Interplay between security providers, consumers, and attackers: a weighted congestion game approach

Network users can choose among different security solutions to protect their data. Those solutions are offered by competing providers, with possibly different performance and price levels. In this paper, we model the interactions among users as a noncooperative game, with a negative externality coming from the fact that attackers target popular systems to maximize their expected gain. Using a nonatomic weighted congestion game model for user interactions, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a user equilibrium, compute the corresponding Price of Anarchy, that is the loss of efficiency due to user selfishness, and investigate some consequences for the (higher-level) pricing game played by security providers.Game theory;Weighted games; Security

Modelling and testing consumer trust dimensions in e-commerce

Prior research has found trust to play a significant role in shaping purchase intentions of a consumer. However there has been limited research where consumer trust dimensions have been empirically defined and tested. In this paper we empirically test a path model such that Internet vendors would have adequate solutions to increase trust. The path model presented in this paper measures the three main dimensions of trust, i.e. competence, integrity, and benevolence. And assesses the influence of overall trust of consumers. The paper also analyses how various sources of trust, i.e. consumer characteristics, firm characteristic, website infrastructure and interactions with consumers, influence dimensions of trust. The model is tested using 365 valid responses. Findings suggest that consumers with high overall trust demonstrate a higher intention to purchase online

PLAYING THE GAME: VIDEO GAMES AND VIDEO GAME STREAMING PLATFORMS AS MARKETING COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

While video games are generally viewed as a form of entertainment for a small subset of people, in reality they provide a channel for nearly 3.2 billion people to interact with others and offer multiple pathways for marketers to interact with consumers. Pair this alongside 140 million unique consumers who consumer nearly 24 billion hours of content on video game streaming platforms (VGSPs), such as Twitch, and there is a deep need for marketers to understand how to engage consumers in these environments. This dissertation provides a conceptualization of the video game ecosystem as well as the types of influencers on VGSPs, while highlighting important marketer-to-consumer interactions that occur through these platforms. In the first essay, I provide a new framework called the video game ecosystem to show how video games can be leveraged as a marketing communication channel and how it differs from other popular channels, such as social media and television. Furthermore, I identify 7 testable propositions from the marketer’s perspective I believe will meaningfully direct the current marketing practice while shaping marketing research’s future including outlining the ways marketers should build and present content through this channel, highlighting marketer-consumer interactions unique to this ecosystem, and showcasing the potential ways firms can leverage the video game ecosystem in their marketing strategies. Finally, in this essay I present 12 future research areas to help kickstart marketing research in this domain. In the second essay, I present a new conceptualization of influencer marketing through VGSPs. Specifically, I highlight how influencer-to-influencer (I2I), influencer-to-consumer (I2C), and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) relationships differ on VGSPs compared to traditional social media platforms, and how these relationships impact consumers downstream. I identify two unique types of influencers on VGSPs (video game streamers and esports athletes) and provide 6 novel propositions regarding the formation of social networks around these influencers. Finally, I provide 8 research areas to help shape the future of consumer research across multiple domains

Gift-Me : Personalized Gift Recommender System

Nowadays most of the india market is moving towards an online world with an adroit to have an maximum market scope .So we are connecting the business of gift article to online world with the evolved versions of current algorithm of recommendation systems.Ecommerce is an online site where the sale or purchase of goods are ordered electronically.The available ecommerce system have some issues with the recommendation so we are collaborating the multiple algorithm to increase the product sale and convinient in user interactio

The Evolution of Social Commerce: The People, Management, Technology, and Information Dimensions

Social commerce is a form of commerce mediated by social media and is converging both online and offline environments. As a relatively new phenomenon, social commerce has evolved quickly in practice, yet has gained little attention in the IS discipline. With its pervasiveness in businesses and people’s lives, social commerce presents ample research opportunities that can have both theoretical and practical significance and implications. This article aims to capture researchers’ attention by describing the characteristics of social commerce and its potential future directions. We trace the evolutionary patterns of social commerce chronologically, based on trade articles and academic publications from 2005 to 2011. A framework that combines people, management, technology, and information dimensions is used to provide a systematic analysis of social commerce development. Our examination shows that since 2005, the year the term social commerce was incepted, assumptions and understanding of people in social commerce move from a simple and general description of human social nature to a rich exploration with different angles from social psychology, social heuristics, national culture, and economic situations. On the management dimension, business strategies and models evolve from the short-tail to long-tail thinking, with invented concepts such as branded social networks/communities, niche social networks/communities, niche brands, co-creating, team-buying, and multichannel social networks. Technologically, IT platforms and capabilities for social commerce evolve from blogs, to social networking sites, to media-sharing sites, and to smartphones. While Facebook becomes a profit-generating platform, creating the notion of f-commerce, Google and Twitter become strong competitors with great potentials. Information in social commerce evolves from peer-generated, to community-generated (crowdsourcing), to consumer and marketer co-created, and to global crowdsourced. Our examination identifies various conceptualizations, terminologies, views, and perspectives about social commerce and its relation to other well-known concepts such as e-commerce. In light of the evolution of social commerce, we provide possible future directions for research and practice

The Potential of B2B Lovemarks: A Managerial Perspective on Strong B2B Brands

Kevin Roberts has extended the comprehension of strong consumer brands to a higher level where loyalty beyond reason is established. He calls this new status Lovemarks. As the concept of Lovemark has only been applied in B2C markets, this thesis is directed to find out the applicability of Lovemarks in B2B context. In order to fulfill the research purpose, three main questions are answered based on a cross-sectional research approach: What role do intangible factors play in B2B branding? Is the idea of B2C Lovemarks transferable to B2B context? How should a B2B Lovemark be characterized? The results of the qualitative interviews indicate insights of high investment and involvement, integrated brand communication, balance between function versus emotion, brand’s trustworthy personality, customer partnership, and finally, the potential establishment of B2B Lovemarks. Conclusively, first, functional performance is stressed as the key foundation of strong B2B brands. Second, emotional values are regarded as the driver of sustainable differentiation. Third, integration of internal and external branding building is crucial for overall brand loyalty. Fourth, trust plays a dominant role in emotional communication. Fifth, companies need to highlight customer partnership in industrial markets due to the high demand of commitment and cooperation. Integration and consistency are crucial for B2B brand building; at the same time, a balance between functional and emotional benefits is strongly required for Lovemarks in B2B industry. Therefore, it can be concluded that in a B2B environment, a redefinition of Lovemarks is realizable. The findings of this thesis are twofold; first, the authors present a conceptual framework which entails the developing process, prerequisites, key attributes and benefits of B2B Lovemarks. Second, managerial insights are provided both from the perspective of successful companies and less experienced companies in emotional branding, integrated brand communication and partnership building. This study offers a reflection on the possible efforts of incorporating intangible values into the brand strategy and thus improving and advancing brand management

A Cognitive Model Of Trust In E-Commerce: Evidence From A Field Study In China

Trust formation in the virtual environment is a complex process and is influenced by a plethora of factors.  This paper proposes a cognitive model of trust in e-commerce based on consumer research and the trust literature. It argues that perceived informativeness, perceived entertainment, and perceived irritation of online shopping, coupled with trust propensity, contribute to a customer’s general trust in e-commerce and intention to use e-commerce.  This model is tested in a field study in China via a survey instrument. Path analysis of data collected shows that all proposed relationships in the model are supported in the hypothesized directions. Results demonstrate that online marketers and Web system designers alike should pay keen attention to elements that may influence an Internet shopper’s cognitive perceptions in order to nurture consumers’ trust in e-commerce and realize the full potentials of doing business online