8(1) October 2002 Margaret McLaughlin and Sheizaf Rafaeli, Editors |
 In focus groups sessions with voters in New Hampshire, the authors explored how citizens understand the role of the Internet in political campaigns, and the role they can play in the campaign process by utilizing the net's interactive features.  Although online shoppers may prefer to purchase only certain types of products online, such as books and computers, e-tailers could motivate consumers to purchase difficult-to-sell products online like clothing or perfume by understanding and providing the attributes that are important to them. 
Content analyses of online conference transcripts were conducted to compare collaborative behaviors among US, Finnish, and Korean conferees. Results indicated Korean students were more social and contextually-driven online, Finnish students were more group-focused, reflective and theoretically driven, and U.S. students were more action-oriented in seeking results or giving solutions. |
|
 Improvisational dramatic role-play activities are used in classrooms to encourage children to explore the feelings of the characters in a story and gain insight into the relationships among them. Role-play can also help the development of moral reasoning by presenting moral dilemmas in concrete situations. This paper presents a desktop role-play virtual environment, Ghostwriter.  Consumers rely on customized information, word- of-mouth and brand to assess the risks of purchasing in online auctions. Information processing associated with product performance plays a crucial role in reducing consumer perceived risk in these online transactions. |
