Factors influencing the successful adoption of mobile commerce services
- Authors: De Sousa, Sergio Anthony David
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Mobile commerce Electronic commerce Wireless communication systems Mobile communication systems Computer networks
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1152 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008184
- Description: Mobile Commerce (MC) can be defined as any transaction carried out over a wireless network, using a wireless device, such as a mobile phone, and that has monetary value (Wang and Liao, 2007). MC is a rapidly developing industry in tenns of its technological capabilities. With these increasing developments, come greater forecasts of potential benefits to societies, economies, industries and individuals. However, the growth and development ofthe underlying MC technology, has not been met by the creation and adoption of the services meant to accompany MC. It is said that the success of MC will ultimately lie in its services. As MC Service Providers (MCSP) are responsible for delivering these MC Services (MCS), the success ofMC can be said to rest on them. In order for MCSs to be successfully adopted, both the initial use and continuous use thereof should be targeted. In other words those that have used MCSs (users) and those that have yet to use MCSs (non-users) should be targeted. It is thus pivotal that an understanding of the factors that generate MCS adoption be sought. This research purposed to uncover the factors that generate MCS adoption within the user and nonuser group. In defining successful adoption ofMCS's, two separate measures were used for each group. User satisfaction is a well accepted construct among researchers for measuring system success among users. User satisfaction is also accepted to be a detenninant of service re-use and loyalty. Intention to use is a measure used for MC success among non-users and is accepted to be a detenninant of actual use. Factors affecting both detenninants, user satisfaction and intention to use, were investigated. After a review ofliterature and current models, ten (10) factors were hypothesised to be significant factors in determining user satisfaction and intention to use namely: ease of use, cost, speed, personalisation, pennission, privacy, security, convenience, relationship (with MCSP) and awareness. A questionnaire was developed to test the hypothesised factors. Not all factors were proven to have a significant impact on both user satisfactions and intention to use. One main recommendation is that both initial and continuous adoption should be the focus ofMC strategy. Services that cater to specific user needs and offer convenience at a low cost should be offered. MCSPs can use the factors proved to be significant to generate and evaluate their service offering, to users and non users, to increase the probability of successful adoption from initial to continuous use. The research concludes that MCSPs need to begin to offer MCSs that meet user needs and add value to their lives in order to realise the professed potential ofMC.
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Analysis of volatility spillover effects between the South African, regional and world equity markets
- Authors: Mumba, Mabvuto
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Financial crises International finance Stocks -- Prices -- Africa Stocks -- Prices -- South Africa Capital market -- Africa Capital market -- South Africa Foreign exchange rates Africa -- Economic conditions South Africa -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:957 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002691
- Description: The current study examines the extent and magnitude by which global and regional shocks are transmitted to the volatility of returns in the stock markets of South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Botswana, Mauritius and Egypt. This is done so as to make inferences on the level of the domestic market‟s integration into the regional and world capital markets. By applying multivariate and univariate GARCH models, using weekly data from June 1995 to May 2010, the main empirical findings are threefold. Firstly, the volatility analytical framework finds statistically significant and time-varying volatility spillover effects from the regional and global markets to the South African market. Global shocks are generally stronger and account for up to 23.9 percent of the volatility of South Africa‟s equity market compared to weaker regional factors which account for less than 1 percent of domestic variance. Only in countries with strong bilateral trade and economic links with South Africa, such as Botswana and Namibia, is it found that regional factors are more dominant than global factors for domestic volatility. Compared to the other African markets, the joint influence of foreign shocks on domestic volatility is highest in South Africa and Egypt, two of Africa‟s largest and most developed markets. The results further demonstrate that for all the African markets the explanatory power of both regional and global factors for domestic volatility is not constant over time and tends to increase during turbulent market periods. Secondly, the analysis of the determinants of South frica‟s second moment linkages with the global market suggests that the volatility of the exchange rate plays a cardinal role in influencing the magnitude by which global shocks affect domestic volatility. The increased global integration in the second moments cannot be attributed to either increased trade integration, convergence in inflation rates or to convergence in interest rates between South Africa and the global markets. Lastly, tests were conducted to examine whether there have been contagion effects from the regional and global markets to South Africa from the 1997 Asian crisis and the 2007/8 global financial crisis. The results show no evidence of contagion during either the East Asian currency crisis or the recent global financial crisis to South Africa, while some African markets, such as Egypt, Mauritius and Botswana, exhibit contagion effects from either crisis. Overall, the empirical findings generally support the view that African markets are segmented both at the regional and global levels as domestic volatility is more influenced by local idiosyncratic shocks (the proportion not attributable to either global and regional factors). However, the volatility of South Africa, and to a lesser extent Egypt, remains relatively more open to global influence. This implies that the potential for gains from international portfolio diversification and the scope for success of policies aimed at the stabilisation of equity markets in these markets exist.
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