THE IMPACT OF RELIGIOSITY ON INTERPERSONAL TRUST IN B2C CONTEXT: A CROSS-CULTURE ANALYSIS

Religion has long been playing a significant role in influencing human behavior. However, its business value as a predictor of buyer behavior has not been sufficiently examined in e-commerce context. The main contribution of this paper is to show the connection between the degree of religiosity and interpersonal trust (cognitive and affect-based trust) in Business to-Consumer (B2C) e-commerce. The study uses responses obtained from a convenient sample from Muslims and Christians in two different societies, Pakistan and Australia respectively. The data of the survey were analyzed using Partial Least Square (PLS) approach. The results indicate that interpersonal trust related to religiosity in a web-based retailer can vary with culture, at least as represented by affiliation to a religion. It is suggested that religiosity should be considered as possible determinant of trust in online shopping in the future

Dynamical trust and reputation computation model for B2C E-Commerce

Trust is one of the most important factors that influence the successful application of network service environments, such as e-commerce, wireless sensor networks, and online social networks. Computation models associated with trust and reputation have been paid special attention in both computer societies and service science in recent years. In this paper, a dynamical computation model of reputation for B2C e-commerce is proposed. Firstly, conceptions associated with trust and reputation are introduced, and the mathematical formula of trust for B2C e-commerce is given. Then a dynamical computation model of reputation is further proposed based on the conception of trust and the relationship between trust and reputation. In the proposed model, classical varying processes of reputation of B2C e-commerce are discussed. Furthermore, the iterative trust and reputation computation models are formulated via a set of difference equations based on the closed-loop feedback mechanism. Finally, a group of numerical simulation experiments are performed to illustrate the proposed model of trust and reputation. Experimental results show that the proposed model is effective in simulating the dynamical processes of trust and reputation for B2C e-commerce

The Effect of Cultural Values on the Perceptions of Architectural Quality of Websites in E-Commerce

This research-in-progress extends studies in online commerce adoption by proposing a behavioral model that suggests that the buyer’s willingness to purchase online depends on the perceptions of the architectural quality of a website and influenced by cultural values. Building on the existing studies in e-commerce and cross-cultural research, this paper addresses the influence of cultural values at the individual level of analysis. These values include uncertainty avoidance and high- and low-context of information communication

Overcoming Language Barriers in Business-To-Consumer Electronic Service

Communication has been described as one of the determinants of service quality. However, communication is only effective when the parties involved speak the same language. This is almost impossible to achieve in Business-To-Consumer (B2C) Electronic Commerce (e-Commerce) given the diversity of languages used on the Internet. This paper seeks to explore the possibility of using current advances in technology to bridge the communication gap among entities on the Internet

Influence of national culture on website design Republic of Turkey vs the United Kingdom

In this paper the influence of cultural dimensions on website design and their design features were examined through a comparative study of Turkey and the United Kingdom. Countries were chosen due to having opposite cultural dimensions scores when compare to each other. The purpose of the study was to learn more about the design features of websites and measure the effect of cultural dimensions on them. A questionnaire (composed of three criteria each for UAI, PDI, MAS and IDV dimensions of Geert Hofstede’s cultural model) was designed to content analysis of nineteen websites (highly ranked e-commerce and non e-commerce ones) from each country and applied by five experts. The statistical significance of the results was tested by Welch t-test. Findings showed that there is significant difference in power distance and masculinity features of the websites which are in accordance with the dimension scores of the countries. On the other hand, same significance was not seen in uncertainty and collectivism features in design due to the United Kingdom reflecting the same design features as Turkey.Neste trabalho, a influência das dimensões culturais sobre o design do site e as suas características foram examinadas através de um estudo comparativo da Turquia e Reino Unido. Estes países foram escolhidos devido a estarem em polos opostos nas pontuações das dimensões culturais. O objetivo do estudo foi saber mais sobre as características de design desses sites e medir o efeito das dimensões culturais sobre eles. Um questionário (composto de três critérios para a UAI, PDI, MAS e IDV, dimensões de Geert Hofstede) foi projetado para codificar as características de design de sites (classificados em e-commerce e em não e-commerce) de cada país e aplicado por cinco especialistas. A utilização do teste t de Welch permitiu concluir que há uma diferença significativa nas características relativas a distância de poder e relativas a masculinidade dos sites que estão em concordância com os scores das dimensões dos dois países. Por outro lado, as diferenças não se mostraram significativas relativamente ao controle de incerteza e individualismo no design

