Search

Digital markets have proliferated in recent years, overcoming many market inefficiencies by facilitating direct interactions between consumers and creators. Thanks to this disintermediation, consumers now have access to a vast number of alternatives, while creators can efficiently reach huge markets. However, the success of digital markets has created a concomitant challenge for creators: differentiation. In crowded markets, agencies (e.g., publishing companies in books, freelance agencies in online labor markets, independent labels in music) can differentiate creators by signaling product quality. But how do agencies' reputations affect product success for creators? Can some agencies do more harm than good? To investigate these research questions, we theorize how variation in creator and agency reputation leads to asymmetric and heterogeneous effects, namely that (1) more reputable agencies have a stronger positive effect on less reputable creators than they have on more reputable creators, and (2) less reputable agencies hurt more reputable creators more than they hurt less reputable ones. Analyses of more than one million observations from two digital markets provide empirical support for these theory-driven arguments. The findings have design implications for markets and contribute to our understanding of how agencies, depending on creator reputation, can either benefit or hurt product success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of "disintermediation" is one of the instruments used to interpret recent developments in politics and communication, especially in digital media. Our thesis is that the concept of "disintermediation" can be considered from two different perspectives. On the one hand, it can be interpreted in the strict historically established sense. On this basis it may be argued that the internet has contributed to "disintermediate" traditional intermediaries, surpassing in part the traditional intermediaries of the twentieth century (such as journalists). On the other, "disintermediation" can be seen in broader, etymological, absolute and non-relative terms. In this sense, the concept of "disintermediation" is no longer appropriate and consequently, based on experimental results and a theoretical analysis of small and large digital intermediaries, we shall propose the concept of "neointermediation." This article presents the characteristics of neointermediaries, which are concentrating more and more power and are of two sizes: small and large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This viewpoint article proposes an enabling framework that identifies the use of various blockchain technologies in tourism and their applications (digitalization, automation, disintermediation, and intelligent environment) across the different stages of travel (pre-trip, during the trip, and post-trip). As we know, the tourism sector contributes immensely to world GDP and job creation. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, even after two years since it first appeared, continues to adversely impact the tourism prospects of countries across the world due to nationwide lockdowns and travel restrictions. As the world tries to adapt to the "new normal," the tourism sector is forced to re-think its ways of doing business and bring about innovations to facilitate the new norms of contactless and safe transactions. Also, the sector, more than ever, need to effectively deal with its inherent challenges such as transparency and credibility of information, fraudulent practices, opportunistic behavior of intermediaries, and foreign currency risks. Blockchain technology can transform the tourism sector by offering innovative solutions that address its pressing issues. However, our current understanding of blockchain application in tourism is quite limited, with previous work being largely fragmented and narrow in terms of both scope and application. We foresee that the insights offered in this viewpoint, including the framework, will advance both theory and practice and facilitate the implementation of blockchain-enabled solutions across different travel stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a 2016 acceptance speech during the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards, actor and activist Jesse Williams used the phrase "gentrifying our genius" to refer to the insidious process of misappropriating the cultural and artistic productions of Black creators, inventors, and innovators. In that speech, he poignantly and unapologetically condemned racial discrimination and cultural misappropriation. This Article chronicles the nefarious history of the creative disempowerment of creators of color and then imagines an empowering future for those who successfully exploit their creations by fully leveraging copyright ownership and transfer termination. To that end, I reference the considerable scholarship of Professor K.J. Greene, which explores and challenges cultural misappropriation of Black musicians and composers, and build upon my own scholarship that explores the copyright transfer termination right as a potential legal tool for social and economic justice for creatives of color. I also reference an empirical study titled U.S. Copyright Termination Notices 1977- 2020 : Introducing New Datasets, to explore data and extrapolations regarding likely impacts of § 203 terminations since 2013. In this Article, I explore the paths of artists who leveraged opportunity through assignments and licenses and, later, artists who exercised their termination rights to secure a better deal with the original transferee, terminated and entered into contracts with other transferees, or went it alone and exploited their copyrights on their own. The termination right clearly benefits all copyright creators; however, members Of marginalized and disenfranchised communities may stand