Moving toward Digital Transformation by Force: Students' Preferences, Happiness, and Mental Health

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated and, somehow, forced the process of digital transformation within the higher education sector. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online modes of course delivery have become the only available way of teaching in almost all parts of the world. We conducted a study in Mexico to know about students' preferences for these forced online class schedules, exams and assignments, and online teaching styles during this health crisis. Furthermore, this research sought to know about the impact of this forced digitalization on students' mental health and happiness. To conduct a conjoint analysis, we collected survey-based data from 219 undergraduate Mexican students. The most preferred attributes for students for online classes were "having a short online class (50 min)", "possibility to have 70% pre-exam assignments and 30% final exam", and "having a humorous professor in online classes". In terms of students' mental health, the prevalence of "moderate" anxiety and depression was 21.8%, and the prevalence of "severe" anxiety and depression was 14.9%. In terms of happiness, male students and students with shorter online classes per day felt a higher level of happiness.

Preferences and values for government policies on infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics for the Japanese population: a conjoint analysis.

AIMS: To investigate the preferences of the Japanese population for government policies expected to address infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics. METHODS: We performed a conjoint analysis based on survey data in December 2022 (registration number: UMIN000049665). The attributes for the conjoint analysis were policies: tests, vaccines, therapeutic drugs, behavior restrictions (e.g. self-restraint or restrictions on the gathering or travel of individuals and the hours of operation or serving of alcoholic beverages in food/beverage establishments), and entry restrictions (from abroad), and monetary attribute: an increase in the consumption tax from the current 10%, to estimate the monetary value of the policies. A logistic regression model was used for the analysis. RESULTS: Data were collected from 2,185 respondents. The accessibility of tests, vaccines, and therapeutic drugs was preferred regardless of the accessibility level. The value for accessibility of drugs to anyone at any medical facility was estimated at 4.80% of a consumption tax rate, equivalent to JPY 10.5 trillion, which was the highest among the policies evaluated in this study. The values for implementing behavior or entry restrictions were negative or lower than those for tests, vaccines, and drugs. LIMITATIONS: Respondents chosen from an online panel were not necessarily representative of the Japanese population. Because the study was conducted in December 2022, a period during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the results may reflect the situation at that time and potentially be subject to rapid change. CONCLUSIONS: Among the policy options evaluated in this study, the most preferred option was easily accessible therapeutic drugs and their monetary value was substantial. Wider accessibility of tests, vaccines, and drugs was preferred over behavior and entry restrictions. We believe that the results provide information for policymaking to prepare for future infectious disease epidemics and for assessing the response to COVID-19 in Japan.

Estimation of Intangible Costs for Factors Associated with Oral Antiviral Drugs for COVID-19 Treatment: A Conjoint Analysis in Japan.

INTRODUCTION: During the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, preferences for factors associated with vaccines have been evaluated. Three oral antiviral drugs have been approved in Japan for patients with mild-to-moderate I COVID-19 symptoms. Although preferences for the drugs may also depend on various factors, these have not been fully evaluated. METHODS: A conjoint analysis was performed based on an online survey in August 2022 to estimate the intangible costs of factors associated with oral antiviral drugs for COVID-19. Respondents were individuals aged 20-69 across Japan. The attributes included the company (Japanese/foreign) that developed the drug, formulation and size of the drug, frequency of administration per day, number of tablets/capsules per dose, number of days until no longer infectious to others, and out-of-pocket expenses. A logistic regression model was applied to estimate the utility of each level for each attribute. The intangible costs were calculated by comparing the utility to the out-of-pocket attribute. RESULTS: Responses were collected from 11,303 participants. The difference between levels was the largest for companies that developed a drug; the intangible costs were JPY 5390 higher for the foreign company than for the Japanese company. The next largest difference was in the number of days until one is no longer infectious. For the same formulation, the intangible cost was lower for small sizes than large sizes. For similar-sized tablets and capsules, the intangible cost was lower for tablets than capsules. These tendencies were similar regardless of COVID-19 infection history and the presence of risk factors for severe COVID-19 in the respondents. CONCLUSION: Intangible costs for factors associated with oral antiviral drugs among the Japanese population were estimated. The results may change as the number of people with a history of COVID-19 infection increases and significant progress is made regarding treatments.

