Social support, social capital and online community e-loyalty: an empirical study

Online communities, as an essential manifestation of online social relationships, sociality factors (including social support factors and social relationship factors, etc.) ought to facilitate the formation of community trust and community satisfaction. However, although the existing literature has explored the underlying mechanisms of online community trust and satisfaction formation, few studies implemented research from the integrated sociality perspectives. In this thesis, we integrate social capital theory and social support theory to consider social capital and social support as important antecedent social factors in forming community trust and community satisfaction, which influence users' trust and satisfaction in online communities. Community trust and satisfaction further promote community loyalty. Specifically, this thesis scrutinizes the influence of three levels of social support factors such as information support, emotional support, and human-computer network management support and three kinds of social capital such as structure, cognition, and relationship to online community trust and satisfaction. Based on the proposed research model, 430 online community users' survey data were collected through an empirical questionnaire and the research model was tested through the partial least squares structural equation model method. The results of the thesis suggest that social support factors, including information support, emotional support, and interpersonal network interaction support, and social capital factors including structural capital, relational capital, and cognitive capital significantly affect community users' loyalty not only directly but also indirectly through enhancing community users' trust and satisfaction. Thus, users' trust and satisfaction with the community are significant mediating variables.Nas comunidades online, como uma importante manifestação das relações sociais online, os fatores de socialidade (incluindo fatores de apoio social e fatores de relacionamento social) devem facilitar a formação de confiança e satisfação da comunidade. No entanto, embora a literatura existente tenha explorado os mecanismos subjacentes à formação da confiança e da satisfação da comunidade online, poucos estudos consideraram a perspectiva social de forma integrada. Nesta tese, integramos a teoria do capital social e a teoria do suporte social para considerar o capital social e o suporte social como importantes fatores sociais antecedentes na formação da confiança e satisfação da comunidade, que influenciam a confiança e a satisfação dos utilizadores em comunidades online. A confiança e a satisfação da comunidade promovem ainda mais a lealdade da comunidade. Especificamente, esta tese estuda a influência de três níveis de fatores de suporte social - suporte de informação, suporte emocional e suporte de gestão da relação homen-computador - e três tipos de capital social - estrutura, cognição e relacionamento - na confiança e satisfação da comunidade online. Com base no modelo de pesquisa proposto, 430 observações de utilizadores de comunidades online foram recolhidos através de um questionário. O modelo de pesquisa foi testado através de métodos de equação estruturais. Os resultados da tese relevam que fatores de suporte social, incluindo suporte de informação, suporte emocional e suporte de interação de rede interpessoal, e fatores de capital social, incluindo capital estrutural, capital relacional e capital cognitivo, afetam significativamente a lealdade dos utilizadores da comunidade, não apenas diretamente mas também indiretamente, aumentando a confiança e a satisfação dos utilizadores da comunidade; a confiança e a satisfação dos usuários com a comunidade são variáveis mediadoras importantes

Systematic Literature Review on Driving Factors of COVID-19 Related Fake News Sharing on Social Media

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the news sharing behavior of social media users has exacerbated the proliferation of fake news, contributed to significant negative impacts on the public and society. This study aimed to explore the driving factors of COVID-19 related fake news sharing on social media and identify interventions to combat its dissemination. A systematic literature review under the guideline of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was conducted using various databases, resulting in several key findings. Individual motivations such as information sharing, socialization, altruism, and self-promotion were identified as significant drivers of fake news sharing. Cognitive and emotional factors like trust in online information, perceived information overload, and social media exposure were also predictors of fake news sharing. Cultural and religious factors, as well as news content characteristics, were found to be correlated with COVID-19 fake news sharing. Facebook and WhatsApp emerged as the most commonly used platforms for sharing fake news. To address this issue, collaborative efforts are necessary involving individuals, social media platforms, technological institutions, governments, and public agencies. The study provides comprehensive insights into the driving factors behind COVID-19 related fake news sharing on social media and presents potential interventions to mitigate its spread. These findings can increase public awareness of the underlying reasons for fake news sharing and assist governments and public health institutions in devising strategies to handle fake news during future health crises

Success for whom? A probe into user experiences of online communities of interests

