Faculty, Research & Staff

Eleanor T. Loiacono

Associate Professor

Faculty Listing
Office: Washburn Shops, 209
Phone: +1-508-831-5206
Fax: +1-508-831-5720
eloiacon@wpi.edu

Educational Background

B.A., Boston University, 1992
M.B.A., Boston College, 1996
Ph.D., University of Georgia, 2000

Research & Teaching Interests

Affect in IS, E-Commerce; Cross-cultural issues in IS; and Accessibility issues in IS

IQP Advising Interests

natural resource management; effect of technology on social systems; technology & organizational behaviors; international comparisons; social cost & social change; science & society studies; impact of a technical change on job & business; computers & education; education & technological literacy; special education

Research

Her principal research interest is in the area of e-commerce and website quality, including research in consumer behavior and the Internet. Her research has expanded to include website accessibility issues, affect in IS, and cultural factors affecting website usage. She has applied her research to several industries, including online retailing, services, and the automotive industry. Her research is empirical in nature and makes extensive use of structural equation modeling.

Research Grants

Loiacono, E., Djamasbi, S., Weaver, E. and Whitefleet-Smith, J. "Decision Making under Overload: Implications for Emergency." awarded WPI RDC FAR seed grant, $17,200, ultimately targeting NSF funding under the Decision, Risk, and Management Science (DRMS) program supporting decision making under risk research. 2006.
Supported through Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant given to the Metal Processing Institute at WPI. $5,000 for research into the Web site quality of metal processing firms. 2001.

Recent Publications

Loiacono, E., Romano, N., and McCoy, S. "The State of Corporate Website Accessibility." Communications of the ACM, forthcoming.
Fruhling, A., Djamasbi, S. and Loiacono, E. "The Influence of Affect, Attitude and Usefulness in the Acceptance of Healthcare Information Systems." forthcoming. The Journal of Information Technology and Theory Application, 2009, Volume 10, Issue 1, Article 4.
Elms, M. and Loiacono, E. "Project-Based Service-Learning for an Unscripted World: The WPI IQP Experience." forthcoming. International Journal of Organization Analysis, 2009, Volume 17, Issue 1, pp. 23-39.
"Website Accessibility." Graduate Electronic Commerce Strategies Course, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, July 14, 2009.
Taylor, N., Loiacono, E., and Watson, R. "Alternative Scenarios to the "Banner" Years: A Test of Alternative Formats to Web Banner Ads." Communications of the ACM, February 1, 2008.

View detailed list

Honors & Awards

Nominee for WPI Women of Strength Award, 2009.
Advisor to Provost's MQP Award, 2006 Advised the project chosen as the Provost's MQP winner within the Management Department.
Advisor to Provost's MQP Award, 2005. Advised the project chosen as the Provost's MQP winner within the Management Department.
Romeo L. Moruzzi Young Faculty Award for Innovation in Undergraduate Education, 2003. Awarded for teaching innovations in Organizational Applications in Telecommunications (MIS3740).
Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) Certificate of Appreciation, 2003. Presented in recognition of MiniTrack Chair.
Advisor to Provost's MQP Award, 2001. Advised the project chosen as the Provost's MQP winner within the Management Department.
Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) Certificate of Appreciation, 2001. Presented for outstanding performance as Special Events Co-chair.

Years of Service at WPI

WPI Graduate Student Orientation Faculty Panel, Department of Management, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2009.
WPI Undergraduate Curriculum Subcommittee, Department of Management, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2009.
Faculty Development and Tenure Committee, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2008-2010, Chair, 2009-2010.
Presidential Commission on Operational Effectiveness and Efficiency, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2009-on going.
Standing Committee for Proposal Limitations, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2006-on going.
Women's Faculty Network Group, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2005-on going.
Marketing Discussion Group, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2007-on going.
Information Technology Research Centers, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2001-on going.
MIS Area Committee, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2000-on going.
Faculty Mentor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2007-2008.
Graduate Policy and Curriculum Committee, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2007-2009, Chair, 2007-2008.
WPI Web Committee, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2007-2008.
Committee on Academic Operations, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2005-2008.
Committee on Academic Operations Chair, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, Winter 2006, Winter 2007, Academic Year 2007-2008.
WPI New Faculty Orientation Workshop Presenter, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
Speaker at Major Selection Panel (for students interested in finding out more about the MIS Major at WPI), Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2006.
Speaker at Parents Weekend, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2006.
Participant in "Meet the Faculty" Open Houses, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2006.
Undergraduate Policy and Curriculum Committee, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2002-2005, Chair, 2003-2004.
Undergraduate Policy and Curriculum Committee Chair, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2004.
IQP Reviewer, WPI Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division, Worcester, MA, Summer 2004.
Junior Faculty Lunch and Activity Co-coordinator, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2000-2006.
WPI Graduate Management Student Orientation Faculty Panel, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2003.
MIS Candidate Search Committee, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2001, 2003, and 2005.
Teaching Portfolio Mentor, (twice) Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2002.
Case Study Skills Seminar for WPI Graduate Management Student Orientation, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2002.
AACSB Accreditation Curriculum Task Force, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2000-2002.
Insight Advisor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, 2007.
MIS Association (MISA) Advisor, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, March 2003-on-going.
WPI Travelers' Undergraduate IT Business Case Competition Team Advisor, Department of Management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and St. Paul Travelers, Worcester, MA and Hartford, CT, 2005-2007. (Team took 1^st place 2005, 2^nd 2006, and 1^st 2007)

