Understanding VR/AR in marketing & sales for B2B: an explorative study

Abstract. The research explored the impact of immersive reality technologies, particularly VR and AR, in marketing and sales for the B2B sector. Study interests were fuelled by both an industrial hype and vehement investments on these technologies, especially in the last five years. However, the potential of these technologies is still unexplored and widely misunderstood by businesses as the innovations are slowly taking off. Additionally, existing literature showed a need to clearly define various simulated realities in the continuum, including VR and AR, as well as a general misunderstanding of the potential of immersive reality technologies, and a shortage of studies covering holistically different VR/AR applications in marketing, especially for the B2B sector. Therefore, this research aims to bridge the gap between managerial and academic’ understanding by providing a holistic framework explaining the impact of immersive reality technologies in B2B marketing and sales and provide a clear distinction between VR and AR in the Virtuality-reality continuum. This research also aims to assist marketers and managers in embracing these technologies to better meet the needs of future generations. The study adopted a qualitative exploratory approach allowing researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of the topic from an industrial perspective. The study used an abductive thematic analysis approach to analyse empirical results and ten semi-structured interviews with eleven VR/AR providers for primary data collection. Results were structured based on four main themes, namely: VR and AR definitions, customer technology adoption factors, VR/AR impact and applications on B2B marketing, and last, VR/AR impact on sales performance outcomes. This study contributes to the existing literature by proposing a tentative definition for each terminology “VR” and “AR” separately that merges academic perspectives and industry insights. Overall, empirical study suggests that immersive reality technologies can affect both marketing activities and sales performance outcomes for the B2B sector. However, successfully embracing these technologies calls for collaboration to overcome financial, technical and social barriers while also enhancing aspects like the user experience to step out of the still immature VR/AR market. VR and AR together have an impact on marketing for B2B by enhancing customization, non-verbal communication, learning and experiential marketing while also creating memorable experiences that stick in the minds of the consumer. Concerning the customer’s purchasing journey, this study extends existing literature to cover all customer purchasing stages, including the pre-purchase, purchase and post-purchase. Results emphasize the pre-purchase phase as the most impacted by immersive reality technologies, followed by post-purchase and purchase stages, respectively. Finally, this study suggests that the use of VR/AR as sales support tools can yield positive efficiency returns through higher task performance and a reduction in sales-related costs, and positive effectiveness returns through greater customer and social engagement, stronger collaborative business relationships and the enhancement of proactive (sales planning) and reactive (adaptive selling) behaviours in the sales process

A telepresence environment for concurrent life-cycle design and construction

Construction projects normally involve transient 'virtual organisations', where a multidisciplinary project team works together on the design and construction of a facility. Many of these participants often work independently while taking decisions that inevitably affect others. The research described in the thesis involved examining the adoption of concurrent engineering (CE) principles by the construction industry as a way to reduce the problems posed by the fragmentation of the industry, and to enhance its competitiveness. An important aspect of concurrent engineering in construction is the need for effective communication of design information between all members of the project team and across all stages of the constructed facility's life-cycle. The thesis describes the development of a communications infrastructure for Concurrent Life-Cycle Design and Construction. [Continues.

The telework kit: making telework a success: a guide for leaders, managers and employees

Telework, as part of flexible workplace practices, has many proven benefits including attracting and retaining valued staff and capturing productivity benefits. Understanding how telework might add value to your organisation, the right course of action when dealing with requests for telework arrangements—including consideration of compliance with workplace agreements and legislation—as well as how to balance the needs of all parties involved, will help you to realise these benefits. With this guide you can: –    understand how telework fits into the strategic intent or value proposition of your organisation –    understand the organisation-wide implications of including telework in your flexible workplace practices –    learn more about the process for implementing telework arrangements –    identify the success factors for implementation of telework –    make or assess a request to telework and review a telework agreement. Who should use this guide? –    managers implementing telework as part of your organisation’s flexible workplace practices –    employees who wish to telework –    human resources and Information Technology (IT) staff working with managers to implement telework arrangements for employees. What’s in this guide? –    an overview of telework and its benefits –    an understanding of the skills and capabilities required of managers and employees when including telework in their flexible workplace arrangements –    tools to help managers, employees and teams plan, assess, implement and review telework arrangements

IT Risk Identification and Evaluation: a Case Study on XYZ University

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) can be applied to the educational field to identify various failure modes and its potential failure effect that could occur in anytime. FMEA is widely used in a design, a manufacturing or assembly process, or a product and service for identifying all possible failures. Risk identification is part of risk management. Therefore it is a critical first step of it. This paper is a case study on XYZ University which trying to implement risk management which only focused on how to identify the risk using FMEA. FMEA needs some parameters to be defined which are severity values, the likelihood of occurrence, and detection. Risk Priority Number (RPN) is a matrix that indicates potential risk calculated by multiplying the three components, and it used to classify which should be taken care of first based on the highest RPN value. Filtering the ticketing system and mapped the incidents that happened to the current business process is how the data collected, also the interview to end user for validation. The result of this paper is astonishing because it is different from the initial expectation that business process like LMS or network facility will get the highest RPN value, but after doing all the process, it is found that telecommunication is at the top. Surely this provides a new perspective to risk management to be slicker in handling potential one