The online community (OC) plays an important role in modern people's daily lives. Successful OCs can meet users' needs for interest, relationship, fantasy, or transaction, and can create information value, experiential value, social value, or transaction value for the organizers. However, it's not easy to explain why some OCs are successful and some are not. OC success has been examined by researchers from different perspectives, such as the social perspective, the system perspective, or the organizer perspective. Studies from these perspectives have suggested that users play a key role in the success of an OC. Yet, understanding of user experiences in OCs from their own perspective was insufficient and fragmented. Most studies often presumed that the users share the same goal and perspective as organizers regarding OC success, while some empirical findings suggested otherwise. The research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of OC success from the user perspective. Emphasizing users' active and subjective participation, this research applied design probe to delve deeper and closer into user activities, thoughts, and emotions that traditional research methods were rarely able to. The research yielded rich and texturized information on user experiences about OCs of interests. The research findings showed: 1) the user experience of OCs of interests is an interactive combination of various OCs, offline events, and activities around their own interests or goals, instead of an isolated experience in each OC as previous studies tend to consider; 2) users' perceived success of an OC is also based on the holistic experience around their interests or goals, instead of based on a single OC; 3) online and offline activities are interconnected in the building of users’ social relationships. The research suggests more researches of OC success from the user perspective, separate from the organizer perspective. The research also suggests future studies to aim at a clearer definition and measurement of OC success from the user perspective

Examining the Effects among Motivation Needs, Satisfaction, and Instagram Continuance Intention in Malaysian Students

While social media platforms, notably Instagram, have gained traction among university students, this study sought to understand factors influencing their continued use among a segment of Malaysian university students. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the role of satisfaction (SAT) as a mediator in the relationship between various types of motivational needs and the continued intention (CI) to use Instagram. The motivational needs under study included cognitive needs (CN), affective needs (AN), personal integrative needs (PIN), social integrative needs (SIN), and escape needs (EN). This research was built on the foundations of the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) and Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT). Using a non-probablistic sampling strategy, this study gathered data via questionnaires from a sample of 384 students from six selected universities in Klang Valley. Within the scope of the research sample, a key finding emerged: SAT notably mediates the relationship between CN, SIN, PIN, and CI. This finding illustrates the pivotal role of SAT in the context of UGT and ECT, suggesting that SAT derived from Instagram usage is a critical factor in explaining the sustained engagement of university students, based on specific motivational needs. Within the context of this study's sampled participants, this result offers insights into how SAT, influenced by distinct motivational needs, may impact the intention to continue using Instagram. In practical terms, these insights may assist social media platform developers and educational institutions in understanding and addressing the satisfaction and engagement levels of university users. Simultaneously, the quota sampling strategy employed in this study serves as a valuable model for future research in similar contexts. However, this study recommend that future research expand the sample to include a broader cross-section of Malaysian university students to enhance representativeness and generalizability

