Determinants of Purchase Intention: An Interpretive Structural Modelling Approach

In the present paper, the factors which impact consumer behavior are explored through extensive literature review. Also, common determinants of online and offline consumer behavior are identified. Subsequently, ISM approach is used to find the inter-relationship among these factors. Finally, ISM model depicting this interrelationship is developed and MICMAC analysis is performed to categorize factors into clusters depending on their drive and dependence power. Identified factors common to both offline and online buying behavior include convenience, promotion, availability, brand image, demography, safety, quality, word of mouth and price. ISM reveals that promotion, brand image, demography, quality and price are the linking factors with strong dependence and driving power. Additionally, convenience, availability and safety have emerged as the independent factors with strong driving power and weak dependence power. Keywords: Offline buying. online buying. Determinants. ISM (Interpretive structural modelling). MICMAC DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/68-02 Publication date:May 31st 202

Solutions to decision-making problems in management engineering using molecular computational algorithms and experimentations

制度:新 ; 報告番号:甲3368号 ; 学位の種類:博士(工学) ; 授与年月日:2011/5/23 ; 早大学位記番号:新568

A Typology and Hierarchical Framework of Technology Use in Digital Natives’ Learning

The technological capability of digital natives is thought to have considerable implications on the way they communicate, socialize, think and learn. Some researchers have even suggested that fundamental changes to the educational system are required to cater for the needs of this new cohort of learner, although such claims have little empirical support. In this study, we adopt a structural approach to the investigation of the digital natives’ motivations for using technologies in learning. Based on in-depth interviews with 16 digital natives, a cluster analysis was used to segment respondents into two distinct groups: independent learners and traditional learners. Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) was used to develop a hierarchical structural model of technology use motivations for each group. The results show that these two groups are driven to achieve the same learning goals by different paths. Implications are drawn for both educators and managers from both research and practical perspectives

Utilization of Flow Concept for Digital Service Requirements Prioritization

We argue that the concept of flow can be useful in investigating how requirements for digital services can be analyzed. We apply Novak et al\u27s (2000) framework to analyze how flow can be utilized for requirements prioritization for digital services. Our findings indicate that the flow can be very useful for requirements development. Furthermore, the findings show that the flow can be potentially used for understanding experiential- and task-oriented user activities. Therefore, we conclude that the flow should be considered as a service requirements prioritization metric not only for digital services dominated by hedonic utility needs by users, but with all digital services. This calls for further research in service requirements method development and on how flow impacts user experience

How small things affect the big picture? The effect of service product innovation on perceived experience value

Purpose – By adopting retrospective evaluation theories, this study aims to explain how innovations provided by separate suppliers in the tourism value chain influence tourist’s perceived value of the overall experience, and further uncover which innovative product attributes are more effective in improving tourist perceptions of the overall value.Design/methodology/approach – A survey yielded 584 valid responses from tourists who had experienced specific tourist product innovations during their travels. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed theoretical model. Findings – The results reveal that tourists evaluate overall travelling experience value either by recalling an intense, impressive moment (i.e. a heuristic approach), or through an evaluation of the overall utility gained from the whole trip (i.e. a normative approach). Furthermore, innovations that are perceived as increasing convenience and enabling learning contribute to tourists’ overall value perception through both normative and heuristic approaches, while immersion resulting from innovation only contributes to overall perceived value through the heuristic approach.Practical implications – Given the complex service ecosystem of tourism destinations, each tourism service provider should consider how innovations contribute to the experience of the whole trip and which attributes of innovations increase tourists’ overall perceived experience value.Originality/value – This study complements existing knowledge by revealing the relationship between product innovation in tourism sectors and tourists’ perceived value of the whole trip. Moreover, it offers a theoretical framework for further investigation into service product innovation in hospitality and tourism industry

A Sociotechnical Systems Analysis of Building Information Modelling (STSaBIM) Implementation in Construction Organisations