to benefit even more from the second bite of the copyright apple. I assert that utilizing blockchain's decentralized technology, smart contracts, and non-fungible token standards can better protect Black artists against disenfranchisement at the hands Of a codified system Of intentional friction to discourage or deny the reclamation of rights. Accordingly, in Part H, I examine the history in America and throughout the African diaspora of cultural misappropriation and critique the gentrification of Black creative genius. I explore gentrification as it is applied more broadly to real property and then discuss its application to intellectual property, generally, and copyright specifically. In Part III, I discuss the subject matter Of copyright protection and the nature and mechanics of the transfer termination right. Specifically, I examine the history, purpose, and congressional intent of the right, as well as the method and the complexities of timing Of notice and termination. In Part IV, 1 examine the pre-window fervor and speculation of stakeholder commentators around the likely impact of § 203 terminations prior to 2013. I examine the actual impact since 2013 and a forecast Of likely trends, as described in the termination notices study, written by Joshua Yuvaraj, Rebecca Giblin, Daniel Russo-Batterham & Genevieve Grant. Finally, in Part V, I discuss the role that blockchain technology, smart contract code, and non-fungible token standards could play in automating codified protections. Removing the educational and legalistic barriers to exercising one's termination rights and automating the transfer termination process could ensure that all artists have actual-not theoretical-rights, especially disenfranchised creatives victimized first by powerful industry intermediaries and then by the copyright regime created by those same industry stakeholders (and blessed by Congress) to protect industry, rather than creator, interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies increasingly tender knowledge-intensive tasks using crowdsourcing platforms to gain access to scarce knowledge and skills otherwise out of reach, and in this way, gaining competitive advantage. Despite its potential, existing crowdsourcing platforms encounter several challenges, including (1) fragmentation of expertise, as there are many platforms, (2) distrust between task providers and crowdsourcing participants, as identity and past performance are often not known, and (3) inability to learn from experience due to a lack of openness. A reference architecture for blockchain-based knowledge-intensive crowdsourcing platforms to mediate transactions between demand and supply of knowledge is designed in this paper to overcome these challenges. A design science research method is followed to develop the architecture. The reference architecture shows how blockchain and smart contract components can be integrated to support and coordinate knowledge-intensive crowdsourcing activities. By removing traditional e-commerce intermediaries, blockchain reduces search friction, knowledge transfer costs, and cheating by task providers or crowdsourcing participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical tourism (MT) is a promising industry that has shown significant growth in the past few decades. Patients often travel abroad to seek treatment, conventional and otherwise due to a myriad of reasons. The reasons include but are not limited to rising costs in their home country, experimental treatments only available abroad or better standards of care. However, MT has also created room for intermediaries to grow. These intermediaries are known as medical tourism facilitators (MTF), and as the name suggests, they provide patients services to make their experience easier and more convenient. MTFs often under deliver on their claims to the detriment of the patient. Given the varying legal jurisdiction, the sensitive nature of the healthcare process, and the arduous process of seeking and claiming settlements, most medical tourists are unlikely to pursue cases where they have been cheated. To understand the system of MT and the key issues faced by stakeholders, we used Value Focussed Thinking (VFT). VFT assists to arrive at the fundamental objectives that need to be addressed for mitigating these problems of MT. Based on the findings of VFT; we present a linkage or equivalence between the fundamental objectives for mitigating the problems of MT through Blockchain Technology. We present our findings on how Blockchain Technology can assist to increase disintermediation, transparency, and trust by bringing in aspects of optimizing time and efforts; optimizing expense required to settle disputes, automating disbursement of payments and enforcing mutually accepted agreements among other benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disintermediation, which refers to dealing with customers directly through the e-booking platform, has been gradually embraced by travel product suppliers in recent years to avoid high distribution costs of the intermediaries. Additionally, the ever-increasing number of mobile users has encouraged suppliers to develop mobile-friendly websites to satisfy the needs of this growing sector. However, in the previous research, disintermediation has only been studied in the desktop technology context, while the impact of disintermediation in the mobile technology era still remains largely unknown. This study aims at filling this gap by revisiting the topic of disintermediation in the mobile technology context. 