Auditors regularly make judgments regarding whether a client’s chosen accounting policy is appropriate and in accordance with generally accepted accounting Principles (GAAP). However, to form this judgment, auditors must either possess adequate topic-specific knowledge or must gain such knowledge through information search. This search is subject to numerous biases, including a bias toward confirmation of a client’s preference. It is important to further our understanding of bias in auditors’ information search to identify its causes and effects. Furthering our understanding is necessary to provide a basis for recommending and evaluating a potential debiaser, such as accountability. the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) annually inspects the audit files of selected engagements, which introduces a new form of accountability within the auditing profession. This new form of accountability has come at great cost, however, there is little empirical evidence regarding its effects on auditors’ processes. As such, it is important to understand whether the presence of accountability from the PCAOB is effective in modifying auditors’ search behaviors to diminish confirmation bias. Using an online experiment, I manipulate client preference (unknown vs. known) and PCAOB accountability pressure (low vs. high) and measure search type (information –focus or decision-focus), search depth (shallow or deep) and documentation quality. I investigate whether auditors’ information search behaviors differ based on knowledge of client’s preference and in the presence of accountability from an expected PCAOB inspection. I also investigate whether differences in auditors’ information search behaviors influence documentation quality, which is the outcome of greatest concern to the PCAOB. I hypothesize and find a client preference effect on information search type such that auditors with knowledge of the client preference consider guidance associated with the client’s preference longer than those without knowledge of the client’s preference. Contrary to expectations, PCAOB accountability pressure does not influence information search depth. with respect to documentation quality, I find that auditors engaged in a more information-focused search have higher documentation quality. Further, as expected, auditors who initially engage in a decision-focus and deep search have higher documentation quality than those auditors who initially engaged in a decision-focused but shallow search.

¡§Internet¡¨ not only change our life, also increase a source for information searching before we make decision. However, the quantity of information provided from internet surpass the capability of human. The purposes of the study were to discuss how consumers search information in internet, and how consumer information search behavior be different because of internet. Among all industry in Taiwan, tourism is the best industry in applying e-commence. Further, 95 percent people in Taiwan are backpackers, so backpacker is a trend of people traveling in Taiwan. As a result, the study choose backpacker as subject to observe consumer information search behavior in internet. The study follows Schmidt & Spreng¡¦s model which indicate that perceived risk, perceived benefit, and search ability are variables of information search behavior. Besides, personal character is also a variable of internet information search behavior. According to an on-lined survey at 2003 with 1931 valid samples, 4 factors of internet perceived benefits were extracted. They were ¡§entertainment¡¨, ¡§ease of use¡¨, ¡§efficiency of using information¡¨, and ¡§useful¡¨. The factors of internet perceived risk were ¡¨credibility and significance¡¨, ¡§security¡¨, and ¡§time¡¨. The factors of backpack perceived benefits were ¡§cheerful¡¨, ¡§innovational¡¨, ¡§functional¡¨, ¡§economic¡¨ and ¡§signal¡¨. The factors of backpack perceived risk were ¡§money loss¡¨, ¡§bad route of travel¡¨, ¡§damage to friendship¡¨, ¡§heavy duty¡¨ and ¡§not economic¡¨. Many clusters were formed and they are significant different in information search behavior in internet according to chi-square test. The study result also shows that different personal character has different information search behavior in internet; Both ¡§the composition of travel party¡¨ and ¡§backpacker¡¦s travel ability and experience¡¨ have influence on backpacker¡¦s perception of travel; ¡§the experience and ability of using internet¡¨ and ¡§internet perceived benefit¡¨ are direct proposition, on the contrary, the experience and ability of using internet¡¨ and ¡§internet perceived benefit¡¨ are inverse proposition; most of backpackers are good educated and have good income; the purpose of backpacker is mainly to get flexible route of travel, and the economic factor is the last important of all.

This study analyzes the relationship between the information search of internet users and the keywords advertising effects. According to the result of literature review, this study takes ¡§information search on the internet¡¨, four perceptual antecedents of keywords advertising including ¡§informativeness¡¨, ¡§irritation¡¨, ¡§entertainment¡¨ and ¡§credibility¡¨, ¡§advertising value¡¨ and ¡§advertising attitudes¡¨ as our dimensions to analyze the keywords advertising effects. This study adopts questionnaire survey method to collect sample information and the research targets are users who searched information on the internet and understood keywords advertising. This study finds that the higher degree of search of internet users, the greater the informativeness of keywords advertising they perceive, and the keyword advertising is more valuable thus, however, the search degree has no direct effect on keywords advertising. Moreover, informativeness, irritation, entertainment and credibility of keywords advertising all have effects upon the value of keywords advertising; irritation, entertainment and credibility of keywords advertising all have effects upon the attitudes toward keywords advertising. Finally, this study discovers that the value of keywords advertising has effect on the internet users¡¦ attitudes toward keywords advertising.

