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This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of investors’ cognition and decision-making process with regard to internet financial products. The objective is to effectively guide users’ rational investments.

First, based on grounded theory, this study develops a tool for measuring users’ perceived value (PV) of internet financial products via in-depth interviews. Then, after comprehensively considering users’ environmental, individual and psychological characteristics, this study proposes a theoretical model of internet financial product investment decisions based on the PV of users. Finally, an empirical study is conducted on 693 valid sample data from e-commerce and online banking financial platforms.

The empirical results suggest that network externalities influence users’ financial behavior by herding (HE) (imitating others and discounting their own information) and PV. PV and HE are key factors in users’ investment decisions with regard to internet financial products. Moreover, users’ self-efficacy (SE) and platform type play moderate roles in the influence mechanism.

The research conclusions provide valuable references for designing financial products and establishing regulatory rules, which will help the internet financial industry to grow soundly and innovatively.

This study uncovers the mediating effect of HE and PV between network externalities and users’ investment intentions in the context of internet financial products. In addition, the moderating effect of users’ SE and platform types is revealed.

Based on the cognition–affect–conation pattern, this study explores the factors that affect the intention to use facial recognition services (FRS). The study adopts the driving factor perspective to examine how network externalities influence FRS use intention through the mediating role of satisfaction and the barrier factor perspective to analyze how perceived privacy risk affects FRS use intention through the mediating role of privacy cynicism.

The data collected from 478 Chinese FRS users are analyzed via partial least squares-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The study produces the following results. (1) FRS use intention is motivated directly by the positive affective factor of satisfaction and the negative affective factor of privacy cynicism. (2) Satisfaction is affected by cognitive factors related to network externalities. Perceived complementarity and perceived compatibility, two indirect network externalities, positively affect satisfaction, whereas perceived critical mass, a direct network externality, does not significantly affect satisfaction. In addition, perceived privacy risk generates privacy cynicism. (3) Resistance to change positively moderates the relationship between privacy cynicism and intention to use FRS.

This study extends knowledge on people's use of FRS by exploring affect- and cognitive-based factors and finding that the affect-based factors (satisfaction and privacy cynicism) play fully mediating roles in the relationship between the cognitive-based factors and use intention. This study also expands the cognitive boundaries of FRS use by exploring the functional condition between affect-based factors and use intention, that is, the moderating role of resistance to use.

The purpose of this study is to propose a research model based on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) model to examine whether network externality, personalization and sociability as environmental feature antecedents to learners’ learning engagement (LE) can influence their learning persistence (LP) in massive open online courses (MOOCs).

Sample data for this study were collected from learners who had experience in taking MOOCs provided by the MOOC platform launched by a well-known university in Taiwan, and 371 usable questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling in this study.

This study proved that learners’ perceived network externality, personalization and sociability in MOOCs positively affected their cognitive LE, psychological LE and social LE elicited by MOOCs, which jointly led to their LP in MOOCs. The results support all proposed hypotheses, and the research model accounts for 76.2% of the variance in learners’ LP in MOOCs.

This study uses the S–O–R model as a theoretical base to construct learners’ LP in MOOCs as a series of the inner process, which is affected by network externality, personalization and sociability. It is worth noting that three psychological constructs including cognitive LE, psychological LE and social LE are used to represent learners’ organismic states of MOOCs usage. To date, hedonic/utilitarian concepts are more often adopted as organisms in previous studies using the S–O–R model, and psychological constructs have received lesser attention. Hence, this study’ contribution on the application of capturing psychological constructs for completely expounding three types of environmental features as antecedents to learners’ LP in MOOCs is well documented.

The purpose of this study is to propose a research model based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model to test whether network externality, gamification and media richness as environmental feature antecedents to learners' learning engagement (LE) can affect their continuance intention of massive open online courses (MOOCs).

Sample data for this study were collected from learners who had experience in taking the gamified MOOCs provided by the MOOC platform launched by a well-known university in Taiwan, and 315 usable questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling in this study.