Conjoint Analysis based Predictive Analytics to study the employee attitude towards virtual and digital work practices in IoT work environments

Covid-19 has been one of the most disruptive pandemics to date. Among the other aspects of disruption, it also disrupted the way people work in organizations. Many of the organizations surrendered their offices for good. However, there are many ill effects of these unconventional work practices also. This research study aims to explore the perception of the employees towards the adoption of Virtual and flexible work practices. The study uses a conjoint analysis approach on different possible Work Practice Profiles, that specify the nature of work (Virtual, offline, or hybrid), nature of work schedule (flexible, or fixed), nature of ownership (individual, or team), and length of working hours (8.5 hours, or 9.5 hours or 10.5 hours). The study finds that the number of working hours is the most important criterion for the employees followed by mode of work, responsibility, and work schedule. © 2023 IEEE.

A Conjoint Analysis Approach, Implications, and Mitigation Plans in Analyzing Students' Preferences for Online Learning Delivery Types during the COVID-19 Pandemic for Engineering Students: A Case Study in the Philippines

Traditional face-to-face classes were replaced with online learning when the COVID-19 pandemic happened. Students were unfamiliar with the virtual setup, as well as the technological challenges, which led to dissatisfaction and affected their academic performance. This research study surveyed 230 engineering students and applied conjoint analysis to analyze their preferences in online learning delivery. Using SPSS Statistics software, we revealed the top three attributes for delivery type: interaction, flexibility, and proctored exam. In addition, the most favored combination from the generated stimuli was a form of blended mode delivery. The synchronous meetings and asynchronous activities allowed students to manage their time efficiently. It could be deduced from the findings that students highly preferred the combination considering learner-instructor, live chats, real-time lecture meetings, and automatic availability, with a focus on synchronous online learning modes. Higher education institutions may reflect on the results of this study to reassess the online learning environment they implement among students. Incorporating a student's learning style to determine the relationship between their preference for online learning delivery type will be helpful for further research through application and study extension. It is suggested that the perceptions of instructors and students enrolled under different learning modalities and their effectiveness should also be addressed. This is a recommendation for future research to consider. Especially near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional face-to-face learning was being implemented. Thus, future studies may want to consider an analysis of the behavioral intentions of students. On the other hand, analyses such as student behavioral intentions for the future applications of the different modalities and comparisons thereof may be conducted to enhance the implications for, policies of, and strategies of universities.

How do consumers select between hotels and Airbnb? A hierarchy of importance in accommodation choice

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of key decision-making attributes on consumers' choice of accommodation among and between hotels and Airbnb.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a choice-based conjoint approach using 21 key decision-making factors that impact consumers' choice of accommodation across five segments ranging from economy to luxury. Latent class estimation was used to identify segments of respondents who tend to have similar preferences for accommodation.FindingsThe results showed the presence of a consistent pattern of decision-making across the five accommodation segments, culminating in a hierarchy of importance in accommodation choice. The 21 key decision-making attributes comprised three tiers in order of decreasing importance: quality and service, amenities, and accessibility and safety. Further, latent class analysis indicated the presence of a hotel group and an Airbnb group of customers, which allowed us to identify how both types of providers might maximize the value of their offers to encourage customer switch.Research limitations/implicationsThe accommodation landscape is extremely dynamic (particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds) and complex. The present study cannot capture all of its intricacies but provides an invaluable foundation for future research on the topic of consumer choice in an evolving and competitive accommodation market.Originality/valueExtant research on accommodation choice has focused on hotels or Airbnb only. Moreover, research that has considered both types of accommodation simultaneously is limited in its conceptual and methodological scope. The present study synthesizes the fragmented literature on consumers' accommodation choices and offers a holistic and coherent schematic – the hierarchy of importance in accommodation choice – that can be used by future researchers and practitioners alike.

