WHAT DRIVES M-LEARNING SUCCESS? –DRAWING INSIGHTS FROM SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING THEORY

Contrary to its rapid diffusion, m-learning is short of concrete theoretical underpinnings. This study serves as a first important step to apply self-directed learning theory to the m-learning field. Based on a review of both m-learning and self-directed learning theory literature, present study applies findings of prior self-directed learning research to portray current m-learning activities. Evidence is also found, suggesting that self-directed learning theory should be an important theoretical underpinning of m-learning. Based on a reflection on current m-learning initiatives, the paper suggests that, to design a sound m-learning system, a sufficient consideration of learners’ self-directed learning attributes is critical and essential

Predicting and explaining use intention and purchasing intention in online g roup shopping

Online group shopping has emerged as a new e-commerce model and received attention in both academics and practice. Prior research focuses on investigating online group shopping mainly from the marketing discipline, and little research has tried to examine individual consumers’ acceptance of online group shopping from the technology acceptance perspectives. This paper aims at investigating the drivers determining individual consumers’ intention to use online group shopping as well as the relationships between the intention to use online group shopping and the intention to purchase via online group shopping websites. The research model was developed based on technology acceptance theories and extended to purchasing behaviour. The research model is empirically tested with data collected from 318 Chinese college students and analyzed using PLS. The results show that all the individuals’ intention to use online group shopping are motivated by relative advantages, perceived complexity and perceived enjoyment, and their use intention is significantly related to their purchasing intention via online group shopping websites. Finally, the limitations of the current research are discussed, and the directions for further research are suggested

A cross-culture validation on the predictors of online review helpfulness

A large amount of studies on online review has been conducted, most of which are based on studying English-speaking reviewers. However, it is unclear whether customers who speak other languages, such as Finnish, German and Japanese, would exhibit similar preference in defining the helpfulness of online review or not? There is a lack of knowledge on how different cultural backgrounds affect users’ evaluation on the helpfulness of online review . The current study seeks to offer valid answer and fresh insights in this regard. Based on a collection of 57,000 online reviews, the study applied Tobit regression analysis to explore the impact of review extremity and review depth on review helpfulness across six different language groups, including English, Finnish, German, Italian, Russian and Japanese. Substantial and significant differences are found between English and non-English review groups. Specifically, review extremity affects the helpfulness counts of English review in a way significantly differing from Russian, German, Italian and Japanese reviews. In addition, the review depth has the strongest impact on the helpfulness count of English review in comparison to reviews in other languages. These findings highlight a need to discriminate English review and non-English in future research as well as in the practice of review management

POST ADOPTION BEHAVIOUR OF E-SERVICE USERS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON CHINESE ONLINE TRAVEL SERVICE USERS

Post adoption behaviours of e-service users are important for e-service providers to increase both their revenues and profits. This paper develops a model to investigate the factors influencing users’ post adoption behaviours, including continuance intention to use e-services and recommendation behaviour. The model is developed based on Expectation Confirmation Theory and includes two additional variables in it, namely perceived ease of use and recommendations. Based on 543 useful questionnaires, the model is empirically tested together with a number of hypotheses. The results show that both satisfaction and perceived usefulness positively impact users’ continuance intention. Continuance intention, together with perceived usefulness, has positive influences on users’ recommendations of e-service. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed as well

Exploring the Factors Determining Individuals’ SNS Continuance: An Empirical Study in the Chinese Context

IS continuance is important for IS providers to increase both their revenues and profits, and to achieve success. With the penetration of SNS into people’ lives, SNS has attracted the attentions of IS researchers and become a hot topic. This study develops a model to explore the factors determining individuals’ continuous intention and use of SNS. Based on 221 useful questionnaires, the research model is empirically tested together with a number of hypotheses. The results show that satisfaction together with perceived usefulness, perceived playfulness and social influence positively impact users’ continuance intention. Continuance intention and satisfaction are found to have positive influences on users’ continuous use of SNS, and continuous intention exerts a stronger influence on continuous use than satisfaction. The implications to theories and practice are discussed as well

