Relationship Between University Student Characteristics and Water Conservation Behaviors

Water over-consumption is a critical issue due to it being a mismanaged, and virtually finite, natural resource. In order to convey this information to the public and promote change, it is important to understand the public’s current attitude towards the topic in order to develop more targeted teaching approaches. The purpose of this study was to determine college-age students’ perceptions about water resource usage, their personal levels of active engagement in water conservation, and if any differences existed between agriculture students and non-agriculture students. This study utilized an online quantitative survey, guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior, which was distributed to students enrolled at the University of Arkansas in the spring of 2020. There were 255 responses, with 56.5% being agriculture students and 43.5% being non-agriculture students. Demographics, perceptions, intentions, and engagement towards water conservation were descriptively described prior to bivariate correlational analysis between constructs and demographics. Results indicated that being an agriculture major or non-agriculture major had small effects on construct score differences for a students’ perceived importance of water and their perceived behavioral control and negligible effects on students’ perceived engagement levels, social norms, future intentions, and actual engagement behaviors. Regression analysis revealed that a linear combination of perceived engagement, perceived behavioral control and political orientation could explain 16% of the variance in actual engagement behaviors, while a linear combination of a student’s perceived importance, perceived engagement, perceived behavioral control, and social norms could explain 38% of the variance in their future intentions toward water conservation organizations, programs, and policies. The results concluded that being an agriculture or non-agriculture major does not predict a student’s engagement or intentions toward water conservation but did have small effects on two of the proposed predictors. It is recommended that the scale used to measure future intentions be used in future studies and that the influence of political orientation upon response bias be examined. It is also recommended that educators continue to express the importance of water as both an economic and environmental resource

WIRELESS ADVERTISING: A STUDY OF MOBILE PHONE USERS

Using a qualitative methodology, this study attempts to provide a general framework of the functions of mobile communication, and to identify the specific preferences of mobile phone users regarding the commercial messages received on their personal devices. Research objectives: (1) To identify the specific characteristics of mobile communication as perceived by mobile users; (2) to define and analyze the functions of wireless communication as perceived by mobile phone users; and (3) to investigate users' preference regarding the content of commercial wireless communication. Previous research: Bauer et al. (2002) identified time, location, information and personalization as relevant acceptance factors for mobile advertising. Barwise and Strong (2002) developed a conceptual model, arguing that social norms, user's motives, mode, time, location and personal characteristics will affect the processing of mobile information by consumers. Tsang et al. (2004) evidenced the influence of entertainment, informativeness and irritation, while Bauer et al. (2005) argued that consumer attitudes are influenced by perceived information, entertainment, and social utility. In a similar study, Xu and Gutierrez (2006) tested the effect of entertainment, irritation, informativeness, credibility and personalization on the attitudes of Chinese consumers. Research methodology: First, a series of academic and practical articles and reports have been accessed in order to assess the existing knowledge on this topic. Second, five focus groups have been organized with six mobile phone users, aged between 20 and 40 years old. Each focus group comprised an equal number of male and female participants. The focus groups lasted between 45 and 60 minutes and addressed three main issues: the specific characteristics of the mobile phones as a commercial communication media, the functions of mobile phone communication, and the specific preferences of mobile phones users regarding the content of commercial messages. Findings: The participants demonstrated an active attitude regarding mobile advertising, which they think it has the potential to revolutionize the practice of commercial communication, by focusing more on consumer's personal needs and circumstances. Implications: This transformation cannot be realized without increasing the interactive control of mobile phone users' over the functionality and content advertising messages. Although the required technology already exists, it seems necessary to create new applications that can combine the advantages of customer-, product- and location- centered communication. Original contribution: Previous studies often used an analytical approach, highlighting specific variables regarding consumer perception or technology adoption. Using a qualitative methodology, this study provides a general framework of the functions of mobile communication, and identifies the specific preferences of mobile phone users regarding the commercial messages received on their personal devices.wireless advertising, mobile phones, functionality, content, users' opinions

INTERNET PRIVACY CONCERNS IN THE CONTEXT OF WEB PERSONALISATION (38)

