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Computer mediated communication (CMC) technologies have benefited business organizations in many ways. Although there have been numerous studies on email use, studies have only begun to emerge regarding use patterns of instant messaging (IM). This study investigated the use of email and IM within two different cultural settings: United States and Taiwan. Students enrolled in MIS courses from each country were split randomly into the IM and email groups for a problem-solving assignment. The variations of communication outcomes (as measured in volume, quality, and use satisfaction), are checked against two categorical variables (i.e., culture and communication tools), and at the same time controlled for perception on tool ease of use. Results show that culture and communication tools jointly affect all three outcome variables individually. The main effects were also statistically significant for volume and quality, but not for satisfaction. Respondents from different cultures prefer different communication methods, which are also collectively constrained by other factors like preference over contextual information and social norms. Such a difference in media preference, combined with media traitsjointly affects the outcomes of communication. Managerial implications are provided. Keywords: Communication Tools, Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), Cross-Cultural Studies, Instant Messaging (IM), Media Richness Theory (MRT), INTRODUCTION Issues about technology use in different cultures are becoming more important due to increasing reliance on global work teams in today's business environment (Huang & Yen, 2003). Business partners [...]

Knowledge management (KM) infrastructure is the foundation for managing and embodying valuable knowledge in firms. Based on the resource-based view (RBV) and process level analysis, this study investigates how KM infrastructure influences market interrelationship performance through innovative business processes. The study collected a sample of 126 hospitals in the Taiwanese healthcare industry. The results suggest that technological capability and cultural capability positively affect market interrelationships via innovative business processes. Cultural capability is associated with market interrelationship performance whereas structural capability is unrelated to innovative business processes. The findings advance understanding of the influence of KM infrastructure on market interrelationship performance as well as provide managerial insights on the influence of innovative business processes on market interrelationships performance. Keywords: Innovative Business Processes, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Management Infrastructure, Market Interrelationships, Technological Capability, INTRODUCTION Knowledge is one of the most valuable resources for organizations owing to the barriers that exist in its transfer and replication by competitors (Alavi & Leidner, 1999a, 2001). Knowledge [...]

Business-to-business (B2B) transactions supported by the World Wide Web (Web) have become a major portion of e-commerce transactions. Despite growth, knowledge of the degree of Web site support capabilities in the B2B transaction process is limited. This paper longitudinally compares how Web sites supported the B2B transaction process in New Zealand and Taiwan between 2001 and 2007. The results indicate that, on average, New Zealand Web sites scored higher than those in Taiwan in both years. Yet, the rate of improvement of Taiwanese Web site scores is significant. Specifically, the support capability of several Web functions, including privacy, company information, financial information and product catalog has improved over the study period. The authors found that the sampled Web sites in New Zealand and Taiwan provide different support capabilities to the activities in the B2B transaction process. Taiwanese Web sites are more concerned with providing after-sale services via the Internet whereas New Zealand Web sites are more concerned with sharing information. These two countries ' Web sites share a similar focus on supporting B2B transactions, which provides strong support for users to conduct product promotion and information provision related activities over the Web. Based on these findings, this study suggests several implications for associated academics and practitioners. Keywords: Business-to-Business E-Commerce, Longitudinal Study, Sell-Side Web Site, Transaction Process, Web Site Evaluation, INTRODUCTION Business-to-business (B2B) transactions supported by the World Wide Web (Web) have become a major portion of all e-commerce transactions (Albrecht, Dean, & Hansen, 2005). The growth of B2B e-commerce [...]

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) play a vital and pervasive role in the current development of Taiwan's economy. Recently, the application of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have enabled large enterprises to have direct contact with their clients via e-commerce technology, which has led to even fiercer competition among the SMEs. This study develops and tests a theoretical model including critical factors which influence ERP adoption in Taiwan's SMEs. Specifically, four dimensions, including CEO characteristics, innovative technology characteristics, organizational characteristics, and environmental characteristics, are empirically examined. The results of a mail survey indicate that the CEO's attitude towards information technology (IT) adoption, the CEO's IT knowledge, the employees' IT skills, business size, competitive pressure, cost, complexity, and compatibility are all important determinants in ERP adoption for SMEs. The authors' results are compared with research on IT adoption in SMEs based in Singapore and the United States, while implications of the results are also discussed. Keywords: E-Commerce Technology, Enterprise Resource Planning, Information Technology Adoption, Innovation Diffusion, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, INTRODUCTION In recent years, the evolution and application of information technology (IT) have enabled large enterprises to gain the capability of contacting clients directly via e-Commerce technology. In order to [...]

Objective and Method. We have previously successfully applied the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) H system to assess the severity of patients with acute paraquat poisoning, and this article investigates further evidence of the usefulness of APACHE H system in predicting the in-hospital mortality of 64 patients with acute paraquat poisoning over a period of 12 years. The predictive factors including APACHE II score, plasma paraquat concentration, severity index of paraquat poisoning (SIPP), and estimated ingestion dosage of paraquat for evaluating the outcome in paraquat-poisoned patients were assessed. Results. Overall mortality was 71.9%: 46 out of 64 patients died. Non-survivors (n = 46) had a higher APACHE II score (23.3 [+ or -] 12.7) than survivors (n = 18) (6.1 [+ or -] 4.2) (p < 0.001). The plasma paraquat concentration, SIPP, and estimated ingestion dosage of paraquat were significantly higher in non-survivors than in survivors (p < 0.05, in all comparisons). By multiple logistic regression analysis, only the APACHE II score and peak data of blood sugar in 24 h after admission were capable of predicting in-hospital mortality. By using the area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AURC), the APACHE II system yielded better discriminative power (AURC = 0.893) than SIPP (AURC = 0.674), plasma paraquat concentration (AURC = 0.676), and estimated ingestion dosage of paraquat (AURC = 0.673). An APACHE II score greater than 13 predicted in-hospital mortality with 67% sensitivity and 94% specificity. Conclusions. The APACHE II score is a simple, reproducible, and practical tool for evaluating the severity of acute paraquat poisoning. Keywords Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; Paraquat; Poisoning, INTRODUCTION We previously successfully applied the Acute Physiology & Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) system to assess the severity and prognosis of 58 patients with acute paraquat poisoning between [...]

ABSTRACTAdopting theoretical foundations of the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and technology task fit theory, this study investigates how business managers in different management levels determine BDA use. The major findings suggest that low-level and middle-level managers decide the use of the BDA system from different perspectives. Low-level managers consider individual performance more important in their decision while the middle-level managers believe in organizational readiness and relational knowledge. Also, the relationship between data integrity and data compatibility is greater for the lower-level, while that between data timeliness and data compatibility is more substantial for the middle-level. Concerning the effect of data quality on individual performance, the middle-level perceive data compatibility and data accuracy as more important than the lower-level managers.