Effects of perceptions in different usage environments on user acceptance of mobile Internet services – empirical results from a study following a mixed method research design

Following a mixed-method research design in our study, we propose an extended acceptance model for mobile Internet services that integrates the results of a qualitative pre-study into the well known constructs of the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Technology Acceptance Model. Projective methods are used to enrich the understanding of driving factors for the acceptance of mobile Internet services. In a follow-up study, participants in both a non-usage and a usage environment are surveyed using a standardized questionnaire. The findings indicate a high explanatory power of the extended acceptance model, stressing the importance of perceived usefulness and perceived pleasure of self-expression and its determinants, i.e. personal innovativeness and perceived ease of use, in both environments. The influence of perceived pleasure of self-expression is related solely to the anticipation of the actual usage of a mobile parking service in a usage environment, whereas in a non-usage environment, it determines general attitudes beside usage intention. The causal path of attitude-intention-behaviour may be called into question by the results of our study, since only weak relationships can be observed. A following qualitative study aims to get further insight into usage restraint strategies of non-adopters of mobile Internet services. The results of in-depth interviews show that there are additional reasons for the non-adoption of technological products. Thus, more research on the critical reflection of the “pro-change bias†of acceptance literature is needed

Quality of life of residents living in a city hosting mega-sport events: a longitudinal study

Background: It remains unknown whether and when the hosting of mega-sport events increases quality of life of host city residents. The aim of this study is to assess the changes in quality of life of host city residents over the course of hosting a mega-sport event until three months after the event, depending on residents' perception of the atmosphere during the event. Methods: The study was conducted in Rio de Janeiro, one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in soccer. Participants were recruited from a Brazilian market research agency's panel and surveyed online. The WHOQOL-BREF was used to measure quality of life of residents of Rio de Janeiro (n = 281) in three waves in the context of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Perceived atmosphere at the event was measured via an established scale. Piecewise latent growth models were used to analyze individual changes in the four domains of quality of life per se and depending on perceived atmosphere. Results: There was no change in quality of life with respect to physical, social, psychological, and environmental health for all participants during the course of the event. However, residents who perceived a positive atmosphere rated the social and environmental domains of quality of life more positively right after the end (vs. at the beginning) of the World Cup. This increase sustained until three months after the event. Physical health (particularly at high levels of perceived atmosphere) and psychological health decreased from right after the event until three months after. Conclusions: There was no positive effect of the hosting of the mega-sport event on the four quality of life domains of the panel members (who were residents of a city hosting a mega-sport event) per se. The individual changes in quality of life vary by perception of atmosphere and by domain of quality of life

The state of play between managing major sport events and human rights:a scoping review

This scoping review integrates literature from diverse perspectives to better understand when and how management of major sport events promotes or harms human rights. The authors critically review 130 peer-reviewed English language articles to identify conceptual contributions to research and practice. The findings reveal that politics and political reform, legal frameworks, and organizational actions are crucial influences in when and how management of events promotes or harms human rights. The most frequently considered rights in the literature are: equality, human trafficking related, sport as a human right, worker rights, and freedom of residence. Activism for human rights stimulates change within relevant stakeholders via collaboration, naming and shaming, in-public debates, and media coverage. The committed, transparent, and inclusive consideration of human rights in all stages of managing sport events (from bid preparation, bidding, planning, and hosting to postevent leverage) may increase the likelihood that the event has social benefits

Childhood Experiences and Sporting Event Visitors’ Preference for Unhealthy versus Healthy Foods: Priming the Route to Obesity?

To date, there is little knowledge about how experiences in childhood frame adults’ food and drink consumption patterns in the context of attending sporting events as spectators. Therefore, the goal of this study was to explore the childhood memories of adults when they visited sporting events and find out whether and why this particular setting makes individuals indulge in unhealthy food. The study comprises two components: Study 1 and Study 2. In Study 1, 30 individuals recalled their childhood experiences of sport stadium visits at the age of ten years or younger. Inductive coding of the stories revealed that on-site enjoyment is an important factor that may lead to unhealthy food consumption. In Study 2 (n = 240), the effect of enjoyment on the intentions to eat unhealthy versus healthy food at sporting events was tested empirically and contrasted with two other leisure-time activities. The results of the experiment revealed that it is not enjoyment, but the visit to sporting or music events (versus a flea market) that increased the preference for unhealthy versus healthy foods. Implications to decrease (increase) the preference for unhealthy (healthy) food in these particular settings against the background of childhood experiences can be drawn

Active Transportation Decision-Making against the Background of Air Quality Information Provision: Walking Route Preferences of German Residents