This study verified that learners' perceived network externality, gamification and media richness in MOOCs positively influenced their behavioral LE, emotional LE and social LE elicited by MOOCs, which collectively caused their continuance intention of MOOCs. The results support all proposed hypotheses, and the research model accounts for 75.6% of the variance in learners' continuance intention of MOOCs.

This study uses the S-O-R model as a theoretical groundwork to construct learners' continuance intention of MOOCs as a series of the internal process, which is influenced by network externality, gamification and media richness. Noteworthily, three psychological constructs, behavioral LE, emotional LE and social LE, are employed to represent learners' organisms of MOOCs usage. To date, the concepts of network externality, gamification and media richness are rarely together adopted as environmental stimuli, and psychological constructs as organisms have received lesser attention in prior MOOCs studies using the S-O-R model. Hence, this study's contribution on the application of capturing psychological constructs for completely expounding three types of environmental features as antecedents to learners' continuance intention of MOOCs is well documented.

By building and examining an integral model, the principal objectives of this research are to systematically explore how indirect and direct network externalities lead to user loyalty toward WeChat through the mediating effect of perceived gratifications.

The data were collected through an online survey of 688 young people in Mainland China. To empirically assess the conceptual model, zero-order correlation analyses and structural equation modeling were carried out utilizing web-based data.

Path analysis results demonstrate that indirect network externalities and direct network externalities exert a significant impact on users' hedonic gratifications and utilitarian gratifications. Moreover, the study discovers the significant mediating influences of utilitarian gratifications on the association between indirect network externalities and user loyalty.

Theoretically, this article may extend the scope of diverse studies on the association between network externalities and perceived gratifications and offer fresh insights into how mobile social media could actually improve user loyalty through enhancing perceived values among younger generation. Practically, this research assists mobile social media practitioners in retaining users and gaining competitive advantages over rival applications.

Although the extraordinary growth of WeChat has successfully become the dominant media by which individuals develop interpersonal network and contact with others, the roles of perceived gratifications between network externalities and user loyalty toward WeChat have not yet been investigated in depth. These obtained outcomes not only enrich the existing literature regarding the relationship between network externalities and affective response, but also offer fresh insights to mobile social media designers, marketers and users.

This study aims to examine the effects of multidimensional factors of platform features, group effects and emotional attitudes on social media users’ privacy disclosure intention.

This study collected the data from 426 respondents through an online questionnaire survey and conducted two approaches of structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) for theoretical hypothesis testing and configuration analysis of the data.

The results show that social media platform features (rewards of information disclosure, personalized service quality and data transparency), group effects (group similarity, group information interaction and network externality), individual emotional attitudes (trust and privacy concern) and control variable (gender) have a significant impact on privacy disclosure intention, as well as trust and privacy concern play mediating roles. Additionally, the fsQCA method reveals five causal configurations that explain high privacy disclosure intentions. Furthermore, the study reveals that male users pay more attention to platform features, while female users are more inclined to group effects.

This study attempts to construct a comprehensive model to examine the factors that affect users' intention to disclose their privacy on social media platforms. Drawing on the cognition-affect-conation model and multidimensional development theory, the model integrates multidimensional factors of platform features, group effects, trust and privacy concern to complement existing theoretical frameworks and privacy disclosure literature. By understanding the complex dynamics behind privacy disclosure, this study helps platform providers and policymakers develop effective strategies to ensure the vitality and momentum of the social media ecosystem.

Considering the network externalities of online selling, this paper builds three different online direct selling models: manufacturer direct selling (MN model), network platform direct selling (NN model) and retailer direct selling (RN model). The optimal advertising and pricing decision and corporate profits under each selling model are investigated.

Combining the characteristics of online direct selling, this paper formulates direct selling models that are dominated by different companies as Stackelberg game models. Numerical analyses are carried out, along with the comparison of the equilibrium solutions for each model.

