Interactive Experiential ECommerce: An Experimental Study

This study explores the effects of two independent variables: navigation shopping behavior (experiential vs. utilitarian) and interactivity levels (low vs. high) on flow experience, in a laboratory experiment that is a 2 x 2 factorial in a completely randomized design. The experiment deals with two commercial web sites: an original with high interactive features and a custom-made, parallel, and fictitious site with low interactive features. The study handles one independent variable, flow experience, in terms of its sensory, affective, cognitive, behavioral, and relational dimensions, based on Schmitt\u27s (1999, 2003) definition of the user experience and in light of flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975, 1990, 2000)

Strategic Integration of IT and Business Service Management

BMC Software, Inc., a leading global provider of enterprise management solutions helps companies to automate their Information Technology (IT) and align it to the needs of the business, pioneered the concept of Business Service Management (BSM). This case investigates how BMC provides products and services to help IT organizations incorporate Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) and BSM into business processes. The implementation of this strategy has made BMC a leader in BSM solutions. As a result of its business strategy, between 2002 and 2007, BMC revenue increased from $1,289 to$1,580 (in millions); stock value increased from $11.50 to$36.92

An Overview of Flow Theory in Ecommerce

The present study examined flow theory in the literature and especially in ecommerce contexts: computer and online games,virtual environments, online shopping, interface design, marketing, and management. Designing for a positive userexperience has become an equally important goal of interface design in addition to usability. Thus, studying user’s flowexperience is a valuable undertaken, which will provide insights for human computer interaction and guidance to interfacedesign, including online and mobile applications. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted using Webster et al. (1993)instrument, which was administered to 310 subjects, following their experience navigating an apparel commercial web site.Based on the results of the factor analysis, three dimensions of flow emerged: control, attention focus, and cognitiveenjoyment. Implications for contributions and future research are discussed

Dell\u27s Use of CRM-SCM Integration to Dominate the PC Market

Dell is one of the most successful and profitable computer corporations in history. It has been known for its innovative customer service and product custom configuration. As it continues to grow, it is faced with the challenge of how to maintain its customer relationships and inventory management, while continuing to meet the demands and requirements of its customers. This paper will examine how Dell implements enterprise-wide computing software, which profiles and targets its customers, as well as streamlines the flow of its products throughout the supply chain. Dell\u27s collaboration with other computer software companies has allowed it to become a leader in customer relationship management (CRM) and supply-chain management (SCM). These initiatives have resulted in net revenues of between $30 and$60 million over the last five years

An Analysis of Historical Transformation of an IT Giant Based on Sound Strategic Vision

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is a dominant player in the growing information technology industry. IBM went through a rough patch in the initial part of the ‘90s when sales were declining. In a span of two year, IBM lost a staggering $16 billion. This case investigates the problems that IBM was facing during the time, and the strategic decisions it took to help it transform this position. Through the change of leadership, IBM started giving importance to customer-relationship management to better cater to the need of its clients. It also realized the need to have a strategic vision and reorganized as “One IBM”. Reengineering Global Functions and Processes across different departments improved IBM’s cost structures. The management unified strategic vision served as a platform to reignite growth and industry leadership. The case details this transformation and concludes with lessons learnt that would benefit companies in a similar dilemma in today\u27s competitive IT market

Exploring the Determinants of Behavioral Outcome: A Study of Online Learning Among College Students in Mexico

We investigated the effects of prior visits to a given web site, social media mode and learning style of Internet users on their Behavioral Outcome based on an online search task. Currently, little research attention is given to Mexico regarding this topic. The research methodology was a laboratory experiment conducted in a university in Mexico, with a total sample of 120 subjects. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design. There were eight block-treatment (2 x 4) effects, assigned randomly to the subjects. The data analysis of the results and contributions of the study are presented and interpreted within the framework of Kolb’s experiential learning theory

Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Quality of Life among School Students in the Jazan Region of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey When Returning to School after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Increasing evidence suggests that Physical Activity (PA) can reduce depression and anxiety in adolescents. At the same time, Quality of life (QoL) is sensitive to both Mental Health and PA, but little is known about the mechanism between these three variables among adolescents. This study aimed to assess physical activity, mental health, and quality of life of school students when they returned to school after two years of distance learning in the Jazan region. This current investi-gation represents an observational cross-sectional survey conducted in January 2022 among a random sample of 601 students from intermediate and high schools in the Jazan region, Saudi Arabia. Three standardized questionnaires were used for data collection; the Arabic version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS21) and the Fels PAQ for children. The analysis revealed a moderate level of physical activity, decreased HRQoL, and symptoms of mental health problems (anxiety, depression and stress) among the schools’ students when they returned to school following COVID-19 Lockdown. The overall pe-diatric Quality of Life mean score was (81.4 ± 16.4), which differs significantly according to gender, age groups, and grade levels (p < 0.05 for all). There was a negative correlation between overall quality of life and mental health domains. Sport is negatively correlated with mental illness symptoms and positively correlated (p < 0.05) with pediatric Quality of Life. The regression models revealed that stress is a significant predictor for the quality of life of male and female adolescents [β = −0.30, (95% CI (−0.59) to (−0.02), p < 0.05) and [β = −0.40, (95% CI (−0.70) to (−0.01), p < 0.05), respectively. The analysis revealed a moderate level of physical activity among the schools’ stu-dents when they returned to school following COVID-19 Lockdown. Children’s involvement in physical activity was associated with improved Quality of Life and mental health. The results call for the need to develop appropriate intervention programs to increase school students’ physical activity levels

