Are trust and risk important in consumers' electronic commerce purchasing decisions? What are the antecedents of trust and risk in this context? How do trust and risk affect an Internet consumer's purchasing decision? To answer these questions, we i) develop a theoretical framework describing the trust-based decision-making process a consumer uses when making a purchase from a given site, ii) test the proposed model using a Structural Equation Modeling technique on Internet consumer purchasing behavior data collected via a Web survey, and iii) consider the implications of the model. The results of the study show that Internet consumers' trust and perceived risk have strong impacts on their purchasing decisions. Consumer disposition to trust, reputation, privacy concerns, security concerns, the information quality of the Website, and the company's reputation, have strong effects on Internet consumers' trust in the Website. Interestingly, the presence of a third-party seal did not strongly influence consumers' trust.

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A trust-based consumer decision-making model in electronic commerce: The role of trust, perceived risk, and their antecedents

Why are a select few service firms better at what they do - year in and year out - than their competitors? For most senior managers, the profusion of anecdotal "service excellence" books fails to address this key question. In this pathbreaking book, world-renowned Harvard Business School service firm experts James L. Heskett, W. Earl Sasser, Jr. and Leonard A. Schlesinger reveal that leading companies stay on top by managing the service profit chain. Based on five years of painstaking research, the authors show how managers at American Express, Southwest Airlines, Banc One, Waste Management, USAA, MBNA, Intuit, British Airways, Taco Bell, Fairfield Inns, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, and the Merry Maids subsidiary of ServiceMaster employ a quantifiable set of relationships that directly links profit and growth to not only customer loyalty and satisfaction, but to employee loyalty, satisfaction, and productivity. The strongest relationships the authors discovered are those between (1) profit and customer loyalty; (2) employee loyalty and customer loyalty; and (3) employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Moreover, these relationships are mutually reinforcing; that is, satisfied customers contribute to employee satisfaction and vice versa. Here, finally, is the foundation for a powerful strategic service vision, a model on which any manager can build more focused operations and marketing capabilities. For example, the authors demonstrate how, in Banc One's operating divisions, a direct relationship between customer loyalty measured by the "depth" of a relationship, the number of banking services a customer utilizes, and profitability led the bank to encourage existing customers to further extend the bank services they use. Taco Bell has found that their stores in the top quadrant of customer satisfaction ratings outperform their other stores on all measures. At American Express Travel Services, offices that ticket quickly and accurately are more profitable than those which don't. With hundreds of examples like these, the authors show how to manage the customer-employee "satisfaction mirror" and the customer value equation to achieve a "customer's eye view" of goods and services. They describe how companies in any service industry can (1) measure service profit chain relationships across operating units; (2) communicate the resulting self-appraisal; (3) develop a "balanced scorecard" of performance; (4) develop a recognitions and rewards system tied to established measures; (5) communicate results company-wide; (6) develop an internal "best practice" information exchange; and (7) improve overall service profit chain performance. What difference can service profit chain management make? A lot. Between 1986 and 1995, the common stock prices of the companies studied by the authors increased 147%, nearly twice as fast as the price of the stocks of their closest competitors. The proven success and high-yielding results from these high-achieving companies will make The Service Profit Chain required reading for senior, division, and business unit managers in all service companies, as well as for students of service management.

The Service Profit Chain: How Leading Companies Link Profit and Growth to Loyalty, Satisfaction, and Value (Цепочка создания прибыли в сфере услуг: как ведущие компании связывают прибыль и рост с лояльностью, удовлетворением и ценностью)

Partnerships between companies receive a great deal of attention from top managers and researchers at the time of their formation. This attention results largely from the common perception that the initial structuring of partnerships and establishment of common goals determines partnership outcomes and success. In Alliance Advantage, Doz and Hamel shift the focus away from deal making to the internal processes within the partnership and the unfolding interactions among partners that play an important and relatively unexplored role in shaping outcomes. Focusing on the underlying reasons why companies enter alliances and the processes by which they continually learn from their interactions and re-evaluate common--and individual--goals, the authors paint a sophisticated picture of alliance dynamics over time. The authors challenge organizations to define their objectives for alliance formulation and consider whether their own corporate culture provides an "alliance ready" atmosphere.

