Utilising IGV approach to identify factors affecting web usability

Due to the changing nature of Internet technology and user needs,continuous web evaluation has become very important in determining the usability of web sites. However, web designers often face problems in identifying the right criteria for evaluation. Despite the growing number of guidelines and other literature on web design and evaluation,each of them varies in terms of quality, coverage, relevancy, and suitability. With this in mind, a study using IGV approach was carried out to identify key generic criteria that need to be taken into consideration by designers or others when assessing the overall usability of web sites. The results of the study include a comprehensive list of the identified usability criteria that were grouped into 7 major factors - screen appearance, content, accessibility, navigation, media use, interactivity, and consistenc

E-reading in organizations: Users' satisfaction and preference

This paper defines electronic reading (e-reading) and then continues to discuss the diverse definitions of the main resource of e-reading, which are, electronic books (e-books). It then proceeds to describe the formats and standards of existing e-book initiatives, which are gaining wider interest since the introduction of portable electronic reading devices and software-based readers that provide users with a more realistic book reading experience. Advantages, disadvantages, and problems with paper-based reading are also explained. In addition, a study concerning an evaluation of e-reading satisfaction is described. Three different e-book formats (LIT, PDF, and HTML) were utilised to accomplish the primary aims of the study, which were to identify the most preferred format, associated software-based reader (Microsoft Reader, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Internet Explorer), and the potential of e-reading in the workplace. Based on a proposed preferred index, the results seem to suggest that Microsoft Reader is more preferable when compared to the other two. However, most participants preferred reading on paper rather than on screen. Although this was the case, some participants would e-read depending on resources and situations

A framework for evaluating the usability of political web sites : towards improving cyberdemocracy

Phd ThesisThe use of the World Wide Web (WWW) for political purposes, sometimes known as Cyberdemocracy, is growing rapidly. Web sites in particular have potential in improving people's participation in politics; which is one of the basic principles of democracy. However, currently very few studies have focussed on the usefulness and effectiveness of such web sites. This research, therefore, investigates the issue of web usability and proposes a framework for evaluating the usability of web sites particularly political web sites. It also highlights the potentials of the Internet technology as an effective political communication medium and emphasises the need for proper design, maintenance, and evaluation of web sites in order to improve their effectiveness. The research began with a literature search on web usability where seven major factors were identified namely Screen Appearance, Consistency, Accessibility, Navigation, Media Use, Interactivity, and Content - leading to the formation of a model called SCANMIC. Further exploration was conducted to elicit criteria relevant to each factor. The criteria and the model were then commented on and verified by experts in related fields. An online survey was carried out to identify the importance of these criteria from the perspectives of Internet users. Additional criteria which affect the usability of political web sites were also identified through interviews with frequent visitors of political web sites and web developers, and through content analysis of twenty political web sites in four different countries: Malaysia, United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. The findings from the usability criteria elicitation, expert reviews, survey and web content analysis resulted in a comprehensive list of web usability criteria, which formed the basis of the evaluation framework. The framework was based on a benchmarking approach; an approach that has proven its success in the business area but not widely used in web evaluation. It proposes eight cyclical steps for benchmarking web usability, including - decide what to benchmark, determine what to measure, identify who to benchmark against, identify who will benchmark, perform the benchmark, analyse data and determine gap, redesign, and monitor progress. The framework can be used to benchmark the overall usability of any types of web sites but is particularly suitable for political web sites. Furthermore, it can guide people with technical or non-technical background, who intend to benchmark the usability of their web sites against others. It is a very useful tool for an organisation to identify any gap which might exist between the usability of its web site and those of its competitors. The framework was tested for its applicability and practicality on several major political web sites in Malaysia, a developing country with a fast growth in terms of Internet access. The outcome of the testing was used to refine and finalise the framework. Research limitations are discussed in the last chapter and for each limitation, a suggestion for future studies is proposed. For example, there is an urgent need for a computerised tool to assist the benchmarking process. Testing the applicability of the benchmarking framework on other types of web sites also calls for future investigations. In addition, extending the applicability of the framework to include small displays technologies such as mobile phones and hand-held devices requires urgent attention.Universiti Utara Malaysi

Who are the crew members on implementation of knowledge management strategies to enhance innovation and improve organizational performance

The purpose of present study is to determine the role of mid-level managers in implementation of knowledge management strategies toward enhancing innovation and improving organizational performance.To address this issue, an intensive literature review was used.There is only one way to survive, stability, and growth for the contemporary organizations.Successful implementation of knowledge management strategies will enable innovation sustainability and organizational performance improvement. Therefore, the organizations must choose the best way to implement knowledge management strategies. However, there has been a lack of an integrated implementation framework for knowledge management strategies. The present study finds that midlevel managers could play a critical role in insuring the successful implementation of knowledge management strategies.As a result, present study proposed theoretical framework that explained how the mid-level managers influence in the implementation of knowledge management strategies. Additionally, how the successful implementation of knowledge management strategies lead to enhance innovation and improve organizational performance

Factors Affecting Enterprise Resource Planning Adoption on Firms’ Performance Among Medium-Sized Enterprises.

