6,718 research outputs found

    Beyond Material Possessions: The Interplay among Holistic Thinking, the Diderot Effect, Prestige Sensitivity, and Self-Actualization on Purchase Intention

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    Consumers' purchase intentions are affected differently. Although there are numerous reasons and hidden triggers for consumption action, the most important point to remember when analyzing consumption behavior is that consumers fulfill consumption under some effects such as holistic thinking, the Diderot Effect, prestige sensitivity, and self-actualization. Previous studies have primarily examined these factors separately, and there is a need for research that investigates their interaction. This study attempts to investigate the interplay among holistic thinking, the Diderot Effect, prestige sensitivity, and self-actualization on purchase intention. The sample for this study was collected using convenience sampling from a diverse group of 426 consumers. Participants were asked to complete a self-administered survey that included measures of holistic thinking, the Diderot effect, prestige sensitivity, self-actualization, and purchase intention. This study is a cross-sectional survey that uses structural equation modeling to test the relationships between the variables in the conceptual model. The data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows 22.00 and AMOS 24.0 programs.Data analysis revealed that there was no significant impact of holistic thinking on the Diderot Effect. However, a significant relationship was found between Prestige Sensitivity and the Diderot Effect, acting as a mediator between the Diderot Effect and purchase intention. Furthermore, a statistically significant positive relationship was observed between the Diderot Effect and Purchase Intention, indicating a moderate positive relationship. Findings also show that the Diderot Effect doe does not have mediating role between holistic thinking and purchase intention.By expanding on existing knowledge and providing a more comprehensive perspective on the dynamics between these variables, the study contributes to the theoretical understanding of consumer behavior. Besides, understanding these variables that influence consumers' purchase intentions can provide marketers with valuable insights, allowing them to tailor their strategies and offerings to match consumer motivations. Keywords: Holistic thinking, The Diderot Effect, prestige sensitivity, self-actualization, psychological factors, purchase intention DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/90-02 Publication date:July 31st 202

    Sustainability (definition, examples, pillars, sustainable development.....................)

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    Treball Final de Màster Universitari en Direcció d'Empreses / Master in Management. Codi: SRO011. Curs acadèmic 2021/2022The purpose of this article is to analyze the concept of sustainability by emphasizing various facts such as environmental, social, and economic and its development from the perspective of sustainable development. The thesis is divided into two chapters. Chapter 1 is about the definition of sustainability, and in chapter 2, the perspectives on sustainability are discussed. This thesis analyzes its importance in the business field. The main objective of this thesis is to analyze the sustainability of the Swedish furniture company, Ikea, and to propose a sustainable development strategy for the company. Design/Methodology: To achieve these objectives, I proposed a research model based on the theoretical and empirical background of Ikea

    The influences of the just-in-time social cloud on real world decisions

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    Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-224).People have intertemporal biases towards choices that result in immediate gratification versus delayed rewards. The social context can accentuate or downplay preferences towards virtues or vices when making choices in the moment. Especially in our modern world where social networks are virtually accessible at anytime, from anywhere, how our day-today decisions are affected by the "always-on" connection to our social networks via mobile devices is an open question. By understanding the dimensions of these social forces, we can utilize the just-in-time social cloud to nudge people towards decisions that have long term benefits for health and finances, while counterbalancing the forces of the marketers that trigger our impulses towards immediate temptations that we may regret later. This work presents an empirical inquiry into the effect of just-in-time social influences in human decision-making. In order to understand these effects and discover their parameters, I design and deploy real-world experiments with the just-in-time social cloud using mobile phones as platforms for just-in-time social influence. The Open Transaction Network forms the basis of generating just-in-time social networks based on the transactions shared by people in the context of commerce. The Open Transaction Network is extended to several systems to conduct real-world experiments involving real choices. By augmenting mobile commerce applications with just-in-time social networks, I design a mobile commerce environment that can socially influence our just-in-time choices. The Open Credit Card Application Framework augments existing methods of payment by using transactions as triggers to enable mobile applications that facilitate just-in-time decisions or reflections. Friends within communities show significant similarity in their hourly transaction behaviors. Varying manifestations of the just-in-time social cloud (individual friends, groups of friends and popularity information) can be used to nudge people's choices in the dimensions of taste, price and time as they decide.by Kwan Hong Lee.Ph.D