Conjoint Analysis on the Attributes Affecting the Customers' Preference of Hotel Accommodation

Hotel is an essential establishment that can offer lodging to travellers and accommodation for meetings/events. However due to the instability of the market in hotel, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increase of competition in the industry. In order to cope with this problem, hotels tend to increase its quality and services in order to meet the ideal preference of the customer. The study aimed to determine the combination of hotel attributes that the customer deemed preferred using a Conjoint Analysis Approach. The study specifically utilized attributes like price, accessibility to nearest landmark, inclusivity of breakfast, amenities, and dining options. The results show that the price was the most preferred attributes by the customer (40.787%), followed by the inclusivity of breakfast (32.913%), accessibility to nearest landmark (15.433%), hotel amenities (8.504%), and the least preferred is the dining options (2.362%). The outcome will be beneficial to the hotel owners and manager on the customer preference on the attributes. © 2022 ACM.

A study on blood donor characteristics and preferred environment of South Koreans during the COVID-19 pandemic: A conjoint analysis.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decrease in the number of blood donors worldwide, posing a global problem. Therefore, this study investigates people who have continuously participated in blood donation during the COVID-19 pandemic and collects basic information as a reference for maintaining stable amounts of blood during future pandemics. Methods: The participants of this study were selected from the population of South Korea through stratified sampling considering region and age distributions. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants were recruited online through Embrain, an online research and survey company, from June 1 to June 28, 2021. Data were collected from a total of 1,043 participants and used in the study. Results: The results of this study showed that there was a difference between the donors group and non-donors group in factors such as donation attitude (F = 73.342, p < 0.001), donation knowledge (F = 6.530, p < 0.01), and preventive health behavior (F = 12.352, p < 0.001). Overall, blood donors showed favorable attitude toward and considerable knowledge of blood donation as well as a high level of preventive health behavior. The environment most preferred by people who participated in blood donation during the COVID-19 pandemic was "going with family to a blood donation center that gives out free gifts in a region far away with no confirmed cases," which showed the highest utility (utility = 0.734). Conclusion: Even during pandemics, donation attitude, donation knowledge, and preventive health behavior can serve as key factors affecting participation in blood donation. Additionally, blood donation centers that donors can visit with their families represent a favorable environment for the promotion of blood donation during pandemics.

Nurse preferences of caring robots: A conjoint experiment to explore most valued robot features.

AIM: Due to the COVID pandemic and technological innovation, robots gain increasing role in nursing services. While studies investigated negative attitudes of nurses towards robots, we lack an understanding of nurses' preferences about robot characteristics. Our aim was to explore how key robot features compare when weighed together. METHODS: Cross-sectional research design based on a conjoint analysis approach. Robot dimensions tested were: (1) communication; (2) look; (3) safety; (4) self-learning ability; and (5) interactive behaviour. Participants were asked to rank robot profile cards from most to least preferred. RESULTS: In order of importance, robot's ability to learn ranked first followed by behaviour, look, operating safety and communication. Most preferred robot combination was 'robot responds to commands only, looks like a machine, never misses target, runs programme only and behaves friendly'. CONCLUSIONS: Robot self-learning capacity was least favoured by nurses showing potential fear of robots taking over core nurse competencies.

Vaccination or NPI? A conjoint analysis of German citizens' preferences in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This research uses discrete choice-based conjoint analysis that elicits the preference structure of German citizens when it comes to their timely intention to vaccinate. The focus is on the trade-offs between pharmaceuticals (vaccine) and "non-pharmaceutical interventions" (NPIs) such as lock-downs and social distancing measures, as well as the value of voluntary versus mandatory compliance to the citizens. Our results highlight three critical insights: (a) value of waiting: at 70% effective vaccine, 1/3 of citizens still would prefer to be vaccinated in the next 6 months rather than immediately; (b) costs of NPI constraints: an effective vaccine may come as a solution to compensate for the costs induced by invasive NPI imposed for an extended period; (c) freedom of choice: voluntary compliance is preferred by citizens over imposed measures whether it relates to vaccination choice, lock-down measures, or work location choice during the pandemic. Backing up those findings in monetary value, a quick shot of a 100% effective vaccination is estimated to be worth in the range of 11,400€. Still, the value of the shot quickly falls to no value when effectiveness drops below 50. At the same time, the cost of imposing protective rules lies in the range of 1500-2500€, depending on the rule analyzed. In comparison, the burden of extra complete lock-down and social distancing is about 775€ per citizen per month. As most current vaccines are being proven to have high efficacy, a strategy that selects the most effective vaccine candidates while emphasizing how the vaccine may stop the pain of lasting lock-downs will be appropriate to nudge the population towards vaccination. Control measures that are too restrictive may be welfare-deteriorating, but enough NPI measures must be recommended as long as vaccination adoption is not sufficiently large.

