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Book part
Publication date: 10 December 2015

Dekar Urumsah

The concept and practice of e-services has become essential in business transactions. Yet there are still many organizations that have not developed e-services optimally. This is…

Abstract

The concept and practice of e-services has become essential in business transactions. Yet there are still many organizations that have not developed e-services optimally. This is especially relevant in the context of Indonesian Airline companies. Therefore, many airline customers in Indonesia are still in doubt about it, or even do not use it. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for e-services adoption and empirically examines the factors influencing the airlines customers in Indonesia in using e-services offered by the Indonesian airline companies. Taking six Indonesian airline companies as a case example, the study investigated the antecedents of e-services usage of Indonesian airlines. This study further examined the impacts of motivation on customers in using e-services in the Indonesian context. Another important aim of this study was to investigate how ages, experiences and geographical areas moderate effects of e-services usage.

The study adopts a positivist research paradigm with a two-phase sequential mixed method design involving qualitative and quantitative approaches. An initial research model was first developed based on an extensive literature review, by combining acceptance and use of information technology theories, expectancy theory and the inter-organizational system motivation models. A qualitative field study via semi-structured interviews was then conducted to explore the present state among 15 respondents. The results of the interviews were analysed using content analysis yielding the final model of e-services usage. Eighteen antecedent factors hypotheses and three moderating factors hypotheses and 52-item questionnaire were developed. A focus group discussion of five respondents and a pilot study of 59 respondents resulted in final version of the questionnaire.

In the second phase, the main survey was conducted nationally to collect the research data among Indonesian airline customers who had already used Indonesian airline e-services. A total of 819 valid questionnaires were obtained. The data was then analysed using a partial least square (PLS) based structural equation modelling (SEM) technique to produce the contributions of links in the e-services model (22% of all the variances in e-services usage, 37.8% in intention to use, 46.6% in motivation, 39.2% in outcome expectancy, and 37.7% in effort expectancy). Meanwhile, path coefficients and t-values demonstrated various different influences of antecedent factors towards e-services usage. Additionally, a multi-group analysis based on PLS is employed with mixed results. In the final findings, 14 hypotheses were supported and 7 hypotheses were not supported.

The major findings of this study have confirmed that motivation has the strongest contribution in e-services usage. In addition, motivation affects e-services usage both directly and indirectly through intention-to-use. This study provides contributions to the existing knowledge of e-services models, and practical applications of IT usage. Most importantly, an understanding of antecedents of e-services adoption will provide guidelines for stakeholders in developing better e-services and strategies in order to promote and encourage more customers to use e-services. Finally, the accomplishment of this study can be expanded through possible adaptations in other industries and other geographical contexts.

Details

E-services Adoption: Processes by Firms in Developing Nations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-709-7

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2006

Lucía Melián‐Alzola and Víctor Padrón‐Robaina

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role and importance of the tangible elements of purchase processes in business to customer (b2c) electronic commerce, as well as the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role and importance of the tangible elements of purchase processes in business to customer (b2c) electronic commerce, as well as the impact on overall perceived quality and the customers' attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

The database for this study was obtained from a sample of 191 individuals who had purchased on the internet. The techniques used in the statistical analysis of the data were the following: principal component, analysis structural equations and regression analyses.

Findings

The paper finds that four attributes – navigation, signposting, tools and explanation – explain the tangible dimension in electronic commerce. In the data resulting from the analyses, design is seen as an important factor of overall perceived quality and the willingness to recommend the purchase experience to others.

Research limitations/implications

If the company acts positively in the design, this will favorably affect overall perceived quality, but this is not enough to make a customer repeat. In future research, other dimensions which could retain the customers must be investigated.

Practical implications

The proposed scale to measure the dimension design could help firms to set an optimum design of their web sites, because a muddled and complex design represents a significant obstacle and may constitute a valid reason for a potential customer to decide not to return to the site.

Originality/value

Companies operating on the internet will find some suggestions in this paper on how to achieve competitive advantage through the optimum design of their web sites.

Details

Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, vol. 16 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-4529

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Article
Publication date: 24 April 2007

Robert Hinson, Raymond Atuguba, Dan Ofori and Julius Fobih

To contribute to the internet use literature with particular respect to lawyers. This current study seeks to investigate qualitatively, the impact of the internet on the work of…

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Abstract

Purpose

To contribute to the internet use literature with particular respect to lawyers. This current study seeks to investigate qualitatively, the impact of the internet on the work of lawyers in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

Following several other empirical studies in the general information systems arena, a qualitative design was adopted for this study. A second motivation for adoption of this design was the fact that this research was exploratory in nature and it was the opinion of the researchers that this case study will provide rich insights into the formulations of research propositions for a larger study on internet use and legal practice in Ghana. Interviews were conducted with lawyers who had been called to the bar for before 2003 (we needed to be sure that these lawyers had been practicing for at least two years). Lawyers employed in law chambers, private sector institutions, international organizations, law consultancies, public sector institutions and the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana were contacted as potential respondents for this qualitative study. The first five lawyers in each category who accepted to do the interviews were used as respondents for the study. In all 25 lawyers were interviewed and their views on internet use in respect of the legal profession in Ghana formed the basis of the empirical discussions in this paper.

