Maximizing Online Revisiting and Purchasing: A Clickstream-Based Approach to Enhancing Customer Lifetime Value

2023 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Jabr, Wael; Ghoshal, Abhijeet; Cheng, Yichen; Pavlou, Paul

Abstract: Online retailers are increasingly focused on maintaining a long-term relationshi ... Expand

Abstract: Online retailers are increasingly focused on maintaining a long-term relationship with customers, encouraging repeat visits rather than single-time purchases to increase customer lifetime value. To help retailers maximize the probabilities of customers' revisiting and purchasing, we develop a two-stage model to better characterize and predict these two fundamental customer activities. In the first stage, we characterize the propensity of a customer revisiting the retailer's website. In the second stage, we develop a stochastic model that predicts revisits while also incorporating individual customer heterogeneity in exerted search effort during repeated visits. This heterogeneity is based on individual customer preferences in the choice of consideration sets, product information, pricing, and the search environment. Using customer level clickstream data, we show that our approach is not only better at predicting repeat customer visits, compared to existing methods, but also explainable and managerially interpretable. Most importantly, using computationally efficient simulation-based prescriptive analytics, we leverage our modeling approach to propose practical intervention strategies that maximize the joint likelihoods of customers revisiting and purchasing at the individual customer level. Collapse

Topics: website price management mobile system accounting logistics management

Methods: simulation logistic regression proportional hazards model cluster analysis machine learning

Shared or Dedicated Infrastructures: On the Impact of Reprovisioning Ability

2019 | Management Information Systems Quarterly | Citations: 0

Authors: Guerin, Roch; Hosanagar, Kartik; Xinxin Li; Soumya Sen

Abstract: New technologies, such as virtualization, are transforming the way in which soft ... Expand

Abstract: New technologies, such as virtualization, are transforming the way in which software and services are deployed and delivered to their users. They are behind the emergence of IT offerings such as cloud computing and converged networks, and manifest themselves through two important trends: (1) lower the cost of sharing a common infrastructure across multiple services with disparate resource requirements, and (2) dynamic provisioning of capacity in response to demand. Conventional wisdom is that both of these capabilities are synergistic, with greater provisioning flexibility improving the benefits derived from sharing computing or network resources. Consequently, a service operator should now always favor the use of a shared infrastructure over dedicated solutions when hosting multiple services. In this paper, we ask whether this is indeed the case, and investigate the dual impact of lower costs of sharing and provisioning flexibility on shared and dedicated infrastructures. The investigation reveals that while lower costs are always expected to favor infrastructure sharing, dynamic provisioning plays an ambiguous role. Reprovisioning improves both shared and dedicated solutions, but can do so differently and can sometimes favor a dedicated infrastructure. Our findings help illustrate that the technology trends, such as virtualization, behind cloud computing need not always favor the deployment of services on a shared infrastructure. Collapse

Topics: economies of scale cloud computing information technology infrastructure internet of things mobile system

Methods: mathematical model survey

Poverty alleviation through government-led e-commerce development in rural China: An activity theory perspective

2019 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 0

Authors: Li, Liang; Du, Kui; Zhang, Wei; Mao, Ji-Ye

Abstract: This paper uses activity theoretic analyses to investigate the role of governmen ... Expand

Abstract: This paper uses activity theoretic analyses to investigate the role of governments in developing rural e‐commerce ecosystems and the effects of such ecosystems on poverty alleviation. On the basis of a case study of Longnan, one of the poorest regions in China, this paper reports and analyses the various actions taken by local governments in nurturing, supporting, and regulating the development of a local rural e‐commerce ecosystem and using this ecosystem to transform poverty alleviation. Our study articulates a model of poverty alleviation through e‐commerce. By documenting and theorizing the mechanisms underlying rural e‐commerce development and poverty alleviation through e‐commerce as well as governments' role in developing and sustaining them, this paper contributes to establishing a “theory of the solution” to the grand challenge of poverty alleviation both in China and globally. Collapse

Topics: electronic commerce societal challenge digital platform logistics management Erlang

Methods: qualitative interview archival research theory development case study conceptual modelling

Theories: activity theory

Middleware for mobile medical data management with minimal latency

2018 | Information Systems Frontiers | Citations: 0

Authors: Lomotey, Richard K.; Deters, Ralph

Abstract: A promise of mHealth is its capacity to facilitate the consumption of Electronic ... Expand

