Investigation of psychological dimensions of trust on e-loyalty

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Afshan Azam
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Consumer Trust ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Standpoint ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
Answer Choice ◽  
Psychological Dimensions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to integrate extant literature on psychological dimensions and trust to develop a model of consumer e-loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops four important psychological-based factors impacting consumer trust and e-loyalty: perception-based, experience-based, knowledge-based and attitude. Findings – The results of this paper propose that perception-based and experience-based factors are the main determinants of consumer trust and e-loyalty in e-retailing. Consumers do consider information practices. Research limitations/implications – This paper has attempted to shed some light on the psychological antecedents of consumer trust in e-retailing but still missed some important antecedents for example personality. An option for “not applicable” as an answer choice was not provided in the survey instrument. It is hard for a participant to provide accurate information about his/her past experience that happened three months ago in a self-reported method. Practical implications – From a theoretical perspective, the psychological-based consumer trust decision-making model provides a holistic view of an online consumer’s purchase decision-making process and e-loyalty. From a practical standpoint, the paper identified a number of potentially important psychology determinants of consumers’ trust in a website and empirical evidence concerning the relative impact of each of these determinants on consumers’ trust and e-loyalty. Originality/value – To date, this is the first research that has been conducted to analyse psychological dimensions of trust in e-retailers and its influence on e-loyalty by using partial least squares in Saudi Arabia e-commerce research.

Decision-making approach for complex problems management in a scarce human resources environment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcilio Andrade ◽  
Dermeval Carinhana Jr
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Theory Of Constraints ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physical Constraints ◽  
Complex Problems ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This purpose of this study is to structure complex problems to be solved with greater efficiency, optimising the relationship between root causes (RC) relevance of the problem and utilisation of human resources to treat them, minimising the use of manpower in problem-solving activity and thus contributing to greater productivity within organisations. Design/methodology/approach The authors built an approach under the concepts of theory of constraints and multiattribute and multiobjective decision-making methods that were applied in a real complex problem of the low development of Brazilian space industry, by theoretical perspective. Also, the authors submitted it in a simulation environment to assess in which situations it is successful considering number of problem’s RC, system complexity and number of people in the system. Findings The approach was successful on the real case, finding the optimal relationship between the RC relevance and the number of people involved to treat them. For certain complex problem inputs configurations, simulation results reveal that the approach is reliable obtaining more than 95% chance of success in finding the optimal relationship, when comparing with traditional prioritising methods. Originality/value This approach introduces an unprecedented way to locate and evaluate non-physical constraints within a system, which is used to determine RC relevance, as well as an unprecedented way of defining a single optimal solution for structuring a problem, considering the relevance of RC and the use of human resources. The approach is useful for organisations in general which often need managing complex problems with few resources.

Decision-making in a dynamic task: effects of goal orientation on stocks and flows performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 695-713
Author(s):  
Feifei Yang ◽  
Jiaqi Huang ◽  
Xiao Feng ◽  
Miles M. Yang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Dynamic Decision Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Task ◽  
Learning Goal ◽  
Stocks And Flows ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effects of goal orientation on understanding the dynamics of stocks and flows (SF). Design/methodology/approach The authors use the well-established department store task as the experimental task to evaluate people’s understanding of SF and implement a survey to assess different goal orientation levels. Ordinary least square is used to test the effects of goal orientations on the SF performance. Findings The findings suggest that learning goal orientation is positively associated with SF performance. However, prove and avoid performance goal orientation are unrelated to SF performance. Originality/value The study has important theoretical and practical contributions. From a theoretical perspective, the authors examine the impact of goal orientation in dynamic decision-making to advance the knowledge on the role of goal orientation. Practically, the research demonstrates that learning-goal-oriented people perform better in stock and flow tasks, suggesting that goal orientation is an important trait for recruiting organizational members whose work involves SF decision-making tasks.