Understanding influence in behavioral data has become increasingly important in analyzing the cause and effect of human behaviors under various scenarios. Influence modeling enables us to learn not only how human behaviors drive the diffusion of memes spread in different kinds of networks, but also the chain reactions evolve in the sequential behaviors of people. In this thesis, I propose to investigate into appropriate probabilistic models for efficiently and effectively modeling influence, and the applications and extensions of the proposed models to analyze behavioral data in computational sustainability and information search. One fundamental problem in influence modeling is the learning of the degree of influence between individuals, which we called social infectivity. In the first part of this work, we study how to efficient and effective learn social infectivity in diffusion phenomenon in social networks and other applications. We replace the pairwise infectivity in the multidimensional Hawkes processes with linear combinations of those time-varying features, and optimize the associated coefficients with lasso regularization on coefficients. In the second part of this work, we investigate the modeling of influence between marked events in the application of energy consumption, which tracks the diffusion of mixed daily routines of household members. Specifically, we leverage temporal and energy consumption information recorded by smart meters in households for influence modeling, through a novel probabilistic model that combines marked point processes with topic models. The learned influence is supposed to reveal the sequential appliance usage pattern of household members, and thereby helps address the problem of energy disaggregation. In the third part of this work, we investigate a complex influence modeling scenario which requires simultaneous learning of both infectivity and influence existence. Specifically, we study the modeling of influence in search behaviors, where the influence tracks the diffusion of mixed search intents of search engine users in information search. We leverage temporal and textual information in query logs for influence modeling, through a novel probabilistic model that combines point processes with topic models. The learned influence is supposed to link queries that serve for the same formation need, and thereby helps address the problem of search task identification. The modeling of influence with the Markov property also help us to understand the chain reaction in the interaction of search engine users with query auto-completion (QAC) engine within each query session. The fourth part of this work studies how a user's present interaction with a QAC engine influences his/her interaction in the next step. We propose a novel probabilistic model based on Markov processes, which leverage such influence in the prediction of users' click choices of suggested queries of QAC engines, and accordingly improve the suggestions to better satisfy users' search intents. In the fifth part of this work, we study the mutual influence between users' behaviors on query auto-completion (QAC) logs and normal click logs across different query sessions. We propose a probabilistic model to explore the correlation between user' behavior patterns on QAC and click logs, and expect to capture the mutual influence between users' behaviors in QAC and click sessions.

Students use a myriad of disparate technologies and information sources to conduct a variety of activities during the research-paper writing process. While this process is considered a complex task, there is no “information appliance” that provides support. Using established frameworks of the research-paper writing process, an online survey was conducted to describe how activities, sources, and technologies used by students during the process are related to the various phases of that process. Connections were made between activities and technologies to show how an information appliance may support the process from onset to completion. Results show that the activities conducted during the process are iterative. The design application is that some technologies, such as those that support searching, need not be viewable at all times, but must always be available. These connections provide further insight into the student research-paper writing process and provide an example of how design may support task.

