Developing Firm Capability through IT Resources Deployed in Inter-organizational Relationships

This study attempts to explain how physical and human IT resources deployed in inter-organizational relationships (IORs)affect IT-enabled capabilities of a firm. We classify the IT enabled-capability into two types such as relational-specificknowledge management (RKM) capability and absorptive capacity. In addition, this study suggests that RKM capability andabsorptive capacity lead to increased firm performance. Finally, we test the relationship of RKM capability and absorptivecapacity. A total of 119 responses were used for analysis. Our results demonstrate that a firm reinforces its capabilities suchas RKM capability and absorptive capacity by leveraging physical and human IT resources dedicated in IORs. This impliesthat IT resources in IORs play a key role in developing further capabilities related to improved firm performance.Furthermore, RKM capability developed in IORs directly affects absorptive capacity of a firm. Thus, firms make a constanteffort to develop IT-enabled capabilities beyond the deployment of IT in IORs

Enhancing Customer Response Capability through Organizational Knowledge Resources in Service Encounters

Considering that a firm’s service competitiveness comes from customer service representatives (CSRs)’ capability, it is essential to enhance their capability first to create superior customer service. Accordingly, this study provides a way of creating CSRs’ capability by proving how organizational knowledge accumulated in knowledge management systems influences their customer response expertise and speed. Moreover, drawing on studies of organization memory (OM), it is defined by the three dimensions of OM level, OM dispersion, and OM usability. To test the proposed model and hypotheses, this study conducted the structural equation modeling analysis using a total of 373 responses collected on CSRs. The results indicate that both OM level and dispersion greatly increase customer response expertise. Besides, OM level, dispersion, and usability enhance customer response speed. Particularly, OM usability is the most effective in improving customer response speed. Finally, CSRs’ service performance depends on customer response expertise and speed

The Effectiveness of Scarcity Messages in Group-Buying Social Commerce: The Comparison of Korea and China

This study attempts to extend the customer value–customer satisfaction–customer loyalty framework by introducing key constructs of scarcity messages as a major environmental stimulus and the urge to buy impulsively as its response in the context of group-buying social commerce, across countries including Korea and China. More specifically, this study proposes that scarcity messages influence customers’ value perception (i.e., utilitarian value and hedonic value. Moreover, the study suggests that scarcity messages and customer values arouse the urge to buy impulsively. In the Korean sample, the results show that scarcity messages increase both utilitarian and hedonic values as well as the urge to buy impulsively, which in turn enhances customers’ satisfaction and further loyalty. In the Chinese sample, relationships related to utilitarian value are insignificant. That is, scarcity messages only influence hedonic value which increases the urge to buy impulsively. Besides, customer satisfaction depends on utilitarian and hedonic values

Leveraging Customer Knowledge in Electronic Knowledge Repositories for Service Expertise

This study examines how three dimensions of electronic knowledge repositories (EKRs), namely customer knowledge level, customer knowledge integration and accessibility of customer knowledge, contribute to increasing customer service representatives (CSRs)’ service expertise and their customer knowledge utilization and acquisition. Furthermore, the study empirically tests the proposition that service quality is influenced by CSRs’ service expertise and their customer knowledge utilization and acquisition. To test the proposed model and hypotheses, data were collected on CSRs working for call centers using EKRs such as knowledge management systems. All the hypothesized relationships were found to be significant except that between customer knowledge acquisition and service quality. Service expertise was strongly affected by customer knowledge level. While customer knowledge utilization was strongly increased by the accessibility of customer knowledge, customer knowledge acquisition was strongly increased by customer knowledge integration. This study offers an insight into how EKRs, which will have been accumulated by firms over time, ultimately influence the performance of CSRs

The Flipside of Ubiquitous Connectivity by Smartphone-based Social Networking Service (SNS): Social Presence and Privacy Concern

The spread of smartphones triggers the universal use of smartphone-based social networking services (SNS) from younger generations in their teens and twenties to older ones in their fifties and sixties. SNS would no longer be the preserve of younger generations. Smartphone-based SNS can be enjoyed by everyone irrespective of age or gender. Under the circumstances, this study attempts to shed light on the sources of enjoyment, which has been argued as a key determinant of hedonic IS use, assuming that ubiquitous connectivity is a foundation of using smartphone-based SNS. This is because the main reason that people use smartphone-based SNS is to maintain seamless connection with others such as family, friends and acquaintances. Furthermore, the study examines factors related to enjoyment considering both sides of ubiquitous connectivity due to smartphone-based SNS use (i.e., social presence and privacy concern) and also verifies the effects of these variables on SNS continuance intention. Our results show that first, ubiquitous connectivity increases social presence and privacy concern. Second, enjoyment comes from not only ubiquitous connectivity but also social presence and privacy concern. Finally, smartphone-based SNS continuance intention is determined by enjoyment, social presence and privacy concern. Discussion and implications on the results are presented

Individual and parental factors associated with preschool children’s foreign language anxiety in an EFL Setting

