Immersion and Gameplay Experience: A Contingency Framework

The nature of the relationship between immersion and gameplay experience is investigated, focusing primarily on the literature related to flow. In particular, this paper proposes that immersion and gameplay experience are conceptually different, but empirically positively related through mechanisms related to flow. Furthermore, this study examines gamers' characteristics to determine the influence between immersion and gameplay experiences. The study involves 48 observations in one game setting. Regression analyses including tests for moderation and simple slope analysis are used to reveal gamers' age, experience, and understanding of the game, which moderate the relationship between immersion and gameplay experience. The results suggest that immersion is more positive for gameplay experience when the gamer lacks experience and understanding of the game as well as when the gamer is relatively older. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed at length in the paper

It’s all about Trust and Loyalty: Partner Selection Mechanisms in Tourism Networks

Does expected partner or task related criteria affect how trust and loyalty is developed between tourism firms? This paper poses a model, which is developed on the assumption that well defined partner and task related partner expectations and experienced trust, should build loyalty between tourism firms. The model provides a more precise assessment for scholars, which believes that trust is related to the risk that is associated with personal relationships between two or more firms, and that risk depends on expectations that are derived from personal relationships. The model also integrates the role of experienced trust in transforming different partner selection criteria into loyalty. The contribution of the model is that it provides insights into cooperative relationships by examining the role of trust between small tourism firms when cooperation is established. Data from a sample of 96 tourism firms in the Northern U.S. is used to test the model. The findings provide implications for tourism scholars and policy-makers who are interested in developing managerial strategies that are based on personal relationships

It’s all about Trust and Loyalty: Partner Selection Mechanisms in Tourism Networks

Does expected partner or task related criteria affect how trust and loyalty is developed between tourism firms? This paper poses a model, which is developed on the assumption that well defined partner and task related partner expectations and experienced trust, should build loyalty between tourism firms. The model provides a more precise assessment for scholars, which believes that trust is related to the risk that is associated with personal relationships between two or more firms, and that risk depends on expectations that are derived from personal relationships. The model also integrates the role of experienced trust in transforming different partner selection criteria into loyalty. The contribution of the model is that it provides insights into cooperative relationships by examining the role of trust between small tourism firms when cooperation is established. Data from a sample of 96 tourism firms in the Northern U.S. is used to test the model. The findings provide implications for tourism scholars and policy-makers who are interested in developing managerial strategies that are based on personal relationships.Loyalty; partner selection; trust; tourism; Experience stratos

Učinkovitost strategija suočavanja poduzetnika sa stresom i njihov utjecaj na osobnu dobrobit i uspješnost poduzeća

This paper analyzes effectiveness of coping strategies that entrepreneurs use to daily manage work related stress. Coping is the process of expending efforts to solve personal and interpersonal problems and reducing stress induced by unpleasant and stressful situations. Two broad strategies of coping are identified; problem-based coping refers to a cognitively-based response behavior that includes efforts to alleviate stressful circumstances while emotion-based coping involves behavioural responses to regulate the affective consequences of stressful events. The purpose of this research is to analyze relationships among the coping strategies used by entrepreneurs and a set of antecedents influencing the selection of coping strategies. The methodology used is based on structural equation modeling and empirical data of 469 entrepreneurs from two European countries. Our results show that problem based coping facilitates well-being and venture performance. In addition, our findings also support interaction effects of founder centrality and contextual conditions of venturing on the extent entrepreneurs engage in coping. We believe that our insights can help in training entrepreneurs in the development of effective coping strategies that are context dependent. In specific, our results suggest entrepreneurs to engage in problem-focused strategies when they want to effectively address the economic aspects of their lives whereas when they engage in emotion based strategies they seem to increase the self-knowledge they need to start subsequent ventures and facilitate learning from failure. Future studies on coping strategies could study the interplay of coping strategies used to resolve challenging social situations that various stakeholders of practicing entrepreneurs impose.U ovom radu analizira se učinkovitost strategija suočavanja sa stresom koje poduzetnici upotrebljavaju na dnevnoj osnovi radi upravljanja stresom uzrokovanim poslom. Suočavanje sa stresom je proces usmjeren na rješavanje ljudskih i međuljudskih problema i reduciranje stresa kojeg izazivaju neugodne i napete situacije. U širem smislu riječi, identificirane su dvije strategije suočavanja: problemski orijentirano suočavanje, koje se odnosi na kognitivno utemeljene bihevioralne odgovore s ciljem ublažavanja stresnih okolnosti, te suočavanje zasnovano na emocijama, koje uključuje bihevioralne reakcije usmjerene na reguliranje afektivnih posljedica stresnih događaja. Cilj istraživanja je analizirati odnose između poduzetničkih strategija suočavanja te set čimbenika koji utječu na odabir istih. U radu se koristi metoda modeliranja strukturnih jednadžbi i empirijske podatke 469 poduzetnika iz dviju europskih zemalja. Rezultati analize pokazuju pozitivan utjecaj problemski orijentiranih strategija suočavanja na dobrobit poduzetnika i uspješnost njihovih poduzeća. Dobiveni rezultati potvrđuju i interakcijske učinke centralnosti poduzetnika i kontekstualnih odrednica poduzetništva na razinu suočavanja poduzetnika sa stresom. Vjerujemo da će rezultati našeg istraživanja pridonijeti obuci poduzetnika u području razvoja učinkovitih strategija suočavanja ovisnih o kontekstu. Preciznije, dobiveni rezultati sugeriraju poduzetnicima primjenu problemski orijentiranih strategija u slučajevima kada se žele efektivno usmjeriti na ekonomske aspekte svojih života. S druge strane, pokazalo se da suočavanje zasnovano na emocijama povećava poznavanje samog sebe koje je potrebno za poduzimanje budućih poduzetničkih pothvata i olakšavanje učenja iz neuspjeha. Buduća istraživanja strategija suočavanja mogla bi obuhvatiti njihovo međusobno djelovanje u funkciji rješavanja zahtjevnih društvenih situacija koje poduzetnicima nameću različiti dioničari

