Ben Marder, Avi Shankar, David Houghton and Adam Joinson
It is known that to encourage people to interact (e.g. sharing) with brands through social media, businesses create content in line with the expectations of their target audience…
Abstract
Purpose
It is known that to encourage people to interact (e.g. sharing) with brands through social media, businesses create content in line with the expectations of their target audience. On these sites, however, such interaction by consumers is visible, contributing to their self-presentation, which can be seen by their wider network; some of whom will find it appropriate, others may not. Currently, little is known about the effects of consumers’ own diverse set of audiences on behavioral intention toward brand interaction and emotional effect. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey methodology (n=386) was adopted to examine intention to interact with real brand posts.
Findings
Results show that the brand interaction is associated with social anxiety when it is felt that visible evidence of such actions is discrepant from the audience expectations. This, then, constrains the behavioral intention to interact with brands online.
Practical implications
For businesses to maximize brand interactions and minimize social anxiety, they must be mindful of not just the expectations of their target but also consider their target’s own network. For site designers, this research urges for greater refining of privacy tools and suggests the addition of a “Secret Like” option.
Originality/value
Encouraging visible brand interaction through social media is paramount for businesses. Managers focus only on their target audience when designing content but neglect to consider the self-presentational implications of interacting with branded content to wider networks. This paper shows that this must be considered to increase success and maintain ethical practice. This is of value for multiple-stakeholders, managers, users, site designers and academics.
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Andrew Pressey, David Houghton and Dogá Istanbulluoglu
We have witnessed an evolution in the use of smartphones in recent years. We have been aware for some time of the potentially deleterious impact of smartphones on users' lives and…
Abstract
Purpose
We have witnessed an evolution in the use of smartphones in recent years. We have been aware for some time of the potentially deleterious impact of smartphones on users' lives and their propensity for user addiction, as reflected in the large and growing body of work on this topic. One modern phenomenon – the distracted mobile phone user in public, or “smartphone zombie” – has received limited research attention. The purpose of the present study is to develop a robust measure of smartphone zombie behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
The research deign comprises three studies: A round of focus groups (n = 5) and two online surveys (survey one n = 373, survey two n = 386), in order to develop and validate a three-factor, 15-item measure named the Smartphone Zombie Scale (SZS).
Findings
Following the round of focus groups conducted, Exploratory Factor Analysis and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, the SZS measure (Cronbach's α = .932) is demonstrated to be robust and comprises three factors: Attention Deficit (Cronbach's α = .922), Jeopardy (Cronbach's α = .817) and Preoccupation (Cronbach's α = .835), that is shown to be distinct to existing closely related measures (Smartphone Addiction scale and Obsessive Compulsive Use).
Originality/value
The present study represents the first extant attempt to produce a measure of smartphone zombie behaviour, and provides us with a reliable and valid measure with which we can study this growing phenomenon.
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This article represents a personal view of the changing role of the librarian in today's ‘high tech’ age and attempts to identify the type of skills required for a ‘modern’…
Abstract
This article represents a personal view of the changing role of the librarian in today's ‘high tech’ age and attempts to identify the type of skills required for a ‘modern’ librarian. It then attempts to identify the effect of technologies upon the library support staff and what levels of support are required to make a modern library function. This will highlight the growing need for trained and skilled staff in areas such as office software, Internet awareness and local area networking. It then attempts to explain how librarians, support staff and users are at odds with each other and identifies significant factors that require to be addressed if libraries of the future are to provide the services demanded of them. The conclusions are that as technology evolves the demands upon librarians and support staff increase exponentially. While technologies such as the WWW improve the quantity of information available, there is a requirement for greater skills in information and resource management. Crucially these resources include people.
The article describes the design and implementation process for developing an academic library website at De Montfort University (DMU) and gives practical guidance and advice. The…
Abstract
The article describes the design and implementation process for developing an academic library website at De Montfort University (DMU) and gives practical guidance and advice. The aim of the website is to provide access to quality information services for students and staff at a large decentralised university. The article discusses resources and subject areas that are specific to DMU’s teaching and learning environment. However it aims, where possible, to give generalised advice to any academic library that is considering building a website in the hope that others will benefit from the DMU experience.
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Subimal Chatterjee, Gizem Atav, Junhong Min and David Taylor
The paper aims to investigate the role of uncertainty avoidance (UA) as a moderator of Prospect Theory’s reflection effect (i.e. the simultaneous choice of a sure gain and a risky…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate the role of uncertainty avoidance (UA) as a moderator of Prospect Theory’s reflection effect (i.e. the simultaneous choice of a sure gain and a risky loss). We expect that higher-UA consumers, seeking certainty, will shun risk across both gains and losses such that their choices will be inconsistent with the reflection effect.
Design/methodology/approach
We report three studies in which participants choose between risk and certainty. We use the stimuli from the original Prospect Theory paper, measure UA using an individual-level scale and conduct controlled experimental (laboratory) studies.
Findings
We show that, compared to lower-UA consumers, higher-UA consumers demonstrate the reflection effect less frequently in a variety of settings (small/large stakes and within/between subjects comparisons). Mediation tests reveal that higher-UA consumers anchor on the sure loss and stay with their choice because they prefer the certainty of the sure (smaller) loss to the possibility of a possible (larger) loss (a dual-mediation mechanism).
Research limitations/implications
The results have important implications for marketing practice. They show that quantifying uncertainty into a probability number is not enough to eliminate the uncertainty of the situation, and that UA is likely serve as a boundary condition to many of the traditional heuristics of judgment and decision-making.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to demonstrate that UA can moderate the reflection effect (using the stimuli in the original Prospect Theory paper). Therefore, it sets an agenda for future researchers who may want to use these findings to calibrate price/uncertainty tradeoffs within higher-UA segments.
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Abstract
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In surveying the state of the art of reference materials for children and young adults in both school and public libraries, it is necessary to reaffirm certain “givens” about such…
Abstract
In surveying the state of the art of reference materials for children and young adults in both school and public libraries, it is necessary to reaffirm certain “givens” about such a broad field. As in any other library, selection depends so much upon the clientele. A K — 3 grade school would have simple encyclopedias (of which there are few), e.g. Childcraft (Field), the Golden Encyclopedias, picture dictionaries and similar materials. The K — 6 or the K — 8 would include these and increasingly sophisticated types of reference, depending upon budget and the reading or research interests of the children. For example, some elementary school age children seriously want to know “all there is” about solar energy, computers, transistors, comic books and beasts of the tar pits. Others want only “facts” about sports heroes, stamps, or other collectibles. High school students are interested in the same pursuits, many of them at a highly sophisticated level. Young patrons of public libraries, quite often, are either the most proficient in reading and research skills, or the most lacking in any kind of conceptual application. Therefore, reference collections for this widely spaced age group are diverse in definition, scope, and numbers of volumes. Indeed, some books at an elementary age level are designated reference for three major reasons: 1) to direct children to a book which they might want but cannot find unless it is limited in the place or time allowed for use (e.g. some books on codes); 2) books that are comprehensive and include a quick fact presentation (these are often found in the 500's, 600's, etc., as a general categorical statement, but such a location is not always understood by the very small child who wants information; or 3) the dictionaries, encyclopedias and other books of encyclopedia information as understood by adults but written on a very beginning level. Too often, a college or general public librarian does not understand the microscopic pieces of information that are reference in nature to the growing child. Ideally, this type of reference should be available in kindergarten or even in pre‐school with instruction in its use (which is “fun” oriented, for learning is fun to the small child) at the same school or pre‐school levels.