Sign-up Process Research Articles

Generation Scotland Teenage Recruitment – Creating, evaluating and evolving a study sign-up process in collaboration with study participants and young people

ObjectivesGeneration Scotland (GS) is a family-based genetic epidemiology study. Initial recruitment was ~24,000 adult volunteers from across Scotland in 2006-11 with consent for medical record linkage and re-contact. In 2022 we began recruiting another 20,000, with consent extended to administrative records, with age range now 12+. MethodsPeople join the study and complete a questionnaire online, with postal saliva sample collection for DNA. Initially, the consent process required a parent/guardian to join GS, confirm their 12-15 year-old’s capacity for enduring consent and invite their child to join. After launch, parents and young people fed back that the communication and consent methods had a negative effect on the ability of young people to join GS - impacting their autonomy, as they were unable join GS independently of their parents. ResultsThe GS Team designed a new sign-up process for 12–15 year-olds that allowed the teenager to sign up first and request that their parent agree they have capacity to consent. Creating this process was done in collaboration with the new GS YPAG. This new sign-up process was launched in September 2023. We also enabled sign-up using a mobile phone number instead of an email address. ConclusionCo-design of GS recruitment with young people and parents has greatly improved the sign-up process, making GS the first UK longitudinal study where people aged 12-15 can provide enduring consent online with parental confirmation of their capacity. This provides young people with greater ownership over their ability to take part in health research.

A qualitative study of patients’ perceptions of DASH diet apps for dietary self- management of hypertension in Saudi Arabia

Nutrition smartphone apps have become a popular and readily accessible approach to improving dietary behaviour. Hypertension is often associated with a poor diet, and its prevalence is increasing in Saudi Arabia(1). The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan has been shown to reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension(2). A previous study identified two high-quality, safe, and potentially effective smartphone apps for managing hypertension: NOOM and DASH To TEN(3). This study aimed to explore the potential of these two DASH diet self- management apps for controlling blood pressure in the Saudi Arabian context.Fifteen patients were recruited at King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ten patients had hypertension, and five had prehypertension (mean age = 45). Patients were given the two apps and asked to try each for one week. Focus groups (n=4) were held at the end of the trial to understand the patient perceptions of the apps. Discussions were recorded, and the transcriptions were analysed using a thematic framework analysis(4).The following four themes emerged:1.Managing hypertension through diet was perceived as important. Most patients reported thatadhering to the DASH diet was challenging due to a lack of motivation and willpower,inadequate support from household members, and high prices for healthy food.2.The potential and current reach of dietary apps emerged as a main theme, and manycomments related to patients’ belief that dietary apps could increase their motivation and awareness about the DASH diet. Barriers to the use of apps were also identified including their difficulty of use, a preference for dietetic monitoring, and cost.3.Interactive app functionality was identified as a key theme, as evidenced by comments about a straightforward sign-up process, an extensive food database for dietary self-monitoring, feedback, goal setting, and reminders, considered essential for diet adherence.4.A preference for the NOOM app emerged. Patients perceived the NOOM app more suitable in the Saudi context. Noom was deemed to support DASH self-management because it supports weight reduction, which helps lower blood pressure. NOOM was perceived as highly interactive, offering motivational reminders, feedback, realistic dietary plans, and a comprehensive food database. Patients made several recommendations for app improvement; these included Arabic language support, automatic calculation of sodium and potassium consumption, and lower cost. Patients also expressed a desire for training in the use of the app.This qualitative analysis suggests that the NOOM app could be suitable for use with hypertensive patients in Saudi Arabia. Further research is needed to determine the feasibility and efficacy of long- term use of the NOOM app with a Saudi Arabia population.

Electronic Health Record Adolescent Confidentiality in a Safety Net Setting.

