When faced with competition and the ease with which customers can compare prices across sellers, Internet vendors often lower prices in a bid to increase sales. However, recent research reports that even price-sensitive customers do not always purchase from Internet vendors offering the lowest prices. In contrast, value has been considered a key motivator of customer decision making in economics and marketing. However, little is known about the role and effect of value in Internet shopping. This study examines online customer purchase decision making from the value perspective based on mental accounting theory. This study also identifies monetary (perceived price) and non-monetary (perceived risk, convenience, and pleasure) determinants of value. This study further explains how the individual determinants affect online purchase decision making directly and indirectly though value perception. The findings of this study offer Internet vendors practical suggestions for increasing online sales. This study, with its results, also helps advance knowledge of electronic commerce.

We first define knowledge sharing in ISD and compare it with other similar concepts in the IS literature. Prior studies related to knowledge sharing between business and IT professionals are then reviewed to identify gaps in the existing literature. We then describe the relevance and use of the theory of social interdependence, which posits that goal, task, and reward interdependencies promote interactions, for explaining knowledge sharing between the subgroups of business professionals and external IT consultants during ISD. 2.1 Defining Knowledge Sharing in IS Development Knowledge sharing implies a relationship between two parties-one that possesses the knowledge and the other that requires the knowledge (Hendriks, 1999). It has been defined as a conscious act to participate in knowledge exchange even when there is no external compulsion to do so (Davenport, 1997). It has also been defined as revealing the presence of pertinent knowledge without necessarily transmitting it in its entirety (Tiwana and McLean, 2005). Building on these definitions, we define knowledge sharing in our study's context as the extent to which the subgroups of business professionals and external IT consultants consciously reveal the presence of and exchange pertinent knowledge with one another 2. Central to the concept of knowledge sharing is the idea of knowledge exchange between participants. Participants (i.e., business professionals and external IT consultants in our study) engage in two-way interactions and shift between the roles of knowledge source and recipient in knowledge sharing. Thus knowledge sharing refers to the bidirectional exchange of knowledge and differs from other concepts such as knowledge transfer, which refers to the unidirectional flow of knowledge from a source to the recipient (Joshi et al., 2007). 2.2 Review of Studies on Knowledge Sharing between Business and IT Professionals Prior studies on knowledge sharing between business and IT professionals have provided insights on its antecedents. In reviewing the studies, we organize the antecedents identified based on the key elements of communication proposed in the communication perspective (Berlo, 1960). Organizing the antecedents allows us to better summarize the state of research on knowledge sharing and identify gaps in prior research. The communication perspective identifies sender, receiver, channel, transmission, and effect as the basic elements of communication (see Table 1). The perspective is relevant for understanding knowledge sharing because these elements are inherent in knowledge sharing 3 (Joshi et al., 2007). In the context of knowledge sharing, sender corresponds to the source contributing knowledge in a particular exchange. Receiver is the entity which acquires the knowledge. Channel corresponds to the medium through which knowledge is shared (e.g., face-to-face meetings, computer, phone, documents). Transmission refers to the actual process and activity of sending and receiving knowledge through designated channels. Its effectiveness is affe...

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The increasing popularity of social network services (SNS) presents an opportunity to offer gifting services through SNS. For givers, gifting can be an important means to enhance social relationships. On the other hand, for SNS providers, members’ gifting can serve as a major source of revenue. As SNS providers continue to face challenges in generating revenues, understanding how to stimulate gifting through SNS can allow them to profit from members’ relationships. However, there is little understanding of what drives members’ gifting through SNS, with limited prior research on online gifting. Thus motivated, we develop a research model of the antecedents of SNS gifting that builds on social exchange theory and prior gifting literature, and incorporates the unique aspects of such gifting (that we refer to as microgifting, with low-price digital voucher gifts). The theoretical model was validated through a field study, in which both subjective and objective data were collected from an SNS that has been successful in offering such gifting services. Our findings highlight the effects of perceived worth, SNS gifting experience, and the number of SNS friends on the frequency of SNS gifting. The results also show that expected benefits (i.e., reciprocity, pleasure, relationship support, convenience, and immediacy of gift sending) and costs (i.e., impersonality) indirectly impact SNS gifting frequency through the assessment of perceived worth. The study contributes to research by adding to our understanding of this new approach of gifting through SNS, i.e., microgifting. It also lends insights on how SNS providers can offer such services to tap this source of revenue.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of user competence on two different usage variables related to information systems (IS) infusion: explorative use and exploitative use. Design/methodology/approach -Structural equation modeling is used to construct a predictive model of user competence toward IS infusion. Individuals' responses to questions about attitude and intention to use smartphone were collected and analyzed. Findings -The results showed that all first-order factors of user competence were significantly linked to the second-order factor. User competence is then significantly related to IS infusion, both explorative use and exploitative use.Research limitations/implications -This study discusses individual usage behavior related to IS infusion usage. The authors conceptualized that exploitative use is different from explorative use. The findings in this study suggest that user competence must be included in IS usage models, especially IS infusion model. Practical implications -The results associated with exploitation are more certain and closer in time, while those associated with exploration are more variable. That is, users are likely to innovate through their smart devices related to IS infusion. Smartphone developers and the relevant service providers should decide which factors are more important along the stages of the information technology implementation process. As indicated in this study, knowledge-based user competence together with perceived usefulness influences the usage behavior of smartphone users. Industry players need to consider user competence when they promote their smartphone services. Originality/value -The proposed model brings together extant research on IS use and technology acceptance.