Kai Wang, Chi-Feng Tai and Han-fen Hu
Focusing on the social influence processes in the context of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), this study aims to investigate the nomological network of…
Abstract
Purpose
Focusing on the social influence processes in the context of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), this study aims to investigate the nomological network of social influence factors, a topic seldom explicitly articulated in the literature in this unique context.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a mixed-methods approach to develop and test a context-specific model of social influence processes in MMORPGs. First, the authors conducted qualitative interviews with MMORPG players to identify the drivers shaping players' perceptions of social influences. Second, the authors formulated and tested a research model with quantitative data collected from 450 respondents of an online survey.
Findings
Through the qualitative study, the authors identify leader enthusiasm, social support and social presence as the critical drivers of social influence factors. The result of the quantitative study validates the influences of the critical drivers and demonstrates the impact of social influences on MMORPG players' we-intention to continue playing games.
Originality/value
This research extends the social influence theory by identifying contextualized drivers that shape MMORPG players' perception of social influences determining their we-intention to continue playing games. MMORPG service providers can draw on these drivers to leverage social influences to increase players' we-intention of continuance.
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Mention the City and Guilds in conversation and the reaction will probably vary from ignorance, through sheer boredom to open criticism. But before long somebody will tell you…
Abstract
Mention the City and Guilds in conversation and the reaction will probably vary from ignorance, through sheer boredom to open criticism. But before long somebody will tell you that the City and Guilds is filled with grey‐suited bureaucrats, with a peculiar bent for setting and marking examinations. It is this equating of the work of the institute with the external examination process which in fact determines much of the attitude of the layman and the educationalist alike to the City and Guilds and, coupled with the fact that it concerns itself with sub‐professional courses, the City and Guilds of London Institute is to many a particularly unglamorous institution. And that attitude will take a long time to die out, in spite of the fact that the City and Guilds has probably done more for technical education in Britain than any other single institution.
This paper revisits the early-20th-century British blueprint for Guild Socialism and discusses its similarities and differences with labor managed firm (LMF) theory and with the…
Abstract
This paper revisits the early-20th-century British blueprint for Guild Socialism and discusses its similarities and differences with labor managed firm (LMF) theory and with the historic Yugoslav system. It finds that the Guild Socialist vision of a corporatist workers’ state based on universal, non-anonymous, multi-party negotiation of incomes, prices, and quantities comes much closer to anticipating the real-world Yugoslav experiment in worker-managed market socialism than the market-syndicalist utopia embodied in the Western economic model of the LMF and economy.
The aim of this paper is to examine how a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG), World of Warcraft, serves as complex and, most importantly, scalable learning environment.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to examine how a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG), World of Warcraft, serves as complex and, most importantly, scalable learning environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper looks at the unique properties of World of Warcraft as a complex and scalable learning environment.
Findings
The paper finds that by looking at World of Warcraft it can be understood how large‐scale networks of high value can be utilized and leveraged by smaller communities to succeed at team building, organization and talent development within complex and often rapidly changing environments.
Originality/value
By examining World of Warcraft the paper demonstrates a complex social network that is constantly evolving itself, constantly reforming itself, and constantly pruning old useless or outdated information which can be applied to an enormous number of tiny networked communities of interest and practice.
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J. Patrick Williams, David Kirschner and Zahirah Suhaimi-Broder
Role is an under-studied topic in research on virtual game worlds, despite its centrality in the ubiquitous term “massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).” In this…
Abstract
Role is an under-studied topic in research on virtual game worlds, despite its centrality in the ubiquitous term “massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).” In this article, we report on a study of the role concept and its relevance to virtual worlds, with emphasis on the MMORPG World of Warcraft (WoW). In particular, we focus on the concept of structural role, a term introduced to delineate a certain kind of social actor that carries greater-than-average responsibility for facilitating the diffusion of culture across interlocking groups. Beginning with a brief discussion of structural roles, this paper draws on ethnographic research in a raiding guild and interviews with hardcore WoW players to investigate the roles of guild and raid leaders in building and maintaining collaborative group play. Our study explores not only the expectations and obligations for players in key structural positions, but also specific processes through which they are embodied in everyday life online. Data show that an interest or willingness to learn the intricacies of gameplay, to take responsibility for players’ emotional well-being, and to manage a shared definition of the situation are all basic components of the guild and raid leaders’ roles, and guild or raid success is often reducible to the extent to which leaders master these components.
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The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of City & Guilds' development of simulation‐based assessments for its ICT user qualification. These simulations are authentic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of City & Guilds' development of simulation‐based assessments for its ICT user qualification. These simulations are authentic scenario‐based replicas of word processing and spreadsheet software, which present a series of tasks that the test‐taker completes as if they were using actual software, thus demonstrating their ICT competence.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology for the pilot study involved running a series of small trials at five customer sites, with test‐takers completing a detailed questionnaire. It is from this questionnaire that most of the conclusions about the simulations are drawn.
