The Value of Mobile Commerce to Customers

This research studies the values of m-commerce using a qualitative means-ends approach, called Value-Focused Thinking. The conceptual foundation for this research is the Work System Framework. By interviewing both current and potential m-commerce users, we captured the values of m-commerce and develop a means-ends objective network to illustrate the relationships among these values. As one of the first empirical research to assess the values of m-commerce, this research contributes to an increased understanding of mcommerce. The means-ends objective network also serves as a theoretical foundation for future research in mcommerce. For practitioners, our findings highlight the concerns and issues of customers, which are valuable for strategy formulation in m-commerce

Understanding Consumers’ Behaviour when Using a Mobile Phone as a Converged Device

This research develops an empirical model to explore the factors that influence consumers’ behaviour while using a mobile phone as a converged device, i.e., using different functions and services on a mobile phone for multiple purposes. Convergence in this domain is particularly regarded as a social phenomenon that has now existed for over two decades. However, empirical research is lacking in terms of individual’s perception and behaviour toward using a converged device. This research is the first to provide an exploratory study of individual uses of a mobile phone for personal information management (PIM), e-mail, entertainment, and commercial transaction. It also draws from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and identifies some of the antecedent factors that influence the above behaviours and behavioural intentions. Fifty mobile phone users were interviewed and provided their thoughts and experiences of using a mobile phone other than voice communication. The interview data was transcribed and analysed to develop an empirical model. The finding shows that although the TAM has been effective in explaining behaviours in the context of single-functional technologies, it needs further enrichment when applying it to multi-function (converged) technologies. Therefore, the result provides a significant step towards a better understanding of consumer behaviour and creates a better strategy for the market of technology convergence in the future

Defining Information Systems as Work Systems: Implications for the IS Field

The lack of an agreed upon definition of information system is one of many obstacles troubling the academic information systems discipline. After listing a number of definitions of IS, this paper defines information system as a special case of work system as defined in Alter (1999a). This definition has many desirable characteristics: It is easy to understand; differentiates IS from IT; covers totally manual, partially automated, and totally automated information systems; links to a life cycle model that generates many insights about development and implementation problems; provides a simple guideline that helps in interpreting common IS/IT jargon; and has other useful implications related to IS concepts, IS terminology, and the analysis and design of information systems. The paper presents the proposed IS definition and evaluates the definition in terms of simplicity, clarity, scope, systematic power, explanatory power, validity, reliability, and fruitfulness. An Appendix summarizes previously published concepts and two frameworks that flow from the proposed definition and are useful for appreciating many points in the evaluation section

Mobile Games: Analyzing the Needs and Values of the Consumers

Mobile games are one of the largest mobile application areas and one where users are often willing to pay for services. Furthermore, the market for mobile games is expected to grow dramatically as most phones sold now are capable of running games. Despite this, there is surprisingly little research concerning user expectations from mobile games. In this exploratory study, we examine the consumers’ values, needs, and objectives related to mobile games. Based on earlier literature on mobile services, we developed a preliminary set of issues and did an exploratory survey of mobile game users to find the key needs and values of mobile gamers. The results of the study are especially interesting for mobile game developers and mobile phone operators as they shed light on the demographics and choices of mobile gamers. We argue that if mobile games are ever to be diffused in greater extent to the market, then a deeper understanding of the values and needs of the potential mobile game users must be obtained. This understanding can then be used to guide the development of new game offerings

On-line Commerce and Town Centre Retailers’ Experience

This paper is an attempt to develop a new way to sell products or services for retailers within town centres. An analysis of the literature revealed that the use of the Internet and digital commerce strategies are rarely used as tools to revitalize urban retail and develop a multidimensional experience of place. Thus, this paper aims to highlight which new modes of online commerce—e-commerce, s-commerce and m-commerce—are more suitable than others to help town centre retailers revitalize the place where they work. The research questions are as follows: 1) What are the origins of the growth and development of new forms of selling? and 2) How might town centre retailers integrate new forms of selling with traditional retailing? In answering the previously stated questions, this paper provides a proposed model that, by combining physical and virtual means to sell products and services, can provide specific strengths in revitalizing town centres

Validating Work System Principles for Use in Systems Analysis and Design

This research validates 24 work system principles that emerged from the effort to develop the work system method, whose goal is to help business professionals understand and analyze systems in organizations in their own terms, and also to help bridge the communication gaps that have undermined IS projects and reduced business/IT alignment. The research validates the principles based on questionnaire responses submitted by six cohorts of Executive MBA students, who rated each of the work system principles on two criteria: 1) normatively, to what extent should work systems in their organizations conform to each principle, and 2) descriptively, to what extent do most existing work systems in their organizations actually conform to each principle. An analysis of the results reveals statistically significant gaps between their perceptions of normative principles and their perceptions of how well typical work systems operate in organizations. The findings are statistically significant for all 24 principles

BRIDGING THE CHASM BETWEEN SOCIOTECHNICAL AND TECHNICAL VIEWS OF SYSTEMS IN ORGANIZATIONS

This paper presents a metamodel that addresses the long standing gap between technical and sociotechnical views of IT-reliant systems in organizations. The metamodel provides an integrated set of concepts that extend and clarify the work system framework and related work system concepts, thereby helping in understanding, analyzing, and designing technical and sociotechnical systems. The metamodel is a step toward an enhanced work system approach that is understandable to business professionals, is more rigorous than most current applications of work system concepts, and can be linked more directly to precise, highly detailed analysis and design approaches for IT professionals. Specification of the metamodel clarifies ambiguities in the work system framework and forms a clearer conceptual basis for tools and methods that could improve communication and collaboration between business and IT professionals. It also might be used to organize a body of knowledge for the IS field

Metamodel for Understanding, Analyzing, and Designing Sociotechnical Systems

This paper presents a metamodel designed to help in understanding, analyzing, and designing sociotechnical systems. The metamodel extends and clarifies the work system framework and related concepts at the core of work system approach for understanding IT-reliant work systems in organizations [Alter, 2003, 2006a, 2008a]. Development of the metamodel supports a larger goal of creating an enhanced work system approach that is understandable to business professionals but that is somewhat more rigorous than most current applications of work system concepts and can be linked more directly to precise, highly detailed analysis and design approaches for IT professionals. The 32 elements in the metamodel include work system, the 9 elements of the work system framework (with information replaced by informational entity), and 22 other elements that clarify a number of questions and confusions observed in past applications of the work system approach. Specification of the metamodel clarifies ambiguities in the work system framework and forms a clearer conceptual basis for tools and methods that could improve communication and collaboration between business and IT professionals. It can also be used to organize much of the know-how and many of the system-related research results in the IS field

Inferencia de contexto en aplicaciones móviles inteligente

El presente artículo propone un modelo de un sistema basado en técnicas de inteligencia artificial para inferir el contexto del usuario y optimizar el desarrollo de aplicaciones dependientes del contexto en los dispositivos móviles. En el documento se analiza la viabilidad de la aplicación de las redes neuronales artificiales en la optimización de este tipo de aplicaciones; el objetivo es construir un marco general de inferencia alternativo a los ya existentes, con el fin de proporcionar una infraestructura básica para facilitar el desarrollo de aplicaciones dependientes del contexto (contextaware), mediante la integración de la información procedente del entorno