Discussion of digital gaming’s impact on players’ well-being during the COVID-19

This research discusses how to utilise digital gaming to support the the well-being of its users and sustain their physical and mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown in which people's activities are limited. The published academic literature that is written in English and available for access on online databases was reviewed to develop key take-aways and a framework for discussing how to enhance people's well-being in the COVID-19 lockdown. Interaction with other players in virtual communities has been found to have a positive influence on the mental health of those suffering from a lack of societal connection. A framework for further research has also been developed that focuses on the critical situation of the COVID-19 lockdown, as this is an urgent topic with a huge impact on our health. Some gaming service providers have been proactive in redesigning game programming to be suitable for the lockdown situation, and this enables players to enjoy physical activities even at home

How to Support Vulnerable Citizens during the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Community Initiative from Ubiquitous Network Perspectives

The current COVID-19 lockdown situation has had a negative impact on people’s connectedness which also has an influence on the well-being of the citizens (Canady, 2020; Hare-Duke, 2019; Oe, 2020). The enhancement of human interaction and networking is a key topic to sustain people’s health, and this has been on the emergent agenda during the current COVID-19 situation (Oe, 2020). To tackle this issue, one theory that could be employed is the efficacy of community members’ engagement, as proposed by McMillian and Chavis (1986), who summarised a key ‘sense of community’ model. This model suggests four main dimensions should be strengthened to engage community members in supporting vulnerable people: a sense of belonging, an emotional connection, fulfilment of needs, and influence (Bermea et al., 2019). This conceptual paper aims to enhance the discussion of how best to support vulnerable isolated citizens during the COVID-19 lockdown situation. A proposition framework suggests actionable implications with tangible recommendations for the relevant stakeholders. The authors propose two key themes to be considered: (1) how to meet needs and provide support in the virtual network community, and (2) how to implement assistive technologies as a ubiquitous network paradigm as a community safety net for all

Chinese consumers’ conspicuous perspectives: the context of smartphone purchase behavior

This study investigated the key antecedent factors of Chinese consumers attitudes towards smartphones, focusing on the conspicuous value. An analytical framework with three key themes in the smartphone purchasing attributes in relation to the conspicuous attitudes was validated based on Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using 426 survey data collected in China. It has been found that ‘conspicuous value’ was the basic perception which has a relation with three key factors, ‘fashionableness’ and ‘innovativeness’, and ‘instore shopping atmosphere’ in smartphone purchasing attributes. This implies that the analytical framework developed from this study is applicable to the research topic as a useful analytical tool kit. From the empirical study based on this framework, it has been found that only ‘fashionableness’ has the significant impact on their purchase intention, whereas, ‘innovativeness’ and ‘instore shopping atmosphere' did not have a significant impact on their purchase intention of smartphones. Chinese consumer behavior from the cultural context has attracted researchers so far, however, the practical and feasible analytical framework covering the cultural aspect and smartphone attributes has been lacked. This study proposed a practical analytical framework with the Chinese cultural value ‘conspicuousness’ and focus on the smartphone shopping attributes. Moreover, the empirical research outcome with the survey data based on the proposed framework can provide actionable implications for the relevant marketers and researchers

An Exploratory Discussion of a British Apparel Brand in Relation to New Markets: Developing Actionable Recommendations Based on Network, Relationship, and Collaboration Perspectives

Marks and Spencer (M&S) is a leading UK fashion retailer. However, the organisation is struggling to improve its domestic operation and to achieve its international objectives, most notably manifest through its withdrawal from China. Through conducting a critical analysis and an evaluation of the supply networks of M&S, the global apparel industry and the Chinese market, this discussion paper aims to propose a new set of strategies for M&S’s re-entry. Based on an analytical discussion, the following actionable recommendations are proposed for the company: (1) to seek suitable network partners in China, (2) to build sustainable relationships with relevant partners to build business strategies based on Chinese consumers’ perspectives and behaviour, and (3) to focus on a new value chain to enhance profitability and sustainability in the new market

Qualitative business sustainability assessment by implementing innovative communication tools: A discussion from SME cases in Thailand

This study presents the results of a study that examined the possibilities and prospects for ef-fective marketing through the introduction of advanced technologies such as metaverse in the context of sustainable development of small businesses in Thailand. Text mining was applied to interview data from 24 people, consisted of (1)16 managers of microenterprises in Thailand's agricultural and apparel sectors and (2) eight experts and advisors on ICT-based management choices, to model the direction of business support for small businesses and is-sues that should not be missed. As a result, it was found that the actual business owners, although interested in and curious about the latest cutting-edge technologies, do not have a concrete image of their implementa-tion, but rather are busy dealing with daily succession issues and the negative impact of COVID, and do not understand the benefits of management innovation through the operation of cutting-edge technologies at this point. It was suggested that the first priority is to under-stand the benefits of management innovation through the use of advanced technology. On the other hand, while understanding these challenges on the management side, the advisors and consultants would like to see supervision and efficient intervention by international support groups in the public sector and in the Asian and global markets, with young researchers, expe-rienced entrepreneurs, and universities from within and outside the country. They were keenly aware of the urgent need to create a platform for coordination and collaboration through the Triple Helix. Both groups also highlighted the fact that the implementation of advanced technologies such as metaverse and its prospects could not be easily understood, and that without an image and visualization of the implementation, it would not be easy to benefit from the advantages of the technology. Based on the results of these analyses, this study proposes a conceptual model to guide further discussions and interventions in the future

