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The dropout rates of open e-learning platforms are often cited as high as 97%, with many users discontinuing their use after initial acceptance. This study aims to explore this anomaly through the lens of affordances theory, revealing design–reality gaps between users' diverse goals and the possibilities for action provided by an open IT artefact.

A six-month case study was undertaken to investigate the design implications of user-perceived affordances in an EU sustainability project which developed an open e-learning platform for citizens to improve their household energy efficiency. Thematic analysis was used to reveal the challenges of user continuance behaviour based on how an open IT artefact supports users in achieving individual goals (e.g. reducing energy consumption in the home) and collective goals (lessening the carbon footprint of society).

Based on the findings, the authors inductively reveal seven affordances related to open e-learning platforms: informing, assessment, synthesis, emphasis, clarity, learning pathway and goal-planning. The findings centre on users' perception of these affordances, and the extent to which the open IT artefact catered to the goals and constraints of diverse user groups. Open IT platform development is further discussed from an iterative and collaborative perspective in order to explore different possibilities for action.

The study contributes towards research on open IT artefact design by presenting key learnings on how the designers of e-learning platforms can bridge design–reality gaps through exploring affordance personalisation for diverse user groups. This can inform the design of open IT artefacts to help ensure that system features match the expectations and contextual constraints of users through clear action-oriented possibilities.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of household spending on physical recreation and the structural distribution of spending over the years 1985-2012 in Finland linked to various contextual factors including education level, income and area of residence.

The study uses Statistics Finland’s consumption research data in a quantitative analysis toward adding a new dimension to research on Finns’ physical recreation spending.

Findings show that the amount of money spent on physical recreation equipment and services has grown steadily. Finns’ spending on physical recreation continues to be relatively conservative relative to income, though there are notable differences between population groups. The link between education level and physical recreation remains strong. The largest difference between education levels is between those having completed basic level education and those with higher education degrees. Household type also explains a great deal of the difference in amount spent on physical recreation. According to the results, physical recreation spending is central to the leisure activities of highly educated family units.

Research on the stratification of consumption habits in Finnish society has not yet addressed physical recreation spending. Furthermore, research on income spent on such activity by various population groups at different times has not been carried out. This paper provides research on both of these themes.

This aim of this study is to identify the ways of helping public authorities bring about change to environmentally sustainable household food practices.

The authors identified the practices involved in this concept from the consumer perspective and measured their diffusion among French households. The analyses were conducted following two successive data collection campaigns comprising 571 and 501 respondents in France. The methodology involved two complementary scaling techniques: factor analysis and item response theory.

The results show that consumers understand sustainable food through five food practices: buying and cooking products with sustainable attributes, anti-waste storage, self-production, plant protein consumption and anti-waste cooking.

The findings suggest that while at the individual level people appear to have incorporated anti-waste practices into their daily lives, at the household level, there is still work to be done for improving diets and stimulating the production of home-grown food. It is also worth noting that the emerging vision typically involves sustainable foods that are organic, locally grown, seasonal, based on fair trade and packaging-free.