    EVALUATION OF LIFE CYCLE COSTS, BENEFITS, AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF GREYWATER REUSE SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLEMENTING CONVENTIONAL WATER DELIVERY

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    The water utility industry is under enormous pressure to meet the challenges of increasing demands due to population growth, lifestyle changes, and depleting freshwater resources. The current and predicted future deficit scenarios challenge water supply managers to come up with a sustainable and reliable alternative source while making the supply infrastructure smarter and resilient. One such alternative source is the greywater that is available at the point of consumption itself. With certain limitations, there have been studies performed to evaluate the life cycle costs and expected monetary benefits of decentralized greywater reuse systems, but the public and health bureaus are apprehensive about the risk of diseases that may arise due to the placement of greywater treatment technologies very near to spaces of human interaction. In an attempt to address these knowledge gaps, the proposed study will evaluate the economic, reliability and public perception related implications of greywater reuse systems in order to evaluate the best combination of physical infrastructure and policy alternatives that will enable greater adoption of these systems and in turn enhance water supply sustainability. The specific goals of this study are to: (a) comparatively evaluate the life cycle costs and expected monetary benefits of decentralized greywater reuse systems considering a utility-scale implementation; (b) evaluate the supply reliability improvement when decentralized greywater reuse systems are installed to complement existing water supply systems; (c) evaluate the public perceptions towards greywater reuse systems and other factors that may increase its adoption. Overall, the proposed study will contribute to the body of knowledge in assessing the potential merits and limitations of decentralized greywater reuse and determining interventions that will help address the limitations to enable greater adoption of these systems

    NAFTA's Implications for EastAsian exports

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    Several studies have quantified the influence of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the earlier Canada - United States Free Trade Agreement on member countries. Less attention has been paid to their effects on nonmembers. The authors try to quantify NAFTA's third-party effects on East Asia using a partial equilibrium trade model and a gravity flow model. They identify and focus on East Asian export sectors that are especially at risk of trade diversion. Their results suggest that the NAFTA-induced trade diversion losses could range from 380millionto380 million to 700 million. The larger figure represents less than 1 percent of East Asia's nonoil exports to the United States. Their analysis also indicates that losses would be concentrated in a few sectors - such as textiles, clothing, and ferrous metals - where high U.S. trade barriers exist. A larger share of Hong Kong and Macau trade would be diverted than trade in other East Asian economies because textiles and clothing represent a larger share of their exports. Economies specializing in such products as machinery and equipment (Singapore) would have relatively little trade diverted. East Asia's trade losses might be reduced by roughly half once the results of the Uruguay Round are implemented because that will lower the preference margins NAFTA members can extend to each other. To put things in perspective: the trade losses East Asian economies might incur because of NAFTA are roughly 1 percent of the gains they will receive from successful implementation of the Uruguay Round results.Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Trade Policy,Trade and Regional Integration,TF054105-DONOR FUNDED OPERATION ADMINISTRATION FEE INCOME AND EXPENSE ACCOUNT

    The development of IT identity due to social media use : antecedents and impact on computer-based office work during COVID-19 pandemic

