Designing Internet Reservation and Management Software Systems for Small Peripheral Hospitality Organizations: The HotMot Solution

Anckar, B., and Walden, P. (2000), ”Designing Internet Reservation and Management Software Systems for Small Peripheral Hospitality Organizations: The HotMot Solution”. IAMSR Research Report 5/2000. Institute for Advanced Management Systems Research,

Drivers and Inhibitors to eCommerce Adoption: Exploring the Rationality of Consumer Behavior in the Electronic Marketplace

This research reports on the findings of a mail consumer survey conducted in Finland to (i) build an understanding of the rationales for adopting or rejecting the Internet and ecommerce by consumers, and to (ii) explore the relationship between e-commerce adoption decisions and perceived channel value, seen as the balance of power between the overall benefits that are likely to accrue by using the Internet, and the overall barriers encountered to using it or to deriving the sought benefits. Identifying the primary drivers and inhibitors to Internet and e-commerce adoption, and showing that e-commerce adoption/rejection is based on rational consumer behavior when seen from the proposed value perspective, the study contributes to and extends our understanding of the Internet as a medium for commercial use in the B2C arena

Approaches to Using e- and m-Business Components in Business

This paper discusses using e- and m-business components in supporting and enhancing existing businesses and in creating new business innovations. A framework illustrating two different approaches companies have to adoption of e- and m-business components is proposed. Three cases of how Finnish companies have, in an innovative way, used e- and m-business components to support, to enhance, and to launch businesses are presented. Based on the illustrative framework and the cases, some rules of thumb for using e- and m-business components in business are proposed. The aim of this paper is to offer managers helpful insights for planning e- and m-business component investments.e-Business; m-Business; Business Models; Case Studies

Adoption of Mobile Communication Technology: An Empirical Study on Females Working in Elderly Care

The Finnish municipal open care service in Turku applied mobile communication technology in order to cut costs and increase the efficiency of its elderly care. The home help staff was given a number of Nokia Communicators for the purpose of ordering groceries for their elderly and disabled customers. In this paper we present and discuss our empirical findings of the adoption of mobile communication technology by an all-female population. The results contradict some assumptions generally made in literature about the impact of age and experience on technology adoption

Approaches to Using e- and m-Business Components in Business

This paper discusses using e- and m-business components in supporting and enhancing existing businesses and in creating new business innovations. A framework illustrating two different approaches companies have to adoption of e- and m-business components is proposed. Three cases of how Finnish companies have, in an innovative way, used e- and m-business components to support, to enhance, and to launch businesses are presented. Based on the illustrative framework and the cases, some rules of thumb for using e- and m-business components in business are proposed. The aim of this paper is to offer managers helpful insights for planning e- and m-business component investments

Value-Added Services in Mobile Commerce: An Analytical Framework and Empirical Findings from a National Consumer Survey

Although little is known about consumers ’ attitudes towards wireless marketing channels, many organizations are today making considerable investments to take advantage of the new business possibilities offered by wireless technologies- encouraged by optimistic, yet contradictory forecast on the future volume of mcommerce. This paper highlights the importance of setting out from the consumer perspective when developing mcommerce strategies, proposing an analytical framework that can be used to assess whether, and in what ways, specific mobile services are likely to offer added value for wireless Internet users. The paper reports on a national consumer survey conducted to investigate the Finnish consumers ’ willingness to use a number of initial mobile services, and to investigate whether consumers recognize the value offered by these applications. The results indicate a rather low willingness to use mobile services in general, but an exceptionally high willingness to use certain applications. The results do not, however, support the supposition that m-commerce is likely to increase the overall volume of Internet commerce significantly by penetrating into untapped markets (non-PC users)

Virtual Travel Agencies - Tourist Value through Travel Information Systems

Anckar, B. (1999), ?Virtual Travel Agencies - Tourist Value through Travel Information Systems?. IAMSR Research Report 5/99. Institute for Advanced Management Systems Research, ?bo Akademi University. As electronic commerce enables the tourist service providers to sell their products directly to the consumer, travel agencies are faced with the imminent threat of being by-passed in the travel industry chain in the information age. This paper suggests that virtual travel agencies can compete successfully on electronic markets by offering customers a total service package: A travel information system containing comprehensive and up to the minute travel and destination information, consisting of decision support functions based on a conceptual model of tourist destination choice, as well as on-line reservation capabilities. A suggestive listing and categorization of the destination attributes that are likely to be of interest for potential tourists is presented. In order to illustrate the discrepancies between different travel intermediaries from a global point of view, and to highlight the obvious limitations of the customer service offered by surprisingly many actors on the Web, a brief study of the virtual services offered by the travel agencies on the Finnish market is inserted. The results indicate that the services offered by Finnish travel agencies are far from value-adding.