attitudes toward new ICT.

IT-Enabled Services

Recent developments in information devices, together with the expansion of broadband network capacity, are transforming the definition of “IT-enabled Service” (ITeS). ITeS used to be synonymous with “outsourcing.” Today, however, it refers to various services provided via information communication technologies. This chapter sums up the transformations that have taken place in this field, and presents visions of ITeS for the twenty-first century.

Consideration about Successful Introduction of Smartcard: A Comparative Case Study of IC Card Business in Shikoku

Smartcards used in public transportation services in Japan now is more than e-Ticket; it works as e-Money and provides strong marketing tool. Railway operators are in a position to utilize the smartcard in restructuring their transportation business by reducing personnel expense, and increasing services to riders. Bound with the function of e-Money, and/or loyalty program (a points program) embedded in the smartcard pass, the benefits are not limited to restructuring but also expanding the scope of businesses. For example, Kotoden in Kagawa, a small rural regional railway operator, intends to utilize the IruCa smartcard system for the benefit of the regional economy. Iyotetsu in Matsuyama, another local operator in Shikoku, is using the IC e-Card as to collect marketing information for its subsidiary department store. This paper discusses factors for the successful introduction of smartcard. A comparative analysis about Kotoden and Iyotetsu is used for this purpose.

Effects of Personality Traits on Usage of Social Networking Service

A number of social networking services (SNSs) have become increasingly popular in recent years, as characterized by the growing number of their users and the deepening penetration of their services. As the number of users increases, the variety of user profiles, serving as a reflection of the real world, also increases. Psychological aspects must be taken into account to better understand the behaviors of SNS users. This study investigated the relationships between personality traits and SNS usage, and the results of a preliminary survey using the Big Five model of personality traits are reported herein.

Multidisciplinary Social Networks Research

The rise of Social Networking Services (SNSs) has not only transformed people as well as consumer behavior on the Internet, but also transformed the means by which various enterprises globally conduct their promotional and marketing campaigns. There are a variety of means by which enterprises have launched their marketing campaigns on Social Networking Services, and one of the most common techniques adopted is through extensive advertising campaigns on SNSs. This study seeks to examine consumer behaviors towards advertisements on Social Networking Services. Key factors affecting consumer behaviors include usage pattern, the credibility of a particular Social Networking Service as well as electronic word-of-mouth. This clearly illustrates that in today’s virtual electronic world, social media have progressed from being merely a place to meet people, to being a virtual sales floor. It is unexpected that consumer behaviors are influenced by the electronic word-of-mouth of friends rather than that of strangers.

Challenging Robustness of Online Survey via Smartphones: A View from Utilizing Big Five Personal Traits Test

As smartphones are widely available, automatically generated data through smartphones gain more importance. They attract large attention as the major source of big data. However, traditional survey data do not lose the value because it is essential for obtaining responses that reflect one’s thinking process and responding behaviors. Thus, online survey, which uses smartphones as input device, have become major method. Online survey is expected to have the benefits related to both size and thinking process. However, because of its nature of easy-to-use, the data quality may not be as good as paper-based survey. This paper looks into a case of the Big Five Personality Tests, which were run on Japanese university students, comparing paper-based and online-based/smartphone-based methods. Statistical analysis shows that there are differences between them. This paper suggests that the Big Five Personal Traits Test can be a yardstick to check the robustness of smartphone-based online survey.

ISTAS'12: Technology and Society in Asia [Guest Editorial]

The articles in this special section focus on the technological challenges and opportunities for Asian societies.

New Horizon of IT-enabled Services

Summary form only given. As the researches of ITeS deal rapidly changing technology and business developments, it is like a cruising toward horizon. Although there have been considerable amount of investigations on ITeS, there are still more to study. The study includes the aspects of geography, technology and applications. This paper presets the background for the discussion.

An Identification Management Framework for IT-Enabled Services and E-Government: A Consideration of the Case of Japan

Managing identity is an issue that has been dealt with in various contexts. This paper explores the problem in identity management from the perspective of IT-enabled Services, with special emphasis on the Japanese context. It is an illustration of problems involved in the introduction of a unified national digital identification system in Japan. This paper also presents a framework, which serves to enhance ITeS characteristics of digital identification system in Japan. Results from a survey about trust are also included.