A comprehensive framework for Internet of Things development

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-50
Author(s):  
Kimia Ghaffari ◽  
Mohammad Lagzian ◽  
Mostafa Kazemi ◽  
Gholamreza Malekzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Development Effort ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technological Readiness ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Infrastructure

Purpose Despite the availability of prior studies on the Internet of Things (IoT) development, they have largely focused on challenges associated with evolving IoT. Hence, identifying requirements for IoT development, as a multifaceted phenomenon, whereby the challenges would be tackled remains a less-explored valuable line of inquiry. The purpose of this paper is to present a holistic view of crucial building blocks of IoT development, in order to fill this gap. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducts empirical research using a grounded theory (GT), centering on semi-structured interviews with 25 experts involved in the Iranian IoT development effort. Data were analyzed by using MAXQDA software. Findings This study presents a conceptual framework of requirements for IoT development, consisting of 14 concepts and 5 categories. The findings reveal that strategic, interactive, institutional, market-oriented and information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure requirements play a salient role in facilitating IoT development. Practical implications The findings of this study shed some light on the momentous aspects of IoT development. Practitioners including governmental policymakers, industry and private sectors could benefit from the policy recommendations offered in this study in terms of strategic viewpoint, legal issues, business perspective and technological readiness. Originality/value From the methodological aspect, the present research is among the first studies on utilizing GT for exploration of requirements for IoT development. From the theoretical perspective, a remarkable achievement of this study is to profoundly discover some less-explored concepts of IoT development such as commercialization, feasibility study, futurology and institutional aspects. Furthermore, findings of this study highlight the contribution of innovation systems theory for the IoT development area in terms of alignment of the emerged requirements for IoT development with the functions of this theory.

Leaving academia: why do doctoral graduates take up non-academic jobs and to what extent are they prepared?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhua Chen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Career Decision ◽  
Career Decision Making ◽  
Doctoral Graduates ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Employment ◽  
Academic Positions

Purpose An increasing number of doctoral graduates are seeking non-academic employment. While statistics have revealed multiple aspects regarding the non-academic employment they hold, there is insufficient documentation of what has led them to leave academia and to what extent they are prepared for non-academic positions. This paper aims to address this gap and reports on five Chinese doctoral graduates’ reflections on their change in career choices. Design/methodology/approach This study is exploratory and follows the approach of qualitative multi-case studies. The data includes in-depth interviews with five Chinese doctoral graduates and their responses to a survey. The paper applies a theoretical perspective drawing from protean career and boundaryless career theories, focusing on the participants’ agency in managing career choices and their meaning making of career decision-making. Findings The study has found that, besides the factors mentioned in the literature, such as lack of academic positions, pressure related to academic work and lack of career planning, some participants were directed by their intrinsic values, and agency plays an important role in their career preparation. Practical implications The study makes recommendations on university career guidance for doctoral students. Originality/value This paper documents why and how doctoral students change their career choices, which have not been sufficiently documented in the literature. As well, the theoretical perspective used provides an innovative way to interpret doctoral students' career decision-making.

Knowledge visualisation for construction procurement decision-making: a process innovation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Zhao ◽  
Fei J. Ying ◽  
John Tookey
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Process Innovation ◽  
Cognitive Computing ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Decision Supporting ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Decision Alternatives

