Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research

With the advent of the Internet and other digital technologies, contemporary businesses from all sectors are using social media for communication with consumers to engage them meaningfully with a brand. However, the use of social media for corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication is relatively new to the existing literature. Likewise, the impact of CSR communication through social media (CSR-S) on consumer emotions and behavior is, to date, underexplored. To address this, the present research aims to test the relationship of CSR-S on brand admiration and consumer purchase intention. The study proposes a direct relationship between CSR-S and purchase intention with a mediating effect of brand admiration. The data were collected from the banking consumers of Pakistan through a self-administered questionnaire. The authors distributed 800 questionnaires and received 463 questionnaires useful for data analysis, so the present research study response rate was around 59%. The data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique in AMOS. The results revealed that CSR-S is positively related to purchase intention (β = 0.233). The results further showed that brand admiration partially mediates this relationship (β = 0.079). The survey respondents confirmed that their bank’s CSR communication helps enhance their purchase likelihood and their feelings of admiration for their bank. These findings will help policymakers at banking institutions better understand the importance of CSR communication on different social media platforms to achieve consumer-related outcomes. Full article

An opportunity to resolve disputes as an out-of-court settlement through computer-mediated communication is usually easier, faster, and cheaper than filing an action in court. Artificial intelligence and law (AI & Law) research has gained importance in this area. The article presents a design of the E-NeGotiAtion method for assisted negotiation in business to business (B2B) relationships, which uses a genetic algorithm for selecting the most appropriate solution(s). The aim of the article is to present how the method is designed and contribute to knowledge on online dispute resolution (ODR) with a focus on B2B relationships. The evaluation of the method consisted of an embedded single-case study, where participants from two countries simulated the realities of negotiation between companies. For comparison, traditional negotiation via e-mail was also conducted. The evaluation confirms that the proposed E-NeGotiAtion method quickly achieves solution(s), approaching the optimal solution on which both sides can decide, and also very importantly, confirms that the method facilitates negotiation with the partner and creates a trusted result. The evaluation demonstrates that the proposed method is economically efficient for parties of the dispute compared to negotiation via e-mail. For a more complicated task with five or more products, the E-NeGotiAtion method is significantly more suitable than negotiation via e-mail for achieving a resolution that favors one side or the other as little as possible. In conclusion, it can be said that the proposed method fulfills the definition of the dual-task of ODR—it resolves disputes and builds confidence. Full article

Search engine marketing accounts for a high percentage of investment in platforms such as Google. Several studies have confirmed that users have a negative bias towards advertisements, so we apply social psychology theories via the elaboration probability model in this analysis. In this research, we modify the types of ads shown on Google’s results pages using the regulatory focus and fit and message framing theory to study attentional and behavioral responses with eye-tracking technology and cognitive responses from self-report measures. The results confirm a negative bias towards ads and a preference for organic results. Although promotion-framed ads seem to be more persuasive than neutral and prevention-framed ads, it was not possible to prove compliance with regulatory fit in this field through survey-based studies. Full article

Aim: This paper aims to analyze, prepare, and review the general guidelines and rules that govern the development of key factors influencing the enhancement of emotionally supportive networks and selection models using fuzzy logic theory. The researchers have identified eight important components of the information society (IS), representing the computerized economy’s growth to explain a realistic framework for medium-term gauges and proposals. Materials and methods: A discrete-nonstop opportunity paradigm portrays the creation of the general framework, in which the mutual effects of each of the components are spoken to models within the state-space. The software’s mechanical quality offers improvement displayed along these lines that may indicate future interest to programing suppliers. The researchers have given supposed to the developments and interests of information technology (IT) professionals in R&D to provide insightful foundations. For example, this study will demonstrate the development of emotionally supportive networks and recommendations of choices for 3D-web-based businesses and their impact on mechanical advancement, examples of use and social behavior. Results: During an IS/IT foreknowledge undertaking completed in Poland in 2019 and sponsored by the Education Research and Development Foundation ERDF, the results were obtained. Full article

The study seeks to answer the question of what strategic directions and opportunities we have for business in the midst of the info-communication changes of our time. In this research, we compare the results of non-representative primary research (cluster analysis and discriminant analysis) with the factors and latest methods of e-commerce or even mobile commerce and traditional commerce and their main differences. Based on the four clusters examined, we develop a new strategic model for practice with suggestions which can be used by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and which they can incorporate directly into their business models. Starting point of our hypothesis was that in order to develop an effective and delivered communication, a market needs to be targeted and at least four different clusters should be formulated. Full article

