Experimenting a Modeling Approach for Designing Organization's Strategies in the Context of Strategic Alignment

National audienceAligning information systems (IS) to businesses hasrecently become a top-level concern in organizations.Several activities can be undertaken to deal withstrategic alignment: elaboration of key indicators,target definition, monitoring, analysis, impactpropagation etc. Working on strategic alignment, orcorrespondence between business and IS, requires torepresent and document these two elements. Indeed,documenting strategy is necessary to evaluate the ISability to satisfy the fundamental requirements oforganizations. Different works have demonstrated thatevaluating, documenting and analyzing IS alignmentcalls for modeling the elements to align. In the contextof strategic alignment, the problem is that there arevery few modeling techniques available to documentorganizations' strategic objectives with the level offormality needed to achieve this task. Within these few,even fewer are compatible with the ones used to defineIS functionalities. This paper explores the usability ofa goal modeling technique, already used in ISengineering, to model organization's strategy and tofacilitate strategic alignment analysis. An applicationexample is given, based on the well-known SevenEleven Japan case study

Virtual store atmosphere in internet retailing: Measuring virtual retail store layout effects on consumer buying behaviour

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The research presented in this dissertation is concerned with the effects of the "virtual store atmosphere" on consumer buying behaviour within the context of Internet retailing. More specifically, the focus of this research is to investigate whether the virtual store layout, as a major virtual store atmosphere determinant, affects consumer buying behaviour during shopping activity within a virtual grocery store over the Web. The present research is of a multidisciplinary nature and belongs to the field of Internet Retailing, in which there is not to date an exhaustive established theory available as the case is for conventional retailing. Therefore, the relevant literature covers the established theories in the areas of Marketing, Retailing and Consumer Behaviour along with current research in Internet retailing. Moreover, Human Computer Interaction (HCI) served as an important theoretical tool as far as Web site design principles and guidelines are concerned. The research hypotheses were mainly generated based on the conventional retail store layout literature review. They were tested through a laboratory experiment employing a causal research approach. To that end, a virtual retail laboratory store employing the three most common conventional retailing layouts (i.e., grid, freeform, and racetrack) was developed in three versions (i.e., one version per layout), following the concept and rules applied in each specific layout type. Therefore, the layout was the only manipulated variable (treatment), since all other potential influencing factors remained the same. The findings of the present study indicate that conventional retailing store layout theory is not applicable on its present form in the context of Internet retailing. Furthermore, the layout was found to affect consumer buying behaviour regarding "perceived usefulness towards searching for and buying shopping list products," "perceived ease of using the store," "perceived entertainment during shopping activity" and "time spent for shopping." However, it was found that the layout does not significantly affect "promotion effectiveness" and "impulse purchases." Based on the research findings, the "freegrid" layout (i.e., a new layout type) was introduced as an emerging layout for Internet retailing. The suggested layout contributes toward the Internet retailing theory development, as well as toward the provision of direct managerial implications. Finally, the present research provides several future research directions dealing with the virtual store atmosphere effects on consumer buying behaviour

From supply chains to demand networks. Agents in retailing: the electrical bazaar

A paradigm shift is taking place in logistics. The focus is changing from operational effectiveness to adaptation. Supply Chains will develop into networks that will adapt to consumer demand in almost real time. Time to market, capacity of adaptation and enrichment of customer experience seem to be the key elements of this new paradigm. In this environment emerging technologies like RFID (Radio Frequency ID), Intelligent Products and the Internet, are triggering a reconsideration of methods, procedures and goals. We present a Multiagent System framework specialized in retail that addresses these changes with the use of rational agents and takes advantages of the new market opportunities. Like in an old bazaar, agents able to learn, cooperate, take advantage of gossip and distinguish between collaborators and competitors, have the ability to adapt, learn and react to a changing environment better than any other structure. Keywords: Supply Chains, Distributed Artificial Intelligence, Multiagent System.Postprint (published version

Will they buy?

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-137).The proliferation of inexpensive video recording hardware and enormous storage capacity has enabled the collection of retail customer behavior at an unprecedented scale. The vast majority of this data is used for theft prevention and never used to better understand the customer. In what ways can this huge corpus be leveraged to improve the experience of customer and the performance of the store? This thesis presents MIMIC, a system that processes video captured in a retail store into predictions about customer proclivity to purchase. MIMIC relies on the observation that aggregate patterns of all of a store's patrons-the gestalt-captures behavior indicative of an imminent transaction. Video is distilled into a homogenous feature vector that captures the activity distribution by first tracking the locations of customers, then discretizing their movements into a feature vector using a collection of functional locations-areas of the store relevant to the tasks of patrons and employees. A time series of these feature vectors can then be classified as predictive-of-transaction using a Hidden Markov Model. MIMIc is evaluated on a small operational retail store located in the Mall of America near Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its performance is characterized across a wide cross-section of the model's parameters. Through manipulation of the training data supplied to MiMic, the behavior of customers in the store can be examined at fine levels of detail without foregoing the potential afforded by big data. MIMIC enables a suite of valuable tools. For ethnographic researchers, it offers a technique for identifying key moments in hundreds or thousands of hours of raw video. Retail managers gain a fine-grained metric to evaluate the performance of their stores, and interior designers acquire a critical component in a store layout optimization framework.by Rony Daniel Kubat.Ph.D