Ready for Tomorrow: Demand-Side Emerging Skills for the 21st Century

As part of the Ready for the Job demand-side skill assessment, the Heldrich Center explored emerging work skills that will affect New Jersey's workforce in the next three to five years. The Heldrich Center identified five specific areas likely to generate new skill demands: biotechnology, security, e-learning, e-commerce, and food/agribusiness. This report explores the study's findings and offers recommendations for improving education and training in New Jersey

Exploring sources of competitive advantage in e-business applications: A cross-industries case study in mainland China

A review of existing literature revealed that little theoretical framework exists to capture e-business-enabled value creation through an integrated approach that includes the environmental view and resource-based view (RBV). Furthermore, little empirical research has been conducted to test these theoretical frameworks, in particular in the Chinese business context. The aim of this research is to extend the theoretical and practical understanding of e-business-enabled sources of competitive advantage (SCA) in China. The value chain (VC) concept, virtual value chain (VVC) framework and RBV were identified from the literature as the key constructs to underpin the theoretical basis. The research design used a qualitative research methodology consisting of indepth case studies of nine leading Chinese companies in three industries - housing development, manufacturing, and B2C. The principle finding is the formulation of a theoretical framework for investigating ebusiness value creations which integrates the key constructs of the VVC, online information capabilities (OIC), value system and RVB. This research also proposes a typology of five generic types of key e-business applications which states clearly the relationships between key e-business applications and SCA. Finally, this research demonstrates that e-business value creation features differently between two groups: Internet pragmatist and Internet pioneers. The research offers a number of contributions to the field of e-business value creation. Firstly, it introduces the concepts of OIC and value system to the VVC. It also provides empirical test of the analytical framework. In addition, this research provides an indepth understanding of the relationships between types of e-business applications and key SCA. Finally, this research identifies and explains the key differences and similarities between the three industries, within each industry, and between the two key groups

Integrating information and knowledge for enterprise innovation

It has widely been accepted that enterprise integration, can be a source of socio-technical and cultural problems within organisations wishing to provide a focussed end-to-end business service. This can cause possible “straitjacketing” of business process architectures, thus suppressing responsive business re-engineering and competitive advantage for some companies. Accordingly, the current typology and emergent forms of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) technologies are set in the context of understanding information and knowledge integration philosophies. As such, key influences and trends in emerging IS integration choices, for end-to-end, cost-effective and flexible knowledge integration, are examined. As touch points across and outside organisations proliferate, via work-flow and relationship management-driven value innovation, aspects of knowledge refinement and knowledge integration pose challenges to maximising the potential of innovation and sustainable success, within enterprises. This is in terms of the increasing propensity for data fragmentation and the lack of effective information management, in the light of information overload. Furthermore, the nature of IS mediation which is inherent within decision making and workflow-based business processes, provides the basis for evaluation of the effects of information and knowledge integration. Hence, the authors propose a conceptual, holistic evaluation framework which encompasses these ideas. It is thus argued that such trends, and their implications regarding enterprise IS integration to engender sustainable competitive advantage, require fundamental re-thinking

CULTURAL ISSUES IN WEBSITE DESIGN. A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

Commerce and electronic business have gained momentum in recent years. Attracted by the mirage of global markets, most companies enter the virtual environment without taking into account thecultural implications of such a step. The major question that arises at this stage of development of global trade on the Internet is if companies understand the importance of cultural factors in their actions on the global market and if we have tools, theories and models with which to carry out cultural analysis for understanding cultural environments online.electronic commerce, Internet localization, culture, marketing

Strategic Excellence in Post-Digital Ecosystems: A B2C Perspective

The basic production of the digital economy is knowledge. As it becomes more important, traditional factors like labor and capital become less so. As technological innovation changes the nature of employment, the conversion of labor to consumption becomes increasingly difficult. E-commerce is the most important driving force of the digital economy. Using technology and information networks effectively allows brands or companies to effect rapid changes in competitive markets. The emergence of neo-consumers calls for a higher order of information exchange and interaction. Companies must reasses their complete business processes in a holistic way to ensure market prominence in an economy driven by social networks and communication. This book deals with the new concepts determining the future path of the digital economy and aims at providing a new perspective to the field.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/1062/thumbnail.jp