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Abstract
U-commerce (Ubiquitous commerce) presents a new channel/medium for commerce. The objective of this dissertation is two-fold: (i) to identify the values of u-commerce from the customers' perspectives, and (ii) to empirically examine the factors influencing customers' u-commerce adoption intentions. The dissertation comprises the following two studies. Study One is a qualitative research that identifies the values of u-commerce from the customers' perspectives. The Value-Focused Thinking approach was applied to determine the values of u-commerce to customers and to define the relationships among those values. Study Two is an experimental research that investigates the personalization-privacy paradox in u-commerce. The results of the second study suggest that the effects of personalization on customers' perceived benefits and privacy concerns are situation dependent. This dissertation contributes to u-commerce by developing a conceptual framework to understand the values of u-commerce, and assessing the trade-off relationship between customers' perceived benefits of personalization and their privacy concerns in different contexts. The results of this dissertation not only enhance our understanding of emerging ucommerce phenomenon, but also provide some basic foundations for future research in u-commerce. The results are also valuable to practitioners as they provide useful guidelines for developing and implementing u-commerce.
