33 research outputs found

    Development of a Cross-border Business-to-Business-to-Consumer (B2B2C) System to Enhance Enterprise Performance: A Case Study of Legend Harvest Group

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    This research focused on the efforts of Legend Harvest Group (LHG), a California startup, to realise its cross-border business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) e-commerce business opportunities. The issues identified during the research demonstrated that an operational B2B2C system is more complicated than a manually operated business-to-business (B2B) trade. The complexities of cross-border e-commerce platforms include insufficient data transparency, logistical obstacles, and Customs hurdles. LHG encountered difficulties in understanding and dealing with these obstacles. My research focused on analysing the technological, operational and organisational requirements and finding the critical elements and leverage points of adopting a new B2B2C system. I developed a platform–system–technology–human (PSTH) conceptual framework based on my literature review that served as the theoretical blueprint of this action research. I adopted a participatory action research (PAR) method and a purposeful sampling strategy to conduct an action research study. The sampling population comprised LHG’s executives, as well as board members, officers, employees, and consultants associated with the company. I applied a qualitative approach as the most suitable choice in action research study, using interviews, semi-structured discussions, and observations to collect data. This research was based on three action cycles. Each action cycle consisted of four phases: reflect, plan, act and observe. The first action cycle (AC1) focused on scanning the environment to identify the barriers preventing LHG from adopting a B2B2C system. The second action cycle (AC2) addressed the technological, operational and organisational requirements, and collaborated with a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider to implement a trial run and collect actual data. The third action cycle (AC3) involved an in-depth thematic analysis to evaluate the trial-run results and proposed an integrators network for LHG’s future B2B2C system development. Research accomplishments include initial identification of sixty-one emergent codes as barriers to LHG’s supply chain automation quest, categorisation of these codes into fifteen actionable themes, and, finally, selection of five actionable themes as critical elements to follow in adopting a B2B2C system, namely, process automation (A), SaaS adoption (S), supply chain integration (I), collaboration (C) and trust (T). From post-trial-run analysis, I recognised these five themes as the key integrators and proposed a B2B2C supply chain model to cope with the cross-border e-commerce platforms. The interdependent nature of these five integrators led to the conceptualisation of an “ASICT” network that can be used to tackle the platforms’ demands. Based on the research findings, I learned that a sustainable B2B2C system will depend not only on technology implementation such as SaaS adoption, supply chain integration and process automation, but also on human interaction such as collaboration and trust. This research concluded that these five “ASICT” integrators are critical elements, and that trust and collaboration are the key leverage points in the company’s efforts to develop a cross-border B2B2C system. The benefits projected by adopting the B2B2C system included not only reducing LHG’s transactional costs but also enhancing its enterprise performance by automating and integrating the supply chain, allowing the management to map operational efficiency with financial outcome and to transform the e-commerce supply chain into a value chain

    Towards a Service-Oriented Enterprise: The Design of a Cloud Business Integration Platform in a Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprise

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    This case study research followed the two-year transition of a medium-sized manufacturing firm towards a service-oriented enterprise. A service-oriented enterprise is an emerging architecture of the firm that leverages the paradigm of services computing to integrate the capabilities of the firm with the complementary competencies of business partners to offer customers with value-added products and services. Design science research in information systems was employed to pursue the primary design of a cloud business integration platform to enable the secondary design of multi-enterprise business processes to enable the dynamic and effective integration of business partner capabilities with those of the enterprise. The results from the study received industry acclaim for the designed solutions innovativeness and business results in the case study environment. The research makes contributions to the IT practitioner and scholarly knowledge base by providing insight into key constructs associated with service-oriented design and deployment of a cloud enterprise architecture and cloud intermediation model to achieve business results. The study demonstrated how an outside-in service-oriented architecture adoption pattern and cloud computing model enabled a medium-sized manufacturing enterprise to focus on a comprehensive approach to business partner integration and collaboration. The cloud integration platform has enabled a range of secondary designs that leveraged business services to orchestrate inter-enterprise business processes for choreography into service systems and networks for the purposes of value creation. The study results demonstrated enhanced levels of business process agility enabled by the cloud platform leading to secondary designs of transactional, differentiated, innovative, and improvisational business processes. The study provides a foundation for future scholarly research on the role of cloud integration platforms in enterprise computing and the increased importance of service-oriented secondary designs to exploit cloud platforms for sustained business performance