The effectiveness of coping strategies used by entrepreneurs and their impact on personal well-being and venture performance

This paper analyzes effectiveness of coping strategies that entrepreneurs use to daily manage work related stress. Coping is the process of expending efforts to solve personal and interpersonal problems and reducing stress induced by unpleasant and stressful situations. Two broad strategies of coping are identified; problem-based coping refers to a cognitively-based response behavior that includes efforts to alleviate stressful circumstances while emotion-based coping involves behavioural responses to regulate the affective consequences of stressful events. The purpose of this research is to analyze relationships among the coping strategies used by entrepreneurs and a set of antecedents influencing the selection of coping strategies. The methodology used is based on structural equation modeling and empirical data of 469 entrepreneurs from two European countries. Our results show that problem based coping facilitates well-being and venture performance. In addition, our findings also support interaction effects of founder centrality and contextual conditions of venturing on the extent entrepreneurs engage in coping. We believe that our insights can help in training entrepreneurs in the development of effective coping strategies that are context dependent. In specific, our results suggest entrepreneurs to engage in problem-focused strategies when they want to effectively address the economic aspects of their lives whereas when they engage in emotion based strategies they seem to increase the self-knowledge they need to start subsequent ventures and facilitate learning from failure. Future studies on coping strategies could study the interplay of coping strategies used to resolve challenging social situations that various stakeholders of practicing entrepreneurs impose

Učinkovitost strategija suočavanja poduzetnika sa stresom i njihov utjecaj na osobnu dobrobit i uspješnost poduzeća

This paper analyzes effectiveness of coping strategies that entrepreneurs use to daily manage work related stress. Coping is the process of expending efforts to solve personal and interpersonal problems and reducing stress induced by unpleasant and stressful situations. Two broad strategies of coping are identified; problem-based coping refers to a cognitively-based response behavior that includes efforts to alleviate stressful circumstances while emotion-based coping involves behavioural responses to regulate the affective consequences of stressful events. The purpose of this research is to analyze relationships among the coping strategies used by entrepreneurs and a set of antecedents influencing the selection of coping strategies. The methodology used is based on structural equation modeling and empirical data of 469 entrepreneurs from two European countries. Our results show that problem based coping facilitates well-being and venture performance. In addition, our findings also support interaction effects of founder centrality and contextual conditions of venturing on the extent entrepreneurs engage in coping. We believe that our insights can help in training entrepreneurs in the development of effective coping strategies that are context dependent. In specific, our results suggest entrepreneurs to engage in problem-focused strategies when they want to effectively address the economic aspects of their lives whereas when they engage in emotion based strategies they seem to increase the self-knowledge they need to start subsequent ventures and facilitate learning from failure. Future studies on coping strategies could study the interplay of coping strategies used to resolve challenging social situations that various stakeholders of practicing entrepreneurs impose.U ovom radu analizira se učinkovitost strategija suočavanja sa stresom koje poduzetnici upotrebljavaju na dnevnoj osnovi radi upravljanja stresom uzrokovanim poslom. Suočavanje sa stresom je proces usmjeren na rješavanje ljudskih i međuljudskih problema i reduciranje stresa kojeg izazivaju neugodne i napete situacije. U širem smislu riječi, identificirane su dvije strategije suočavanja: problemski orijentirano suočavanje, koje se odnosi na kognitivno utemeljene bihevioralne odgovore s ciljem ublažavanja stresnih okolnosti, te suočavanje zasnovano na emocijama, koje uključuje bihevioralne reakcije usmjerene na reguliranje afektivnih posljedica stresnih događaja. Cilj istraživanja je analizirati odnose između poduzetničkih strategija suočavanja te set čimbenika koji utječu na odabir istih. U radu se koristi metoda modeliranja strukturnih jednadžbi i empirijske podatke 469 poduzetnika iz dviju europskih zemalja. Rezultati analize pokazuju pozitivan utjecaj problemski orijentiranih strategija suočavanja na dobrobit poduzetnika i uspješnost njihovih poduzeća. Dobiveni rezultati potvrđuju i interakcijske učinke centralnosti poduzetnika i kontekstualnih odrednica poduzetništva na razinu suočavanja poduzetnika sa stresom. Vjerujemo da će rezultati našeg istraživanja pridonijeti obuci poduzetnika u području razvoja učinkovitih strategija suočavanja ovisnih o kontekstu. Preciznije, dobiveni rezultati sugeriraju poduzetnicima primjenu problemski orijentiranih strategija u slučajevima kada se žele efektivno usmjeriti na ekonomske aspekte svojih života. S druge strane, pokazalo se da suočavanje zasnovano na emocijama povećava poznavanje samog sebe koje je potrebno za poduzimanje budućih poduzetničkih pothvata i olakšavanje učenja iz neuspjeha. Buduća istraživanja strategija suočavanja mogla bi obuhvatiti njihovo međusobno djelovanje u funkciji rješavanja zahtjevnih društvenih situacija koje poduzetnicima nameću različiti dioničari