502 travellers from Hong Kong with Internet air ticket purchase experience participated in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Española de Documentación Científica is the property of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Community-based platforms (CBPs) such as Uber and Airbnb are increasingly prevalent in modern society. Inherent disintermediation and informality render these web-based systems especially attractive in the eyes of consumers, while exacerbating old problems and spawning new challenges. This study posits CBPs as ethically and morally questionable, and thus as controversial consumption schemes. Drawing on the neutralization theory research stream, this study seeks to identify how supporters and users justify the existence of controversial consumption systems such as CBPs. Our results show that, to justify CBPs, supporters and users both tend to depend heavily on neutralization techniques such as appealing to higher loyalties, condemnation of condemners, denial of victims, denial of responsibility and invocation of normalcy. Interestingly, these techniques are used in conjunction with non-neutralization techniques to defend controversial collaborative services such as Uber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contrasts, and critically evaluates, the Irish regulatory regimes for building control and food safety. It concludes that the systems are similar in design, but vary greatly in implementation, drawing on analysis of enforcement statistics published by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and obtained from building control authorities. It is argued that regulatory systems require enforcement and oversight in order to verify consistency of decisionmaking, compliance with their own rules and standards, and overall effectiveness, and that this lack of emphasis on enforcement and oversight is a significant failing in the Irish building control system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to housing is a crucial issue worldwide. It is still under discussion whether collaborative economy is enhancing or, on the contrary, constraining access. In this context, the concept of 'collaborative housing' (collaborative economy applied to the funding, access and organisation of housing) arises to address a range of situations that might potentially help people to access housing, such as co-housing or the so-called 'intermediate tenures'. Disintermediation through blockchain technology, and the resultant effect of a reduction in the transaction costs of access to housing, is one of those trends regarding collaborative housing. Accordingly, the adaptation of the disintermediation mechanism to the real estate conveyance and land registry, as in many other sectors of the collaborative economy, is timely. This can be achieved by exploring the potential of this mechanism in enhancing traditional methods of this sector through possible technological solutions. This paper presents a preliminary discussion on the different types of collaborative housing and the potentials of the blockchain technology to facilitate access to housing in relation to real estate conveyancing and registration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ensayos Sobre Política Económica is the property of Banco de la Republica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Bypass, which consists of intentionally circumventing a collaborative platform in the final transaction phase, represents a threat for commission-based platforms. This paper examines collaborative consumers' motivations to bypass and proposes a conceptual model explaining bypass intention. Multigroup analysis of 549 UK respondents (310 accommodation-rental users; 239 ride-sharing users) using PLS-SEM shows that perceived enjoyment and perceived risk are strong predictors of bypass intention. Our findings also confirm the significant impact of economic benefit influencing bypass decisions, both directly and indirectly, by reducing perceived risk and increasing perceived enjoyment. This study extends the literature on collaborative consumers' bypass motivations, identifying an interplay of utilitarian motive (economic benefit), hedonic motive (perceived enjoyment), and perceived risk. It also contributes to the field of misbehaviors in hospitality and tourism, by showing empirically the link between pleasure and deviance. Finally, it helps platforms to determine the types of exchange that are more prone to bypass. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of hospitality distribution has experienced profound changes within the last few decades. With the evolution and spread of internet, a substantial number of consumers started to use electronic channels for hotel bookings. This has resulted in disintermediation of traditional offline travel agencies. Yet, it has also initiated a new type of middleman to emerge and grow. Much powerful than its former version, online travel agencies (OTAs) bring about some benefits but also challenges particularly for small and medium sized independent hotels (SMHEs). This paper focuses on the difficulties SMHEs face during this transformation. The characteristics of SMHEs, the evolution of channels and the role of OTAs were discussed based on a qualitative study. 22 SMHE managers were interviewed about their perceptions of OTAs and challenges with reintermediation. Based on the data the challenges were grouped under; complexity, dependency, unfair competition and commodification. Solutions to complications of reintermediation for SMHEs and directions for future research are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain technology, along with distributed ledger technology (DLT), has caused quite a stir over the last year as many experts now consider that it has the potential for facilitating multiple bursts of creativity and catalysing an exceptional level of digital innovation not seen since the advent of the Internet. Of all sectors, the financial one in particular is very likely to be the most impacted by the technology's potential for disruption. In this article, we first present the essential aspects of the new transactional model that DLT brings about. We then