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    IT identity is a relatively new concept in the area of Management Information Systems (MIS). Its importance has become increasingly pronounced as identity is one of the predictors of human behavior. At the same time, understanding the behavior of individuals when using information technology (IT) in the workplace represents the link between technology investments and increased performance through IT. In this respect, one of the most used communication technologies recently, social media, allows individuals to extensively experience different facets of their identities. The overall objective of this thesis is to understand the development of IT identity due to social media use and assess its impact on computer-based office work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three specific objectives were defined for this purpose. Thus, the thesis is structured in three papers that sought to respond to each of the specific objectives, which are: (i) identify the possible antecedents of the development of IT identity due to social media use, (ii) the connection between them and the three reflective dimensions that constitute the identity of IT and, finally, (iii) the impact of IT identity due to the use of social media in the organizational scope. The first paper is a theoretical study and proposes the adaptation and expansion of Carter's original theoretical model (2012) from the theoretical instances related to this technology and that can influence the development of IT identity due to social media use. As a result, a conceptual model was developed. Ten propositions related to the concepts derived from the literature and inserted in three main instances of IT identity development were presented due to the use of social media. The empirical investigation of the relationship between the antecedents of the model proposed in the first paper and the three dimensions of IT identity began in the second article of the thesis. For this purpose, a netnography was proposed and executed between 2019 and 2021. One of the paper's findings indicated that the frequency of use of WhatsApp can lead to precipitation of the most strongly polarized behavior and that one of the reflective dimensions of IT identity, relatedness with WhatsApp, can play a preponderant role in the precipitation of such behavior. From this result, in paper 3, a quantitative and exploratory study, based on duality theory, sought to develop and test hypotheses about how IT identity concerning social media can benefit, but at the same time bring negative consequences for computer-based office workers in the current period of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this, a model was proposed showing the relationship between the dimensions of IT identity and four facets of the so-called New Ways of Working. Among the study's findings, it was verified that IT identity in relation to social media platforms could be a positive factor in preserving the cohesion of employees professional identity since feelings of affinity and emotional energy in relation to these technologies favored access to organizational knowledge and colleagues when working remotely. This thesis can contribute to expanding Carter's (2012) model to contemplate a class of IT as social media is constituted (paper 1). In turn, the expansion of the original model can potentially contribute to broadening the understanding of this technology's role in fostering polarized behavior in the use of WhatsApp, one of the most used social media these times(paper 2). Finally, in the third paper, the indication that the frequency of WhatsApp use may be associated with a strong IT identity about this technology (verified in paper 2) led to the proposition of a model to empirically test how the three dimensions of IT Identity in relation to the use of social media, directly and indirectly, influence the aspects of new ways of working for workers using computer devices to perform their duties. Emotional energy in relation to social media (i.e., prolonged feelings of confidence, enthusiasm, and energy toward social media) is positively related to superior performance when individuals direct it to their work use, allowing them to better handle the work-life conflict. The thesis presents limitations regarding its ability to inferences that were addressed in each of the papers. Similarly, suggestions for future research were presented in each paper. Finally, the conclusion chapter presents the integration of the thesis papers to form the complete study, the overview of research objectives, the main results, contributions to academia and practice, its limitations, and suggestions for future research.A identidade de TI é um conceito relativamente novo na área de Gestão de Sistemas de Informação (GSI). A sua importância tem se tornado cada vez mais acentuada na medida que a identidade é um dos preditores do comportamento humano. Paralelamente, a compreensão do comportamento dos indivíduos ao utilizar a tecnologia da informação (TI) no ambiente de trabalho representa o elo entre os investimentos em tecnologia e o aumento do desempenho por meio da TI. Sob esse aspecto, uma das tecnologias de comunicação mais usadas em tempos atuais, as mídias sociais, permitem de forma extensiva que os indivíduos experimentem diferentes facetas das suas identidades. O objetivo geral dessa tese é compreender o desenvolvimento da identidade de TI devido ao uso de mídias sociais e avaliar o seu impacto para os trabalhadores de escritório que utilizam dispositivos computacionais para executar suas funções de trabalho durante o período da pandemia de COVID-19. Para isso foram definidos três objetivos específicos. Sendo assim, a tese está estruturada em três artigos que buscam responder a cada um dos objetivos específicos, quais são: (i) identificar os possíveis antecedentes do desenvolvimento da identidade de TI devido ao uso de mídias sociais, (ii) a conexão entre eles e as três dimensões reflexivas que constituem a identidade de TI e, por fim, (iii) o impacto da identidade de TI devido ao uso de mídias sociais no âmbito organizacional. O primeiro artigo, de natureza teórica, propõe a adaptação e expansão do modelo teórico original de Carter (2012) a partir das instâncias teóricas aderentes ao uso e que influenciam o desenvolvimento da identidade de TI pelo uso de mídias sociais. Como resultado, foi desenvolvido um modelo conceitual em que foram apresentadas dez proposições interrelacionando os conceitos derivados da literatura e inseridos em três instâncias principais de desenvolvimento da identidade de TI devido ao uso de mídias sociais. A investigação empírica da relação entre os antecedentes do modelo proposto no artigo 1 e as três dimensões da identidade de TI iniciou-se na sequência no segundo artigo da tese. Para isso foi proposta uma netnografia que foi executada entre 2019 e 2021. Um dos achados do artigo indicou que a frequência de uso do WhatsApp pode levar a precipitação do comportamento mais fortemente polarizado e que uma das dimensões reflexivas da identidade de TI, a afinidade com o WhatsApp, pode desempenhar um papel preponderante na precipitação de tal comportamento. A partir desse resultado, no artigo 3, de natureza quantitativa e exploratória, tendo como base a teoria da dualidade, buscou-se desenvolver e testar hipóteses sobre como a identidade de TI em relação às mídias sociais pode beneficiar, mas ao mesmo tempo trazer consequências negativas para os trabalhadores de escritório que usam principalmente dispositivos computacionais para cumprir suas tarefas no atual período da pandemia de COVID-19. Para isso, foi proposto um modelo apresentando a relação entre as dimensões da identidade de TI e quatro facetas das chamadas Novas Formas de Trabalho. Entre os achados deste estudo, foi verificado que a identidade de TI em relação às plataformas de mídias sociais pode ser um fator positivo na preservação da coesão da identidade profissional dos colaboradores, uma vez que sentimentos de afinidade e energia emocional em relação a essas tecnologias favoreceram o acesso ao conhecimento organizacional e aos colegas ao trabalhar remotamente. Destacam-se como contribuições dessa tese a expansão do modelo de Carter (2012) para contemplar uma classe de TIs como são constituídas as mídias sociais (artigo 1). Por sua vez, a expansão do modelo original contribuiu para ampliar a compreensão do papel dessa tecnologia em fomentar o comportamento polarizado no uso do WhatsApp, uma das mídias sociais mais utilizadas em tempos atuais (artigo 2). Finalmente, no terceiro artigo a indicação de que a frequência de uso no WhatsApp pode estar associada a uma forte identidade de TI em relação a essa tecnologia (verificada no artigo 2), levou a proposição de um modelo para testar empiricamente de que forma as três dimensões da IT Identity em relação ao uso de mídias sociais influenciam direta e indiretamente os aspectos das novas formas de trabalho para os trabalhadores que utilizam dispositivos computacionais para desempenhar suas funções. A energia emocional em relação às mídias sociais (ou seja, sentimentos prolongados de confiança, entusiasmo e energia em relação às mídias sociais) está positivamente relacionada a um desempenho superior quando os indivíduos a direcionam para o seu uso do trabalho, permitindo-lhes também lidar melhor com os conflitos entre a vida profissional e a vida profissional. A tese apresenta limitações quanto a sua capacidade de inferências que foram endereçadas em cada um dos artigos. Da mesma forma, sugestões de pesquisas futuras foram apresentadas em cada artigo. Por fim, o capítulo de conclusão apresenta a integração dos artigos da tese para a formação do estudo completa, a retomada dos objetivos de pesquisa, os principais resultados, contribuições para a academia e para a prática, suas limitações e sugestões para pesquisas futuras

