Surveillance and sousveillance on Facebook: Between empowerment and disempowerment

It seems there is no end to the growth of social media. Facebook, in particular, enjoys its hegemonic position as the leading social networking site, with more than one and a half billion global monthly active users throughout 2015. 71 per cent of all adult Internet users in the United States have used Facebook in 2014, which constitutes 58 per cent of the entire U.S. adult population. The website has permeated many aspects of social, cultural, and economic life. It has equipped its users with new ways of online social interaction, governments with new means of communicating policies with the public opinion, and businesses and advertisers with a platform for reaching consumers faster and on a broader-than-ever scale. David Lyon, the leading scholar of international surveillance studies, observes: "Facebook has quickly become a basic means of communicating – of 'connecting', as Facebook itself rightly calls it – and is now a dimension of daily life for millions" (p. 35).The effect of social networking and social media on mass popular culture of the modern world is undoubtedly immense. What is less clear, however, is the normative value and nature of Facebook. From its appearance on the Internet, the website has been an object of criticism pointing to the modern paradigm of individuals' lives being constantly exposed to the public gaze. The increasingly complex and decreasingly intelligible architecture of the globalising "technoscape" have created new means of surveillance. David Lyon (1994) has been at the forefront of this line of thinking, arguing together with Zygmunt Bauman that modernity brought about the rise of a new Panoptic "surveillance society". Lyon sees Facebook as an exemplary modern surveillance system, designed for the purpose of collecting data about its users and turning it into commercial profits. The revelations about the global surveillance of Facebook users by the U.S. National Security Agency, exposed by Edward Snowden in 2013, seem to be a case in point. The international uproar that followed inspired many to reflect critically on the nature of social networking sites and to question their safety

Exploring customer interaction and management response in luxury hospitality through online reviews in social media

This dissertation aims to understand the feelings expressed by consumers on online reviews, regarding the different dimensions that comprise a luxurious hotel experience, alongside with how management response reflects guests 'feedback. To contextualize this modern online interaction, the research comprises the analysis of relationship marketing and customer engagement concepts, as basis theoretical constructs, alongside with social media marketing and electronic word-of-mouth. Giving this broad knowledge concerning the type of relationship established between hotels and guests nowadays, it was possible to investigate much further the hospitality sector, highlighting online reviews and how they have been promoted a deeper study about consumers 'experiences. Afterwards, one analysed the process behind hotels' response to the online available feedback, translated into the concept of management response, in terms of its conceptualization, benefits and potential strategies. A netnographic study was conducted on two luxury hotel brands - Hilton and Marriott, and eight hotels were selected - four of 4-star and four of 5-star - on London. Two hundred reviews were extracted for each property on Tripadvisor, side by side with hotels 'responses, so in the end 2864 online comments were gathered between February and March 2019.Esta dissertação visa compreender os sentimentos expressados pelos consumidores nas "online reviews", sobre os diferentes elementos que compõe uma experiência hoteleira luxuosa, assim como de que forma a resposta dos hotéis reflete esse mesmo "feedback". Para contextualizar esta moderna interação "online", a investigação compreende o estudo dos conceitos de "relationship marketing" e "customer engagement", como pilares teóricos, bem como de "social media marketing" e "electronic word-of-mouth". Com um conhecimento alargado sobre o tipo de relação estabelecida entre hotéis e hóspedes nos dias de hoje, foi possível estudar o sector hoteleiro em específico, dando destaque às "online reviews" e à forma como têm contribuindo para um estudo mais aprofundado das experiências dos consumidores. Depois, analisou-se o processo que envolve a resposta dos hotéis ao "feedback" disponível "online", traduzido na noção de "management response", em termos da sua conceptualização, benefícios e possíveis estratégias. Foi realizado um estudo netnográfico a duas marcas pertencentes ao sector hoteleiro de luxo - Hilton e Marriott, tendo sido oito hotéis selecionados - quatro de 5 estrelas e quatro de 4 estrelas - na cidade de Londres. Foram extraídas 200 "reviews" sobre cada uma das propriedades no Tripadvisor, assim como a resposta dos respectivos hotéis, traduzindo-se num total de 2864 comentários analisados entre Fevereiro e Março de 2019

