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Abstract. We examine the effect of managerial response on consumer voice in a dynamic quality environment. We argue that the consumer is motivated to write reviews not only because reviews [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.01.016 Byline: Yong Jian Wang (a), Monica D. Hernandez (c), Michael S. Minor (b) Keywords: Web aesthetics; Web atmospherics; Online service quality; Satisfaction; Internet surfer behavior; Internet shopper behavior Abstract: This study examines the effects of the two dimensions of web aesthetics, aesthetic formality and aesthetic appeal, on consumers' perceived online service quality and satisfaction during service encounter. The findings showed that, between task-oriented and task-free consumers, the patterns of the effects of the two dimensions of web aesthetics on perceived online service quality and satisfaction are dissimilar. However, regardless of the presence or absence of purchase tasks, aesthetic formality significantly influences perceived online service quality, and aesthetic appeal significantly influences satisfaction. In addition, the effect of aesthetic appeal on satisfaction is negative for task-oriented consumers. Managerial implications on how to manipulate web aesthetics to achieve superior online service quality and high consumer satisfaction are offered. Author Affiliation: (a) Ohio University, United States (b) University of Texas-Pan American, United States (c) Department of Management and Marketing, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, United States Article History: Received 1 May 2008; Revised 1 September 2008; Accepted 1 January 2009

ABSTRACT Search time is an important determinant of e-service quality. Consumers may abandon slow websites prior to purchase. Much like an index in the back of a book facilitates searching, [...]

Byline: C. Sudhahar, R. Suresh Premil Kumar, V. Senthil, S.R. Devadasan The developments in the field of Information Technology (IT) have been growing exponentially. Because of the power of IT, human kind has been turning its concentration on developing web-based devices. However, amidst this kind of progress, some of the models which have been offering foundational solutions and values are currently facing extinction. The Quality Circle (QC) is one of them. QCs have played vital roles in organisations, bridging theory and practice in providing viable solutions. However, the conventional framework of QCs is not suitable for modern companies, which are increasingly facing tough competition with severe pressure to meet global standards at a quick pace. Realising this situation, in this paper a concept named Web-Based Quality Circle (WQC) is proposed to solve organisational problems through global intellectual capital sharing. The traditional framework of QC is refined and web-based technology is integrated into it to design the WQC framework. After explaining the framework, the working of the WQC is illustrated by presenting the computer screen outputs employed in it. This paper also enumerates the advantages and challenges in successful adoption of WQC.

This paper presents a method for merging Unified Modelling Language (UML) models, which takes place in a quality evaluation framework for Web Services (WSs). This framework, called iTac Tests and Certified Quality of Services (iTac-QoS), is an extended Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI) server using model-based testing to assess quality. Depending on the results of the test execution, a mark is given to the WSs. Until now, our framework was limited to WSs without composition. This was justified by the fact that it is impossible for vendors to create a good model of a foreign product. Our method proposes to automatically merge the models (produced by each vendor) of the WSs involved in the composition. For each type of diagram present in the models (class, instance or statechart diagram), a method is proposed to produce a unique model. In addition to this, a solution is proposed to merge all Object Constraint Language (OCL) codes in the class modelling the WSs under study. Unfortunately, this process introduces inconsistencies in the resulting model that falsify the results of the test generation phase. We thus propose detecting such inconsistencies to distinguish inconsistent and unreachable test targets.

Byline: Henry M. Kim, Arijit Sengupta, Joerg Evermann When describing web services, one of the obvious aspects that need representing is 'Quality of Service' (QoS), the capability of a web service to meet an acceptable level of service as per factors such as availability and accessibility. However, too much of a focus on developing functional QoS ontologies has led to an over-emphasis on representing solely QoS metrics and units of measurement. For instance, what does round trip time actually mean? Is the round trip time of every data item measured? Is it an average, or is every nth item measured? Is it the actual measure that is important or just the percentage of items that are beyond a certain range? Arguably existing QoS ontologies cannot readily answer many of these design questions because these questions have less to do with evaluating QoS and more to do with representing 'what is quality?' Therefore, there is an unmet need for web services ontologies that are designed at a higher level encompassing domain independent concepts, and generally applicable beyond QoS evaluations. The MOQ set of ontologies, designed from the premise that quality is 'conformance to requirements', aims to fill this need. Comprised of ontologies of requirement, measurement, traceability, and quality management systems, MOQ can be extended to encompass QoS metrics and measurement units or be designed to interoperate with existing QoS ontology. The use of MOQ minimises the ambiguity in QoS evaluations.