    Using eCommerce to Improve Product Marketing and Profitability in Nigeria

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    Small and medium enterprises in Nigeria rarely use eCommerce, which has led to lagging market shares and profitability compared to firms in other countries that use eCommerce. Approximately 90% of boutique fashion businesses shut down their businesses due to the inability to operate outside their business location. The social exchange theory was used in this multiple case study to explore how some small business owners in the boutique fashion industry use eCommerce to improve product marketing and profitability in Nigeria. The target population for this study was 5 fashion boutique owners based in Lagos State, Nigeria with a significant record of profitability by using eCommerce in product marketing. The data collection was through semistructured face-to-face interviews with 5 business leaders; each from different fashion boutiques in Lagos. Data collected was first coded to maintain confidentiality of participants, the digital recordings was transcribed into a Microsoft word document, and Nvivo 10 software was used to analyze and generate emerging themes. The data analysis was supported by methodological triangulation and member checking to enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of the interpretations. Two of the themes that emerged from the study were generating sales to improve profitability and strategic store locations. Use of eCommerce may contribute to social change through an increase in successful startups, increased employment, and the positive impact such companies have in the societies and communities they operate. Leveraging eCommerce may enable small- and medium-sized enterprise leaders to operate sustainable businesses

    'Show me the money’ : a discussion of the cryptocurrency market and its potential regulation in South Africa.

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    Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The developments of the internet and electronic communication, have created a platform that enables the trade of goods and service through the internet. This connects consumers and businesses to facilitate safe and efficient transactions. Unremitting electronic advances have also brought to light the inadequacies of the current trading system, which struggles to keep abreast with these new developments. Cryptocurrency is one such new technology creating challenges for trade and legal systems regarding confidentiality, security, legal certainty and predictability. The virtual, decentralized nature of this technology and the absence of a specific legal monitoring entity makes the application of traditional legal frameworks untenable and the enforcement of any new legal framework tenuous. For these reasons, the current regulatory status of decentralized cryptocurrencies, or digital currencies, is perplexing. The cryptocurrency platform offers a solution to developing trade issues as cryptocurrencies transcend borders and are international by design. The anonymity of cryptocurrency systems have the ability to surpass current restrictions and allow for virtually instantaneous cross border transactions thereby making it more attractive than traditional monetary systems. This offers some advantages and disadvantages as this system is not without challenges such as its potential use for criminal activities. As such, there are countries that are well ahead in regulating cryptocurrencies and have legislative and institutional frameworks in place. However, a uniform approach to the regulation of these so-called virtual currencies (which differ from the traditional monetary systems) is needed as these differing approaches by governments in their attempts to nationalise regulation, is of great concern. In particular, South Africa has a well-developed money-lending environment, institutions and legislation and it has plans to develop its current institutional and legal framework to accommodate these advances. This thesis examines the legal nature of cryptocurrency in the international electronic commerce economy and treatment by national governments. This thesis will endeavour to discover whether international harmonisation of initiatives by the major international regulatory organisation can develop a universal guideline to harness the potential of this new technology

    The University of Iowa FY 2014 Annual Economic Development Report, October 22, 2014

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    The UI economic development team met with business, economic development and community college leaders across Iowa to better understand the economic development challenges and opportunities in their respective regions

    A study of firm's behavior in the B2B e-business regime

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    Thesis (S.M.in Construction Engineering and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2002.Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-132).The economic essence of Internet-based B2B business has become an ever-important market concern after the dot-com mania collapsed in early 2001. Many theories have been developed to understand this new business pattern. Nevertheless, lots of puzzles remained unsolved. So far, even whether B2B e-business is a temporary phenomenon; or is it just the extension of the old VAN-EDI system is still under debate. This research tries to answer some of the most fundamental questions of why and how companies adopt e-business application by studying the e-business fast mover's behaviors in the following three domains: the initiative for firm to adopt e-business, the business model and strategy developed to leverage Internet-based network system, and the barriers to implementing e-business practice. (1) The initiative for firm to adopt B2B e-business: the improvement of economic efficiency is used to measure firm's incentive in adopting E-business. Internet-based business tends to reduce production and distribution cost; and increases market transparency. It is argued that benefits from lowered cost are offset by buyer's higher bargaining power. Nevertheless, study shows that market power is critical as advanced computation capacity improves firm's ability to detect buyer's behavior, firms with larger market power have access to better quality data and gain substantial edge over smaller competitors. (2) The business models and strategy developed by firms to leverage e-business: Strategies of existing large firms are to pay their suppliers to link to their system in order to leverage the reduced production cost. They can, however, increase revenue by improving IT-based marketing and service quality. Small firm's strategy is to link their system with large firm's interface to gain competitive advantage over rivals. Start-up's strategy has been to reinforcing network externality to gain market share as markups are thin. The new trend for start-ups will be to differentiate their functionability and create new value-added for production firms. (3) The barriers for firms to adopt e-business: In the industry level, major barriers including fragmented market structure, unstandardized product and production process. In the firm level, the major barriers including organization and culture restructuring, interoperability between ebusiness application and with legacy system, lack of qualified personnel and knowledge, and the interoperability with complementary companies.by I-Tsung Tsai.S.M.in Construction Engineering and Managemen