PurposeIn the construction sector, the knowledge-based process outgrows its emphasis on technological aspects. Yet, there is a lack of applied studies showing how a procurement system (PS) could be selected in the digital age. In particular, there is a radical need to establish an innovative process to visualise novel PS decision. Therefore, this paper aims to present a knowledge visualised framework for aiding construction PS decision-making.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes the construction of process innovation. The framework (process) is supported by four influential decision supporting methods (mean utility values, analytic hierarchy process, fuzzy set theory and Delphi method) and computer programming (Matlab).FindingsThere are four stages of this framework: (1) uniform rating for decision alternatives; (2) group decision for determining the decision attribute; (3) determining the final choice; (4) reporting the cognitive computing process. Supported by individual and groups decision dynamics, this framework emphasises how the dashboard aided innovative approach enables the induction of understanding, cognitive computing for decision-making and how the information would precisely be represented, which are vital requirements of modern construction.Originality/valueThe contribution of this paper presents two leverage points that support the modern PS decision. Firstly, this paper provides a holistic view of the decision supporting methods on the basis of how a suitable PS would be systematically sought. Based on the existing studies, this paper upgrades into a visualised knowledge decision supporting process. It helps the participants understand and improve their cognitive learning. Secondly, this framework allows the participants to have a view of the individual and group decisions. It sheds light on the development of the collaborative decision-making process.

scholarly journals Volunteer choice of nonprofit organisation: an integrated framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah-Louise Mitchell ◽  
Moira Clark
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nonprofit Organisation ◽  
Medical Volunteer ◽  
Personal Needs ◽  
Research Stream ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to explore how volunteers choose one nonprofit organisation (NPO) rather than another. It identifies the drivers of choice, and the relationship between them, to enable NPOs to strengthen their volunteer recruitment. Design/methodology/approach A total of 51 service-delivery volunteers were interviewed, drawn from 5 leading NPOs. A laddering technique was used to understand the context in which the choice of organisation was made and the underlying personal needs and goals. The data was analysed using means-end chain (MEC) methodology to uncover the relationships between, and hierarchy of, the decision drivers. Findings Brand, cause, and role were found to be important in meeting personal needs and goals through volunteering. The paper makes three contributions. Firstly, it presents a clearer understanding of NPO choice through adopting an integrated theoretical perspective. Secondly, it identifies the decision-making process and key relationships between the attributes of the NPO, the consequences for the volunteer, and the connection to their personal needs. Finally, the study makes an important contribution to literature through presenting a new conceptual framework of volunteer decision-making in the nonprofit context to act as a catalyst for future research. Research limitations/implications This research is both impactful through, and limited by, its context selection: regular service-delivery volunteers from five NPOs within two causes. The paper presents a rich research stream to extend this understanding to other nonprofit stakeholders, other causes including medical volunteer, and smaller NPOs. Practical implications In an increasingly competitive nonprofit environment with a growing need to support the vulnerable in society, NPO sustainability is dependent on their ability to recruit new volunteers. NPOs compete not only with other organisations with similar causes but also those offering similar volunteering roles, and other uses of time to meet personal needs such as sport, career, or community. Understanding how volunteers make their choice of NPO rather than other uses of their time is of vital importance to make the most effective use of scarce marketing resources. This paper contributes to that practitioner understanding. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to extend the understanding of generic motivations of volunteers to consider specific choice of NPO. Unlike previous literature, the authors bring together theory on brand, cause, and role with personal needs. The authors are also the first to apply MEC methodology to the nonprofit context to uncover the personal underlying, less salient reasons behind NPO choice and the relationship between them.

Fast or slow? Decision-making styles in small family and nonfamily firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duarte Pimentel ◽  
Marc Scholten ◽  
Joao Pedro Couto
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Family Participation ◽  
Rational Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Small Family ◽  
Rational Decision Making ◽  
Decision Making Styles

