BEYOND INSTITUTION-BASED TRUST: BUILDING EFFECTIVE ONLINE MARKETPLACES WITH SOCIAL MECHANISMS

Researchers have devoted considerable efforts to design effective online marketplaces, especially with respect to the institutional structures believed to establish buyer trust in the community of sellers. Comparatively speaking, the effectiveness of social mechanisms, although practically evidenced as important, has received much less attention in e-commerce research. In the current study we explore the contribution of social mechanisms–specifically IT-enabled instant messaging, the message box, online community and informal coalition programme–to effective online marketplaces. We propose that these mechanisms facilitate social relationships and trust building processes during transactions, in addition to the existing institutional structures. When consumerto- consumer (C2C) transactions are considered risky, the buyer-seller social relationship is more critical for buyers when forming their transaction intentions. The research model is largely supported by a pilot study of 104 buyers of TaoBao.com, China’s C2C leading marketplace. We discuss the findings, implications, and our preparations for a large-scale study

Proceedings of RSEEM 2006 : 13th Research Symposium on Emerging Electronic Markets

Electronic markets have been a prominent topic of research for the past decade. Moreover, we have seen the rise but also the disappearance of many electronic marketplaces in practice. Today, electronic markets are a firm component of inter-organisational exchanges and can be observed in many branches. The Research Symposium on Emerging Electronic Markets is an annual conference bringing together researchers working on various topics concerning electronic markets in research and practice. The focus theme of the13th Research Symposium on Emerging Electronic Markets (RSEEM 2006) was ?Evolution in Electronic Markets?. Looking back at more than 10 years of research activities in electronic markets, the evolution can be well observed. While electronic commerce activities were based largely on catalogue-based shopping, there are now many examples that go beyond pure catalogues. For example, dynamic and flexible electronic transactions such as electronic negotiations and electronic auctions are enabled. Negotiations and auctions are the basis for inter-organisational trade exchanges about services as well as products. Mass customisation opens up new opportunities for electronic markets. Multichannel electronic commerce represents today?s various requirements posed on information and communication technology as well as on organisational structures. In recent years, service-oriented architectures of electronic markets have enabled ICT infrastructures for supporting flexible e-commerce and e-market solutions. RSEEM 2006 was held at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany in September 2006. The proceedings show a variety of approaches and include the selected 8 research papers. The contributions cover the focus theme through conceptual models and systems design, application scenarios as well as evaluation research approaches

Understanding eINVs through the lens of prior research in entrepreneurship, international business and international entrepreneurship

In this chapter we examine the growing phenomenon of internet-based international new ventures, which we label “eINVS,” through the lens of previous research in the fields of entre- preneurship, international business and international entrepreneurship. Our purpose is to iden- tify where these existing bodies of research help us to understand eINVs, and where there are gaps that constitute important questions for future research. We define an eINV by adapting a widely used definition of international new ventures (INV) (Oviatt and McDougall 2005: 5): an eINV is a venture whose business model is enabled by a digital platform and that, from incep- tion, seeks to derive significant competitive advantage from international growth. With a focus explicitly on how extant research helps us understand eINVs, this review differs from that of Reuber and Fischer (2011b), who focus on firm-level internet-related resources that are related to the internationalization of ventures in general; that of Pezderka and Sinkovics (2011), who focus on risk and the online foreign market entry decisions of small and medium-sized enter- prises (SMEs); and that of Chandra and Coviello (2010), who focus on consumers using the internet to pursue international opportunities

Leveraging Rich Communication Tools: Evidence of Online Trust and Guanxi in China

Driven by the evolution of consumer-to-consumer (C2C) online marketplaces, we examine the role of communication tools (i.e., an instant messenger, internal message box and a feedback system), in facilitating dyadic online transactions in the Chinese C2C marketplace. Integrating the Chinese concept of guanxi with theories of social translucence and social presence, we introduce a structural model that explains how rich communication tools influence a website’s interactivity and presence, subsequently building trust and guanxi among buyers and sellers, and ultimately predicting buyers’ repurchase intentions. The data collected from 185 buyers in TaoBao, China’s leading C2C online marketplace, strongly support the proposed model. We believe that this research is the first formal study to show evidence of guanxi in online C2C marketplaces, and it is attributed to the role of communication tools to enhance a website’s interactivity and presence

Models of Innovation in Global ICT Firms: The Emerging Global Innnovation Ecosystems

This report focuses on the changing models of innovation adopted by some of the largest and most innovative global ICT companies in the world, including Apple, BT, Google, Microsoft, Skype, Telefonica and Vodafone. One of the main contributions of this report is to demonstrate that in order to understand these innovation models, it is necessary, at the same time to understand the dynamics of innovation at sector level. Beginning with an analysis of the innovation process in the ICT ecosystem, the author drills down into the company global innovation ecosystems that have been created by these global companies. In addition he explores some of the implications that proliferating company global innovation ecosystems have for government policy. He concludes that whilst innovation is changing the world, changing global circumstances are in turn transforming the innovation model in companies, both large and small, around the world.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Utilizing The Internet To Facilitate Classroom Learning

Traditional theories on classroom learning focus on fixed curriculum, static learning tools and believe learning is achieved through repetition and rote memorization. The instructor’s role in a traditional learning environment focuses on providing direction to the student versus facilitating learning. As the technology age becomes more prevalent in educational institutions, it is time to approach teaching and learning from a technological point of view.  Due to the extensive and diverse technologies available to higher education institutions, many are considering and implementing initiatives to take advantage of the coverage and the return on investment features of these technologies. This adaptation often involves the use of multimedia and the transfer of course content over the Internet.  A detailed look at applications on the Internet can identify multimedia items, such as animation, slideshows, announcements, blogging and even instant messaging, which can be implemented successfully in the college classroom. Multimedia, which uses the Internet as its transfer mechanism, should be a consideration when designing an effective and dynamic college classroom experience

Platform economy. Impact of the pricing strategy on the platform network effects.

The platform business model has brought the success in many of today’s biggest, fastest-growing and most powerfully disruptive companies. The experimental Master Thesis aims to investigate understanding the components of the platforms; their network models, how to build safe network effects and what are the possible applied pricing strategies, each one’s impacts on the user base. Another crucial point in research dedicated to chicken-or-egg problem

Skeptics of the Screen: Irish Perceptions of Online Dispute Resolution

This paper captures current trends in Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and its potential use in Ireland by analyzing Irish practitioners’ current attitudes and awareness of ODR. Ultimately, this work provides the groundwork for future research into Ireland’s use of ODR. This exploratory research will hopefully guide researchers in understanding ODR’s users and consumption. Data collection came from an online questionnaire sent to practitioners in the field of conflict intervention in Ireland who reported their experiences and perspectives of ODR. One hundred and twenty-four (124) surveys were used in this analysis. These questionnaires produced both quantitative and qualitative data. Approximately 900 people were asked to complete the survey. The author found surveyed participants were skeptical regarding ODR with very few actually using online technologies to aid in resolving disputes. A popular sentiment among participating practitioners felt ODR was not better than face-to-face meetings yet thought it was worth exploring further. Finally, the author found that those who had heard of ODR are more likely to believe they could assist parties in reaching a settlement entirely using video technology