The fuzzy front end of innovation : hearing the voice of customer on credit cards

The title “Behind the Fuzzy Front End” points to the traditionally messy getting-started period of product development, when the new product idea is still very “fuzzy”. Preceding a more formal product development process, it generally consists of three tasks: strategic planning, concept generation and pre-technical evaluation. The main aim with this thesis is to answer the research problem “What say the Voice Of Customer for a future credit card product in the Norwegian market?”, to potentially be used as input for a concept generation phase for new credit card products. This is done with the use of an explorative research design, conducted through qualitative one-to-one interviews with customers and sales personnel. The empirical study gives a theoretical and practical guide to how Voice Of Customer could be extracted. This particular research results in 194 unique customer needs related to the buyers‟ experience cycle of credit cards. In addition to finding the Voice Of Customer, two accompanying important questions are explored theoretically: (1) How could innovation influence profit growth?, and (2) How could innovative opportunities be found? The theoretical part explores central innovation and strategy related literature. Firstly, the interrelationship between innovation and competitive advantage is discussed in order to see whether, why and potentially how innovation could spur profit growth. The second question uses theories in constructing a “how-to-guide” for reaping potential innovative opportunities. Two key conclusions are derived from the literature study. Firstly, a strong relationship between innovation and competitive advantage does exist, thus profit growth is influenced by innovation. On this basis, innovation should be added as an important parameter for business strategising. Secondly, several types of innovative opportunities could be reached through conscious and systematic focus on the use of innovation as a strategic parameter. By tuning the company‟s innovation strategy and innovative processes, in addition to building a strong innovative business culture, creating a competitive edge is within reach

An Exploration with Technology Acceptance Modelling intohow PSD2 Could Improve User Interactions in Personal Finance

A two-fold study attempting to perceive the possible innovations possible thanks to the upcoming Payment Services Directive II using a newly extended adaptation of the Technology Acceptance Model with an aspect of Social Intention, the SITAM.The research successfully highlights the legislation's consequential opportunities, and crafts a multi-banking application with price comparison integration with high user intention to install, lending itself to being developed into a full public release in the future. The SITAM meanwhile gives a new approach to planning and developing software to theoretically maximise adoption at every stage of the lifecycle, offering a contemporary method of categorising survey participants into innovation groups in order to treat feedback differently to match the target market

Understanding business valuation : a practical guide to valuing small to medium-sized businesses

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_guides/2736/thumbnail.jp

Voluntary disclosure, long-horizon investors and shareholder familiarity : an online investor relations perspective

Empirical evidence indicates that companies that reduce information asymmetry by increased voluntary disclosures achieve several benefits, such as lower cost of capital, improved pricing, and liquidity of their shares. Despite the possibility of such benefits, many studies report varying degrees of voluntary disclosure behaviour that is attributable to various factors. Recent studies indicate that investors’ investment horizon has a significant effect on actions taken by management. Companies with predominantly short-horizon investors spend less on research and development, invest in shorter-term projects that are less profitable than longer-term projects, and are more likely to manipulate earnings to meet short-term earnings expectations. This study investigates whether investors’ investment horizon has an effect on the quality of companies’ information environment. Long-horizon investors should be familiar with their investee company’s risks and rewards, using both their own internal information gathering processes and the cumulative information disclosed by management over time. Moreover, over the course of a long-term relationship, they can become familiar with management’s capability to deliver long-term sustainable returns. Long-horizon investors should therefore be less concerned with short-term fluctuations of earnings and management’s public explanations and disclosures thereof. I hypothesise that higher (lower) proportions of long-horizon investors are associated with lower (higher) quality voluntary disclosure. The shareholder familiarity hypothesis was tested in this study, using an ordinary least squares regression. Voluntary disclosures were observed via the channel of companies’ websites. A checklist was compiled of best practices for online investor relations, and content analyses were conducted on the websites of 205 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Shareholder familiarity was proxied by shareholder stability, measured over nine years. The stability measure was lagged by one year to create a temporal difference between the shareholder profile and disclosure behaviour. I found that companies with a profile of unstable investors that are larger, younger, dual-listed and have a Big4 auditor have higher quality online investor relations practices. The hypothesis of a negative association between shareholder familiarity and voluntary disclosure quality is therefore accepted. This study extends the theory on information asymmetry and voluntary disclosure by providing evidence supporting the argument that investor horizon is a predictor of voluntary disclosure quality. The dictum of more is better does not hold in all scenarios. It is important for financial directors and investor relations officers to establish the investment horizon profile of their respective companies’ shareholders before they embark on extensive disclosure programmes.Financial Intelligenc

Introducing the goal-based information framework (GbIF): Documentation and evaluation of information flow in the low maturity organisation

Purpose of the Research: To introduce and evaluate a new method, the Goal-based Information Framework (GbIF), to model and contextualise information flow in a multi-channel, multi-source, environment. This research presents a derivative of the goal-question-metric (GQM) methodology for use in information retrieval and exchange scenarios, paying particular attention to information needs of low maturity organisations. Methodology/Approach: Following a review of the GQM literature, this iterative case-based research first presents a reference model based on experiences at an e- commerce business. The reference model is used as a baseline in two further case studies. The primary case study looks at multi-channel, multi-source, information retrieval challenges within the support department of a European software company. The second case study presents the GbIF in an information exchange context within a software integration project. A comparative study of the reference model and case- based iterations is presented in the conclusion. Findings: The research indicates that the GbIF has value in documenting and evaluating organisational information flow. For information retrieval, the goal-based information framework is a descriptive and evaluative construct, rather than a prescriptive process model. That is, the framework is useful for describing and evaluating an organisation’s static information needs, not in guiding it through an information-retrieval process. For information retrieval needs, the value to the organisation is the resulting documented information flow from goal to information source. However, the complexity and expansiveness of the GbIF may make maintenance (adding and documenting new/additional needs) challenging for the low maturity organisation. This factor could make the GbIF more relevant for one-off or static information needs. The research also presents the theoretical application of the GbIF in information exchange scenarios. Research limitations: The case-based findings could be specific to the observed organisations and could only be valid under similar conditions. Future field and scenario based testing of the framework is required to further understand its strengths and limitations. A complete specification of the framework will need to be authored prior to wide adoption. Practical implications: Much of the previous work on goal-based methodologies has been confined to software measurement or business strategy contexts in larger organisations with well-established information processes. This research expands on a well-documented heritage to present an entirely new method of modelling and documenting information flow in a much wider context. The research also specifically identifies and investigates the challenges of using goal-based methodologies in a low maturity environment

Advances in Crowdfunding

This open access book presents a comprehensive and up-to-date collection of knowledge on the state of crowdfunding research and practice. It considers crowdfunding models and their different manifestations across a variety of geographies and sectors, and explores the perspectives of fundraisers, backers, platforms, and regulators. Gathering insights from a wide range of influential researchers in the field, the book balances concepts, theory, and case studies. Going beyond previous research on crowdfunding, the contributors also investigate issues of community, sustainability, education, and ethics. A vital resource for anyone researching crowdfunding, this book offers readers a deep understanding of the characteristics, business models, user-relations, and behavioural patterns of crowdfunding

Maine State Government Administrative Report 2013-2014

https://digitalmaine.com/me_annual_reports/1040/thumbnail.jp