Automated Trading System

This is a final report which is part of the dissertation for the Master course Computation Finance. The title of this dissertation is “Automated Trading System”. As the name explains itself, this project is about building an automated trading system which employs the statistical arbitrage trading algorithm. In general, the project contains a mixture of computer science and quantitative finance. For the purpose of simplicity, the system is designed with a simple user interface and streamlined business logic compare to a real world commercial trading system. The purpose of building this system is to build a starting point so that having a profitable trading algorithm implemented into the system will increase the probability of having a profitable trading system. The build phase of the project utilises Visual C++ programming language within the .NET framework

Evaluating trust in electronic commerce : a study based on the information provided on merchants' websites

Lack of trust has been identified as a major problem hampering the growth of Electronic Commerce (EC). It is reported by many studies that a large number of online shoppers abandon their transactions because they do not trust the website when they are asked to provide personal information. To support trust, we developed an information framework model based on research on EC trust. The model is based on the information a consumer expects to find on an EC website and that is shown from the literature to increase his/her trust towards online merchants. An information extraction system is then developed to help the user find this information. In this paper, we present the development of the information extraction system and its evaluation. This is then followed by a study looking at the use of the identified variables on a sample of EC websites

A Universalist strategy for the design of Assistive Technology

Assistive Technologies are specialized products aiming to partly compensate for the loss of autonomy experienced by disabled people. Because they address special needs in a highly-segmented market, they are often considered as niche products. To improve their design and make them tend to Universality, we propose the EMFASIS framework (Extended Modularity, Functional Accessibility, and Social Integration Strategy). We first elaborate on how this strategy conciliates niche and Universalist views, which may appear conflicting at first sight. We then present three examples illustrating its application for designing Assistive Technologies: the design of an overbed table, an upper-limb powered orthose and a powered wheelchair. We conclude on the expected outcomes of our strategy for the social integration and participation of disabled people

Automated Trading System

This is a final report which is part of the dissertation for the Master course Computation Finance. The title of this dissertation is “Automated Trading System”. As the name explains itself, this project is about building an automated trading system which employs the statistical arbitrage trading algorithm. In general, the project contains a mixture of computer science and quantitative finance. For the purpose of simplicity, the system is designed with a simple user interface and streamlined business logic compare to a real world commercial trading system. The purpose of building this system is to build a starting point so that having a profitable trading algorithm implemented into the system will increase the probability of having a profitable trading system. The build phase of the project utilises Visual C++ programming language within the .NET framework

Critical review of the e-loyalty literature: a purchase-centred framework

Over the last few years, the concept of online loyalty has been examined extensively in the literature, and it remains a topic of constant inquiry for both academics and marketing managers. The tremendous development of the Internet for both marketing and e-commerce settings, in conjunction with the growing desire of consumers to purchase online, has promoted two main outcomes: (a) increasing numbers of Business-to-Customer companies running businesses online and (b) the development of a variety of different e-loyalty research models. However, current research lacks a systematic review of the literature that provides a general conceptual framework on e-loyalty, which would help managers to understand their customers better, to take advantage of industry-related factors, and to improve their service quality. The present study is an attempt to critically synthesize results from multiple empirical studies on e-loyalty. Our findings illustrate that 62 instruments for measuring e-loyalty are currently in use, influenced predominantly by Zeithaml et al. (J Marketing. 1996;60(2):31-46) and Oliver (1997; Satisfaction: a behavioral perspective on the consumer. New York: McGraw Hill). Additionally, we propose a new general conceptual framework, which leads to antecedents dividing e-loyalty on the basis of the action of purchase into pre-purchase, during-purchase and after-purchase factors. To conclude, a number of managerial implementations are suggested in order to help marketing managers increase their customers’ e-loyalty by making crucial changes in each purchase stage