Findings

Seventy‐eight per cent of the lawyers interviewed agree that the internet improves their productivity. Eighty‐eight per cent of respondents indicated that the internet is useful as a communication tool, whilst 76 per cent of the respondents considered the internet to be very important for getting information. In respect of generating business contacts, it seems the internet (online technologies) is just as important as brick – and – mortar strategies for attracting and retaining clients.

Research limitations/implications

Study has proved invaluable in hypothesis formulation for a larger study on internet use amongst Ghanaian lawyers in 2006. Ultimately, it could give indications for the conduct of e‐business adoption studies amongst lawyers in Ghana.

Originality/value

One of the few studies that focuses on internet adoption by lawyers in a developing country context.

Details

Library Review, vol. 56 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

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Article
Publication date: 20 March 2007

Lucía Melián‐Alzola and Víctor Padrón‐Robaina

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role and importance of results in B2C e‐commerce from the customer's perspective, together with impact on overall perceived quality and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role and importance of results in B2C e‐commerce from the customer's perspective, together with impact on overall perceived quality and customer attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

The data base for this study was obtained from a sample of 191 individuals who had purchased on the internet and the techniques used in the statistical analysis of the data were as follows: principal components analysis, structural equations and regression analyses.

Findings

Two dimensions – cost and guarantee – explain value in e‐commerce. In the data resulting from the analyses, guarantee turns out to be a more important factor with respect to overall perceived quality and consumer attitudes than cost.

Research limitations/implications

If a company manages to improve its e‐commerce transaction results, this will have a favorable effect on overall perceived quality and consumer attitudes. In other words, the result is as important as the process for a successful purchase.

Practical implications

The scale, integrated for the dimensions “guarantee” and “cost” should help firms to identify and improve their B2C e‐commerce results from the customer perspective. Consequently, it will have a positive effect on overall quality, disposition to repeat and disposition to recommend.

Originality/value

Companies operating on the internet will find a number of suggestions in this paper on how to achieve competitive advantage through the successful management of their websites, improving results – guarantee and cost – to customers.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

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Article
Publication date: 1 December 2003

Alex Douglas, Lindsey Muir and Karon Meehan

This paper examines the quality issues facing private legal practices as they try to offer services on the Internet. The threats and opportunities from offering high quality…

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Abstract

This paper examines the quality issues facing private legal practices as they try to offer services on the Internet. The threats and opportunities from offering high quality e‐services are examined as well as potential problems. E‐service operations are divided into “hard”, that is those operations concerned with ensuring the customer receives what was ordered at the right time, place, cost and condition, and “soft”, that is those concerned with Web site design, data information readiness and transactions. Quality measures for both types are proposed and the implications for the legal profession examined. The second half of the paper reports the findings of a survey of Merseyside legal practices in order to see the extent to which they are facing the challenges of the Internet and the issues of e‐service provision. The results show that the legal profession is being slow to introduce Internet technology and only a few firms are offering limited e‐services to their clients. The old attitudes of an aged and learned profession are proving difficult barriers to overcome as the profession battles to bring itself into the twenty‐first century.

Details

Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, vol. 13 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-4529

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Article
Publication date: 1 May 1976

Margaret Marshall

DOUGLAS YOUNG, poet, scholar, Scottish Nationalist and internationalist, is described by the poet William Soutar after their first meeting as ‘an exceedingly tall fellow with a…

Abstract

DOUGLAS YOUNG, poet, scholar, Scottish Nationalist and internationalist, is described by the poet William Soutar after their first meeting as ‘an exceedingly tall fellow with a shovel‐beard—his leanness, longness and fringiness gave one the initial impression of a B.B.C. announcer who had partially metamorphosed into an aerial’, and adds: ‘didn't just get his wave‐length.’