Peer-to-peer tourism is one of the great global trends that is transforming the tourism sector, introducing several changes in many aspects of tourism, such as the way of travelling, staying or living the experience in the destination. This research aims to determine the relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics of tourists interested in peer-to-peer accommodation and the importance they give to various motivational factors about this type of tourism in a “cultural-tourism” city. The methodology used in this research is an artificial neural network of the multilayer perceptron type to estimate a sociodemographic profile of the peer-to-peer accommodation tourist user based on predetermined input values consisting of the answers to the Likert-type questions previously carried out using a questionnaire. Thus, the model developed, through a customized set of answers to these questions, allows the presentation of a “composite picture” of a peer-to-peer tourist based on sociodemographic characteristics. This function is especially interesting for adapting the peer-to-peer hosting offer according to the preferences of potential users. Full article

Networking hardware might be considered a relatively unexposed enabler of the enormous success of the modern digital economy, and information technology of a global reach. The COVID-19 traffic spike across e-commerce portals puts further pressure on computer network component vendors and raises the bar regarding both performance and reliability. Therefore, the authors undertake a challenge of identifying factors influencing the level of Cisco switches acceptance among network administrators in business environments. To achieve that, Structural Equation Modelling is introduced. The feedback gathered from 205 study contributors enabled the authors to evaluate the significance of two domain-specific factors—Technological Innovation (TI) and Availability of Professional Training (APT). The APT was confirmed to have a significant impact on networking hardware acceptance. The study contributes to extending the decision-making rationale regarding the procurement of networking switches and shows the added value of technology-oriented professional training for job satisfaction and working efficiency. Full article

The purpose of this study is to explore trust repair strategies and the outcomes in mobile (m-)commerce. Consumer trust in m-commerce is a calculus-based form of trust; service failures, “inaction” and “excessive actions” are the typical trust decline situations. Three strategies of the fulfillment of consumers’ psychological contract for compensation, arousal, and regulation are proposed as trust-repaired solutions regarding the abovementioned three situations. The experimental results demonstrate that trust cannot be repaired by a single relational psychological contract strategy and that it can be repaired by both a single transactional and interactive strategy; the interactive strategy is more effective in competence-based decline. Second, in integrity-based decline, both the single and interactive strategy negatively influence trust repair; the relational strategy has the strongest effect. The “boomerang effect” shows that the more m-vendors repair, the more the trust decreases. Third, trust can be repaired, respectively by arousal and regulation strategy regarding corresponding situations of inaction and excessive actions. Finally, the trust repair paradox (TRP) has not been verified in m-commerce. Full article

Hotel websites are vital information channels for potential customers. Hence, their readability and attractiveness play a key role in online marketing for hotels. This study attempts to investigate how hotels use language strategies to better market themselves online. This study first proposes an analytical framework on the basis of appraisal theory, which aims to reveal the hidden mechanism by hotels in building interpersonal relationships, and uses such a framework to explore online language strategies used by five-star hotels in China. The general language strategy and the corresponding preference in the use of such a strategy amongst hotels are identified. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are generated on the basis of the findings and analysis. It is among the early studies to modify appraisal theory to analyze tourism and hospitality text data and to adopt the corpus approach to explore the hidden mechanism of language use. Full article

The business intelligence (BI) market has grown at a tremendous rate in the past decade due to technological advancements, big data and the availability of open source content. Despite this growth, the use of open government data (OGD) as a source of information is very limited among the private sector due to a lack of knowledge as to its benefits. Scant evidence on the use of OGD by private organizations suggests that it can lead to the creation of innovative ideas as well as assist in making better informed decisions. Given the benefits but lack of use of OGD to generate business intelligence, we extend research in this area by exploring how OGD can be used to generate business intelligence for the identification of market opportunities and strategy formulation; an area of research that is still in its infancy. Using a two-industry case study approach (footwear and lumber), we use latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modeling to extract emerging topics in these two industries from OGD, and a data visualization tool (pyLDAVis) to visualize the topics in order to interpret and transform the data into business intelligence. Additionally, we perform an environmental scanning of the environment for the two industries to validate the usability of the information obtained. The results provide evidence that OGD can be a valuable source of information for generating business intelligence and demonstrate how topic modeling and visualization tools can assist organizations in extracting and analyzing information for the identification of market opportunities. Full article