Organization Branding in the Post-COVID-19 World – An Employer and Employee Perspective

Employer branding is a tool to create a positive perception of an organization in the minds of existing and prospective employees. Employer branding not only helps in getting the best talent for an organization, but also reduces the cost of talent acquisition. Employees are not merely passive participants of the recruitment process;they aggressively seek information about the employers using secondary resources like blogs and social media pages of the company and are involved in the co-creation of the recruitment process. The study used a narrative review to identify the factors affecting employer branding. The study then used the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique and TOPSIS to rank these factors, hence identifying the importance of five factors for an employer. The study further performed conjoint analysis to identify the utility of the identified factors for employees. The narrative review of the studies identified salary, job security, training and development, work-life balance, and career progress. The study's results suggested a significant gap between employers' and employees' perspectives, which must be addressed. Salary and job security are the hygiene factors and had a high priority for employees and employers. While career progress is important for employees, it got less preference from employers. The study findings will be useful for managers designing online branding strategies and those at the helm of corporate communication. © 2023, Associated Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The choice between business travel and video conferencing after COVID-19 - Insights from a choice experiment among frequent travelers.

COVID-19 has accelerated the substitution of videoconferencing for business travel. However, little research exists about the decision-making behavior of business travelers considering virtual alternatives. We fill this gap by reconceptualizing the decision-making process and investigating the fundamental choice between face-to-face (FtF) and virtual communication (VC) using an adaptive choice-based conjoint analysis. We argue that the process of decision making of business travelers is distinct to that of leisure travelers, as the fundamental decision between FtF and VC occurs prior to subsequent travel decisions. We show that the purpose of the meeting, the character of the message, and the location of the meeting are the decision attributes of greatest importance. Using a novel methodology we present a holistic decision model that increases the theoretical understanding of business traveler decision-making and provide practitioners with comprehensive insights relevant to travel policy development, and executives in the business travel market with guidance with management decisions.

How important is the tuition fee during the COVID-19 pandemic in a developing country? Evaluation of filipinos' preferences on public university attributes using conjoint analysis.

In a developing country like the Philippines, it is critical to understand the important factors which lead college students to their current colleges and universities, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study utilized the conjoint analysis approach with an orthogonal design for evaluating understudy's inclination in choosing a college with the various attributes such as the tuition fee, distance or location, employability, academic reputation, recommended by friends and peers, recommended by family or relatives, and the availability to transfer was assessed. A total of 518 Filipino students studying at public and state universities participated in answering the 16 combined attributions about university preference using purposive sampling approach. Based on the utilities estimate, the most important attribute was the tuition fee of the preferred university with an importance value of about 32.839%, followed by the employability rate of the university with about 6% gap difference. The mid-concerned attributes were the distance/location with an estimated of 11.139%, recommendation of friends or peers with approximately 11.689% tying together, and the academic reputation with an estimated of 10.638%. The two least important attributes were identified to be the availability to transfer, having with only about 2.713%, and the recommendation of parents with only 2% difference at approximately 4.453%. The outcomes of this study can aid college chairmen and enrolment specialists tweak their advertising procedures by giving significant data to the chief gatherings engaged with settling college decision choices.

The effects of frequent flyer programs in the competition with high speed rail: A case study of air passenger preference in Japan

This study tried to evaluate the effects of Frequent Flyer Programs (FFPs) in competition with High Speed Rail (HSR) by conducting conjoint analysis, using data from our questionnaire surveys at Komatsu airport in Japan. The effects of FFPs, which were evaluated as passengers’ Marginal Willingness to Pay (MWTP) for flight mileage points, were compared with passengers that flew on the competing route with HSR, and those that flew on the non-competing route with HSR. We found that FFPs seem to be more effective at attracting not only FFP members on business, but also FFP members not on business, on the competitive route with HSR. However, the power of FFPs to increase customer loyalty would become weaker after the COVID-19 pandemic if we consider the negative impacts of COVID-19 on business travel demand. On the other hand, when we focus on the non-business passenger, after the pandemic, FFPs would still be effective at cultivating customer loyalty on the competitive route with HSR.

