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.

The development and diffusion of smartphones has paved the way for several trends, among them an alternative payment solution in the form of mobile payment. Mobile payment is part of the overarching concept of mobile transactions, and experiences varied acceptance and adoption. This paper analyzes drivers and factors determining consumers' acceptance and adoption of mobile payment. For this reason, we examine the contribution of the two basic approaches, i.e. the "technology acceptance model" and the "unified theory of acceptance and use of technology" in the context of mobile payment. Based on empirical evidence, we identified several factors, which were found to have impact on primary adoption; a compelling user experience turned out to be the main driver of long-term usage.

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.

The development and diffusion of smartphones has led to many new trends, among them a new payment solution in the form of mobile payment. This paper places its focus on factors influencing consumer adoption of mobile payment. The basis for this is often the technology acceptance model and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. Several factors including perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, performance expectancy and social influence were found to influence primary adoption while a compelling user experience, usability and enjoyment were found to be a main driver of long-term usage.

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.

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.

As of April, 2018 newly registered vehicles within the European Union need to be equipped with hardware allowing the so called "Emergency Call System" (eCall) to operate. Despite being subject of scientific papers as well as being discussed by official authorities, several issues regarding the effects of the eCall technology are still open and worth being analyzed. This study presents the results of a Delphi study focusing on monetary benefits, the public perception of this technology, and its future development.

Technological integration and convergence enables customers to experience conventional, online and mobile shopping. Companies tailor multiple retail channels in respond to their customers' needs. The so-called omni-channel retail strategy suggests an integrated shopping approach, combining the convenience of various digital channels with the customers' personal experience, typical for brick and mortar settings. Due to the co-existence of multiple sales channels complementing each other, retail companies may better engage with their customers. Moreover, the easy and seamless switching between various retail channels allows customers to experience the brand holistically, and thus be more satisfied with the shopping experience and the product per se, and be more brandloyal. This paper aims to investigate and analyse -- based on recent literature -- the advantages and challenges of omni-channel retailing on a broad, systematic basis from a business perspective. As a result, we identify those aspects of omni-channel retailing, where mobile technologies may contribute either to further improvements or to eliminate drawbacks.

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.

This position paper analyzes the customers' willingness to use location based services (LBS) based on the OCEAN model using particular personality traits. Companies must create suitable solutions, because certain personal characteristics may provide better attitudes for the use of LBS whereas other personal characteristics may be less conductive for the use of LBS. Highlighting and systematizing relevant customer profiles provides a basis for the development of efficient strategies to reach and persuade a company's customers.

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.

Mobile business applications such as mobile shopping have experienced a major upswing in recent years. In order to respond appropriately to the high and still increasing demands of consumers, traders make use of mobile applications in many industries. In addition, as far as the trade of textiles is concerned, vendors use mobile shopping applications to increase their market opportunities and competitiveness. In this context, the authors formulate eight hypotheses and set up a research model for further analysis concerning consumer acceptance of mobile shopping, by using the textile goods market in Austria as an example.

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.