Details

Library Review, vol. 25 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0024-2535

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2004

Douglas J.C. Grindlay and Anne Morris

Possible reasons for the decline in annual adult book issues from UK public libraries are reviewed. Annual book issues have been decreasing since 1980, due mainly to a decrease in…

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Abstract

Possible reasons for the decline in annual adult book issues from UK public libraries are reviewed. Annual book issues have been decreasing since 1980, due mainly to a decrease in issues of adult fiction and, to a lesser extent, adult non‐fiction. Possible intrinsic causes include cuts in book funds in real terms and reduced accessibility of libraries through library closures and reduced opening hours. One likely extrinsic cause is increased real households' disposable income since the late 1970s, which has expanded people's leisure opportunities and made it easy for them to buy books. The widespread use of home computers and the Internet in recent years is also likely to be a factor, but there is little evidence for a major role of increased television watching. There are some data to suggest that the average person in the UK now spends less time reading books and this, combined with the increase in consumer book purchasing, is probably the underlying cause of the decline in public library book lending.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 60 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

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Article
Publication date: 10 June 2021

Mohammad B. Hamida and Mohammad A. Hassanain

This paper aims to present a generic lifecycle framework model for guiding architects, engineers, contractors and facilities managers (AEC/FM) practitioners on the effective…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a generic lifecycle framework model for guiding architects, engineers, contractors and facilities managers (AEC/FM) practitioners on the effective implementation of adaptive reuse projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative techniques was followed in the development of the framework model. A literature review was conducted to comprehend the processes involved in adaptive reuse projects. In total, 90 AEC/FM practitioners were surveyed to identify the current practices in these projects. A generic framework model was then developed to standardize the processes involved, using integration definition for function modeling process modeling methodology. Face-to-face interviews with a targeted group of 30 AEC/FM practitioners were conducted, to validate the developed framework model, by assessing the importance and the frequency of implementing each function in the developed framework model.

Findings

The framework model consisted of four sequential processes, namely, assess the feasibility of the adaptive reuse project, design the adaptive reuse project, construct the adaptive reuse project and operate and maintain the adaptive reuse project. The validation confirmed the importance of all the framework functions and the frequency of their implementation.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the literature and the AEC/FM professions, through developing a lifecycle and knowledge-oriented framework model for building adaptive reuse. The framework presents clear documentation of adaptive reuse processes. Thus, it holds the potential of endeavoring on adaptive reuse projects to be more efficient.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2015

Wei Zheng and Douglas Muir

Leadership development has been replete with a skill-based focus. However, learning and development can be constrained by the deeper level, hidden self-knowledge that influences…

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Abstract

Purpose

Leadership development has been replete with a skill-based focus. However, learning and development can be constrained by the deeper level, hidden self-knowledge that influences how people process information and construct meaning. The purpose of this paper is to answer the question of how people construct and develop their leader identity. The authors intend to shed light on the critical facets of identity changes that occur as individuals grapple with existing understanding of the self and of leadership, transform them, and absorb new personalized notions of leadership into their identity, resulting in a higher level of confidence acting in the leadership domain.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a grounded theory study of participants and their mentors in a lay leadership development program in a Catholic diocese. The authors inductively drew a conceptual model describing how leader identity evolves.

Findings

The findings suggested that leader identity development was not a uni-dimensional event. Rather, it was a multi-faceted process that encompassed three key facets of identity development: expanding boundaries, recognizing interdependences, and discerning purpose. Further, it is the co-evolvement of these three facets and people’s broadening understanding of leadership that led to a more salient leader identity.

Research limitations/implications

The model addresses the gap in literature on how leader identity develops specifically. It enriches and expands existing knowledge on leader identity development by answering the question of what specific changes are entailed when an individual constructs his or her identity as a leader.

Practical implications

The findings could be used to guide leadership development professionals to build targeted learning activities around key components of leader identity development, diagnose where people are in their leadership journey, set personalized goals with them, and provide pointed feedback to learners in the process of developing their leader identity.

Originality/value

The authors provide an in-depth and integrative account of the contents and mechanisms involved in the construction of the leader identity. The authors zero in on the critical transformations entailed in the process to establish and develop a leader identity.

Details

Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 36 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7739

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 17 July 2007

Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko and Reijo Savolainen

Drawing mainly on the ideas of Manuel Castells, this article discusses how globalization and informatization condition the development of public libraries. To explore this issue…

Abstract

Drawing mainly on the ideas of Manuel Castells, this article discusses how globalization and informatization condition the development of public libraries. To explore this issue, recent public library strategies developed in Britain and Finland are analyzed. The analysis demonstrates how public libraries stand for structures that support and consolidate life forms in local communities that need to adjust to contextual changes. In this way, public libraries serve as mediating and filtering mechanisms in local-global interaction. To do this they may utilize the tools derived from the following four strategic options: institutional resource strategy; networking strategy; commercialization strategy; and civil society strategy. Whatever is the strategic choice or their mix at the national or local level, it seems essential that libraries utilize the potential of a hybrid library, which as a new library paradigm combines traditional local dimension with networked and ubiquitous library services.

Details

Advances in Library Administration and Organization
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-484-3

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