Alliance advantage : the art of creating value through partnering

Castells, M., Fernandez-Ardevol, M., Qiu, J. L., & Sey, A. (2007). Mobile communication and society: A global perspective. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. This theoretically hybrid, statistically sig...

Mobile Communication and Society: A Global Perspective

Abstract This ethnography of three Australian hospitals seeks to understand how and why new accounting systems are “experimented” with in organizations. Latour's sociology of translation is adapted to argue that accounting change emerged not because there was certain knowledge of positive economic outcomes but because an uncertain faith, fostered by expert-generated inscriptions and rhetorical strategies, was able to tie together shifting interests in an actor network. The paper also highlights how accounting may ironically be both real and a simulation.

Experts, networks and inscriptions in the fabrication of accounting images: A story of the

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic examination of the importance of trust‐developing constructs and the impact of trust on long‐term orientation within the small and medium‐sized enterprises (SME) domain.Design/methodology/approach – A theoretically grounded model has been developed that comprises three cognitive (reputation, skill and transaction specific investments) and three behavioural (information exchange, coercive power and flexibility) antecedents of trust, which in turn is posted to be a determinant of long‐term orientation. The model has been tested using 229 responses obtained through a postal survey carried out in the UK electrical and electronic industry.Findings – With the exception of the skill to trust, all other hypothesised relationships have been supported. In relative terms, reputation followed by flexibility have been found to be the most important determinants of trust.Research limitations/implications – The moderating impact of company size and length of...

Cognitive and behavioural determinants of trust in small and medium-sized enterprises

Purpose




The purpose of this paper is to integrate the “triple bottom line (3BL)” approach in the supplier selection decision. It also aims to consider the feedback effect of the decision on strategic factors that determine the future viability of the firm in the market.




Design/methodology/approach




A multi-criteria decision model is developed that considers simultaneously the impact of three dimensions of 3BL approach and their sub-dimensions on the supplier selection decision. The proposed model is evaluated for a large white goods manufacturer using the analytic network process (ANP) approach.




Findings




The ANP considers the impact of variables, sub-variables, and their interdependencies simultaneously. The outcome of the model is the relative priorities for the firms considered as potential suppliers.




Practical implications




This research was conducted in one of the largest developing economies. The impact of integrating sustainability would be widespread due to the huge market in which the company operates. The results of this research can provide support to the decision makers in arriving at an optimal decision considering all sustainability dimensions.




Originality/value




The novelty of the approach lies in the application of multi-criteria model integrating sustainability dimensions with a feedback effect for supplier selection. The case company would benefit by showing its commitment toward environment and social responsibility leading to improved brand image and sustainable business.

Supplier selection for a sustainable supply chain: Triple bottom line (3BL) and analytic network process approach

Introduction Recent technological advancements have provided educators and learners with new tools to support in-class instruction and coursework. Hence integrating technology into classrooms is a growing initiative that is becoming an important and growing part of educational culture and university life (Bratina, Hayes, & Blumsack, 2002; Wiley 21). For instance, California's educational budget provided a total of $433 million in 2003 to increase the use of technology in schools and universities. In 2008 the United States provided $273 million funding to secondary and high schools to support the deployment and integration of educational technology into classroom instruction. Classroom Technology is the collection of software, hardware and, processes that facilitate learning (and teaching) and thus impact (mostly positively) the learner's attitude and performance (Govindasamy 2002; Khan 2000). Similarly, learner attitude is defined as the impact or influence of classroom technology on a student's disposition towards learning and this can be positive, negative, or neutral (meaning no change). From September 2007 to September 2008, a University in Qatar (a country in the Middle East Gulf region) was fitted with classroom technology with the prime aim of creating an interactive and conducive learning environment. Within this context the issues that were considered pertinent in initial post-implementation stage, as far as learner attitude was concerned, were: --experience with basic Information and Communications Technologies ICTs) and their effect on learner (Liaw, Huang, & Chen, 2007). --broadening of classroom technology initiated communications channels and its impact on learning and absorbing abilities of students (Urden & Weggen, 2000). --level of learning independence created through use of classroom technologies (Cuban, 1993). --level of difficulty related to both the operational (know how to use) and situational (in working order) aspects of classroom technologies (Bannan-Ritland, Dabbagh, & Murphy, 2000; Singh, 2000). Consequently the prime focus of this study is on the introduction of an assortment of classroom technologies (i.e., a combination of audio-visual equipment and online systems) within a university (i.e., higher education) and their impact on the learners' attitude. According to a number of academics in the educational technologies field, through the implementation of educational technology student attitude tends to improve, and the students are also better prepared to enter and succeed in the digital workplace (Chen, Lee, & Chen, 2005; Liaw, 2004). Similarly, many collaborative learning theories argue that human interaction is a vital ingredient to learning and classroom technologies tend to increase the bandwidth of face-to-face (especially written and gestural) communication avenues, which creates an exchange environment where information is shared and enriched through application of classroom technologies (Bharati, 2003; Liaw & Huang, 2003). These views raise a number of questions; namely, Do classroom technologies create a platform for enhanced communications? Do classroom technologies provide new channels for information acquisition and exchange? Do classroom technologies help learner with self-directed learning by accessing relevant materials on their own? With these questions in mind and forming the research objective, the investigation examined the impact of classroom technology (which included a combination of laptop, overhead projector, document camera, DVD player, speakers, video-conferencing facility, and in-class wireless internet access) on learner attitude. As exploratory research, two focus groups (one for male and one for female students) were conducted to identify the key variables of classroom technology-related learner attitude (see Table 1). The university student population is segregated into males and females. …

