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1 – 10 of 64This paper analyzes Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's recent film, Cabin in the Woods (2012), using Thomas J. Catlaw's Fabricating the People (2007), to illustrate the precarious…
Abstract
This paper analyzes Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's recent film, Cabin in the Woods (2012), using Thomas J. Catlaw's Fabricating the People (2007), to illustrate the precarious position of youth at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The author argues that just as the film requires young people to sacrifice themselves for the good of humanity, recent political events ask young people to sacrifice their well-being for the sake of neo-liberalism. Throughout the film, youth refuse the sacrificial logic of the Director, choosing instead a “logic of subtraction.” While the film seemingly ends with the nihilistic end of the world, when viewed through the lens of Fabricating the People it may also offer a hopeful suggestion for how young people can resist and change oppressive systems of governance.
Francisco Muñoz-Leiva, Xavier Mayo-Muñoz and Andrea De la Hoz-Correa
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that affect consumer adoption of new ways of sharing accommodation services. Moreover, the authors study the influence of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors that affect consumer adoption of new ways of sharing accommodation services. Moreover, the authors study the influence of culture, more specifically the uncertainty avoidance (UA) dimension, on relationships between variables in a proposed adoption model.
Design/methodology/approach
The structural equation analysis method is used to verify the proposed model. The data were collected from a panel of Spanish and Vietnamese internet users. The survey yielded a total of 418 responses for the data analysis.
Findings
The findings indicate that subjective norms and ease of use exert an effect on perceived usefulness and that intention to use affects actual use in all the groups analyzed. Furthermore, UA has a moderating effect on the adoption of homesharing platforms (HSPs).
Research limitations/implications
A larger sample and a random sampling would facilitate a more accurate generalization of the results obtained for each country. The practical implications identified in this research, along with its limitations and future research opportunities, are interesting both for scholars, service providers and designers of HSPs.
Originality/value
This study bridges a gap in the current research by increasing understanding of the role of the cultural dimensions in a technological innovation adoption model for an HSP. It also takes into account the effect of perceived risk, a dimension that has not been included in previous studies.
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Andrea Ollo-López, Salomé Goñi-Legaz and Amaya Erro-Garcés
This article aims to analyze individual-, organizational- and country-level factors that determine the use of home-based telework across Europe according to the technology…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to analyze individual-, organizational- and country-level factors that determine the use of home-based telework across Europe according to the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the technology–organization–environment model.
Design/methodology/approach
To examine the impact of individual-, organizational- and country-level factors on telework, multilevel models are estimated to prevent problems derived from biased standard errors when micro- and macro-level data are combined.
Findings
The main findings show that, according to the usefulness side of the TAM, employees with family responsibilities, those that live away from their work and highly qualified workers use more home-based telework. Additionally, and according to the ease of use side of the TAM, empowerment in firms facilitates home-based telework. At the country level, lower power distance, individualism and femininity, better telework regulations and technology developments are also facilitators of home-based telework.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited by the cross-sectional nature of the data. This prevents the estimation of causal effects. Additional research would benefit from the use of panel data and from a more detailed analysis of the effects of country dimensions.
Practical implications
From an applied perspective, politics related to cultural dimensions are suggested to stimulate home-based telework.
Originality/value
The research contributes to previous literature by: (1) considering a large sample to conduct an empirical analysis of the use of home-based telework across Europe, (2) including micro and macro factors, (3) providing a theoretical framework to explain home-based telework, (4) applying a rigorous definition of home-based telework and (5) focusing on employees who are able to adopt home-based telework.
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Axel Jacob, Andreas Faatz, Lars Knüppe and Frank Teuteberg
In this paper, the authors report the findings of an experiment on the effectiveness of gamification on work performance in a real industrial workplace setting with monotonous…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, the authors report the findings of an experiment on the effectiveness of gamification on work performance in a real industrial workplace setting with monotonous, repetitive work.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted an experiment with a simple gamification application that the authors added to a given information system and compared the work performance of an experimental group (n = 16) with a control group (n = 15) over a period of one month.
Findings
The results of the authors’ experiment show that gamification of the workplace leads to a measurable improvement of work performance, creates prevailingly positive emotions and increases the motivation of the workers.
Research limitations/implications
The authors’ findings provide reasons for conducting future research on the contiguity of gamification and the Hawthorne effect or similar phenomena. In this regard, it also seems necessary to take a closer look at who is really affected by a gamified environment and what the boundaries of the gamified environment are.
