Taking the Tablet: An Introspective Perspective on Using Pen-Based Computing in the Executive Case Class

The predicament of modern classrooms is that they are usually designed by administrators, architects and technicians, without, or despite the advice of experienced case instructors. By the time the instructor gets to teach in the class it is often too late, and generally too expensive to change anything. While the classrooms are long on technology and aesthetics, they are often very short on teaching comfort and convenience. In this short introspective paper (and here I follow in the tradition of consumer researchers such as Holbrook 1995) I suggest the use of a Tablet PC to overcome most of the problems described above. The paper begins by introducing the innovation, and then describes how the innovation solves the problems. Next, it gives preliminary results and makes some observations that may be useful to those considering adopting the innovation, and also considers some problems that may be encountered. It concludes by reflecting on other possible applications of the technology

Organizational commitment and users’ perception of ease of use : a study among bank managers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at the issue of perceived ease of use of a web-based customer relationship management system and consider the role of organizational commitment as a possible antecedent. Design/methodology/approach – Data for this study were collected from among managers of a major player in the community banking sector within the EU. A total of 274 valid responses were obtained from 398 managers. Findings – Results have been mixed and partially conditioned by service providers’ willingness to leverage the possibilities that the technology can provide. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to a single organization and consequently the results should be generalized with caution. Replication studies with improved measures, in other countries and contexts are desirable. Practical implications – The results can be useful for management, since Web-based customer relationship management systems have been adopted by many service providers in their quest to offer better one-to-one marketing possibilities to their customers. Originality/value – This paper demonstrates the importance of fostering a sense of organizational commitment amongst key service providers, as this in turn seems to enable them to overcome many impediments pertaining to technology use.peer-reviewe

Are there excellent service firms, and do they perform well?

While the construct of business excellence, as defined in the very successful hook by Peters and Waterman, had a marked influence on managers in the 1980s, and in all likelihood in the 1990s, it met with some scepticism in academic circles. This was because the construct as conceptualised did not meet the more rigorous requirements of reliability and validity established by critical researchers, and also because many of the so-called excellent firms later showed themselves to be rather ordinary performers at best. Recently, an apparently successful instrument to measure the original Peters and Waterman excellence construct named EXCEL has been developed by Shama et al., in the United States. In this article the authors describe the use of EXCEL in a sample of large UK service firms and comment on its reliability and validity. Links are also established between excellence and overrall business performance in these firms.peer-reviewe

www.Betfair.com: World-Wide Wagering

Many industries are being fundamentally changed as entrepreneurs discover how to use the Internet to create higher customer value. Betfair has turned the gaming industry upside down with its exchange for gamblers. It has found a very efficient and effective way to match those who want to make and take bets, and also made these gamblers 10 percent better off compared to betting via traditional channels. The case describes the development of Betfair, its business model, and addresses the problems it faces as it expands beyond the boundaries of the United Kingdom

Industrial marketing and the internet : framework for assessing communication strategies

This paper discusses the role of the Web as a strategic communication tool for industrial marketers and its position in the business-to-business communication mix. Using the concepts of purchasing decision processes and hierarchy of effects models, the paper adapts the framework for the measurement of consumer web site efficiency developed by Berthon et al. (1996) to the industrial marketing setting. Examples are given of both large and small industrial organisations that are currently using their Web sites to achieve these objectives. The strategic implications of the framework and model are discussed.peer-reviewe

The state of theory in three premier advertising journals : a research note

Despite its importance, little is known about the prevalence of theory in the literature on advertising research. Utilising a content analysis of the three premier advertising journals over an 11-year period, it is found that only 17% of articles have made explicit use of theory. Psychology is the discipline from which the greatest number of articles drew their theoretical frameworks, followed by sociology and economics – indeed, theories from marketing and advertising are in the minority. Limitations are noted and implications of the results are discussed.peer-reviewe

A Knowledge-centric Examination of Signaling and Screening Activities in the Negotiation for Information Systems Consulting Services

In many professional exchanges, information asymmetry is bilateral, which means that both parties hold information that the other party lacks and, as a result, both parties have the means to be opportunistic. To counter this asymmetry, both parties signal and screen information as they negotiate a consulting engagement. In this paper, we report on how a professional service provider and recipient typically use signaling and screening. The findings highlight that both parties signal and screen and withhold information and that the extent of project knowledge (tacit or explicit) affects how they do so. Tacit knowledge-centric projects have more signaling and screening events than explicit knowledge-centric projects but many of these signals actually increase the amount of information asymmetry

An experimental study of brand signal quality of products in an asymmetric information environment

Abstract Previous research regarding the effectiveness of signalling via brand name has focused on when and how brand-building costs will be recovered in future profit. In contrast to such a seller-incentive perspective, this study examines how the buyer interprets the signal via brand name, the effectiveness of signalling via brand name in terms of buyer-value perspective, and how the buyer's reaction to the signal affects the seller's decision to adopt the signalling strategy. Signalling theory and concepts from consumer-based branding research are used to suggest how to evaluate the effectiveness of signalling via brand name in the context of the consumer market-a market in which information is asymmetric. Findings from online trading experiments, using the methodology of experimental economics, demonstrate that the function of brand fluctuates according to which market conditions prevail for brand and price, the extent of brand differentiation, and the magnitude of brand-building cost.

Tradeoffs in jet inlet design: a historical perspective

The design of the inlet(s) is one of the most demanding tasks of the development process of any gas turbine-powered aircraft. This is mainly due to the multi-objective and multidisciplinary nature of the exercise. The solution is generally a compromise between a number of conflicting goals and these conflicts are the subject of the present paper. We look into how these design tradeoffs have been reflected in the actual inlet designs over the years and how the emphasis has shifted from one driver to another. We also review some of the relevant developments of the jet age in aerodynamics and design and manufacturing technology and we examine how they have influenced and informed inlet design decision