Getting Heads into the Cloud: Pre-Adoption Beliefs and Attitudes

This paper reports on the first phase of a 2-phase confirmation-disconfirmation study in which we conduct a pre-implementation survey of employees at a mid-sized university who are about to have their desktop computers replaced with cloud based systems. Specifically, we are interested in their pre-adoption attitudes toward the system and use intentions. We test a model that predicts pre-adoption attitudes based on individual characteristics including compter self efficacy and perceptions of the IT department that will be implementing the cloud system (perceptions of trust and service quality). We find that perceptions of the IT department influence pre-adoption perceptions of control over the system, which influences perceived usefulness and pre-adoption use intentions. Findings are highlighted in terms of implications for research and practice, in particular, we stress the importance of the ability of IT departments to manage user’s perceptions of trust and service quality to the success of IT initiatives

A STUDY OF NEGOTIATIONS WITHIN THE ETHNIC CHINESE COMMUNITY BETWEEN TAIWAN AND HONG KONG

Negotiation is a fundamental process of business activity. As the world becomes more globalized and international business negotiation becomes more frequent, the importance of culture in negotiation becomes more and more salient. The majority of previous negotiation research has been conducted in either a western or an east vs. west environment, leading us to wonder if the findings of these studies are applicable in other cross-cultural contexts. This study uses the dual concern model presented by Blake and Mouton (1985) to understand what drives negotiation strategy selection in two similar cultures (Taiwan and Hong Kong). The result of statistical analysis confirm significant differences in negotiation strategies between the countries: subjects in Hong Kong are more inclined to employ integration negotiation strategies while Taiwanese subjects employ more competitive strategies.Conflict Management, Negotiation, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Dual Concern Model.

Cultural and review characteristics in the formation of trust in online product reviews: A multinational investigation

Recent changes in web technologies have given a voice to consumers in online discussion of products and services. While the web has long been a source of information about products and services, web content was controlled by those who knew how to develop for the web, or those who could hire web developers. The trend toward web software that permits novice users to contribute to conversations about products has been embraced by online retailers, who facilitate and encourage online user reviews of products. Researchers are just starting to understand the relationship between online user reviews and purchase intention, however have determined that trust is central to the development of purchase intention. In this study, we report the results of a simulation based web purchase experiment that included subjects in Colombia, the People’s Republic of China and the United States. The experiment included manipulations for both information quality and a social component of the review, and espoused culture scores of subjects where measured. We find that information quality, the social component and espoused uncertainty avoidance influence trust in the review. We were not able to support an interaction effect between information quality and uncertainty avoidance and trust, nor an interaction effect between the social component and collectivism

The Influence of Information Overload on the Development of Trust and Purchase Intention Based on Online Product Reviews in a Mobile vs. Web Environment: A Research Proposal

Information overload has been studied extensively by decision science researchers, particularly in the context of task-based optimization decisions. Media selection research has similarly investigated the extent to which task characteristics influence media choice and use. This paper outlines a proposed study, which would compare the effectiveness of web-based online product review systems in facilitation trust and purchase intention to those of mobile product review systems. We propose that since web-based systems are more effective in fostering focus and are less prone to navigation frustration, information overload is less likely influence the extent to which a consumer trusts an online product review

Media Selection and the Imposter Phenomenon: A Multinational Investigation

Imposterism, where individuals seek to create a false impression that they are more qualified than they actually are, is an emerging area of study, while media selection has been a subject of interest to IS researchers for over 25 years. This study seeks to determine if individuals who score highly on imposterism dif er in their media preference, and if there is a cultural dimension to this relationship. Using a scenario-based experiment administered to 439 subjects in the U.S. and China, we demonstrate relationships between media choice and both imposterism and two dimensions of espoused national culture

Privacy policy violations: A corporate nexus of healthcare providers and social media platforms

When healthcare information is shared on social media, who’s to blame? It can be difficult for users to determine whether it was the social media platform or the healthcare provider that caused the privacy violation. A model of behavioral intentions following a privacy breach on a social media platform is developed in which perceptions of psychological contract violations for both entities determine multiple response intentions

Online Word-Of-Mouth and Mobile Product Reviews:An Experimental Investigation of the Mediating Role of Mobile Self Efficacy

Online word-of-mouth (WOM) has been studied extensively by electronic commerce researchers, particularly in the realm of online product reviews. As mobile computing becomes more and more common, difference in navigation and the ability to foster focus may lead to changes in the way in which consumers read and react to mobile product reviews compared to online reviews. We use research related to mobile computing limitations, Mobile Self Efficacy and information overload to outlines a study in which two common online review outcomes, trust in the review and purchase intention are evaluated in a mobile environment

Biguanide iridium(III) complexes with potent antimicrobial activity

We have synthesized novel organoiridium(III) antimicrobial complexes containing a chelated biguanide, including the antidiabetic drug metformin. These 16- and 18-electron complexes were characterized by NMR, ESI-MS, elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography. Several of these complexes exhibit potent activity against Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria (including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)) and high antifungal potency toward C. albicans and C. neoformans, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) in the nanomolar range. Importantly, the complexes exhibit low cytotoxicity toward mammalian cells, indicating high selectivity. They are highly stable in broth medium, with a low tendency to generate resistance mutations. On coadministration, they can restore the activity of vancomycin against vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). Also the complexes can disrupt and eradicate bacteria in mature biofilms. Investigations of reactions with biomolecules suggest that these organometallic complexes deliver active biguanides into microorganisms, whereas the biguanides themselves are inactive when administered alone

Responding to Negative Electronic Word of Mouth to Improve Purchase Intention

Retailers have little control over what their customers say about their products and services online. Review platforms (e.g., Yelp and Travelocity) are rife with negativity, from both real customers with bad experiences and from fake reviews created by competitors. These negative reviews have been shown to influence the purchasing behavior of future consumers. Many platforms do afford companies some control by including them in the online conversation about their products or services. Crafting a response to a poor review which appeals to future consumers may mitigate some of the negative outcomes associated with that review. This study advances our knowledge of responding to negative reviews by adding to the growing body of research, using a simulation-based experiment to test the influence of three elements of a review response on purchase intention (i.e., an apology, an explanation and a pledge to correct the problem identified in the review). In doing so, the data show that purchase intention increases only when a response contains all three elements. Implications for e-commerce researchers and review platform developers are discussed