Professional Experience & Activities

Chair, Special Interest Group on Human Computer Interaction (SIGHCI), 2008-2009.
Chair Elect, Special Interest Group on Human Computer Interaction (SIGHCI), 2007-2008.
Co-Chair HCI Workshop, Seventh Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, International Conference on Information Systems, Paris, France, December 2008.
Co-Chair HCI Workshop, Sixth Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, International Conference on Information Systems, Montreal, Canada, December 2007.
Co-Chair HCI Workshop, Fifth Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, International Conference on Information Systems, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 2006.
MIS Camp Counselor, Workshop for New MIS Faculty, Americas Conference on Information Systems, Acapulco, Mexico, August 2006.
MiniTrack CoChair, Cross-Cultural IS Research, Americas Conference on Information Systems, Acapulco, Mexico, August 2006.
MiniTrack CoChair, IT Systems Accessibility, Americas Conference on Information Systems, Acapulco, Mexico, August 2006.
MiniTrack CoChair, IT Systems Accessibility, Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS), Kauai, Hawaii, January 2006.
Program Committee, Fourth Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, International Conference on Information Systems, Las Vegas, Nevada, December 2005.
MiniTrack CoChair, IT Systems Accessibility, Americas Conference on Information Systems, Omaha, NE, August 2005.
MiniTrack CoChair, Cross-Cultural IS Research, Americas Conference on Information Systems, Omaha, NE, August 2005.
MiniTrack CoChair, IT Systems Accessibility, Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS), Big Island, Hawaii, January 2005.
Session Chair, Third Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, International Conference on Information Systems, Washington, DC, December 2004.
Program Committee, Third Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, International Conference on Information Systems, Washington, DC, December 2004.
MiniTrack CoChair, IT Systems Accessibility, Americas Conference on Information Systems, New York, NY, August 2004.
MiniTrack CoChair, Cross-Cultural IS Research, Americas Conference on Information Systems, New York, NY, August 2004.
Session Chair, IT Systems Accessibility, Americas Conference on Information Systems, New York, NY, August 2004.
NSF Panel Reviewer, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC, March 2004.
Open Tourism Consortium, Center for Information Systems Leadership, Athens, GA, Assist with issues related to Accessibility. August 2003-on going.
Program Committee, Second Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, International Conference on Information Systems, Seattle, Washington, December 2003.
Session Chair, Cross-Cultural IS Research, Americas Conference on Information Systems, Tampa, FL, August 2003.
MetaTrack CoChair, International Issues in IT, Americas Conference on Information Systems, Tampa, FL, August 2003.
MiniTrack CoChair, Cross-Cultural IS Research, Americas Conference on Information Systems, Tampa, FL, August 2003.
Program Committee, First Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, International Conference on Information Systems, Barcelona, Spain, December 2002, Seattle.
Session Chair, Issues in Website Design, Annual Workshop on HCI Research in MIS, International Conference on Information Systems, Barcelona, Spain, December 2002.
Special Events Co-Chair, Americas Conference on Information Systems, Boston, MA, August 2001.

Professional Societies/Memberships

Association for Computer Machinery (ACM)
Association for Information Systems (AIS)
Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
Understanding Networking Fundamentals (Microsoft Certified)

Media Coverage

Careers & The Disabled (October 2003)—"Federal Websites Not Fully Accessible"
Ability Magazine (August 2003)—Federal website study.
CBS MarketWatch (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
DallasNews.com (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
Finance Canada (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
Finanz Nachrichten (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
Lycos.com (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
MedicalDevices.org (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
Miami Today (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
NBC6.com (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
National Hispanic Corporate Council (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
News Alert (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
PR Newswire (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
Silicon Valley Business Ink (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
TheEagle.com (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
Yahoo! (June 11, 2003)—"Worcester Polytechnic Institute Study Finds Most Federal Web Sites Are Not Fully Accessible to the Disabled"
WPI Press Release (June 11, 2003)—WPI study finds most federal websites are not fully accessible to the disabled—author of report.
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (January 14, 2003)—"Web's role shift," Block Alison, Business Section front page (Section E, E2)—quoted.
Boston.com—digitalMASS (November 1, 2000)—WebQual™ research.
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (November 10, 2000)—WebQual™ research.
WPI Wire (June 2001, Vol. 13, No. 3)—WebQual™ research.
WPI Press Release (October 16, 2000)—WebQual™ research.

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