Information and communication technology (ICT) for development of small and medium-sized exporters in Latin America: Brazil

Includes bibliograph

The BG News September 5, 2008

The BGSU campus student newspaper September 5, 2008. Volume 99 - Issue 10https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bg-news/8949/thumbnail.jp

The “dark side” of institutional trust

abstract: The majority of trust research has focused on the benefits trust can have for individual actors, institutions, and organizations. This “optimistic bias” is particularly evident in work focused on institutional trust, where concepts such as procedural justice, shared values, and moral responsibility have gained prominence. But trust in institutions may not be exclusively good. We reveal implications for the “dark side” of institutional trust by reviewing relevant theories and empirical research that can contribute to a more holistic understanding. We frame our discussion by suggesting there may be a “Goldilocks principle” of institutional trust, where trust that is too low (typically the focus) or too high (not usually considered by trust researchers) may be problematic. The chapter focuses on the issue of too-high trust and processes through which such too-high trust might emerge. Specifically, excessive trust might result from external, internal, and intersecting external-internal processes. External processes refer to the actions institutions take that affect public trust, while internal processes refer to intrapersonal factors affecting a trustor’s level of trust. We describe how the beneficial psychological and behavioral outcomes of trust can be mitigated or circumvented through these processes and highlight the implications of a “darkest” side of trust when they intersect. We draw upon research on organizations and legal, governmental, and political systems to demonstrate the dark side of trust in different contexts. The conclusion outlines directions for future research and encourages researchers to consider the ethical nuances of studying how to increase institutional trust

Aging in the Workplace: A Cross Case Analysis in Jamaica\u27s Finance Sector

Along with the increase in the number of older people globally, is an increase in the number of older people in the labor force. Older adults increasingly represent a large segment of the working population. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore workplace aging, with specific reference to Jamaica’s finance sector, in relation to organizational preparedness for the aging workforce. This study examined aging from an organizational perspective, a national perspective, and an individual perspective, through the lens of Baby Boomers. The study was framed through the lens of the Four Frames Model, and the Metaperspectives Theory, which guided the study from an organizational perspective. The Metaperspectives theory also guided the study from a national perspective. Transition theory framed the study from a Baby Boomer standpoint. The study included two multinational corporations in Jamaica’s finance sector. Eight participants took part in the study, five were Human Resource representatives who worked for the participating organizations, two were Baby Boomers, and one was a government representative who works with the National Council for Senior Citizens in Jamaica. Data were collected by conducting face-to-face and telephone interviews, and by reviewing policy documents from the companies and the government entity. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed, and data were analyzed thereafter. Several themes emerged from the data, key among these (i) retirement planning and preparation and (ii) succession planning. These themes were consistent across organizations and Baby Boomers. At the national level, the themes which emerged were (i) government preparedness for the aging workforce and (ii) employment and the aging workforce. Findings from the study indicate that both companies employ similar organizational practices although there are distinct differences in how they are preparing for the aging workforce. Additional findings reveal that there are inconsistencies amongst organizational practices in one participating company. This study has implications for academic theory and practice in the field of Human Resource Development, and it is expected to contribute to the research on aging in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. It is also anticipated that the study will ignite ongoing discussion on aging in the Jamaican workplace

The New Hampshire, Vol. 109, No. 17 (Feb. 20, 2020)

An independent student produced newspaper from the University of New Hampshire

Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction and Its Level among the Mobile Customers in United Kingdom (UK)

