“Reality is in the air”: concept of perceived augmentation and exploration of its impact on consumer experience

Augmented reality (AR) technology is becoming increasingly used in marketing as a tool for enhancing consumer experience. Developed and defined in the fields of computer science and human-computer interaction, AR technology simulates an overlay of virtual annotations in the physical environment and interacts with it in real- time (Azuma et al., 2001). Some popular examples of AR include virtual mirrors (Ray Ban, ModiFace) and smartphone applications that simulate products such as furniture (IKEA). Despite its increasing deployment in marketing, related academic research about the significance of AR for consumer experience and its impact on consumer behavior has been scarce. This thesis approaches this gap in the literature by studying media characteristics of AR and examining their impact on consumer affective, cognitive and behavioral responses, following the approach of Theory of Interactive Media Effects by Sundar et al. (2015). Throughout a series of four articles, it aims to define salient media characteristics of AR technology and evaluate how they alter consumer experience. The 1st article examines to which extent AR shares media characteristics of other interactive technologies and how these characteristics – namely interactivity, modality, hypertextuality, connectivity, location-specificity, mobility, virtuality – influence consumer responses. Based on a literature review, a research agenda is proposed that identifies the knowledge gaps related to the impact of AR on various types of consumer responses. For example, it suggests that future research should investigate: how lower levels of hypertextuality in an AR app influence consumer satisfaction and exploratory behavior; how can AR represent a social experience, given that little connectivity is present in the current AR apps; what combinations of modality in terms of text, visuals and audio are most effective for AR; to which extent consumers perceive AR apps to be interactive and how that impacts their experience. Finally, the research agenda also underlines the importance of investigating the AR media characteristic augmentation (Preece et al., 2015), absent in previous interactive technologies. The 2nd article focuses on two salient media characteristics of AR apps – interactivity and augmentation. It shows that the presence of AR does not translate into an app being perceived as more interactive in comparison to a non-AR app in terms of control and responsiveness. On the other hand, the study offers first evidence that perceived augmentation is significantly higher for AR apps than for non-AR apps and that it represents a suitable psychological correlate (Sundar et al., 2015) for measuring the perception of AR characteristics that set it apart from other technologies. Two experimental studies demonstrate that perceived augmentation impacts the level of immersion into flow, which then mediates the impact of perceived augmentation on consumer attitude towards the app and behavioral intentions to use it again and talk about it. Based on the previous study, the 3rd article further develops the measurement items of perceived augmentation and investigates its impact on consumer experience. An in-the-wild study (Rogers, 2012) was conducted in a retail store, where we observed consumers’ interaction with an AR make-up try-on application. The findings show that such an application creates a playful experience and that shoppers would use such tool to narrow their consideration set or, in some cases, to even choose products to purchase. Furthermore, the survey study confirms that perceived augmentation significantly relates with playfulness, perceived convenience and behavioral intentions. Finally, a more complete scale for perceived augmentation is developed and validated in the 4th article. Items are refined through several qualitative studies, based on which we propose that perceived augmentation is comprised of two dimensions – virtual enhancement and virtual- physical congruency. An online study with 213 participants confirms this dimensionality and, furthermore, shows that virtual-physical congruency elicits significant impact on enjoyment and perceived informedness, which further impacts future use and purchase intention, while virtual enhancement does not yield a similar impact. The contribution of this thesis lies in defining perceived augmentation as the psychological correlate of AR’s unique media characteristic, augmentation, and in proposing and validating its measurement items. Furthermore, a series of three larger studies, all situated in different contexts (in a lab, in a retail store, online), explain how perceived augmentation yields a significant impact on consumer affective responses and behavioral intentions, and in some cases also on cognitive responses such as perceived convenience and informedness. It also highlights the importance of AR app integration in a specific context, which can prevent it from being perceived as gimmicky. The results of this work have implications for both practitioners and academics and offer numerous directions for future research