outline what we estimate to be the main areas of applications of DLT to finance, whether for capital markets or corporates. Last but not least, we attempt to evaluate the likely impact of DLT on financial markets, with a particular focus on the post-trade infrastructure for which DLT seems particularly promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difference between bank-based and market-based financial systems is a longstanding and influential conceptual staple of the interdisciplinary literature on finance. This dualistic model has been subjected to wide-ranging critiques over the past decade. Yet, while those critiques productively problematize the relationship between banks and markets presumed by the model, they fail to address the underlying distinction between banks and markets that is also presumed by the model. This article questions that distinction. It argues that financial markets are best understood not as places or platforms where banks and other financial actors come to interact – and thus as essentially separate from banks – but, instead, as, in large part, their interaction; as constituted by it. The article further argues for the political as well as scholarly importance of reconfiguring our ideas of what financial markets are. The idea of markets as separate, reified phenomena not only underpins the scholarly model of bank- and market-based financial systems – it does political work in the wider world, with the appeal to financial markets or, more nebulously, “the market” to rationalize and justify political decision-making having become a commonplace of contemporary public policy discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the attitudes of different groups of travellers for and against the disintermediation of travel agencies. In the travel and tourism sector, the way in which people plan, buy and consume tourism products has been deeply transformed by the Internet and usergenerated content (UGC), thus challenging the role of traditional travel agencies. A web-based survey was carried out among Spanish consumers whose last hotel reservation was made through the Internet. A convenience sample of 986 complete questionnaires was obtained. Multivariate tests were used first to analyse the relationship and dependency between socio-demographic variables and second to look for significant differences between occasional, moderate and frequent buyers regarding their positive and negative perceptions of hotel reservations' disintermediation process. The findings reveal that significant differences exist between online buyers based on their sociodemographic characteristics and their online purchase experience, whereas they do not differ based on their likelihood of being influenced by UGC in their final choices. Another interesting finding is that the Internet is most frequently used for hotel reservations in short-term leisure and short-haul travel. Implications for travel agency managers are discussed and suggestions for further research are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teleradiology services are now embedded into the workflow of many radiology practices in the United States, driven largely by an expanding corporate model of services. This has brought opportunities and challenges to both providers and recipients of teleradiology services and has heightened the need to create best-practice guidelines for teleradiology to ensure patient primacy. To this end, the ACR Task Force on Teleradiology Practice has created this white paper to update the prior ACR communication on teleradiology and discuss the current and possible future state of teleradiology in the United States. This white paper proposes comprehensive best-practice guidelines for the practice of teleradiology, with recommendations offered regarding future actions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This essay attempts to uncover the impacts of disintermediation in copyright law. I argue that contrary to the common view, within the political economy of networked communication platforms and the Internet, disintermediation in copyright law does not necessarily lead to its expected outcomes. Disintermediation may undermine cultural diversity, decentralization and authors' welfare no less than the traditional corporate media proprietary model. My analysis focuses on the manner in which disintermediation in copyright law tends to stimulate concentrated markets, which channel audience attention to a handful of mega networked intermediaries. The market and media power, which is then held by these intermediaries, has several adverse effects, including: undermining creators' bargaining position; deflated investment in cultural production and finally, extreme reliance on business models of free--yet commodified--distribution of content. These business models, which are based mostly on advertisement revenues, tend to lean toward narrow, limited and homogenous cultural production. From a broader perspective, I argue that, as opposed to the common view, there is no direct correlation between lessening of copyright protection and the proliferation of content flow and distribution channels. The reason is that among other functions, copyright law is also a mechanism that regulates power relationships between different institutions and actors in media markets. Regarding this capacity, extreme concentration of media power could derive not only from excessive copyright protection, but also from excessive ability to freely utilize content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National entrepreneurial radiology companies have evolved over the past 3 decades. In the 1990s, a few initiatives were established to implement business principles and reward shareholders with gains derived from management expertise, practice efficiencies, and economies of scale. The next decade saw the emergence of night