Digitization has been pervasively reshaping the landscape of home-based telecommunication industries. The massive disruptive challenges call for telecom companies to react with efficient strategic managerial policies. Meanwhile, how consumer decision makings and welfare are impacted by such policies often remains complicated and non-transparent to policy makers. My thesis aims at leveraging large-scale empirical data to investigate the impacts of several prevalent firm initiated strategies on both sides of the market, i.e. consumers and firms. The thesis is comprised of three studies focusing on consumer switch, search and purchase behaviors. The first study, centering at consumer switching behaviors, investigates the impact of lock in shortening policies on both firm profits and consumer welfare in home-based telecommunication service market. Using household level data from a large telecommunications service provider, we show that a market level policy that shortens the lock-in period from the status quo can decrease the profits on the firms side more than it increases consumer surplus. This is majorly caused by the substantial acquisition costs associated with user switching and service initiation. As a result if regulators shorten lock-in periods but then firms respond by collaboratively increasing prices to recover their rate of return, the consumers, as the analyses indicate, may be worse off compared to the world in which lock-in periods do not change. Therefore lock-in reduction policy need to be paired with a policy precluding operators from increasing prices too much. The later two studies jointly examine consumer’s search and purchase behaviors in social environment. With a wide scope of services, telecommunication service providers can often leverage their knowledge on consumer’s social environment to reshape consumer choices. We aim to understand how consumers combine different sources of social information, one from friends versus one from the crowd, as a function of how close they are to the point of conversion. We developed a dynamic structural econometric model that jointly describes consumer information search and product purchase while taking into account sequential arrival of information and non-negligible search costs. The model is then instantiated on two connected yet distinct empirical contexts, where consumers shop for movies to watch on home screens. The first empirical context (discussed in the second study in this thesis) lies in an observational setting, where we studied individual level clickstream and transactional data from a Video-on- Demand service platform operated by a large telecommunication service provider. Later in the third study, we created an artificial movie market and leveraged a randomized web experiment to further study the research questions with more solid identification support. We find that, in both contexts, consumers seem to start by browsing products they heard about from friends. The popularity signals become more relevant when consumers getting closer to the point of purchase. The results have important managerial implications to online vendors by suggesting a reasonable strategy of providing the most valuable social information at the right time to enhance consumer shopping experiences.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / The purpose of this research is to investigate the effectiveness of an Information Literacy intervention administered to first year Faculty of Business students at Rosebank College Cape Town. The exponential nature of information has led to students having access to abundant information which often comes unfiltered. This requires them to be in possession of life long competencies to find and apply this information to solve problems. Recent shifts in pedagogy and curricula have also precipitated the importance of independent learners who are capable of constructing their own knowledge. Student centred methods of teaching employed in tertiary institutions such as, problem based learning, evidence based learning and inquiry learning have necessitated the importance of Information Literacy training towards the development of independent learners. The study assesses the baseline incoming skills of the Faculty of Business students. Two intervention workshops are conducted for the experimental cohort and a post-test is administered. After the post-test the results of the control and experimental group are compared. The study uses the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for higher education as a theoretical foundation. The standards are applied as benchmarks when assessing the Information Literacy competencies. The study explores the following research questions • Are the Information Literacy interventions administered to the first year business faculty students effective and do they meet the proposed outcomes? • What are the existing Information Literacy competencies of the incoming students in the Faculty of Business? • How should Information Literacy programmes be delivered? • Are the ACRL standards a reliable tool to assess Information Literacy skills and the effectiveness of the interventions administered? The study found out that offering Information Literacy interventions would result in students accumulating these skills. This is supported by the difference in scores between the control group and the experimental cohort. However it must be noted that Information Literacy training is not an event but rather an on-going process.

In the dynamic global environment of today, understanding how travelers acquire information is important for marketing management decisions (Srinivasan 1990; Wilkie and Dickson 1985). For destination marketing managers, understanding information search behavior of travelers is crucial for designing effective marketing communication campaigns because information search represents the primary stage at which marketing can provide information and influence travelers' vacation decisions. Therefore, conceptual and empirical examinations of tourist information search behavior have a long tradition in tourism marketing literature (Etzel and Wahlers, 1985; Fodness and Murray, 1997, 1998, 1999; Perdue, 1985; Schul and Crompton, 1983; Snepenger and Snepenger 1993; Woodside and Ronkainen, 1980). Even though several studies examined travelers information search behavior and the factors that are likely to affect it, they all examined travelers' prior product knowledge as a uni-dimensional construct, most often referred to as destination familiarity or previous trip experiences (Woodside and Ronkainen, 1980). However, consumer behavior literature suggests that the prior product knowledge is not a uni-dimensional construct (Alba and Hutchinson). Alba and Hutchinson (1987) propose that prior product knowledge has two major components, familiarity and expertise, and cannot be measured by a single indicator. In addition, in tourism, little research has been done on the factors that are likely to influence travelers' prior product knowledge and, therefore, their information search behavior. The purpose of this study is to examine travelers' information search behavior by studying the effects of travelers' familiarity and expertise on their information search behavior and identifying the factors that are likely to influence travelers' familiarity and expertise and their information search behavior. A travelers' information search behavior model and a measurement instrument to assess the constructs of the model were designed for the use of this study. The model proposed that the type of information search (internal and/or external) that is likely to be utilized will be influenced by travelers' familiarity and expertise. In addition, travelers' involvement, learning, prior visits and cost of information search are proposed to influence travelers' familiarity and their information search behavior. Even though a very complex travelers' information search behavior model was proposed, only the effects of travelers' prior product knowledge (familiarity and expertise) on travelers' information search behavior were empirically tested due to the complex nature of the model. First the proposed measurement scales were pretested on 224 consumers. After making sure that proposed measures of each construct were valid and reliable, a survey of 470 consumers of travel/tourism services who reside in Virginia was conducted. Structural Equation Modeling (i.e., LISREL) analysis was performed to test the fit of the model. Results of the study confirmed that travelers' prior product knowledge has two components, familiarity and expertise, and expertise is a function of familiarity. Both familiarity and expertise affect travelers' information search behavior. While the effect of familiarity on internal search is positive and on external search is negative, the effect of expertise on internal search is negative and on external search is positive. The study identified a U-shaped relationship between travelers' prior product knowledge and external information search. At early stages of learning (low familiarity), travelers are likely to rely on external information sources to make their vacation decisions. As their prior product knowledge (familiarity) increases they tend to make their vacation decisions based on what is in their memory, therefore, reliance on external information sources decreases. However, as they learn more (become experts), they realize that they need more detailed information to make their vacation decisions. As a result, they start searching for additional external information to make their vacation decisions. / Ph. D.

