Third-party Online Research Articles

The Effects of Trust on Policyholders’ Purchase Intentions in an Online Insurance Platform

ABSTRACT This study investigates the three dimensions of trust belief on policyholders’ purchase intentions in a third-party online insurance platform. Extending existing studies, we further explore the antecedent factors of trust. We collected 332 samples from the insurance platform Zuihuibao. The results show that two dimensions of trust belief, ability and integrity, can significantly affect policyholders’ purchase intentions. Additionally, reputation, system quality, cooperation, financial risk and benefit serve as crucial antecedent factors that affect policyholders’ trust beliefs. The theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed based upon the findings.

ASSESSING OPENSTREETMAP URBAN NETWORK OF ORAN CITY

Abstract. OpenStreetMap (OSM) uses the Open Database License, it is a collaborative project that collects a rich set of vector data provided by volunteers. It is a global collection of mapping data that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. Many third-party online maps are based on OpenStreetMap data. Currently, more and more large organizations are choosing OSM for their maps. In addition, the analysis of the spatial quality of the OSM data shows that particular care must be taken. However, there are several methods for assessing the quality of the OSM data by comparing the OSM to an authoritative dataset. In this context, it is essential to develop an automatic procedure to improve its spatial quality. This work proposes a quantitative method for comparing the quality of the OSM and an authoritative data set on urban networks in the city of Oran (Algeria). The procedure is based on python modules in a GIS environment and provides measurements of the spatial accuracy and completeness of the OSM road network. The method is applied to assess the quality of the Oran OSM road network data set through a comparison with the official Algerian dataset. The results show that the OSM's Algerian road network is very complete, but with low spatial accuracy.

Foreign Students’ Intention towards a China’s Third Party Mobile and Online Payment Platform Based on Alipay

As the times progressed, so many features of smartphones that are developed by producers in manufactures. Hardware and software are fused to deliver comfort and increase the productivity of users’ smartphone. The example of software that can help users for a convenient transaction is Alipay and Wechat Pay, a China’s third-party mobile and online payment platform developed by Alibaba Group and Tencent respectively. This research aimed to observe ex-pats’ motives in the use of a Chinese third-party online payment platform with the sample was some foreign students in Nanjing as the Alipay users. Based on Unified Theory and Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) which consists four key constructs (effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions), the results found that behavioral intentions were significantly carried out by effort expectancy, performance expectancy, and facilitating conditions, while social influence factors were found to be insignificant.

China’s E-commerce Development and Its Implication

E-commerce is one of the main drivers of Chinese economic growth in not only metropolitan areas with convenient payment methods, but also rural areas with efficient logistics arrangements. Various third-party online payment methods and new festivals as well as information technology investments were introduced to stimulate e-commerce development. The Chinese government had raised the idea of encouraging various innovative ways of doing business and to incubate creative ideas online.

The Economic Impact of Distributing Financial Products on Third-Party Online Platforms

The Economic Impact of Distributing Financial Products on Third-Party Online Platforms

网络第三方医疗慈善捐赠平台的应用与问题——以轻松筹、水滴筹为例

网络第三方医疗慈善捐赠平台的应用与问题——以轻松筹、水滴筹为例

Rules of the rooftop: Platform design and price reductions in an online solar photovoltaic marketplace in the United States

Residential solar photovoltaic (PV) customers typically obtain price quotes directly from installers, a process with high consumer search costs that enable price dispersion and can discourage adoption. Recently, however, customers are increasingly shopping for PV using third-party online platforms that make it easier to obtain and compare quotes from multiple installers. While early evidence indicates that these platforms make the PV market more transparent and lower prices, the literature suggests that market outcomes are critically linked to detailed aspects of platform design. In this study, we econometrically analyze a unique dataset of quotes offered in the online PV marketplace EnergySage to investigate how four changes to the platform design have influenced quote prices and transaction prices. We find that the largest reductions in quote prices ($0.11/ W) and transaction prices ($0.15/W) were associated with the introduction of a price guidance information feature for installers. While educating and informing customers has repeatedly emerged as a policy priority for bolstering PV markets, these results suggest that the same should be true on the supply side. We also find that customers are willing to pay higher transaction prices for systems with higher-quality panels, dispelling concerns that online PV marketplaces lead to a “race to the bottom” phenomenon by emphasizing price at the expense of quality.

Chinese third-party shipping internet platforms: Thriving and surviving in a two-sided market (2013–2016)

How can cargo owners be persuaded to switch their traditional offline business practices to a third-party online shipping platform? To address this question, we selected 10 representative third-party shipping Internet platforms in China and analyzed them based on grounded theory. In-depth interviews that lasted an average of 2.5 h were conducted with each company. After applying open coding and axial coding to interview transcripts that included more than 110,000 words (in Chinese), we propose three industrial characteristics that may hinder the development of Chinese third-party shipping Internet platforms. The two most popular initiating strategies adopted to address these issues are "disintermediation" and "service upgrading.” Our theoretical framework suggests that each initiating strategy should include three interconnected issues that can ensure a platform's success: value proposition, entry mode and competitive advantage. The final sections of our study describe our contributions to theoretical development and implications for practitioners.

