2,333 research outputs found

    Usages of the internet and e-tourism. Towards a new economy of tourism

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    This paper analyses the impact of internet on the organization of industry and the marketdynamics in the tourism activities, focusing in the European scene. Tourism incorporates many features ofthe contemporaneous information and communication economy. Even if e-tourism still stands for a smallshare of the whole tourism activity, the paper establishes that the internet basically explains theorganization of the activities and markets that emerge today. A relevant analytical framework able toapprehend these dynamics is first defined. The concept of sectoral system of production and innovation isshown to provide a relevant analytical framework to grasp the basic changes of the tourism industry. Thepaper enlightens on this basis the evolution resulting from the emergence of e-tourism and the uses ofinternet, their impacts on the coordination of the activities and the markets, with a special focus on theEuropean caseTourism; Sectoral Systems of Production and Innovation;ICT; Virtual Communities; GDS

    Luxury retail brands and their consumers in emerging markets: developing mobile marketing and sustaining the brand value

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    Understanding an individual’s self-interests remains a challenging task for consumer marketing because brands have no direct access to individual’s inner mind in order to satisfy his or her consumption-related wants, needs and expectations. In the case of luxury brands, customer service experts only seek to maintain close relationships with wealthy and elite customers, and they cannot extend the same individualized services to mass-market consumers. Among the new middle classes in emerging markets, consumers do not have strong brand attachments, but they do have high purchasing power with regard to luxuries. To bridge this gap, mobile technology could be an ideal interface through which luxury brands could enhance interactive communication and engagement with consumers. Nevertheless, research findings have revealed major discrepancies in the adoption of technology. While luxury brands have been ‘slow’ in their adoption of such technologies, consumers have adopted mobile devices as extensions of themselves in the digital world, which greatly enrich their lifestyles. Therefore, a medium should be developed to bridge this gap. The Gearbox of Exchange is proposed to help integrate the consumer’s self-interests with those of luxury brands. Through conditional access with a mutually agreed-upon exchange value to balance privacy concerns and financial risks, the consumer might be willing to share customized information with the brands with which they trust to engage. The luxury brands will benefit from the sharing of this customized information, as they can better predict an individual’s preferences and choices. This virtual engagement will revitalize customization to activate personalized services for every individual. These mutually agreed-upon interactions will develop into a mutual interdependence, a B2B2C relationship. This bond will protect brands from severe competition. More importantly, their knowledge of customized information, which is provided through their direct access to consumers’ self-interests, will fill the black box of radical behaviourism and enhance these brands’ abilities to predict individual choices. Therefore, the knowledge generated from the Gearbox of Exchange will not be meaningless to transform consumer analysis into micro marketing

    Merchant differentiation through integrative negotiation in agent-mediated electronic commerce

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    Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (p. [149]-153).This thesis proposes to fix online shopping by guiding it away from price comparisons and toward value comparisons. Though price comparisons may be adequate for simple products (e.g., books and music), they are inadequate for facilitating transactions of complex products (e.g., computers and automobiles). Consumers often must consider qualities other than price in their buying decisions and merchants usually prefer to differentiate themselves along alternative dimensions such as brand, customer service, delivery time, warranty, and other value-added services. Tete-a-Tete is an agent-mediated comparison shopping system that allows consumers to consider dimensions other than price in their buying decisions for complex products. The system helps shoppers answer two questions: what to buy and who to buy from. Tete-a- Tete's integrative negotiation interaction model (based on bilateral argumentation), together with a decision support module (based on multi-attribute utility theory), create an improved online shopping environment for both consumers and merchants. Consumers gain increased satisfaction as their search costs for complex products are reduced and merchants potentially increase sales as a result of their enhanced differentiation in the marketplace.Robert H. Guttman.S.M

    An Analysis of the Reengineering of Intermediation by Electronic Commerce

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    Efficiency arguments explain why commercial intermediaries exist and will continue to be involved in the exchanges despite the spread of digital networks. Commercial intermediaries provide producers and consumers with a set of information, logistic, securization and insurance (and liquidity) services. By bundling these services and by dedicating assets and learning capabilities to their production, commercial intermediaries enable to economize on transaction costs. Digital network per se cannot enables transacting parties to benefit from such efficient providers of intermediation services. Rather than establishing direct relationships among producers and consumers, the Internet will support a re-organization of existing intermediation chains, because traditional intermediaries will reinforce their ability to provide these service by using ITs. The analysis of the role of commercial intermediaries thus leads to a better understanding of the futures of e-Commerce. In turn, e-Commerce provides New-Institutional Economics with a stimulating case to analyze the economics of commercial intermediation