Tissue Velocity, Strain und Strain Rate bei Hunden mit Mitralklappenendokardiose

In der vorliegenden Arbeit „Tissue Velocity, Strain und Strain Rate bei Hunden mit Mitralklappenendokardiose“ wurden erstmals die Geschwindigkeits- und Verformungsparameter zur Evaluierung von Hunden mit Mitralklappenendokardiose angewendet. Diese erweisen sich als neue und viel versprechende Möglichkeiten zur Quantifizierung der regionalen Myokardfunktion. Die myokardialen Funktionsparameter finden in der Humanmedizin weit verbreitete Anwendung und auch in der Tiermedizin erlangen sie zunehmend an Bedeutung. Ziel der Arbeit war die Beurteilung der systolischen und diastolischen Funktion des Herzmuskels bei Hunden mit Mitralklappenendokardiose mittels Tissue Velocity, Strain und Strain Rate Imaging. Sowohl Doppler-basierte als auch Speckle-Tracking-Methoden kamen im Rahmen dieser Studie an 110 erkrankten und 116 herzgesunden Hunden zum Einsatz. Zu diesem Zweck erfolgte die Datenakquirierung mit dem Ultraschallgerät Vivid 7® der Firma GE (Horten, Norway) und die anschließende Auswertung der digital gespeicherten Daten mit der Software EchoPac 2D Strain® der Firma GE (Horten, Norway). Die Auswertung der regionalen linksventrikulären Parameter konnte erstmals Unterschiede im Krankheitsverlauf kleiner und großer Hunderassen objektivieren. Daraus ergab sich zum ersten Mal die fundierte Möglichkeit, klinische Erfahrungswerte zu quantifizieren. Dabei zeigten kleine Hunde eine anfangs bessere Anpassungsfähigkeit an die pathologischen Vorgänge, welche im Zuge einer Volumenüberladung auftreten als große Rassen. Während bei ersteren die Werte der Geschwindigkeits- und Verformungsparameter im gering- und mittelgradigen Stadium im Vergleich zu herzgesunden Tieren anstiegen, blieben sie bei letzteren unverändert. Die ansteigenden Werte im frühen Krankheitsverlauf bei kleinen Hunderassen sprechen für eine gesteigerte Kontraktilität und Relaxation. Diese sind nötig, um den veränderten hämodynamischen Anforderungen gerecht zu werden. Das Auftreten von Myokardschäden betraf jedoch nicht nur große Hunde, sondern ebenfalls die kleinen Hunderassen: die Parameter zeigten einen Abfall der Werte im hochgradigen Stadium auf. Dies betraf sowohl die noch kompensierten als auch die dekompensierten Patienten, d. h. eine systolische Dysfunktion ging bei großen und bei kleinen Hunden dem Herzversagen voraus. Die erzielten Daten bestärken die Notwendigkeit neuer, akkurater Parameter zur Beurteilung der systolischen Funktion. Während die konventionellen Messgrößen keine Hinweise einer systolischen Dysfunktion erkennen ließen, konnte diese mit den hier verwendeten Parametern eindeutig belegt werden. Zwar konnte diese Arbeit die weiterhin ungeklärte Frage nicht lösen, worin die eigentliche Ursache für die gewichtsabhängigen Unterschiede im Krankheitsverlauf der Mitralklappenendokardiose liegt. Jedoch zeigte die Studie, dass Tissue Velocity, Strain und Strain Rate in der Lage waren, diese empirische Tatsache zu objektivieren und zu quantifizieren. Dies kann als Grundlage für zukünftige Studien dienen, z. B. im Rahmen von Medikamentenanwendungen. Daneben könnten die Ergebnisse dem klinisch tätigen Tierarzt in der Bewertung des Krankheitsstadiums und der folgenden Therapie hilfreich sein. Diese Arbeit liefert nicht nur für die Tiermedizin interessante Ansatzpunkte. Sie kann auch für den humanmedizinischen Bereich als Modell dienen. Die Beurteilung der systolischen Funktion im Zuge degenerativer Mitralklappenveränderungen muss nach wie vor als unzureichend angesehen werden. Die hier durchgeführte Studie könnte bei der Klärung dieser Fragestellung weiterhelfen

The hustle is real:An examination of the self-related consequences of consuming idealized self-promotional content on LinkedIn