The convergence of multiple technologies such as cloud computing, mobile, the Internet of Things (IoT), social media and big data analytics are driving the creation of huge data sets and organisations are increasingly using these individuals data trails to personalise products and services (Newell and Marabelli, 2015). For example, web personalisation enables companies to tailor content for each user, based on the data collected from their on-line behaviour being product recommendations the most widely used application of web personalisation (Ho and Bodoff, 2014). Although personalisation supports business goals such as increased advertising and/or sales revenue, for customers this personalisation may represent a violation of their online privacy (Hong and Thong, 2013; Ho and Bodoff, 2014). Data privacy is broadly defined as the control that an individual retains over the collection and use of his or her personal information (Toufaily et al, 2013). More specifically, there are six factors (collection, secondary usage, errors, improper access, control and awareness) of internet privacy concerns (IPC) that have been identified with emphasis on control and awareness as key dimensions (Hong and Thong, 2013). Concerns about data privacy arise when this sense of control which individuals feel is removed, or his or her understanding of the technologies involved is low (Regan et al. 2013; Schwaig et al. 2013). It has been found that individuals who feel they have control over how their personal information is both collected and used, perceive less of an invasion of privacy, for example through website mechanisms for consent (Vegheș et al. 2012; Schwaig et al. 2013). Perceived understanding of the technologies or awareness has also an impact on data privacy concerns, a study found that data privacy concerns peaked during the rise of email and online transactions, but subsided as consumers became familiar with the technology (Regan et al. 2013). A similar impact can be expected with the rise of web personalisation and it is important to better understand the impact of internet privacy concern in today’s context of personalisation as the privacy concerns may evolve as personalisation becomes more pervasive (Hong and Thong, 2013). Research suggests that individuals are more likely to click on a personalised ad if they feel they can easily understand the advertising agent used (Ho and Bodoff, 2014). Furthermore, users’ daily online practices do not mirror their privacy concerns with the majority of them willing to disclose information in order to get discounts and offers when purchasing online or forgetting their anonymity when browsing the Internet (Awad and Krishnan, 2006; Hsu, 2012). There is no doubt about the potential benefits of personalisation of services/ products based on data analytics, however, further research is required to better understand the business and ethical implications

Pilot Study of the Effects of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback on Perceived Stress, Perceived Coping Ability, and Resilience in Accelerated Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Objective. The purpose of this quasi-experimental randomized controlled two-group pilot study was to test the effectiveness of a Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRVB) intervention on accelerated baccalaureate nursing (ABN) students’ perceived stress, perceived coping ability, and resilience over four weeks during an academic term of ABN coursework. This study was guided by Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, with a focus on primary appraisal.Background. ABN students report higher perceived stress and anxiety compared with nursing students in traditional four-year nursing programs due to the compressed and fast-paced format of the ABN curriculum. Qualitative data points to a growing awareness of the high stress associated with ABN programs and the need for adaptive coping strategies, yet few interventional studies have been reported for this population. HRVB reduces autonomic reactivity and regulates homeostatic physiologic mechanisms, which can lead to decreased stress and anxiety, and increased resilience. Interventions such as HRVB are needed for ABN students in order to promote adaptive coping strategies and increase resilience pre-licensure.Methods. Thirty-two students from a nationally accredited nursing program in the upper Midwest region of the U.S. in term four of their ABN curriculum were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups: HRVB intervention group or wait-list control group. All participants were given pre- and post-intervention surveys, including demographic information, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE), and the Resilience Scale (RS). HRVB intervention group participants received HRVB training and the use of a personal HRVB device from the Primary Investigator.Results. Findings indicated that HRVB significantly decreased perceived stress (t = 2.8588, p = 0.003832, α = .05), as well as significantly increased perceived coping ability (t = -4.012, p = 0.0001846, α = .05), and resilience (t = -2.7787, p = 0.004663, α = .05), in the ABN participants in the HRVB intervention group as compared to the ABN participants in the wait-list control group.Conclusion. Despite the stressors and demands of the ABN curriculum, study findings support the use of HRVB as an intervention to assist ABN students in managing stress and increasing resilience

Are Smart Meters Really Smart?