Understanding Customer Preferences on Laptop Variants and Models for Students and Working Professionals

Purpose of the study: Computers have become inevitable for small businesses, as well as in the home front, irrespective of their size, shape, model- variants and their cost. Pandemic also has mandated people to purchase one gadget or the other to meet the challenges of work-from home / online education. The researchers aimed to study the Customer demographic profile & purchase behaviour of buying laptops among the IT, manufacturing industry and educational sector (students) laptop users. The study also aims to determine the competitive intensity and attractiveness of this sector. Methodology: To study the Customer demographic profile & purchase behavior of buying laptops among the IT, manufacturing industry and educational sector (students), the researchers have undertaken a quantitative research study using probability sampling method. The data is collected from a sample of 400 students and working professionals in Tamil Nadu, India, using simple random sampling technique. Structured questionnaire has been used for collecting primary data. Main Findings: This research seeks to develop a better understanding of the customer demographic profile & purchase behaviour of buying laptops among the IT, Manufacturing industry and student users. The study also indicates the factors influencing consumers’ laptop purchases. All working professionals and students have the similar preferences in Brands of laptop and the size of the monitor, whereas purchase behaviour of customers differ, when it comes to price, speed, storage, graphic card, operating system and processor. Application of the study: Although the survey in this paper is illustrated in respect to the perspective of working professionals and student laptop users, it can be interesting to replicate the study on student laptop-users of different cities and countries and compare the obtained results in a future work. Similar studies on other techno-gadgets such as tablets or smart phones can be carried out to understand the market trends and changing customers’ needs and wants and evaluate their demographic profile & purchase behaviour. Novelty / Originality of the study: The study on the customer demographic profile & purchase behaviour of buying laptops among the IT, manufacturing industry and educational sector (students) laptop users is an original piece of work by the researchers. However, the topic may be common and a number of studies in this area have been conducted earlier too. The study would help to understand the market trends and changing customers’ needs and wants and evaluate their demographic profile & purchase behaviour of laptops considering factors such as brands, price, speed, storage, graphic card, operating system and processor. Such studies provide valuable base data for the laptop manufacturers and marketers to re-design their product and services, according to needs and wants of their customers.

Consumers' smartphone preferences in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic

With its high population and high rate of young population, Turkey has an important potential in the field of consumer electronics. During the COVID-19 pandemic period, individuals' purchasing power decreased due to economic contractions in every country and individuals showed a more frugal attitude. This study aims to evaluate the Turkish smartphone market and understand the consumer preferences toward smartphones during the pandemic. For this purpose, a conjoint analysis was conducted by obtaining data from 452 respondents who were asked to evaluate products according to their brand, price, second-hand value, camera quality, and storage capacity. As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that the brand, price, and camera features had the highest utility scores reflecting the preferences of the Turkish consumers. Moreover, Chinese and Turkish brands were found to still hold a disadvantageous position in consumer perceptions having negative utility scores.

Impact of information framing and vaccination characteristics on parental COVID-19 vaccine acceptance for children: a discrete choice experiment.

This study aimed to test the influence of vaccination characteristics and gain/loss-framing of information, on parental acceptance of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination for their minor children. A discrete choice experiment was conducted among parents of children aged 0-17 years from September to October 2021 in Hong Kong. Respondents were randomly assigned to four groups with different framing of information and asked to choose hypothetical vaccination alternatives, described by seven attributes that were derived from prior qualitative interviews. A mixed logit model was adopted to analyze the effect of attributes and information framing on parental vaccination acceptance. The vaccine acceptance rates under different scenarios were also estimated. A total of 298 valid responses were obtained. It was found that the BioNTech brand, higher efficacy, less serious adverse events and more vaccination coverage in children significantly improved parental acceptance. Additionally, loss-framing increased parental acceptance compared with gain-framing, while the presentation of mortality information did not make a difference. Acceptance was also associated with parental uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine and the children's age. CONCLUSION: The findings imply that factors including gain/loss information framing, importance of vaccine characteristics, and peer influence have a significant effect on parents' decisions to get their children vaccinated. Parents with younger children had greater vaccine hesitancy, and information framing techniques should be considered in vaccination promotion for combating such vaccine hesitancy. Future studies could be conducted to identify the moderators and mediators of information framing to facilitate its implementation. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Parental acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine was found to be associated with various socio-economic and psychosocial factors, while the evidence on impact of vaccination characteristics was limited. • Behavioral interventions, including information framing, have been used to promote various health behaviors. WHAT IS NEW: • Loss-framing of information on vaccine effectiveness improves vaccine acceptance, while additional information on how the vaccine reduces death does not make a difference, which can be used to inform communication with the public in vaccination promotion. • The social norm (i.e., the vaccine uptake amongst other people) is important for increasing the parental vaccine acceptance rate.