Searching for Comparative Value in Small and Medium-Sized Alternative Accommodation: A Synthesis Approach

In the contemporary era of smart tourism, travelers face more accommodation options than ever before. The rapid expansions of alternative accommodation sector are partially owing to the growth of electronic commerce and the rise of online intermediary platforms. Online travel agencies serve as a critical distribution channel for tourism sectors, and the significance is further increased for small and micro entrepreneurs whose direct communication channels are scarce. Considering the holistic process of customer experience started with a third-party online intermediary, this study explores basic and extended attributes of small and medium-sized alternative accommodation where the comparative value is created. In order to achieve the objective, a research design was developed to synthesize the qualitative evidence. The synthesis encompasses both theoretical and practical perspectives, from a systematic review and opinions of academic professionals to an in-depth interview with an industry expert and the current practices of online travel agencies. This study suggests that the sources of value creation for alternative accommodation are not always consistent with those of the traditional. Accounting for the temporal and spatial dynamics in customer experience, the findings of this study provide insights on the comparative value of alternative accommodation, to both academic and industry audiences.

Aiming to preserve luxury image can justify restricting competition, rules CJEU as it approves prohibition of discernible third-party online sales platforms

Aiming to preserve luxury image can justify restricting competition, rules CJEU as it approves prohibition of discernible third-party online sales platforms

A new coupled ARMA-FGM model and its application in the internet third-party payment forecasting in China

PurposeWith the rapid development of e-commerce in China, the third-party payment system greatly improved the efficiency and volume of the entire trading market. The purpose of this paper is to put forward a suitable prediction model to analyse its development trend.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyse internet third-party payments in China, taking into account online payment transaction values coupled with an ARMA model and the fractional grey model (FGM). First, the rolling FGM model is applied in order to characterise the trends of the transaction volume. The influence of the initial value change on the FGM model is analysed. The optimisation mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) model is constructed to determine the optimal translational values, the corresponding optimal accumulation order and optimal inverse accumulation order.FindingsThis paper uses China’s recent third-party online payment data to quantify its development trend. The authors find the coupling model suitable for the development trend of third-party online payment transaction. The results show that the model is suitable to quantify its development trend of China’s recent third-party online payment.Originality/valueConsidering the complex influence factors that lead to the third-party online payment volume data of time-varying grey feature, this paper combines the FGM with ARMA model to describe the development of third-party payment mode.

Analysis and Research on the Current Situation and Development Trend of the Third Party Online Education Platform in China

In recent years, the development of online education in China is in full swing, and various new products, models and platforms continue to emerge. Third-party online education platform, setting professional education, content aggregation and content realization in one, is undoubtedly the most sought after by the market and its customers. Starting with the development of online education in China, this article focuses on the in-depth analysis of the concept, characteristics and current situation of the third party online education platform through investigation and literature research, with cloud classroom of NetEase as a typical case study, using the method of synthesis, comparison, induction and other analytical methods. At last, the paper shares its opinion on the development trend of the third party online education platform, with a view to providing some useful reference for the study on development of online education in China.

Seasonality of consumers' third-party online complaining behavior

We examined consumer complaining behavior on a third-party website at different times during a 1-year period, with a focus on seasonal differences in complaints made during the year. We collected 1,799 complaints as data from the website and applied both content analysis and critical incident technique to identify whether or not there were seasonal differences in reasons for reporting complaints and the frequency of complaints. Results showed that there were differences in frequency and type of complaint between the nonholiday shopping season and the holiday shopping season from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Our findings contribute to a topic on which there is a paucity of empirical research.

Luxury Goods and Third-Party Online Platforms: The ECJ’s Judgment in the Coty Case

Luxury Goods and Third-Party Online Platforms: The ECJ’s Judgment in the Coty Case

The Effects of Perceived Value, Website Trust and Hotel Trust on Online Hotel Booking Intention

With the rapid development of information technology in hotel booking context, it is no doubt that many hotels consequently enhance the needs of integrating information technologies into their overall business operations. In this study, we developed a research model which consists of perceived value, trust toward a third party online booking site, and trust toward hotels, and tested it by using partial least square techniques. Survey data were collected from 307 individuals who have prior experiences on making a reservation using third-party online booking sites. Based upon our findings, we found that the perceived value, which was affected by both price and quality, was positively related to individuals’ intention to book. We also found that both trust toward third-party online booking sites and trust toward hotels, which was influenced by online review, have positive impacts on individuals’ intention to book. The implications of these findings for both research and practice are discussed.

