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1 – 10 of 160Digital inequality studies claim that social inequalities tend to be replicated online. However, studies have not attempted so far to deeper understand such stratification in…
Abstract
Purpose
Digital inequality studies claim that social inequalities tend to be replicated online. However, studies have not attempted so far to deeper understand such stratification in immigrant societies regarding the e-government use. This study aims to understand the role of immigration status, gender and country of origin in the e-government use, thereby reflecting what the literature on the sociology of migration refers to as immigrants’ “double” and “triple” disadvantage.
Design/methodology/approach
Israel was chosen as a case study because it is an immigration society in which immigrants’ socioeconomic status is usually inferior to that of the native population. The data were attained from the 2017 Israel Social Survey. The population of the study included internet users from the Jewish sector (N = 4,222). Logistic regression was used as the multivariate technique.
Findings
The results indicated that immigrant women are disadvantaged in terms of e-government use regardless of their year of immigration. Yet, when the data are segmented by country of origin, only female immigrants from the former Soviet Union show evidence of a triple disadvantage.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusion is that immigrants’ disadvantages in the offline sphere also exist in the online sphere.
Practical implications
Particular categories, which use e-government to a small extent, were identified, serving a call for action for the public officials. They should develop plans to make e-government more accessible to individuals belonging to these categories.
Originality/value
This study incorporates digital and immigrant sociology for the explanation of immigrants’ (online) social inclusion.
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Dennis Rosenberg, Rita Mano and Gustavo S. Mesch
Internet studies have rarely addressed gender and/or ethnic differences in health information seeking on social media. Moreover, the role of locality size in explanation of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Internet studies have rarely addressed gender and/or ethnic differences in health information seeking on social media. Moreover, the role of locality size in explanation of this phenomenon has been overlooked. This study proposed a diversification approach to address these issues. According to it, belonging to numerous disadvantaged groups increases the probability of health-related Internet/social media use.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected via telephone survey. The sample consisted of 798 Israeli Internet users who reported using social media for any purpose, gender, ethnic affiliation and locality of residence. The data were analysed using a logistic regression technique.
Findings
Arab female social media users, who resided in small localities, were more likely than the other studied social groups to seek both non-medical and medical information on social media. Furthermore, Arab female social media users were found having the highest likelihood among all studied social groups to seek information regarding physical activity and medications on social media.
Practical implications
The findings largely supported the diversification approach and signal a major need for a greater supply of public health information for members of minority groups, especially those residing in small localities.
Originality/value
The study investigates triple social disadvantage in health-related social media use.
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Dennis Rosenberg and Sharon Sznitman
This study aimed to understand the extent to which cannabis-related risk perception and COVID-19-related health worries were associated with the reported reduction in sharing…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to understand the extent to which cannabis-related risk perception and COVID-19-related health worries were associated with the reported reduction in sharing cannabis smoking products to mitigate the risk of the coronavirus transmission or infection. This association was tested in two different periods in terms of toughness of national lockdown policy imposed in the first months of the pandemic in Israel.
Design/methodology/approach
The study population included adult recreational cannabis users who completed one of the two online cross-sectional surveys dedicated to COVID-19 and the cannabis use situation in Israel in the first half of the 2020. The two surveys were conducted six weeks apart. One survey was conducted in the period when strict lockdown measures were in place (N1 = 376). The other survey was conducted in the period when many lockdown measures were lifted (N2 = 284). Differences between the samples regarding risk perception, health stressors and reduction in sharing cannabis products were assessed using t-test. Regression analysis was used to test the independent correlates of reported reduction in sharing cannabis products.
Findings
Means of risk perception, health stressors and reported reduction in sharing cannabis products were higher in the sample surveyed in the period of the strict lockdown measures than in the sample surveyed in the period of eased lockdown measures. Risk perception was associated with reported reduction in sharing cannabis products only in the sample surveyed in the period of strict lockdown measures. In contrast, health stressors were related to reported reduction in sharing cannabis products in both samples.
Social implications
Health stressors may represent a more stable mechanism by which cannabis users engage in protective behavior during the pandemic than risk perceptions.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the current research is one of the first studies that examine the associations among risk perception, primary stressors and protective behavior in recreational cannabis users while referring to cannabis-related behavior other than use.
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This paper aims to establish the link between the attitudes older adults hold toward governmental websites, their subjective online public service use skills and their…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to establish the link between the attitudes older adults hold toward governmental websites, their subjective online public service use skills and their e-government use for bureaucratic (e.g. document downloading or filling them out online) and transactional (e.g. payment) purposes.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from the 2020 Israel Social Survey and analyzed using binary logistic regression models. The sample included internet users aged 60 years and older (N = 735).
Findings
Subjective use skills were positively associated with each studied type of e-government use. Perception of security in providing personal information on governmental websites was also positively associated with both types of use. Perceived clarity and simplicity of governmental websites was (positively) related to transactional e-government use only.
Research limitations/implications
The results suggest that the types of e-government use in older adulthood are not contingent upon exactly the same factors. Moreover, attitudes toward e-government seem to be more relevant for transactional rather than bureaucratic e-government use in this lifespan period.