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factors among Employees and Their Families of a Saudi University: An Epidemiological Study

Objectives:To assess the prevalence of non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors among Saudi university employees and their families; to estimate the cardiovascular risk (CVR) amongst the study population in the following 10years. Methods:The NCD risk factors prevalence was estimated using a cross-sectional approach for a sample of employees and their families aged ≥ 18 years old, in a Saudi university (Riyadh in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; KSA). WHO STEPwise standardized tools were used to estimate NCD risk factors and the Framingham Coronary Heart Risk Score calculator was used to calculate the CVR. Results:Five thousand and two hundred subjects were invited, of whom 4,500 participated in the study, providing a response rate of 87%. The mean age of participants was 39.3±13.4 years. The majority of participants reported low fruit/vegetables consumption (88%), and physically inactive (77%). More than two thirds of the cohort was found to be either overweight or obese (72%), where 36% were obese, and 59% had abdominal obesity. Of the total cohort, 22–37% were found to suffer from dyslipidaemia, 22% either diabetes or hypertension, with rather low reported current tobacco use (12%). One quarter of participants was estimated to have >10% risk to develop cardiovascular disease within the following 10-years. Conclusion:The prevalence of NCD risk factors was found to be substantially high among the university employees and their families in this study

Improved risk stratification of patients with atrial fibrillation: an integrated GARFIELD-AF tool for the prediction of mortality, stroke and bleed in patients with and without anticoagulation.

OBJECTIVES: To provide an accurate, web-based tool for stratifying patients with atrial fibrillation to facilitate decisions on the potential benefits/risks of anticoagulation, based on mortality, stroke and bleeding risks. DESIGN: The new tool was developed, using stepwise regression, for all and then applied to lower risk patients. C-statistics were compared with CHA2DS2-VASc using 30-fold cross-validation to control for overfitting. External validation was undertaken in an independent dataset, Outcome Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT-AF). PARTICIPANTS: Data from 39 898 patients enrolled in the prospective GARFIELD-AF registry provided the basis for deriving and validating an integrated risk tool to predict stroke risk, mortality and bleeding risk. RESULTS: The discriminatory value of the GARFIELD-AF risk model was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc for patients with or without anticoagulation. C-statistics (95% CI) for all-cause mortality, ischaemic stroke/systemic embolism and haemorrhagic stroke/major bleeding (treated patients) were: 0.77 (0.76 to 0.78), 0.69 (0.67 to 0.71) and 0.66 (0.62 to 0.69), respectively, for the GARFIELD-AF risk models, and 0.66 (0.64-0.67), 0.64 (0.61-0.66) and 0.64 (0.61-0.68), respectively, for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). In very low to low risk patients (CHA2DS2-VASc 0 or 1 (men) and 1 or 2 (women)), the CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED (for bleeding) scores offered weak discriminatory value for mortality, stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding. C-statistics for the GARFIELD-AF risk tool were 0.69 (0.64 to 0.75), 0.65 (0.56 to 0.73) and 0.60 (0.47 to 0.73) for each end point, respectively, versus 0.50 (0.45 to 0.55), 0.59 (0.50 to 0.67) and 0.55 (0.53 to 0.56) for CHA2DS2-VASc (or HAS-BLED for bleeding). Upon validation in the ORBIT-AF population, C-statistics showed that the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was effective for predicting 1-year all-cause mortality using the full and simplified model for all-cause mortality: C-statistics 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77) and 0.75 (0.73 to 0.77), respectively, and for predicting for any stroke or systemic embolism over 1 year, C-statistics 0.68 (0.62 to 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Performance of the GARFIELD-AF risk tool was superior to CHA2DS2-VASc in predicting stroke and mortality and superior to HAS-BLED for bleeding, overall and in lower risk patients. The GARFIELD-AF tool has the potential for incorporation in routine electronic systems, and for the first time, permits simultaneous evaluation of ischaemic stroke, mortality and bleeding risks. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362) and for ORBIT-AF (NCT01165710)