Critical success factors for business-to-commerce E-business : lessons from Amazon and Dell

Thesis (S.M.M.O.T.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Management of Technology Program, 2000.Includes bibliographical references.The Internet has becoming an increasingly important channel for both business-to-consumer and business-to-business e-commerce. It has changed the way many companies do business. Every day, more and more companies worldwide are being linked electronically. But the success rate in terms of profitability for these startups is low. This thesis focuses on business-to-consumer aspect of e-commerce. My research is to study the models from a set of online merchants and see how these companies translate their companies' e-business vision into reality. What are the critical factors these online merchants considered as they transform their companies into an e-commerce? This thesis identifies the key success factors of this technology strategy and model as well as helps understanding to what extent this success can be replicated in other markets and industries. Through detailed case studies on Amazon and Dell, we will analyze their strategies and identify the success factors that make them unique to thrive on this competitive landscape of the Digital Economy.by Le Kha.S.M.M.O.T

The Impact of Web Site Design on Consumer Loyalty in Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Internet Commerce: A Rhetorical Approach

With an enormous multitude of potential consumers globally, the Internet offers an opportunity that merchants have never before seen. Corporate giants to small businesses considered investments of large amounts of time, money, resources, man-hours, and venture capital a wise decision when considering the potential return-on-investment (ROI) of the Internet boom of the early to mid 1990\u27s. However, electronic commerce has experienced the meteoric rise and subsequent crash of any behemoth entity cast aloft without moorings or foundation. When millions of dollars were lost, experts emerged &om the ashes and attempted to develop new paradigms designed to explain the failure, redirect the quickly amassed skills and resources previously applied, and stem the exit of great numbers of commercial entities from the Internet and a virtual economy . An important issue related to Internet commerce is what factors would facilitate customer loyalty to a Web site. An effective Web site design could be one of the ways to a company success. Using the previously unapplied concepts of logos, pathos, and ethos to electronic commerce as found in the research taxonomy of Winn and Beck\u27s studies (2002), this research composes a theoretical framework for further investigate the interaction between the customer and the Web site design in Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Internet commerce. The research design employed a quantitative method approach using 36 closed-ended questions, plus one open-ended question on the survey instrument. A survey questionnaire with a closed-ended 1 to 9 Likert scale was used to ask respondents the extent to which they disagree or agree (1 = very strongly disagree, 5 = neither agree nor disagree, 9 = very strongly agree). Data was collected in a period of four months from September to December of 2003. A sample using a Web survey in U.S. was obtained with an N count of 307 (154 males and 153 females). Collected data were analyzed by SPSS Windows Version 11.0. A total of five different statistical analyses were employed in this study. They are descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, independent-samples t Test analysis, one-way ANOVA analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Rhetorical design is concerned with modification of the consumer\u27s attitude toward the site. The regression results support the inference of rhetorical elements (logos, pathos, and ethos) and consumer loyalty relationship. This research provides a crucial finding facilitate the development of Internet commerce in persuasive discourse. Results of this study indicated that the more rhetorical elements that online sellers can offer through the visual display of Web sites, the more interested the consumers will be to frequently visit, make repeated purchases or service, and do word-of-mouth referrals to the same Web site. The outcomes of the study will help marketers and Web designers to create the most persuasive site environment for online shoppers. Web sites that operate on the basis of rational, emotional, and credible ways will have best chances to win consumers\u27 hearts

History of Construction Cultures Volume 1

History of Construction Cultures Volume 1 contains papers presented at the 7ICCH – Seventh International Congress on Construction History, held at the Lisbon School of Architecture, Portugal, from 12 to 16 July, 2021. The conference has been organized by the Lisbon School of Architecture (FAUL), NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Portuguese Society for Construction History Studies and the University of the Azores. The contributions cover the wide interdisciplinary spectrum of Construction History and consist on the most recent advances in theory and practical case studies analysis, following themes such as: - epistemological issues; - building actors; - building materials; - building machines, tools and equipment; - construction processes; - building services and techniques ; -structural theory and analysis ; - political, social and economic aspects; - knowledge transfer and cultural translation of construction cultures. Furthermore, papers presented at thematic sessions aim at covering important problematics, historical periods and different regions of the globe, opening new directions for Construction History research. We are what we build and how we build; thus, the study of Construction History is now more than ever at the centre of current debates as to the shape of a sustainable future for humankind. Therefore, History of Construction Cultures is a critical and indispensable work to expand our understanding of the ways in which everyday building activities have been perceived and experienced in different cultures, from ancient times to our century and all over the world

The search for hybrid tectonics in contemporary African architecture: encounters between the global and the local