Commodity Futures Contract Viability: A Multidisciplinary Approach

We propose a development process of commodity futures contracts in which the decisions and wishes of potential customers are investigated simultaneously with the necessary technical properties that need to be met for trading to take place. Within this framework the relationship between trading volume and hedging effectiveness is examined taking both basis risk and market depth risk into account, and the relationship between owner-manager's characteristics and the probability of using futures is examined, taking latent variables and the heterogeneity of owner-managers into account. The relationships are tested on a set of data gathered in a stratified sample of 440 owner-managers by means of computer-assisted personal interviews and on transaction-specific futures data. Structural equation models and multiple regression models are used to validate the relationships. The hedging effectiveness and the variables that play a role in the owner-manager's use of futures are related to the tools of the exchange.Futures Contracts Design; Multidisciplinarity; Hedging Effectiveness; Choice Behavior; Measurement Error; Segments; Futures Exchange Toolbox

Online consumer motivation Towards an understanding of A priori motivations in ecommerce interactions

This dissertation is broken into three essays that focus on how a priori motivation can play an important role in ecommerce outcomes. The first essay theoretically develops the online consumer motivation construct. Online consumer motivation provides a clearing house for how a user's individual characteristics and the task at hand will influence perceptions of technology presentation. Further, it is proposed that by offering a Web site interface that is congruent with the user's online consumer motivation, Web site utilization and task performance will improve. In addition to the conceptual model, several propositions predict the interplay of key constructs. The paper concludes with a prescriptive protocol for testing the proposed theory as well as for guiding the design of ecommerce Web sites. The second essay focuses on conceptualizing and developing an instrument for online consumer motivation. Specifically, this essay identifies the important extant literature in both psychology and an information system then can be extended to provide grounds for online consumer motivation. The second essay uses two laboratory experiments to validate the scales used to measure online consumer motivations. The third and final essay uses Task-Technology Fit theory to posit a temporal view of online consumer motivation (i.e., why a user has chosen to visit a particular Web site at a given time) that can inform Web site design. This includes one laboratory experiment and one survey study to provide: 1) empirical evidence if the existence of online consumer motivation, 2) the affect of online consumer motivation on ecommerce outcomes and 3) a future stream of research. By first offering a theoretical development of online consumer motivation, followed by the instrument development and then the empirical instantiation, this dissertation hope to not only inform research but also provide guidance to ecommerce practitioners

The effect of Web interface features on consumer online shopping intentions

Amid the storm of hype over Internet adoption, it is observed that during the past years, organizations have taken considerable interest in eagerly acquiring computer hardware and software to implement electronic commerce (e-commerce) applications mostly to the detriment of human aspects of the information technology (IT) solutions (Freemantle, 2002; Lockwood & Lamp, 2000). Various Internet technologies, mostly the Web, have been implemented to offer online goods and services. Many credible estimates suggest that Internet buying and selling will account for close to $2 trillion of annual economic activity by 2004 (Citrin et al., 2003; Fry, 2000). While the promise of the Internet has become a reality many businesses cannot afford to ignore, use of this medium for communication and information has not been matched by its equivalent use for shopping (Citrin et al., 2003). Most notable are Web design problems that frustrate consumers\u27 online exchange activities (A. T. Kearney, 2000). This study proposes that features incorporated in the design of Web site interfaces can affect consumer online behavioral intentions to purchase and revisit. The study draws upon theories and prior studies in the fields of management, consumer behavior, management information systems, and related disciplines to address the research question of whether and how Web site interface design features determine online consumers\u27 perceptions, attitudes, flow experienced, and their online purchase and revisit intentions. Using data from a sample of 266 online consumers, the “best fit” structural model was selected among three a priori structural models. Results of the study confirmed most of the relationships hypothesized in the research model. It was found that, indeed, different categories of interface features have different influence levels on consumers\u27 perceptions. Whereas motivator factor was significantly related to the perceived informativeness, entertainment, and irritation; hygiene factor indicated significant relationships with only irritation. The study also found statistically significant support for the relationships between most of the perceptual variables and perceived usefulness of the site as well attitude toward the site. The role of flow experienced in determining purchase and revisit intentions received statistically significant support. Overall, the results of this study provide important insights into the online consumer experience, with implications for academic research and e-commerce systems design