In today's era of intense competition for acquiring and retaining customers, customer retention has become a major issue and a key objective in modern retailing. With the emergence of new information technologies, the Internet offers new possibilities for customer retention through the management of relationships between marketers and consumers. Little empirical research has addressed the role of Internet websites in retaining customers for particular brands or at particular stores. The purpose of this research was to determine the effects of the attitudes of a sample of young consumers aged 18 to 22 toward their favorite websites on intentions to purchase through the Internet and channels other than Internet clothing websites. The data were collected using an online survey with a structured questionnaire. The subjects of the study were 414 male and female undergraduate and graduate students at Virginia Tech and The Ohio State University, who were aged 18 to 22 and non-married. Several hypotheses were put forward and results except for one hypothesis were supported. Factor analysis, cluster analysis, factorial MANOVA, canonical correlation analysis, multiple regression, path analysis, and t-tests were employed to test the research hypotheses on the relationships among the variables. The factorial MANOVA results showed that shopping orientation and previous online shopping experience affected the evaluation of general clothing website characteristics, as well as the evaluation of favorite clothing websites. The canonical correlation results revealed that the product information, customer service, and navigation factors represented the favorite clothing website characteristics and were well predicted by the same constructs of the general clothing website characteristics. The path analysis revealed that attitudes toward favorite clothing websites were positively related to intentions to search for information at favorite clothing websites, and that intentions to search for information at those websites were positively related to intentions to purchase from those websites as well as from channels other than Internet clothing websites. Attitudes toward favorite clothing websites were directly and positively related to intentions to purchase clothing items from favorite clothing websites, and were not directly related to intentions to purchase clothing items from channels other than Internet clothing websites. The results also showed that shopping orientation affected intentions to search for information on one hand, and intentions to purchase clothing items from favorite clothing websites on the other. The online information search and purchase groups were significantly different in their intentions to purchase clothing items from their favorite clothing websites. From the results of the present research, it is concluded that Internet websites play a pivotal role in forming consumers� attitude toward the websites, which eventually lead to their information search and purchase intention from the websites. In addition, consumers' online information search intentions influence their purchase intention at channels other than Internet. Thus, by establishing effective websites, marketers can retain their customers through multiple channels including the Internet, brick-and-mortar stores, and catalogs. / Ph. D.

This study examines adolescent students at an American international school and observes student use of social networking programs as well as physical actions in the search process. The study specifically observed multitasking behavior and organizational skills among students, as well as linkages made through social networking sites. Student observations, student interviews, analysis of Facebook entries, and a survey on multitasking yielded rich data. Students appear to be far more organized than previously suggested in the literature, and in this study, the organization proved to be largely self-taught. Students used their social networks to build a kind of group expertise that compensated for their youthful naivety. Students exhibited self-control within the search to the degree that they could focus on what they wanted to find, and they used heuristics—mental shortcuts—to achieve what they needed. Searches also suggest creativity in that students were flexible in their search methods and used a number of tools to gather information. Students could balance the needs of the academic or imposed search with their own online lives, meaning that they made compensations for social media and media multitasking when it was deemed necessary.