Consumer behavior towards adoption of E-commerce in Pakistan

Though many companies are still just beginning to grasp the potential uses and impacts of the Web and e-commerce, advances in technologies and their application continue. Extensive usage of mobile applications supported by smartphones has changed the ecommerce world and customer behavior has totally changed compared to a decade ago regarding online shopping. This study has been done specifically to Pakistani market and the focus of this study is to investigate the factors that satisfies or dissatisfies the end-users who are relatively new to eCommerce. The study attempted to explain which factors generated satisfaction and dissatisfaction in target country’s ecommerce sector. Data has been collected by open ended surveys and been analyzed to identify the number of factors critical to satisfaction and dissatisfaction in the context of target market’ ecommerce. Different factors were identified as sources for satisfaction and dissatisfaction and were then categorized on a generic base. The study concludes that the mindset of the end-users in context to online shopping is still in its infancy. Several factors have been found which proved to be the critical success towards accelerating consumer adoption towards ecommerce including lower prices, improved security, improved devices and effective customer support. It was also observed that the customization of the marketing mix to the specific characteristics of each target market is a key success factor for eCommerce in Pakistan.

Improving online food safety communication: The role of media

Food safety is important as foodborne illness outbreaks cause great economic and societal losses. Efforts to protect public health and reduce foodborne illness outbreaks will not be fully effective unless the resulting information is communicated to consumers. However, food safety communications have not been particularly satisfactory (Worsfold, 2006). If food safety information were more accessible, consumers would be more likely to use it (Worsfold, 2006). In this regard, the Internet presents great possibilities for communicating food safety information to the public. But media’s role has been largely overlooked in existing literature. When the lack of research is combined with consumers’ increasing interest in food safety (Food Safety News, 2016), the need to understand media’s effect is pressing. To further the understanding of media’s role in influencing food safety communication outcome, three progressive studies were conducted. The first study explored consumers’ preferences, motivations, information needs, and information usage. The second study examined consumers’ experience interacting with websites used for food safety communication and mapped website characteristics to users’ perceptions. The third study investigated the relationships among website characteristics, perceptions, efficacies, and behavioral intention, and tested the impact of media on communication outcomes. Results of Study 1 revealed that the Internet was consumers’ preferred media choice for food safety communication. Among Internet-based platforms, websites were most preferred. Media, information, and source characteristics interact in influencing consumers’ experience with the websites and later communication outcome. Thus, it is important to maintain or improve information quality while offering media functionalities that reduces users’ efforts in information seeking. Study 2 showed that consumers go through a two-stage process in food safety communication. First, consumers are informed (usually passively) about an outbreak. Then, after the risks and threat are evaluated, consumers become motivated and actively seek out additional information to make decisions and protect themselves. Additionally, in Study 2, the link between website characteristics and consumers’ efficacy perceptions was established. It was also discovered that the relationships among efficacy components were complex and probably nonlinear. In Study 3, relationships among website characteristics, perceptions towards such characteristics, efficacy perceptions, and behavioral intention were evaluated and tested statistically. It was discovered that website characteristics, through efficacy perceptions, influence consumers’ intention to use the communicated information. The results offered support that media is indeed important and influential and that it works together with information quality to shape consumers’ behavioral intention. More specifically, features on websites that directly related to searchability (e.g. search box and site map) and saliency (specific information about foods and locations involved) were perceived to be most influential and should be specially considered in website design and maintenance

