scholarly journals E-Commerce And Showrooming: How Retail is Changing

Author(s):  
Giuseppe Granata ◽  
Giancarlo Scozzese

Distribution channels are undergoing a radical change. The success of the online channel and digitalization driven by a few leading companies in recent years has dramatically changed the way people live and change their purchasing patterns. New technologies have multiplied the points of contact; broadband connection has increased the number of always-on consumers and, at the same time, has developed online shopping (Pentina & Hasty, 2009). What are the implications of digital technological innovations? Will the physical store continue to play a key role? Will online shopping be able to offer an engaging and exciting consumer experience? For example, showrooming is becoming a common practice. It consists in obtaining all relevant information about a product at the point of sale and finally, buying it online. This practice is often used in order to save money since online prices are known to be lower than in retail shops. It is also driven by the customer's need to touch a product before buying it. More and more retailers are dealing with this phenomenon of being a storefront, providing information, letting people touch products and eventually making fewer sales.

Author(s):  
James Marlatt

ABSTRACT Many people may not be aware of the extent of Kurt Kyser's collaboration with mineral exploration companies through applied research and the development of innovative exploration technologies, starting at the University of Saskatchewan and continuing through the Queen's Facility for Isotope Research. Applied collaborative, geoscientific, industry-academia research and development programs can yield technological innovations that can improve the mineral exploration discovery rates of economic mineral deposits. Alliances between exploration geoscientists and geoscientific researchers can benefit both parties, contributing to the pure and applied geoscientific knowledge base and the development of innovations in mineral exploration technology. Through a collaboration that spanned over three decades, we gained insight into the potential for economic uranium deposits around the world in Canada, Australia, USA, Finland, Russia, Gabon, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, and Guyana. Kurt, his research team, postdoctoral fellows, and students developed technological innovations related to holistic basin analysis for economic mineral potential, isotopes in mineral exploration, and biogeochemical exploration, among others. In this paper, the business of mineral exploration is briefly described, and some examples of industry-academic collaboration innovations brought forward through Kurt's research are identified. Kurt was a masterful and capable knowledge broker, which is a key criterion for bringing new technologies to application—a grand, curious, credible, patient, and attentive communicator—whether talking about science, business, or life and with first ministers, senior technocrats, peers, board members, first nation peoples, exploration geologists, investors, students, citizens, or friends.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Barchielli ◽  
Cristina Marullo ◽  
Manila Bonciani ◽  
Milena Vainieri

Abstract Background Several technological innovations have been introduced in healthcare over the years, and their implementation proved crucial in addressing challenges of modern health. Healthcare workers have frequently been called upon to become familiar with technological innovations that pervade every aspect of their profession, changing their working schedule, habits, and daily actions. Purpose An in-depth analysis of the paths towards the acceptance and use of technology may facilitate the crafting and adoption of specific personnel policies taking into consideration definite levers, which appear to be different in relation to the age of nurses. Approach The strength of this study is the application of UTAUT model to analyse the acceptance of innovations by nurses in technology-intensive healthcare contexts. Multidimensional Item Response Theory is applied to identify the main dimensions characterizing the UTAUT model. Paths are tested through two stage regression models and validated using a SEM covariance analysis. Results The age is a moderator for the social influence: social influence, or peer opinion, matters more for young nurse. Conclusion The use of MIRT to identify the most important items for each construct of UTAUT model and an in-depth path analysis helps to identify which factors should be considered a leverage to foster nurses’ acceptance and intention to use new technologies (o technology-intensive devices). Practical implications Young nurses may benefit from the structuring of shifts with the most passionate colleagues (thus exploiting the social influence), the participation in ad hoc training courses (thus exploiting the facilitating conditions), while other nurses could benefit from policies that rely on the stressing of the perception of their expectations or the downsizing of their expectancy of the effort in using new technologies.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4705
Author(s):  
Ewa Kochańska ◽  
Rafał M. Łukasik ◽  
Maciej Dzikuć

