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11 – 20 of 32
Article
Publication date: 9 July 2019

Yan Yu, Ben Qianqian Liu, Jin-Xing Hao and Chuanqi Wang

Prior literature indicates conflicting effects of online product information, which may complicate or simplify consumer purchase decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is…

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Abstract

Purpose

Prior literature indicates conflicting effects of online product information, which may complicate or simplify consumer purchase decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how different online product information (i.e. the choice set size and the popularity information and its presentation) affect consumers’ decision making and the related market outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

This research relies on information-processing theories and social learning theory. By stepwise conducting two 2×2 within-subject factorial design experiments, this research examines the effects of the choice set size, product popularity information and product presentation on consumers’ decision making and the aggregated market outcomes.

Findings

The results show that product popularity information led consumers to either simplify or complicate their decision strategy, depending on the size of the choice sets. Additionally, presenting products by their popularity in descending order resulted in consumers making decisions with a larger decision bias. The results also show that the presence of product popularity was more likely to forge a “superstar” structure in a large market.

Practical implications

The research suggests that e-retailers and e-marketplace operators should carefully utilize product popularity information. Multiple mechanisms that shape different shopping environments with different orders are necessary to create a long-tailed market structure.

Originality/value

This study found the mixed effects of product popularity information when it is presented in different environments (i.e. the large/small choice set and the sorted/randomized product presentation). The overuse of popularity information may induce consumers’ decision bias.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2015

Tuan-Dat Trinh, Peter Wetz, Ba-Lam Do, Elmar Kiesling and A Min Tjoa

This paper aims to present a collaborative mashup platform for dynamic integration of heterogeneous data sources. The platform encourages sharing and connects data publishers…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a collaborative mashup platform for dynamic integration of heterogeneous data sources. The platform encourages sharing and connects data publishers, integrators, developers and end users.

Design/methodology/approach

This approach is based on a visual programming paradigm and follows three fundamental principles: openness, connectedness and reusability. The platform is based on semantic Web technologies and the concept of linked widgets, i.e. semantic modules that allow users to access, integrate and visualize data in a creative and collaborative manner.

Findings

The platform can effectively tackle data integration challenges by allowing users to explore relevant data sources for different contexts, tackling the data heterogeneity problem and facilitating automatic data integration, easing data integration via simple operations and fostering reusability of data processing tasks.

Research limitations/implications

This research has focused exclusively on conceptual and technical aspects so far; a comprehensive user study, extensive performance and scalability testing is left for future work.

Originality/value

A key contribution of this paper is the concept of distributed mashups. These ad hoc data integration applications allow users to perform data processing tasks in a collaborative and distributed manner simultaneously on multiple devices. This approach requires no server infrastructure to upload data, but rather allows each user to keep control over their data and expose only relevant subsets. Distributed mashups can run persistently in the background and are hence ideal for real-time data monitoring or data streaming use cases. Furthermore, we introduce automatic mashup composition as an innovative approach based on an explicit semantic widget model.

Details

International Journal of Web Information Systems, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-0084

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 July 2023

Joni Salminen, João M. Santos, Soon-gyo Jung and Bernard J. Jansen

The “what is beautiful is good” (WIBIG) effect implies that observers tend to perceive physically attractive people in a positive light. The authors investigate how the WIBIG…

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Abstract

Purpose

The “what is beautiful is good” (WIBIG) effect implies that observers tend to perceive physically attractive people in a positive light. The authors investigate how the WIBIG effect applies to user personas, measuring designers' perceptions and task performance when employing user personas for the design of information technology (IT) solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

In a user experiment, the authors tested six different personas with 235 participants that were asked to develop remote work solutions based on their interaction with a fictitious user persona.

Findings

The findings showed that a user persona's perceived attractiveness was positively correlated with other perceptions of the persona. The personas' completeness, credibility, empathy, likability and usefulness increased with attractiveness. More attractive personas were also perceived as more agreeable, emotionally stable, extraverted and open, and the participants spent more time engaging with personas they perceived attractive. A linguistic analysis indicated that the IT solutions created for more attractive user personas demonstrated a higher degree of affect, but for the most part, task outputs did not vary by the personas' perceived attractiveness.

