Intention to use mobile customer relationship management systems

© Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the behavioral intentions of business-to-business (B2B) sales managers to use mobile customer relationship management (CRM) systems in the course of their day-to-day activities. Design/methodology/approach - An extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) of mobile CRM system adoption is developed and tested with data from 105 international sales managers representing five B2B companies. Findings - The study extends the TAM framework with three additional constructs derived from mobile technology and sales force automation literature, namely personal innovativeness in the domain of IT, perceived risk, and perceived reachability. The model demonstrates that personal innovativeness and perceived reachability have significant effects on the TAM framework. Research limitations/implications - The relatively small sample size limits the generalization of the results. Practical implications - Sales managers' intention to adopt mobile CRM can be explained by the extended TAM framework. Understanding the key factors that influence intention to adopt a mobile CRM system will aid companies in implementing it among their sales force. Companies willing to foster adoption of a mobile CRM system among the sales force could focus on communicating the usefulness of using the system and benefits gained from enhanced reachability. Recruiting sales people with strong personal innovativeness is beneficial. Originality/value - This study responds the calls for studies on mobile platforms and on the use of mobile B2B applications in sales force management. It is among the first attempts to incorporate variables derived from mobile technology acceptance literature among the sales force into the TAM framework, to better explain acceptance of mobile CRM systems

Optimization of a Recovery Boiler Economizer

The aim of the present Master’s Thesis is to minimize the mass of a recovery boiler economizer while retaining heat transfer rate. The study features building a new 1-dimensional heat transfer model for the case and optimizing the results by using a modified version of Particle Swarm Optimization method. Economizer heat transfer calculation is problematic due to particle radiation and fouling induced by exhaust fumes from the boiler. Moreover, in terms of optimization, the number of design variables included in the optimization render the case next to impossible to solve without computational support. Results feature optimization of full economizer geometry as well as individual design parameter study, where direct guidelines for dimensional changes are found. Effect of flow properties and parameters are studied as well as possible simplifications for the model in order to make the optimization less time consuming. The results are expected to lead into savings in material costs as well as reduced size and mass while retaining the functionality, or even in-creasing it. The study was provided by Valmet Technologies Oy, which also provided the initial geometry and reference cases for validation of the model

Hankintakulujen hallinnan sekä analyysin ongelmia ja niiden ratkaisuja

Tämän kandidaatintutkielman tavoitteena on tunnistaa ja tuoda esille hankintakulutietojen hallinnan ja analysoinnin keskeisiä ongelmia sekä esittää niille ratkaisuehdotuksia. Kulujen hallinta ja analyysi ovat vanhoja toimintoja yrityksen liiketoiminnassa, mutta niihin liittyy edelleen paljon haasteita. Tutkielmassa teen kirjallisuuskatsauksen olemassa olevaan tieteelliseen kirjallisuuteen. Aineistona käytän myös kahta haastattelua, jotka olen tehnyt kansainvälisessä teknologiayrityksessä. Kirjallisuudesta ja haastatteluista löytyi samankaltaisia ongelmia, mutta myös samankaltaisia ratkaisuehdotuksia. Merkittävin tunnistettu ongelma on huonolaatuinen tieto, ja keskeisin ratkaisuehdotus on järjestelmien yhdistäminen ja käytettävyyden kehittäminen

Validation of a Latvian and a Russian version of the Oral Health Impact Profile for use among adults

BACKGROUND. The need for appraisal of oral health-related quality of life has been increasingly recognized over the last decades. The aim of this study was to develope a Latvian and a Russian version and test the validity of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49) for use among adults in Latvia. METHODS. The original English version of the OHIP-49 was translated using the forward-backward technique, pilot-tested, and then applied to 60 adults aged 18 years and above. The questionnaire was filled out during face-to-face interviews conducted by one specialist. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha (α) coefficient and inter-item and item-total correlations. Discriminant and convergent validities were assessed. RESULTS. Cronbach's α was estimated to be 0.96. Inter-item correlations coefficients ranged from 0.19 to 0.91, with averige value 0.35, while item-total correlations coefficients from 0.14 to 0.86. CONCLUSIONS. The OHIP-49 is a reliable and valid questionnaire for the assessment of OHRQoL among adults in Latvia.publishersversionPeer reviewe