This thesis is based on the proposition that there is an emerging phenomenon of tectonic hybridisation in contemporary architecture in Africa where global and local ways of making are being combined. A growing awareness of this tendency was informed by an extended period of practicing, teaching, and re - searching architectural technology in Africa. I embarked on a directed search for examples that demonstrate this, but I soon realised that they are shaped by ongoing tectonic transitions that highlight the encounters between techno and technē, between the global and the local, and between the global North and the global South. These binaries can and should be contested, and this study seeks to understand the underpinnings and tectonic strategies of buildings that demonstrate evidence of this contestation. The phenomenon of tectonic hybridisation was interrogated as a case study using mixed methods consisting of literature reviews, the identification, investigation and cataloguing of works, and the analysis of key projects through primary sources and visual research methods. The literature review explored different positions related to technē, technology and tectonics, and consid - ered theories that range from Bhabha's reading of hybridisation to Frampton, Lefaivre and Tzonis' development of Critical Regionalism. In parallel, a cata - logue of buildings that exhibit a tendency towards hybridisation was produced and developed into an open access website. Subsequent analysis of this un - covered common strategies across projects which could be located within the spectrum of global and local tectonics. Further examination revealed buildings that share similar tectonic strategies, which often coalesce into constellations, and key projects within these were identified for more detailed investigation. Data was gathered through personal interviews with the architects, site visits, seminars, additional literature review, and in some instances, through co-pro - duction. The data was then analysed further through cross-comparison in the form of tables, discursive textual comparison, and visual research methods. As a result of these investigations, a significant number of works that signal a shift towards hybridisation are revealed. Further analysis clarifies their tectonic strategies, their ethical underpinnings, and how they relate to this transitional shift. A set of criteria is proposed as a measure for recognising, studying, and evaluating contemporary architecture in Africa. The prospect of this work is to extend the field into the further investigation of hybrid tectonics

Transformation theory and e-commerce adoption

This thesis investigates business transformation on the Internet; particularly the nature and significance of Cyber transformation theory and the Marketspace Model as a framework for E-commerce adoption. E-commerce can raise a firm\u27s productivity, transform customer relationships and open up new markets. The extent to which nations become adopters of E-commerce is set to become a source of comparative national competitive advantage (or disadvantage) in the twenty first century

History of Restoration in Iran: Origins and Developments from 1900 to 1978

This thesis tends to study the origins and developments of the restoration in Iran from its very first moments till the Islamic revolution of 1978. The thesis is its first study of its kind. While almost all recent occidental ideologies regarding the thematic of restoration and conservation of historic monuments are translated and published in Iran, very little efforts have been done regarding the study of the origins of the formation of restoration in the country. The diversity of Iranian contexts, multiplicity of the intervening factors and other factors characterized a different background for the raise and developments of restoration in the country; in the thesis the influencing and characterizing factors in the formation and development of restoration in Iran will be defined and studied in detail with relative examples; due to the complexity of the Iranian context and in order to consider all influencing and characterizing factors the thesis, parallel to have formation and development of restoration, as the main scope of the research, the developments influencing factors will be confronted with necessary flashbacks to the main theme, when and where necessary. A great care will be given to the period of the activity of the restoration experts of IsMEO which is thesis will be called as the period of the introduction of the modern principles of restoration into Iranian context; the fundamental ideologies, practical and theoretical principles of IsMEO will be identified and studied in details; important case of studies of the restoration of IsMEO will be analyzed in details and the innovative aspect of the presence of Italian experts of IsMEO will be revealed

Strategies for E-Commerce Platform Adoption in the Manufacturing Sector in Western India

While 95% of Indian SME leaders have not adopted an e-commerce platform, the few SME leaders having adopted such platforms reported 64% higher sales and 65% higher profits. The purpose of this multi-case study, guided by the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, was to explore the strategies that Indian SME leaders used to adopt e-commerce platforms to expand their businesses. Data for this study emerged from conducting face-to-face, semistructured interviews with 3 SME leaders who operated in the manufacturing industry in western India. The data analysis process included validating, coding, interpreting, and summarizing data and generating themes. Methodological triangulation of data obtained from interviews, observations, and document review resulted in 4 major themes: leveraging the marketplace model, dealing with tedious governmental requirements, finding well-trained employees, and handling fraudulent product returns. The study results may contribute to positive social change in western India by generating greater employment opportunities and increasing e-commerce literacy among online shoppers. Wider e-commerce adoption by SME leaders can generate a large number of employment opportunities for people living in western India resulting in a better quality of life. Increased use of e-commerce activities among online shoppers can result in higher awareness about online frauds, identity theft, malware threats, and overall online security

Implications of express delivery business modelling in the last mile industry

The more successfully the Last Mile Logistics (LML) industry delivers its service, the greater the chance of delivering the Customer Promise for retailers. The motivation for this research was, to better understand the expectations and demands of online customers and the effect thereof on the LML provision. Previous research has sought to apply an understanding of business and operational models to the home delivery service, including vehicle route optimisation and delivery innovation (Perboli, et al., 2018). The LML industry is complicated, somewhat illstructured, relying on multiple and cross-functional approaches that must often be changed with immediate effect, subsequently destabilising the delivery provision. This research addresses the “Implications of express delivery business modelling in the last mile industry” arising from an initial study. This research critically examines key business models as well as the overall governance of the UK LML industry. It then goes onto develop an LML business model. This research addresses the complexity of the end customers’ experiences, recognising the impact of technology, that supports the online customer and its effects on the LML industry. The research identifies a solution for a more efficient LML Express industry business model based on Parmentier and Gandia’s (2017) multi-sided platform model. In 2015, an industry roundtable discussion focus group raised issues affecting the LML industry. A five-year longitudinal last mile delivery survey followed, with an in-depth company study of one leading UK LML and one-to-one interviews with eight leading LML professionals. The results establish significant themes regarding delivery for the customer, and LML delivery service industry. Throughout the research, the reliability of current LML business models and practices were identified. Analysis showed a lack of confidence implementing rigid business models in multi-channel and directional flow of demand, in a fluid marketplace. The research conclusion highlights need to engage with a multi-sided platform business model, incorporating technology, within the customer demand chain. This research provides a solution in the form of a business model platform, that might be used by an LML across the whole or part of the business