call coverage and “specialty read” companies. As the market for these services became saturated, the established corporate entities scrambled to find new revenue streams. Hospital radiology contracts were the obvious source for this needed capital. The pursuit of these contracts led to aggressive, nontraditional competition. If radiologists are to respond appropriately, they must understand the reasons behind the strategies used by these national entrepreneurial radiology companies. The author explores the goals and actions of these entities and describes why hospitals may find these national companies to be an attractive alternative to their incumbent radiology practices. Both the benefits and the problems associated with entrepreneurial companies are covered, and concepts such as disintermediation are discussed. Finally, the author suggests appropriate actions for radiologists seeking to retain their hospital contracts. Nontraditional competition is now a way of life for many radiology practices. Relationships, subspecialization, service, and measurable quality indicators are the foundation for the maintenance of tenure at hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption in varying degrees exists' in almost all countries. But its alarmingly high levels and persistence in developing countries such as India is a cause for deep concern. Indeed, international agencies and governments are continually engaged in devising new strategies to check corruption. Although e-government has held much promise in this regard, its impact on developing country corruption presents a mixed picture. The paper connects to the relevant theories and posits a conceptual model of e-government impact on corruption. In addition, a few Indian case-studies are re-visited and their outcomes with regard to corruption are analyzed afresh in terms of the conceptual model This paper should help e-government impact research to move forward from non-theory to theory driven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Undergraduates face many challenges in their future working environment, not least are the ramifications of technological development. Within the study of e-commerce, this paper reviews the concepts of integration, disintermediation and reintermediation in the outbound marketplace, providing an overview which undergraduates might themselves compile. Their learning from the relevant first-year module is then assessed, including background features such as prior academic study of tourism and possession of employment experience. What emerges is that not all students comprehend these terms and that examples are of paramount value in aiding learning. These are the industry’s future managers and, therefore, understanding key conceptual material is of critical importance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article examines the potential use of innovative legal structures in enabling microfinance loans to be funded directly from lower-cost capital market sources in the U.S. It explores some legal and business issues of first impression that could be raised from capital market approaches. Moreover, it is noted that disintermediation through securitization can be considered as an economically viable substitute to commercial bank intermediation.

Abstract: The traditional chemical distribution industry is a multi-billion dollar business and with the introduction of Electronic Business-to-Business (e-B2B) exchanges to the global chemical industry there is some concern about the future roles of traditional intermediaries (TI). The objectives of this research paper are to investigate the possibility of disintermediation of roles of TI by e-B2B exchanges and to identify the value adding role of TI as perceived by chemical distributors and buyers. If these value adding roles may be the key to future survival for TI in the marketplace. International data collected from e-B2B exchanges, chemical distributors and buyers are used. Content analysis of e-B2B exchanges was conducted while survey questionnaires were used for distributors and buyers using a cross-sectional approach. The research shows that whilst the e-B2B exchanges have a role to play in the chemical supply chain management there were still sub-functions which the buyers viewed that the TI could offer to them. So the supplier–buyer relationships could be maintained between the buyers and the TI, at least for the time being, until newer business models of e-B2B exchanges begins to compete with the TI’s to offer these sub-functions. The research holds valuable implications for TI in the chemical industry regarding the need for differentiation with a view building new competences to survive the encroachment of their traditional business base by e-B2B exchanges. The impact of e-B2B exchanges on TI in the chemical industry has not previously been studied in-depth. This paper provides new knowledge and makes a contribution by providing evidence of evolution in the chemical distribution channels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Revue d'Economie Politique is the property of Editions Dalloz Sirrey and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the structural changes witnessed, particularly during post-liberalization phases the possibility of disintermediation in commercial banking sector in India cannot be ruled out. With a set of secondary sources of data for 28 years divided equally into pre and post-liberalization phases, this article tries to trace the evidence of disintermediation, if any in banking industry with respect to their deposit taking and loan disbursal activities. Quadratic trend analysis is made for the four indices developed for the purpose of the study. It is observed that there has been a significant structural shift in household savings in the form of bank deposits from preliberalization to post-liberalization period. The