Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of post-purchase logistic services on customer satisfaction and future purchase decision, to reveal any differences across China and Taiwan, to fill in a gap in the literature focused on post-purchase logistic activities related to shipping, return, and tracking, to provide managerial guidance in logistics for e-commerce, and to develop insights on logistic services for future research. Design/methodology/approach Using a validated survey instrument, 384 respondents in China and 145 respondents in Taiwan are collected. The research model is analyzed using component-based estimation approach to structural equation modeling. Findings The structural equation analysis of the study found that post-purchase shipping and tracking have an impact on customer satisfaction in both China and Taiwan. It also found that customer service is the most significant factor among the examined antecedents for online shoppers in China. While, return service is more important for shoppers in Taiwan. Finally, customer satisfaction played a stronger positive role for online shoppers in Taiwan as compared to their counterparts in China. Research limitations/implications This research extended the current literature about post-purchase logistic services in an online shopping environment with a literature-based research model and good empirical data support. However, one limitation of the study is that the data collected represents a cross-sectional sample; future research should examine longitudinal sample to study customers’ purchase intentions over time. Practical implications This study can help both scholars and practitioners understand the importance of tracking, return, shipping, and customer service in an online shopping environment and across countries. It provides insights on designing e-commerce relevant shipping services to satisfy and attract customers across countries. Originality/value The study investigated how post-purchase activities contributed to customer satisfaction in online shopping and explored the influence of customer satisfaction on future purchase intention in China and Taiwan. This is one of the first studies available in the literature to provide empirical support and managerial insights about post-purchase activities related to shipping, tracking, and returns for e-commerce with cross-regional comparison.

As more and more faculty members jump on the wagon of social media, an increasing number of publications began to investigate the adoption of social media applications and its motivators in and out of the classrooms. However, little research has paid close attention to the educational outcomes of social media utilization in college teaching. Thus, this study focused on the educational outcomes and examined a research model of antecedents and consequences of social media use. It analyzed the quantitative responses of 168 faculty members using social media in their teaching. A partial least squares (PLS) analysis indicates that (1) perceived usefulness, external pressure and compatibility of task-technology have positive effects on social media use; (2) the higher the perceived risk of using social media utilization, the less likely faculty will use the technology to support in-class instructions frequently; and (3) social media use has a positive effect on student's learning outcomes and their satisfaction. The proposed model provides educators with a depiction of how social media educational use delivers higher performance in the classroom. IntroductionSocial media provide users with interactive services, in which they have control over their own data and information and are able to collaborate and share information (Ajjan & Hartshorne, 2008). Example of social media applications include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Skype, Wiki, blogs, Delicious, Second Life, open online course sites and forum, text messaging, online games, mobile apps, etc. These applications have been widely used for information dissemination and gathering, collaborative learning and online social and professional connections. In the USA, over half of the adult population use social media, and similar number of cellphone users download applications on their mobile devices to learn things they are interested in (Purcell, 2012). Similarly, in Europe, half of the adult population engages in various activities using social media applications (Forrester, 2011;IAB Europe, 2012). In developing countries, over 97% of the online users in metropolitan China and India engage in active content creation and conversation through tools such as Weibo (China) and Orkut (India). As Internet and Web 2.0/3.0 technology access through mobile devices increases exponentially year after year, social media users are set to explode (Forrester, 2011).

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers, practices, and outcomes of social media use in the management of organizational supply chain. Design/methodology/approach Online questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 285 organizations representing different industries in China. The data then were analyzed with structure equation modeling using SmartPLS. Findings The results indicate that key antecedents such as external pressures, internal readiness, expected benefits, strategic goals, and perceived risks influence organizational social media use, which subsequently impact organizational performance outcomes in operation and marketing as well as the satisfaction level of both internal and external constituents, such as customers, employees, partners, and suppliers. Research limitations/implications The study obtained data about one organization from only one respondent and did not used random sampling. Practical implications This study provides insights on why and how companies should use social media for relationship building and business outcomes. Originality/value Drawing from the resources-based view, social networks, strategic choice theory, and technology organization and environment framework, a new social media utilization model for business outcome was established and testified using empirical data. This study is one of the first studies that adopts technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework of technology adoption theory to study organizational social media use. The findings in this study confirm the validity of the TOE framework for analyzing social media adoption and use in various organizations.

Since the 1980s, a large collection of maize has been preserved in the China National Genebank. To facilitate the evaluation and utilization of these valuable germplasm resources, a core collection was established. The collection was firstly divided into two groups, i.e. the landraces and inbred lines. The percentage of the original collection to be included in the core was given as 7% based on a previous study of sampling strategies in maize. Each group was sequentially stratified based on administrative provinces or regions and kernel types, and a clustering method was applied in further stratification. A logarithmic strategy was used to determine the number of entries in the core at each step. The process resulted in the maize core comprising 951 landraces and 242 inbred lines. Shannon-Weaver diversity index and means were used to validate the core. The core can be used effectively in further in-depth research and maize improvement.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents and consequences of social media utilization in teaching by college faculty. Design/methodology/approach -The paper is based on literature review, the author's observations, and qualitative and quantitative information reported by 249 full-time and part-time faculty members.Findings -There are four antecedent factors for social media utilization in teaching: faculty personal social media involvement and personal readiness; external pressures from peers, supervisors, students and their employment; expected benefits; and perceived risks. Two factors are important to assess the consequences of social media utilization in teaching: perceived student satisfaction and student learning outcomes. Research limitations/implications -Data were obtained from only one university. This paper includes only simple statistical analysis, although structural equation analysis is more appropriate for testing the model.Practical implications -The established social media utilization model suggests that the key to solving problems related to social media utilization in teaching is to address faculty's concerns and convince them about the benefits of social media utilization with examples and sound outcomes.Originality/value -This study draws on both past publications and first-hand research; it establishes a social media utilization model about the antecedents and consequences of social media utilization in teaching, and has both qualitative and quantitative data to support the model.