The 21st Century Cures Act provides improved access to one's medical record but presents new challenges to adolescent confidentiality in the domain of health care information technology. Adolescent patients, who have the right to confidential care in certain areas as dictated by state law, face the prospect of parents and guardians erroneously accessing their confidential health information. Our institution, the largest safety net hospital in our region, sought to quantify the proportion of adolescent patient portal accounts likely being accessed by guardians and to implement corrective measures for the patient portal sign-up process in our electronic health record (EHR) system. We manually reviewed our institution's adolescent patient portal accounts based on email addresses associated with adolescents' accounts. We implemented EHR changes to address the potential for breach of confidentiality as a result of adolescent patient portal account creation by guardians. One intervention was creating a "guardrail rule" to prevent guardians from creating adolescent patient portal accounts with their own email addresses. After email reminders to adolescent patients to update their accounts, we deactivated accounts with concern for erroneous guardian access. Sixty percent of our institution's adolescent patient portal accounts had possible direct access by guardians. Following requests to update account access, 425 (18.8%) of accounts had email addresses updated by adolescent patients and 1,830 (81.2%) accounts were deactivated. More nuanced EHR functionality for adolescent patients and their guardians can help health care systems provide confidential, patient-centered care for adolescents, while allowing guardians to access appropriate health information to facilitate care. There is an opportunity for a national consensus on how adolescents and their guardians can access health information by patient portal.

Designing for privacy: Exploring the influence of affect and individual characteristics on users' interactions with privacy policies

Consenting to digital services' privacy policies is standard practice. It often occurs at the early stage of interactions with a given service—during the sign-up process. Still, the most common way of acquiring consent from users is through their acknowledgment of policies by ticking a box. Consequently, users consent, mostly blindly, as they are unlikely to review the full text of policies. The current article presents research investigating factors that may impact user interaction with privacy policies, focusing on the underresearched topic of affective states (valence and arousal). The results of an online experiment (N=88) indicate that privacy policy design can elicit specific affective responses and, when accounting for some characteristics of individuals (e.g., personality traits), it can influence users' attitudes and behaviors. Particularly, the findings show that privacy awareness and willingness to disclose information might be impacted. Additionally, the analysis of collected data suggests significant associations between some personality traits and affective states, as well as a strong relationship between privacy concerns and willingness to disclose information, contradicting the concept of privacy paradox, often discussed in the privacy literature. Moreover, the results of our qualitative inquiry, where the study respondents had a chance to elaborate on their decisions to agree or disagree with the privacy policy by answering an open-ended question, confirm the quantitative findings, and reveal some of the users needs considering the sign-up process.

Perceptions of North Carolina's Medicaid Transformation: A Qualitative Study.

In 2021, North Carolina switched 1.6 million beneficiaries from a fee-for-service Medicaid model to a managed care system. The state prepared beneficiaries with logistical planning and a communications plan. However, the rollout occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating significant challenges. Little is known about how Medicaid Transformation impacted the experience of Medicaid enrollees. We conducted four focus groups (N = 22) with Medicaid beneficiaries from January to March 2022 to gain insight into their experience with Medicaid Transformation. A convenience sample was recruited. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and verified. A codebook was developed using inductive and deductive codes. Two study team members independently coded the transcripts; discrepancies were resolved among the research team. Themes were derived by their prevalence and salience within the data. We identified four major themes: 1) Participants expressed confusion about the signup process; 2) Participants had a limited understanding of their new plans; 3) Participants expressed difficulty accessing services through their plans; and 4) Participants primarily noted negative changes to their care. These findings suggest that Medicaid enrollees felt unsupported during the enrollment process and had difficulty accessing assistance to gain a better understanding of their plans and new services. Participants were recruited from a single institution in the Southeastern United States; results may not be transferable to other institutions. Participants were likely not representative of all Medicaid Transformation beneficiaries; only English-speaking participants were included. As the transition process continues, the North Carolina Medicaid program can benefit from integrating recommendations identified by member input to guide strategies for addressing whole-person care.

Medical Student Enrollment in a Voluntary Medical Innovation Course.

There is an increasing need for medical innovators to help address the growing challenges within health care. Despite this, the rate of adoption of new medical innovation programs at the United States (US) medical schools has been slow. Existing literature explaining this slow rate of adoption is scant. We examined the rate of student enrollment in a voluntary medical innovation course during an unscheduled summer at our institution and the educational backgrounds of these enrollees. This mixed qualitative and quantitative survey study comprised consecutive surveys quantifying a two-stage sign-up process for a voluntary summer medical innovation course for Medical Doctorate (MD) candidates at the David Geffen School of Medicine. After a "General interest" survey, interested students completed an "Enrollment" survey to indicate enrollment, educational background, and open-ended comment about motivations for enrollment. Surveys were administered electronically via email listservs. Statistical methods included chi squared testing with statistical significance defined as p < 0.05. A total of 12% of UCLA Class of 2024 expressed an interest in participation in the program, and 10.3% ultimately enrolled. Enrollees were motivated primarily by the opportunity to learn about medical innovation (72%) and also shadow (28%). Enrollees were similar in undergraduate degrees and majors to the general medical student class and US MD candidate population. A lack of medical student willingness to participate may not underlie the observed slow rate of adoption of medical innovation programs at US MD programs given the observed high voluntary enrollment rate. Enrollee educational background did not differ significantly from non-enrollees or the broader US MD candidate population. Educators should be encouraged by these data to explore student willingness to participate in medical innovation education at their institutions.

Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Netflix

The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions related to it had a massive impact on shifts in consumer behavior and consequently accelerated the already existing trend of digital transformation. To adjust to the “new normal” we had to organize our activities remotely, from how we work, how our children learn to how we entertain ourselves. This paper aims to provide an analysis of how the pandemic reflected on Netflix´s business through the analysis of the number of subscribers, revenue, and the company`s stock price. The conducted research relies on the secondary data provided by financial reports, statistics, scholarly articles, and related news sources accessed via online databases and online searches. With its availability in more than 190 countries worldwide, impressive video content library, and a very simple sign-up process, Netflix was very well positioned to benefit from the social restrictions during the pandemic. Millions of people under lockdown turned to at-home entertainment by subscribing to Netflix services and enjoying its content. Despite all the challenges that the company was facing during the pandemic, 2020 was a record-breaking year for Netflix in terms of subscriber number and revenue. Understanding how certain industries react to sudden disruption in the market and how quickly can they adapt their business in a rapidly changing environment is an important step in facing upcoming crises more effectively.

Safer gambling and consumer protection failings among 40 frequently visited cryptocurrency-based online gambling operators.

Online gambling has increased the accessibility and range of gambling products available to people all over the world. This trend has been particularly noticeable in the United Kingdom. Cryptocurrency-based gambling is a new, largely unregulated, way to gamble online, which uses mostly anonymous blockchain-based technologies, such as Bitcoin. The present research investigated consumer protection features of 40 frequently visited and U.K.-accessible cryptocurrency-based online gambling operators. A content analysis was performed by visiting all 40 cryptocurrency-based online operators and recording their safer gambling and consumer protection practices. Coded features included aspects of the sign-up process, features of any safer gambling pages, customer support practices, and Identity verification. Results revealed significant failings in the account registration process; none of the operators verified the identity of new users, and 35% required only an email or no personal information for sign-up. Overall, 37.5% of operators offered no safer gambling tools and a further 20% offered only one. Additionally, 64.7% of operators continued to email promotional material after being informed of a user's impaired control when gambling. Less than half of the analyzed operators held a valid license (47.5%), and none of the operators with an available deposit page required identity verification before enabling deposits. These results highlight the potential risks for young and vulnerable individuals, especially when a lack of identity verification is paired with the inherent anonymity of cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for greater policy and research attention toward cryptocurrency-based online gambling. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Qwantify app dataset: A remote experience sampling study of desire, emotion, and well-being.

Experiences of desire-the feeling of wanting to have, do, or experience something-are pervasive and varied. Recent theoretical advances draw attention to characterizing this variation. Thus, this study investigated experiences of desire in everyday life and co-occurring social, physical, and emotional states, including facets of emotional experiences known to be related to well-being (e.g., perceived loneliness and stress). The Qwantify app was designed to run a remote experience sampling study. Through the app, participants were randomly alerted during their daily life to report on their experience in the moment. During the data collection period, any individual could download the freely available Qwantify app and participate in the study, without providing identifying information or communicating with researchers. Similar to other remote experience sampling studies, an incentive for participants to engage in the study was unlocking visualizations of their own data. Over 600 participants downloaded the app, completed the sign-up process, and responded to at least one experience sampling alert. Approximately 40% of these participants went on to respond to 50 alerts. The purpose of this report is to describe this experience sampling dataset such that it can be used to test a variety of hypotheses, including hypotheses regarding individual differences.

Analysis of Demographic Characteristics of Users of a Free Tobacco Cessation Smartphone App: Observational Study.