Research limitations/implications

The WIBIG effect applies when designing IT solutions with user personas, but its effect on task outputs appears limited. The perceived attractiveness of a user persona can impact how designers interact with and engage with the persona, which can influence the quality or the type of the IT solutions created based on the persona. Also, the findings point to the need to incorporate hedonic qualities into the persona creation process. For example, there may be contexts where it is helpful that the personas be attractive; there may be contexts where the attractiveness of the personas is unimportant or even a distraction.

Practical implications

The findings point to the need to incorporate hedonic qualities into the persona creation process. For example, there may be contexts where it is helpful that the personas be attractive; there may be contexts where the attractiveness of the personas is unimportant or even a distraction.

Originality/value

Because personas are created to closely resemble real people, the authors might expect the WIBIG effect to apply. The WIBIG effect might lead decision makers to favor more attractive personas when designing IT solutions. However, despite its potential relevance for decision making with personas, as far as the authors know, no prior study has investigated whether the WIBIG effect extends to the context of personas. Overall, it is important to understand how human factors apply to IT system design with personas, so that the personas can be created to minimize potentially detrimental effects as much as possible.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 36 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2015

Keng Hoon Gan and Keat Keong Phang

This paper aims to focus on automatic selection of two important structural concepts required in an XML query, namely, target and constraint concepts, when given a keywords query…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on automatic selection of two important structural concepts required in an XML query, namely, target and constraint concepts, when given a keywords query. Due to the diversities of concepts used in XML resources, it is not easy to select a correct concept when constructing an XML query.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a Context-based Term Weighting model that performs term weighting based on part of documents. Each part represents a specific context, thus offering better capturing of concept and term relationship. For query time analysis, a Query Context Graph and two algorithms, namely, Select Target and Constraint (QC) and Select Target and Constraint (QCAS) are proposed to find the concepts for constructing XML query.

Findings

Evaluations were performed using structured document for conference domain. For constraint concept selection, the approach CTX+TW achieved better result than its baseline, NCTX, when search term has ambiguous meanings by using context-based scoring for the concepts. CTX+TW also shows its stability on various scoring models like BM25, TFIEF and LM. For target concept selection, CTX+TW outperforms the standard baseline, SLCA, whereas it also records higher coverage than FCA, when structural keywords are used in query.

Originality/value

The idea behind this approach is to capture the concepts required for term interpretation based on parts of the collections rather than the entire collection. This allows better selection of concepts, especially when a structured XML document consists many different types of information.

Details

International Journal of Web Information Systems, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-0084

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 June 2023

Samia Ebrahiem, Ahmed O. El-Kholei and Ghada Yassein

The article attempts to shed light on the social aspects of research that deal with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainable cities. The aim is to offer a global view…

Abstract

Purpose

The article attempts to shed light on the social aspects of research that deal with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainable cities. The aim is to offer a global view of these facets' evolution and to provide information on people-centered smart cities.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is qualitative. A systematic bibliometric approach is a framework for the research. The unit of analysis is publications on SDGs and Smart Cities (SCs) indexed in Scopus. The authors used VOSviewer text mining functionality to construct co-occurrence networks of socially related critical terms extracted from textual data. The co-occurrence of keywords presents a valuable method and process for attaining in-depth analysis and fast comprehension of trends and linkages in articles from a holistic approach.

Findings

Social media, social sustainability and social capital are the three multifaceted social keywords that co-occur in SDGs and SCs. The paper provides a brief compendium of resources and frameworks to build a socially sustainable smart city.

Research limitations/implications

The retrieval date was on 15 August 2019. The authors used the same search query for new papers released in 2019 and afterwards to update their findings. The authors collected 657 documents on SCs, compared to 2,975 documents about SDGs demonstrating that their findings are still trending in the same direction, emphasizing the importance of the research topic. SCs' social aspects are still chartered areas that require the attention to future research.

Originality/value

The authors’ decision to use two separate data sets for SCs and SDGs data files helps to provide a more comprehensive picture of the research landscape. It may identify areas where research is lacking or needs future research. The authors present an integrative agenda for a smart city to be socially sustainable. Innovative approaches to urban planning are required to empower the place and context and improve the users' satisfaction, where innovative solutions enable smart, sustainable and inclusive societies. Infrastructure governance is a critical keystone. It could guarantee that public investments contribute to sustainable urban development while enhancing city resilience, particularly in facing climate change and inclusive growth challenges.

Details

Open House International, vol. 49 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 December 2022

Paul Di Gangi, Robin Teigland and Zeynep Yetis

This research investigates how the value creation interests and activities of different stakeholder groups within one open source software (OSS) project influence the project's…

Abstract

Purpose

This research investigates how the value creation interests and activities of different stakeholder groups within one open source software (OSS) project influence the project's development over time.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a case study of OpenSimulator using textual and thematic analyses of the initial four years of OpenSimulator developer mailing list to identify each stakeholder group and guide our analysis of their interests and value creation activities over time.

Findings

The analysis revealed that while each stakeholder group was active within the OSS project's development, the different groups possessed complementary interests that enabled the project to evolve. In the formative period, entrepreneurs were interested in the software's strategic direction in the market, academics and SMEs in software functionality and large firms and hobbyists in software testing. Each group retained its primary interest in the maturing period with academics and SMEs separating into server- and client-side usability. The analysis shed light on how the different stakeholder groups overcame tensions amongst themselves and took specific actions to sustain the project.

Originality/value

The authors extend stakeholder theory by reconceptualizing the focal organization and its stakeholders for OSS projects. To date, OSS research has primarily focused on examining one project relative to its marketplace. Using stakeholder theory, we identified stakeholder groups within a single OSS project to demonstrate their distinct interests and how these interests influence their value creation activities over time. Collectively, these interests enable the project's long-term development.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 36 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2003

Gerard Ryan and Mireia Valverde

Although waiting on the Internet is widely recognised as a crucial factor in the evolution of e‐commerce and the Internet in general, it is not a widespread topic of research…

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Abstract

Although waiting on the Internet is widely recognised as a crucial factor in the evolution of e‐commerce and the Internet in general, it is not a widespread topic of research. This article identifies and reviews 21 papers based on 13 separate empirical studies on waiting on the Internet. The literature draws from the areas of marketing, system response time studies and quality of service studies. Having reviewed the existing literature, this article proposes an agenda for future research. Recommendations are made to extend the range of research methodologies applied to this topic, to broaden the definition of waiting on the Internet to include other forms of online waiting, and to continue the interdisciplinary approach to research on online waiting.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 13 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 September 2024

Borbála Bacsa-Károlyi and Anikó Fehérvári

This study aims to validate a typology of factors previously established by the authors that influence teachers' gameful practices and to investigate these factors further…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to validate a typology of factors previously established by the authors that influence teachers' gameful practices and to investigate these factors further qualitatively.

Design/methodology/approach

A focus group interview was conducted with four experienced teachers to gather their views on gameful education. The interview also included a metaphor analysis focusing on their beliefs about the compatibility of school learning and gamefulness. The data were coded using a deductive approach, and qualitative thematic analysis was employed.

Findings

Individual factors are more positive influences on gameful practices than institutional or system-level factors. Teachers stated that digital equipment is not essential for gameful practices, but governmental support in reshaping exam-centric education systems might be a key step in promoting their adoption.

Practical implications

In the 21st century, students' learning needs differ from past generations, creating challenging situations for teachers in exam-centric cultures. Gameful education could help teachers by introducing an engaging and motivating learning environment for students. This paper aims to help teachers implement and decision-makers support innovative practices that target lifelong learning.

Originality/value

The empirical findings validated the previously established typology of factors. This research presents best practices for teachers in implementing gameful methods and highlights hindering factors for school leaders and decision-makers aiming to support gameful practices.

