Information security value in e-entrepreneurship

This paper researches the information security value in e-entrepreneurship by revising the literature that establishes the entrepreneurial domain and by relating it with the development of technological resources that create value for the customer in an online business. It details multiple paradigms regarding consumer’s values of information security, while relating them with common practices and previous researches in technological entrepreneurship. This research presents and discusses the benefits of information security standards in e-entrepreneurship. It details and discusses the ISO 27001 and PCI-DSS information security standards that can be used to differentiate security initiatives to achieve competitive advantage, while preserving information leadership as a critical resource for online business success. Based on the literature review, a theoretical research model is presented and research hypotheses are discussed. This model believes that information security affects information leadership and that information leadership, as a unique resource in e-business, contributes to e-entrepreneurship success. The adoption of information security standards affects customer’s trust in e-business, which also benefits e-entrepreneurial strategy.

The decline of ameriquest : a case study

In the subprime lending market, Ameriquest Mortgage Company is one of the leading lenders. It is widely known for its advertising slogan of “proud sponsor of the American dream.” Yet in 2006, an investigation into unlawful mortgage lending practices and the subsequent $325 million multi-State settlement brought even more attention to this company. What caused this lawsuit which brought irreparable damage to its reputation and financial loss for Ameriquest? This study focuses on the Information System Security management of the company. The study first introduces Ameriquest, and then briefly describes the lawsuit and settlement, and then discusses the IS security control in Ameriquest. The discussion will cover the internal control, external control, and technical controls of the company.

Analysing intention and action in mobile banking services

Technological advances at the level of mobile devices are transforming the world. Banking users are able to conduct banking services at any place, and at any time, with m-banking. The purpose of this research is to analyse intention and action in m-banking services. A research model was developed and PLS was used to test the causalities in the proposed model. Our proposal extends the existing models with an assessment of the actual usage of m-banking and of how behavioural intention translates into action. This study found that the main determinants of behavioural intention for m-banking are social influence and relative advantage. Furthermore, perceived risk, lack of information and usage barriers have a negative effect on m- banking behavioural intention. Perceived risks, e-banking use, and behaviour intention are found to be significant antecedents of m-banking use. Gender has a positive and significant influence on m-banking usage, but not on the construction of behavioural intention.

Corporate governance : value creation and performance in credit unions

In this study, we examine the relationship between good corporate governance practices and the creation of value/performance of credit unions from 2010 to 2012. The objective was to create and validate a corporate governance index for credit unions, and to then analyse the relationship between good governance practices and the creation of value/performance. The problem question is: do good corporate governance practices provide value creation for credit unions? The research started by creating indices from factor analysis to identify latent dependent variables related to value creation and performance; next indices were created from the principal component analysis for the creation of independent latent variables related to corporate governance. Finally, based on panel data from regression models, the influence of the variables and indices related to corporate governance on the indices of value creation and performance was verified. Based on the research, it became evident that the Corporate Governance Index (IGC) is mainly impacted by Executive Management, with 40.31% of the IGC value, followed by the Representation and Participation dimension, with 34.07% of the IGC value. The contribution for academics was the creation of the Corporate Governance Index (IGC) applied for credit unions. As for the contribution to the system of credit unions, the highlight was the effectiveness of the mechanisms for economic-financial and asset management adopted by BACEN, credit unions and OCEMG.

Integrating social media tools in a web portal

Benefitting from Web 2.0 features, Social Media allows organisations to be where the users are, creating proximity, talking to them, and knowing what they want. Going viral and word-of-mouth become easier, as these platforms allow us to share, to like, and to use multimedia and convergence – as they can interact with each other, communicating on a large scale. Given that online portals provide for a highly competitive environment, players strive to get more visits, better search rankings, and even aspire to be the homepage for the Web universe. We discuss the integration of Social Media tools in a Web Portal, and explore how using these together may improve the competitiveness of a Web Portal. A large Web Portal was selected to develop this case study. We found that, although for this particular Web Portal conditions were created to accommodate and integrate the chosen Social Media platforms, this was done in an organic and fluid way, with great focus on community construction and less focus on absorptive capacity. Based on the findings of this case study, we propose a dynamic cycle of benefits for integrating Social Media tools in a Web Portal.

Framework for music as store atmospherics to induce buying : a study of Delhi mall customers

Music is a hidden stimulus for retailers. Not much has been researched on Indian luxury stores. This paper attempts to study the composition of music on perception of buyers at luxury stores. A research on customer’s buying intention was done to study their perception of music in the luxury store formats. This study uses exploratory factor analysis to find the significant different factors which constitute music to be played so as to induce buying in a luxury store. The composition of music depends upon music attractiveness, age of the customer and a desire to listen to the music.

The effect of ambient scent on moviegoers’ behavior

Atmospheres influence behavior, create a positive image, and influence consumer purchasing patterns and retail perceptions. Nonetheless, the physical environment is a potential source of competitive advantage, though neglected more often than not. In particular, research on the effects of aroma as an independent variable in natural settings is very limited and requires further research. A sample of 407 moviegoers participated in a “natural experiment” in a cinema complex, using scented and unscented conditions. Findings show that scent produces significant positive differences in the evaluation of the theater, its environment, and on intention to return. No significant differences are found in the evaluations of concession products sold, despite the fact that spectators in scented rooms considered product prices to be significantly cheaper than did spectators in unscented rooms. A major implication of this study is that scent significantly affects emotional reactions to atmospheres. Retailers can thus improve environments to create enjoyable experiences and positively influence consumer responses.

Performance analysis of brazilian public and philanthropic hospitals

This paper presents the results of a research that aimed at identifying optimal performance standards of Brazilian public and philanthropic hospitals. In order to carry out the analysis, a model based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was developed. We collected financial data from hospitals’ financial statements available on the internet, as well as operational data from the Information Technology Department of the Brazilian Public Health Care System – SUS (DATASUS). Data from 18 hospitals from 2007 to 2011 were analyzed. Our DEA model used both operational and financial indicators (variables). In order to develop this model, two indicators were considered inputs: Values (in Brazilian Reais) of Fixed Assets and Planned Capacity. On the other hand, the following indicators were considered outputs: Net Margin, Return on Assets and Institutional Mortality Rate. As regards the proposed model, there were five hospitals with optimal performance and four hospitals were considered inefficient, upon the analysis of the variables, considering the analyzed period. Analysis of the weights indicated the most relevant variables for determining efficiency and scale variable values, which is an important tool to aid the decision-making by hospital managers. Finally, the scale variables determined the returns on production, indicating that 14 hospitals work with scale diseconomies. This may indicate inefficiency in the resource management of the Brazilian public health-care system, by analyzing this set of proposed variables.

Time-of-use electricity tariffs with smart meters

This paper proposes a method for scheduling tariff time periods for electricity consumers. Europe will see a broader use of modern smart meters for electricity at residential consumers which must be used for enabling demand response. A heuristic-based method for tariff time period scheduling and pricing is proposed which considers different consumer groups with parameters studied a priori, taking advantage of demand response potential for each group and the fairness of electricity pricing for all consumers. This tool was applied to the case of Portugal, considering the actual network and generation costs, specific consumption profiles and overall electricity low voltage demand diagram. The proposed method achieves valid results. Its use will provide justification for the setting of tariff time periods by energy regulators, network operators and suppliers. It is also useful to estimate the consumer and electric sector benefits from changes in tariff time periods.