The study aims to assess whether, and how, provision of information about air quality along inner-city roads influences individuals’ intentions to walk further away from traffic-dense roads. In an experiment, German residents (n = 597) were either exposed to a map that showed, or a map that did not show, air pollution levels along two routes. The routes had the same starting and end points but differed with respect to expected traffic density. Furthermore, the availability of green space (i.e., a park environment) and two air pollution information provision elements—traffic light color-coding and explanations about the relationship between air pollution and health—were experimentally manipulated. Both the availability of green space and the provision of air quality information along the two routes increased the intentions to walk along the low (vs. high) traffic density road. Spatial psychological distance mediated the effect of the availability of green space on intentions to walk along the low traffic density road. The mediation effect disappeared when traffic lights were used for informing individuals about air pollution levels. Public policy makers can therefore be recommended to increase availability of green space and raise awareness of air quality conditions along roads via intuitively interpretable schemes

Quality of life of residents living in a city hosting mega-sport events: a longitudinal study

Background: It remains unknown whether and when the hosting of mega-sport events increases quality of life of host city residents. The aim of this study is to assess the changes in quality of life of host city residents over the course of hosting a mega-sport event until three months after the event, depending on residents' perception of the atmosphere during the event. Methods: The study was conducted in Rio de Janeiro, one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in soccer. Participants were recruited from a Brazilian market research agency's panel and surveyed online. The WHOQOL-BREF was used to measure quality of life of residents of Rio de Janeiro (n = 281) in three waves in the context of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Perceived atmosphere at the event was measured via an established scale. Piecewise latent growth models were used to analyze individual changes in the four domains of quality of life per se and depending on perceived atmosphere. Results: There was no change in quality of life with respect to physical, social, psychological, and environmental health for all participants during the course of the event. However, residents who perceived a positive atmosphere rated the social and environmental domains of quality of life more positively right after the end (vs. at the beginning) of the World Cup. This increase sustained until three months after the event. Physical health (particularly at high levels of perceived atmosphere) and psychological health decreased from right after the event until three months after. Conclusions: There was no positive effect of the hosting of the mega-sport event on the four quality of life domains of the panel members (who were residents of a city hosting a mega-sport event) per se. The individual changes in quality of life vary by perception of atmosphere and by domain of quality of life

Understanding the nexus of sustainable development and sport: the systems thinking perspective

AbstractThis study aims to explore how international sport experts make sense of sport’s interaction with sustainable development. We adopted the interpretivist lens, combining the viewpoints of identified experts with the systems thinking approach. We conducted 29 semi-structured interviews with higher management decision-makers in international sport organizations and used an inductive approach for theory building to analyze the data and the systems map to show the various interrelations of the categories that were identified. The systems map offers a visualization of perceived causal connections that stem directly from the interviews with the experts. The map contains 58 variables, including nine themes and 49 categories, which are connected via 112 causal links, indicating the interconnected structure. The themes “environment,” “social inclusion,” “economic growth,” and “health and wellbeing” represent outcomes of sport, while “visibility,” “safety,” “communication means,” “educational tools,” and “governance and integrity” are mechanisms of how sport can interact with sustainable development. The systems map presents a tool for understanding the complexity of relationships between key variables at play that can help policymakers, practitioners, and researchers when formulating, testing, and implementing various policy options directed toward increasing sustainability of sport stakeholders

Compliance with medical recommendations depending on the use of artificial intelligence as a diagnostic method

Background!#!Advanced analytics, such as artificial intelligence (AI), increasingly gain relevance in medicine. However, patients' responses to the involvement of AI in the care process remains largely unclear. The study aims to explore whether individuals were more likely to follow a recommendation when a physician used AI in the diagnostic process considering a highly (vs. less) severe disease compared to when the physician did not use AI or when AI fully replaced the physician.!##!Methods!#!Participants from the USA (n = 452) were randomly assigned to a hypothetical scenario where they imagined that they received a treatment recommendation after a skin cancer diagnosis (high vs. low severity) from a physician, a physician using AI, or an automated AI tool. They then indicated their intention to follow the recommendation. Regression analyses were used to test hypotheses. Beta coefficients (ß) describe the nature and strength of relationships between predictors and outcome variables; confidence intervals [CI] excluding zero indicate significant mediation effects.!##!Results!#!The total effects reveal the inferiority of automated AI (ß = .47, p = .001 vs. physician; ß = .49, p = .001 vs. physician using AI). Two pathways increase intention to follow the recommendation. When a physician performs the assessment (vs. automated AI), the perception that the physician is real and present (a concept called social presence) is high, which increases intention to follow the recommendation (ß = .22, 95% CI [.09; 0.39]). When AI performs the assessment (vs. physician only), perceived innovativeness of the method is high, which increases intention to follow the recommendation (ß = .15, 95% CI [- .28; - .04]). When physicians use AI, social presence does not decrease and perceived innovativeness increases.!##!Conclusion!#!Pairing AI with a physician in medical diagnosis and treatment in a hypothetical scenario using topical therapy and oral medication as treatment recommendations leads to a higher intention to follow the recommendation than AI on its own. The findings might help develop practice guidelines for cases where AI involvement benefits outweigh risks, such as using AI in pathology and radiology, to enable augmented human intelligence and inform physicians about diagnoses and treatments