Findings
The case study explains the reasons why City & Guilds wanted to pursue this development work and presents the findings of a pilot exercise in which the simulations were trailed by a group of learners and tutors. The strengths and weaknesses of the simulations are evaluated, particularly in terms of assessment validity, and opportunities for further development work are discussed.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this paper is that the sample used for trialling was small; this was a necessity imposed by tight budgets and deadlines. Furthermore, the authors were required to use the existing City & Guilds test delivery platform, which had implications for the type of simulation that could be developed.
Originality/value
In terms of originality, it is the authors' opinion that the paper has value because it offers a unique insight into the challenges faced by a vocational awarding organisation in its efforts to develop new assessments. Although the technology involved is not completely new, it is believed that the candid evaluation of the simulations will be of interest to anyone working with e‐assessments, regardless of their level of familiarity with the UK education system.
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Despite the Vedic texts and Puranas mentioning the emergence of Varnas and caste classification system, the origin of caste based on occupation and how they became powerful is not…
Abstract
Despite the Vedic texts and Puranas mentioning the emergence of Varnas and caste classification system, the origin of caste based on occupation and how they became powerful is not yet clearly known. However, the guild system that existed in the past did have a positive impact on the origination of the castes and tribes. This chapter aims to study the powerful guild system to understand the origins of Varnas and castes in the ancient India.
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The City & Guilds of London Institute welcomes the Report and Recommendations of the RVQ Working Group as a major contribution to the continuing development of a more rational…
Abstract
The City & Guilds of London Institute welcomes the Report and Recommendations of the RVQ Working Group as a major contribution to the continuing development of a more rational system for training and educational qualifications to meet the needs of industry and commerce. The proposals for a National Council for Vocational Qualifications, responsible to a single Minister, meet the long‐expressed wishes of many parts of the education and training services; City & Guilds will co‐operate fully with the new body and give it every support during the years ahead. The establishment of NCVQ will ensure continuing progress towards a competence‐based system of vocational qualifications along the lines already introduced in many City & Guilds schemes and skills tests. The suggested framework for vocational qualifications provides an opportunity to enhance access, progress and transfer within and between training and education routes. With its acknowledged expertise in assessment techniques and its proven research resources, City & Guilds has a significant contribution to make to the new system. Over the next few months, the Report and Recommendations will receive detailed consideration to establish how best that contribution may be made and how, within the proposed system, existing co‐operation with other validating and examining bodies may be strengthened.
REASONS FOR REVIEWING THE EDUCATION OF TECHNICIANS The word Technician has been used for very many years without being given a precise meaning, but the recognition that there are…
Abstract
REASONS FOR REVIEWING THE EDUCATION OF TECHNICIANS The word Technician has been used for very many years without being given a precise meaning, but the recognition that there are groups of people carrying out types of work that can be given a general connotation — Technician work — has evolved gradually. The earliest recognition came in the electrical engineering industry, but recognition has now spread to other branches of industry, and to other activities in the life of the nation. The White Paper issued by the Ministry of Education in 1961, Better Opportunities in Technical Education, gave a lead to the technical colleges in designing courses of technical education specially for technicians. During the years following the issue of this White Paper, a great deal of attention was paid by teachers, training officers, industrialists and ministry staff to ways of implementing the recommendations contained in the White Paper, and particularly to shaping national certificate, national diploma, and City and Guilds courses better to meet the requirements of technicians. Although most of this attention was given to science‐based occupations, appreciation gradually developed that in commerce, business and service industries there exist also types of work that have responsibilities and requirements, of a similar nature, though differing in kind, to technician work in science based industry.
Jianbo Huang, Hengyi Su and Hanqi Wu
Merchant guild culture derives from business practices associated with medieval and early modern merchant guilds. This study aims to investigate the nexus between merchant guild…
Abstract
Purpose
Merchant guild culture derives from business practices associated with medieval and early modern merchant guilds. This study aims to investigate the nexus between merchant guild culture and firm internationalization as well as the factors that moderate this nexus.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the distribution of the ten merchant guilds in China and data on Chinese listed companies, this study uses the geographical proximity-based method to measure the intensity of merchant guild culture, which is the nearest distance between the ten merchant guilds’ origins and each firm’s registered address.
Findings
This study provides robust evidence that merchant guild culture positively relates to the degree of firm internationalization. It also documents that this nexus is stronger for firms with overseas background executives and those situated in highly marketized regions.
Practical implications
The findings of this study have valuable implications for both governments and firms. Governments can leverage local cultures to promote the internationalization of domestic firms, particularly in emerging economies with rich cultural heritage. Firms can further enhance their internationalization efforts by hiring more executives with overseas backgrounds.
Originality/value
This study advances the imprinting literature, provides a novel perspective on the antecedents of firm internationalization and expands research on the contemporary value of historical business culture.