Originality/value
The study examines factors related to government website uses of various types in later life – a rarely studied topic in e-government research.
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Dennis Schlegel, Bernhard Rosenberg, Oliver Fundanovic and Patrick Kraus
In recent years, the robotic process automation (RPA) technology, a software-based method to automate routine tasks in business processes, has gained significant interest and…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent years, the robotic process automation (RPA) technology, a software-based method to automate routine tasks in business processes, has gained significant interest and adoption. However, many implementation projects fail and current literature lacks a synthesis and comprehensive overview of factors that challenge the implementation of RPA, have an impact on success or failure of projects, or, play an enabling role in an RPA project. Hence, the purpose of this research is to identify key factors that should be considered by organizations when conducting an RPA project.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a qualitative methodology based on data collected in a systematic literature review (SLR) and interviews with 10 RPA experts. Using inductive coding, an integrated framework of key factors is developed.
Findings
The results suggest that the key factors for a successful RPA introduction can be divided into human, organizational and technical factors. Important aspects include for example project management techniques, capabilities and skills of employees, as well as data security considerations.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to knowledge by synthesizing previously dispersed knowledge into an integrated framework, as well as by complementing previous results with new qualitative, empirical data. Additionally, the RPA-specific factors are put into the perspective of persistent problems in information systems development.
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Dennis N. Bristow and Brad Kleindl
This paper presents the results of a multimethod research study, which incorporates survey and experimental methodologies, designed to further explore the underpinnings of…
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a multimethod research study, which incorporates survey and experimental methodologies, designed to further explore the underpinnings of cultural differences in consumer responses to advertising messages. The study was designed to measure and assess differences in the self‐esteem and susceptibility to social influence of Japanese and United States college‐aged consumers. In general, it was hypothesized that Japanese consumers would have lower self‐esteem and higher susceptibility to social influence than would their US counterparts. The study provided evidence to support those hypotheses.
Andrew Thelen, Leifur Leifsson, Anupam Sharma and Slawomir Koziel
Dual-rotor wind turbines (DRWTs) are a novel type of wind turbines that can capture more power than their single-rotor counterparts. Because their surrounding flow fields are…
Abstract
Purpose
Dual-rotor wind turbines (DRWTs) are a novel type of wind turbines that can capture more power than their single-rotor counterparts. Because their surrounding flow fields are complex, evaluating a DRWT design requires accurate predictive simulations, which incur high computational costs. Currently, there does not exist a design optimization framework for DRWTs. Since the design optimization of DRWTs requires numerous model evaluations, the purpose of this paper is to identify computationally efficient design approaches.
Design/methodology/approach
Several algorithms are compared for the design optimization of DRWTs. The algorithms vary widely in approaches and include a direct derivative-free method, as well as three surrogate-based optimization methods, two approximation-based approaches and one variable-fidelity approach with coarse discretization low-fidelity models.
Findings
The proposed variable-fidelity method required significantly lower computational cost than the derivative-free and approximation-based methods. Large computational savings come from using the time-consuming high-fidelity simulations sparingly and performing the majority of the design space search using the fast variable-fidelity models.
Originality/value
Due the complex simulations and the large number of designable parameters, the design of DRWTs require the use of numerical optimization algorithms. This work presents a novel and efficient design optimization framework for DRWTs using computationally intensive simulations and variable-fidelity optimization techniques.
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Sukhbir Sandhu, Saras Sastrowardoyo, John Benson and Christina Scott-Young
Rafi M.M.I. Chowdhury, Denni Arli and Felix Septianto
This study aims to examine how religiosity influences brand loyalty toward religiously positioned brands (Chick-fil-A, Forever 21, etc.) when these brands engage in morally…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how religiosity influences brand loyalty toward religiously positioned brands (Chick-fil-A, Forever 21, etc.) when these brands engage in morally controversial actions.
Design/methodology/approach
Study 1 investigates how religiosity affects brand loyalty when religiously positioned brands engage in religiousness-related vs nonreligiousness-related morally controversial actions. Study 2 examines several psychological processes (reactance, forgiveness and moral decoupling) as mediators of the effects of intrinsic religiosity and extrinsic religiosity on brand loyalty for controversial religious brands.
Findings
Study 1 demonstrates that religiosity leads to positive brand loyalty for religiously positioned brands in the case of both religiousness-related and nonreligiousness-related controversies. Study 2 reveals that intrinsic religiosity (extrinsic religiosity) leads to brand loyalty through moral decoupling and forgiveness, but not through reactance, when religious brands engage in religiousness-related (nonreligiousness-related) controversies.
Research limitations/implications
This research focuses on the effects of religiosity on brand loyalty for morally controversial religious brands but does not examine the effects of religious affiliation (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc.). The samples include only US residents.
Practical implications
Religious positioning of brands can engender brand loyalty for consumers with high levels of intrinsic religiosity and/or extrinsic religiosity, even when these brands engage in morally controversial actions.
Originality/value
This research shows that religiosity affects brand loyalty for morally controversial religious brands and demonstrates that psychological processes used by consumers to justify support for morally controversial religious brands depend on type of religiosity (intrinsic vs extrinsic) and type of controversy (religiousness-related and nonreligiousness-related).
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