Serving the IS Customer in Good Times and Bad: Pathways to Satisfaction and Value

Serving and satisfying customers are everlasting goals for organizations. This two-essay dissertation delves into two innovative ways in which a company and its information systems (IS) service providers can better serve internal and external customers. The first essay examines the concept of Data Monetization, whereby a company sells its customer data to upstream suppliers to ensure that the source company receives optimized inventory levels and unique consumer insights. In today’s era of big data, business analytics, and cloud computing, this case demonstrates that the elusive goal of data monetization has become achievable. In a second essay, we build on service marketing and social capital literature to understand factors that influence IS service recovery satisfaction following an IS service failure. This empirical study advances our theoretical understanding of internal customer satisfaction by theorizing that the success of IS service recovery depends on the way the IS Function (ISF) responds to an IS service failure and the ISF’s investment in building social capital with its internal customers. Essay 1 is a case study of a Fortune 500 drug store chain that has been successfully monetizing its data by selling it to its upstream suppliers. We present a four-stage model that illustrates the stages the retailer went through on its data monetization journey. We identify the characteristics of each stage that differ in the technical and analytical capabilities required, the type of trust built, the focus of the retailer’s information strategy, governance mechanisms, and the costs incurred and benefits achieved by various stakeholders. It was shown that a company could gain new revenue streams by selling its customer data while exploiting its suppliers’ technical and business analytical resources to ultimately serve the retailer’s customers. In Essay 2, we recognize that when IS service failures are encountered, IS service providers have to respond with an IS service recovery. Internal customers’ (employees) satisfaction with a recovery after a failure is important to restore an employee’s overall satisfaction with the ISF. We empirically examine the effect of the social capital shared between the ISF and employees as well as the dimensions of recovery procedures, interactions, and outcomes on IS service recovery satisfaction and overall satisfaction. Our results indicate that following a service failure, the recovery satisfaction has a direct effect on overall satisfaction with the ISF. We find that recovery procedures (effort and fairness) and the recovery outcomes (speed and level of recovery) influence recovery satisfaction. We do not find support that social capital dimensions affect recovery satisfaction; however social capital has a direct effect on overall satisfaction with the ISF. Moreover, we find that recovery interaction (apology and explanation) does not affect recovery satisfaction. These findings paint the picture whereby the ISF must continually build social capital to sustain overall satisfaction among employees but in the case of a IS service failure, employees are mainly concerned with being treated fairly and earnestly in getting their problem fixed fast and reliably, and they do not consider social capital or recovery interaction as factors that will make them more satisfied with the failure’s recovery

The Influence of Technology Characteristics on Privacy Calculus: A Theoretical Framework

The notion of privacy calculus has been used to explain the risk-benefit analysis information technology users perform when asked to provide personal information. This study extends the privacy calculus model by proposing a theoretical framework in which technology characteristics (radicalness and complexity) have moderating effects on the benefit-value and risk-value relationships. The framework also suggests that perceive benefit is a multidimensional construct formed by utilitarian, hedonic, and social benefits. This study is contextualized for smartphone users who are faced with the decision to allow access to their personal information in order to use mobile applications. Propositions to guide future research are developed and implications of the proposed framework are discussed

The effectiveness of the islamization of science curriculum on students' acquisition of science processes and increase motivation towards learning science

The current study investigates the effectiveness of the Islamization of the science curriculum in developing students' science processes and enhancing their motivation towards learning science. Science Quotes from the Holy Qur’an were used to frame the process of re-designing the science curriculum to be consistent with the Islamized curriculum. The study employed an experimental research design. The sample of the study is 30 Jordanian seventh-grade students who were selected randomly. The students were divided into two groups. The control group studied the official curriculum of science and re-designed the science curriculum was taught for the experimental group to be consistent with the Islamic point of view. A pre-test to measure students' science processes, and a measure of their motivation towards learning science. The researcher extracted examples of science processes from the Holy Qur’an and benefited from them in re-designing the science curriculum to be consistent with the Islamization of curricula. The results showed that the proposed science curriculum had a significant and positive impact on students' acquisition of science processes, and increased their motivation towards learning science

Ancient technology and punctuated change: Detecting the emergence of the Edomite Kingdom in the Southern Levant.

While the punctuated equilibrium model has been employed in paleontological and archaeological research, it has rarely been applied for technological and social evolution in the Holocene. Using metallurgical technologies from the Wadi Arabah (Jordan/Israel) as a case study, we demonstrate a gradual technological development (13th-10th c. BCE) followed by a human agency-triggered punctuated "leap" (late-10th c. BCE) simultaneously across the entire region (an area of ~2000 km2). Here, we present an unparalleled, diachronic archaeometallurgical dataset focusing on elemental analysis of dozens of well-dated slag samples. Based on the results, we suggest punctuated equilibrium provides an innovative theoretical model for exploring ancient technological changes in relation to larger sociopolitical conditions-in the case at hand the emergence of biblical Edom-, exemplifying its potential for more general cross-cultural applications

Social Sustainability Strategy Across the Supply Chain: A Conceptual Approach From the Organisational Perspective

