June 18, 2007
Online shoppers trust reputations of sellers more at Amazon than at eBay: UBC study
The right feedback design can be critical to the long-term success of online marketplaces and auction sites, and they can also help consumers become better shoppers, according to a study from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. Sauder professors Paul Chwelos and Tirtha Dhar compared the reputation mechanisms for two popular online retail sites, Amazon and eBay. Both sites allow for publicly-visible feedback on commercial transactions, covering everything from product quality to timely delivery of the goods. The researchers argue that sellers who inflate their reputations may be doing online marketplaces such as eBay more harm than good. Making the better business case is Amazon, where the researchers found that more useful feedback on these transactions leads to higher sales and prices. "Our analysis shows that online marketplaces are more likely to win over consumers when they provide more useful reputation management mechanisms," says Chwelos. "People are willing to hand over their money when they're getting meaningful feedback." Their study, Differences in 'Truthiness' across Online Reputation Mechanisms, shows that consumers find that the reputation mechanism at Amazon elicits much more truthful and helpful feedback than eBay's. The current system at eBay encourages buyers and sellers to dole out positive feedback since this will enhance their position to buy or sell the next time around. As well, they fear that negative comments could trigger a backlash that will impact their own standing. "The design of the eBay feedback provides an environment for buyers and sellers to pat each other's back, with glowingly positive feedback," says Chwelos. There are no such incentives at Amazon to tippy toe around reputations since only buyers can post their comments. The one-way system invites shoppers to be as honest as they want without any fear of reprisal. As a result, the feedback at Amazon reflects more accurately the user's underlying experience with the transaction, whether good or bad. Not surprisingly, adds Chwelos, shoppers pay more attention to reputation scores that they believe to be true and accurate, but will discount scores when they are suspect. "Buyers aren't keen on sites where bloated and perhaps unwarranted reputations are the norm." he says, "Buyers largely ignore positive feedback on eBay." However, eBay is retooling its website with a new mechanism called "Feedback 2.0" that invites buyers to provide four categories of feedback about sellers: item description, communication and delivery time, and postage and packaging charges.
Source: The University of British Columbia
June 8, 2007
Distance is no issue as MBA grads from around the world attend Athabasca University's Convocation
Close to half of this year's 218 MBA grads are traveling to Athabasca tomorrow to receive their degrees in person at Athabasca University's Convocation ceremony. The AU MBA Class of 2007 represents every region of Canada, the United States and several other countries including Australia, Germany, Yemen, Switzerland and Kenya. As Dr. Lindsay Redpath, Executive Director of the Centre for Innovative Management, home of Athabasca University's online graduate management programs notes, "We have a great turnout for Convocation, reflecting the truly international character of AU's MBA program, and its impact on the Canadian and global business communities. The attendance at this year's Convocation reflects the extraordinary connection that our grads have to the program, to their fellow grads, to their professors, and to Athabasca University." Moses Abowga, MBA and head of Information Technology at the Commercial Bank of Africa in Nairobi Kenya, is one of the graduates making the journey to Athabasca. "The way the degree is structured makes you feel like you are in a class with your colleagues, despite being hundreds of miles away. I almost felt like I knew people whom I had not met-the online degree was great!" This will be Moses' second trip to Alberta; in October of 2004, he attended a residential elective program in Calgary and experienced snow for the first time. Also traveling to Athabasca is Rob Drew, MBA and Operations Manager for Terex Utilities in South Dakota. "Partially as a result of the AU MBA, I relocated to the United States as a consultant, later Plant Manager and currently, Operations Manager in South Dakota for an $8 billion US global manufacturer," says Rob. "AU offered the flexibility required for my work schedule and travel. I traveled extensively during my studies and even worked on one of my courses while in Milan, Italy." The global perspective is one of the reasons Edmontonian Kevin Peterson, MBA and Vice President with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP decided to enroll in Athabasca University's MBA. "I knew AU's program had a great reputation in Canada," says Kevin. "What really sold me was the incredible amount of interaction with other senior managers all across the country and around the world. The international experience of my fellow classmates really helped me to challenge, critique and analyze the way I think and how businesses operate in the global market. The interactive model AU has built to deliver its MBA is sensational and is truly at the leading edge of what's possible in online collaboration." Launched in 1994 as the world's first online MBA program, Athabasca University's MBA program has grown to become Canada's largest Executive MBA with over 800 students world-wide, and an alumni population approaching 2,000. The Financial Times of London has recognized the AU MBA as one of the" top Executive MBAs in the world."