The present study aims to examine individual and parental factors that affect young children’s foreign language anxiety (FLA) in an EFL setting. Subjects include 453 mothers of young children aged 3 to 5 years old and of these participants, 217children attended regular kindergarten and 236 children attended English immersion institution. Both individual (child’s age, gender, temperament) and parental (parent’s educational attainment, household income, mother’s beliefs about early English education) factors were collected with mother’s self-report questionnaire. Children’s foreign language anxiety, however, was measured with both mother’s and teacher’s assessment. Results reveal that children’s age and temperament had significant effects on their level of foreign language anxiety. Older children were more prone to having a higher level of foreign language anxiety and children with a higher tendency for impulsiveness and harm avoidance were also more likely to show a higher level of foreign language anxiety. As for the parental factors, children of mothers with more concerns for early English education and stronger beliefs in cognitive benefits of early English education were more likely to show a higher level of foreign language anxiety. Future directions and implications will be discussed

Language anxiety in second language writing: Is it really a stumbling block?

This study investigates how foreign language anxiety is related to second language writing anxiety among second language (L2) English learners in Korea and how English writing anxiety affects second language writing performance. It also investigates possible sources of anxiety from the learners’ perspective, which should provide better understanding of possible obstacles that L2 learners may face during language learning. The data came from two survey instruments, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS; Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986) and the English Writing Anxiety Scale (EWAS; Lee, 2005), as well as a background questionnaire. The surveys were administered to an intact class of 26 junior high school students of English as a foreign language, where the teacher had implemented an innovative writing portfolio assignment. The study’s results indicate that there is a significant positive correlation between the FLCAS and the EWAS. There was not a significant correlation between EWAS and writing performance as observed in the student portfolios, but students with high EWAS scores did tend to show poor performance on the writing portfolio. Several causes of anxiety in the classroom from the students’ point of view were uncovered. The research findings suggest that instructors should seek more effective ways to ease the anxiety that students might feel when learning and writing English so as to support successful language learning experiences

Potential of IGCC slag as an alkali activated material

Integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) is a next generation energy production technology that converts coal into syngas with enhanced power generation efficiency and environmental performance. IGCC produces coal gasification slag as the solid by-product. Recycling of IGCC slag is still in the early stages, but the recycling process has been around the cement and concrete industry. We calculated the reactive Si/Al ratio of IGCC slag which is generated from a pilot plant in South Korea, and evaluated the potential of it as an alkali-activated material. Samples which were activated with the combined activator of sodium silicate solution and caustic soda had an average compressive strength of 4.5 MPa, showing swelling on the top free surface. Expansion of the alkali-activated slag was possibly caused by free CaO and MgO in the slag. While the samples that were activated with the combined activator of sodium aluminate and caustic soda had an average compressive strength of 10 MPa. Hydroxy sodalite and C3AH6 were found to be the new crystalline phases. IGCC slag can be used as an alkali-activated material, but the strength performance should be improved with proper mix design approach which can alleviate the expansion issue at the same time. Acknowledgement This study was supported by Korea Western Power Co., Ltd. in South Korea

Self-care use patterns in the UK, US, Australia, and Japan: a multinational web-based survey

AbstractBackgroundThe trend toward patient- or consumer-centered healthcare has been accelerated by advances in technology, consumer empowerment, and a shift from infectious to chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine the growing self-care market by analyzing self-care patterns.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey involving adults from nine major cities in the UK, the USA, Australia, and Japan. This study examined the extent and frequency of self-care, self-care expenditure, sources of self-care information, and reasons for self-care in each country.ResultsThe results showed that the prevalence of self-care was highest in Japan (54.9%), followed by the UK (43.1%), the USA (42.5%), and Australia (40.4%). The primary reason for practicing self-care was “to manage my healthcare myself” (cited by 45.7%, 59.5%, 49.2%, and 4.1% of participants in Australia, Japan, the UK, and the USA, respectively). Significant linear associations were observed between age and the prevalence of self-care in all countries (p<0.05), indicating that self-care prevalence decreased with age in the UK, the USA, and Australia, and increased with age in Japan. The frequency with which self-care was practiced was positively correlated with age in the USA (p<0.05), Australia (p<0.01), and Japan (p<0.05). In addition to acquaintances, internet search engines and information obtained from pharmacies were considered reliable and widely used sources of self-care information.ConclusionWhen developing self-care products or services, healthcare providers and policymakers should consider self-care patterns

Effects of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate on Neural Differentiation and Neurite Outgrowth in Neuroblastoma Cells

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is emerging as a new class of second messenger involved in cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis and is implicated in diverse physiological functions. Despite many studies on the biological functions of S1P, however, little is known about its role in neuronal differentiation. By use of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunostaining, this study aimed to explore whether S1P can differentiate neuroblastoma cells into neural cells. After incubation with 1 uM or 10 uM S1P, the number of neurite-bearing cells increased. Furthermore, the neuroblastoma cells revealed immunoreactivity for neural-specific markers such as GAP43, NFH, and SYP by immunostaining. The expression of NFH, MAP2, SYP, NeuroD1, and SYT mRNA, which is specific for neurons, was increased as shown by RT-PCR studies. The results of this study suggest that that S1P can induce neuronal differentiation and may be a good candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases