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Article
Publication date: 3 July 2009

Ibrahim Motawa and Ammar Kaka

Different direct/indirect managerial and contractual links throughout the supply chain have been researched to improve project performance. These links are undoubtedly influencing…

2333

Abstract

Purpose

Different direct/indirect managerial and contractual links throughout the supply chain have been researched to improve project performance. These links are undoubtedly influencing payment and cash flow mechanisms. As different members of the supply chains are affected differently by the factors influencing cash flow, payment mechanisms have to be designed in such a way that this uneven sensitivity to cash flow factors is addressed and linked to value and utility. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an IT system developed to model different payment mechanisms to enable the supply chain members to decide on the most appropriate payment mechanism.

Design/methodology/approach

The adopted methodology to select the appropriate payment mechanism is first illustrated. The mathematical model is then developed. The IT system to automate the developed methodology is then presented. The system considers alternative payment terms and conditions across the supply chain in a transparent and negotiated manner.

Findings

The outcome results in designing payment mechanisms and cash flows that satisfy all supply chain members.

Originality/value

The value of this research to the construction industry has been the clear identification of the benefit of applying appropriate and innovative payment mechanisms. This will encourage organisations to engage in these mechanisms and hence improve the effectiveness of how projects are managed and executed.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 16 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2017

Piumi Chethana Walimuni, Aparna Samaraweera and Lalith De Silva

There is a growing concern that contractors can be motivated for environmental protection through effective fund allocation and proper payment mechanisms. However, an in-depth…

Abstract

Purpose

There is a growing concern that contractors can be motivated for environmental protection through effective fund allocation and proper payment mechanisms. However, an in-depth analysis of environmental hazard-controlling methods and related payments to the contractor in road construction in Sri Lanka is not much popular among the extant literature. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore different payment mechanisms that are being used with environmental hazard-controlling methods, to achieve better control in such hazards in Sri Lankan road construction projects.

Design/methodology/approach

This research was approached through a mixed research method. Initially, hazard-controlling methods and relative payment mechanisms for the contractor were identified through three exploratory case studies using interviews, observations and document survey. Next, the relative effectiveness of payment mechanisms for contractors for better environmental hazard controlling was identified through a questionnaire survey with a sample of 45 professionals involved in 15 road construction projects.

Findings

Based on the findings, a comprehensive list of environmental hazard-controlling methods was derived. Furthermore, four types of payment mechanisms were identified: (A)-payments, where a unit price was assigned; (B)-payments, where a provisional sum was established in the contract; (C)-payments, where fixed amounts (lump sums) were assigned in the contract and (D)-payments made along with some main work item in the contract. Relative effectiveness of these four mechanisms for better control of environmental hazards was varied for each hazard-controlling method being practiced in a road construction project.

Originality/value

These findings would be more beneficial for consultants, project managers, bidders and estimators in the pre-contract stage. This is by identifying cost items for environmental hazard controlling and selecting relatively more effective payment mechanisms to motivate contractors for better control of environmental hazards during project execution.

Details

Built Environment Project and Asset Management, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-124X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 1996

S. Peter Buck

Suggests that the discussion of online payments, while ultimately being a key issue for the future Information SuperHighway, is as significant now as it ever will be. The…

2525

Abstract

Suggests that the discussion of online payments, while ultimately being a key issue for the future Information SuperHighway, is as significant now as it ever will be. The explosive increase in the use of the Internet has seen the emergence of commercial services and pressures previously restricted to Compuserve and the like. Many predictions see this burgeoning electronic marketplace becoming a significant component of the world economy. However, this can only happen once two key problems have been addressed, namely, protecting property rights, and making payments. This has led to a frantic battle for payment mechanisms that can provide the new medium with the means of conducting transactions. Identifies the key commercial requirements that successful use of the Internet will impose on a payment mechanism. Identifies the different types of mechanisms that are proposed, on trial or in use on the Internet. Evaluates each of these mechanisms against the requirements to determine which (if any) are really suitable for electronic commerce.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 6 no. 2/3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 July 2023

Nisit Panthamit, Paisarn Panthamitr and Guowei Tian

This study aims to convey the understanding of the ecosystem – how “hundi” works on the border trade between Myanmar and northern Thailand, which is an informal transfer system…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to convey the understanding of the ecosystem – how “hundi” works on the border trade between Myanmar and northern Thailand, which is an informal transfer system and is widely used as an alternative banking system. Even though the role of hundi is unable to declare the sources of money under the standard settlement of formal banking system, a failure to operate of its official mechanism are carrying using hundi, as a financial platform across the border between Thailand and Myanmar. This study surveys the best practice mechanism for the regional and international cooperation.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on relevant literature, open-source reporting, and interviews with more than 30 interviewees on the border between Thailand and Myanmar. Interviewees includes border-trader, money changer, money transfer operators, business leaders, hundi operators, immigrant labors, government officials and commercial banking staffs.

Findings

This study provides a unique insight of hundi system, which work as the alternative mode of formal banking. It is an informal fund transfer payment platform used on the border between Thailand and Myanmar in the past five decades. It insists that hundi plays a significant role in both substitution and complementary on the trade and payment across the border of Myanmar–Thailand. Even though confronting with the barriers of financing of terrorism (anti money laundering AML/combating the financing of terrorism CFT) risk, the competition with the expanding and modernizing formal banking sector, and the introduction of Fintech and mobile money services. In the short term, these are unlikely to eliminate the hundi system completely, but may instead push hundi operators towards adopting these networks and technologies in their own operations.

Social implications

This paper will be a useful source for academics, development professionals, policymakers, law enforcement agencies and business actors who are seeking to understand Myanmar’s informal payment system, hundi.

Originality/value

This is the latest work for border trade payment or trade financing role of hundi which has hidden under the informal market of the border for several decades. It has few research of hundi on border trade and payment, particularly after the military coup in 2021 which made hundi return to be on the spotlight and simultaneous mechanism of border trade and payment ecosystem of Myanmar. This paper will be a useful source for academics, development professionals, policymakers, law enforcement agencies and business actors who are eager to understand Myanmar’s informal payment system, hundi, especially during the hardship.

Details

Journal of Money Laundering Control, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1368-5201

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 April 2019

Aruna Divya Tatavarthy and Kanchan Mukherjee

Unlike point of purchase behavior, not much is known about how payment method impacts post-purchase behavior, especially for durable goods where user experience can last over long…

1008

Abstract

Purpose

Unlike point of purchase behavior, not much is known about how payment method impacts post-purchase behavior, especially for durable goods where user experience can last over long periods. The purpose of this paper is to link two strands of literature for the first time by uncovering systematic linkages between the payment method (upfront cash vs loan) used for purchase of durable goods and the replacement timings for the same.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors predict that cash purchases are more likely to have shorter replacement horizons compared to loan purchases and propose a psychological mechanism that accounts for the same. Their arguments are based on how the strength of coupling, which is the degree of psychological association between payment and consumption, depends on the payment method and differentially influences the consumption experience and consequently leads to different replacement horizons. They conduct a field study to test their predictions and find support for their model.

Findings

The authors find that individuals who financed their durable goods purchases using loan, expressed their intentions to replace the goods after longer period than those who financed their durable goods with cash down payment. As loan installments remind people of painful thoughts of payment, they tend to reduce the dissonance by positively evaluating both retrospective and anticipated usage experiences. This dissonance reduction mechanism eventually leads to reduced willingness to let go of the durable.

Practical implications

Marketers are faced with a tradeoff between increasing purchase likelihood versus ensuring long-term post-purchase satisfaction. In this paper, the authors uncover the psychological mechanisms that can explain how payment method chosen to pay for a durable can have direct effect on post-purchase consumption experiences and subsequently in the replacement intentions. This finding is crucial for marketers who are interested in planning the product line launches and other post-purchase engagement strategies such as buy-back scheme and upgrades.

Social implications

Understanding the psychological mechanisms that explain individual’s likelihood to replace their durable goods allows policymakers to design appropriate interventions to induce more sustainable and efficient use of durable goods in the market. While on one hand, marketers might be interested in increasing sales of their product line by inducing faster replacement of older product versions, environmentalists nudge towards the opposite. This paper provides a possible way to achieve the dual objectives.

Originality/value

While past research on downstream effects of payment methods on behavioral outcomes focused only on consumables, the authors focus on durable goods. Further, they identify the effect of payment method on both psychological and behavioral outcomes.

Details

Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0736-3761

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 July 2019

Chi Zhou, Geni Xu and Zhibing Liu

Internet referral services are a common form of online marketing operating activities. To incentivize infomediaries and improve referral performance, brand retailers typically…

Abstract

Purpose

Internet referral services are a common form of online marketing operating activities. To incentivize infomediaries and improve referral performance, brand retailers typically apply the cost-per-click (CPC) or the cost-per-sale (CPS) payments. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of referral services on the optimal contract with CPC or CPS payments.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper studies a mechanism design problem for internet referral services. To maximize the expected utility of the brand retailer, an uncertain contract model is established in which the brand retailer's assessment of the infomediary's referral service capability is characterized as an uncertain variable. Then equivalent models under CPC and CPS payments are presented to obtain the optimal solutions.

Findings

The results demonstrate that under CPC payments, as the referral service capability increases, the optimal sales volume is increasing, and the optimal transfer payment first shows a declining and then a rising trend. The brand retailer is less likely to raise the optimal transfer payment for the infomediary given a higher CPC revenue-sharing fee percentage, which is counterintuitive. Under CPS payments, the optimal sales volume and transfer payment are also increasing in the referral service capability. In addition, an increase in the click-through rate leads to the infomediary's incremental marginal utility.

Originality/value

The value of this research is its application of incentive contracts to the internet referral services considering CPC or CPS payments. The results of this research can serve as a guide for retailers and infomediaries in their decision-making around online retailing.

Article
Publication date: 3 October 2023

Jayaprada Putrevu and Charilaos Mertzanis

This paper aims to present a comprehensive overview of the emergence and significance of digital payments, focusing on their impact on competitiveness and the need for policy…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a comprehensive overview of the emergence and significance of digital payments, focusing on their impact on competitiveness and the need for policy interventions. In addition, it explores the design of policies that promote the adoption of digital payments, highlighting the benefits they offer to providers and users.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the technological advances that have driven the growth of digital payment systems. It identifies key requirements for successful adoption and discusses the associated risks, along with potential strategies to mitigate these risks.

Findings

The findings emphasize the importance of responsible implementation and safeguarding the well-being of end users to fully realize the benefits of digital payment adoption. Understanding the inherent risks and establishing effective risk mitigation mechanisms are crucial. This necessitates the development of appropriate infrastructure to support the provision of digital payment services.

Research limitations/implications

More research is needed to gain deeper insights into how emerging global trends in financial technology should be analyzed and understood by policymakers, service providers and users.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can guide policymakers, private sector managers and consumers in comprehending the effects of emerging digitalization trends and determining their adoption responses accordingly.

Originality/value

This paper stands out as one of the few research contributions that provide comprehensive and actionable policy recommendations to facilitate a smooth transition to a digital payments ecosystem that benefits all stakeholders.

Details

Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-5038

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 July 2023

Bidyut Hazarika, Utkarsh Shrivastava, Vivek Kumar Singh and Alan Rea

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching effects on society and will continue to be a subject of study for researchers in the years to come. Businesses have implemented…

Abstract

Purpose

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching effects on society and will continue to be a subject of study for researchers in the years to come. Businesses have implemented technologies that reduce reliance on physical currencies, such as e-commerce sites and contactless payments. This study aims to examine the users’ attitudes and behaviors toward mobile payments. The focus is on identifying the most effective techniques and approaches that businesses can use to encourage user adoption of mobile payments.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses survey data from 396 active mobile payment users across the mid-west region of the USA to test the proposed hypothesis. The snowball sampling approach is used to sample the participants for the data collection. This study uses partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the ten hypotheses proposed in this study.

Findings

This study finds that organizational commitment and privacy customization can significantly overcome users’ protective attitudes toward mobile payments during the pandemic. In addition, providing users with privacy customization options can significantly encourage self-disclosure, which is crucial for transaction authentication and fraud detection.

Originality/value

Envisioned in the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, this is one of the earliest studies investigating the role of privacy customization, self-disclosure and organizational commitment on mobile payment adoption.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2019

Zhen Shao and Hao Yin

Drawing upon institution-based trust theory, the purpose of this paper is twofold: firstly, to examine the joint influences of legally binding and market-driven institutional…

1841

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing upon institution-based trust theory, the purpose of this paper is twofold: firstly, to examine the joint influences of legally binding and market-driven institutional mechanisms in promoting customers’ trust and continuance intention in the ridesharing platform; and secondly, to examine if there exists a trust transfer mechanism between institution-based trust and interpersonal trust.

Design/methodology/approach

An online survey was conducted in China and data were collected from 307 customers in DiDi, which is one of the largest ridesharing platforms in China. Structural equation modeling statistical method was used to test the theoretical model and research hypotheses.

Findings

The empirical results suggest that market-driven institutional mechanisms, regarding feedback and surge pricing, have strong influences on customers’ trust in the ridesharing platform. In addition, legally binding institutional mechanisms, regarding payment security and driver certification, are also beneficial to promote customers’ trust. Furthermore, there is a trust transfer between customers’ trust in the platform and trust in the driver.

Practical implications

This study provides guidelines to the administrators of the ridesharing platform to establish effective institutional mechanisms. In particular, the platform can appropriately adopt and implement the legally binding mechanisms combined with market-driven mechanisms on the platform, in order to enhance customers’ trust and promote their subsequent transaction behaviors.

Originality/value

This study enriches and extends the extant literature of institution-based trust from e-commerce to the sharing economy by identifying four significant institutional mechanisms. Furthermore, this study presents a new perspective of customer trust (one-to-many) in the context of ridesharing and uncovers the transfer mechanism between institution-based trust and interpersonal trust.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 29 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 May 2020

Jin Wu, Henry J. Liu, Michael C.P. Sing, Richard Humphrey and Jianfeng Zhao

This paper investigates the policy changes made towards infrastructure public–private partnerships (PPPs). The purpose of this study is to empirically identify the policy risks…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper investigates the policy changes made towards infrastructure public–private partnerships (PPPs). The purpose of this study is to empirically identify the policy risks associated with the development of PPPs and to assess their impacts on the projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study of the policy changes that have been implemented for PPPs in China over the past seven years has been undertaken and is presented in this study. The causal loop diagrams are applied to assess and illustrate the potential impacts of the risks as a result of such changes on PPPs.

Findings

A sequence of the policy risks, which relate to PPP risk allocation, contract management and implementation, payment and abatement mechanisms and financing, has been identified. It is also found that the identified risks will generate significant but negative impacts on PPPs, leading to an ineffective project delivery, low revenue, poor service quality and even contract breach.

Practical implications

This research provides the private-sector entities that will embark on PPPs with an insight into managing and controlling policy risks over the project's lifecycle.

Originality/value

PPPs have been critical for infrastructure development worldwide. Nevertheless, they have been a controversy, as many of them were subjected to poor outputs. Consequently, a variety of political mechanisms has been implemented to enhance the governance for PPPs. Policy can bring not only benefits but also risks and, however, policy risks of PPPs with a particular assessment for their potential impacts have received limited attention. Therefore, the study presented in this paper will contribute to the identification and assessment of policy risks within the context of PPPs.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 27 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

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