BackgroundTobacco use continues to be the leading preventable cause of death, disease, and disability in the United States. Since 2000, Washington state has offered free tobacco “quitline” services to help its residents stop using tobacco. In 2015, the state began offering free access to a tobacco cessation smartphone app to absorb excess quitline demand. Since most publicly funded tobacco cessation programs are designed to provide access to populations disproportionately impacted by tobacco use, it is important to consider who these public health interventions reach.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to understand who used a free cessation app and the extent to which users represented populations disproportionately impacted by tobacco use.MethodsThis is an observational study of 1280 adult Washington state residents who registered for and activated the cessation app. Demographic data were collected as part of the sign-up process, examined using standard descriptive measures, and assessed against state-level surveillance data for representativeness.ResultsParticipants were primarily non-Hispanic White (978/1218, 80.3%), identified as female (780/1236, 63.1%), were between ages 25-54 years (903/1186, 76.1%), had at least some college education (836/1222, 68.4%), and reported a household income under US $50,000 (742/1055, 70.3%). Fewer respondents were from rural counties (359/1220, 29.4%); identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, queer, questioning, or asexual (LGBQA; 153/1222, 12.5%); were uninsured (147/1206, 12.2%); or were currently pregnant, planning pregnancy, or breastfeeding (42/624, 6.7%). However, relative to available state data for tobacco users, there was high representation of women, 35- to 54-year-olds, college graduates, and LGBQA individuals, as well as individuals with low household income, poor mental health, Medicaid insurance, and those residing in rural counties.ConclusionsA diverse population of tobacco users will use a free cessation app, including some demographic groups disproportionately impacted by tobacco use. With high reach and high efficacy, it is possible to address health disparities associated with tobacco use and dependence treatment among certain underserved and at-risk groups.

A RE-AIM evaluation in early adopters to iteratively improve the online BeUpstanding\u2122 program supporting workers to sit less and move more

BackgroundThe web-based BeUpstanding program supports desk workers to sit less and move more. Successfully translated from a research-delivered intervention, BeUpstanding has gone through iterative development and evaluation phases in preparation for wide-scale implementation. In the third planned “early-adopters” phase (01/09/2017–11/06/2019), the program was made freely-available online. An integrated delivery and evaluation platform was also developed to enable workplace champions to run and evaluate the intervention within their work team independent of researcher support. Using the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework, this study reports on the extent to which the program and processes were “fit-for-purpose” for a national implementation trial across the indicators of uptake (reach and adoption), implementation and engagement, and effectiveness for behaviour change.MethodsData were collected via the online surveys embedded in the program and through program access analytics. Descriptive data (with linearized variance for the clustered staff-level data) and results from mixed models (repeated data and clustering for pre-post changes) are reported.ResultsDespite purposeful limited promotion, uptake was good, with 182 Australian users initially registering (208 total) and 135 (from 113 organisations) then completing the sign-up process. Recruitment reached users across Australia and in 16 of 19 Australian industries. Implementation was inconsistent and limited, with signed-up users completing 0 to 14 of the program’s 14 steps and only 7 (5.2%) completing all seven core steps. Many champions (n = 69, 51.1%) had low engagement (1 day toolkit usage) and few (n = 30, 22%) were highly engaged (> 1 day toolkit usage and surveyed staff). Although only 18 users (7 organisations) performed the pre- and post-program staff evaluations (337 and 167 staff, respectively), pre-post changes showed the program effectively reduced workplace sitting by − 9.0% (95% CI -12.0, − 5.9%).DiscussionThe program had uptake across industries and across Australia, but implementation and engagement varied widely. Few workplaces completed the evaluation components. In those that did, the program was effective for the primary outcome (workplace sitting). Conducting a planned early adopters phase and a comprehensive evaluation according to RE-AIM helped highlight necessary program improvements to make it more suitable for wide-scale implementation and evaluation.Trial registrationAustralian and New Zealand Clinic Trials Registry ACTRN12617000682347. Date registered: 12/05/2017.

Informed Consent by Any Other Name: Consent Processes for Emergency Use Authorization.

Informed Consent by Any Other Name: Consent Processes for Emergency Use Authorization.

Extending the Internet meme: Conceptualizing technological mimesis and imitation publics on the TikTok platform

Scholars have long been interested in how social media platforms shape user communication and behavior. We add to this literature by critically analyzing the TikTok platform. We argue that the principles of mimesis—imitation and replication—are encouraged by the platform’s logic and design and can be observed in the (1) user sign-up process and default page, (2) icons and video-editing features, and (3) user and video creation norms. These memetic features alter modes of sociality, contributing to what we theorize as imitation publics on TikTok. This analysis extends the meme’s theoretical and methodological utility by conceptualizing the TikTok platform as a memetic text in and of itself and illustrates a novel type of networked public.

