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1 – 10 of over 107000The concept of community where people can meet their needs, interact, and feel a sense of belonging and togetherness has been an interesting topic for a majority of professionals…
Abstract
The concept of community where people can meet their needs, interact, and feel a sense of belonging and togetherness has been an interesting topic for a majority of professionals in different academic fields such as urban planning and urban design. Different theories in these disciplines assert the correlation between the built environment and sense of community. Among these theories, New Urbanism is one of the most important schools of thought which have thrown light on this correlation. New Urbanism claims that the built environment can create a sense of community among its users. As the theory of New Urbanism develops more and more among professionals across the world, it is critical that we give the topic more research attention. This study intends to begin moving us in this direction by reviewing some studies which tried to achieve the social goal of new urbanism in recent years. Therefore the results of the empirical assessment of Sense of community in different neighbourhoods are reviewed and the influence of physical design on different domains of sense of community are discussed to find out whether the claims of new urbanism in creating sense of community could be trusted in the future development. While new urbanism movement continues to become more popular, finding enough evidence for its social claims might encourage more planners to use its principles as a way to improve the residents' social life
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Dwi Suhartanto, Anthony Brien, Fatya Alty Amalia, Norzuwana Sumarjan, Izyanti Awang Razli and Rivan Sutrisno
This paper aims to assess the sense-of-community role in affecting young Muslim loyalty towards Muslim-majority tourism destinations. Specifically, this research assesses the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the sense-of-community role in affecting young Muslim loyalty towards Muslim-majority tourism destinations. Specifically, this research assesses the sense of community dimension in the halal tourism context and evaluates its effects on destination satisfaction, image and loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
This research used a quantitative approach by using data from 376 young Indonesian Muslim tourists with past travel experiences to destinations where Muslims are the majority. The dimension of the sense of community was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. The association between variables was tested using partial least square-structural equation modelling.
Findings
The finding exhibits three notable sense of community dimensions: membership, influence and need fulfilment and emotional connection. Emotional connection shapes, directly and indirectly, destination loyalty, while influence and need fulfilment affect destination loyalty by satisfaction and destination image mediating role. Lastly, membership has no impact on developing destination loyalty.
Practical implications
This study offers tourism destinations in Muslim-majority countries an opportunity to draw and create loyalty among young Muslim tourists. Besides offering superior halal services and products, Muslim-majority tourism destinations need to develop young Muslim tourists' emotional connection to the destinations.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical examination of the sense of community's role in influencing tourist loyalty, specifically in halal tourism.
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Mahadih Kyambade, Joshua Mugambwa, Gideon Nkurunziza, Regis Namuddu and Afulah Namatovu
The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which promoting sense of community moderates the relationship between servant leadership style and socially responsible…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which promoting sense of community moderates the relationship between servant leadership style and socially responsible leadership (SRL) of public universities in Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted cross-sectional survey design to collect data at one point in time using self-administered questionnaires from 214 respondents to examine the relationship between servant leadership and socially responsible leadership with promoting sense of community as a moderator. The study used statistical package for social scientists (SPSS) PROCESS MACRO to establish clusters among the surveyed public universities and later a model was derived.
Findings
The study found a significant moderating effect of promoting sense of community on servant leadership and socially responsible leadership. Implying that investment in promoting sense of community creates awareness about the socially responsible leadership in public universities.
Practical implications
Managers of public universities need to pay keen interest in promoting sense of community to boost socially responsible leadership by building a strong servant leadership style through promoting sense of community for senior managers and leaders especially heads of departments, faculty deans and principals in public universities.
Originality/value
This study contributes to socially responsible leadership literature by advancing the idea that SRL is an important resource that enhances through instituting servant leadership and promoting sense of community in a complex environment. Ideally, servant leadership and promoting sense of community is one of the drivers of customer value, efficiency and effectiveness of public universities.
