Thesis (M. S.)--Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Dovrolis, Constantine; Committee Member: Ammar, Mostafa; Committee Member: Feamster, Nick; Committee Member: Willinger, Walter; Committee Member: Zegura, Ellen.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 149-150).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Southern California, 2008. / Adviser: Johnathan Aronson. Includes bibliographical references.

An information service is one in which information is the primary value exchanged between two parties. The research object of the current study is information service provided online (termed as online information service, OIS) which is also the core service product in the service offerings of Internet content providers (ICPs). The OIS industry is the highest growth area in the current service revolution (Santos 2003). However, the many efforts so far in the industry for developing innovative OISs have largely failed to attract audiences and frustrated the attempts to generate revenue from subscriptions and advertising (Alves 2001; Sullivan 2006). Researchers face great challenge in applying conventional wisdom from information system (IS) research to analyse OISs. Bobbitt and Dabholkar (2001) and Santos (2003) argued that there is no comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding or predicting consumers' online adoption behaviour. Research to gain greater understanding of factors that contribute to online adoption behaviour is therefore of high priority. / The aim of the study is to identify the key factors contributing to the adoption of OISs, enhance the understanding of the adoption process of online innovation, and thereby confirm, or add to the general understanding of the innovation adoption process. For comprehensively exploring the factors, in addition to an extensive review of literature, a series of in-depth interviews with industry experts were conducted to potentially gather new and important insights not yet appearing in the literature. For facilitating the current research in a real business context and among typical OIS users, a new commercial OIS and a Web-based survey system co-designed by the researcher were launched by industry partners during study, and the survey respondents were then invited to answer questions online after sampling the new OIS. The current study uses multivariate analysis and also structural equation modeling (SEM) as the statistical analysis technique. / A conceptual model mainly developed from Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) for understanding the adoption of OIS is proposed and tested in the real business context. The extended model employed additional constructs drawn from Uses and Gratification Theory, among others, and demonstrated improved prediction capacity (55%). The inter-relations between constructs were also investigated. This study successfully identifies online users' key preference that influences the OIS adoption, and provides new and empirically-based insights into several important debates in the academic and industry literature. The conclusions and implications include that OIS adoption may not be enhanced by online interactivities among users (or termed as C2C online interactivities, such as on-site Blogs) and services that add values to the core service (or termed as “supplementary services”). These are contrary to what many experts expected. Also, the popular assumption of behaviour intention (BI) having a direct positive effect on actual adoption behaviour (B) is not supported by the data of the current research. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 286-308).

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2005. / Chair: Lisa Lynch. Submitted to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Includes bibliographical references. Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

by Chiang Tung-Keung, Wu Po-Wan, Andy. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-78). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.vi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / ADKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.viii / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / The Wave of Internet --- p.1 / A Platform for Worldwide Communications --- p.1 / Fierce Competition of ISP Industry in Hong Kong --- p.2 / Chapter II. --- OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY --- p.4 / Chapter III. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.5 / Structure of Study --- p.5 / Literature Review and Interviews --- p.6 / Model Analysis --- p.7 / Chapter IV. --- THE INTERNET --- p.8 / Definition --- p.8 / A Brief History --- p.8 / Who Manages the Internet --- p.10 / Utilities of the Internet --- p.11 / Remote Access --- p.11 / Interpersonal Communications --- p.11 / Information Gathering --- p.12 / Commercial Operations --- p.12 / Others --- p.13 / How to Connect to the Internet - the Topology --- p.13 / How Information is Moved Over the Internet --- p.14 / Packet Switched Network --- p.15 / The Internet Protocol (“IP´ح) --- p.15 / Chapter V. --- The ISP INDUSTRY IN HONG KONG --- p.18 / Definition --- p.18 / Services of ISP --- p.18 / Internet Access --- p.18 / Value-added Services --- p.19 / WEB hosting --- p.19 / Facilities management (Server hosting) --- p.19 / System design and integration --- p.20 / WEB page design --- p.20 / Operation of ISP --- p.20 / ISP Access to the Internet Backbone --- p.20 / Common Ways of Access to ISP --- p.22 / Leased line Internet connections --- p.23 / Dialup IP connections --- p.24 / Cyber Map of Hong Kong --- p.24 / "Hong Kong Internet eXchange (""HKIX"")" --- p.25 / The Value Chain - Role of ISP --- p.27 / Cost Structure of ISP --- p.28 / Capital Cost --- p.28 / Operating Cost --- p.29 / Chapter VI. --- ISP - INDUSTRY LEVEL --- p.31 / The Past and Present of the ISP Industry in Hong Kong --- p.31 / The History --- p.31 / The Technology --- p.34 / The Government --- p.35 / The Five Forces --- p.37 / Entry barrier --- p.37 / Internal rivalry --- p.39 / Substitutes --- p.41 / Supplier power --- p.42 / Buyer power --- p.43 / The Demand --- p.44 / Competition and Profitability --- p.45 / Future Projection of the ISP Industry in Hong Kong --- p.46 / The Technology --- p.46 / The Government --- p.47 / The Five Forces --- p.48 / Entry barrier --- p.48 / Internal rivalry --- p.49 / Substitutes --- p.50 / Supplier power --- p.50 / Buyer power --- p.52 / The Demand --- p.52 / Competition and Profitability --- p.52 / Chapter VII. --- HONG KONG ISP - FIRM LEVEL --- p.54 / Value-added Analysis --- p.54 / Cost Structure --- p.55 / Cost Drivers --- p.55 / Economies of scale --- p.55 / Learning curve --- p.56 / Economies of scope --- p.57 / Benefit Drivers --- p.57 / Ease of connection --- p.57 / Traffic speed --- p.58 / Customer services --- p.59 / Hyperlinks and contents --- p.59 / Internet based services --- p.59 / Extensive sales network --- p.60 / Seller's reputation --- p.60 / Large installed base --- p.61 / Tailor-made services --- p.61 / Strategies --- p.62 / Wholesaling of Bandwidth --- p.62 / Focusing on Household Market --- p.63 / Focusing on Corporate Customers --- p.67 / Concentrating on Value-added Services --- p.68 / Integration and Alliances --- p.70 / Chapter VIII. --- CONCLUSIONS --- p.73 / APPENDIX --- p.74 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.77

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, München, 2006. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-266).

Dissertation--Universität München, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.