Empirical evidence suggests that the adoption of ERP facilitates organizational processes and activities including sales, billing, marketing, human resource management, quality control and production, which in turns, could ensure general performance. This study proposes a theoretical framework that identified factors that affecting ERP system adoption among medium-sized enterprise firms, such as organizational culture, technology infrastructures support / quality of internet and top management support. The present study also applied resource based value and contingency theories to explain the factors that affect ERP system adoption. In this study, the proposed theoretical framework has been formulated based on data obtained from a newly developed questionnaire. The sets of questionnaire were distributed to one hundred and four (104) medium-sized enterprises firms in Ogun State, Nigeria. CEO / director and managers were selected as the key respondents of the questionnaire. The empirical data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. The result obtained revealed that both organizational culture and top management support significantly influence the adoption of the ERP system to improve the performance of medium-sized enterprises firms. In this regard, technology infrastructure support has no significant relationship with ERP system adoption. The outcomes of this study are useful for firms adapting ERP as they would be able to strategize future ERP system implementation in different sectors, such as education, and large firms in general. One limitation of the study is its small sample size. Moreover, the author has not included other measures of medium sized enterprises performance outside of the procurement area despite these factors could provide further insights to medium sized enterprises performance, and will be an interesting topic for future research

The relationships among knowledge management processes, innovation, and organisational performance in the Iraqi MTS

Present study examines of the relationships among knowledge management processes, innovation, and organisational performance in the Iraqi mobile telecommunications sector.The perspective of this research suggests that knowledge processes are essential capabilities for effective innovation and organisational performance. Through analysis of surveys collected from 220 mid-level managers, present study empirically tested a proposed theoretical framework by estimating structural equation model. The results show that knowledge management processes had a statistically significant and direct positive effect on innovation.Additionally, the direct relationship of knowledge management processes with organisational performance was positively affected, but it was not statistically significant.More importantly, the findings indicate that knowledge management processes had a positive and statistically significant effect on organisational performance through the partial mediation effect of innovation. Present study concludes with a conclusions and contribution of the research

Who are the Crew Members on Implementation of Knowledge Management Strategies to Enhance Innovation and Improve Organizational Performance

The purpose of present study is to determine the role of mid-level managers in implementation of knowledge management strategies toward enhancing innovation and improving organizational performance. To address this issue, an intensive literature review was used. There is only one way to survive, stability, and growth for the contemporary organizations. Successful implementation of knowledge management strategies will enable innovation sustainability and organizational performance improvement. Therefore, the organizations must choose the best way to implement knowledge management strategies. However, there has been a lack of an integrated implementation framework for knowledge management strategies. The present study finds that mid-level managers could play a critical role in insuring the successful implementation of knowledge management strategies. As a result, present study proposed theoretical framework that explained how the mid-level managers influence in the implementation of knowledge management strategies. Additionally, how the successful implementation of knowledge management strategies lead to enhance innovation and improve organizational performance. Keywords Mid-level managers' role, knowledge management strategies, innovation, and organizational performance

Strategic use of social media for small business based on the AIDA model

This study proposes a strategy for using social media as a marketing tool for small business based on the Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA) model. The AIDA model has been applied widely for online marketing strategy but its applicability for social media remains unknown.The focus group discussion was used for data gathering involving twenty two small business entrepreneurs.The finding shows that the model can indeed be applied in strategizing the use of social media for marketing purposes. The proposed strategy serves as a guideline for small business entrepreneurs on how to strategically use social media for marketing

Participant observation in a case study on web design process of e-retail website

Studies on developing models for e-retail implementation for consumer co-operative business are very scarce.Co-operative businesses appear to be anxious about going into online retailing since Malaysian Internet shopping is still new, customers are not very familiar and skeptical towards online shopping.Consequently a case study (participant observation) will be undertaken in this study to accomplish main aim in implementation Content Management System (CMS)in developing design process of consumer co-operative website.Web design process model by Kiatruangkrai et al.(2010) and Goi(2007a) have been the foundation guideline in designing the website.Package selection web based application has been used in design stage which can easily help non professional web developer to design their online shopping website.As a conceptual paper, this research is limited to literature and prior research.It offers the benefit to new direction for further research on web design process model.This paper provides researcher with a proposed model of web design process.The proposed model should also be tested in relation with e retail business

Systems development methodology for mobile commerce applications

There are several methodologies, including traditional and agile methodologies, being utilized in current systems development. However, it could be argued that existing development methodologies may not be suitable for mobile commerce applications, as these applications are utilized in different contexts from ixed e-commerce applications. This study proposes a system development methodology for mobile commerce applications. In order to achieve this aim, four objectives are proposed: investigating existing systems development methodologies used to develop mobile commence applications, identifying strengths and weaknesses of existing development methodologies, construction of a suitable methodology for mobile commerce applications, and testing for its applicability and practicality.The research methodology used in the study is the design research, which includes the steps of awareness of problems, suggestion, development, evaluation and conclusion. However, this paper only focuses on the first two phases of the whole study, which are awareness of the problem and making suggestions, while the evaluation and conclusion will be conducted as future works