The Home of Football: How Globalisation has Impacted the English Football Team

By winning the World Cup at Wembley in 1966, the England team created arguably the most prideful postwar moment for fans, who saw the team as a symbol of national success (Armstrong and Giulianotti 1999). Since then, the England national team has experienced many highs and lows, and in recent years there has been a growing disinterest with the national team because of poor performances at international competitions. As England is culturally far different from the country it was in 1966, this paper aims to discover the impact that globalisation has had on national identity through Tajfel and Turner’s Social Identity Approach (1979). This theoretical framework aims to explain how individuals behave and group themselves in regards to the social world. Drawing upon the ideas of the Social Identity Approach helped gain a better understanding of attitudes towards the English national team and what had caused these to change over time

The barriers of accepting Virtual Reality in Healthcare by older generation

Acute pain causes great anxiety in patients and is a significant challenge for the NHS staff. Chronic pain is a burden to the UK economy and causes substantial disability. Pain management is predicted to increase within the aging population in the UK. At the moment Pharmaceutical pain management techniques are commonly used, which are not only costly, but also resulting in significant side effects. Virtual Reality is an acceptable complement with minimal side effect. However there have been resistance in using VR amongst elderly population. This study explores the existing attitude and challenges expressed by elderly population in using VR technology for pain management. The study followed an experimental design and the finding indicated that pre-existing knowledge and experience of pain and VR, alongside the perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of the technology has an impact on elderly’s attitude and adoption of VR technology

Managing user engagement in Virtual event platforms

Virtual platforms are considered as an innovative solution, and sometime a disruptive innovation, helping various industries to operate and interact with stakeholders and institutes to educate and inform users. Virtual conference and events have been on the rise and proved to be an effective solution in this unprecedent era. However, how the virtual event was received by users needs to be explored. Applying classical theories of user engagement, this paper aims to understand what has affected participant's level of engagement and attitude towards Virtual conferences over the last 18 months. A sample of 70 participants were recruited and two groups of antecedents of service provider and participants and their relationships with engagement and participants attitude is examined. Data analysis indicated that perceived conference informativeness and perceived service quality indicate 74% and 69% of the total variation in user engagement respectively and 82% and 77% of the total variation in participant's attitude towards virtual conferencing. This is a great insight and in contradiction to factors impacting engagement in a non-virtual environment

Evaluation techniques used to evaluate extended reality (XR) head mounted displays (HMDs) used in healthcare: A literature review

Extended Reality (XR) Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) are used across various healthcare pathways for staff/student education and training, and for improving patient experiences. As XR HMDs become affordable, accessible and their acceptance increases, it is critical to document the techniques used for evaluating the technology, processes of user engagement and immersion, and outcomes. At present there is limited research on evaluation techniques used to evaluate XR HMDs. This manuscript presents findings from 104 clinical studies that use XR HMDs. The aim of this review is to give the user an insight into the current healthcare XR HMD landscape by presenting the different HMDs used, variety of XR interventions and their applications across medical pathways and intended research outcomes of the XR applications. The manuscript further guides the reader toward a detailed documentation of evaluation techniques used to investigate antecedents and consequences of using XR and delivers a critical discussion and suggestions for improvement of XR evaluation practices. This paper will be of excellent use to clinicians, academics, funding bodies and hospital decision makers who would like suggestions for evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of XR HMDs. The authors hope to encourage discussions on the importance of improving XR evaluation practices

Impact of consumer innovativeness on really new product adoption

Purpose – This study explores consumer innovativeness as a personality trait and addresses the hedonic, social, cognitive, and functional motivational elements that lie behind consumer innovativeness. It explores the weak relationship between consumer innovativeness and really new product (novel innovation) adoption and challenges the classic relationship between consumer learning, attitude and intention. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts a quantitative approach, gathering survey data via an institutional online platform. 300 participants were recruited. Participants were directed to a website presenting the information of the product with the inclusion of 2D and 3D images and an avatar. For data analysis, CFA and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were used. Findings – Results indicate a positive impact of attitude on comprehension and intention. In addition, hedonic innovativeness positively impacts customer’s attitude, whereas there is a negative relationship between social innovativeness and attitude. Motivational elements of innovation, with the exception of hedonic motivation, positively influence purchase intention. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation of the study lies in the measurement of purchase intention, as actual purchases cannot be assessed as the products are not yet available. The findings encourage marketers to target innovators first, ideally innovators motivated by hedonic needs. Originality/value – This study challenges the classic theories identifying the link between comprehension, attitude and purchase intention within the field of innovation. The findings indicate that while interacting with Really New Products, comprehension does not necessarily lead to attitude and intention, but attitude does positively influence both intention and comprehension

An exploration into people’s perception and intention on using cryptocurrencies

The cryptocurrency market has been described as revolutionary due to the constant technological evolution and innovation that the blockchain technology provides. Leading many to believe that this could be the next step for the human race, just like how fiat currency replaced gold. Cryptocurrencies were originally created to be a form of savings or income for the unbanked, reduce costs and energy consumption, for a means of data transparency and to remove financial intermediaries. It is undeniable that the cryptocurrency market has created a divide of opinions, as some look to explore the market further while others reject the thought of adopting this innovative technology completely. This study focuses on the perception and intention to use cryptocurrencies. Diving into previous literature about the adoption of cryptocurrencies and new technologies. Highlighting key factors that can affect an individual’s perception and gaps in the literature that need to be explored further. A quantitative approach was used to gather data from 102 participants. The findings indicated that performance and effort expectancy as the most influential variables for cryptocurrency adoption, as people seek understanding as what benefits cryptocurrencies can provide for them when they feel incapable of using the innovative technology

Managing media brands: avoiding multiple personality disorder.