    Exploring supply chain finance as an instrument for enabling logistics service providers to upgrade their service offerings

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    Due to high levels of competition (CMP) and diminishing returns in the traditional transportation and warehousing services, logistics service providers (LSPs) are differentiating themselves by providing value-added services (for competitive advantage) to supply chain members. By exploiting their visibility and control of physical and information flows (IFLs) in the supply chains, LSPs have tapped into the supply chain finance (SCF) market. SCF as a value-added service extends the scope of LSPs’ service offerings by integration and control of physical, information and financial flows (FFLs) across the supply chain. This facilitates the reduction of financial risk in supply chains by improving the collaborative cash-to-cash (C2C) cycle and working capital of the supply chain members. The two major research streams associated with SCF are financial supply chain management (FSCM) and trade credit. FSCM mainly focuses on the supplier-buyer relationships and the FFL while trade credit emphasises the short-term financing enabling the cash flow management that is fundamental to SCF. The existing studies in the literature provide insights into the SCF services, their mechanisms and ‘enablers and inhibitors’ for SCF adoption but a comprehensive understanding of the capabilities required by a particular supply chain member, such as an LSP, to offer SCF service offerings as a part of their service portfolio is still missing. In order to properly design and develop SCF service offerings, LSPs should be supported by a comprehensive theoretical knowledge pertaining to their capabilities. The provision of offering SCF services is associated with the new service offerings discussed in the strategic management literature, which emphasises the need for renewed skills, processes and routines developed within the frame of operations (operational capabilities) to offer new services. As the operational capabilities draw on the resources, the development of an adequate resources base by obtaining, reconfiguring, integrating and releasing of the resources (dynamic capabilities process) plays a crucial role in offering new services such as SCF. In this context, the strategic management literature provides an opportunity to carry xxviii out empirical research that identifies all the relevant characteristics, contextual factors and capabilities that might lead LSPs to offer SCF services. Keeping this in view and to explore this prospect, the purpose of this thesis is to identify LSPs’ capabilities and associated mechanisms necessary to offer SCF services. The research design that was developed to address this opportunity is a case-based approach with four embedded units of analysis. This provides the opportunity to look for literal replication of the guiding principles that underpin the capabilities an LSP can leverage to extend its service provision to SCF services. The research concludes that the interrelationships between the dynamic capabilities process and its antecedents, generic operational capabilities of LSPs and SCF adoption capabilities, provide a mechanism to understand the LSPs’ capabilities required to offer SCF services. Subsequently, the thesis contributes to theory and practice by developing a conceptual framework that can be used by researchers to extend the horizons of new service development such as SCF services and by practitioners to evaluate their firms’ (LSPs) capabilities to extend their service portfolio to offer SCF services

    The determinants of behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking among university students

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    This study examined the behavioural intention and determinants to adopt mobile banking services among university students in Malaysia. In line with the objectives of the study the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model was utilised to investigate and explain the relationship between performance expectancy; effort expectancy; social influence; perceived financial costs and perceived risk on behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking among the undergraduates. Besides, the moderating effect of prior internet banking experience on behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking services was also being examined. Quantitative approach using self administered survey questionnaires was adopted. A total of 220 usable responses were received from university students in Malaysia which accounted to a 55% response rate. A combination of SPSS and the PLS-SEM methods were used to analyse the collected data. The findings indicated significant relationships between performance expectancy; social influence; perceived financial costs; perceived risk and the behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking services among university students in Malaysia. Effort expectancy on the other hand had no significant relationship to the adoption of mobile banking among the university students. This research also provided evidence that prior internet banking experience among the same consumers had a moderating effect on the relationship between social influence and behavioural intention to adopt mobile banking services. The implications based on the findings of this study for financial institutions such as banks would be able to better reconfigure and realign their policies and plans when seeking to promote mobile banking services to their clients in the future. Towards this end, the methodological limitations and potential avenues for future research were also identified and hitherto explained
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