Learning from Prior Experience: An Empirical Study of Serial Entrepreneurs in IT-enabled Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding has gained momentum in recent years. Although an increasing amount of research has been devoted to this domain, the dynamics of this phenomenon has yet to be fully studied. The current study strives to bridge this gap by examining the impacts of prior experiences from serial entrepreneurs’ perspective. Drawing on organizational learning theory, we theorize about the differential effects from several experience dimensions: direct vs. indirect experiences, successful vs. failed experiences, experience richness and diversity of prior experiences. Employing a panel-level analysis approach, we document positive effects of both direct and indirect learning. However, the successful, rich and diverse experience do not always seem to facilitate learning and consequently lead to enhanced performance. Our study applies the organizational learning theory to the crowdfunding context to extend the existing crowdfunding literature in information systems by investigating the dynamics across campaigns. We also provide practical implications for entrepreneurs and platform operators

WHEN SHOULD FIRMS BE “OPEN”? THE MODERATING ROLE OF IT COMPETENCY IN INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL OPEN INNOVATION COLLABORATION

Open innovation has gained momentum in recent years. Prior research has shown the critical role of openness in understanding the inter-organizational collaboration process. However, existing studies largely focus on search openness instead of the openness in actual collaboration. In addition, it remains unclear how the new emerged organizational competencies on information technology will shift the role of openness in collaboration. In this study, we investigate the role of collaboration openness in open innovation collaboration and explore the moderating role of information technology competencies. Drawing on the theory of inter-organizational relationship and resource-based view, we examine the conditions under which firms should be “open” in the actual collaboration. We develop hypotheses on network uncertainty, collaboration openness and open innovation performance. The model also incorporates the moderating effects of competitive IT capability and IT intensity. The proposed hypotheses will be tested using firm-level survey and objective data. We also discuss our research method and expected implications

ANTECENDENTS OF ONLINE GROUP BUYING BEHAVIOR: FROM PRICE LEVERAGE AND CROWD EFFECT PERSPECTIVES

Online group buying, as a new form of e-commerce, has offered customers a great deal of promotion and convenience in shopping. Meanwhile, there are an increasing number of OGB vendors struggling in the fierce competition and extremely turbulent business environment. During 2010 and 2011, more than 2000 OGB vendors in China have been out of business or facing with bankruptcy. Therefore, study of search and purchase behavior of potential customers in online group buying is meaningful to OGB vendors. This stream of study can offer information in relating how to maintain and improve competitiveness in the market. Present study aims to conduct an empirical research on the impact on customers’ search and purchase intention in online group buying. Since little prior research has investigated the searching and purchase behavior in the context of online group buying, this research tends to fill this void by examine multiple antecedents, including products measures, vendor-related factors and individual characteristics. This paper also provides informative knowledge and contributions to both academic researchers and business practitioners

A NEW CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR ENHANCING EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS AMONG HIGHER VOCATIONAL STUDENTS BASE ON GROUP WORK INTERVENTIONS

This paper aims to describe a new conceptual framework for enhancing employability skills based on group work interventions. The research design used is an experiential learning design and was conducted through explanatory research, which combines both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Higher vocational students were used as research subjects, and group dynamics theory was used as the theoretical basis. Data were collected using questionnaire surveys, interviews, group work methods, and experimental research. A new conceptual framework for enhancing employability skills was developed by selecting 40 fresh graduates from Jiangmen Polytechnic to participate in a 2-month employability skills promotion group work activity. The new conceptual framework clarifies the variables and characteristics that affect the improvement of employment skills and reveals the relationships between the variables. The findings present a new conceptual framework for improving the employability skills of higher vocational students based on group work interventions and describe the variables and characteristics within this framework. This research significantly contributes to the field, equipping educators and organizers with the knowledge to create tailored programs for enhancing employability skills among higher vocational students.Ultimately, these efforts aim to empower students with the necessary competencies to thrive in the dynamic job market and embark on successful career paths. Keywords: conceptual framework; employability skills; group work interventio

The Role of Online Peer-to-Peer Lending in Crisis Response: Evidence from Kiva

Online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, a new form of microfinance, has been touted as to its prominent potential for reducing world poverty. Although a growing body of research has been devoted to examining online P2P lending, how such platforms actually make a difference in curbing poverty has yet to be fully explored. The Ebola outbreak of 2014 provides us a unique empirical opportunity to explore such broader impacts of online P2P lending. We investigate how the demand and supply sides of P2P lending platforms react to an unpredictable crisis. Employing a difference-in-difference identification strategy with data from Kiva.org, we conduct country- and loan-level estimations. Results show upward trends on both demand and supply sides of P2P lending; borrowers request more financial capital and lenders are more active in their lending behaviors in the post-crisis period. We extend online P2P lending literature by investigating the influences of “off-platform shocks on within-platform behaviors

Winner Takes All? The “Blockbuster Effect” in Crowdfunding Platforms

Crowdfunding has gained momentum in recent years. Although an increasing amount of research has been devoted to the economic value of crowdfunding, the interactions and effects among crowdfunding projects have yet to be fully studied. The current study strives to bridge this gap by examining the impacts of blockbuster projects — i.e., overwhelmingly successful projects – on the crowdfunding platform. Hypotheses are formulated based on the theory of network effects. Our preliminary results suggest the blockbuster projects exhibit positive spill-over effects within project category but cannibalization effects across categories. We also find evidence of lasting positive/negative network externality within/across category/categories. Further analysis suggests that fresh backers who are attracted to the platform by the blockbuster projects tend to be more engaged and more active. Our research aims to extend the emergent crowdfunding literature by examining network externalities among projects. We also provide practical implications for project creators and platform administrators

The Emergence of Social Media as Boundary Objects in Crisis Response: A Collective Action Perspective

During a series of recent natural catastrophes, social media has played an increasingly prominent and varied role in crisis response, ranging from facilitating the recruitment of volunteers during an earthquake to supporting spiritual recovery after a hurricane. In this paper, we propose that social media, beyond the conventional role of information support, can also function as boundary objects, which are crucial in spanning the boundaries among involved parties that inherently restrict crisis response. Using the 2011 Thailand floods as a case study, we present a conceptual model of the role of social media in enabling a coordinated response to disasters. More specifically, the model presents three distinct processes of emergence and the corresponding boundary objects enabled by the use of social media, which are important in bridging the cognitive, relational and social boundaries among the various entities involved in crisis response

IMPORTANCE OF IDEOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL EDUCATION ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ PSYCHOLOGICAL CRISIS COPING ABILITY

This paper proposes a conceptual framework for leveraging ideological and political education to enhance the mental crisis coping ability of university students. The primary objective is to integrate ideological and political education in universities to improve student abilities to cope with psychological crises and innovate intervention methods. The study utilized induction and data analysis techniques to define psychological crises and interventions for university students while examining the role of ideological and political education in psychological crisis intervention. Through reflection on the current state of ideological and political education interventions, this paper proposes constructive and feasible pathways and countermeasures for implementation. The results indicate that ideological and political education positively intervenes in psychological crises faced by university students. Therefore, this paper recommends supporting the application of ideological and political education as an essential pillar of mental health education to provide new perspectives and approaches for intervening in psychological crises among university students. Finally, it is essential to value its theoretical foundations and support its integration into mental health intervention strategies in universities. This research contributes to the development of a novel approach to managing psychological crises among university students, which can ultimately promote their well-being and success. Keywords: ideological education; political education; psychological crisis; coping abilit

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London