Much of the existing literature on the social aspects of sustainability in the supply chain has focused on dyadic buyer-supplier relationships. However, supply chains are much more extensive, featuring multi-tiered systems consisting of many interconnected sequential and parallel dyadic relationships; therefore, a more expansive and holistic approach to exploring the management and integration of social sustainability standards across the extended supply chain is desirable. This research attempts to help fill this void and considers the extent to which a series of sequential upstream and downstream supply chain partners, rather than only a focal organization’s immediate suppliers and buyers, influence the formulation process of the social aspects of a sustainability strategy and the deployment of associated practices across the extended supply chain. Findings in the literature indicate that, inter alia, sustainability efforts in the supply chain are likely to be guided by stakeholders’ sustainability desires/requirements, the geographical location of buyers and suppliers and the associated sustainability enforcement regulations and cultural norms, and the volume of trade between the buyer and supplier. This paper uses the results gleaned from a review of the literature to propose a conceptual framework for selection of sustainability strategy across the multi-tiered supply chain. Finally, we introduce a conceptual approach to the process of implementing and deploying the social aspects of sustainability strategies and practices across the supply chain using an integrated social-sustainability information management system (ISIMS)

Model Predictive Controllers With Capacitor Voltage Balancing for a Single-Phase Five-Level SiC/Si Based ANPC Inverter

Employing both high bandwidth (HBW) controller and wide bandgap (WBG) devices in the structure of converters improve the system size, performance, and efficiency. In this paper, HBW model predictive controllers (MPCs) are proposed, with both fixed and unfixed switching frequencies, to control a single-phase five-level hybrid active neutral-point-clamped (ANPC) inverter. A hybrid modulation technique is considered in this paper, in which some of the switches are modulating with high frequency. Therefore, Silicon-Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs are employed in the converter structure to increase the switching frequency and consequently reduce the filter size and increase converter power density. To have the functionality of multilevel output voltage, some restrictions are defined in the adopted MPC with unfixed switching frequency. In the MPC with the constant switching frequency, predefined switching sequences are employed for all sectors. Moreover, to control the neutral point (NP) voltage, the applied times of both small voltage vectors are sets through a cost function. Finally, the simulation and experimental results prove the ability of both proposed methods to control the voltages of the load and NP.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This work was supported by the APETT project, funded by Innovation Fund Denmark.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Operation and Efficiency Analysis of a 5-level Single-Phase Hybrid Si/SiC Active Neutral Point Clamped Converter

The ability to improve both the size and efficiency of multilevel single-phase converters is a key to uplift them as an attractive solution for industries, while the high number of switches and complex modulation techniques understandably make them unattractive. 5-level active neutral point clamped converter, due to its inherent advantages such as employing different switching frequencies and using different switch technologies, presents an ideal candidate for study. This paper performs a comprehensive analysis of the converter to highlight the advantages of it. This analysis results in a modified hybrid modulation that effectively regulates the neutral point (NP) of the dc-link. Consequently, the combination of the topology and the modified modulation make the converter ideal to utilize two different switch technologies- in this paper Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Si MOSFET. To evaluate the analysis and the effectiveness of modulation, a 2kW hybrid 5-level ANPC is built. Analyzing of the behavior of the converter current, power loss in the filter and switches are, therefore, calculated. The efficiency measurement is performed and compared with the calculated efficiency. There is a close coherency between the measurement and the calculated results and a peak efficiency of 98.4% is achieved.© 2021 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

The Effect of Green Certificates on the Purchasing Decisions of Online Customers in Green Hotels: A Case Study from Saudi Arabia

[EN] Customers are becoming more concerned about the use of green practices in the hotel industry. Managers are therefore starting to recognise the significance of green practices for clients' purchasing decisions and levels of satisfaction. This study aims to investigate how customers' decisions to book green hotels online and make purchases are impacted by green certificates. Two variables, namely the intentions to return and to pay a premium price, are used to measure customer satisfaction and purchasing behaviour towards green hotels. SmartPLS has been employed to analyse data gathered from 161 individuals from two hotels in Saudi Arabia. The results suggest that green certifications, environmental considerations, and green brand perception have a significant impact on online customers' satisfaction and purchase choices in the hotel sector. This paper provides a comprehensive framework that illustrates the connection between hotels' aspirations towards environmental concerns and customers' willingness to revisit and pay a premium price.This research was supported by two conference grants from Christian Heritage College.Qubbaj, AI.; Peiró Signes, A.; Najjar, M. (2023). The Effect of Green Certificates on the Purchasing Decisions of Online Customers in Green Hotels: A Case Study from Saudi Arabia. Sustainability. 15(7):1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1507589211515

‘Stuff’ Happens: A Theoretical Framework for Internal IS Service Recovery

The Information Service Function (ISF) delivers IS services to internal customers (employees) to assist them in their information- and technology-related tasks. IS service failures are an inevitable event and the ISF must enact processes to recover from these failures. This article proposes a theoretical framework integrating literature from marketing, operations, and IT to depict an integrated model of internal IS service recovery where perceived service justice mediates the relationship between Internal IS Service Recovery Extensiveness (IISSRE) and IS service quality as well as predicts internal IS customer satisfaction and continued commitment to the ISF. This study contributes by establishing a theoretical foundation for IS service recovery that is uniquely contextualized for internal IS settings and by proposing a new construct that captures different aspects of the IS service recovery remedy. A list of propositions to guide future research is developed