Details

Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2397-7604

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 October 2020

Izzy Yi Jian, Edwin H.W. Chan and Terry Ye Peng Yao

POSPD, as supplementation of public open spaces (POS), has become a common policy to moderate the intensification of urbanization. However, some access restrictions, both physical…

Abstract

Purpose

POSPD, as supplementation of public open spaces (POS), has become a common policy to moderate the intensification of urbanization. However, some access restrictions, both physical and information-wise, were deliberately designed by private developers to reserve the POSPD for their own gains, which further hampers POSPD’s publicness and leads to their failure to bear social responsibilities.

Design/methodology/approach

By analyzing the current situation of the availability of public open space in private developments (POSPD) from the perspective of information justice, this research aims at proposing a policy framework for an “accessible and interactive platform” which advocates promoting informational justice by integrating public participation into the establishment of an interaction loop to promote the revitalization of POSPD. The methodology includes the review of previous solutions and platforms, the establishment of a POSPD database and geographic information system (GIS) analysis.

Findings

The POSPD in Hong Kong are unevenly distributed physically while the information about them is injustice and inadequate. Understanding the existing informational injustice associated with POSPD and revitalizing the stock spaces is timely and vital. Using the user-generated data from volunteers as the information flow, the proposed responsive POSPD platform will provide continuous positive feedback for policy improvement to help realize the collaborative management and sustainable development of the POS.

Originality/value

Making use of information and communication technology (ICT) to extend the “public” to the “internet-based”, the proposed framework regards the exploitation of ICT to enhance information justice as a novel way to revitalize POSPD. It involves collaborative operation among citizen participation and official POS management.

Article
Publication date: 13 August 2018

Rebecca Mgunda Majinge and Stephen Mudogo Mutula

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implication of copyright on access to electronic and print information resources by people with visual impairments in university…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the implication of copyright on access to electronic and print information resources by people with visual impairments in university libraries. The paper examines the extent to which electronic and print information resources in university libraries are accessible to people with visual impairments; the extent to which existing national/international copyright laws facilitate or hamper access to electronic and print information resources by people with visual impairments; examine challenges facing people with visual impairments in accessing electronic and print information resources; and how these challenges can be ameliorated.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on review of empirical and theoretical literature and is underpinned by Oliver’s (1990) social model of disability.

Findings

The findings reveal that many university libraries the world over lack the capacity to offer an effective information service to people with visual impairments. Furthermore, the stringent copyright laws and licensing regimes for purchasing or transcribing content from one format to another make provision of information services to people with visual impairments difficult. In-university libraries are faced with various challenges in accessing electronic and print information that include among others copyright and licensing restrictions, and system design issues. Assistive technologies (ATs), enabling policies, skilled staff and facilitative copyright regimes can help ameliorate some of these barriers.

Practical implications

ATs, enabling policies, skilled staff and facilitative copyright regimes are key to unlocking the barriers that hinder people with visual impairments from effectively accessing print and electronic resources in university libraries. Protection of the basic rights of persons with disabilities including visual impairments, the elimination of social discrimination and bridging the accessibility gap are integral to social inclusion. This paper provides the basic information to university libraries for addressing challenges associated with access to electronic and print resources by people with visual impairments.

Social implications

Access to information to all including people with visual impairments in society is a basic human and moral right that every human being must enjoy. The Sustainable Development Goals’ 2030 agenda for sustainable development envisages a world of universal respect for human rights and human dignity […] equality and non-discrimination, an equitable, tolerant, open and socially inclusive world in which the needs of the most vulnerable are met (United Nations, 2015), and inclusive rights such as education, access to services (including information) and employment for people with disabilities.

Originality/value

This paper builds on existing literature and contributes to the growing body of knowledge on access by people with disabilities predicating on World Summit on Information Society principle and agenda 2030 on sustainable development goals.

Details

Library Management, vol. 39 no. 6-7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

11 – 20 of 32