    Technostress Creators and Employee’s Well-Being at a Telecommunication Company in Sarawak, Malaysia

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    There are many benefits of technology in the workplace, such as an increase in productivity and knowledge acquisition. However, technological advancement in the workplace may cause technostress. The term technostress refers to the negative psychological relationship between people and adopting new technologies. Technostress occurs when people cannot adequately adapt to or interact with information technologies. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between five technostress creators, namely, techno-overload, techno-invasions, techno-complexity, techno-insecurity, and techno-uncertainty towards employee well-being at one Telecommunication Company in Sarawak, Malaysia. The respondents of this cross-sectional quantitative study were 141 individual employees. Data were collected using convenience sampling by utilizing a Google form that was distributed to all populations under the study. The findings of this research indicate a strong relationship between all technostress creators and the well-being of employees. Thus, this research adds to the knowledge of the relationships between technostress creators and employees’ well-being in the workplace. Since the research found that the most prevailing independent variable in this research study is techno-invasion, thus, this research recommended that the company provide guidelines on ICTs use outside of work and take action to limit such work-related interruptions

    Empowerment and the Transition to Housing for Homeless Mentally Ill People: An Anthropological Perspective

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    Often lacking in scholarly and policy-oriented discussions of homelessness are contextualized understandings of the problems faced, and the values held, by homeless mentally ill people. This article, using an anthropological perspective, examines issues that arise for homeless mentally ill individuals in making the transition from shelter living to permanent residences. The transition occurs as part of a housing initiative driven by the philosophy of consumer empowerment. Project participants are placed in independent apartments or evolving consumer households (ECH) — shared, staffed residences designed to transform themselves into consumer-directed living situations over time. The effects of an empowerment paradigm on the organization of space, the nature of social relations, and the management of economic resources in the ECHs are discussed to show that consumers and staff sometimes have contrasting views of what empowerment entails. It is suggested that anthropological research can help to illuminate the issues at stake in determining policy for homeless people with major mental illness
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