Abstract: A promise of mHealth is its capacity to facilitate the consumption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) data using mobile devices, which is central to promoting remote healthcare delivery. Our ongoing project, called SOPHRA, in collaboration with the City Hospital in Saskatoon, Canada, focuses on supporting care providers (e.g., physicians) in the collection/recording of medical data from patients remotely. A major challenge that needs to be addressed is the potential loss of communication between the mobile-clients and the health information system (HIS) during the transfer of the electronic health record (EHR). Overcoming this challenge will foster soft-real time medical data exchanges. However, the issue of communication loss can be as a result of the over-reliance on wireless networks such as Wi-Fi, which can sometimes be unstable. Thus, the goal of this work is to propose a mobile health (mHealth) architectural environment that can exploit the limited available bandwidth during the mobile medical data transfer. A middleware is proposed with the capability of managing different states of the medical data as the physicians updates the EHR. The work details the employment of the Bernoulli model as a means of determining and controlling different updates of the mHealth data for effective propagation. Collapse

Topics: healthcare data mobile health mobile system database system tablet

Methods: experiment computational algorithm usage data

Mathematical Modelling and Cluster Analysis in Healthcare Analytics - The Case of Length of Stay Management

2016 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Gartner, Daniel; Padman, Rema

Abstract: Length of Stay (LOS) is an important metric of care quality and efficiency in ho ... Expand

Abstract: Length of Stay (LOS) is an important metric of care quality and efficiency in hospitals that has been studied for decades. Longer stays lead to increased costs and higher burdens on patients, caregivers, clinicians and facilities. Understanding the characteristics of such outliers is important for developing actionable steps to address LOS reduction by eliminating the unnecessary variations in treatments that result in the higher LOS. In this context, the increasing availability of detailed inpatient data has the potential to enable the development of data-driven approaches that provide novel insights for the management of Length of Stay. This study examines clustering of inpatients using key clinical and demographic attributes to identify LOS outliers and investigates the opportunity to reduce their LOS by comparing their order sequences with similar non-outliers in the same cluster. Learning from retrospective data on 353 pediatric inpatients admitted for appendectomy, we develop a two-stage procedure that first identifies a typical cluster with LOS outliers. Our second stage analysis compares orders pairwise to determine candidates for switching to make LOS outliers similar to non-outliers. Results indicate that switching orders in homogeneous inpatient subpopulations within the limits of clinical guidelines may be a promising decision support strategy for LOS management. These novel data-driven insights can be offered as suggestions for clinicians to apply new evidence-based, clinical guideline-compliant opportunities for LOS reduction through healthcare analytics. Collapse

Topics: healthcare data Erlang decision support electronic health record

Methods: cluster analysis computational algorithm mathematical model k-means clustering experiment

Assessing the impact of stochasticity for operating theater sizing

2013 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Tancrez, Jean-Sébastien; Roland, Benoît; Cordier, Jean-Philippe; Riane, Fouad

Abstract: Over the last few decades, rational health care management and, in particular, o ... Expand

Abstract: Over the last few decades, rational health care management and, in particular, operating theater planning, has attracted increased attention from practitioners and from the scientific community. However, although the operating theater environment is clearly stochastic, the impact of this randomness has often been ignored. In practice, simple rules based largely on past experience (such as keeping a safety margin), are most frequently used when making plans for the operating theater. In this paper, we propose an approach to help rationalize, at a strategic decision-making level, the way in which stochasticity can be taken into account in operating theater management, to help in the sizing and in the allocation of capacity. The three main sources of randomness are considered: durations of operations, unexpected emergencies and blocking because of a full recovery unit. Based on the Markov theory, our tool enables several performance measures to be estimated. An operating theater manager can use our approach to make informed decisions and assess, for example, the disruption of the planning by emergencies, the waiting times for emergency patients, the impact of the recovery unit, or the distribution of the working time. In particular, our approach helps determine the number of operations that should be planned in order to keep expected overtime limited. The tool is described in detail, discussed, and applied to the illustrative case of a Belgian hospital. Collapse

Topics: decision making Erlang accounting decision support system

Methods: Markov chain business process modeling Markov chain Monte Carlo statistical hypothesis test simulation

