This paper develops a joint copula reliability model for systems subjected to dependent competing risks caused by two degradation processes and random shocks. The two degradation processes follow gamma processes and the random shocks follow a non-homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP). Their interdependence relationship is modeled by a copula function, which is determined by a two-stage method base...

Information Technology enabled Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is a growing phenomenon yet little research has been conducted to understand the factors that determine its appropriateness for organisations. A framework that considers the decision from the perspective of the transaction, the organisation and its context is outlined. The usefulness of that framework is then assessed using a cas...

Web 2.0 has been in the foray for a while playing an important role in threading business processes, various departments, systems and key stakeholders (within firms) to activate customer participation and involvement. In order to re-emphasize customer centricity, firms have been using SCRM (Social Customer Relationship Management) approach as a part of their CRM (Customer Relationship Managemen...

Shipping, the World's largest industry, consists of sectors and each sector is approaching the IT revolution in different ways for the achievement of competitive advantages. Today the shipping industry has expanded dramatically and it is in the process of harnessing the advancements of Information Technology in providing added value for the business. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a ...

The e-business arena is highly dynamic and characterised by continual evolution in technology, marketing concepts and effective business approaches. Business-to-business electronic commerce in particular is evolving, especially in relation to virtual supply chain management and electronic marketplaces. This paper uses a "content analysis" approach with over sixty articles being analysed. There ...

The continued development of e-business models has triggered a dramatic transition of customers’ roles in a variety of service production and delivery processes. Rather than being the passive recipients of such processes, customers now play much more active and even leading roles. As a result, a customer should be viewed not only as a patron but also as a co-producer of a service. This role tra...

Reputation stems from overall assessments of an e-business’ standing, according to various stakeholders, and it affects key customer outcomes. Despite burgeoning literature on the correlates of the customer-based reputation of e-commerce companies (ECCR), scarce research examines how reputation affects monetary outcomes. To extend existing literature on ECCR outcomes, this study focuses on cust...

Purpose – Customer relationship management (CRM) is an information system that tracks customers’ interactions with the firm and allows employees to instantly pull up information about the customers such as past sales, service records, outstanding records and unresolved problem calls. This paper aims to put forward strategies for successful implementation of CRM and discusses barriers to CRM in ...

In a world where the market, customer profiles and demands change constantly and the events in the global marketplace are unpredictable, it becomes increasingly difficult for an enterprise to sustain its competitive advantage. Under these conditions of uncertainty, complexity and constant change, it becomes very important for an enterprise to be able to learn from its experience and to adapt it...

While firms increasingly utilize business process outsourcing (BPO) to manage operations and achieve strategic objectives, there is limited research on the implications for firms and consumers. This dissertation begins to address these implications by studying antecedents and performance outcomes of onshore and offshore BPO. The first chapter studies factors that enable firms to outsource busin...