Online customer satisfaction about sharing bike market in China

Sharing bike, which makes the replacement of private car travel possible, solved the “last mile” problem and changed people’s travel idea from individual ownership to sharing service. It is an environmentally friendly way of travel, which is quite popular in China. Users' satisfaction with sharing bicycles is essential in determining whether users continue to use these bicycles. The Internet is an important place for users to evaluate sharing bicycles. It is significant for developing public transportation in China to study sharing bike satisfaction by collecting online public opinion data. This paper takes the satisfaction of sharing bicycles in China as the research object, collects the public opinion information about sharing bicycles on the Internet, and obtains the satisfaction data of sharing bicycles by using text mining. In addition, the descriptive statistical analysis and comparative study were carried out on four major brands in China (Didi, Meituan, Hello, and Ofo). It is found that Didi's satisfaction with sharing bicycles is the highest, and Ofo is the lowest. The price increase of sharing bicycles does not affect its satisfaction in most cases, and only a few cases will reduce the satisfaction. This paper also studies the correlation between weather and sharing bicycles satisfaction using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and factor analysis. Chengdu and Beijing were the two cities that selected to analyze the correlation between the weather conditions and sharing bikes satisfaction. In the research on the satisfaction of sharing bicycles in Beijing, it is found that there is a specific correlation between weather conditions, air temperature, and air pressure and the satisfaction. The satisfaction on sunny days is higher than that on cloudy days. In the research on the satisfaction of shared bicycles in Chengdu, it is found that the weather conditions do not affect user satisfaction of sharing bikes, and the public opinions, maximum temperature, and wind speed are related to the satisfaction.Bicicletas compartilhadas, que representam uma substituição da viagem em carro privado, resolveram o problema da "última milha" e mudou meios de transporte de propriedade individual para serviço de compartilhamento. É uma forma de viajar amigável ao ambiente, bastante popular na China. A satisfação dos usuários com bicicletas compartilhadas é essencial para determinar se os usuários continuam a usar essas bicicletas. A Internet trata-se de um lugar onde os usuários avaliam bicicletas compartilhadas. É significativo para o desenvolvimento do transporte público na China estudar a satisfação com bicicletas compartilhadas por meio da coleta de dados online da opinião pública. Esta dissertação tem como objeto de investigação a satisfação de bicicletas compartilhadas na China, coletando informações da opinião pública sobre bicicletas compartilhadas na Internet e usando mineração de texto. Além disso, a análise estatística descritiva e o estudo comparativo foram realizados em quatro grandes marcas na China (“Didi”, “Meituan”, “Hello” e “Ofo”). Verificou-se que a satisfação para a Didi é a mais alta e para Ofo é a mais baixa. O aumento do preço de bicicletas compartilhadas não afeta o nível de satisfação na sua maioria, e apenas em alguns casos reduziram a satisfação. A dissertação também estuda a correlação entre o clima e a satisfação com bicicletas compartilhadas usando estatística descritiva, análise de correlação e análise fatorial. As cidades de Chengdu e de Pequim foram escolhidas para analisar a correlação. Na pesquisa sobre a satisfação de bicicletas compartilhadas em Pequim, verificou-se que existe uma correlação específica entre as condições meteorológicas, a temperatura do ar e a pressão do ar e a satisfação. A satisfação em dias de sol é maior do que em dias nublados. Na pesquisa em Chengdu, foi descobrido que as condições climáticas não afetam a satisfação do usuário em compartilhar bicicletas, e a opinião pública, temperatura máxima e velocidade do vento relacionam-se à satisfação

The influencing factors of user loyalty on e-commerce shopping guide platform -- Case “Shenmezhidemai”

In recent years, the development of the online retail market has become more and more diversified. There are a large number of advertisements and products gathered on major e-commerce platforms. Consumers cannot efficiently select the products they want in the huge product pool, and it is also difficult for merchants to select high-quality products. The products are precisely oriented to consumers, so the e-commerce shopping guide industry has begun to spread, develop and become popular. To help consumers select high-quality goods more quickly, the e-commerce shopping guide platforms collect and integrate information and discounts for users, and provide users with decision-making suggestions. However, there is a phenomenon that users who are dissatisfied after purchasing a product because of product price reduction, quality problems or logistics problems become angry with the e-commerce shopping guide platform. As a result, users even quit and uninstall the e-commerce shopping guide platform completely. In fact, the result should be the responsibility of the merchant who sells the product. This thesis takes the e-commerce shopping guide platform “Shenmezhidemai” as the re-search object, and uses grounded theory, case study and in-depth interview to carry out this research. First of all, this thesis sorts out the relevant research on e-commerce shopping guide platform and user loyalty, and conducts an overview of the environment, development history and status quo, classification, characteristics and profit model of e-commerce shop-ping guide platform. Secondly, based on grounded theory and in-depth interview method, 20 people participated in the interview, and the interview records of about 20,000 words were obtained. Through open coding, axial coding, selective coding and other processes, the key influencing factors of e-commerce shopping guide platform user loyalty are analyzed and the theoretical model is constructed. Through the eight categories of user-related factors, information utility, system utility, platform reputation, recommending function, interactive function, price comparison function and cross-border shopping function, the model of influencing factors of e-commerce shopping guide platform user loyalty is carefully analyzed. Finally, aiming at the above eight categories, corresponding suggestions are put forward for e-commerce shopping guide platforms to cultivate and increase user loyalty. The thesis hopes to provide some implications and recommendations for the development of e-commerce shopping guide platforms

Does incidental mean indiscriminate? a study of incidental news consumption's effect on processing of claims in health news

Since the 2016 election, fake news has taken center stage in the American news landscape. The risk of fake news being widely disseminated and widely believed is a great fear for many, and this study addresses factors associated with our tendencies in consuming fake news. Specifically, this study asks how incidental news consumption affects a person's news discernment. Prior research suggests that people may consume news "incidentally" or accidentally online, and the context in which they are viewing news may alter their ability to critically understand and engage with it. A lack of conscious intent in a user's news consumption can have negative consequences, such as a lack of political participation and poor media literacy. Therefore, this study attempts to understand how news habits are associated with a person's ability to discern between true and false claims in health news. To do so, this study hypothesizes that incidental news exposure is negatively associated with news media discernment, or in other words, people who mostly consume news incidentally are not equipped to discern between real and fake news. The results showed, in line with the hypothesis, that incidental, or passive, news consumers were more likely to view fake news as more accurate and less biased than their active news consumer counterparts, and less likely to view real news as accurate and unbiased than their active news consumer counterparts, suggesting that active news consumers are more discerning