Measurement of E-service Quality: An Empirical Study in Online Travel Service

Abstract: Information communication technologies (ICTs) have significantly revolutionized travel industry in the last decade. With an increasing number of travel companies participating in the Internet market, low price has become a minimum qualification to compete in the Internet market. As a result, e-service quality is becoming even more critical for companies to retain and attract customers in the digital age. This study focuses on e-service quality dimensions in the Internet market with an empirical study on online travel service. The purpose of this study is to develop a scale to evaluate e-service quality from the perspectives of both online companies and customers, which provides fresh insight into the dimensions of e-service quality. The results in this study indicate that trust from the perspective of customer and ease of use from the perspective of online company are the most critical and important facets in customers’ perception of online travel service quality, while reliability, system availability and responsiveness have influence on customer’s perception of online travel service quality as well, but the influence is not so strong as that of trust and ease of use. Online travel service companies should pay attention to the facets of reliability, system availability and responsiveness while focusing on the facets of ease of use and trust in order to improve their online travel service quality to customers

Social Commerce In Retaling – Why You Use IT?

Social media has not only reshaped the way people make decisions, but also changed the norms of how people interact with others. Due to the popularity of social media, social commerce is becoming a new form of e-commerce approaches. This study attempts to investigate what motivates individuals’ use of social commerce in the context of grocery retailing service based on the theoretical framework of the Uses and Gratifications theory. The empirical data was collected from a Finnish social commerce website offering a social media environment for social commerce in grocery services. Based on both survey data and clickstream data, we found that i) individuals are motivated to use social commerce in grocery retailing service mainly due to their utilitarian gratification in using it as social commerce platform can meet their functional needs; ii) social gratification plays weak role in determining social commerce in grocery retailing service as individuals has less social needs compared to their functional needs in social commerce; and iii) hedonic gratification might be a potential reason as the hedonic needs seems to be very weak. The functions (searching for products and recipes, compiling shopping lists and online shopping, etc.) offered by the social commerce services meet individuals’ functional needs, and motivate them to use social commerce. Finally the limitations of the current research are discussed, and the directions for further research are also suggested

Antecedents of E-Service Continuance an Empirical Study on Chinese Online Travel Services Users

Electronic services (e-services) have become widely accepted by the customers. At the same time, customer retention remains to be a key managerial challenge. This calls for further research identifying the determinants of continuous e-service use. However, research examining service quality as a determinant of continuous e-service use is scant. This study proposes a model for examining the e-service continuance intention by incorporating perceived ease of use and perceived service quality in the IS continuance model of Bhattacherjee (2001). The model is empirically tested with a data collected from 543 Chinese online travel service users and analyzed using PLS. The model was found to explain 38.9 percent of the continuance intention. Perceived service quality was found to be a significant antecedent of continuance intention together with satisfaction and perceived usefulness. Furthermore, the results suggest that users’ affect (satisfaction) is becoming a salient predictor of the continuance intention in the e-services setting, and the construct of perceived e-service quality should be considered in IT continuance research. The paper concludes that perceived e-services quality, as an important construct, should be considered in future IT continuance research

A UNIFIED RISK-BENEFIT ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK FOR INVESTIGATING MOBILE PAYMENT ADOPTION

The paper proposes a unified risk-benefit analysis framework for investigating consumers’ adoption of mobile payment technology. Based on perceived risk theory and risk-benefit analysis literature, the proposed framework integrates three variables—perceived risk, perceived benefit and perceived value, to predict consumers’ intention to use mobile payment. All the proposed hypotheses are well supported based on an empirical validation of 336 useful survey samples. The results show that consumers consider both the beneficial and risky aspects of using mobile payment to evaluate the overall desirability (perceived value) of adoption decision. Further, perceived value, together with perceived risk and benefit directly affects consumers’ intention to adopt the technology. Financial risk is found to be the key resource of the risks of using mobile payment. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Strategies for minimizing emittance growths in high intensity CW FEL injectors

We discuss beam emittance growths in high intensity CW FEL injectors due to linear and non-linear space charge fields, phase space bifurcation, skew-quad effect, longitudinal momentum modification by space charges in bends, and equipartitioning, etc. We generalize Kim`s RF laser gun theory to DC laser guns. We discuss the traditional free energy theory of emittance growth. The best strategies for designing high-intensity CW FEL injectors are derived, and their application to the design analysis of the CEBAF 10 MeV DC laser gun CW FEL injector test stand is discussed