Minghong Chen, Xiumei Huang and Xianjun Qi
In the paradox of personalized services and privacy risks, what factors influence users’ decisions is considered an interesting issue worth exploring. The current study aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
In the paradox of personalized services and privacy risks, what factors influence users’ decisions is considered an interesting issue worth exploring. The current study aims to empirically explore privacy behavior of social media users by developing a theoretical model based on privacy calculus theory.
Design/methodology/approach
Privacy risks, conceptualized as natural risks and integrated risks, were proposed to affect the intention of privacy disclosure and protection. The model was validated through a hybrid approach of structural equation modeling (SEM)-artificial neural network (ANN) to analyze the data collected from 527 effective responses.
Findings
The results from the SEM analysis indicated that social interaction and perceived enjoyment were strong determinants of perceived benefits, which in turn played a dominant role in the intention to disclose the privacy in social media. Similarly, trust and privacy invasion experience were significantly related to perceived risks that had the most considerable effect on users’ privacy protection intention. And the following ANN models revealed consistent relationships and rankings with the SEM results.
Originality/value
This study broadened the application perspective of privacy calculus theory to identify both linear and non-linear effects of privacy risks and privacy benefits on users’ intention to disclose or protect their privacy by using a state-of-the-art methodological approach combining SEM and ANN.
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The purpose of this paper is to explain how sociability and usability enhanced members’ satisfaction, and how such satisfaction in turn, influenced their continuance intention of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain how sociability and usability enhanced members’ satisfaction, and how such satisfaction in turn, influenced their continuance intention of knowledge sharing in academic virtual communities (AVCs).
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on social capital theory and technology acceptance model, this study proposed a theoretical socio-technical model, and the partial least squares method is used to examine the proposed model, based on data collected from 431 subjects in a well-known academic community in China (i.e. ScienceNet).
Findings
Both sociability and usability were important to improve members’ satisfaction with knowledge sharing in AVCs. Specifically, social interaction ties, trust, reciprocity, shared vision, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness are antecedents of members’ satisfaction, which in turn positively affects their continuance intention of knowledge sharing in AVCs.
Practical implications
This study provided insights that can help AVCs’ administrators develop effective strategies that could encourage continued knowledge sharing behavior through promoting members’ satisfaction.
Originality/value
While the socio-technical framework has mainly been used to study initial adoption and participation of knowledge sharing. This study proposed a socio-technical model to move a step forward by explaining the exact roles of sociability and usability in terms of promoting members’ satisfaction and identifying its critical effect on their continuance intention to share knowledge in AVCs, leading to a more comprehensive picture of members’ satisfaction and continuance intention of knowledge sharing in AVCs.
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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of public goods provision in Wenchuan earthquake-stricken rural areas. The study was undertaken in August and September…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the efficiency of public goods provision in Wenchuan earthquake-stricken rural areas. The study was undertaken in August and September 2012 by the field survey of 24 villages.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper, by applying the methods of analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, aims to evaluate the efficiency by means of villagers’ satisfaction, which is designed in the idea of combining overall goal-classifications and specific indicators, including 7 classifications and a total of 36 specific indicators.
Findings
Based on maximum membership principle by the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, the calculation results in 0.4485862 as a “general” level of the evaluation membership of efficiency in the post-quake public goods provision, and 3.0634837 as overall comprehensive score, a level lower than 3.5.
Practical implications
The efficiency by means of villagers’ evaluation is generally at a lower degree. Although the reconstruction has completed some high-quality infrastructure, schools, hospitals and houses, we still face more macroscopic and long-term problems of recovering and sustaining the post-quake communities in many fields.
Originality/value
It is more worthy to consider how to improve the efficiency of the reconstruction, especially in public goods and public services provision in the quake-stricken rural areas.
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Lifang Zhang and Minghong Zhang
This paper aims to study network effects and the impacts on market structure in the specific context of China's network industries.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study network effects and the impacts on market structure in the specific context of China's network industries.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is organized in the mode of “concept‐model analysis‐empirical examination”. Starting from the concept of “network effect”, it is then extended to the theoretical analysis of market structure and the examination of China's representative network industries.
Findings
The data for China's representative network industries produce mixed findings. Some prove the theoretical estimation quite well, while others do not follow the theoretical conclusion so closely.
Research limitations/implications
The data for China's network industry are relatively limited. The depth of the data is especially inadequate, which prevents more systematic econometrical analysis.
Practical implications
The paper can serve as a reference for private decision makers of network industries and for regulators with antitrust concerns.
Originality/value
This paper may be the first of its kind to study the market structure of China's network industries from the perspective of network effects theory. It could be a good reference for those interested in learning the current status of China's network industries.
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Feng Zhou, Zixuan Wang and Yuxiang Zhao
The purpose of this paper is to study the pipe-type electromagnetic induction heating device under power frequency condition.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the pipe-type electromagnetic induction heating device under power frequency condition.
Design/methodology/approach
To reduce eddy current loss and improve heating efficiency, the structure of a pipe-type power-frequency electromagnetic heating device was optimized. Based on the maximum load flow formula, a parallel excitation winding structure is designed, and the distribution of electromagnetic field under four different powers is analyzed by simulation. Four heating modes were proposed according to the structure of diversion ring, inner wall and outer wall. Two heating modes with better heating effect were obtained by comprehensively considering the factors such as magnetic field distribution, thermal power and energy consumption.
Findings
The double-wall structure of the pipe-type electromagnetic heating device can make the heat source distribution more uniform, and the use of power-frequency power supply can increase security, the installation of diversion ring can make the heating more sufficient and the heating efficiency of the two heating methods selected according to the structural performance is more than 90%.
Originality/value
In view of the medium or high frequency of pipe-type electromagnetic heating device, it is necessary to configure high power electronic frequency conversion drive system, and eddy current can only be produced on the tube wall, resulting in uneven distribution of heat sources. A pipe-type power-frequency electromagnetic heating device with double-wall structure was proposed.