Social Influence and Willingness to Pay for Massively Multiplayer Online Games: An Empirical Examination of Social Identity Theory

The development and sale of massively multiplayer online games has emerged as a significant part of the 21st century entertainment industry. Yet, firms competing in this sector of the videogame industry vary in their ability to generate revenue from their products. We contend that social influence constitutes one primary factor that determines which massively multiplayer online game individuals consume. Using social identity theory for our theoretical underpinning, we argue that the identity that membership in important social groups provides influences individuals. We investigate the effects that two identity-related constructs, consumer-brand identification and social identity complexity, have on satisfaction and willingness to pay a subscription fee for a massively multiplayer online game. Our results suggest that social influence has a complex relationship with an individual’s willingness to pay. Consumer-brand identification and social identity complexity had significant direct relationships with willingness to pay, while consumer-brand identification had a significant indirect relationship with willingness to pay through satisfaction. Additionally, social identity complexity significantly moderated the relationship between consumer-brand identification and willingness to pay. Overall, our results support social identity theory’s ability to explain how social influence occurs for individuals that play massively multiplayer online games

Talent Management in the Gig Economy:A Multilevel Framework Highlighting How Customers and Online Reviews are Key for Talent Identification

This chapter discusses the gig economy, the online labour platforms and the role of consumers in identifying the value/talent of gig workers. It provides a discussion of why customer reviews play an essential role in talent identification in the gig economy and on online labour platforms. Technology plays an important role in the operation of online labour platforms and, thus, in the rise of the gig economy. Research shows that consumers do not always leave an online review. The framework presented draws on multilevel theory. Multilevel theory departs from the notion that social systems of individuals, groups, and institutions are nested arrangements. A vital antecedent to online appraisal is the level of (perceived) performance or service quality provided by a gig worker. The primary goal of online appraisal by consumers is to assess the performance of gig workers. A variety of consumer attributes may explain the likelihood of online appraisal by consumers on online labour platforms

Comparative Perceptions of Adult Learners in an Online and Face-to-Face Course

The purpose of this research was to compare the perceptions and experiences of adult learners in two sections of the same course on adult learning at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL); one section was face-to-face and the other section met exclusively online. The subjects were a convenience group of students who had enrolled in the course. The two sections were conducted by the same instructor during the same semester, covered the same course content, and contained identical learning objectives and assignments. All students had the option of taking the course on campus (face-to-face) or completely online. Because the purpose of this research was to describe in rich detail the perceptions and experiences of these learners, the ethnographic participant observer model was used; the questions of transactional distance and learner autonomy were also addressed. Finally, cultural domains for both groups were identified. Data from both course sections were gathered in the form of transcribed classroom discussions, online forum discussions, course email, student interviews, researcher field notes and an online survey. Identification and analysis of cultural domains indicates that the perceptions and experiences of online students were different from those of the face-to-face students. The primary difference between both was a context for interaction. The face-to-face group had a rich social context; and the online group had only a text-based context. The primary similarity for both groups was the same course content. Additional domains were also identified. Both groups relied on MyGateway (UMSL’s version of Blackboard); online students used it for all course-related tasks while face-to-face students relied on it primarily as a course supplement. Data revealed that while most students from both sections found their learning experience interesting and rewarding, those taking the course face-to-face found the social interaction to be a particularly positive experience. While students appreciated the online class option they would have preferred the face-to-face learning environment. Online students also experienced technology-related problems; for students taking the course face to face, technology-related problems were non-existent. Further research is recommended in the area of development and enhancement of social interaction for online students

Teachers’ perspectives on the identification of, and provisions for, gifted and talented English as an additional language students

In recent years, Western Australian State schools have seen a sharp rise in the number of students who use English as an Additional Language (EAL). Almost one-third of them have been identified as having culturally and linguistically diverse ancestry (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016). Many are gifted and talented (GT). However, while it has been widely acknowledged that GT abilities can be found in all ethnic, cultural, and linguistic groups, barriers such as socioeconomic circumstances, stereotypes, political climate, language backgrounds and a myriad of factors can influence the recognition, identification and full participation of EAL students in gifted and talented programs. Teachers, often the ‘gate keepers’ for gifted services and special programs, play a critical role in the early identification of these students. Their perspectives may be influenced by their beliefs, attitudes, values, professional knowledge and experiences. This study therefore investigated teachers’ perspectives on the identification of, and provisions for, GT/EAL students in the WA State school context through the theoretical lens of social constructivism. This constructivist perspective contextualised the teachers’ social and cultural experiences and provided greater understanding of the circumstances that influence the identification process and the barriers that may prevent the full participation of GT/EAL students in gifted programs. An explanatory mixed methods design was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were collected via an online survey, completed by that 50 primary school teachers in the Perth metropolitan area while qualitative data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 15 teachers. The interviewees were representative of the mainstream, the Intensive English Centres and the Early Years Extension teachers. However, none of the teachers were qualified in both gifted and EAL education. Teachers in this study had a wide range of understandings and perspectives of giftedness and talent. They used both quantitative and qualitative data to identify GT/EAL students, but their choice of instruments varied widely. Provisions for these students were mostly academic extension activities within the classroom, rather than full-time programs. Teachers identified several internal and external barriers to both identification of, and provision for, GT/EAL students. Understanding their perspectives is a crucial step to bring about change and helping improve opportunities for GT/EAL learners to develop to their full potential. The results of the study may influence policy decisions regarding services for gifted and talented EAL students in Western Australian primary school