The COVID-19 pandemic has set new challenges for the HoReCa industry. Lockdowns have coincided with and strongly impacted the industrial transformation processes that have been taking place for a decade. Among the most important HoReCa transition processes are those related to the rapid growth of the delivery-food market and ordering meals via internet platforms. The new delivery-food market requires not only the development of specific distribution channels, but also the introduction of appropriate, very specific food packaging. Food packaging and its functionality are defined by the administrative requirements and standards applicable to materials that have contact with food and principally through the prism of the ecological disaster caused by enormous amounts of plastic waste, mainly attributed to the food packaging. To meet environmental and administrative requirements, new technologies to produce food packaging materials are emerging, ensuring product functionality, low environmental impact, biodegradability, and potential for composting of the final product. However, predominantly, the obtained product should keep the nutritional value of food and protect it against changes in color or shape. Current social transformation has a significant impact on the food packaging sector, on one hand creating a new lifestyle for society all over the world, and on the other, a growing awareness of the negative impact of humans on the environment and increasing responsibility for the planet. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to develop a circular economy based on the paradigm of shortening distribution channels, using local raw materials, limiting the consumption of raw materials, energy, water, and above all, minimizing waste production throughout the life cycle of products, all of which are in line with the idea of low-carbon development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7211
Author(s):  
Juan Ramón López Soler ◽  
Panayotis Christidis ◽  
José Manuel Vassallo

Teleworking and online shopping became commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic and can be expected to maintain a strong presence in the foreseeable future. They can lead to significant changes in mobility patterns and transport demand. It is still unclear, however, how extensive their adoption can be, since each individual has different preferences or constraints. The overall impact on transport depends on which segments of the population will modify their behaviour and on what the substitutes to the current patterns will be. The purpose of this work is to identify the user profiles and spatial aspects that affect the adoption of teleworking and online shopping, and to explore the potential impact on transport demand. To that end, data from an EU-wide survey on mobility were analysed using a Machine Learning methodology. The results suggest that while the take up of the new work and consumption patterns is high on average, there are significant differences among countries and across different socio-economic profiles. Teleworking appears to have a high potential mainly in certain services sectors, affecting commuting patterns predominantly in large urban areas. Online shopping activity is more uniform across the population, although differences among countries and age groups may still be relevant. The findings of this work can be useful for the analysis of policies to encourage the uptake of new technologies in transport and mobility. They can be also a good reference point for future studies on the ex-post analysis of the impacts of the pandemic on mobility.


2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumiko Hayashi ◽  
Elizabeth Klee

Consumers pay for hundreds of goods and services each year, but across households and across goods, consumers do not choose to pay the same way. This paper posits that payment choices depend in part on consumers' propensity to adopt new technologies and in part on the nature of the transaction. To test this hypothesis, this paper analyzes consumer's payment instrument use at the point of sale and for bill payment. The sample includes consumers surveyed in 2001, who are primarily users of the Internet. The results indicate that consumers who use new technology or computers are more likely to use electronic forms of payment, such as debit cards and electronic bill payments. Particularly, the use of direct deposit is a significant predictor of electronic payment use. Furthermore, the results indicate that payment choice depends on the characteristics of the transaction, such as the transaction value, the physical characteristics of the point of sale, and a bill's frequency and value variability.


2012 ◽  
Vol 03 (02) ◽  
pp. 1250007 ◽  
Author(s):  
JÜRGEN EICHBERGER ◽  
ANI GUERDJIKOVA

We present a model of technological adaptation in response to a change in climate conditions. The main feature of the model is that new technologies are not just risky, but also ambiguous. Pessimistic agents are thus averse to adopting a new technology. Learning is induced by optimists, who are willing to try out technologies about which there is little evidence available. We show that both optimists and pessimists are crucial for a successful adaptation. While optimists provide the public good of information which gives pessimists an incentive to innovate, pessimists choose the new technology persistently in the long-run which increases the average returns for the society. Hence, the optimal share of optimists in the society is strictly positive. When the share of optimists in the society is too low, innovation is slow and the obtained steady-state is inefficient. We discuss two policies which can potentially alleviate this inefficiency: Subsidies and provision of additional information. We show that if precise and relevant information is available, pessimists would be willing to pay for it and consequently adopt the new technology. Hence, providing information might be a more efficient policy, which is both self-financing and results in better social outcomes.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 347-365 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Brochado ◽  
Paulo Rita ◽  
Ana Margarido

Purpose This paper presents an analysis of the impact of current technologies on customer experiences in upscale hotels and assesses the potential of the latest technologies for enhancing customers’ stay. Design/methodology/approach A two-step approach was applied in this study. The qualitative phase included an examination of upscale hotel websites, interviews with hotel managers and an internet search regarding the latest technological innovations in hotels. In the quantitative stage, a questionnaire was developed for hotel guests, generating a sample of 310 valid completed questionnaires. Findings The results reveal that hotel guests value digital involvement in their hotel experience. Moreover, business travellers and younger generations give greater importance to latest technologies. Originality/value This study analyses the most innovative technologies, providing guidance for hoteliers wishing to upgrade or implement new technologies. Based on the findings, hoteliers can achieve greater differentiation by offering the most important and latest technology to guests, enhancing their experience and attracting new customers, which can potentially lead to increased revenues. The study’s results are also important because they include the perceptions of both managers and customers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (273) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Antônio Moser

