Consumer Perceptions about E-Commerce- The Influence of Public Internet Trust

Access to the internet from public places has further strengthened the internet as an anywhere-everywhere concept. Globally more businesses offer free public Wi-Fi for their customers. This research looks at customer attitude towards the use of free public Wi-Fi for e-commerce transactions, specifically, how does trust of the free public internet influence customer perception of the security of the e-commerce retailer websites. We conduct a brief study of participants in both the US and India on their perceptions of conducting e-commerce transactions using free public Wi-Fi. Our results show that the trust of the free public internet is a significant predictor of perceived security of the e-commerce website. Encrypted connections notwithstanding, businesses may need to stress the message that their website is safe to transact over public Wi-Fi

SHOP, SOCIALIZE, SURF, AND SEARCH EQUALLY FROM EVERYWHERE – REALLY?

Individuals have a choice in selecting an internet channel (e.g. home, work, public Wi-Fi or cellular service) to shop, socialize, surf, and search on the web. However, individuals have perceptions toward an internet channel’s environmental factors (security, trust, task tracking, task privacy) affecting their sense of successfully accomplishing their desired activity without concern or disruption potentially causing preference of choosing one channel over another. This raises a heightened concern for online vendors and advertisers that expect consumers to use internet channels equally without discernment. Guided by the Web Motivation Inventory (WMI) (Rodgers et al., 2007) and the environmental facilitating conditions proposed by Triandis (1979) as an extension to the theory of reasoned action (TRA), this paper proposes a framework to explore internet channel’s environmental factors that influence a consumer’s decision to perform a specific internet activity using a channel to connect to the web

Perceived Differences of Trust, Risk, and Privacy in Different Internet Channels

Research on people\u27s perceptions of trust, risk, and privacy on the internet has generally neglected the impact of various channels available for consumers to access the internet. People primarily access the internet using network channels at home, work, public Wi-Fi (hotspots), or use their mobile data network to conduct various activities (shopping, surfing, searching and socializing). The aim of this research is to understand how people\u27s perceptions related to trust, risk, and privacy may vary between different internet access channels. Adapting existing trust, risk, and privacy scales, we conduct a pilot survey to compare people\u27s perceptions as it relates to home and public Wi-Fi internet channels. Our results, while validating the trust and risk scales found in the online behavior literature, suggest a significant difference in the perception of trust and risk factors depending on the internet channel. However, the results with regards to the privacy factor are intriguing and require further work. Also, future research could cast light on the impact of this difference on activities people would like to perform using these channels

Twitter Sentiment Toward Autism During Autism Awareness Month

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased over the past few years and several supporters of autism have launched campaigns over social media to bring attention to their cause. Twitter has been a popular and effective social media platform for getting health-related messages across the globe. In this study we look at data collected from Twitter to evaluate the messages people communicate during Autism Awareness campaigns (2015 Autism Awareness Month). We apply several descriptive analytical techniques to decipher people’s conversations during autism campaigns and analyze sentiment (opinions) related to their messages. We conclude our study with a discussion about our findings, what areas of work is still needed, and what some of the practical implications can be for public health workers with similar needs

EXPLORING USER PRIVACY BASED ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR WITH INTERNET OF THINGS DEVICES AT HOME (FORMATIVE RESEARCH)

The proposed research initiative is aimed at investigating potential security and privacy vulnerabilities in home based Internet of Things (IoT) smart devices, such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, and smart home appliances, by analyzing the type, nature, and frequency of its encrypted, network communications. Such communications may reveal private information about the activities occurring within a home, as well as behaviors, relationships, and habits. Regardless of the quality of encryption used for network communications, digital messages expose certain information in much the same way as a sealed envelope sent via the postal service. The results of this formative research initiative will encourage better design of future home based IoT smart devices for security and privacy, as well as educate consumers on risks

An Exploration of Using Twitter Data to Predict the Results of the U.S. Primary Elections

The use of social media user feeds is a common interest of researchers exploring public views and opinions. In this exploratory study, we look to investigate how Twitter feeds during a presidential primary election can be evaluated to determine the relationships between contesting candidates and garner any predictive insight into election contest outcomes. In this study we collect data from both the REST API and STREAMING API from Twitter, each having their own data collection merits, and perform an association analysis, sentiment analysis, and linear regression to determine what insights can be captured from the data. In this work we find revealing relationships between candidate users accounts on how they interact with each other. We also show how sentiment from verified user accounts on Twitter show significance in election contest outcomes

Twitter Users’ Opinion and Reactions Toward Autism Awareness Campaign Message

Presented at ASPRC conferenc

Achieving business goals with gamification: An informational and motivational perspective

There is a business trend to apply gamification principles to work, seeking to motivate people by adding playfulness and game based competition. Much of the current literature on gamification emphasizes the use of game elements and human motivational triggers, but fails to explain how these factors interact. Additionally, the literature lacks a framework explaining how the process of gamification changes participant\u27s behavior towards a business goal. We argue that there is a need to include information use to the process to explain how behaviors are modified through gamification. To fill this gap, we present a framework showing the process of gamification through the interaction of human motivation, game design, and information use. We address how motivational and information factors lead to a desired goal. In this research in progress, we provide an example of a real life gamification application mapped to our framework and outline further steps in this research

A phase 2 trial of ixabepilone plus cetuximab in first-line treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND: The aim of this phase 2 study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ixabepilone plus cetuximab in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. METHODS: Eligible patients had advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma that was metastatic or not amenable to resection, a Karnofsky performance status ≥70%, and no prior therapy for advanced disease. Patients received ixabepilone 32 mg/m2 (3-hour IV infusion) every 3 weeks and cetuximab 250 mg/m2 (1-hour IV infusion) weekly. The primary efficacy end point was the 6-month survival rate. Secondary end points included tumor response rate, overall survival, progression- free survival, and tolerability. RESULTS: A total of 54 patients were enrolled on this study. The 6-month survival rate was 57% (31/54:95% CI: 43-71%) with a median overall survival of 7.6 months (95% CI: 5.5-12.2 months). Patients who developed acneiform rash (n = 36) had a median survival of 8.8 months, compared with 2.6 months for those without rash (n = 18). Of 31 patients with measurable disease (defined as response-evaluable), 4 had confirmed partial responses and an additional 24 had stable disease. The combination was generally well-tolerated with the most common grade 3/4 hematological toxicities being leucopenia (39%) and neutropenia (33%). The most common grade 3/4 nonhematologic toxicity was fatigue (17%). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of ixabepilone and cetuximab was active and had acceptable toxicity. The efficacy results are similar to single-agent ixabepilone and gemcitabine-based combination therapies in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Exploratory analyses suggest a trend toward improved survival for patients who experienced rash. Gastrointest Cancer Res 5:155-160. © 2012 by International Society of Gastrointestinal Oncology