    Costs and benefits of superfast broadband in the UK

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    This paper was commissioned from LSE Enterprise by Convergys Smart Revenue Solutions to stimulate an open and constructive debate among the main stakeholders about the balance between the costs, the revenues, and the societal benefits of ‘superfast’ broadband. The intent has been to analyse the available facts and to propose wider perspectives on economic and social interactions. The paper has two parts: one concentrates on superfast broadband deployment and the associated economic and social implications (for the UK and its service providers), and the other considers alternative social science approaches to these implications. Both parts consider the potential contribution of smart solutions to superfast broadband provision and use. Whereas Part I takes the “national perspective” and the “service provider perspective”, which deal with the implications of superfast broadband for the UK and for service providers, Part II views matters in other ways, particularly by looking at how to realise values beyond the market economy, such as those inherent in neighbourliness, trust and democrac

    Agent-Based Computational Economics: A Constructive Approach to Economic Theory

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    This chapter explores the potential advantages and disadvantages of Agent-based Computational Economics (ACE) for the study of economic systems. General points are concretely illustrated using an ACE model of a two-sector decentralized market economy. Six issues are highlighted: Constructive understanding of production, pricing, and trade processes; the essential primacy of survival; strategic rivalry and market power; behavioral uncertainty and learning; the role of conventions and organizations; and the complex interactions among structural attributes, behaviors, and institutional arrangements. Extensive annotated pointers to ACE surveys, research, course materials, and software can be accessed here: http://www.econ.iastate.edu/tesfatsi/ace.htmagent-based computational economics; Learning; network formation; decentralized market economy

    How Do Social Networking Sites Users Become Loyal? A Social Exchange Perspective

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    Since its emergence as a new electronic communication media supported by Web 2.0, social media has become a popular means of communication among the public. Among different types of social media that depend on user-generated content (UGC), social networking sites (SNS) are becoming the best-known communication mode. While many researchers have examined significant factors affecting SNS users’ behaviors and their impact on SNS usage, the current research extends the traditional concept of IS loyalty and examines factors impacting SNS users’ creation of SNS loyalty through a lens of social exchange theory (SET) and satisfaction. A total of 291 college students participated in an empirical test. The findings indicate that SET has an effect on creation of loyalty in the context of Facebook, which is currently the most popular SNS. Implications of these findings and limitations of the research are discussed

    Determinants of online leisure travel planning decision processes :a segmented approach

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    D.B.A. ThesisThere is an abundance of information sources on the Internet that consumers use to plan and book their travel. This information reflects the fact that travel comprises a significant part of the business conducted through the web. Consumers are sometimes faced with a complex task of making purchasing decisions in the dynamic and fast-paced medium of the Internet. In spite of the importance of travel and the intricacies of the decision process, an integrated framework that identifies the various determinants of the online leisure travel planning decision process and how they interact, is largely absent in travel literature. This study aims to make a contribution by extracting from relevant literature useful elements that could comprise such a framework. It also uses several phases of qualitative research to refine the framework, and then a quantitative assessment of data collected from an online questionnaire completed by 1,198 respondents to test specific components of the framework that deal with online travel booking intention. In the final model building stage, three logistic regression models were compared. The first is a parsimonious one containing key determinants that lead to online travel booking intention. These determinants emerged from theoretical frameworks of the theory of reasoned action and innovation adoption theory. The second Model used strictly involvement, motivation, and knowledge variables that are thought to influence online booking intention. The third Model included a combination of relevant predictor variables from the other two Models. The relationship between various demographics and online travel booking intention was investigated yielding some interesting insights. Consequently, this study recommends these demographic variables be considered in segmenting travelers to find those more likely to book online. The determinants of online leisure travel booking decision processes could be used in conjunction with demographic variables to more accurately predict leisure travel website usage

    The determinants of life insurance ownership : the mediating effect of risk perception

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    The conventional life insurance and family Takaful market penetration rate was at 54.6 percent in 2015 indicating that about half of the Malaysian population is still uninsured. This study is conducted to investigate (a) the relationship of life insurance ownership with demographic and psychographic factors, and (b) the mediating effect of risk perception on the relationship between psychographic factors (i.e. personal value, risk attitude and trust) and life insurance ownership. A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect data from July to December 2015 in the four states located at the Northern regions of Malaysia, namely Kedah, Perlis, Penang and Perak. A total of 408 individuals approached at their work places and shoppers intercepted in the malls were surveyed. The data collected were analysed using binary logistic and multiple regressions. The respondents in their 20’s and 30’s are found more likely to own life insurance as compared to the respondents aged below 20 years old. Most of the life insurance policyholders are males, Chinese and Indian, and those who are middle income earners. The findings on psychographic factors show that trust has a significant positive relationship with life insurance ownership, and there is a significant mediating effect of risk perception on the relationship between trust and life insurance ownership. The respondents who trust their life insurance agents are found to have low risk perception of the purchase of life insurance. Thus, they tend to own life insurance. This study proposes that extensive ownership promotions of family Takaful and micro-insurance be targeted to Muslim individuals and low-income earners. The actions in fulfilling prospective policyholders’ needs, building trust in life insurance agents and creating awareness about the importance of life insurance are vital to encourage those who do not own life insurance to purchase life insurance

    Choice of Law for Internet Transactions: The Uneasy Case for Online Consumer Protection

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