Customers’ Perceptions as an Antecedent of Satisfaction with Online Retailing Services

Peter Misiani Mwencha, Stephen Makau Muathe

Abstract

The assessment of antecedents of customer satisfaction has become very important for the success of online retailing services. This paper reports the results of a study that investigated the antecedent role of customers’ perceptions vis-a-vis satisfaction with online retailing services. While the study model conceptualizes customers’ perceptions as a composite variable made up of three dimensions (perceived attributes, perceived risk and perceived value) prescribed by three established information systems (IS) and consumer behaviour frameworks, namely the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Perceived Risk Theory (PRT), and Theory of Consumption Value Service (TCV), it does not specify how the different perceptual factors influence online satisfaction; instead it aggregates all three dimensions into a higher-order construct called “customers’ perceptions” and tries to understand the nature of relationship between the composite independent variable and the dependent variable. It employed a descriptive, correlational, survey design whereby the response data collected from 240 registered users of 6 online retailers was analyzed using both descriptive as well as inferential statistics. The linear regression analyses indicate that the model provides a statistically significant explanation of the variation in the online retailing consumers' satisfaction. The study also found empirical support for customers’ perceptions as an antecedent of satisfaction with online retailing services.

Nostalgia and Culture: The Relationship Between Indicators of Acculturation and Nostalgia

Borsali Awicha Amina, Benhabib Abderrezak

Abstract:

In this article we test the relationship between indicators of acculturation (language, media, selfidentifi cation, religion, food and clothing) and nostalgia. It checks empirically, on a sample of 201, the existence of a signifi cant effect between our independent variables and our dependent variable. The results of analysis of variance, One-Way Anova, reveal that the home language, the food of home country, the media, self-identifi cation with the origin country and the religion of the origin country have a signifi cant impact on nostalgia. This article contributes to new theoretical elements in the fi eld of nostalgia and culture as a complement of several previous studies. The managerial contributions of this study focus on positioning of nostalgic brands and developing marketing strategies for this kind of products.

The Impact of Social Media Usage on Employee and Organization Performance: A Study on Social Media Tools Used by an IT Multinational in Malaysia

Grace Shalini A/P Radhakrishnan, Abdul Basit, Zubair Hassan

Abstract:

The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of social media usage on employee and organization performance. The research was done on one multinational IT Company. Social media usage was measured using knowledge sharing, decision making and communication. Organizational performance was measured using employee and organization performance. Questionnaires were developed and the items were measured using a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. This research takes on an explanatory approach and the sample consisting of 206 employees working in call center departments was recruited. The data was analyzed using SPSS 21 and AMOS 22 software. The results showed that only decision making has a positive and signifi cant impact on employee high performance and organizational performance. We found no signifi cant impact of the other two dimensions of social media usage (knowledge sharing and communication) on employee high performance and organizational performance. Therefore, this study suggests that top management in MNC companies as well as employees should consider social media usage for effective decision making to increase employee performance and organizational performance. This research contributes to existing studies on this topic, and future research could put emphasis on extending this research to another country or industry.

An Empirical Investigation of Adopters’ Perceptions Toward M-Commerce: The Case of Bulgarian University Students

Nora Milanova, Vaggelis Saprikis

Abstract:
Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is a fact. Nowadays, numerous transactions take place via mobile devices. At the same time, m-commerce is considered as one of the fastest growing subgroups of e-commerce. Characteristically, it is estimated that about 45% of mobile users have made at least one purchase via a wireless hand-held device. Therefore, it plays and will continue to play a vital role in the global economy. The aim of this research paper is to investigate the perceptions of mobile commerce users focusing on Bulgarian University students. Specifi cally, it intends to reveal the perceived advantages and disadvantages of m-commerce, the factors that motivate students to make online transactions via a hand-held device, as well as the issues that hinder them from doing so more often. The paper is expected to provide tangible results to both academia and the industry about a developing economy.