Vivemos hoje numa aceleração histórica sem precedentes. Não ape­nas as ações das bolsas de valores se mostram totalmente fluidas. Os avan­ços nos campos da genética e das biotecnologias concedem aos seres huma­nos o poder de remodelar o que existe e criar o que nunca existiu nem pode­ria ter existido antes. Tudo isto acarreta desafios ecológicos inusitados, pois aos “gritos da terra” e aos “gritos do cosmos ” somam-se os “gritos da iden­tidade profunda dos seres Só uma mudança radical de atitudes que conju­gue novas tecnologias com o cuidado carinhoso poderá salvar a incrível multiplicidade de seres que manifestam a riqueza da obra criadora de Deus.Abstract: We are now experiencing an unprecedented histórica! accelerati- on. Not only have the shares in the StockExchange become totally fluid, but the advancements in genetics and biotechnology provide human beings with the power to reshape what already exists and to create what has never existed— and could not have existed— before. All this leads to unusual eco- logical challenges, for to the “cries of the earth ” and to the “cries of the cosmos ” are added the “cries of the beings 'inner identity ”. Only a radical change of altitudes, able to couple the new technologies with tender care can save the amazing multiplicity of beings that manifest the richness of God s Creative work.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nahia Idoiaga Mondragon ◽  
Inge Axpe Saez ◽  
Ainhoa Berciano

Purpose The undergraduate dissertation (UD) can be considered to be a reflection of the influence of the sustainable developmental goals (SDG) and the professional identity of the students. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the extent to which the topics of the UD reflect the SDG, considering, moreover, that they may be related to the professional identity developed by the students throughout the degree. Design/methodology/approach This work researches the topic of 308 UDs graded as “Excellent” in the Faculty of Education of Bilbao (FEB), using a lexical analysis method. Findings The results show two main branches: one associated with Childhood and Social Education Degrees (related to gender equality and socio-educational transformation); and another linked to the Primary Education Degree (language learning, innovation and new technologies). These analyses show the influence of the 5th (40.8%) and 4th (38.4%) SDGs in the topics chosen for the UDs. Research limitations/implications The findings provide valuable insights into the current state of Education for Sustainable Development in the Faculty, but should be complemented with an analysis of the topics of all the UDs, to have a more real vision of the situation. Originality/value This study analyses, for the first time, the topics of the UDs from the perspective of sustainability, taking into account the dissertations that reach a standard of excellence in the FEB. These results provide relevant information that can be very helpful to detect the specific needs for the design and implementation of an awareness-raising action that will lead to working on sustainability in a transversal way in the education degrees of the FEB.


Author(s):  
Nilmini Wickramasinghe

The information age has made information communication technology (ICT) a necessity for conducting business. This in turn has led to the exponential increase in the electronic capture of data and its storage in vast data warehouses. In order to respond quickly to fast changing markets, organizations must maximize these raw data and information resources. Specifically, they need to transform them into germane knowledge to aid superior decision-making (Wickramasinghe & von Lubitz, 2006). To do this effectively not only involves the analysis of the data and information but also requires the use of sophisticated tools to enable such analyses to occur. Knowledge discovery technologies represent a spectrum of new technologies that facilitate the analysis of data to find relationships from the data to finding reasons behind observable patterns (i.e., transform the data into relevant information and germane knowledge). Such new discoveries can have a profound impact on decision making in general and the designing of business strategies. With the massive increase in data being collected and the demands of a new breed of intelligent applications like customer relationship management, demand planning, and predictive forecasting, these knowledge discovery technologies are becoming competitive necessities for providing a high performance and feature rich intelligent application servers for intelligent enterprises. Knowledge management (KM) tools and technologies are the systems that integrate various legacy systems, databases, ERP systems, and data warehouse to help facilitate an organization’s knowledge discovery process. Integrating all of these with advanced decision support and online real time events enables an organization to understand customers better and devise business strategies accordingly. Creating a competitive edge is the goal of all organizations employing knowledge discovery for decision support (Thorne & Smith, 2000). The following provides a synopsis of the major tools and critical considerations required to enable an organization to successfully effect appropriate knowledge sharing, knowledge distribution, knowledge creation, as well as knowledge capture and codification processes and hence embrace effective knowledge management (KM) techniques and advanced knowledge discovery.


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