Exploring Food Purchase Behavior of Low-Income Households: How Do They Economize?

This report compares food purchases by U.S. households of different income levels and finds that low-income shoppers spend less on food purchases despite some evidence that they face generally higher purchase prices. Households can economize on food spending by purchasing more discounted products, favoring private-label (generic) products over brand, pursuing volume discounts, or settling for a less expensive product (for example, less lean beef within a product class. A 1998 sample of food store purchase data shows that low-income households adhere to these practices when possible, but that the typically smaller size of food stores in urban and rural locations may sometimes preclude them from doing so.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

The Measurement of Information System Use: Preliminary Considerations

DeLone and McLean (1992, p. 16) argue that the concept of “system use” has suffered from a “too simplistic definition.” Despite decades of substantial research on system use, the concept is yet to receive strong theoretical scrutiny. Many measures of system use and the development of measures have been often idiosyncratic and lack credibility or comparability. This paper reviews various attempts at conceptualization and measurement of system use and then proposes a re-conceptualization of it as “the level of incorporation of an information system within a user’s processes.” The definition is supported with the theory of work systems, system, and Key-User-Group considerations. We then go on to develop the concept of a Functional- Interface-Point (FIP) and four dimensions of system usage: extent, the proportion of the FIPs used by the business process; frequency, the rate at which FIPs are used by the participants in the process; thoroughness, the level of use of information/functionality provided by the system at an FIP; and attitude towards use, a set of measures that assess the level of comfort, degree of respect and the challenges set forth by the system. The paper argues that the automation level, the proportion of the business process encoded by the information system has a mediating impact on system use. The article concludes with a discussion of some implications of this re-conceptualization and areas for follow on research

The Past, Present, and Future of “IS Success”

Since the introduction of information systems more than 60 years ago, organizations want to ensure that their systems are effective or “successful”. Much has changed in the evaluation of information systems success during this period. The role of information systems in organizations has changed dramatically, as have the key stakeholders and the expected benefits of the investments in IS. During this period, IS research has evolved to keep pace with the changing expectations regarding the success of information systems, yet practice tends to lag behind. In this commentary, we discuss five eras of information systems evolution and explain how the perceptions and measures of successful information systems have changed across these eras. By looking at the past and present, we are able to comment on how our understanding of success has evolved over time in research and practice. We discuss the inadequacy of IS success evaluation in practice. Finally, we offer four themes as calls for future action related to the research of information systems success

Continual Growth, Inhibitors, and Implications of Information Communication Technology in South Korea from a North American Perspective

Despite their late development into the information communication technology (ICT) market, several countries in continental Asia have emerged as technological and industrial leaders in the world. With its information communication technology (ICT) initiatives and policies, South Korea has emerged from its chaotic history as one of Asia\u27s most advanced ICT economies. It could be argued that South Korea has made the same technological progress in 30 years that took the United States to do in over 100. However, rapid growth cannot be achieved without difficulties along the way. The current research presents the ICT growth of South Korea along with factors inhibiting future growth. While South Korea has advanced through government initiatives and diligence among a hard-working society, new initiatives, including the Blue Ocean strategy must be established in order to sustain its competitive advantage. A review of inhibitors limiting continued growth is presented with recommendations for overcoming these limitations