Innovation Networks in Different Industrial Settings: From Flexible to Smart Specialization

The key research objective of this paper is to analyse industrial specialisation by developing innovative networks linked to the region. Institutional and entrepreneurial innovation systems, smart specialisation and a network based research framework for entrepreneurship are used as conceptual foundations in the paper. Based on theoretical elaborations our analyses illustrate how certain interventions have stimulated regional development and innovation in two specific Scandinavian regions. Our results highlight that both regions have gone from interventions fostering flexible specialization, with the motive of staying resilient and competitive over time, to an approach based on smart specialization with a focus on one or a limited number of strong industries

Changes in preterm birth and stillbirth during COVID-19 lockdowns in 26 countries.

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. Changes in PTB rates, ranging from -90% to +30%, were reported in many countries following early COVID-19 pandemic response measures ('lockdowns'). It is unclear whether this variation reflects real differences in lockdown impacts, or perhaps differences in stillbirth rates and/or study designs. Here we present interrupted time series and meta-analyses using harmonized data from 52 million births in 26 countries, 18 of which had representative population-based data, with overall PTB rates ranging from 6% to 12% and stillbirth ranging from 2.5 to 10.5 per 1,000 births. We show small reductions in PTB in the first (odds ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.95-0.98, P value <0.0001), second (0.96, 0.92-0.99, 0.03) and third (0.97, 0.94-1.00, 0.09) months of lockdown, but not in the fourth month of lockdown (0.99, 0.96-1.01, 0.34), although there were some between-country differences after the first month. For high-income countries in this study, we did not observe an association between lockdown and stillbirths in the second (1.00, 0.88-1.14, 0.98), third (0.99, 0.88-1.12, 0.89) and fourth (1.01, 0.87-1.18, 0.86) months of lockdown, although we have imprecise estimates due to stillbirths being a relatively rare event. We did, however, find evidence of increased risk of stillbirth in the first month of lockdown in high-income countries (1.14, 1.02-1.29, 0.02) and, in Brazil, we found evidence for an association between lockdown and stillbirth in the second (1.09, 1.03-1.15, 0.002), third (1.10, 1.03-1.17, 0.003) and fourth (1.12, 1.05-1.19, <0.001) months of lockdown. With an estimated 14.8 million PTB annually worldwide, the modest reductions observed during early pandemic lockdowns translate into large numbers of PTB averted globally and warrant further research into causal pathways

Changes in preterm birth and stillbirth during COVID-19 lockdowns in 26 countries.

Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. Changes in PTB rates, ranging from -90% to +30%, were reported in many countries following early COVID-19 pandemic response measures ('lockdowns'). It is unclear whether this variation reflects real differences in lockdown impacts, or perhaps differences in stillbirth rates and/or study designs. Here we present interrupted time series and meta-analyses using harmonized data from 52 million births in 26 countries, 18 of which had representative population-based data, with overall PTB rates ranging from 6% to 12% and stillbirth ranging from 2.5 to 10.5 per 1,000 births. We show small reductions in PTB in the first (odds ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.95-0.98, P value <0.0001), second (0.96, 0.92-0.99, 0.03) and third (0.97, 0.94-1.00, 0.09) months of lockdown, but not in the fourth month of lockdown (0.99, 0.96-1.01, 0.34), although there were some between-country differences after the first month. For high-income countries in this study, we did not observe an association between lockdown and stillbirths in the second (1.00, 0.88-1.14, 0.98), third (0.99, 0.88-1.12, 0.89) and fourth (1.01, 0.87-1.18, 0.86) months of lockdown, although we have imprecise estimates due to stillbirths being a relatively rare event. We did, however, find evidence of increased risk of stillbirth in the first month of lockdown in high-income countries (1.14, 1.02-1.29, 0.02) and, in Brazil, we found evidence for an association between lockdown and stillbirth in the second (1.09, 1.03-1.15, 0.002), third (1.10, 1.03-1.17, 0.003) and fourth (1.12, 1.05-1.19, <0.001) months of lockdown. With an estimated 14.8 million PTB annually worldwide, the modest reductions observed during early pandemic lockdowns translate into large numbers of PTB averted globally and warrant further research into causal pathways