The concept of BIM is nascent but evolving rapidly, thus, its deployment has become the latest shibboleth amongst both academics and practitioners in the construction sector in the recent couple of years. Due to construction clients buy-in of the BIM concept, the entire industry is encouraged to pursue a vision of changing work practices in line with the BIM ideas. Also, existing research recognises that the implementation of BIM affects all areas of the construction process from design of the building, through the organisation of projects, to the way in which the construction process is executed and how the finished product is maintained. The problem however is that, existing research in technology utilisation in general, and BIM literature in particular, has offered limited help to practitioners trying to implement BIM, for focusing predominantly, on technology-centric views. Not surprisingly therefore, the current BIM literature emphasises on topics such as capability maturity models and anticipated outcomes of BIM rollouts. Rarely does the extant literature offer practitioners a cohesive approach to BIM implementation. Such technology-centric views inevitably represent a serious barrier to utilising the inscribed capabilities of BIM. This research therefore is predicated on the need to strengthen BIM implementation theory through monitoring and analysing its implementation in practice. Thus, the focus of this thesis is to carry out a sociotechnical systems (STS) analysis of BIM implementation in construction organisations. The concept of STS accommodates the dualism of the inscribed functions of BIM technologies and the contextual issues in the organisations and allows for the analysis of their interactive combination in producing the anticipated effect from BIM appropriation. An interpretive research methodology is adopted to study practitioners through a change process, involving the implementation of BIM in their work contexts. The study is based on constructivist ontological interpretations of participants. The study adopts an abductive research approach which ensures a back-and-forth movement between research sites and the theoretical phenomenon, effectively comparing the empirical findings with the existing theories and to eventually generate a new theoretical understanding and knowledge regarding the phenomenon under investigation. A two-stage process is also formulated for the empirical data collection - comprising: 1) initial exploratory study to help establish the framework for analysing BIM implementation in the construction context; and 2) case studies approach to provide a context for formulating novel understanding and validation of theory regarding BIM implementation in construction organisations. The analysis and interpretation of the empirical work follows the qualitative content analysis technique to observe and reflect on the results. The findings have shown that BIM implementation demands a complete breakaway from the status quo. Contrary to the prevailing understanding of a top-down approach to BIM utilisation, the study revealed that different organisations with plethora of visions, expectations and skills combine with artefacts to form or transform BIM practices. The rollout and appropriation of BIM occurs when organisations shape sociotechnical systems of institutions, processes and technologies to support certain practices over others. The study also showed that BIM implementation endures in a causal chain of influences as different project organisations with their localised BIM ambitions and expectations combine to develop holistic BIM-enabled project visions. Thus, distributed responsibilities on holistic BIM protocols among the different levels of influences are instituted and enforced under binding contractual obligations. The study has illuminated the centrality of both the technical challenges and sociological factors in shaping BIM deployment in construction. It is also one of the few studies that have produced accounts of BIM deployment that is strongly mediated by the institutional contexts of construction organisations. However, it is acknowledged that the focus of the research on qualitative interpretive enquiry does not have the hard and fast view of generalising from specific cases to broader population/contexts. Thus, it is suggested that further quantitative studies, using much larger data sample of BIM-enabled construction organisations could provide an interesting point of comparison to the conclusions derived from the research findings