Framing Effects on Online Security Behavior.

We conducted an incentivized lab experiment examining the effect of gain vs. loss-framed warning messages on online security behavior. We measured the probability of suffering a cyberattack during the experiment as the result of five specific security behaviors: choosing a safe connection, providing minimum information during the sign-up process, choosing a strong password, choosing a trusted vendor, and logging-out. A loss-framed message led to more secure behavior during the experiment. The experiment also measured the effect of trusting beliefs and cybersecurity knowledge. Trusting beliefs had a negative effect on security behavior, while cybersecurity knowledge had a positive effect.

SUN-LB3 Relationship Between BMI and PCOS Symptoms Among Flo App Users in the United States

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is known to affect 6%-12% of women of reproductive age in the United States. PCOS is a heterogeneous condition associated with menstrual cycle irregularity and androgen excess. Though many women with PCOS have a BMI classified as overweight or obese, information is limited on how specific symptoms and BMI mediate PCOS diagnoses in the general population. A questionnaire on PCOS-related symptoms and previous PCOS diagnosis was available to Flo users during one month (2019). Women aged 18-44 years seeking to track their cycle or to conceive, who were not pregnant, on active contraception or in stabilization mode after pregnancy, and had Flo app running in English met the study inclusion criteria. Participant characteristics including age and BMI were also collected from Flo app users during the sign-up process. All users in the study had agreed to the use of their de-identified and aggregated data for research purposes. The differences in clinical manifestation of PCOS symptoms between BMI groups were analyzed. Of US users with BMI data in the whole cohort, 8,808 women reported having physician-diagnosed PCOS, 5,551 women reported not having a PCOS diagnosis, and 58,478 reported that they had not been checked for PCOS. Of women with PCOS, 19.5% were normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9), 19.7% were overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9), 20.4% were obese (30.0-34.9), 17.8% were severly obese (BMI 35.0-39.9), and 21.0% were morbidly obese (BMI 40+). The most common symptoms among PCOS positive women were bloating (38.7%), hirsutism (38.2%), and irregular cycle (26.0%). A direct relationship exists between BMI and having PCOS, as the percentage of PCOS in obese, severely obese, and morbidly obese BMI groups was higher (1.37, 1.87, and 2.12 times, respectively) than in the whole cohort. Similarly, among women who report acne, skin hyperpigmentation, bloating, hirsutism, heavy menses, baldness, family history of PCOS, high cholesterol, irregular cycle, and inability to conceive for > 1 year, there is a direct relationship between BMI and the percentage of women with PCOS. Moreover, when identifying symptoms and findings serving as strong predictors of a positive PCOS diagnosis, hirsutism, high glucose, and high levels of both cholesterol and glucose were the top symptoms and findings for women with BMI 18.5-34.9. Hirsutism, high glucose, and inability to conceive for > 1 year were the strongest predictors of PCOS for women with BMI 35+. Among all users with hirsutism, the percentage of women with PCOS increased 3.65 times compared to the whole cohort, making it the strongest predictor of PCOS. Understanding BMI patterns as they relate to PCOS symptoms allows for better understanding the pathophysiology of PCOS. Among women with PCOS in the United States, changes in BMI are associated with variations in the many symptoms of PCOS.

Intertemporal Segmentation via Flexible-Duration Group Buying

Problem definition : We study a special form of group buying: the group buying succeeds only if the number of sign-ups reaches a preset threshold, with no duration constraint. Customers with heterogeneous valuations arrive sequentially and decide between signing up for the group buying or purchasing a regular product. To decide whether to join the group buying, customers need to estimate their expected waiting time, which varies depending on the cumulative sign-ups by the time of their arrival. The firm decides on the prices for the group-buying product and regular product, with the product quality levels and group-buying size exogenously determined. Academic/practical relevance : This type of group buying is often adopted for a special edition of the product and offered alongside a constantly available regular product. Methodology : We study the product line design with the group-buying sign-up behavior of customers characterized by the rational expectations equilibrium in a random pledging process. Results : We show that group buying with flexible duration can result in intertemporal customer segmentation, as different segments might be admitted at different times in the dynamic sign-up process. Such intertemporal segmentation is a natural discrimination scheme and has nontrivial implications. First, the efficiency loss due to waiting for enough sign-ups may decrease when a larger batch size is required for economic production. Second, as valuation heterogeneity in the market increases, the firm may not always benefit from offering group buying along with the regular product. Third, group buying can achieve a win-win-win situation for both high-end and low-end customers as well as the firm. Managerial implications : In addition to demonstrating the profitability of flexible-duration group buying, we show that the firm can strengthen its profitability by contingently setting prices or concealing sign-up information in group buying. We also confirm the robustness of our main insights by considering customers’ heterogeneous patience levels and horizontally differentiated products, among other factors.