Purpose: Everyday users of professional networks such as LinkedIn are flooded by posts presenting the achievements of their connections (e.g. I got a new job/award). The present research takes a self-discrepancy perspective to examine the mixed-emotional and behavioral consequences of viewing such idealized self-promotional content on professional networks. Design/methodology/approach: The emotional and behavioral consequences following viewership of idealized self-promotional content on LinkedIn are explored through one pilot study (N = 109) and one online experiment (N = 714), which is evaluated using structural equation modeling. Findings: Viewership of idealized self-promotional content on professional social networking sites acts as an emotional double-edged sword for LinkedIn users. Users feel both dejection and symhedonia (i.e. happiness for others), dependent on their reported career-based self-discrepancy. We find the experience of symhedonia to be bound by the relational closeness of the poster (acquaintance vs close friend). Furthermore, we show how resultant emotions drive self-regulatory compensatory IT-use behaviors (i.e. direct resolution, fluid compensation, dissociation, and escapism). Originality/value: We offer four distinct contributions. Firstly, we disentangle inconsistent findings of mixed emotions by introducing symhedonia to IT literature. Secondly, we investigate the boundary condition of relational closeness. Thirdly, we extend our findings by investigating compensatory-consumption behaviors that stem from mixed-affective outcomes. Finally, we do so in the context of professional networks, which are greatly understudied and are distinctive from personal networks. Practical implications are discussed.</p

Augmented reality experiences : exploring psychological, cognitive, and sensory aspects

Augmented reality (AR), which overlays a virtual world onto the real world, provides tremendous opportunities for brands to engage consumers through psychological, cognitive, and sensory processes as they interact with the technology. Due to the rapid development of AR, however, there is a dearth of research to understand how individual psychological, cognitive, and sensory aspects associated with AR experiences influence commonly studied outcome behaviors. With company investments in AR technology set to increase to $195 billion by 2025 and consumer downloads of mobile AR applications expected to reach 5.5 billion by 2022, the need to deepen the understanding of this burgeoning technology's impact on consumption experiences is of importance to both firms and scholars. We seek to address this gap by examining the psychological, cognitive, and sensory aspects of AR experiences that foster positive brand outcomes through the elicitation of episodic memories

Schulleitung und Bildungsqualität: Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede in ausgewählten EU-Ländern

The paper focuses on different methods of school leadership and management styles. Effective school leadership is identified as crucial to students’ outcomes, second only to the quality of the teacher (Augustine et al., 2009 in OECD, 2012). In the paper the results of secondary empirical research based on TALIS data (2008) are presented. The predictive value of selected variables (such as school size, principals’ gender etc.) for different types of principals\u27 leadership and management styles were evaluated with multiple regression analyses. The results of the analysis are placed in the international context since the paper focuses on comparison of data from principals questionnaires for Austria, Hungary, Slovak Republic and Slovenia. The analyses indicate that the predictors for different leadership and management styles are mostly country specific and only years of experience have significant influence in most indexes. The answer to what are the best school management and leadership styles isn’t straightforward. Based on our research it is not possible to introduce or improve a specific indicator in order to achieve such school leadership.Članak se fokusira na različite metode vođenja škole i stilove (načine) upravljanja. Efikasno vođenje škole pokazalo se kao ključno za uspjeh učenika, odmah nakon kvaliteta učitelja (Augustine i dr., 2009 u OECD, 2012). U članku su predstavljeni rezultati drugog empirijskog istraživanja, koji se temelje na podacima iz projekta TALIS (2008). Predviđene vrijednosti izabranih varijabli (kao što su veličina škole, spol ravnatelja škole itd.) za različite vrste vođenja i stilova upravljanja škole bile su analizirane višestrukom regresijskom analizom. Rezultate analize možemo primijeniti u međunarodnom kontekstu (prostoru), pošto smo usporedili podatke upitnika za ravnatelje škola iz Austrije, Mađarske, Slovačke i Slovenije. Analizom je utvrđeno da su pokazatelji (prediktori) za različite vrste vođenja i stilove upravljanja školom pretežno zavisni odspecifike pojedinih država, značajan utjecaj na većinu indeksa imaju jedino godine radnog iskustva ravnatelja. Odgovor napitanje koje su najbolje vrste vođenja i stilovi upravljanja školom nije jednoznačan. Na temelju našeg istraživanja nije moguće izdvojiti neki posebni indikator za postizanje dobrog upravljanja.Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich mit verschiedenen Schulleitungsmethoden und Verwaltungsstilen. Eine effektive Schulleitung erweist sich nach der Qualität des Lehrers als zweitwichtigster Faktor für den Erfolg der Schüler (Augustine et al., 2009 in OECD, 2012). In diesem Beitrag werden die Resultate einer sekundären empirischen Untersuchung vorgestellt, die auf TALIS Daten (2008) basiert.Der prädikative Wert von ausgewählten Variablen (wie z. B.: Schulgröße, Geschlecht des Schulleiters etc.) für verschiedene Typen der Schulleitung und der Managementstile wurde mittels der multiplen Regressionsanalyse festgestellt. Die Resultate der Analyse wurden in den internationalen Kontext eingebettet,da sich der Beitrag auf den Vergleich der Fragebögen von Schulleitern aus Österreich, aus Ungarn, aus der Slowakei und aus Slowenien konzentriert. Die Analyse zeigt, dass die Prädikatoren für verschiedene Schulleitungs und Managementstile meistens länderspezifisch sind und dass in den meisten Indexen nur die Jahre der Erfahrungeine signifikante Rolle spielen. Esgibt keine eindeutige Antwort darauf, welche die besten Schulmanagement- und Schulleitungsstile sind. Unsere Untersuchung zeigt, dass es nicht möglich ist, einen Indikator einzuführen oder zu verbessern, um eine solche Schulleitung zu erreichen

