Conditions in prerelease movie trailers for stimulating positive word of mouth:A conceptual model demonstrates the importance of understanding as a factor for engagement

Filmmakers increasingly depend on trailers as advertising and to generate word of mouth (WOM). This study investigates the extent to which trailers influence WOM in the prerelease context by testing a conceptual model separately on the three most popular movie genres. When viewers perceive greater understanding of the movie from the trailer, the prospect of liking it is significantly increased. This leads to a substantial increase in viewers’ intent to generate WOM and, ultimately, their willingness to pay to see the movie. These novel findings lead to practical implications for studios hoping to stimulate consumer interest, with wider contributions to advertising theory

Advances in Social Media Research:Past, Present and Future

Social media comprises communication websites that facilitate relationship forming between users from diverse backgrounds, resulting in a rich social structure. User generated content encourages inquiry and decision-making. Given the relevance of social media to various stakeholders, it has received significant attention from researchers of various fields, including information systems. There exists no comprehensive review that integrates and synthesises the findings of literature on social media. This study discusses the findings of 132 papers (in selected IS journals) on social media and social networking published between 1997 and 2017. Most papers reviewed here examine the behavioural side of social media, investigate the aspect of reviews and recommendations, and study its integration for organizational purposes. Furthermore, many studies have investigated the viability of online communities/social media as a marketing medium, while others have explored various aspects of social media, including the risks associated with its use, the value that it creates, and the negative stigma attached to it within workplaces. The use of social media for information sharing during critical events as well as for seeking and/or rendering help has also been investigated in prior research. Other contexts include political and public administration, and the comparison between traditional and social media. Overall, our study identifies multiple emergent themes in the existing corpus, thereby furthering our understanding of advances in social media research. The integrated view of the extant literature that our study presents can help avoid duplication by future researchers, whilst offering fruitful lines of enquiry to help shape research for this emerging field

Lying on Software Projects

Lying is an understudied activity, especially in the software field. Yet lying is apparently quite common. In a 2006 survey of software practitioners, 86 percent of the respondents had encountered such lying. The most common occurrences were in estimation and status reporting, with those forms of lying happening on 50 percent of projects, some respondents saying even 100 percent. Respondents said that when lying happens, developers at the bottom level of the management hierarchy are most aware of the lying; they often know it's happening even when their management doesn't. Respondents also provided numerous suggestions on how to diminish or eliminate lying. However, many suggested that it's human nature to lie and that little can be done about it.Griffith Sciences, School of Information and Communication TechnologyFull Tex

WPI AIAA Research Rocket (WARRIORS)

WARRIORS was a two-stage, high-powered rocket equipped with a computer and video camera. The goal of WARRIORS was to challenge students to develop innovative rocket staging and recovery techniques. The project was a joint effort between eight MQP students and AIAA WPI chapter student volunteers. This paper describes the design, testing, operation, and results from the creation and implementation of an innovative electromagnetic booster-separation system, non-pyrotechnic parachute deployment mechanisms, an ignition system that prevents asymmetric thrust, and a custom-constructed airframe

How agile software development methods reduce work exhaustion: Insights on role perceptions and organizational skills

Agile methods are widely used in the software industry as a way to more rapidly develop and deliver new software. They define iterative work processes, advocate self-organization and openness for change, and prescribe how software developers interact with each other and external stakeholders. Despite their popularity, it is unclear how agile methods influence work exhaustion in software developers and how developer skills play into this effect. On the one hand, agile methods may reduce software developers' work exhaustion by levelling out their workload across the entire duration of a project. On the other hand, agile methods exert a high level of pressure on software developers to continuously deliver working software, create many intensive social interactions, and to frequently adapt to changes. In light of these effects, prior research could not explain why some software developers become less exhausted from using agile methods, whereas others perceive the exact opposite. Based on the job demand-control model, we develop a theoretical model connecting agile method use to individual developer skills and to two established determinants of employee exhaustion: role conflict and role ambiguity. We tested our research model in a field study among 1894 software developers in 217 project teams that used agile methods. The random coefficient modelling results show that agile method use facilitates the achievement of clear and unambiguous role perceptions and thereby reduces work exhaustion in developers, particularly if developers possess the organizational skills to effectively interact with others in their organization. We highlight implications for theory on the individual-level effects of software development methods and provide practical insights for software companies. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Lt