Increased energy efficiency is a fundamental pillar to foster sustainable energy systems and a resource efficient economy. To that end, policies and measures to promote energy conservation and energy efficiency technologies are greatly needed in order to reduce or correct market and behavioural failures that prevent efficiency improvements, and resulting economic and environmental gains. To address information-related barriers, the roll out of Smart Meters (SMs) in the residential sector has gained considerable policy attention in the European Union. SMs enable real-time feedback to residents about their electricity use. A key tenet of SMs is that the provision of information encourages residential end-users to change their behaviour and make more rational choices about their electricity use and demand for energy services. This thesis empirically investigates the effectiveness of real-time feedback technology on Swedish households. The thesis provides a better understanding of how psychological, moral and contextual variables affect electricity use and related behaviour. Electricity use data from more than 4 700 users over four years together with a survey and econometrics were used for the research. Results show that feedback without any complementary interventions only provides a marginal effect (1.4-1.5%) in electricity reduction, and that contextual variables seem to be better predictors of electricity use rather than psychological variables. Results indicate that perceived behavioural control and personal norms appeared to be significant determinants of the perceived effectiveness of the feedback service. It is concluded that the implementation of SMs per se is likely to be insufficient to foster increased efficient use of electricity if this is not combined with other policy instruments, such as electricity pricing, awareness raising and tailored education campaigns

A protection motivation theory approach to improving compliance with password guidelines

Usernames and passwords form the most widely used method of user authentication on the Internet. Yet, users still find compliance with password guidelines difficult. The primary objective of this research was to investigate how compliance with password guidelines and password quality can be improved. This study investigated how user perceptions of passwords and security threats affect compliance with password guidelines and explored if altering these perceptions would improve compliance. This research also examined if compliance with password guidelines can be sustained over time. This study focuses on personal security, particularly factors that influence compliance when using personal online accounts. The proposed research model is based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) (Rogers, 1975, 1983), a model widely used in information systems security research. As studies have failed to consistently confirm the association between perceived vulnerability and information security practices, the model was extended to include exposure to hacking as a predictor of perceived vulnerability. Experimental research was used to test the model from two groups of Internet users, one of which received PMT based fear appeals in the form of a password security information and training exercise. To examine if password strength was improved by the fear appeals, passwords were collected. A password strength analysis tool was developed using Shannon’s (2001) formula for calculating entropy and coded in Visual Basic. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model. The proposed model explains compliance intentions moderately well, with 54% of the variance explained by the treatment model and 43% explained by the control group model. Overall, the results indicate that efficacy perceptions are a stronger predictor of compliance intentions than threat perceptions. This study identifies three variables that predict user intentions to comply with password guidelines as particularly important. These are perceived threat, perceived password effectiveness and password self-efficacy. The results show no association between perceived vulnerability to a security attack and a user’s decision to comply. The results also showed that those who are provided with password information and training are significantly more likely to comply, and create significantly stronger passwords. However, the fear appeals used in this study had no long-term effects on compliance intentions. The results on the long-term effects of password training on the participants’ ability to remember passwords were however promising. The group that received password training with a mnemonic training component was twice as likely to remember their passwords over time. The results of this research have practical implications for organizations. They highlight the need to raise the levels of concern for information systems security threats through training in order to improve compliance with security guidelines. Communicating to users what security responses are available is important; however, whether they implement them is dependent on how effective they feel the security responses are in preventing an attack. Regarding passwords, the single most important consideration by a user is whether they have the ability to create strong, memorable passwords. At the very least, users should be trained on how to create strong passwords, with emphasis on memorization strategies. This research found mnemonic password training to have some long-term effects on users’ ability to remember passwords, which is arguably one of the most vexing challenges associated with passwords. Future research should explore the extent to which the effects of PMT based information systems security communication can be maintained over time

A qualitative study exploring the acculturation processes among well-adapted Somali females in Denmark

