This paper shows how heterogenous web data can be retrieved from global yet regionally tailored online platforms such as Amazon. A systematic data retrieval approach was applied to obtain data from regional Amazon and Nintendo websites. The data retrieval uses a 3x3 criteria setting: Three attributes (genre, age rating, player-count), three forms of analysis (distribution, reception, price), and three countries (Germany, U.S.A., Japan). A streamlined choice of Amazon-entries is suggested, and further criteria were set to allow comparisons between different regions. 196 Nintendo Switch games and 15 game genres were analysed. The results show which attributes accumulate the highest numbers of Amazon-ratings and rating scores in which country, and which genres have the highest Amazon- and Nintendo-prices. An uncovering of rating and pricing similarities and differences is of value to game research scholars and game developer studios and aids in a targeted catering to customers in different regions.

Smart Retailing (SR) is discussed in the current literature as a possible answer of brick-and-mortar stores to the challenges created by the rise of e-commerce. This study aims to assess the current state of research in SR and evaluate its potential to confront the challenges that have arisen in the industry. First, based on a literature review of key journals in the field, a classification of relevant SR technologies was conducted. As a result, the three categories: (i) service-oriented, (ii) business process-oriented, and (iii) hybrid SR technologies, were created and discussed in detail. Second, fundamental benefits and challenges associated with the implementation of SR at the point-of-sale (PoS) are derived and discussed. Third, a comparison of specific areas of impact for implementing the individual technologies was carried out. Overall, this work has taken further steps to provide more insights into the potential of SR in future retail scenarios, regarding the challenges faced by brick-and-mortar retail.

Electronic recommender systems serve as a vital component in digital distribution channels in the video games industry. They have allowed the small independent game developers to reach out to their customers directly, bypassing the publishing companies, and help to decrease the game production costs. However, as they are a relatively new tool, they do not meet all the needs of their content creators yet. This paper aims at analysing the electronic recommender systems from the independent developers’ point of view. It is based on a qualitative study, which consists of semi-structured expert interviews with game developers from various countries. The results of this study could be useful to intermediaries such as electronic recommender systems operators, who aim to improve their services for the content creators, as well as the independent game developers, who are looking to improve their business models.

Voice assistants comprehend and use complex natural language and have become more pervasive in people's homes. Many effects of these technologies on consumer behaviour and their implications for manufacturers and businesses are still unexplored in literature. This paper aims to understand the impact of anthropomorphism on consumer attitudes and behavioural intentions. More specifically, the paper intends to investigate 1) whether and 2) how anthropomorphism in voice assistants influences the manner consumers evaluate products and establish purchase intentions when shopping with voice assistants. Hence, the paper concludes that anthropomorphism plays a notable role in changing the consumer's attitude and behavioural intentions. However, its impact could be easily manipulated by other technical constraints such as interaction fluency, intent classification, lack of visual display etc. Multiple interpretation attempts are presented and possible implications for manufacturers and e-retailers discussed.

This study aims to evaluate the current state of research with regards to Machine Learning as a Service (MLaaS) and to identify challenges and research fields of this novel topic. First, a literature review on a basket of eight leading journals was performed. We motivate this study by identifying a lack of studies in the field of MLaaS. The structured literature review was further extended to established scientific databases relevant in this field. We found 30 contributions on MLaaS. As a result of the analysis we grouped them into four key concepts: Platform, Applications; Performance Enhancements and Challenges. Three of the derived concepts are discussed in detail to identify future research areas and to reveal challenges in research as well as in applications.

Music discovery presents itself in an instant and in a multitude of possible ways. When comparing the user personas of streaming services in the dimension of music discovery, two main differentiation criteria become apparent, namely the degree of intention and the control one wants to exert when discovering new music. Against this background, this paper proposes a framework which categorises the possible ways of music discovery in a streaming provider with the help of those two criteria into active, semi-active, semi-passive and passive ways in order to analyse them separately, outline success factors and current research.

This paper analyzes changes in funding processes over time during equity crowdfunding projects. The study used real data from the biggest German equity crowdfunding platform, which specializes in funding businesses. The results of the study showed that updates increase not only the number of investments but also the invested amount. Therefore, updates in social crowd projects can have a positive effect on the success of an equity crowdfunding project.

Digital distribution and electronic recommender systems have transformed the digital games industry. They serve as the enabler of new business models that allow independent game developers to publish their projects without the mediation of third party publishers and decrease costs of game production.

Programs and vehicles of public support for companies have been in existence for a long time. However, as the „digital age" spawns new forms of products and services, this paper provides a new perspective concerning the effectiveness of public intervention onto the birth and success of high tech start-ups in a certain socio-economic and local environment on the example of Vienna. Existing tools and vehicles will be discussed that have been implemented in this European metropolis to support innovation, R&D, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, these vehicles will be compared against international standards and other environments to make transparent the advantages and disadvantages of the Viennese tool-set.

The1 free-to-play model in the online gaming industry is based on providing an online game at no charge on either mobile devices or on a PC. Monetization would occur with virtual items which players may purchase during the game. It has been demonstrated that there are several motivations for gamers to purchase such items including unobstructed play, social interactions with other gamers, competition and economic rationale. These motivations can be exploited as drivers for value generation when designing such games in a way that appeals to the gamers by using several strategies. We elaborate on seven strategies, i.e. stratified content, inconvenient gameplay elements, mediums of exchange, inventory mechanics, special occasions, artificial scarcity, and alterations of content. Additionally, the theory of customer lifetime value has shown to be a beneficial concept in segmenting customers and identifying those who are especially valuable from a business perspective. Overall, research on business value generation in the field of online gaming seems less developed than in other segments and applications. Consequently, a common understanding of available concepts and strategies need to be developed to enable identification and overcoming of challenges in free-to-play online gaming.