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Wen-Hai Chih, Li-Chun Hsu and Dah-Kwei Liou
The purpose of this paper is to explore a model of how people are influenced from the perspectives of individuals (cognitive trust and affective trust), group (sense of virtual…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore a model of how people are influenced from the perspectives of individuals (cognitive trust and affective trust), group (sense of virtual community), and social influence (normative influence and information influence) factors.
Design/methodology/approach
This research adopts structural equation modeling to test the proposed model and the structural model shows a good fit. This research sample consists of 312 members who have used Facebook for at least six months.
Findings
The results indicate the following. Both cognitive trust and affective trust have effects on members’ sense of virtual community. Cognitive trust, affective trust, and sense of virtual community have effects on both normative influence and informative influence, respectively. Members in a virtual community could create a sense of virtual community via affective trust. Members’ sense of virtual community partially mediates between cognitive/affective trust and normative/informative influence.
Originality/value
This study investigates the multiple perspectives of the interpersonal interaction between individual, community, and social influence.
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Melanie Wiese and Husain Salilul Akareem
This two-country comparative study’s purpose is to investigate antecedents to, and the consequences of a sense of belonging to a firm’s Facebook community.
Abstract
Purpose
This two-country comparative study’s purpose is to investigate antecedents to, and the consequences of a sense of belonging to a firm’s Facebook community.
Design/methodology/approach
The model was grounded in the theory of sense of community and tested through structural equation modelling. Consumer panels were used via online surveys.
Findings
Of the three antecedents hypothesised to influence an individual’s sense of belonging, enjoyment is a very strong predictor in both countries; while the credibility of posts was also a significant predictor for Australia, but not for South Africa. The findings also show no direct relationship between a sense of belonging and continuing behaviour. However, for both countries, there is a strong relationship between a sense of belonging and the involvement with firm offerings in Facebook; and that involvement is significant for the intention to continue engaging with firms through this social media environment.
Research limitations/implications
The findings support the framing of the study, in the sense of community theory and enhance researchers’ understanding of the role of a sense of belonging in moving visitors from simply clicking “like” to a deeper sense of engagement with the firm’s social media community and the flow-on effect to managerial relevant outcomes.
Originality/value
The model is developed from the theory of sense of belonging, thus providing a fresh perspective to this research context. Additionally, there is limited research into the psycho-social antecedents and the outcomes of consumers’ sense of belonging to a firm’s Facebook community.
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Janmaimool Piyapong, Ratanavilaisakul Riruengrong, Iemworamate Wipawee, Nunsunanon Siriphan and Assavarak Passanan
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the roles of public spaces in promoting community relations and sense of place in a coastal community, which are both important…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the roles of public spaces in promoting community relations and sense of place in a coastal community, which are both important elements of sustainable community development. This study investigated how activities in public spaces can foster community relations, thereby affecting sense of place, and described how public spaces are used by local residents.
Design/methodology/approach
The Ban-Chaytalae community in the coastal area of Samutsakorn province, Thailand, was selected as a case study. This community has plentiful wetland resources, which provide various benefits for local people, and several areas in the community are used as public spaces for various activities, such as social interactions, recreation, sports, learning activities and cultural and traditional practices. In-depth interviews with residents in the community were conducted, and a questionnaire was administered in the Ban-Chaytalae community during August-December 2017.
Findings
The results of content analysis revealed that several places in the community are utilised as public spaces, including shrines, commercial shops, transportation routes, the coast and spaces between homes. Moreover, the results of path analysis revealed that engaging in cultural, traditional, community development and socialising activities had direct effects on residents’ sense of place and indirect effects on sense of place through community relations.
Research limitations/implications
The study findings implied that land development policy should avoid the deterioration of public places, and furthermore, public spaces should be developed to facilitate activities that can strengthen the active roles of citizens in sustainable community development.
Originality/value
This study provided empirical evidence on the role of public activities and spaces in promoting community relations and sense of place. The study results imply that the quality and quantity of public spaces where cultural, socialising and community development activities are performed should be conserved. Any development that might change these public spaces has the potential to affect people’s ways of living, which, in turn, influences social relationships and sense of place.
