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This paper aims to examine the association between the perceived values of information (economic, hedonic, functional, psychological) and the actual use of social networking channels (Instagram/Facebook groups/SNS personal profiles or messaging) for seeking information on accommodations.

879 respondents aged 18–55, who travel abroad as individual tourists at least once a year and are responsible for their own accommodation choice, were surveyed.

The study shows that all the values of information are more likely to be provided through posting a question on one's profile/messaging options (i.e. friends and relatives), than through Facebook groups and Instagram. The multivariate findings show that different values are associated with different SNS channel choices for seeking information.

The study provides an innovative approach to the motivations behind the use of different SNS platforms for travel information search by consumers. It offers practical implications, suggesting how to provide the relevant content on each channel.

Environmental knowledge management (EKM) has been studied mainly owing to the increasing awareness of environmental issues. Such issues have generated a warning in the tourism industry that has stimulated a new wave of research on EKM. EKM forges landscape characteristics and so destination image. In turn, EKM sounds affecting tourism destination which calls for destination personality which shows a research context less explored. From a knowledge management perspective, The present research aims to investigate on EKM to understand how it leverages tourists' and destination personality.

With the intent of exploring EKM, the research uses a quantitative analysis on a sample of 2,222 young Chinese tourists. In this context, EKM is linked with destination’s personality and tourists’ personalities, their satisfaction with the destination and their behavioral intentions.

By SPSS regression model, EKM and destination personality are positively linked. This positive relationship is also reflected on destination personality and destination satisfaction, behavioral intention.

The authors’ original contribution to the knowledge management literature extends the new wave of research on EKM. The research also proves the need to make a close collaboration between tourists, the local community and marketers. Marketers need to pay more attention to what tourists want to do and see in the place visited. In a nutshell, there is the need of enforcing and promoting EKM.

Social media sites facilitate electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication among consumers of diverse cultures and ethnicities. Based on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the present research proposes a conceptual framework for minority consumers' engagement in eWOM associated with the mainstream culture. The model incorporates social capital and social interaction as key factors that affect cross-cultural eWOM communication between minority and mainstream consumers. This research also aims to explore the responses of minority consumers to eWOM communications originating with members of the majority group.

A structural equation modelling (SEM) procedure was applied to data collected from social media (Facebook) users (N = 539) from two minority communities: Israeli Arab and Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Jewish minorities.

The findings show that: (a) minority consumers' engagement with eWOM is indirectly related to social capital, (b) this relationship is mediated by minority consumers' attitudes and their subjective norms regarding eWOM engagement with dominant cultural groups, (c) social interaction of minorities with the dominant culture enhances the influence of social capital on eWOM engagement and (d) behavioural engagement with eWOM varies across cultural minorities, depending on the minority group’s unique cultural characteristics.

The findings have managerial implications for practitioners who use social media in their marketing and business activities, as they demonstrate that the effectiveness of eWOM communication is contingent on the cultural characteristics of the ethnic minority consumer groups being targeted by managers.

The present research contributes to the theory of consumer engagement by demonstrating that engagement is contingent on the intercultural social context in which eWOM is communicated.

Place-based, social studies teaching and learning has the potential to foster engaged citizens connected and committed to improving their communities. This study explored the research question, “In what ways do classroom and field-based experiences prepare teacher candidates (TCs) to make connections between place-based education and elementary social studies education?”

This qualitative case study examined how elementary TCs learned about, researched, curated and created place-based social studies educational resources related to community sites. Data collection included TCs’ Pre- and Post-Course Reflections as well as Self-Evaluations, which were analyzed using an inductive approach and multiple rounds of concept coding. Several themes emerged through data analysis.

The authors organized their findings around three themes: connections (i.e. place becomes personal), immersion (i.e. learning about place to learning in place) and bridge building (i.e. local as classroom). The classroom and field-based experiences in the elementary social studies methods course informed the ways in which TCs learned about and connected to the concept of place, experienced place in a specific place (i.e. downtown Statesboro, Georgia), and reflected upon the myriad ways that they could utilize place in their future elementary social studies classrooms.