Creating shared understandings of interpersonal relationships in online settings

Contemporary social scientists describe the current societal circumstances as the late modern era, which is characterized by an abundance of both options and uncertainties. Theorists sometimes associate these characteristics with the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Some argue that computer-mediated, networked interaction reinforces the fragmented conditions of late modernity. Others emphasize ICTs as the ultimate opportunity to participate in global networks of interaction. To contribute to the discussion on how the development of ICTs and the conditions of late modernity are intertwined, the discussion in this dissertation presumes that online interaction provides a way to create meaningfulness and continuity in late modern life. The context of the research is the phenomenon of social network sites (SNSs): the vastly popular online services whose central feature is the public performance of connection. Building on the tenets of symbolic interactionism, I argue that the performance of connection creates shared understandings of individuals interpersonal relationships. This dissertation examines what kinds of performances of interpersonal relationships take place in online settings, what kind of challenges people attribute to these performances and how they attempt to solve those challenges. The observed practices and interpretations are then contrasted with the results of a literature review covering the conceptualizations of mediated community in academic research, to suggest future directions in investigation of the creation of shared understandings of interpersonal relationships in online settings. The research problem is assessed through the use of qualitative methods, which permit the analysis of the expressions that the participants themselves used to describe the novel opportunities and challenges that online interaction offers for the performance of interpersonal relationships. On the basis of the four individual studies included in this dissertation, I argue that 1) people engage in a variety of creative but repetitive practices of constructing shared understandings of interpersonal relationships in online settings, 2) SNSs create a new interpretational frame and impose new challenges for the creation of shared understandings, 3) people engage in collaborative efforts to resolve these challenges, and 4) extending the analysis to the intergroup level would broaden our understanding of social bonds in the networked settings of late modernity. These findings portray the performance of interpersonal relationships in online settings as creative and collaborative attempts to construct shared understandings, continuity, and coherence for transient social bonds.Verkon yhteisöpalveluissa voi tehdä ihmissuhteistaan konkreettisempia ja näkyvämpiä, vaikkapa jakamalla kuvia ystävistään tai kommentoimalla heidän jakamiaan linkkejä. Ihmissuhteita koskevien jaettujen käsitysten rakentaminen vaatii kuitenkin luovuutta ja yhteistyötä, väittää Vilma Lehtinen. Lehtinen selvittää väitöskirjassaan, minkälaisia ihmissuhteiden esittämisen keinoja verkkovuorovaikutuksessa on havaittavissa, millaisia ongelmia esityksiin liittyy, sekä miten ihmiset ratkovat näitä ongelmia. Lisäksi väitöskirja suuntaa tulevaa tutkimusta kiinnittämällä kirjallisuuskatsausartikkelin avulla huomion siihen, mitä oletuksia verkkoyhteisön käsitteeseen liittyy alan tutkimuksessa. Väitöstutkimuksen empiirinen aineisto on kerätty havainnoimalla yhteisöpalveluiden käyttöä, sekä haastattelemalla eri sukupolvien edustajia siitä, miten he suhtautuvat ihmissuhteiden esittämiseen verkossa. Yksi artikkeliväitöskirjan osajulkaisuista käsittelee kotimaista yhteisöpalvelua IRC-Galleriaa, jonka suosio oli huipussaan ennen kansainvälisten sivustojen, kuten Facebookin, nousua. IRC-Gallerian teini-ikäisten käyttäjien keskuudessa tehty tutkimus havainnollisti, miten ihmissuhteita tehdään näkyväksi esimerkiksi omistamalla kuvia toisille, kirjoittamalla ystävien nimiä omaan profiiliin, sekä kommentoimalla mitä tahansa päätöntä toisen profiiliin, jolloin profiilien välille syntyy linkki. Näiden voidaan tulkita olevan luovia mutta rituaalin tapaan toistuvia käytäntöjä, jotka rakentavat jaettua käsitystä kyseessä olevista ihmissuhteista. Suurten ikäluokkien edustajien parissa tehty tutkimus puolestaan osoitti, että ihmissuhteiden esittäminen verkossa ei houkuttele, jos se on ristiriidassa niiden odotusten kanssa, joita läheisiin ihmissuhteisiin liitetään. Tutkimukseen osallistujat kokivat yhteisöpalveluiden julkisuuden epäsopivaksi siihen nähden, että he pitävät läheisissä ihmissuhteissaan tärkeimpänä yksityisyyttä ja luottamuksen säilyttämistä. Nuoremmat sukupolvet kuitenkin jakavat huolen siitä, että he saattavat vahingossa kyseenalaistaa jaetut käsitykset, joita on yhdessä yritetty rakentaa: esimerkiksi onnittelemalla uudesta työpaikasta, kun vanhat työtoverit eivät vielä tiedä asiasta. Näistä ongelmista selviäminen perustuu vahvasti yhteistyöhön. Haastattelemamme Facebookia aktiivisesti käyttävät nuoret aikuiset kuvasivat harkitsevansa tarkkaan etukäteen, minkälaista toisia ihmisiä koskevaa sisältöä jakavat. Muiden rakentamien esitysten huomioiminen kannattaa tehdä etukäteen, sillä vahinkojen paikkailu jälkikäteen voi herättää enemmän epäilyksiä elleivät ystävät sitten kuittaa koko asiaa huumorilla. Verkkoyhteisöllisyyttä, jonka eräänä muotona ihmissuhteiden esittämistä yhteisöpalveluissa voidaan pitää, on kirjallisuuskatsausartikkelin perusteella lähestytty akateemisessa tutkimuksessa lähinnä yhteisön sisäisenä prosessina. Verkkoyhteisöllisyyden tarkastelu ryhmien välisenä ilmiönä voisi kuitenkin osoittaa, että käsitys yhteenkuuluvuudesta rakentuu myös tekemällä eroja muihin ryhmiin ja että ulkopuolisilla on suuri merkitys yhteenkuuluvuuden rakentumisessa. Näiden tekijöiden tarkastelu voisi auttaa ymmärtämään vihamielisten suhteiden esittämistä, ilmiötä joka ei tämän väitöskirjan ystävyyssuhteita käsittelevissä osatutkimuksissa tullut esille. Näiden tulosten pohjalta ihmissuhteiden esittäminen verkossa näyttäytyy luovana, yhteistyöhön perustuvana toimintana, joka rakentaa jaettua ymmärrystä, jatkuvuutta ja yhtenäisyyttä myöhäismodernin, globalisoituneen yhteiskunnan hajanaisiin sosiaalisiin suhteisiin

