29 research outputs found
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Abstract expressions of affect
What form should happiness take? And how is disgust shaped? This research investigates how synthetic affective expressions can be designed with minimal reference to the human body. The authors propose that the recognition and attribution of affect expression can be triggered by appropriately presenting the bare essentials used in the mental processes that mediate the recognition and attribution of affect. The novelty of the proposed approach lies in the fact that it is based on mental processes involved in the recognition of affect, independent of the configuration of the human body and face. The approach is grounded in (a) research on the role of abstraction in perception, (b) the elementary processes and features relevant to visual emotion recognition and emotion attribution, and (c) how such features can be used (and combined) to generate a synthetic emotion expression. To further develop the argument for this approach they present a pilot study that shows the feasibility of combining affective features independently of the human configuration by using abstraction to create consistent emotional attributions. Finally, the authors discuss the potential implications of their approach for the design of affective robots. The developed design approach promises a maximization of freedom to integrate intuitively understandable affective expressions with other morphological design factors a technology may require, providing synthetic affective expressions that suit the inherently artificial and applied nature of affective technology
Internet Marketing Adoption by Iranian Distribution Industry: An Attempt to Understand the Reality
Although the internet has become a significant platform for the advancement of marketing strategies and developments, there have been inadequate empirical research efforts concerning its adoption for conducting internet marketing in developing countries, specifically in the Middle East, and more particularly in Iran. Previous studies investigated internet marketing adoption and acceptance extensively, by employing different theories of new technology adoption in developed countries. However, there have been inadequate empirical research efforts concerning its adoption in developing countries. It is recognised widely that the adoption of internet marketing can offer substantial opportunities for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). In developing countries, internet marketing opportunities can be a meaningful approach for SMEs to be able to compete with large businesses and to access, with lowest possible costs, targeted customers.
This study aims to investigate the factors which influence SMEs’ adoption of internet marketing and the relation between such adoption of Internet Marketing and Marketing Performance of SMEs. In order to accomplish this objective, the researchers investigated previous studies in order to identify the different research gaps within the literature regarding the adoption of internet marketing amongst SMEs. Additionally, the researchers integrated existing theories of new technology adoption in order to develop a conceptual framework for the determinants of the adoption of internet marketing in the SMEs sector in Iran. Within this regard, the researchers reviewed the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB), Diffusion of Innovation (DOI); Technology–Organisation–Environment (TOE) Model; Social Cognitive Theory (SCT),Institutional Theory, Motivational Model and Model of PC utilisation(MPCU) to examine the major factors influencing the adoption of new technology in Small, Medium organisations.
The approach adopted for the research is a semi-structured interview with 26 owner/mangers of Iranian SMEs in distribution sector. These data are qualitative in nature and involve sample of 300-400 of mangers/owners, retailors and suppliers of Iranian SMEs in distribution sector. The study will provide great benefits for practitioners, researchers, and educators
Unemployment in Oxfordshire Final report of the Oxfordshire Unemployment Research Project
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