Acceptance of personal digital assistants for geography fieldwork.

This research study adapted the integrated Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Task-Technology Fit (TTF) Model to examine the degree of technology acceptance of handhelds in local secondary education with specific application to the use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) for Geography fieldwork. This research aimed to firstly investigate the students’ attitudes and behavioral intentions to use PDA for Geography fieldwork by considering the factors of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, intrinsic motivation, prestige, tool functionality and task-technology fit. Secondly, the suitability of the PDA to support the task of data collection for geography fieldwork would be examined. The study was conducted with a group of 39 Secondary Three male and female students in a Singapore government school. Findings from regression analysis showed that these students seemed to value more on the tool functionality and usefulness of the device in helping them complete their tasks during geography fieldwork. Perceived usefulness of the mobile device was most significant in influencing its acceptance as compared to intrinsic motivation, prestige and perceived ease of use. On the other hand, perception on ease of use and TTF influenced perception on the usefulness of the PDA. Both TTF and tool functionality also significantly affected the perceived ease of use of PDA. Their attitude affected their intention to use PDA for future fieldwork. Lastly, tool functionality also determined the match of the technology to the fieldwork tasks.Master of Science (Information Studies

Training hones competitive conjecturing ability in a hostile environment.

One of the most important determinants of competitive advantage is the ability to successfully predict competitors‟ strategies, a capability known as competitive conjecturing capability. Although research has demonstrated the value of developing such a capability, the effects of training within a hostile environment on a manager‟s competitive conjecturing capability are not yet well understood. To address this gap, our study examines how operating in hostile environment reduces a manager‟s competitive conjecturing capability and how training helps to mitigate the negative effect. Our results show that, in the absence of training, managers tend to be less accurate in predicting competitor‟s actions when being placed in a highly hostile environment due to various cognitive biases and reliance on heuristics. However, with appropriate training which improves knowledge about the competitive environment, conjecturing accuracy actually improves within a hostile environment. This research contributes to managerial practice by identifying the remedial actions for overcoming reduction in competitive conjectural accuracy due to environmental hostility. Despite the controversies concerning the effectiveness of training, we found out that one of the key factors of inaccuracy in competitive conjecturing is due to the lack of experience and training to handle strategic decision making in a hostile environment. We discuss the managerial implications of these findings and how firms can improve on their competitive conjecturing ability and ultimately improve firm performance.BUSINES

Fast-expanding "online" markets in South Korea and China: are they worth pursuing?

The online shopping craze in South Korea has been ongoing for more than a decade, but in China, online shopping is currently experiencing tremendous growth, with 64 million additional shoppers per year. Consumers in Asia are among the world's most prolific online shoppers. This study explains the evolution of the online shopping market in South Korea and China. Using fast-expanding market model as an initial analytical framework and multiple case approach, we find that Chinese online shopping corresponds to the take-off stage of a successful cluster, in which significant opportunities are still present in Chinese Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities. Conversely, the South Korean online market is nearing saturation, though major foreign players are still entering this perceived lucrative marketplace