Exploring the significance of digital disruption on the Finnish grocery industry: A case study on the current attitudes of Finnish grocery suppliers, retailers and consumers towards online grocery retail.

Since its inception, digitalization has been disrupting numerous industries around the world. This also includes the grocery trade: Online channels have given consumers more flexibility in regard to how and when they purchase the products that fuel their every-day lives. This transformation has challenged grocery suppliers and retailers to adapt their internal tools and processes, while reevaluating their strategic interpretation of the future of their industry. Although online commerce is often referred to as the superior retail channel of today, the share of online grocery – also referred to as e-grocery – has grown relatively slowly in Finland. The reasons for this are still fairly unknown: some suggest it may be due to the local oligopolistic parties not wanting to deter consumer cashflow from their brick-and-mortars, while others believe it may be due to a wary approach from Finnish consumers. Nevertheless, in the recent years the growth rate of Finnish e-grocery has increased notably. This sparks an interesting question: Has the era of e-grocery shopping finally arrived? Through a qualitative intense single-case analysis, this study complements existing research by exploring the significance of digital disruption on the unique setting of Finnish grocery through 20 interviews with suppliers, retailers and consumers. The aim of this study is to explore the current e-grocery related attitudes of key players in the grocery supply chain to better understand the factors behind digital grocery’s slow progression, as well as how large a role online channels may have in Finland’s traditionally concentrated grocery market in the future. The study’s findings agree as well as add to existing research in regard to the plethora of digitalization related benefits and potential challenges felt by grocery suppliers, retailers and their consumers. The gathered insights suggest that the progress of Finnish e-grocery has been limited by both supply and demand related factors. However, through the offered practical implications centered around corporate agility, shopper data -led collaboration as well the improving of service design in digital channels, this study implies that Finnish suppliers and retailers have the opportunity to maximize the potential of their digital channels, thus being able to better serve the modern as well as impending demands of Finnish grocery shoppers

Crowdsourcing Metadata For Library And Museum Collections Using A Taxonomy Of Flickr User Behavior

Library and museum staff members are faced with having to create descriptions for large numbers of items found within collections. Immense collections and a shortage of staff time prevent the description of collections using metadata at the item level. Large collections of photographs may contain great scholarly and research value, but this information may only be found if items are described in detail. Without detailed descriptions, the items are much harder to find using standard web search techniques, which have become the norm for searching library and museum collection catalogs. To assist with metadata creation, institutions can attempt to reach out to the public and crowdsource descriptions. An example of crowdsourced description generation is the website, Flickr, where the entire user community can comment and add metadata information in the forms of tags to other users' images. This paper discusses some of the problems with metadata creation and provides insight on ways in which crowdsourcing can benefit institutions. Through an analysis of tags and comments found on Flickr, behaviors are categorized to show a taxonomy of users. This information is used in conjunction with survey data in an effort to show if certain types of users have characteristics that are most beneficial to enhancing metadata in existing library and museum collections

Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media

Social networking, blogging, vlogging, gaming, instant messaging, downloading music and other content, uploading and sharing their own creative work: these activities made possible by the new digital media are rich with opportunities and risks for young people. This report, part of the GoodPlay Project, undertaken by researchers at Harvard Graduate School of Education's Project Zero, investigates the ethical fault lines of such digital pursuits. The authors argue that five key issues are at stake in the new media: identity, privacy, ownership and authorship, credibility, and participation. Drawing on evidence from informant interviews, emerging scholarship on new media, and theoretical insights from psychology, sociology, political science, and cultural studies, the report explores the ways in which youth may be redefining these concepts as they engage with new digital media. The authors propose a model of "good play" that involves the unique affordances of the new digital media; related technical and new media literacies; cognitive and moral development and values; online and offline peer culture; and ethical supports, including the absence or presence of adult mentors and relevant educational curricula. This proposed model for ethical play sets the stage for the next part of the GoodPlay project, an empirical study that will invite young people to share their stories of engagement with the new digital media.The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learnin

D i g i t a l i z a t i o n a n d N e w B u y e r B e h a v i o r i s C h a n g i n g B 2 B R e l a t i o n s h i p M a r k e t i n g

Problem definition: The increasingly informed customer will lead to an even greater demand for expertise and knowledge of marketers. Firms need to find new ways to utilize the informed customer as a co-creator of value by more proficiently analyzing behavior, both online and offline. An uncertainty lies in to which extent the operational standards of KIBS firms translate to their marketing and sales efforts, or to what degree they are using potential customers to help shape their value propositions. The research question that has been identified is how the relationships seen in knowledgeintensive B2B marketing are affected by the digitalization of society and the change in buyer behavior that is a result of these societal changes. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis will be to identify the effects of digitalization and changing buyer behavior on relationships seen across marketing and sales of knowledge-intensive services in a B2B context. This will lead to a recommendation for the case company’s future direction of its marketing and sales functions. Methodology: The research approach of this master’s thesis has been a combination of a descriptive and !! ! IV! Digitalization and New Buyer Behavior is Changing B2B Relationship Marketing Tobias Olsson Emil Uhlin an explorative study. The descriptive approach intends to describe the overall areas of the problem formulation, while the explorative approach aims to collect as much information as possible regarding these areas. The goal of research has been to put more weight on the explorative approach. The research is approached as a case study focusing on a company that is both B2B and in a sector that includes many interesting angles of the problem. Case company: The choice of Company X as case company for this thesis was rooted in three overall observations. First off, the area of digital marketing is currently seeing increased urgency in B2B. The sector of IT and business consultancy is also interesting. The companies in this sector often have many different ways of working within the same company. The choice of a B2B company is motivated by the fact that the new wave of digital marketing has seen greater advancements in B2C. B2B is historically stronger in much of the relationship marketing basics, like close network relationships. The digital advancements in B2B deviate from those in B2C, and are probably not as standardized. Lastly, an interesting aspect of Company X is that it offers business units on opposite sides of the spectrum in regards to overall digital advancements. Conclusions: Information really is the common denominator for everything that pertains to the power balance of supplier and customer. The authors believe that the presented framework provides a good intersection of assessing relational strength in B2B, the ability to grade strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats in digitalization, and lastly the level of current buyer insight. The models are secondary and may be modified, but the choice to observe relationships, digitalization and more in-depth buyer behavior should provide a holistic view for similar studies

Exploring teen boys' experiences of mobile technology at school

MAPPING ONLINE performances via mobile technology among a group of diverse male adolescents, this thesis investigates the personal and institutional circumstances navigated at a secondary school in London. Exploring how adolescent males use their mobile devices to participate in online communities, the research questions how male identity constructions and peer relationships online shape embodied relations at school (offline) and vice versa. Following a qualitative interpretivist methodology based on eight male single gender focus groups (n = 30, May 2015) alongside four semi-structured staff interviews, data is analysed under three themes of Technology, Community, and Performances of Masculine Heterosexuality. Salient findings include the central tenet that mobile phone use blurs the space between school and outside of school (including home). Adolescent males describe versions of masculinity with regard to heterosexuality and girls that are distinct from those discourses performed around single-gender paradigms, often focused on violence. Technology is portrayed by the male adolescents as not static with school policy failing to acknowledge and respond to endemic picture and video exchange, free at the point of use. Social Networking Sites, accessed primarily through evolving mobile phones, transform relationships offline (e.g. ratings amongst peer groups) through online mediums (e.g. likes) and performances online (e.g. #soondelete) that only some schools may be familiar with. Banning mobile phones actively discourages transparent dialogue thereby reinforcing gendered stereotypes. Developing digital responsibility within the boys themselves lies at the heart of helping schools respond to challenges presented by male adolescent engagement with their personal mobile phones. Triangulating the needs of the boys alongside developing parent & carer understanding of mobile phone and ensuring staff training is effectively deployed should reduce risk to age inappropriate material (e.g. pornography) as well as ensure future mobile use remains focused on preparing the boys for whichever technological advancements lie in their future