The relationship between return service recovery and purchase intention of consumers in online shopping

Online shopping has become part of people's life. The growing importance of the e-commerce, requires adequate attention to the recovery of online return service. Service failure can occur due to the difficulties in having a face-to-face contact delivery and the immateriality and intangibility characteristics of the service. Although the large literature on return policy, there is a lack in understanding the perceived value of the relationship between return policy and others factors. This study aims to deeper this understanding, as well to develop a return service and service recovery framework based on customers' perspective. To accurately verify the suggested conceptual model, a survey was conducted to the customers of the Chinese biggest online stores (Taobao and Jingdong) who had experienced return. The selected customers profile include an high degree education and more than one-year online shopping experience, in order to guarantee that the customers have return experience and know return policy well. This thesis uses SPSS version 20.0 to conduct descriptive statistics and uses SmartPLS2.0 to carry out the structural equation modeling analysis, validity analysis and path analysis to verify and ultimately determine the model of the relationships of the constructs, namely the online return service recovery and customers' purchase intention in online shopping. Based on the empirical research results, this thesis puts forward recommendations for improving consumer's willingness to purchase in terms of return service recovery, trust, perceived value, and customers' participation. Also proposes that the return service recovery in online shopping needs the participation of e-retailers and customers to work together to maximize its significance and value.Comprar "online" é parte da vida. A crescente importância do "e-commerce", obriga a uma atenção adequada à recuperação de serviço de devolução "online". A falha na prestação do serviço pode ocorrer devido á dificuldade da prestação de serviço face a face, bem como às características de imaterialidade e de intangibilidade do serviço. Apesar da elevada literaturana política de devolução, ainda não se compreende o valor percebido da relação entre a política de devolução e os fatores do seu contexto. Este estudo pretende aprofundar este conhecimento, bem como desenvolver um modelo conceptual do serviço de devolução na perspetiva do cliente. A fim de testar o modelo conceptual proposto, foi conduzido um inquérito aos clientes das maiores lojas "online" Chinesas (TaobaoandJingdong), que tinham feito devolução. O perfil dos entrevistados inclui qualificação académica de nível superior e ter mais de um ano de experiência em compras "online", garantindo, assim, que teriam experienciado e conheciam o serviço de devolução. OsoftwareSPSS 20.0 foi usado para a análise descritiva e o SmartPLS2.0 para a análise de validade e modelização por equações estruturais das relações entre os constructos, nomeadamente entre a recuperação do serviço de devolução e a intenção de compra online. Baseada nos resultados obtidos, esta tese sugere recomendações para incentivar a disposição do cliente em comprar devido à forma de prestação do serviço de devolução, á sua confiança, ao seu valor percebido e sua participação, Ainda propõe uma participação ativa entre comerciantesonline e clientes para aumentar o valor da recuperação de serviços de devolução "online"

Market System and Proximity of Food Vendors: A Spatial Analysis That Improves Household Behavior

A study of the market system and the proximity of food vendors, the aim of which is to install food vendors to ensure food security (availability, accessibility, quality and cost of foodstuffs in local markets). The objective is to identify the proximity of food vendors to ensure the food distribution system for the urban populations of Bamako. Thus, we address an estimation method adapted to these spatial specifications. Our exhaustive sampling includes 201 sales outlets in the “Bankoni and Sablibougou” neighborhood of the Bamako district. Special modeling allows vendors to make projections on food access. The results of the analysis show that the distance is more important in relation to the position of the vendor installed in the neighborhood, whatever the price charged to the customer (γ < 0.05). Moreover, when the probability is lower, the sellers are so far from the customers, they go out of the limits of the radius of 1000 put. The sensitivity of the market to a change in price, customers are somehow not loyal, regardless of the value of elasticity is greater, and therefore profits are smaller. Conclusion: In a symmetric equilibrium with a finite market boundary, profits are greater when prices are high, and therefore when the elasticity of demand is low. The lower the density of marginal consumers, the lower the elasticity

Twenty questions about design behavior for sustainability, report of the International Expert Panel on behavioral science for design

How behavioral scientists, engineers, and architects can work together to advance how we all understand and practice design—in order to enhance sustainability in the built environment, and beyond.https://www.nature.com/documents/design_behavior_for_sustainability.pdfPublished versio

Are We Delivering the Best Practice Curriculum for a Degree in Visual Merchandising?

This paper will review the curriculum for the three year full time degree in Visual Merchandising and Display at an Institute of Technology in Dublin. This course was previously taught as a two year Display Design Certificate; the academic year of 2009-2010 was the first time students graduated with a degree qualification. This degree is the first of its type in Ireland and has the potential to be an industry leader. The BA in Visual Merchandising and Display is the result of an extensive process of consultation with key figures in the retail industry, and is preparing students for a role as a visual merchandiser in a retail environment.Currently the course is heavily weighted in the area of creating three dimensional props, which gives the students an opportunity to develop strong practical and craft based skills, the students physically produce the display. Alongside these skills I argue that conceptual design, using computer rendered three dimensional images producing workable designs to scale should also be part of the programme