Source: Athabasca University, Alberta
June 4, 2007
UBC engineers inducted as CAE Fellows
UBC professors Yusuf Altintas (Mechanical Engineering), David Dreisinger (Materials Engineering), Alan Russell (Civil Engineering), and David Wilkinson (Chemical and Biological Engineering) have been inducted as Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) in recognition of their distinguished achievements and career-long service to the engineering profession. The ceremony took place in Toronto, in conjunction with the Academy's 2007 Annual General Meeting on June 1. The Canadian Academy of Engineering comprises many of the country's most accomplished engineers, who have expressed their dedication to the application of science and engineering principles in the interests of the country and its enterprises. Nominated and elected by their peers, Fellows of the Academy are committed to ensuring that Canada's engineering expertise is applied to the benefit of all Canadians.
Source: The University of British Columbia
June 4, 2007
University of Alberta: Record number of graduates for spring convocation
Chancellor Eric Newell will confer more than 6,700 degrees during seven days of spring convocation, making the 2007 graduating class the largest ever. Convocation ceremonies take place at the Jubilee Auditorium. Tuesday, June 5 at 3pm will see students from graduate studies and research (masters and postgraduate degrees) receive their degrees. An honorary degree will be awarded to Wilton Littlechild, a Canadian Cree and U of A alumnus, who was the first indigenous person appointed Queen's Council by the Alberta Law Society and the first Treaty Indian in Canada to serve as a Member of Parliament. Doctoral (PhD) students from Graduate Studies and Research and Faculty of Education elementary education students will be conferred degrees on Wednesday, June 6 at 10am. An honorary degree will be bestowed upon Sheldon Bowles, best-selling author, entrepreneur and noted international speaker who built Domo Gas into one of Canada's largest independent retail gasoline chains. At 3pm, students from the Faculty of Education's secondary, adult and diploma programs and the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation will receive degrees. Noted Edmonton community volunteer Robert Westbury, who chairs the TELUS Community Board, the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research and the Enoch/Paragon Board, will be presented an honorary degree. On Thursday, June 7, the Faculty of Engineering will graduate students at 10am. Former U of A engineering professor and the person credited with transforming geotechnical engineering as it is taught and practised around the world, Norbert Morgenstern, will be awarded an honorary degree. At 3pm, students from the Faculties of Nursing and Rehabilitation Medicine will convocate. Allen Benson, a pioneer in rehabilitation and holistic healing services for Aboriginal offenders as well as program development in the areas of housing and homelessness prevention in Alberta, will receive an honorary degree. The Faculties of Agriculture, Forestry and Home Economics, Law and Medicine and Dentistry, will confer degrees on students, Friday at 10am. Former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and the first Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and four terms Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre, the Honourable A. Anne McLellan, will be awarded an honorary degree. Monday, June 11, at 3pm will see students from Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and honors and specialization degree students from Science receive their degrees. An honorary degree will be conferred upon Sir Keith O'Nions, a U of A alumnus who has contributed ground-breaking research in ocean geochemistry, heat fluxes from the mantle and the origin of the Earth's continents. General Arts students will graduate on Tuesday, June 12 at 10am. Internationally renowned jazz musician, PJ Perry Guloien (aka PJ Perry), will receive an honorary degree. At 3pm, students from all other degree programs in the Faculty of Arts as well as students in general science programs and from the School of Native Studies will convocate. U of A alumna Maria Klawe, President of Harvey Mudd College in California and an internationally recognized visionary scientist, will be awarded an honorary degree. The final day of convocation, Wednesday, June 13, will see students from the School of Business and Campus Saint-Jean receive their degrees. An honorary degree will be presented to E. Hunter Harrison, President and CEO of CN, and considered a pre-eminent innovator and leader in the North American railroad industry.
Source: University of Alberta