TCs (as well as in-service teachers and teacher educators) must become more informed, connected and committed to places within their local communities in order to consider them as resources for elementary social studies teaching and learning.

Existing deterministic models that predict the capacity of corroded reinforced concrete (RC) beams have limited applicability because they were based on accelerated tests that induce general corrosion. This research gap was addressed by performing a combined numerical and statistical analysis on RC beams, subjected to natural corrosion, to achieve a much better forecast.

Data of 42 naturally corroded beams were collected from the literature and analyzed numerically. Four constitutive models and their combinations were considered: the elastic-semi-plastic and elastic-perfectly-plastic models for steel, and two tensile models for concrete with and without the post-cracking stresses. Meanwhile, Popovics’ model was used to describe the behavior of concrete under compression. Corrosion coefficients were developed as functions of corrosion degree and beam parameters through linear regression analysis to fit the theoretical moment capacities with test data. The performance of the coefficients derived from different combinations of constitutive laws was then compared and validated.

The results showed that the highest accuracy (R² = 0.90) was achieved when the tensile response of concrete was modeled without the residual stresses after cracking and the steel was analyzed as an elastic-perfectly-plastic material. The proposed procedure and regression model also showed reasonable agreement with experimental data, even performing better than the current models derived from accelerated tests and traditional procedures.

This study presents a simple but reliable approach for quantifying the capacity of RC beams under more realistic conditions than previously reported. This method is simple and requires only a few variables to be employed. Civil engineers can use it to obtain a quick and rough estimate of the structural condition of corroding RC beams.

This study aims to fill the gap on proenvironmental behavior studies among consumers in bottom of the pyramid (BOP) market by examining the relationship between values, beliefs and norms among Ghanaian consumers.

A sample of 324 Ghanaian consumers (responses rate of 64%) was used to estimate the model. The data was analyzed using maximum likelihood robust approach of Lavaan package for structural equation modeling in R.

The findings show that there is no significant relationship between values and the new ecological worldview, which also does not affect awareness of environmental consequences. However, awareness of consequences, likely based on personal experiences, significantly impacts perceived ability to reduce threats to the environment. Ghanaian consumers are mainly influenced by personal experiences with local environmental consequences that affect their perceived ability to reduce threats to their environment and their willingness to engage in proenvironmental behavior. The study supports the argument that proenvironmental behavior is the result of complex decision-making that might be influenced by a country’s economic situation, infrastructure, culture and institutions.

This study focuses on a single country in Africa. More studies are needed among other base of the pyramid countries, and in comparison to developed countries’ consumers.

The study adds to the limited knowledge regarding sustainable consumption in the neglected context of the bottom of the pyramid market.

Conversations around diversity, race and science fiction and fantasy films/television have sparked in response to recent casting decisions made in the upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Star Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi (Deggans, 2022; Romano, 2022). Backlash against casting of actors of Color in these genres highlights racial projects where a cultural memory of whiteness comes up against multicultural change. The authors of this paper feel that there is great potential in using current-day racial issues around fantasy films/television to explore these racial projects with students in social studies classes (Omi and Winant, 2014).

Using a qualitative textual analysis (Peräkylä, 2005), the authors examined online news media outlets addressing the casting of actors of Color in the aforementioned media pieces. After reviewing over twenty articles, the authors determined two major themes that would serve as the findings.

In this paper, themes of nostalgia for an imagined ‘way things were’ and future-based fears of how things will become emerged from the analysis, revealing a need for engaging students in the history of sci-fi and fantasy media, and the existing, diverse histories of storytelling featuring multiple races.

The authors argue that examining racial projects found in contemporary sci-fi and fantasy casting are chances for students to understand complex racial histories and how they blend into current-day cultural landscapes, and are opportunities to practice analysis of real-life racial histories and richly-imagined fantasy worlds, noticing how and why the two often collide when it comes to race.

Using coconut shell aggregates (CSA) in concrete benefits agricultural waste management and reduces the demand for mineral resources. Several studies have found that concrete containing CSA can achieve strengths that are comparable to regular concrete. The purpose of the present work is to evaluate the concrete’s durability-related properties to supplement these earlier findings.