OPAL Community Environment Report

The Open Air Laboratories network, or OPAL, as it quickly became known, was launched in 2007 following a successful application to the Big Lottery Fund It was the first time that Big Lottery funding on this scale had been awarded to academic institutions. The University of Central Lancashire led by Dr Mark Toogood was responsible for understanding public engagement with OPAL. The Open Air Laboratories (OPAL)network is a nationwide partnership comprising of ten universities and five organisations with grants awarded totalling £14.4 million. • Over half a million people have participated in the OPAL programme. OPAL activities are carried out by people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities, including 10,000 people in ‘hard to reach’ communities. • OPAL opens people’s eyes to the natural world. Nearly half (44%) of OPAL survey participants said that this was the first time that they had carried out a nature survey. 90% of participants have learnt something new. • OPAL has the ability to change people’s behaviour. Almost half (43%) of respondents said OPAL had changed the way they thought about the environment and more than a third (37%) said they will change their behaviour towards it. • In addition to raising environmental awareness, OPAL also improves personal well-being by motivating people to spend time outdoors doing something positive, while connecting with people and nature

An Army of Me: Sockpuppets in Online Discussion Communities

In online discussion communities, users can interact and share information and opinions on a wide variety of topics. However, some users may create multiple identities, or sockpuppets, and engage in undesired behavior by deceiving others or manipulating discussions. In this work, we study sockpuppetry across nine discussion communities, and show that sockpuppets differ from ordinary users in terms of their posting behavior, linguistic traits, as well as social network structure. Sockpuppets tend to start fewer discussions, write shorter posts, use more personal pronouns such as "I", and have more clustered ego-networks. Further, pairs of sockpuppets controlled by the same individual are more likely to interact on the same discussion at the same time than pairs of ordinary users. Our analysis suggests a taxonomy of deceptive behavior in discussion communities. Pairs of sockpuppets can vary in their deceptiveness, i.e., whether they pretend to be different users, or their supportiveness, i.e., if they support arguments of other sockpuppets controlled by the same user. We apply these findings to a series of prediction tasks, notably, to identify whether a pair of accounts belongs to the same underlying user or not. Altogether, this work presents a data-driven view of deception in online discussion communities and paves the way towards the automatic detection of sockpuppets.Comment: 26th International World Wide Web conference 2017 (WWW 2017

Building Effective Responses: An Independent Review of Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Services in Wales

Independent researchers from the Connect Centre for International Research on Interpersonal Violence based in the School of Social Work at the University of Central Lancashire were commissioned by the Welsh Government in 2013 to conduct research into violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence services in Wales. The research aimed to inform the forthcoming Ending Violence Against Women and Domestic Abuse (Wales) Bill, implementation of the legislation and future policy more generally, as well as informing future funding decisions. The remit of the review covers: Domestic abuse, including that experienced in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) relationships and elder abuse. Violence against women, including female genital mutilation (FGM), forced marriage and honour-based violence. Sexual violence including rape, sexual assault and harassment Sexual exploitation including prostitution and trafficking1 for sexual purposes. Services for women and men who are victims or perpetrators of violence against women, domestic abuse or sexual violence. The review does not encompass criminal justice services or housing services and, with the exception of prevention work, services for children and young people in Wales were also excluded from this study

Understanding and Extending the Role of Social Identity in Social Policy: The potential for identification between 'policy maker' and service user

[First Paragraph] The concept of social identity is important in policy analysis as it can contribute to a more complex understanding of both individual and collective agency. This paper is based on research which aims to use this concept to understand the role of welfare service providers in developing health and social care services potentially more appropriate to users needs¹. Drawing on the work of Taylor (1998) and Williams (2000), the paper outlines a three part model of social identity as ontological – categorical – relational, and explains how this is useful to exploring the agency of welfare service users. Current changes within the organisational context of welfare are then briefly outlined and it is argued that these recent developments make it important to develop a fuller understanding of welfare professionals’ social identities. Finally it is suggested that the concept of relational identity could usefully be developed in order to do this

Ethnic disproportionality in the identification of speech language and communication needs (SLCN) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD): 2005-2011

The Better Communication Research Programme (BCRP) was commissioned as part of the Better Communication Action Plan, the government’s response to the Bercow review of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs. There has been a long standing general concern about the progress and achievement of some minority ethnic groups in England and one element within the general concern has been the specific issue of disproportionate representation among pupils designated as having SEN. This study seeks to determine whether these patterns of disproportionate representation are still present in the most recent data, whether the patterns can be explained in terms of other factors associated both with SEN and ethnicity, such as poverty and socio-economic disadvantage, and to what extent disproportionate ethnic representation varies across local authorities

Understanding citizen science and environmental monitoring: final report on behalf of UK Environmental Observation Framework

Citizen science can broadly be defined as the involvement of volunteers in science. Over the past decade there has been a rapid increase in the number of citizen science initiatives. The breadth of environmental-based citizen science is immense. Citizen scientists have surveyed for and monitored a broad range of taxa, and also contributed data on weather and habitats reflecting an increase in engagement with a diverse range of observational science. Citizen science has taken many varied approaches from citizen-led (co-created) projects with local community groups to, more commonly, scientist-led mass participation initiatives that are open to all sectors of society. Citizen science provides an indispensable means of combining environmental research with environmental education and wildlife recording. Here we provide a synthesis of extant citizen science projects using a novel cross-cutting approach to objectively assess understanding of citizen science and environmental monitoring including: 1. Brief overview of knowledge on the motivations of volunteers. 2. Semi-systematic review of environmental citizen science projects in order to understand the variety of extant citizen science projects. 3. Collation of detailed case studies on a selection of projects to complement the semi-systematic review. 4. Structured interviews with users of citizen science and environmental monitoring data focussing on policy, in order to more fully understand how citizen science can fit into policy needs. 5. Review of technology in citizen science and an exploration of future opportunities