Consumer Equilibrium, Demand Effects, and Efficiency in Group Buying

Group buying events, in which the unit price for a good or service declines with higher number of customer sign ups, are increasingly becoming popular for retailing goods and services, especially in emerging markets. This paper theoretically and empirically studies consumer equilibrium, pricing, and efficiency of these events. Modeling a continuous time customer arrival and sign-up process, we start by deriving the stochastic dynamic consumer equilibrium. Based on this equilibrium and utilizing sign-up level data from a major Chinese retailer's group buying events, we then structurally estimate consumer arrival rates and utility distributions for 266 events, and empirically verify the fit and predictive power of the model. Utilizing the estimated arrival rates and consumer utility distributions, we then employ a doubly stochastic two-stage Generalized Linear Regression Model to provide empirical evidence for consumer network effects in group buying, and estimate 16.6% increase in consumer demand attributable to the employment of a group buying mechanism. Through counterfactual analysis, we further estimate that employing group buying increased retailer profits by 11.1%, and with better price and discount selections, it can improve profits by more than 30% on average. We further demonstrate that the retailer is better off by setting low deal discounts for very low and very high consumer arrival rates, suggesting that a bell-shaped deal discount pattern as a function of consumer arrival rate is recommendable when employing group buying events.

Improving patient portal enrolment in an academic resident continuity clinic: quality improvement made simple

Electronic health record patient portal usage has been associated with improvement in chronic disease parameters, patient functional status and patient satisfaction. Our institution’s patient portal is a secure, online health...

Intertemporal Segmentation Via Flexible-Duration Group Buying

(1) Problem definition: We study a special form of group buying: the group buying succeeds only if the number of sign-ups reaches a preset threshold, with no duration constraint. Customers with heterogeneous valuations arrive sequentially and decide between signing up for the group buying or purchasing a regular product. To decide on whether to join the group buying, customers need to anticipate their expected waiting time, which varies depending on the cumulative sign-ups by the time of their arrival. The firm decides on the prices of the group-buying product and regular product, with the product quality levels and group-buying size exogenously determined. (2) Academic/Practical relevance: Such type of group buying is often adopted for a special edition of the product and offered alongside a constantly available regular product. (3) Methodology: We study the product line design with the group-buying sign-up behavior of customers characterized by the rational expectations equilibrium in a random pledging process. (4) Results: We show that group buying with flexible duration can result in intertemporal customer segmentation, as different segments might be admitted at different times in the dynamic sign-up process. Such intertemporal segmentation is a natural discrimination scheme and has non-trivial implications. First, the efficiency loss due to waiting for enough sign-ups may decrease in the batch size required for economic production. Second, as valuation heterogeneity in the market increases, the firm may not always benefit from offering group buying along with the regular product. Third, group buying can achieve a win-win-win situation for both high-end and low-end customers as well as the firm. (5) Managerial implications: In addition to demonstrating the profitability of offering flexible-duration group buying, the firm can strengthen its profitability by contingently setting prices or concealing sign-up information in group buying. We also confirm the robustness of our main insights by considering customers’ heterogeneous patience levels, and horizontally differentiated products, among others.

Detecting Password File Theft using Predefined Time-Delays between Certain Password Characters

This paper presents novel mechanisms that effectively detect password file thefts and at the same time prevent uncovering passwords. The proposed mechanism uses delay between consecutive keystrokes of the password characters. In presented case, a user should not only enter his password correctly during the sign-up process, but also needs to introduce relatively large time gaps between certain password characters. The proposed novel approaches disguise stored passwords by adding a suffix value that helps in detecting password file theft at the first sign-in attempt by an adversary who steals and cracks the hashed password file. Any attempt to login using a real password without adding the time delays in the correct positions may considered as an impersonation attack, i.e. the password file has been stolen and cracked.