Chia-Lin Hsu, Yu-Hsiang Lin, Mu-Chen Chen, Kuo-Chien Chang and Ai-Yun Hsieh
The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors that affect users’ adoption of e-books using an extension of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors that affect users’ adoption of e-books using an extension of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) that includes the following factors: environmental concerns, perceived benefits, and benevolence trust.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyzed survey responses from 343 participants using structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized relationships in this research model.
Findings
The results show that users’ adoption of e-books is determined by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, environmental concern, perceived benefit, and benevolence trust.
Research limitations/implications
The authors restricted this study to consumers’ adoption of e-books. Further studies could examine consumer’s adoption of other mediums, such as cutting-edge information technologies.
Practical implications
The results suggest that marketers should consider altering their methods of promoting e-books to attract consumers and further affect their usage intention.
Originality/value
This study proposes and tests an extended UTAUT model that includes the additional factors of environmental concern, perceived benefit, and benevolence trust in order to examine the influence of these factors on e-book adoption. The findings are particularly useful for assisting managers to increase e-book adoption.
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The purpose of this paper is to extend a traditional communication theory, spiral of silence, to explore the effects of user anonymity and member familiarity on opinion expression…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to extend a traditional communication theory, spiral of silence, to explore the effects of user anonymity and member familiarity on opinion expression behaviour in a virtual environment.
Design/methodology/approach
A laboratory experiment method was used to manipulate user anonymity, member familiarity, and opinion congruity to measure the willingness to express opinions concerning controversial topics.
Findings
A total of 147 participants were recruited in the experiment. The results revealed that anonymous users in virtual communities and users in groups comprising familiar members are more willing to express inconsistent opinions than non-anonymous users and users in groups containing unfamiliar members, respectively. In addition, anonymous and non-anonymous users as well as users in groups comprising familiar members and those in groups containing unfamiliar members are equally willing to express consistent opinions.
Originality/value
This is the first study to verify the effect of user anonymity and member familiarity on the willingness to express opinions in online social communities. The findings have crucial implications regarding how governments and businesses can stimulate creativity and feedback through virtual communities.
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Shao‐Kang Lo, Yu‐Ping Chiu and Ai‐Yun Hsieh
This paper concentrates on the visual information within a product description block in an online auction page, which is the only place a seller can manipulate to influence…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper concentrates on the visual information within a product description block in an online auction page, which is the only place a seller can manipulate to influence bidders. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of photograph use, model use, and the physical attractiveness of the model on bidding behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
A mock online auction website was built to manipulate picture use, model use, and the physical attractiveness of the model. The experiment recruited volunteers and randomly assigned each participant into one of four treatments. After experiencing the stimulus for two minutes, the researchers asked participants to evaluate their bidding intention and write down the highest price they would bid.
Findings
The results show that using a photograph to introduce the product acquires a higher bidding intention and bidding amount than not using a photograph. In addition, a web page using physically attractive models in photographs acquires a higher bidding intention and bidding price than a web page using physically unattractive models in photographs.
Originality/value
This study is unique in discussing the effect of the visual content of the product description block on online bidding behavior. The results of this study provide suggestions and a product information presentation strategy for online auction sellers.
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Jung-Kuei Hsieh, Werner H. Kunz and Ai-Yun Wu
This study aims to investigate the factors that affect an audience's purchase decisions on a new type of social media, namely live video streaming platforms.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the factors that affect an audience's purchase decisions on a new type of social media, namely live video streaming platforms.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on data from an online survey providing 488 valid responses. These responses are used to test the research model by employing partial least squares (PLS) modeling.
Findings
Three antecedents (consumer competitive arousal, gift design aesthetics and broadcaster's image) influence the audience's purchase decisions (impulse buying and continuous buying intention). Chinese impression management (mianzi) acts as a moderator. Self-mianzi, mutual mianzi and other mianzi (i.e. three subtypes of mianzi) moderate the effects of consumer competitive arousal, gift design aesthetics and broadcaster's image on impulse buying.
Practical implications
The findings encourage practitioners developing marketing strategies for live video streaming platforms in the Chinese cultural context to consider peer influence, gift appearance, broadcaster's image and mianzi.
Originality/value
Drawing on the community gift-giving model and face-negotiation theory, this study provides an integrated research model to investigate a new type of social media (live video streaming). It offers insight into virtual gifting behaviors by confirming the effects of three antecedents on the audience's purchase decisions, with mianzi acting as a moderator.