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A Model-Based Investigation of Learner Attitude towards Recently Introduced Classroom Technology.

The research focus was a non-academic service quality assessment within higher education. In particular, non-academic service quality perceptions of faculty and students were evaluated using a service profit chain. This enabled a comparison which helped understanding of non-academic service quality orientation from a key users' perspective. Data were collected using a self-completion questionnaire that was posted on Survey Monkey. A four point Likert scale without a mid-point was used to record respondent perceptions. In total 296 usable questionnaires (192 from students and 104 from faculty) were collected, representing a response rate of 17 percent. Key results indicated that on the whole service users (both faculty and students) were satisfied with non-academic services and this had a positive impact on their loyalty. However, in the case of students, there was a disconnect between loyalty and its ‘productive’ propagation to the external environment.

Non-academic service quality: comparative analysis of students and faculty as users

Purpose




The purpose of this research paper was the study of an affluent Islamic market, going through a rapid economic and social transformation, from an ethical consumption perspective. More specifically, impact of environmentalism, consumption ethics, fair trade attitude and materialism was investigated on the ethical consumption behaviour of Muslim consumers.




Design/methodology/approach




A research framework was put together after consulting relevant literature, Islamic scholars and Islamic marketers. The developed research framework was tested in the Islamic State of Qatar. As an outcome of an online questionnaire-based survey targeting Muslim (Qatari) consumers in a public university, 243 usable questionnaires were collected. After reliability and validity checks, AMOS SPSS 20 was used to conduct structural equation modelling analysis on the collected data.




Findings




The results showed consumption ethics, environmentalism and fair trade attitude as significant determinants of ethical consumption behaviour. There was an insignificant association between materialism and ethical consumption behaviour. The findings suggested that most Muslim consumers within this affluent market showed an interest in ethical consumption. However, an insignificant association between materialism and ethical consumption behaviour implied that even though Muslim consumers demonstrated ethical consumption behaviour, they were not anti-materialism. The outcome suggests that due to the high levels of affluence among Muslim consumers, it is possible that they may be practising ethical and materialistic consumption simultaneously.




Practical implications




This research should assist marketers in understanding the ethical consumption behaviour of Muslim consumers who are faced with ethical and materialistic consumption options within an affluent Islamic market.




Originality/value




The research should add to the body of consumer behaviour knowledge, as it provides an insight into the consumption behaviour of Muslims who are facing social and religious ideology conflicts which makes their ethical consumption behaviours more sophisticated.

/pdf/investigating-the-key-determinants-of-muslim-ethical-1ahr0dr9wf.pdf

Khurram Sharif

Papers

Cognitive and behavioural determinants of trust in small and medium-sized enterprises

Supplier selection for a sustainable supply chain: Triple bottom line (3BL) and analytic network process approach

A Model-Based Investigation of Learner Attitude towards Recently Introduced Classroom Technology.

Non-academic service quality: comparative analysis of students and faculty as users

Investigating the key determinants of Muslim ethical consumption behaviour amongst affluent Qataris