Avatars, People, and Virtual Worlds: Foundations for Research in Metaverses

Metaverses are immersive three-dimensional virtual worlds in which people interact as avatars with each other and with software agents, using the metaphor of the real world but without its physical limitations. The ubiquitous availability of high speed Internet access has spurred enormous interest in virtual worlds like Second Life and World of Warcraft, both in terms of user gaming and as a new technological platform for global virtual collaboration. These environments have potential for richer, more engaging collaboration, but their capabilities have yet to be examined in depth. Of particular interest in this paper is the use of metaverses for virtual team collaboration. We develop a conceptual model for research in metaverses that is based on five key constructs: (1) the metaverse itself, (2) people/avatars, (3) metaverse technology capabilities, (4) behaviors, and (5) outcomes. We present an in-depth characterization of metaverse technology capabilities from a socio-technical view that recognizes the potential for variation in emergent interaction and in outcomes. Example propositions and a discussion of key issues and challenges show how the model can be used to further research and practice in virtual teams in the context of these new environments

Environmental management control systems for carbon emissions

Purpose This paper aims to focus on a global consulting company and examine how it struggled to establish an effective environmental management control system for carbon emissions for its employees' air travel. The organisation was motivated to reduce its carbon emissions both to comply with regulation and to enhance or maintain corporate reputation. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes a case study approach, examining internal and external documents as well as conducting interviews with senior staff. Findings The case study investigates how Beta's management implemented a system to reduce carbon emissions. The organisation focused on air travel, but the study finds that employee travel preferences did not radically change. Rather than reduction in carbon emissions, as planned by head office, air travel carbon emissions actually increased during the period, and, as a consequence, the reported reduction targets were significantly adjusted downwards to meet the new realities. Practical/implications The study has implications for both policy and practice for organisations seeking to improve their sustainability performance. Originality/value The study responds to calls in the literature to undertake research to identify how management practices might reduce negative sustainability impacts, as there is little evidence of what management practices and accounting tools are being adopted, particularly in relation to carbon emissions from air travel. The paper adds to the creation of new accounting, giving visibility to carbon emission management through case study analysis

Towards Smart Business Travel

Business travel is an area that Government policy has left largely untouched, but in London with the percentage of business trips for an average weekday at 8% in 2007/08 (Transport for London, 2009, table 9.3, pp 137) and the average distance travelled accounting for 15% of all the distances travelled (Transport for London, 2009, table 9.7, pp 148), they account for an important proportion of daily journeys. However, this research has shown more notably, particularly for businesses that do a significant amount of business travel, there is an opportunity for TfL to engage with businesses in a new and effective way at a number of levels. These include: • The strategic level, to outline TfLs strategy for the network and to gain feedback on these plans • The detail level including journey planning information with carbon emissions and cost, and corporate ticketing opportunities. • Managing the commute on a voluntary basis as part of wider Corporate Responsibility programmes. What became clear in this research was that many businesses wanted to engage with TfL, but found it hard to find a point of contact. They also wanted to engage in different ways from the current engagement programme of workplace travel plans and the planning process. The structure of the report is to review the existing literature covering both academic and practitioner work, but focussing on the London data where available. The paper will then go on to report the individual perspective from the findings of a survey of business travellers in London. This survey outlines the purpose of business journeys into London, the alternatives to a physical journey and their barriers to use. The final part of the report will explore the business perspective of business travel using data drawn from a series of face-to-face interviews with businesses and stakeholders. This section will look first at the support and engagement issues raised by the companies participating and then to go on to develop a picture of the business travel area within organisations. The report then covers the drivers and barriers to developing a sustainable business travel policy and the practices and methods of communication to support the policy, including the use of virtual meeting technologies. It then concludes by looking at how business travels links into the commute and the attitude of business to electric vehicles. Finally, the report draws together recommendations for TfL about alternative ways to engage with businesses. Details of the methodology used to generate this report are given in the appendix. In brief, it involved: • Completion of 150 on-line surveys by business travellers, identified through the National Business Travel Network (NBTN), TfLs clients, Open University staff across the regions and Open University students across a range of courses. • Meetings with five stakeholder organisations to identify potential case studies, and • Meetings with eight case study businesses, who were identified by stakeholders as being involved in managing business travel in a more sustainable way

ACUTA Journal of Telecommunications in Higher Education

In This Issue President\u27s Message From the ACUTA CEO Show Me the Money! Interview: Carnegie Mellon Snapshot: Campus Efficiencies How Do You Justify Technology Purchases? lnfographic: State of the ResNet ClO and CFO Partnerships: Understanding the Strategic Links Snapshot: My First Encounter with the Budgeting Process Funding lnformation Technology in Academia Everything Old ls New Again 2014 Award Winners For University IT, Success Starts at Home 2013 lnstitutional Excellence Award TelePresence at Marist Colleg

Measuring perceived social presence in distributed learning groups

Kreijns, K., Kirschner, P. A., Jochems, W. M. G., & Van Buuren, H. (2011). Measuring perceived social presence in distributed learning groups. Education and Information Technologies, 16, 365-381.Social presence – the degree to which „the other‟ in a communication appears to be a „real‟ person – has captured the attention of those dealing with learning in groups through computer-supported collaborative learning environments. The concept is important because it affects participation and social interaction, both necessary for effective collaboration and knowledge construction. This article reports on the construction and validation of a self-reporting (Dutch-language) Social Presence Scale to determine perceived social presence in distributed learning groups using computer-supported collaborative learning environments. The result is a onedimensional scale consisting of five items with an internal consistency of .81. We used a nomological network of similar constructs for further validation. The findings suggest that the Social Presence Scale has potential to be useful as a measure for social presence