Willingness-to-pay for shared automated mobility using an adaptive choice-based conjoint analysis during the COVID-19 period

Due to recent technological developments, both academia and the market have become interested in utilizing shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs). Gaining insight into preferences and priorities for using the next generation of shared mobility was the primary motivation for this study. The goal is to explore the willingness-to-pay (WTP) for a shared mobility service using a detailed user preference analysis for alternative automation types and incentive and policy options. The data was collected between March to May 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown period in the United States via an online survey and analyzed by the Adaptive Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis (ACBC) method. The results of this study show that respondents distinctly preferred fully automated vehicles (SAVs) over shared human-driven vehicles (SHVs), tended to use a door-to-door service rather than a pooled service with a short walking distance, and were more interested in using advanced built-in amenities in the vehicle, not inclined to share their travel with others, and likely to pay less money to avoid potential delays. Comparing the results before and during the COVID-19 period showed that respondents afterward have markedly less willingness-to-share their trips with other riders compared to the survey analysis done before the COVID-19 period.

Vaccine preferences driving vaccine-decision making of different target groups: a systematic review of choice-based experiments.

BACKGROUND: Choice-based experiments have been increasingly used to elicit preferences for vaccines and vaccination programs. This study aims to systematically identify and examine choice-based experiments assessing (differences in) vaccine preferences of vaccinees, representatives and health advisors. METHODS: Five electronic databases were searched on choice-based conjoint analysis studies or discrete choice experiments capturing vaccine preferences of children, adolescents, parents, adults and healthcare professionals for attributes of vaccines or vaccine settings up to September 2020. Data was extracted using a standardized form covering all important aspects of choice experiments. A quality assessment was used to assess the validity of studies. Attributes were categorized into outcome, process, cost and other. The importance of attributes was assessed by the frequency of reporting and statistical significance. Results were compared between high-quality studies and lower-quality studies. RESULTS: A total of 42 studies were included, with the majority conducted in high-income countries after 2010 (resp. n = 34 and n = 37). Preferences of representatives were studied in nearly half of the studies (47.6%), followed by vaccinees (35.7%) and health advisors (9.5%). Sixteen high-quality studies passed the quality assessment. Outcome- and cost- related attributes such as vaccine effectiveness, vaccine risk, cost and protection duration were most often statistically significant across both target groups, with vaccine effectiveness being the most important. Risks associated with vaccination, such as side effects, were more often statistically significant in studies targeting vaccinees, while cost-related attributes were more often statistically significant in studies of representatives. Process-related attributes such as vaccine accessibility and time were least important across both target groups. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review in which vaccine preferences of different target groups were assessed and compared. The same attributes were most important for vaccine decisions of vaccinees and representatives, with only minor differences in level of evidence for vaccine risk and cost. Future research on vaccine preferences of health advisors and/or among target groups in low-resource settings would give insight into the generalizability of current findings.

Editorial

[...]the journal website has been updated, and we hope to share the contents freely with more scholars worldwide. Program in Business at Chung Yuan Christian University, and University Chair Professor and department chair of the Department of Management Information Systems at the National Chengchi University (NCCU), Taiwan. Based on the research areas, he authored/co-authored over 80 refereed journal articles (e.g., Information & Management, Decision Support Systems, Journal of Information Systems, Information Systems Management, Communication of AIS, Journal of Global Information Management, Information System Frontiers) and published ten textbooks.