A discussion of streetwear fashion as a cult: A qualitative approach

Clothing continues to be a symbolic consumer product with layers of meaning. Fashion has taken on social, cultural, and religious meanings. This study focuses on the new wave of streetwear as seen by millennials and uses fashion brands as cults and Goffman's theory of the internal and external self as a basis for analysis, with the aim of furthering the critical discussion of fashion. Qualitative methods were used in the analysis. First, key themes were identified from information posted on Twitter about streetwear, and based on this information, interviews with 18 participants were conducted, and thematic analysis was applied to the text data to visualize the connotations and values of street fashion in the consumer's consciousness. Text mining software, KH Coder, was used for the analysis. The results revealed that streetwear shoppers perceive streetwear as a tool to strengthen ties between shoppers of the same brand and as a cult value that encourages commitment to a particular brand. Streetwear shoppers, on the other hand, perceive the impact of wearing a particular brand of streetwear fashion as a communication tool that demonstrates their internal beliefs and ideas. And this study found that in the consciousness of street fashion-wearing millennials, they understand the concept proposed by Goffman's theory of dramaturgy, the consciousness of "getting on stage and performing," as a metaphor for wearing street fashion. To the theme of "fashion cults," which has already been established as one of the debates in fashion research, we propose an agenda for discussion that further extends Goffman's dramaturgy, provided by sociology, to shed light on the perspectives and behaviours of contemporary consumers, which will be useful for future discussions in the field of research

Digital environment and well-being during and post-pandemic era

This study examines the paths that virtual forest bathing in digital space can take in fostering subjective health awareness. During the lockdown period, we shared experiences of interaction in digital space and engaged with nature in virtual space more actively than ever before. This recent phenomenon, unexpectedly revealed by the lockdown, suggests that the impact of our engagement with nature in digital space on our physical and mental health is worth a renewed discussion. An unprecedented experience, the Covid-19 pandemic posed significant economic, environmental, and social challenges. Although there has been a partial resumption of pre-pandemic activities and a steady transition to normalcy, citizens and consumers remain under its influence. The pandemic has limited social interactions and changed the way citizens interact with other citizens, economic consumer goods, and their health; fear of Covid-19 infection, the way they interact with others, increased use of digital applications for communication, remote purchasing behavior, increased home delivery, and a shift to telecommuting have all contributed to the physical reorganizing the way citizens personally experience and interact on the landscape. Public interventions, institutions, and health-related businesses to improve the health of citizens now and in the future must take into account how citizens have changed their preferences and behaviors and realign their policy frameworks and strategies. Despite the negative impact of the pandemic, a more optimistic view is that the Covid-19 pandemic will, in the long run, stimulate health awareness among people in the post-pandemic period. It will also accelerate the realization of social responsibility in business and other economic activities and will accelerate CSR-related developments. Environmental health and climate change issues are priorities that businesses and global citizens must actively address, and we can expect to see increasing demands for forest conservation and environmentally friendly behavior. As we enter an era of symbiosis with COVID-19, academia is also becoming increasingly interested in how various approaches, activities, innovations, and strategies can be developed to have a positive impact on the environment and society. With these issues in mind, this study applies structural equation modeling methods to survey data to quantitatively examine how activities in digital spaces and digital forest bathing affect our behavior change and what possibilities and prospects they suggest

Is Gamification a Magic Tool?: Illusion, Remedy, and Future Opportunities in Enhancing Learning Outcomes during and beyond the COVID-19

Gamification in education has been discussed with potential for further implementation at universities; however, practical suggestions concerning which key issues educators need to consider has far not been shared in academia. This study applied a qualitative approach using interview data with 24 students who participated in the business class with games as learning measures. It has found that most of them believed that gamification could be useful in reinforcing key themes and topics after having learnt them through traditional means: They appreciated the games as a supportive measure to ‘glue’ key knowledge to their learning. A significant drawback that they emphasised was that taking notes is not easy while they are involved in games, which made them unconfident and uncertain about the learning outcome. As a result, a conceptual framework for pedagogy stakeholders was proposed for further discussion of how to design a gamification-based curriculum effectively

La nueva modalidad de los compradores de lujo: centrándose en las experiencias personalizadas

[Abstract] This article examines the online luxury product purchasing behaviour of Asian consumers. The study consists of a quantitative analysis of data collected from Generation Y consumers in emerging markets in Asia. The results show that face-saving value is the most influential factor determining luxury goods purchase intention, while personal experience does not have a strong influence on purchase intention. This suggests that personalised experience, which has recently attracted researchers’ attention as a significant factor in Western contexts, does not yet have a direct influence on the behaviour of luxury shoppers in emerging markets, where they continue to pay premium prices to mantain their face. The results provide useful reference data for the development of marketing strategies in the luxury goods sector.[Resumen] Este artículo examina el comportamiento de compra online de los consumidores asiáticos respecto a los productos de lujo. El estudio consiste en un análisis cuantitativo de los datos recopilados de los consumidores de la Generación Y en los mercados emergentes de Asia. Los resultados muestran que el valor de “salvar las apariencias” es el factor más influyente en la determinación de la intención de compra de artículos de lujo, mientras que la experiencia personal no tiene una fuerte influencia en la intención de compra. Esto sugiere que la experiencia personalizada, que recientemente atrajo la atención de los investigadores como un factor importante en los contextos occidentales, aún no tiene una influencia directa en el comportamiento de los compradores de lujo en los mercados emergentes, en los que se sigue pagando precios superiores para “salvar la apariencia”. Los resultados proporcionan una referencia útil para el desarrollo de estrategias de marketing de bienes de lujo en los mercados emergentes de Asia