The “Consumption Junction” of ICT in Emerging Markets: An Ethnography of Middlemen

Oreglia, Elisa; Kitner, Kathi R

doi:10.1111/j.1559-8918.2013.00016.x

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As yet another, perhaps principal, application of the research we disclose below, insight into the unique value that humans contribute over automated services may also help firms pursuing multi-channel strategies to develop a coherent vision of when a human agent or sales representative, for example, is more valuable than an algorithm. Several EPIC community members including Oreglia and Kitner (2013) have discussed the critical role of salespeople as "gatekeepers," shaping how customers see and even use many products. For instance, even though many direct-to-consumer websites today are capable of selling personal lines policies to (moderately) high-net-worth individuals, should they?…”

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Adaptation of Everyday Work in an Age of Automation

Moellenberg¹,

Ramsey‐Elliot²,

Straty³

2019

Ethnographic Praxis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent debates around the future of work have largely focused on how automated technologies are contributing to job loss or decline. However, in this paper, we draw from original ethnographic research with four types of automation-affected workers -insurance agents, pharmaceutical representatives, medical device salespeople, and medical device technicians -to argue that, rather than being replaced by machines, many workers are in fact adapting how they define and perform their work to survive in a more digital age. Uncovering such adaption tactics is crucial for recognizing the human agency that is present in, even definitive of increasing encounters with machine-driven technologies and can help large organizations solve some of their toughest challenges, including how to predict future trends in the labor market, define the added value of human labor, build and train a better workforce, and develop and evolve existing digital tools.

show abstract

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Adaptation of Everyday Work in an Age of Automation

Moellenberg¹,

Ramsey‐Elliot²,

Straty³

2019

Ethnographic Praxis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Electronics and Expertise: Constructing the Smart TV on the Retail Sales Floor

Scarlata,

Lobato

2024

Television & New Media

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article considers how TV retailers shape public understanding of television as a cultural technology and household device. Drawing on interviews with Australian TV retailers, we identify four sales strategies used when selling smart TVs in-store: simplification, avoidance, empathy, and exploitation. Our analysis shows how these sales strategies seek to minimize and manage the smart TV’s technological complexity, thus downplaying its interactive potential. We critically assess the assumptions about technological expertise that underlie these strategies.

show abstract

The “Consumption Junction” of ICT in Emerging Markets: An Ethnography of Middlemen

Cited by 2 publications

References 17 publications

The Adaptation of Everyday Work in an Age of Automation

The Adaptation of Everyday Work in an Age of Automation

Electronics and Expertise: Constructing the Smart TV on the Retail Sales Floor

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About