The Internet has expanded rapidly and shifted from being solely an information access tool to being an interaction tool used by individuals to discover and share content, opinions, and information. To develop information connections, individuals are using a variety of technologies to access content and join virtual communities on various social networking sites. Of interest to researchers and organizations is the individuals' perception of social networking sites using the identified dimensions of ease-of-use, usefulness, information quality, feeling, and usage intention. In this Web-based study, 226 participants from a professional discussion group provided information regarding their perceptions of social networking sites and access tool usage. The differences in these perceptions based upon the various access methods and various social networking tools are analyzed and reported. The results from simple main effect tests showed that differences exist in both access methods and social networking tool usage. The usage patterns based upon the access methods can have an impact on the usage behavior of social network sites. High-usage groups have the highest mean values for the perception dimension of ease-of-use for both access method and social networking sites. This suggests that organizations should accommodate and energize mobile users and design changes to their social networking sites to facilitate interaction and information sharing.

This study develops and tests an integrated model of e-shopping Web site usage. The proposed model uses previously identified dimensions from the Technology Acceptance Model and introduces the dimensions of perceived information risk and perceived site trust. LISREL results of survey data show that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the e-shopping Web sites have a significant positive direct effect; whereas, perceived information risk has a significant negative direct effect on e-shopping Web site usage. Perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use, and perceived site trust show a significant indirect effect on e-shopping Web site usage through perceived usefulness. Managerial implications and research directions are discussed. Kee-Sook Lim is a Lecturer

Nimble competitors competing in a dynamic global marketspace increasingly characterize the current environment faced by many organizations. Providing the organization's knowledge workers with the tools and technology to mine information and generate insights has become a key issue facing organizations. In this study we investigate the potential combined impact of the use of organizational decision models and competitive intelligence tool proficiency on knowledge creation and strategic use of information competence. Regression analysis results show significant main and interaction effects of the organizational decision models and competitive intelligence tool proficiency on four identified factors of knowledge creation and strategic use of information competence: pattern discovery, strategy appraisal, insight generation, and solution formulation. Organizational implications and future research directions are discussed.

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This study seeks to evaluate the importance of new product development cycle time for firms that have a strategy of pursuing exporting as a means of achieving and sustaining competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach -A mail survey utilizing the key informant approach for selecting senior executives of US manufacturing firms was chosen because of the importance of executive involvement in international marketing strategy decisions.Findings -This study supports the argument that faster new product development capability must be augmented for firms striving for a higher degree of export involvement. Additionally, the importance of integrating the marketing, R&D, and engineering functions to develop competitive advantage is highlighted. Research limitations/implications -Results must be interpreted as explorative since the sample was based on US manufacturing firms. Additional research is needed to test differential effects of innovative product and modification/extension cycle time on export involvement and other indicators of performance. Practical implications -This study demonstrates the importance of the resource-based theory of competitive advantage, new product development cycle time as a determinant of export involvement, and competitive advantage for firms which pursue international opportunities. It suggests that product development capabilities are not a critical determining factor of the level of export involvement. The findings show that the ability to develop competitive products faster than competitors is a prerequisite for export involvement. Originality/value -This study suggests that the speed of new product development is a precondition for export involvement and that the new product development cycle time measures were significantly related to the perception of a firm's overall competitive position in global markets.