Factors Affecting Consumer Resistance to Innovation Diffusion of E-Cigarettes

With increasing concern over the harmful effects of smoking tobacco cigarettes, the use of alternate smoking devices such as the e-cigarette has grown. Although gaining popularity globally, consumer resistance has slowed the diffusion of e-cigarettes in emerging markets, especially in South Africa. The aim of this paper is to explore how consumer resistance affects the diffusion of e-cigarettes among university students in Johannesburg. The study predicts consumer resistance through exploring relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability, and perceived risk. By means of a quantitative methodology, self-administered questionnaires were completed by 400 students from the University of the Witwatersrand. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS 22 and AMOS for structural equation modelling, which yielded results indicative of support for three of the six hypotheses proposed. This indicates that although marketers should apply relative advantage (β=0.03) and complexity (β=0.16) to marketing strategies, the focus should be on perceived risk (β=0.88) in order to increase the diffusion of e-cigarettes in the youth market. The results further provide marketing practitioners with a better understanding on how to limit consumer resistance and how to improve product diffusion of e-cigarettes. This study contributes to existing literature on innovation diffusion, and contextually to buying behaviour among the youth in South Africa. By gaining insight into this, marketers will positively influence behavioural change among smokers and so contribute to the reduction in smoking-related deaths

The relationships between brand attributes and word of mouth on brand identity and brand image

Companies all around the world have to deal with issues relating to brand image development and maintenance because brand image can affect their brand performance. Based on the attribution theory, this research examined the impact of the components of brand attributes, namely brand relevance, brand consistency, brand sustainability, brand credibility, brand uniqueness and word of mouth (WOM) of brand image. This study also evaluated the mediating influence of brand WOM identity on the relationship between the brand attribute components, WOM and brand image. Insufficient empirical attention, particularly in relation to the attribution theory, was the driving force for the current study to be undertaken. Two hundred and fifty-four travellers via two airports located in the northern region of Malaysia participated in this study. A cross-sectional survey approach and the quota sampling technique were adopted to select the participants, and PLS algorithm and bootstrapping techniques were deployed to test the hypothesized relationships. The PLS path modelling reported significant results of the major hypotheses; brand sustainability was the only variable not significantly related to brand image. It was found that brand identity mediated significantly the relationship between brand attributes, WOM and brand image. Overall, the results provide support for the attribution theory in that brand attributes, namely brand relevance, brand consistency, brand sustainability, brand credibility, brand uniqueness and word of mouth can help shape consumers' perceptions which ultimately result in harnessing brand image. Finally, the study's implications for theory and practice, limitations, conclusions as well as directions for future research are provided and discussed

Exploring the Grocery Store Satisfaction of England's Older Population: An Evaluation of Antecedents and Consequences Using Structural Equation Modelling

The number of people aged 60 years and above is increasing in the UK. In total, this age group represents 22% of the population with estimates indicating a rise to 29% by 2050 (United Nations, 2009). One market sector that is extremely important to the health and wellbeing of older people is grocery retail (Khan, 1981). However, little previous research has addressed how older people rate the service delivered by their grocery provider, particularly in regard to satisfaction. To reconcile this gap in theoretical understanding, a sequential transformative mixed-method research design was specified using 36 qualitative interviews and quantitative questionnaires with 524 subjects. A model including both drivers and consequences of satisfaction was formulated using past research. As such, an antecedent scale for grocery store image was developed via procedures suggested in the extant literature (e.g. DeVellis, 2003). Pre-existing scales (i.e. commitment and loyalty) representing exemplary reliability and validity were borrowed and specified as consequences. The scales were modified and integrated into a ‘structural equation model’. Older people were found to place a high level of importance in aspects of merchandise, store environment, personnel and services. Price/promotions and clientele were found to be insignificant in driving satisfaction. Differences in factor mean scores and structural parameters were then analysed using ‘finite mixture structural equation modelling’ to identify segments of similar respondents (Jedidi et al, 1997). Using posterior probabilities, the emerging segments were subjected to profiling using personal and behavioural variables (Hahn et al, 2002). Market Segmentation showed three groups of similar respondents in the sample population, differing in factor mean scores and psychological operationalisation of satisfaction. Nonetheless, only several differences in personal and behavioural characteristics were found between the segments. Whilst, the results show that segmenting this group is necessary when measuring satisfaction, basing this purely on a priori descriptive variables might be erroneous given the inherent levels of unobserved heterogeneity. The model developed and tested in this study is considered the most up-to-date available in the literature