Trust has always been a critical issue in online shopping environments. However, it is even more important in social commerce platforms, due to the salient role of peer-generated contents on users' purchase intentions. This study investigates the relationship between trust of social commerce and users' purchase intentions and proposes a mechanism explaining the relationship. Thus, we present a main and two alternative models by drawing on the critical notions related to purchase intention, including social commerce information seeking, familiarity with platform, and social presence. The models clarify mechanisms by which trust, familiarity, social presence and social commerce information seeking influence behavioral intentions on social commerce platforms. Results of the survey gathered among Facebook users indicates that trust of a SNS increases users' information seeking in informational channels, such as communities and forums, reviews and ratings, and recommendations and referrals. Information seeking elevates users' familiarity with the platform as well as the sense of social presence. Moreover, the familiarity and social presence raises users' purchases intentions. Results indicate that the main model of the study is a better explanatory mechanism than the alternative models. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
The emergence of social media has demonstrated the empowerment of end-users with a transfer of power from sellers to buyers. Consumers have become able to generate content and share this in their networks with peers.Digital content generated by individuals has an economic value. Economic implications in the form of product sales through social interaction of individuals must now be taken into account by businesses. This has seen the emergence of social commerce, an important evolution in e-commerce. This paper draws on social support theory, social commerce constructs and information systems concepts, proposes a conceptual model. This proposed model investigates the role of social media in facilitating online communication of consumers through social commerce constructs, leading to online social support. A survey has been conducted to examine the structural model. Data analysis using SEM-PLS reveals important factors indicating the role of social media in facilitating online communication through social commerce constructs, generating online social support and affecting consumers' behaviour, the value of social commerce for the market. Theoretical implications and practical implications of this study has explained in the end of the paper.
E-health and telemedicine have had limited success across the European Union (EU), but using online collaborative technologies to support a community of practice may enable a sustainable healthcare community. In this paper we introduce a virtual medical community that enables geographically-dispersed medical experts to collaborate and share their knowledge in order to improve health care provision. This research confirms that media richness is not required for sustainable communities of practice, that there is greater effectiveness in knowledge sharing when virtual medical communities develop into communities of practice, and that communities of practice are sustainable when shared knowledge enhances medical practice.
Social media and Web 2.0 empower individuals to generate content online. It is important to better understand the potential added value of social media for e-health service provision. Social support and credibility of health related information generated via social media is a big challenge for online health communities. In this qualitative research, content of discussions from an online health community is analysed. Two themes are examined: online social support and credibility of online forums. Findings show accuracy and credibility of online communities -user profiles, ratings of posts and improved monitoring of content by advisors improve perceived credibility and trust in online forums and communities. Accuracy and perceived credibility of online health communities is pivotal in facilitating social relationships. While consumers are concerned about the credibility of online information, they benefit from social support and are increasingly turning to social media as a source of information and support. Organizations can benefit from better understanding consumer's use of social media, their concerns about information credibility and need for social support.
Information technology (IT) investment since the 1970s coincided with poor productivity gains: the 'IT productivity paradox'. This phenomenon is still poorly understood. This research replicates methods employed by previous studies for comparability but employs a two-level approach: First macroeconomic indicators; second labor and multi-factor productivity. The findings suggest IT investment has high positive correlation with gross domestic product (GDP) growth, but not labor or multi-factor productivity. This ambiguity suggests the paradox is still poorly understood. Studies reporting an end to the paradox are likely due to rapid IT industry growth in the run up to the Year 2000 phenomenon. -12-2012-0129 Page 1 of 27 Why revisit the IT Productivity Paradox?Information and communication technology (ICT) can be considered the key factor driving economic growth in industrial societies (Pohjola, 2000). Investing in information technology (IT) is widely regarded as having enormous potential for reducing costs, enhancing productivity, and improving living standards (Murakami, 1997). However, since the 1970s productivity growth in most world economies has slowed, while expenditures on ICT have risen (Rei, 2004). This phenomenon became known as the 'IT productivity paradox'. Some researchers have reporting an end to the paradox, but this paper brings the research up-to-date suggesting that reports of an end to the paradox is most likely due to rapid IT industry growth in the run up to the Year 2000 phenomenon.During recent decades, the IT productivity paradox has been revisited periodically by many researchers (Baily, 1986;Berndt & Malone, 1995; Brynjolfsson & Hitt, 1995; David, 1990; Dewan & Kraemer, 1998;Jorgenson & Stiroh, 1995;Kraemer & Dedrick, 1994;Lee & Khatri, 2003;Oliner & Sichel, 2000;Oliner, Sichel, & Stiroh, 2007;Pilat, 2004;Pohjola, 2000;Rei, 2004;Spithoven, 2003 This is not the case for CRM investment.Modern methods make it possible to capture more accurate data. New data processing and collection approaches are able to quantify previously difficult to measure impacts of ICT, revealing new opportunities for research. Many arguments relating to time lags (David, 1990), can now be tested by updating and extending the research to the current period.It is thus important to revisit the productivity paradox. Investment in ICT exceeds all other categories of investment yet evidence from firm level studies suggest returns are questionable, and evidence from aggregate studies suggest either poor productivity gains, or more recently, positive correlation between investment in ICT and productivity gains. This paper provides an update on the phenomena and tests these more recent findings.There is no up-to-date information related to aggregate productivity issues (previous studies cover the period up to 2000), this research extends coverage to the 1995 to 2005 period, avoiding the latter half of the first decade of the 21st century during which productivity data might be dominated by the effects of the s...
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