Reinterpret 4As framework of energy security from the perspective of human security – an analysis of China’s electric vehicle (EV) development

This research addresses two issues: expanding the understanding of human security with the case of China’s electric vehicle (EV) development and examining the human security implications of China’s EV development. This research adopts an online ethnographic method to record very personal driving forces and barriers to China’s EV uptake through the experiences shared by ordinary Chinese people. From a theoretical perspective, this research provides more evidence for the applicability of the broad human security approach in energy security analysis through the case of China’s EV development. By reinterpreting the 4As framework (availability, affordability, accessibility, and acceptability), which is one of the most frequently adopted frameworks in the analysis of energy security on the state level, (Cherp & Jewell, 2014, p. 416), this research challenges the current understanding of human security by demonstrating that threats to human security exist at all levels of development and touch not only the most vulnerable but also people living in well-developed regions in the face of the lasted technological transformation. The analysis of China’s EV development as a strategic energy security consideration sheds some light on the complicated relationship between state and individual security within China’s security discussion. It enriches the understanding of human security by exploring how it has been adapted to the Chinese social and political context. Meanwhile, drawing on the insights from ontological security through the lens of some key indicators (protection, autonomy, and social acceptance), this research emphasises the necessity of incorporating the subjective dimension in human security analysis to capture subjective feelings and psychological factors in everyday security. This research contributes empirically to identifying human security implications of EV development based on the real-life experiences shared by the Chinese people, which may constitute barriers to China’s EV uptake. Informed by the flexible interpretation of security agency offered by the broad human security approach, this research demonstrates that apart from the state’s dominant position as the main security provider, other players, such as carmakers, also play an important role in shaping people’s perceptions of how secure EVs are. Recognising that the misoperation of an automobile can cause serious physical harm to both those on board and other road users, this research argues that ordinary people should not be only considered as the object of protection but also as the agent with the power to exert influence on the security implications of the new technology

Research in multi-cultural relationship building

This study aims to explore the ‘missing gap' between the values of an Accounting firm and the preference shown by Maaori on how they would like to be approached when wanting to build a trusted relationship within a business sense. This study makes use of qualitative approaches in which data is collected primarily through interviews and analysed to produce results and recommendations. The study found that Maaori would like to be approached in a way that makes sense to them and also identifies with their cultural proceedings. It also provides insight into how important trust is when establishing a relationship with Maaori. The study recommends that further studies conducted should interview a wider variety of focus groups to add different elements to this research and that FIRM A's small business department's offerings do not align with what Maaori want so need to be rethought to adapt to Maaor expectations

Expanding the education role to narrow the audit expectation gap: exploring the expectation gap’s existence among accounting students

Society perceives and expects more from auditor’s than what auditors can actually achieve. Society has been found to misperceive the role of an auditor, in particular, in regards to fraud, internal controls and going concern issues. Society’s differing perceptions and expectations of the auditing profession is known as the audit expectation gap. This study aims to explore the audit expectation gap’s existence among Wintec accounting students and the effect that education has on the audit expectation gap. This research intends to answer two research questions. First, does an audit expectation gap exist among Wintec accounting students? Second, what is the effect of education on the audit expectation gap? To answer these research questions, 20 Wintec accounting students have been interviewed. Ten students who have received an audit education, and ten students who have not received audit education. Qualitative data was collected from these interviews and analysed using a mixed methods approach. This study found that an audit education exists among Wintec accounting students. This study also found that education reduced the audit expectation gap, in particular, the deficient performance gap and the communication gap. However, while education did reduce the audit expectations gap, it was not eliminated. This study recommends that Wintec provides a more basic auditing education during introductory accounting papers, educating students on the role of an auditor. This study also recommends that education focuses on the practical use of an audit report, to increase student’s understandings of the information in the audit report, and how this information is communicated. Thus, the researcher believes that these recommendations will help to further reduce the audit expectation