In this paper, we focus on the relative efficiency of different e‐collaboration tools and their impact on the performance of individual firms positioned along the supply chain. In exploratory study, the supply chain of one large telecommunications OEM was analyzed in two consecutive phases, namely a detailed case study and an electronic survey. This led to the examination of an entire supply chain from both upstream and downstream perspectives. Supply chain execution and supply chain planning e‐collaboration tools were identified and their relative efficiency was assessed. We attempt to map out the tools' potential to enhance the performance of, individual firms, in particular the link between e‐collaboration configurations and key performance dimensions.

Millions of students follow online classes which are delivered in video format. Several studies examine the impact of these video formats on engagement and learning using explicit measures and outline the need to also investigate the implicit cognitive and emotional states of online learners. Our study compared two video formats in terms of engagement (over time) and learning in a between-subject experiment. Engagement was operationalized using explicit and implicit neurophysiological measures. Twenty-six (26) subjects participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions based on the video shown: infographic video or lecture capture. The infographic video showed animated graphics, images, and text. The lecture capture showed a professor, providing a lecture, filmed in a classroom setting. Results suggest that lecture capture triggers greater emotional engagement over a shorter period, whereas the infographic video maintains higher emotional and cognitive engagement over longer periods of time. Regarding student learning, the infographic video contributes to significantly improved performance in matters of difficult questions. Additionally, our results suggest a significant relationship between engagement and student performance. In general, the higher the engagement, the better the student performance, although, in the case of cognitive engagement, the link is quadratic (inverted U shaped).

This paper explores the influence of product type and arithmetic task complexity on users’ perceived mental effort and satisfaction in the context of online grocery shopping. A two-factor within-subject experiment was conducted with 32 participants. Results show that experience products and complex arithmetic tasks are associated with higher perceived mental effort compared to search products and simple arithmetic tasks. Perceived mental effort and satisfaction are negatively related. The more cognitive effort users need to invest in their online shopping tasks, the less satisfied they are likely to be with their online experience. Our results suggest that cognitive absorption mediates the relationship between cognitive effort and satisfaction. The study contributes to our understanding of online grocery shopping by explaining the effect of arithmetic complexity and product type on user satisfaction. It also offers shopping website designers a way to improve consumers’ online grocery shopping experience by implementing simple technology features in their websites to help users reduce their mental effort.

No abstract

The rapid rise of voice user interface technology has changed the way users traditionally interact with interfaces, as tasks requiring gestural or visual attention are swapped by vocal commands. This shift has equally affected designers, required to disregard common digital interface guidelines in order to adapt to non-visual user interaction (No-UI) methods. The guidelines regarding voice user interface evaluation are far from the maturity of those surrounding digital interface evaluation, resulting in a lack of consensus and clarity. Thus, we sought to contribute to the emerging literature regarding voice user interface evaluation and, consequently, assist user experience professionals in their quest to create optimal vocal experiences. To do so, we compared the effectiveness of physiological features (e.g., phasic electrodermal activity amplitude) and speech features (e.g., spectral slope amplitude) to predict the intensity of users’ emotional responses during voice user interface interactions. We performed a within-subjects experiment in which the speech, facial expression, and electrodermal activity responses of 16 participants were recorded during voice user interface interactions that were purposely designed to elicit frustration and shock, resulting in 188 analyzed interactions. Our results suggest that the physiological measure of facial expression and its extracted feature, automatic facial expression-based valence, is most informative of emotional events lived through voice user interface interactions. By comparing the unique effectiveness of each feature, theoretical and practical contributions may be noted, as the results contribute to voice user interface literature while providing key insights favoring efficient voice user interface evaluation.

Drawing from the tension between a company’s desire for customer information to tailor experiences and a consumer’s need for privacy, this study aims to test the effect of two information disclosure nudges on users’ information disclosure behaviors. Whereas previous literature on user-chatbot interaction focused on encouraging and increasing users’ disclosures, this study introduces measures that make users conscious of their disclosure behaviors to low and high-sensitivity questions asked by chatbots. A within-subjects laboratory experiment entailed 19 participants interacting with chatbots, responding to pre-tested questions of varying sensitivity while being presented with different information disclosure nudges. The results suggest that question sensitivity negatively impacts users’ information disclosures to chatbots. Moreover, this study suggests that adding a sensitivity signal—presenting the level of sensitivity of the question asked by the chatbot—influences users’ information disclosure behaviors. Finally, the theoretical contributions and managerial implications of the results are discussed.

No abstract

Project management software packages are increasingly used by companies. These tools require a substantial financial investment, hence the importance of identifying the real contribution of project management software packages to the realization of projects. However, studies on the impacts of software packages on the performance of engineering project management are rare and mostly based on perceptions. The objective of this study is to investigate, from real project data, the level of utilization of a project management software package, developed by an engineering construction firm recognized internationally, and its link with project performance and project characteristics. Results stemming from non-parametric tests and correlation analyses show that the level of use of the software, and some of its subsystems, appears to be linked to project performance. Project duration also seems to be the most critical project characteristic.