This thesis aims to analyze contemporary art market in terms of auction sales carried out bySotheby’s and Christie’s in London and New York in 2007 and 2009. The study deals withinvestigating the cases when artworks’ prices exceeded their estimates. A model testing therelationships between hammer price, auction house, artist, form of art, the year of object’screation and its current owner along with the year of sale and performance of stock marketwas developed according to the theoretical framework, which includes such concepts as artobjects and their value, gatekeepers and investment and auction theories. Regression analysis revealed that the presence of a pre-lot note published in auctioncatalogue and specifying the collector putting the artwork for sale and the year of art piececreation have a significant contribution to predicting their hammer price. Moreover, theanalysis identified that paintings and sculptures typically reach high prices while drawings,watercolors and gouaches appeared to be less expensive objects. As far as the artists areconcerned, the study showed that pieces by such top artists as Andy Warhol, Jean-MichelBasquiat, Gerhard Richter, Willem de Kooning and Jeff Koons tend to achieve outstandingresults more often. The cases of over-performance were identified according to the model, which provided anopportunity to estimate predicted hammer price and compare it to the one achieved duringthe sale. Analysis did not reveal a clear pattern among over-performers, however, it can beobserved that objects sold at Sotheby’s tend to over-perform slightly more often; AndyWarhol and Damien Hirst appeared to be the artists whose artworks reach prices higherthan the estimates; and watercolors, drawings and gouaches along with sculptures, statuesand figures and photographs and prints turned out to be the over-performing forms of art.

The invention of personal computers (PCs) brings a lot of convenience for many people¡¦s life. For a PC, its essential core is the operation system (OS) which is the most basic as well as important information system (IS). Because operation system is a requisite for each PC, many software companies have striven to develop and promote their own OSs. As well known, Microsoft is the most powerful company of OS and it dominated the market in the world. Microsoft is keeping designing new PC¡¦s OSs and promoting them with all its strength. It develops new version OS to fit the trade of information technology standard and users¡¦ requirements in specific product life cycle. In past, when Microsoft announced new OS version, they are quickly accepted and replaced to old ones. However, there is a strange situation for its latest OS Win 7 recently. Win 7 isn¡¦t quickly accepted to replace old version OS Win XP. The number of PC users whose platform is Win XP is still very large, and most of them have little willing to upgrade. It is a big problem for an OS company. However, this is also an interesting phenomenon and worth studying in academic. The issue is: why users would not like to upgrade a newer and more effective OS? This study focuses on the issue and tries to discover factors affecting upgrading intention and behavior. According to related research and actual observation, several critical constructs are applied such as switching costs, product qualities of relative advantages and over performance, and compatibilities. Moreover, environment factors like social influence and after-sales services expectations, and fashion effects. Demographic variables are included into the research model at the same time. Hypotheses are proposed after reviewing related studies and empirical survey. To verify this model and prove these hypotheses, PLS is applied to analyze and explain the result. On the other hand, discriminant analysis is also used to view the Win XP group and Win 7 group. The key discriminant function is made to distinguish and forecast these two kinds of groups. This study empirically validated and confirmed our research model by PLS and discriminant analysis. Furthermore, the relationships of factors those affecting upgrading intentions and behavior are verified and integrated. The findings are able to support OS suppliers to actually implement their product design. In academic, this study complement the field of IS switching about vertical upgrade to certain IS.

Many telecommunication companies are making considerable investments to take advantage of the new business possibilities offered by 3G mobile services. Previous research on mobile network, suggests potential consumers may not adopt these 3G services provided by telecommunication companies. Given that not all new mobile telecommunication technologies are accepted by the mass market in Taiwan. Thus, there is a need for research to identify the factors that affect consumer intention to subscribe third-generation (3G) mobile services. Based on the theoretical framework of Purchase Intention Model (PIM), network effects, perceived enjoyment and optimum stimulation level, an empirical study of the mass adoption of 3G mobile services in Taiwan was conducted. Data collected from 322 users in Taiwan confirmed our hypotheses and tested against the research model. The results support the proposed model in predicting consumer intention to subscribe 3G service. This study demonstrated that perceived over performance, relative advantage, network effects, perceived enjoyment and optimum stimulation level were key factors that resulted in individuals¡¦ subscription of 3G services. Lastly, several implications for innovation technology acceptance research and 3G service management practices are discussed.