Integrating the customers’ perceived risks and benefits into the triple-channel retailing

Multiple channel retailing and channel selection strategy have become key issues for many corporations to place themselves at the heart of a new era of retailing. This paper studies a triple-channel system in which a manufacturer operates a conventional channel, a direct online channel, as well as increases its online presence with an online shopping platform. It also takes the heterogeneity of consumers’ price sensitivity and channel preferences into account. It highlights that the perceived risks and perceived benefits are aggregated into an inhibitor or activator entering the customers’ acceptance of triple channels and further affecting their purchasing decisions. Three cases are discussed to investigate the demand distributions, the profit behaviours, the optimal pricing strategies and the channel selection strategies. Theoretical analysis is further validated by a case study with the aid of agent-based modelling. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that two acceptance indices – respectively, regarded as the consumers’ willingness to tolerate the perceived risks of the online channel and approve the perceived benefits from the third-party online platform – significantly govern the total profit in two stylised scenarios. This study schematically characterises the structure of demand distributions, helps the corporation to discern consumers’ channel choices and then focus its marketing efforts towards more profitable customers and strategic channel structures. Furthermore, some implications are outlined for the optimal supply chain designation decision.

Establishing Linkages Between Distributed Survey Responses and Consumer Wearable Device Datasets: A Pilot Protocol.

BackgroundAs technology increasingly becomes an integral part of everyday life, many individuals are choosing to use wearable technology such as activity trackers to monitor their daily physical activity and other health-related goals. Researchers would benefit from learning more about the health of these individuals remotely, without meeting face-to-face with participants and avoiding the high cost of providing consumer wearables to participants for the study duration.ObjectiveThe present study seeks to develop the methods to collect data remotely and establish a linkage between self-reported survey responses and consumer wearable device biometric data, ultimately producing a de-identified and linked dataset. Establishing an effective protocol will allow for future studies of large-scale deployment and participant management.MethodsA total of 30 participants who use a Fitbit will be recruited on Mechanical Turk Prime and asked to complete a short online self-administered questionnaire. They will also be asked to connect their personal Fitbit activity tracker to an online third-party software system, called Fitabase, which will allow access to 1 month’s retrospective data and 1 month’s prospective data, both from the date of consent.ResultsThe protocol will be used to create and refine methods to establish linkages between remotely sourced and de-identified survey responses on health status and consumer wearable device data.ConclusionsThe refinement of the protocol will inform collection and linkage of similar datasets at scale, enabling the integration of consumer wearable device data collection in cross-sectional and prospective cohort studies.

第三方网络支付平台C端市场竞争策略研究

结合双边市场理论和综合技术接受理论(UTAUT)，对第三方网络支付平台C端市场(个人用户市场)的竞争现状进行分析，构建结构方程模型(SEM)，研究个人用户使用第三方网络支付的影响因素。调查数据及实证结果表明：按照影响程度的大小，影响个人用户使用第三方网络支付的因素为绩效期望、社会影响、感知风险，其中感知风险存在负向影响，努力期望对绩效期望存在正向影响，网络效应正向影响努力期望与绩效期望。基于个人用户的使用行为和归属结构，从价格竞争、非价格竞争两个角度提出第三方网络支付平台在C端市场的竞争策略。 This paper analyzes the competition of third-party online payment in the consumer market and uses the UTAUT theory and the bilateral market theory to construct a structural equation model (SEM) for the analysis of influencing factors of individual users’ behavior toward third-party online payment. The questionnaires and data analysis show that the factors, ranked in accordance with influence degree, including performance expectancy, social influence and perceived risk, and meanwhile perceived risk have significant negative influence on behavioral intention. The performance expectancy is influenced by effort expectancy, and the network effect has positive influence on performance expectation and effort expectation. Based on the characteristics of users' behavior, relative competitive strategies of third-party online payment in the consumer market are put forward.

Reuse Intention of Third-Party Online Payments: A Focus on the Sustainable Factors of Alipay

An anonymous transaction environment and the advantage of virtual property have resulted in trust playing an important role in the rapid growth of online shopping in China. To satisfy this trust issue, Alibaba (China) Co., Ltd. (Hangzhou, China) invented Alipay, the largest third-party online payment service. Using a structural equation model (SEM), this paper attempts to determine whether Alipay’s service quality factors are truly sustainable. The results indicate that only two of five factors—convenience and security—are significantly mediated by the sustainable performance of customer satisfaction as a mediator. The other three factors—usefulness, responsiveness and economy—were rejected for the role of customer satisfaction, even if they are accepted regarding the direct effect on reuse intention. This result implies that Chinese web companies need to make greater efforts not to ensure initial success, but instead to ensure sustainable performance.

Third-party online surveys-science, selling, or sugging?

Physicians receive many online survey requests from both academic and pharmaceutical sources [...]