Modern businesses in the present digital age are facing different challenges for survival and growth due to the stiff competitive environment that prevails almost in every sector. Technology, especially digital technology, has changed the way of doing business around the globe. Marketers need to develop new strategies by incorporating the element of digital technology to overrun their competitors, as conventional competitive strategies will not produce extraordinaryresults. The rise of social media, in this regard, is a game-changer in the context of marketing as it provides a strategic touchpoint to the marketers to involve the customers with a brand. Prior research has largely ignored the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of a brand and positive customer experiences. Hence the present study aims to test the relationship of customer-related CSR activities on social media on behavioral consequences of customers, such as their purchase likelihood and electronic word of mouth (E-WOM). The data were collected from the banking customers of a developing economy and were analyzed through structural equation modeling in AMOS software. The results revealed that customer-related CSR activitieson social mediainfluence customer behavioral outcomes like E-WOM and purchase intentions. The result also revealed that brand attitude mediates the relationship between customer-related CSR, E-WOM, and purchase intentions. The findings of the present study can help policymakers to understand the importance of CSRpractices from the perspective of marketing, which is largely ignored by contemporary CSR researchers. Full article

The aim of this study is to identify the factors affecting the credibility of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) stimulation through Social Networking Sites (SNSs) through an empirical model providing both theoretical understandings and practical implications. The proposed framework explicates the consumer’s use of SNSs as a tool for information sharing and its effect on brand image and online purchase intentions. The consumer survey was done through a structured questionnaire developed in accordance with the literature. Data was collected from 256 respondents, using both offline and online modes from 4 different cities of India. Structural Equation Modeling was employed to estimate the proposed model and determine the antecedents of consumer eWOM credibility and in turn its effect on brand image leading to consumer purchase intentions. The results show SNS activities play a significant role in creating eWOM credibility, which leads to shaping the brand image and purchase intentions. The findings would help companies to create a positive brand image to enhance their purchase intentions through eWOM aroused via SNSs. Full article

Nowadays, word-of-mouth is a very important component of e-commerce activity because consumers are very sensitive to other people’s opinions. Depending on the companies’ politics, these opinions can be incentivized or non-incentivized. One of the major dilemmas consists in establishing which kind of word-of-mouth has more influence on customers’ perceptions. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationships between perceived argument quality (PAQ) and perceived source expertise (PSE), on the one hand, and electronic word-of-mouth adoption intention on the other hand, for an incentivized message compared to a non-incentivized message. We processed answers from two different random groups by using adapted PAQ and PSE inventories of questions. The constructs, latent variables and items were analyzed in IBM Amos software, and our findings confirm the hypotheses regarding the relationship between the attributes of the message (argument quality and source expertise) and message credibility. Additionally, we found a significant positive relationship between message credibility and electronic word-of-mouth adoption intention. Our research also explores the moderating role of the message type (incentivized vs. non-incentivized) in the relationships above, and we discovered that the message type significantly moderates the relationship between perceived argument quality and credibility, but the type of message does not moderate the relationship between message credibility and eWOM adoption intention. Full article

With the advanced development of IT, people are spending an increasing amount of time in the cyberspace and perceive psychological ownership of intangible objects (e.g., e-books, avatars, online movie streaming services), which they come to regard as “theirs”. This study focuses on users’ psychological ownership of OTT (over the top) services, which have recently received much attention, and investigates how service providers can present recommendation information more effectively when recommending content to users. This study, based on psychological ownership theory, specifically attempts to verify which method of recommending information is effective in correlation to the level of psychological ownership that a user feels about an online service. Additionally, this study presents this effect in terms of psychological distance, which we argue is the underlying mechanism of psychological ownership. Watcha, one of South Korea’s OTT services, was employed as the experimental subject in this study, and a scenario-based test was conducted. In conclusion, this study found that for users with high psychological ownership of online services, a recommendation information message based on objective and concrete information about a movie was more effective, whereas for users with low psychological ownership, abstractly expressed messages were more effective. Furthermore, by applying a moderated mediation model, this study confirmed that psychological distance mediated the results stated above. Full article