In the present days of market economy, proliferation of ICT, convergence of technology and perceptual changes in the mind set of the new generations it is becoming crucial to maintain customer satisfaction. The behavioural footing in customer satisfaction management and maintenance it is becoming important to identify the important factors effecting customer satisfaction. In this research I have found that customer satisfaction level varies among brands of mobile operators and it is seen that a significant number of the young and also the matured are using more than one SIM. It is also found that Service quality, Perceived Value, Price Fairness, Customer Service, Complaint Handling, Trustworthiness, Internal Satisfaction, Knowledge on Customer needs and wants, demographics, and image etc. affect customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction can give loyal customers and helps in customer retention, which ultimately gives profitable customers.Among the respondents female were comparatively higher than male. Among the present network used by the respondents O2 is highest and followed by Vodafone and Orange. 95% were found to be using mobile and 52% of them use more than one SIM. In case of performance the respondents viewed Vodafone as the top performer in case of Service Quality, and Marketing Communication, whereas, Virgin performed best in case of Customer Care. In all the three parameters of Service Quality, Customer Care, and Marketing Communication Orange performed on the second levels than Vodafone and Virgin. O2 performed third in case of Service Quality, and Marketing Communication. Keywords: Customer satisfaction, ICT, Mobile Company, United Kingdom, etc

Listening to citizens

Focusing on local politics in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion,  this report investigates the interaction between citizens and local politicians in four municipalities: Riemst (Belgium, Flanders), Visé (Belgium, Wallonia), Übach-Palenberg (Germany) and Valkenburg aan de Geul (Netherlands). The purpose of the research project is to bring new insights into the interaction between citizens and local politicians and the expectations of citizens about that interaction. Therefore, this report analyses the experiences of citizens with politicians (including the mayor) at local government level, using Easton’s (1965) model of the political system and Denters’ (2013) models for the role of elected representatives.The research was conducted in the framework of the Marble (Maastricht Researched Based Learning for Excellence) programme, open for highly motivated and excellent undergraduate students. The structured interviews with the citizens were conducted in April and May 2016.Overall, this research finds that, despite some differences between the four municipalities in terms of the relationship between citizens and local politicians, most citizens contact their local politicians for a concrete problem affecting them. Citizens expect politicians to help them with these issues. On the other hand, citizens expect politicians to approach them to ask for input in the decision-making process. These expectations fit best with the politicians’ role of trustee and democratic watchdog as defined by Denters (2013). Local politicians do not completely fulfil these expectations yet. They should engage with citizens more often to ask for their input or to explain council decisions (output). As an approach to tackle this issue and facilitate effective communication, this paper proposes implementing “tailored” communication modes, based on the different target groups.This research is complementary to the 2015 study by Peters et al., which focused on the experiences and expectations of local politicians in the same four municipalities in the Meuse-Rhine Euregion

Small Businesses, Public Health, and Scientific Integrity

This report examines the activities of an independent office within the Small Business Administration: the Office of Advocacy. The Office of Advocacy has responsibility for ensuring that federal agencies evaluate the small business impacts of the rules they adopt. Scientific assessments are not "rules" and do not regulate small business, yet the Office of Advocacy decided to comment on technical, scientific assessments of the cancer risks of formaldehyde, styrene, and chromium. By its own admission, Advocacy lacks the scientific expertise to evaluate the merits of such assessments.The report analyzes correspondence and materials received through a Freedom of Information Act request made by staff at the Center for Effective Government. Our inquiry was driven by two questions: Why did the Office of Advocacy get involved in the debate over scientific assessments that do not regulate small business? Whose interests does the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration actually serve?We found that the Office of Advocacy's comments on these assessments raised no issues of specific concern to small business and relied almost exclusively on talking points provided by trade associations dominated by big chemical companies. Between 2005 and 2012, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and its members spent over $333 million lobbying Congress and federal agencies on, among other things, a protracted campaign to prevent government agencies from designating formaldehyde, styrene, and chromium as carcinogens. The Formaldehyde Council, Styrene Industry Research Council, and Chrome Coalition spent millions more. These groups asked the Office of Advocacy for assistance, and the Office became their willing partner.We conclude that the Office of Advocacy's decision to comment on scientific assessments of the cancer risks of certain chemicals constitutes a significant and unwarranted expansion of its role and reach beyond its statutory responsibilities. We recommend that Congress ask the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the Office of Advocacy and exert morerigorous oversight of its activities to ensure its work does not undermine the efforts of other federal agencies to fulfill the goals Congress has assigned them