Current recruiting processes are largely supported by diverse online solutions. Online application systems, virtual interviewing, and search for employees through professional social networks such as LinkedIn and XING have become common for both medium and large companies. Moreover, during the period after recession, i.e. 2009 to 2011, there was a trend towards customized e-applications and social networks to satisfy the personnel recruiting requirements of specific industries and types of business. In this paper an analysis of e-applications used for recruiting purposes is performed as well as for a cofounder search in the ICT-sector; emphasis is placed on the subsector of technology startups.

The introduction of crowdsourcing offers numerous business opportunities. In recent years, manifold forms of crowdsourcing have emerged on the market -- also in logistics. Thereby, the ubiquitous availability and sensor-supported assistance functions of mobile devices support crowdsourcing applications, which promotes contextual interactions between users at the right place at the right time. This paper presents the results of an in-depth-analysis on crowdsourcing in logistics in the course of ongoing research in the field of location-based crowdsourcing (LBCS). This paper analyzes LBCS for both, 'classic' logistics as well as 'information' logistics. Real-world examples of crowdsourcing applications are used to underpin the two evaluated types of logistics using crowdsourcing. Potential advantages and challenges of logistics with the crowd ('crowd-logistics') are discussed. Accordingly, this paper aims to provide the necessary basis for a novel interdisciplinary research field.

E-Commerce may play a crucial role to facilitate efficiency and profitability of industrial companies. Nevertheless, it appears to be essential to examine whether it prevails within different business strategies. Thus, within this article the use of E-Commerce by global narrow-specialized companies will be analyzed, as this business strategy represents an interesting approach of competitive scheme in global markets of good & service bundles. Though the amount of the research papers devoted separately to E-Commerce and global narrow-specialized companies are rather high, there is still limited information on how such companies use E-Commerce. Thereby, this article may contribute to the limited knowledge regarding the use of E-Commerce by global narrow-specialized companies. Moreover, the research may also have managerial implications. The knowledge gained during the research could be useful for other companies. And hence, it could help managers of global narrow-specialized companies to make decisions on investments and execution of E-Commerce strategy.

The full potential of Virtual Worlds is still far away from being reached. Whereas innovations are key factors for economic success, the increase of complexity in innovation processes, due to an internationalization of collaborations as well as to an increase in interaction between manufacturers and consumers, represents a major challenge for many companies. In this context Avatar-based Innovation Processes represent promising innovation drivers, as they provide a globally connected working environment for user-centred innovation processes. The use of Avatars and Virtual Worlds allows for an unprecedented form of web based collaboration during the entire innovation process. The paper provides an overview of recent developments in Virtual Worlds. Using three selected case studies, the paper analyses how companies may use virtual environments and Avatars during various steps of the innovation process.

Project management is an important management process and finds application in different industries. Not every organization has the same project management guidelines or possesses project management knowledge. We propose that today's market structure and technological development open possibility for offering project management as a service in different forms. Companies specialized in project management may manage a project for the benefits of other party, using client's technical knowledge and principles of work. Companies that want to manage their projects internally need project management training service and software solution with certain functionalities and characteristics. The solution must follow the company policies in regard to resources, time and cost management, collaboration etc. Due to companies' specifics, it is highly unlikely that an off-the-shelf solution is applicable in every organization. The service of customization of an existing tool or development of a system specifically for the company needs can be also considered a project management service.

The top drivers for SOA adoption include the expectation of greater reuse in existing and newly-built Web services, business flexibility, simplification and speed of integration. So, in order to maximize the intended benefits of service-oriented architecture (SOA) implementation, organizations need to develop a well-articulated SOA quality strategy to promote trust and reuse. However, the shift to this strategy does not come easy and cheap. Building an effective SOA platform requires tight integration between new and existing product categories, and it may require large investments. For this reason, conventional investment valuation methods need to be combined with other modern techniques to reflect SOA's long-term strategic investment nature, the inherent uncertainty and the managerial discretion. Some emerging value-based analytical methodologies have started to be developed extensively under the umbrella concept of Business Value Analysis (BVA). Thus, in this paper, we apply modified CVP/BEP method developed under the BVA umbrella for the evaluation of SOA projects, in particular for the services reuse related.

The telecom service providers (fixed and mobile) understand that they must bring in new smart services in order to attract new customers, retain existing ones and increase revenue. The challenges and goals for doing so are as follows: determining which services are needed; introducing more services in a faster manner and at lower costs; delivering innovative services in a way that allows existing users to migrate smoothly to new ones. These goals could not be achieved with traditional closed and proprietary network infrastructure, as the vendor lock-in involved in that infrastructure results in limited scope of services, and dependency on old business models. New services require a much greater degree of system flexibility, performance and scalability, as well as open standards. Next Generation Network (NGN) provide the means for enabling agile service creation capabilities that facilitate better user experiences by integrating both new and legacy services across any access. However, NGNs involve complex structures even for simple services as they consist of a large number of building blocks and necessitate hierarchical models with a lot of parallel subsystems. Thus, particular attention has to be paid to understanding and modelling the performance of these systems. The rationale of this paper lies in developing a design and engineering methodology (based on a mathematical foundation) that addresses the service creation aspects for those fields in which traditional approaches will not work for NGNs.