Background: Research on Somalis in Europe tend to focus on poor integration and adaptation of the group into western societies. In Denmark, Somalis are highlighted as a migrant group impossible to integrate, resulting in the political agenda becoming increasingly radicalized and assimilation politics outlived. A Salutogenetic approach on well adapted Somali females in Denmark is an underlit research area which could provide valuable information for changing the migrant paradigm in Denmark. Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study applying several in-depth interviews as sampling method. The aim was to explore the acculturation processes, including the concept of integration and adaptation of female Somali migrants in Denmark. This from a Salutogenetic perspective focusing on strengths and sense of coherence among the group. For analysing the data, thematic networks were applied and results were interpreted by applying Antonovsky´s salutogenetic theory, Sense of Coherence and existing relevant literature. Results: Integrating into Danish society is linked to fulfilling personal goals and Denmark is seen as a country full of possibilities migrants should take advantage of. Integration is perceived as socially strengthening and necessary, to move forward in life. The women see themselves as main role players and taking control over own life in order to fulfil dreams, is a matter of course. The women have a strong sense of Somali identity, which is shaped by a supporting upbringing and strong role models in their parents. Finally, Denmark is perceived as a country not necessarily suited for permanent settlement, should better options occur. Conclusions: Having life goals, social needs and an optimistic mind-set, helps shape the drive for these women to adapt into Danish society. The results support an existing study from Southern Spain, suggesting a shift in the political paradigm and discourse of migrants, could in fact, support greater integration over a larger migrant group.MAMD-GLOBINTH395

The citizens’ perspective : awareness, feelings and acceptance of surveillance and surveillance systems for fighting crime in Germany. A quantitative study

This document presents the results for Germany within the framework of a larger study undertaken as part of the RESPECT project – “Rules, Expectations and Security through Privacy-enhanced Convenient Technologies” (RESPECT; G.A. 285582) – which was co-financed by the European Commission within the Seventh Framework Programme (2007-2013). Analyses are based on a survey regarding the perceptions, feelings, attitudes and behaviours of citizens towards surveillance for the purpose of fighting crime, carried out amongst a quota sample that is representative of the population in Germany for age and gender. Responses were gathered, predominantly, through an online survey. In some RESPECT partner countries, these online responses were supplemented by a number of questionnaires administered in face to face interviews, in order to fulfil the quota and also reach those citizens who do not use the internet. The questionnaire consisted of 50 questions and was available online in all languages of the European Union between November 2013 and March 2014. The sample is based on the responses from 250 individuals who indicated Germany as their country of residence. As a result, the German respondents felt more insecure than secure in the presence of surveillance, and they indicated a strongly felt lack of trust in the protection of, and control over, personal information gathered via surveillance. Further, the majority of respondents also feel more unhappy than happy with the different types of surveillance investigated, and they feel also unhappy about surveillance taking place without them knowing about it. Additionally, there is a link between feeling happy, or unhappy, about surveillance and feeling secure or insecure through the presence of surveillance. However, analyses also indicate that increasing the perceived effectiveness of surveillance measures and, in particular, increasing the perceived effectiveness of laws regarding the protection of personal data gathered via surveillance may make citizens feel more secure. More research is needed to disentangle the relationships and effects between surveillance measures, feelings of security or insecurity, and citizens’ general quality of life feelings.peer-reviewe

Windows: a study of residents’ perceptions and uses in Sweden

What are inhabitants’ perceptions and uses of windows in multi-dwelling buildings? This paper reports on a field study that explores daylight, the visual connection to the outside and the role of windows in the home during the day and night. Qualitative interviews were held with 20 participants living in multi-dwelling buildings. The thematic analysis identified two main components as characteristic of residents’ experiences with their windows. The first, ‘perceived dwelling comfort’, consists of different types of comfort qualities, for example, keeping the body sufficiently warm or cool, blocking exterior noise, enabling visual tasks, perceiving the room to be adequately daylit, visually pleasant and spacious, obtaining visual privacy, and having an outside view to provide information and engagement. The second, ‘preferred exposure to external elements’ ('e.g.' air, sound, light, people outside) expresses a desire for personal control and reflects variability over time (momentary, daily, seasonal, ageing) and between individuals or groups. Windows represent an enjoyment of the home and fulfil much more than physical needs. They must allow sufficient personal control over fresh and cool air, sound, sunlight, streetlighting and privacy.   'Practice relevance' An enabling home environment affords residents opportunities to regulate the visual openness to the outside in order to satisfy individual needs for privacy or social connection. Preferences vary within and between household members, so window treatments must be easy for inhabitants to adjust. Housing designers and developers are advised to include exterior shading devices in the design and optional indoor window treatment to facilitate durable shading and privacy solutions. Further adjustments could be offered by landlords to tenants when they move in. Fenestration and shading devices offer the possibility to make full use of the available daylight, reduce electricity demand for indoor lighting and provide inhabitants with increased control of their comfort