Tamilla Mavlanova

Signaling theory and information asymmetry in online commerce

An e-business environment results in information asymmetry because buyers cannot physically evaluate the quality of products and easily assess the trustworthiness of sellers. Product and seller quality are communicated through website signals. Using signaling theory, we developed a three-dimensional framework to classify website signals. We empirically tested the framework with a comparative content analysis of websites from a sample of online pharmacies. We found that low-quality sellers were likely to avoid costly and easy-to-verify signals and used fewer signals than did high-quality sellers, who used costly and difficult-to-verify signals and displayed more signals. These results provide information to online buyers and regulatory institutions in charge of online retailer evaluation.

Measuring multitasking behavior with activity-based metrics

Multitasking is the result of time allocation decisions made by individuals faced with multiple tasks. Multitasking research is important in order to improve the design of systems and applications. Since people typically use computers to perform multiple tasks at the same time, insights into this type of behavior can help develop better systems and ideal types of computer environments for modern multitasking users. In this paper, we define multitasking based on the principles of task independence and performance concurrency and develop a set of metrics for computer-based multitasking. The theoretical foundation of this metric development effort stems from an application of key principles of Activity Theory and a systematic analysis of computer usage from the perspective of the user, the task and the technology. The proposed metrics, which range from a lean dichotomous variable to a richer measure based on switches, were validated with data from a sample of users who self-reported their activities during a computer usage session. This set of metrics can be used to establish a conceptual and methodological foundation for future multitasking studies.

The role of external and internal signals in E-commerce

Online markets present a challenging environment to evaluate experience products, especially products sold by unknown online sellers. To alleviate this problem, unknown online sellers may choose to signal quality using website signals. However, signals are not useful unless buyers notice these signals and believe that these signals are true. In this study, we evaluate the effect of the believability of external and internal website signals on the buyers evaluation of seller and product quality and purchase intentions when interacting with unknown online sellers. The results suggest that external and internal signals, if believable, have a significant effect on buyer perceptions. While both types of signals are important, buyers find external signals more salient than internal ones. These results enhance our understanding of signals in e-commerce because they help online sellers to refine their digital business strategies and inform online buyers about the importance of website signals. We enhanced the literature review by adding discussion on trust and website signals.We strengthened the theoretical part of the paper by integrating trust and signaling theories by including trust transference theory and relating the theory to external signals.We revised the theoretical implications by including additional discussion on the role of external and internal signals and believability.We improved the research design and modified the model by adding the relationship between trust and perceived deception.We included post hoc analyses to demonstrate the differences by believability among respondents.

What Does Your Online Pharmacy Signal? A Comparative Analysis of Website Trust Features

The growth of electronic commerce has offered a new channel for the commercialization of pharmaceutical products. While regulated online pharmacies offer convenient distribution of drugs, unregulated online vendors create risks for consumers by promoting medicines of unknown origin and jeopardizing sensitive medical information. Using the signaling theory and a comparative content analysis, this study examines a set of website trust features that distinguishes regulated and unregulated online pharmacies. This investigation is aimed at identifying observable signals that online pharmacies use to induce trust. The results enhance our understanding of trust related signals and help online buyers and regulatory institutions in the evaluation of online pharmacies.

Towards new metrics for multitasking behavior

In this paper we propose new metrics to investigate computer-based multitasking behavior. These metrics range from a very lean dichotomous variable to a very rich measure based on switches that combines user, task and technology considerations. We demonstrate how to calculate these measures with an exploratory study based on self-reported user logs. The development of new metrics to research multitasking behavior lays the foundation to incorporate this variable in future studies of human-computer interaction.