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore differences in the decision-making styles between family and nonfamily firms, while assessing how family participation relates to the use of decision-making styles within family firms. Design/methodology/approach The empirical evidence is provided by a sample of 155 firms, located in the Azores, Portugal, 82 family controlled and 73 nonfamily controlled firms. All firms included in the sample are small-sized privately owned enterprises. Business owners and managers responded to a decision-making styles questionnaire, followed, in the case of family firms, by the report of the number of family members actively involved in the business. Findings Results show that there are no differences in the use of rational decision making between family and nonfamily firms. However, nonfamily firms show higher levels of experiential decision making than family firms. Results also show that family participation plays a key role in guiding the decisional process, by promoting the use experiential decisions and inhibiting the adoption of a rational decision-making styles in family firms. Research limitations/implications From a theoretical perspective, this study opens the door to new research on an under investigated topic in the family business literature. It contributes with initial notions that may help profile the decisional style within small family firms, while revealing how family participation affects it. Thus, creating a fertile ground of discussion that can be an impulse for more research in this area. Practical implications From an applied perspective, assessing the influence of family participation in the adoption of a decisional style is potentially valuable for practitioners as well as for owners and managers. Providing them with clues that may help them better understand the basis of their decisions which can benefit their relations with other family members, as with customers, partners and suppliers that play a key role in the firm’s growth, profitability and adaptability. Social implications From a social point of view, showing that family firms tend to be rational in their decisions may help create a more reputable and credible image surrounding these firms that are sometimes perceived as less professional than nonfamily firms. Thus, a more solid reputability can help improve their relationship with important partner institutions (e.g. financial, governmental), becoming more attractive to private and public investment, which can translate into win-win situations. Originality/value This study responds to a gap in the literature, by exploring the use of experiential vs rational decision-making styles in small family and nonfamily firms. This study also contributes to the understanding of the decision making within family firms, by assessing the role of family participation in the adoption of a decisional style.

scholarly journals The role of social media in communication about food risks

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 453-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Henderson ◽  
Annabelle M. Wilson ◽  
Trevor Webb ◽  
Dean McCullum ◽  
Samantha B. Meyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
Consumer Trust ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Social Media Presence ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the views of journalists, food regulators and the food industry representatives on the impact of social media on communication about food risk. The authors identify how journalists/media actors use social media in identifying and creating news stories arguing that food regulators need to maintain a social media presence to ensure that accurate information about food safety is disseminated via social media. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through 105 semi-structured interviews. Findings While food regulators and representatives of the food industry identify advantages of social media including two-way communication and speed of transmission of information, they maintain concerns about information provided via social media fearing the potential for loss of control of the information and sensationalism. There is evidence, however, that media actors use social media to identify food stories, to find sources, gauge public opinion and to provide a human interest angle. Practical implications While there are commonalities between the three groups, concerns with social media reflect professional roles. Food regulators need to be aware of how media actors use social media and maintain a social media presence. Further, they need to monitor other sources to maintain consumer trust. Originality/value This paper adds to public debate through comparing the perspectives of the three groups of respondents each that have their own agendas which impact how they interact with and use social media.

A niche of their own: variations of information practices in biodiversity citizen science

2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 248-265
Author(s):  
Björn Ekström
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Field Guides ◽  
Information Practices ◽  
Knowledge Growth ◽  
Science Information

PurposeInformation practices become highly complex in biodiversity citizen science projects due to the projects’ large scale, distributed setting and vast inclusion of participants. This study aims to contribute to knowledge concerning what variations of information practices can be found in biodiversity citizen science and what these practices may mean for the overall collaborative biodiversity data production in such projects.Design/methodology/approachFifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with participants engaged with the Swedish biodiversity citizen science information system Artportalen. The empirical data were analysed through a practice-theoretical lens investigating information practices in general and variations of practices in particular.FindingsThe analysis shows that the nexus of biodiversity citizen science information practices consists of observing, identifying, reporting, collecting, curating and validating species as well as decision-making. Information practices vary depending on participants’ technical know-how; knowledge production and learning; and preservation motivations. The study also found that reporting tools and field guides are significant for the formation of information practices. Competition was found to provide data quantity and knowledge growth but may inflict data bias. Finally, a discrepancy between practices of validating and decision-making have been noted, which could be mitigated by involving intermediary participants for mutual understandings of data.Originality/valueThe study places an empirically grounded information practice-theoretical perspective on citizen science participation, extending previous research seeking to model participant activities. Furthermore, the study nuances previous practice-oriented perspectives on citizen science by emphasising variations of practices.

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