Media brands have personalities, but how are these personalities managed across a brand architecture that consists of a network, channels, programmes and programme talent? This paper examines the issue of media brand management through the lens of brand personality. It argues that an effective brand management strategy needs to ensure coherence across the multiple brand personalities present within the brand architecture. The research on media branding has become increasingly prominent to the extent that it is now a distinct and quickly evolving discipline (Ots, 2008; Chan-Olmsted and Kim, 2010; Siegert et al 2015). Whilst this research adds to our understanding of brands that exist in a media context, we also believe that our findings could lay the foundations for generalizability on how to manage multiple brand personalities within a broader architecture. Our research draws on the seminal work of Aaker (1997) and her conceptualisation of brand personality as the human characteristics associated with a brand. We also argue that multiple personalities, within a brand architecture, need to be coherently managed in order to successfully engage audiences who tend to endorse brands that are consistent with their own notion of ‘self’ (Forster, 2015). Our paper will present the findings from a large scale survey of audience members who were asked to classify human characteristics associated with personalities within a branded house architecture (Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000) consisting of the BBC (network), BBC2 (channel), Top Gear (programme) and Chris Evans (programme talent). Descriptive and inferential statistics will be used to examine our theoretical framework and we will conclude that the management of multiple brand personalities will be more effective when the personalities ‘fit’ with each other and that the ineffective management of these brand personalities will ultimately lead to multiple personality disorder

Prevention of γ-Radiation-Induced DNA Damage in Human Lymphocytes Using a Serine-Magnesium Sulfate Mixture

 Objectives: Ionising radiation has deleterious effects on human cells. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and cysteine, the active metabolite of NAC, are well-known radioprotective agents. Recently, a serine-magnesium sulfate combination was proposed as an antidote for organophosphate toxicity. This study aimed to investigate the use of a serine-magnesium sulfate mixture in the prevention of γ-radiation-induced DNA damage in human lymphocytes as compared to NAC and cysteine. Methods: This study was carried out at the Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, between April and September 2016. Citrated blood samples of 7 mL each were taken from 22 healthy subjects. Each sample was divided into 1 mL aliquots, with the first aliquot acting as the control while the second was exposed to 2 Gy of γ-radiation at a dose rate of 102.7 cGy/minute. The remaining aliquots were separately incubated with 600 μM concentrations each of serine, magnesium sulfate, serine-magnesium sulfate, NAC and cysteine before being exposed to 2 Gy of γ-radiation. Lymphocytes were isolated using a separation medium and methyl-thiazole-tetrazolium and comet assays were used to evaluate cell viability and DNA damage, respectively. Results: The serine-magnesium sulfate mixture significantly increased lymphocyte viability and reduced DNA damage in comparison to serine, magnesium sulfate, NAC or cysteine alone (P <0.01 each). Conclusion: The findings of the present study support the use of a serine-magnesium sulfate mixture as a new, non-toxic, potent and efficient radioprotective agent

Mindful and mindless anthropomorphism: how to facilitate consumer comprehension towards new products

Individual’s perception of anthropomorphic platforms in promotion of really new products or novel innovations has not been examined fully. There are contradictions in the academic literature on how various presentations of social cues are perceived by audience mindlessly or mindfully. Perceived mindful and mindless anthropomorphism are explored in this study in order to understand its effect on individuals’ attitude, purchase intention and comprehension of new products. A single factor between-subject design using two innovative products and websites with four levels of social cues (voice, language, interactivity and social role) was used. Five hundred participants took part in the main experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to each experimental group. The analysis indicated that a human-like avatar is preferred by individuals over static avatar and perceived higher mindlessly. Interactive content didn’t improve individuals’ perceived mindless anthropomorphism. There was no significant increase in individuals’ mindful anthropomorphism in any condition. The study indicated perceived mindless anthropomorphism results into better comprehension, attitude and purchase intention towards really new products

Media brand architecture: an examination of network, channel, programme and talent personalities.

Media brands have personalities, but how are these personalities managed across a brand architecture that consists of a network, channels, programmes and programme talent? This paper examines the issue of media brand management through the lens of brand personality. It argues that an effective brand management strategy needs to ensure coherence across the multiple brand personalities present within the brand architecture. The findings from a survey of consumers, who were asked to classify human characteristics associated with personalities within a branded house architecture, indicated that whilst there was brand fit between some of the brands personality traits, there were also significant differences in the fit of these personalities. However, there is a strong argument to support proposition that these differences can add to the consideration of coherence within the brand architecture