Cylindrical specimens were prepared with a constant water–cement ratio of 0.50 and CSA content ranging from 0% to 50% (at 10% increment) by volume of the total coarse aggregates. The specimens were cured for 28 days and then tested for density, surface hardness, electrical resistivity and water sorptivity. The surface hardness was measured to describe the concrete resistance to surface wearing, while the resistivity and sorptivity were evaluated to describe the material’s resistance to fluid penetration.

The results showed that the surface hardness of concrete remained on average at 325 Leeb and did not change significantly with CSA addition. The distribution of surface hardness was also similar across all CSA groups, with the interquartile range averaging 59 Leeb. These results suggest that the cement paste and gravel stiffness had a more pronounced influence on the surface hardness than CSA. On the other hand, concrete became lighter by about 9%, had lower resistivity by 80% and had significantly higher initial sorptivity by up to 110%, when 50% of its natural gravel was replaced with CSA. Future work may be done to improve the durability of CSA when used as coarse aggregate.

The present study is the first to show the lack of correlation between CSA content and surface hardness. It would mean that the surface hardness test may not completely capture the porous nature of CSA-added concrete. The paper concludes that without additional treatment prior to mixing, CSA may be limited only to applications where concrete is not in constant contact with water or deleterious substances.

In recent years, instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp have gained substantial popularity in both academic and practical domains. However, despite this growth, there is a lack of a comprehensive overview of the literature in this field. The primary purpose of this study is to bridge this gap by analyzing a substantial dataset of 12,947 articles retrieved from the Dimensions.ai, database spanning from 2011 to March 2023.

To achieve the authors' objective, the authors employ bibliometric analysis techniques. The authors delve into various bibliometric networks, including citation networks, co-citation networks, collaboration networks, keywords and bibliographic couplings. These methods allow for the uncovering of the social and conceptual structures within the academic discourse surrounding WhatsApp.

The authors' analysis reveals several significant findings. Firstly, the authors observe a remarkable and continuous growth in the number of academic studies dedicated to WhatsApp over time. Notably, two prevalent themes emerge: the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the role of WhatsApp in the realm of social media. Furthermore, the authors' study highlights diverse applications of WhatsApp, including its utilization in education and learning, as a communication tool, in medical education, cyberpsychology, security, psychology and behavioral learning.

This paper contributes to the field by offering a comprehensive overview of the scholarly research landscape related to WhatsApp. The findings not only illuminate the burgeoning interest in WhatsApp among researchers but also provide insights into the diverse domains where WhatsApp is making an impact. The analysis of bibliometric networks offers a unique perspective on the social and conceptual structures within this field, shedding light on emerging trends and influential research. This study thus serves as a valuable resource for scholars, practitioners and policymakers seeking to navigate the evolving landscape of WhatsApp research. The study will also be useful for researchers interested in conducting bibliometric analysis using Dimensions.ai, a free database.

The physical filmmaking landscape has been transformed by the emergence of digital platforms that foster interaction and dialogue. The accessibility and affordability of mobile production tools have empowered anyone with a mobile phone to become a media content creator. Accordingly, this paper aims to present a multi-method approach for creating phygital projects that involve people as active participants rather than mere subjects who collaborate with the researchers to tell their stories.

Research participants can embrace diverse roles, serving as co-researchers, content creators, curators and collaborators. The authors use various engagement strategies with the research participants, who are often marginalized or underrepresented, to encourage their participation and give them agency and creative control. Thus, we also use a participatory action research approach to help advocate for the participants’ facial equality concerns.

Collaborative videography embraces the mosaic of voices expressing intricate social issues. In this project, research participants with “facial differences” explain their experiences in facing society.

By experimenting with participatory frameworks and combining physical interactions (such as in-person meetings) with digital platforms like Zoom and social media, the authors suggest a multi-method approach that honors the authentic stories of the research participants, effectively engages the audience and explains how phygital research methodologies can be used in interpretive consumer research, particularly in co-creating films that capture strong visuals.