The authors' research shows that increasing network externalities is conducive to the development of enterprises. The network platform's profit is the lowest in the RN model and the highest in the NN one. The comparison of manufacturers' profits between the MN model and the NN model primarily depends on consumers' sensitivities for sales price and advertising promotion level. The manufacturer does not benefit from the RN model due to the lowest efficiency.

Coupled with three different online direct selling models and detailed analyses of the optimal solutions, this study has enriched the theoretical foundation of online direct selling. Moreover, this study extends the research of network externalities to the field of e-commerce, revealing the network externalities' influence on the decision-making of the e-supply chain.

Promoting electric vehicles (EVs) is an effective way to achieve carbon neutrality. If EVs are widely adopted, this will undoubtedly be good for the environment. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of network externalities and subsidy on the strategies of manufacturer under a carbon neutrality constraint.

In this paper, the authors propose a game-theoretic framework in an EVs supply chain consisting of a government, a manufacturer and a group of consumers. The authors examine two subsidy options and explain the choice of optimal strategies for government and manufacturer.

First, the authors find that the both network externalities of charging stations and government subsidy can promote the EV market. Second, under a relaxed carbon neutrality constraint, even if the government’s purchase subsidy investment is larger than the carbon emission reduction technology subsidy investment, the purchase subsidy policy is still optimal. Third, under a strict carbon neutrality constraint, when the cost coefficient of carbon emission reduction and the effectiveness of carbon emission reduction technology are larger, social welfare will instead decrease with the increase of the effectiveness of emission reduction technology and then, the manufacturer’s investment in carbon emission reduction technology is lower. In the extended model, the authors find the effectiveness of carbon emission reduction technology can also promote the EV market and social welfare (or consumer surplus) is the same whatever the subsidy strategy.

The network externalities of charging stations and the subsidy effect of the government have a superimposition effect on the promotion of EVs. When the network effect of charging stations is relatively strong, government can withdraw from the subsidized market. When the network effect of charging stations is relatively weak, government can intervene appropriately.

Comparing previous studies, this study reveals the impact of government intervention, network effects and carbon neutrality constraints on the EV supply chain. From a sustainability perspective, these insights are compelling for both EV manufacturers and policymakers.

This study aims to investigate the influence of environmental factors on individual personality traits associated with mobile paymens (MP) adoption using the technological personal environment (TPE) theory as a framework for the proposed theoretical model.

A total of 736 feedback from respondents was used to validate the proposed model using structural equation modeling. The model comprises Trust and Self-efficacy to explain MP adoption from a personal trait perspective. Meanwhile, environmental aspects are represented by social influence, vendor regulations and network externalities.

The result indicates that self-efficacy has the most significant direct effect on user intention to use MP, followed in decreasing order of significance by social influence, trust, vendor regulations and network externalities. Furthermore, social influence is the most contributing aspect from the environmental area that influences user intention directly and indirectly through trust and self-efficacy as mediators. Meanwhile, the moderating effect analysis also found that gender moderates the effect of user self-efficacy on MP adoption.

This study fills the gap by comparing trust and self-efficacy and exploring how those factors are developed and affected by the environmental aspect of MP usage. It was discovered that self-efficacy was the most influential construct influencing the adoption of MP. Social influence was identified as the primary environmental factor that directly impacts user intention regarding MP usage. Furthermore, gender was shown as a moderator, as males place a higher value on self-efficacy as a factor affecting their intention to embrace MP in comparison to females.

This research aims to investigate the significant influence of social factors based on the social impact theory against service quality factors based on uncertainty avoidance dimension in determining user perception of trust toward mobile payment (MP) usage.

The theoretical model used was analyzed by adopting the structural equation modeling technique. Questionnaires were delivered to Indonesian customers as the target respondents using Google Forms, and finally, 659 valid responses were received.

Based on the direct effect analysis, service quality had more influence on the user trust perception than the social aspect. More specifically, Perceived Security was the most influential in increasing the level of user trust followed by Perceived Usefulness and Network Externalities.

This research presents a comprehensive investigation that applied a different perspective of the way social and service quality aspects develop user trust toward MP usage.