A decision support system for integrating manufacturing and product design into the reconfiguration of the supply chain networks

2012 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 5

Authors: Kristianto, Yohanes; Gunasekaran, Angappa; Helo, Petri; Sandhu, Maqsood

Abstract: A supply chain needs to meet its customers' requirements (CRs) in terms of deliv ... Expand

Abstract: A supply chain needs to meet its customers' requirements (CRs) in terms of delivery lead times, total costs and product quality. The objective of this article is to improve the level of integration in all aspects of supply chain reconfiguration, such as the inventory allocation and manufacturing process involved, by incorporating manufacturing and product design into logistic design. The effect of uncertain customer demand, production and supply lead times are studied. An optimum supply chain network is configured by combining optimization at the strategic and tactical level. A system dynamic based computer simulation model is used to validate the operations of the supply chain. The performance of the system is measured in terms of backorders and inventory level. The results and analysis indicate that fewer stockholding points and a shorter review period of demand can improve performance in this respect. In addition, a proposal for improving the performance of supply chain in terms of lower safety stocks is presented. Finally, management decision-making is discussed, among other concluding remarks. Collapse

Topics: supply chain management decision support system logistics management spreadsheet decision making

Methods: simulation mathematical model descriptive statistic cluster analysis discrete event simulation

The Valuation of Technology-Based Intellectual Property In Offshoring Decisions

2009 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Wiederhold, Gio; Tessler, Shirley; Gupta, Amar; Smith, David Branson

Abstract: Businesses engaging in outsourcing of professional service activities to organiz ... Expand

Abstract: Businesses engaging in outsourcing of professional service activities to organizations in foreign countries have focused primarily on the issues of cost and the number of jobs affected. However, significant transfers of intangibles occur in many service-based offshoring arrangements as well. Some of these intangibles are considered to be intellectual property (IP). The transfer of intellectual property that accompanies such offshoring arrangements can have significant value, making it important to understand risks of loss, obligations of taxation, and contributions to the profit-making potential of an enterprise. Software is an important and often under-valued component of such transfers of intellectual property. This overview paper offers an interdisciplinary examination of intellectual property valuation issues and a business perspective for considering software valuation in the context of offshoring decisions and practices. Collapse

Topics: offshoring intellectual property research and development customer loyalty embedded system

On the Economic Value of Supply Chain Visibility: The Example of Improved Emergency Ordering

2008 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Ippisch, Tobias; Thiesse, Frederic

Abstract: Location technologies such as GPS or GSM cell tracking can be used to improve th ... Expand

Abstract: Location technologies such as GPS or GSM cell tracking can be used to improve the control of production and transport processes along the entire supply chain. In this paper, we particularly consider the benefits of location systems with regard to supply chain visibility for improving emergency ordering decisions. For this purpose, we first present an overview of the underlying base technologies that can be used for supply chain monitoring today and a review of prior research on inventory control with emergency ordering. With the help of a simulation model, we show that higher supply chain visibility can be used to identify and avoid unnecessary emergency orders, resulting in cost savings for the overall inventory system. In addition, we identify optimal levels of supply chain granularity and discuss why the maximum resolution that may be achievable from a technological perspective does not necessarily lead to cost-optimal results. Collapse

Topics: supply chain management geographic information system radio frequency identification global navigation satellite system Visual Basic

Methods: simulation literature study computational algorithm sensitivity analysis experiment

Investigating interactions of trust and interest similarity

2007 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 28

Authors: Ziegler, Cai-Nicolas; Golbeck, Jennifer

Abstract: Online communities that allow their users to express their personal preferences, ... Expand

Abstract: Online communities that allow their users to express their personal preferences, such as the members they trust and the products they appreciate, are becoming increasingly popular. Exploiting these communities as playgrounds for sociological research we present two frameworks for analyzing the correlation between interpersonal trust and interest similarity. We obtain empirical results from applying the two frameworks on two real, operational communities, that suggest there is a strong correlation between both trust and interest similarity. We believe our findings particularly relevant for ongoing research in recommender systems and collaborative filtering, where people are suggested products based on their similarity with other customers, and propose ways in which trust models can be integrated into these systems. Collapse

Topics: collaborative filtering recommender system website social network personality

Methods: experiment descriptive statistic parametric test ANOVA data modeling