The importance of service branding in multi channel e commerce success: Towards a research framework

Better customer service and the corresponding increase in customer loyalty and overall spend are frequently cited as the reasons multi-channel retailers are more profitable than pure-play e-tailers and traditional bricks and mortar organisations. This implies that multi-channel retailers need a strong service brand to achieve the benefits of multi-channel e-commerce. Considerable literature exists on services branding and on multi-channel e-commerce strategy but few studies have explored the relationship between the two. In this work-in-progress we discuss the importance of services branding in multi-channel e-commerce and develop a research framework for the impact of multi-channel e-commerce strategy elements on services branding

Information flows in a New Zealand Sheep Meat Supply Chain

Most supply-chain research focuses on manufactured goods supply chains. This paper aims to fill a gap in the literature by exploring the downstream information flows in a New Zealand sheep-meat supply chain. It identifies stakeholders and the nature and efficiency of their information exchanges. Results show that important information is generated in several tiers along the supply chain but this information is not always shared and opportunities for increased supply chain competitiveness are lost. The lack of information sharing is explained by the unwillingness of partners to commit to tight contractual agreements, the lack of adequate technological infrastructure, and the absence of regulations mandating certain information

Information Systems Research Education in Australia: Continuing the Past or Gearing up for the Future

As the information systems discipline grows, so do the number of programs offering graduate research degrees (GRD). In Australasia these include one year post-graduate (honors) programs with research components, masters by research degrees, and doctorate degree programs. Graduate students entering their first research program are faced with a quantum leap in expectations and required skills. The burden is significant: they need to find a referent discipline, select a research method and paradigm, defend the research relevance, and fulfil the requirements of adding to a body of knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to inform discussion on the issue of graduate research skills. We identify the critical research skills needed and present two pragmatic models for teaching them. This provides a basis for a shared knowledge and discourse based on lessons learnt

The Case of the Wellington Loop: An Illustration of a Two Sided Market Strategy in an Educational ICT Infrastructure Development

This paper describes the Wellington Loop Trust which has been formed to enable a number of Wellington secondary schools to access the Internet via high speed broadband using the Citylink fibre infrastructure. The current literature is used to describe the Loop can as a two-sided market model and to illustrate how this model can be used to determine appropriate pricing strategies

Information Requirements for Customer Relationship Management: A Case Study in a New Zealand Bank

Customer Relationship Management is gaining importance as a business strategy. It seeks to select, cultivate and manage the most profitable customer relationships with a view to increasing long-term profitability, through understanding customers\u27 needs. This requires organisations to understand the information requirements of CRM implementation. Most published work to date focuses on management information requirements. Little published research has examined front-end sales agents\u27 information needs and yet they are arguably the most important group of users, with direct interaction with customers. This paper seeks to close the knowledge gap by surveying a group of branch and call centre sales agents within a bank to identify their information needs

Theory and Practice in Multi Channel E Commerce Strategies: A case study of an apparel and home-ware retailer

Multi-channel retailing is becoming main-stream and a growing body of research is accumulating on multi- channel e-commerce strategies. Yet some organisations have more success than others with their multi-channel strategies. We talked to the management of one of Australasia’s most successful multi-channel apparel and home-ware retailers about the theory and practice of multi-channel retailing, with the aim of adding to the body of knowledge in this area. Management identified seven success factors: functional integration, channel synergy, service brand management, integrated information management, excellent logistics management, customer relationship management, market sensing, and process engineering

A Services Science Major in a Bachelor of Science (IT) Program: The Case of UAE University

This paper presents a proposed design for a new undergraduate major in services science within a bachelor of science in information technology program. Potential students in the major will be Emerati nationals with strong verbal skills but sometimes weak writing, math and problem solving skills. Math and problem solving skill are essential in the new services dominated environment, so it is important that these skills be developed in students if the nation is to continue to lead the region in IT service provisioning. The curriculum proposes three new courses and inclusion of four existing course from related majors

Panel: Educating Future IS Researchers

As the information systems discipline grows, so do the number of programs offering graduate research degrees. These include honors (or fourth year) with research components, masters by research, and doctoral degree programs. Within these programs, we expect students to gain a deep understanding of developments and thinking about information systems and information management from both academia and practice. At the same time, we require them to obtain research skills and practice rigorous research. Thus students are faced with a quantum leap in expectations and required skills. In research, the onus on students is high: they need to find a referent discipline, select a research method and paradigm, defend the research relevance, and fulfil the requirements of adding to a body of knowledge. Frequently students are starting these programs with limited or no prior research training and with under-developed critical thinking skills. How do we maximize theses or dissertation completion rates? How can we structure programs to ensure that research is not forgotten on the library shelves, but rather forms the basis of a research career, that grows into a useful contribution to the body of knowledge? In posing these questions, we are suggesting that Ph.D. education is more than merely writing a thesis; it includes the initiation of scholars into the community of IS researchers

The Role of Information and Communication Technology in the Urgent Decision-making Process: a work in progress report

This paper reports part of a study that examines how members of a senior management team in a public sector organisation make decisions under urgency. Four regional managers, who are geographically dispersed around New Zealand were interviewed, either face-to-face or via telephone, regarding their experiences of decision making under urgency. Preliminary results indicate that only three out of a possible seven steps of a conventional decision making process are used during the urgent decision making process. The study also shows that participants do not fully utilise the information and communication technology available during the decision making process. The implications the findings have for practice and research are discussed