Circular Supply Chain Management (CSCM) incorporates the economy concept into supply chain concepts, which gives the supply chain sustainability domain an innovative and convincing viewpoint. The challenging factors in the circular economy are cooperation, trust, and transparency. Therefore, to achieve sustainable results, collaboration, and openness between organizations within networks and value chains are required. This paper explores the sustainability success using the Sustainable Circular Business Model (SCBM) to incorporate the principle at an operational level and suggest a structure for combining Circular Business Model (CBM) and CSCM for sustainable growth. The proposed structure shows how various circular business structures power the global supply chain in multiple loops. The circular business models differ according to the difficulty of the Circular Supply Chain (CSC) and the value proposition. Proposed SCBM shows that circular market and supply chain aid in reaching goals for sustainability has been discussed in this research. Full article

Companies increasingly tender knowledge-intensive tasks using crowdsourcing platforms to gain access to scarce knowledge and skills otherwise out of reach, and in this way, gaining competitive advantage. Despite its potential, existing crowdsourcing platforms encounter several challenges, including (1) fragmentation of expertise, as there are many platforms, (2) distrust between task providers and crowdsourcing participants, as identity and past performance are often not known, and (3) inability to learn from experience due to a lack of openness. A reference architecture for blockchain-based knowledge-intensive crowdsourcing platforms to mediate transactions between demand and supply of knowledge is designed in this paper to overcome these challenges. A design science research method is followed to develop the architecture. The reference architecture shows how blockchain and smart contract components can be integrated to support and coordinate knowledge-intensive crowdsourcing activities. By removing traditional e-commerce intermediaries, blockchain reduces search friction, knowledge transfer costs, and cheating by task providers or crowdsourcing participants. Full article

Although online communities with a supportive climate encourage members to participate and exchange their information openly and freely, participants may perceive the community to be unsafe without proper control. Do controlling climates also contribute to the accumulation of social capital in online brand communities (OBCs)? The purpose of our study was to investigate how controlling and supportive climates jointly influence community identification, and to examine the mediating effects of social capital and the moderating effects of community age. A conceptual framework was proposed and tested with data collected from an online survey of 481 online brand community members. We found that both controlling and supportive climates had positive effects on social capital (trust and norms of reciprocity), which exerted a partial mediation between community climate and community identification in the OBCs examined. Developing a community climate was particularly effective in generating trust in older communities. This research contributes to the community literature and has important implications for community climate management. We identified the boundary conditions of the community climate-trust association. Full article

E-commerce furnishes farmers in rural China with a novel solution accomplishing entrepreneurship transformation, but serious credit constraints still coexist with it at present, which may restrict the release of e-commerce’s potential. Therefore, this study investigates whether formal credit promotes entrepreneurial farmers’ e-commerce utilization and explores its influencing mechanism. Based on the survey data collected from 831 entrepreneurial farmers in Shaanxi province, Ningxia province and Shandong province in rural China, the propensity score matching (PSM) method was applied to measure the impact of formal credit on e-commerce utilization. The results show that formal credit contributes to a 18.41% increase of e-commerce utilization in general and increases entrepreneurial farmers’ online purchases and sales by 11.15% and 14.69%, respectively. Some groups perform significantly in the heterogeneity analysis, the most noteworthy of which are entrepreneurial farmers who are younger, belong to new type of agricultural business entities and use mobile payments. Their e-commerce utilization, including online purchases and sales, are impacted most by formal credit. Furthermore, when the bootstrap method was used to examine the mediating effect, we found that formal credit has a positive and significant effect on the utilization of e-commerce through four channels, which are internet learning, asset allocation, labor allocation and income growth. Hence, the findings suggest that the government should augment the amount of formal credit to optimize entrepreneurial farmers’ internet learning, asset allocation, labor employment and income growth, thereby promoting e-commerce to achieve entrepreneurial transformation and sustainable development in rural areas. Full article

“Tourism for all” is based on three main aspects: accessible tourism, sustainable tourism and social tourism. Accessibility is an essential part of responsible and sustainable tourism. A sizable segment of the population comprises people who have a type of disability or people who are older and, as a result of age, experience diminished physical and/or mental abilities. The aim of this study is to analyze whether the mobile applications and websites of Portuguese and Spanish Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) are accessible. For this purpose, accessible destinations listed by the Tur4all project were taken as a sample for a quantitative exploratory study. Several tools related to accessibility were used to determine their level of compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. The results reveal that the percentage of non-compliance with accessibility criteria is very high in DMOs in Portugal and especially in Spain. In conclusion, tourism for all is important, including its digital tools. The practical implications include guidance on accessibility for institutions and companies, as well as a need to raise awareness of its importance in the tourism sector. This is the only study that analyzes the accessibility of both apps and websites of the same institution according to the requirements in WCAG 2.1. Full article