Practical implications
The authors demonstrate that gamification is a useful tool for process improvement. Furthermore, our results are helpful for a more successful implementation of gamification.
Originality/value
Gamification has proven to be effective in a large number of application contexts, such as education, health and crowdsourcing. Despite the generally positive evaluation of its effectiveness, gamification is still thought to work differently in different contexts. Therefore, there is a gap in the literature on this topic with respect to real industrial workplaces. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the authors are among the first to have conducted a gamification experiment in a real industrial context.
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This book is a policy proposal aimed at the democratic left. It is concerned with gradual but radical reform of the socio‐economic system. An integrated policy of industrial and…
Abstract
This book is a policy proposal aimed at the democratic left. It is concerned with gradual but radical reform of the socio‐economic system. An integrated policy of industrial and economic democracy, which centres around the establishment of a new sector of employee‐controlled enterprises, is presented. The proposal would retain the mix‐ed economy, but transform it into a much better “mixture”, with increased employee‐power in all sectors. While there is much of enduring value in our liberal western way of life, gross inequalities of wealth and power persist in our society.
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Timothy M. Devinney, Torben Pedersen and Laszlo Tihanyi
If we look to the uniqueness of IB/IM scholarship and ask where it stands separate from standard and traditional management and business research we really have only two…
Abstract
If we look to the uniqueness of IB/IM scholarship and ask where it stands separate from standard and traditional management and business research we really have only two differentiating, but exceedingly important, factors that justify discussing IB/IM as a separate research paradigm (See, e.g., Devinney, Pedersen, & Tihanyi, 2010).
Ulrike Gretzel, Yeong‐Hyeon Hwang and Daniel R. Fesenmaier
Destination recommender systems need to become truly human‐centric in their design and functionality. This requires a profound understanding of human interactions with technology…
Abstract
Purpose
Destination recommender systems need to become truly human‐centric in their design and functionality. This requires a profound understanding of human interactions with technology as well as human behavior related to information search and decision‐making in the context of travel and tourism. This paper seeks to review relevant theories that can support the development and evaluation of destination recommender systems and to discuss how quantitative research can inform such theory building and testing.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a review of information search and decision‐making literatures, a framework for the development of destination recommender systems is proposed and the implications for the design and evaluation of human‐centric recommender systems are discussed.
Findings
A variety of factors that influence the information search and processing strategies that influence interactions with a destination recommender system are identified. This reveals a great need for data‐driven models to inform recommender system processes.
Originality/value
The proposed framework provides a basis for future research and development in the area of destination recommender systems. The paper concludes that the success of a specific destination recommender system will depend largely on its ability to anticipate and respond creatively to transformations in the personal and situational needs of its users. Such system intelligence needs to be based on empirical data analyzed with sophisticated quantitative methods. The importance of recommender systems in tourism marketing is also discussed.
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Alberto F. de Toni and Fabio Nonino
The purpose of this paper is to identify the key roles embedded in the informal organizational structure (informal networks) and to outline their contribution in the companies'…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the key roles embedded in the informal organizational structure (informal networks) and to outline their contribution in the companies' performance. A major objective of the research is to find and characterize a new key informal role that synthesises problem solving, expertise, and accessibility characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
A framework for an in‐depth informal structure analysis based on social network analysis (SNA) methodology is structured and applied in a case study of a knowledge‐based enterprise operating in the information systems industry.
Findings
The paper identifies and characterizes the key informal roles (namely opinion leaders, central connectors, bottlenecks, experts, consultants, or helpful people) and a new one, called pilus prior (first lancer) that synthesises problem solving, expertise, and accessibility characteristics.
Research limitations/implications
Future research will move through the enlargement of the sample that will allow a better generalization of the results and the development of a model to quantitatively evaluate the performances of individuals recognized as informal leaders.
Practical implications
The proposed framework has a general applicability and can be a valuable tool for an in‐depth organizational analysis based on SNA methodology. Consequently, some directions are provided to increase cooperation and knowledge sharing flows inside the company and to align the formal organizational processes to the informal one.
Originality/value
The results of the research have been achieved by using an original approach, the joint analysis of three informal networks. The case suggests that pilus priors are the informal emerging leaders in the company who outperform their colleagues.
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Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects…
Abstract
Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.
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