Does LinkedIn cause imposter syndrome? : An empirical examination of well-being and consumption-related effects

We attend to the unexamined intersection between professional social network site (SNS) usage and imposter syndrome. Specifically, we provide the first examination of: do such sites cause imposter thoughts (“others think I am more competent than I think I am”); if so, why and when this happens, and what effect this has on well-being and consumption-related results. Supported by objective self-focused attention theory and two online experiments, we show that professional SNS usage heightens professional self-focused attention, triggering imposter thoughts. This results in negative emotions and consumption-related effects. We further examine two boundary conditions, showing that effects are reduced for individuals high in narcissism or work centrality. From these findings, we extend the sociocognitive theorization of the imposter phenomenon by uncovering, first, context-specific self-focused attention as the reason “why” people feel imposter-ish in particular circumstances and second, consumption-related consequences. We further contribute imposter thoughts as a new alternative explanation for negative emotions experienced whilst using professional SNSs

HUMAN TRAFFICKING - FORCED CHILD LABOUR AND EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN FOR SEXUAL PURPOSES (A PHENOMENON OF MODERN SLAVERY)

Trgovina z ljudmi je proces, pri katerim gre žrtev skozi novačenje, premostitev iz ene lokacije na drugo ter izkoriščanje, ki ima za posledico opravljanje določenih del, v katere so žrtve večinoma prisiljene. Celoten proces TZL in njene posamezne faze spremljajo grobe kršitve človekovih pravic, temeljnih svoboščin in splošno razčlovečenje posameznika. Še posebej pereč problem predstavlja, kadar se v vlogi žrtev znajdejo otroci. Le ti so največkrat prisiljeni opravljati različna dela ali pa se jih izkorišča v spolne namene. Prisilno delo ali novodobno suženjstvo je vsako delo, ki ga nekdo opravlja proti svoji volji oz. pod prisilo, zanj pa ne dobiva plačila ali pa je le-to minimalno. Otroško delo je delo, ki ga opravljajo otroci in mladostniki, ki še niso dopolnili 18 let in pod katerega ne sodi občasna pomoč pri delu doma. Izkoriščanje otrok v spolne namene oz. spolno suženjstvo je pojavna oblika TZL, pri kateri se izvaja spolna zloraba nad otroci in mladostniki. Spolne zlorabe so lahko bodisi prisilna prostitucija, spolno suženjstvo, otroška pornografija, spolni turizem in podobno. K reševanju problema je treba pristopiti s celovitimi idejami, ki bi večplastno zajezile težave in pripomogle k zmanjšanju in odpravi otroškega dela in izkoriščanja v spolne namene kot posledice TZL.Trafficking in human beings is a process where an individiual goes through recruiting, transporting and exploitation that mostly results in forced labour or sexual abuse. The whole process of trafficking is accompained with severe violation of basic human rights and liberties and dehumanization of its victims. Trafficking is especially brutal when the victims are children. They are mostly forced to do different works or are sexual abused. Forced labour or contemporary slavery is when someone is forced to do any type of work against his or her will, and does not recieve any wage for it or it is minimal. Child labour means any work that is done by persons who are under 18 years old. Occasional help at home does not count as child labour. Sexual abuse of children means that children are being used for sexual purposes in forms of forced prostitituon, sex slavery, child pornography, sex tourism and similar. A wholesome and complex programs and international laws should be put in force in order to successfully battle human and child trafficking, and especially help to protect and reintegrate the victims