impact of shifting away from commercial banks to other intermediary institutions on either deposit or loan function of the banks is not clearly visible. Indices meant to capture the impact of capital market growth on the prime business of commercial banks provide some evidences of disintermediation. Further, when analysed separately for the two phases, the result demonstrates that this phenomenon has taken place during pre-liberalisation only, re-establishes the supremacy of banking in postliberalisation phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about the confluence of a number of factors that have each experienced a rapid rate of change in the last 15 years. Combined, they continue to modify the business of shipping in the early 21st Century. The areas in which I see the most pronounced commercial change are: ◻ Trade -◻ Shifting geography - ◻ The ship owners - ◻ The operation of ships - ◻ The financing of ships- ◻ Disintermediation - ◻ Freight markets - ◻ New Players - ◻ Industry Governance and Regulation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a parsimonious research model that assists in the study of infomediary roles in B2C ECommerce, their level of integration and sophistication, and their impact on infomediary performance and customers' satisfaction. After an extensive literature review, discovery, facilitation, and support roles were identified as the main roles that infomediaries perform in the B2C e-commerce arena. Based on a sample of 150 infomediaries from three industries namely automobile, retail, and travel, four hypotheses related to the research model were tested. Results suggest that infomediaries with high integration and sophistication level are found in the retail industry. In addition, not all infomediary roles exhibit the same level of integration and sophistication across the three selected industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital invasion of recent years has shaken librarianship. This paper tries to look at some important issues of information management in libraries in the light of such invasion. The issues discussed are digital decay as against paper decay, accessibility interpretation in digital world, utility of e-journals, gray content boom, problems of access to excess, human dependence of information sharing and collaboration, disintermediation and identity crises problems of librarianship, drawbacks of OPACs, etc. as a consequence of digitisation in libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article gives an overview of home-based travel agencies/agents (HBTAs) in conjunction with the theory of home-based businesses and the disintermediation of the travel distribution channel. HBTAs originated in the US two decades ago and have since become the fastest growing segment of the travel distribution sector and one of its highest yielding distribution channels. The article uses a case study approach to illustrate two defining characteristics of the HBTA phenomenon: (1) the interplay of HBTAs with larger players (i.e., host agencies) in the marketplace and (2) the dependence of HBTAs upon information and communication technologies (ICTs). The recognition of the significance of the HBTA segment adds new perspectives to the debate on the disintermediation effect of ICTs on the travel distribution channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Started in 1997, WashingtonOnline Virtual Campus (WAOL) consists of a consortium of 34 community colleges around Washington State to provide asynchronous online learning. WAOL bears many of the features of a loosely coupled organization with its geographically dispersed frontline instructors, fragmented external environment, modularity of courses and supervision, and its use of enhanced leadership and technology to communicate a culture. Recent surveys of its administration, instructors, and staff found disparities in various constituencies' perspectives on the organization's culture, decision-making, values, brand or reputation, communications, and WAOL's authorizing environment. Research suggest s that WAOL benefits from some aspects of loose coupling: greater adaptive abilities and responsiveness to the State's college system; "fast" course development and launching; and isolated breakdowns. There is, however, a persistent difficulty in conveying a cohesive culture. There is a perception of WAOL's invisibility among its varied constituencies. This organization is at a crossroads, with the threat of colleges disconnecting from this consortium. WAOL should redefine its direction and purpose, such as coupling with local universities to provide not only associates degrees but full Baccalaureate and/or Masters degrees. It may strengthen its position by improving learner supports, publicizing its decisions, creating a stronger sense of virtual community among the instructors (as in its recent creation of an online community for instructors), increased participative decision-making and use of line faculty and staff insights, and greater course varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trend of massive disintermediation is threatening the livelihood of travel agents. This paper investigates the disintermediation of travel agents in the hospitality industry when hotels take distribution back into their own hands by setting up websites that allow guests to make bookings online. We analyze the factors affecting an agent''s possible responses to a hotel''s destructive acts, and put forward suggestions to agents to fight against the trend of disintermediation. We also point out what hotels can do to improve the quality of their relationship with their agents should they decide to launch their online channel. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hitherto, the travel distribution role has been performed by traditional outgoing travel agents , tour operators and incoming travel agencies. They were supported by computer reservation systems, global distribution systems (GDSs) or tour operators’ videotext systems (or leisure travel networks). These traditional electronic tourism intermediaries (eMediaries), particularly GDSs, progressively consolidated their position. The Internet created the conditions for the emergence of new eMediaries, based on three ePlatforms, namely the Internet, interactive digital television and mobile devices. New eMediaries include a wide range of organisations including suppliers (e.g. airlines, hotels etc) selling direct on the Internet by allowing users to directly access their reservation systems; web-based travel agents; Internet portals and vortals, and auction sites. The expected proliferation of Digital TV and mCommerce will gradually intensify competition further. As a result, traditional eMediaries must reengineer their business processes in order to survive and remain competitive. This exploratory research identifies experts’ opinions on the future of both new and traditional eMediaries as well as the evolution of their business models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Rethinking Marxist perspectives on labour, value, property and production relations. • Reinterpretation of bourgeois and proletariat in AI and data driven society. • Theoretical challenges faced by labour theory of value and its social and economic implications. AI and big data are not ideologically neutral scientific knowledge that drives economic development and social change. AI is a tool of capitalism which transforms our societies within an environment of technological singularity that helps in the expansion of the capitalist model of economic development. Such a development process ensures the precarity of labour. This article highlights the limits of traditional Marxist conceptualisation of labour, value, property and production relations. It argues for the rethinking of Marxist perspectives on AI led economic development by focusing on conceptual new interpretation of bourgeois and proletariat in the information driven data-based society. This is a conceptual paper which critically outlines different debates and challenges around AI driven big data and its implications. It particularly focuses on the theoretical challenges faced by labour theory of value and its social and economic implications from a critical perspective. It also offers alternatives by analysing future trends and developments for the sustainable use of AI. It argues for developing policies on the use of AI and big data to protect labour, advance human development and enhance social welfare by reducing risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on an original conceptual framework that links cultural capital and pro-active behaviors, this paper investigates whether individuals' cultural capital increases the probability of purchasing tourism services through the Internet. The identification of possible direct channels through which tourism firms can address and attract consumers is particularly relevant for an industry in which re-intermediation processes by big online travel agencies have partly dampened the benefits of disintermediation along the supply chain. Through a Heckman-corrected probit run on year 2016 microdata referred to the Italian population, evidence is found that the cultural participation is associated to individuals' higher probability to purchase tourism services online. This adds some new dimensions to the understanding of factors that have a bearing on online purchasing. • The likelihood of being involved in tourism services online purchasing is investigated. • Cultural capital is an additional driver for online purchases of tourism products. • The impact of cultural capital depends on the characteristics of the cultural goods consumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thorstein Veblen was one of the great scholars of the twentieth century. Indeed, his most famous concept has entered the realm of cliché: conspicuous consumption. Yet the density of his prose has meant that his wider arguments about waste, class and capitalism have not travelled well into the 21st century. Therefore, this article combines the great scholar of the 20th century with one of the oddest products of the 21st century: the iPad. Exploring why the iPad emerged -- in multiple versions -- through the global economic crisis, Veblen's theories of waste gain both renewed effectiveness and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines accelerated ageing and the speed at which new popular culture becomes old popular culture with emphasis on the popularity of singer Lady Gaga. It discusses a movement from popular culture to post-popular culture, the notion that Lady Gaga has activated both disintermediation and deterritorialization and a theory by French sociologist Jean Baudrillard that states that there is a three-layered way to think about life which are the real, the representation and the simulacra.

Disintermediation — the process of removing superfluous agents in a transaction chain — has been a major promise of e-commerce. Disintermediation offers the benefits of lowering prices to consumers and a better information-feedback loop between producers and consumers. In this paper, I propose a systematic model of disintermediation in the recorded-music business. Were such a model successful and tied to digital distribution, prices to consumers would fall considerably, artist compensation would rise, online piracy would drop, and the information-feedback loops necessary for signaling consumer tastes back to artists would become far more efficient as information asymmetries were mitigated. Such a model would leverage recommender systems as a way to determine consumer choices beyond the use of simple sales figures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]