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This study examines the relationship between quality and quantity of open space in residential areas and the sense of community of Chinese older adults in Hong Kong.
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the relationship between quality and quantity of open space in residential areas and the sense of community of Chinese older adults in Hong Kong.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted with 257 adults aged 55 and over in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong. The quality of open space was assessed from four dimensions: social and recreational facilities, entrance, location and environment. Geographic information system (GIS) was used to evaluate the quantity of open space in terms of size and amount.
Findings
The result shows that the environment has a strong influence on the sense of community, while the quantity of open space does not. The results provide urban planners with evidence for open space planning in the future. Urban planners should consider building more people-oriented environment; such as green areas instead of merely increasing the size, amount and facilities of open space. The Hong Kong Government also needs to review the current standardised planning guideline in order to maximise the social connection of older adults.
Originality/value
This cross-sectional study tried to understand the relationship between the quality and quantity of open spaces and sense of community in Chinese older adults in Hong Kong. It is one of the few studies to simultaneously examine both the quality and quantity of open spaces when studying its relationship with sense of community.
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Richard Canevez, Carleen Maitland, Ying Xu, Sydney Andrea Hannah and Raphael Rodriguez
Helping others use information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as mobile phones, can be beneficial for individuals and communities. In urban refugee communities…
Abstract
Purpose
Helping others use information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as mobile phones, can be beneficial for individuals and communities. In urban refugee communities, displaced and living far from home, collective behaviors with mobile phones can generate a sense of belonging. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential for these offline behaviors to generate a sense of community among urban refugees.
Design/methodology/approach
Using quantitative evidence, the authors examined the relationship between collective behaviors, such as sharing or helping with a mobile phone, and sense of community. The authors analyzed survey data collected from urban refugees in Rwanda via multiple regression to test hypotheses related to the impact of collective behaviors on sense of community, as well as the mediating role of ICT self-efficacy and gender.
Findings
The findings suggest that collective behaviors with mobile phones have a positive relationship with sense of community, driven primarily by providing assistance as compared to sharing. ICT self-efficacy was positively related to sense of community. However, collective behaviors' impacts differed by gender, suggesting that social dynamics influence this relationship.
Originality/value
While the extant literature highlights the various roles of mobile phones in refugees' lives, less is known about the social aspects of use and its potential to help overcome isolation by fostering a sense of community. The authors extend this literature to a novel context (urban refugees in the Global South), testing a model that incorporates other factors that may play a role (e.g. self-efficacy and gender). These findings are valuable to urban refugees, due to difficulties in re-building a sense of community and increased ICT access.
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Martin Fraering and Michael S. Minor
The purpose of this research is to develop and test a sense of consumption community measurement scale. The concept is examined in an exploratory study in the context of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to develop and test a sense of consumption community measurement scale. The concept is examined in an exploratory study in the context of the perceptions of customers of financial services firms.
Design/methodology/approach
This research consults the marketing, banking, psychology, and public policy literature. A sense of consumption community scale is tested for validity via exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Scale reliability analysis is also conducted.
Findings
The result is a second‐order construct composed of the first‐order constructs, camaraderie and communality, and social capital. The construct is found to be a means of measuring the strength of consumers' perceptions of consumption community. Additional evidence of its practical value is demonstrated in four findings. First, partial support is found that men perceive a greater sense of community than women. Second, there is a positive relationship between age and perceived sense of community. Third, no significant relationship was found between the various types of financial institutions and customers' sense of consumption community. Fourth, an identical finding was obtained for the relationship between sense of community and longevity. And fifth, this research also documents limitations of the Sense of Consumption Community Construct due to the exploratory nature of this research effort.
Originality/value
The scale formulated in this research is the first to measure a sense of community among the customers of financial institutions.
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The purpose of this quantitative study is to explore the differences and relations among how Black science, technology, engineering and mathematics-life and health sciences…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this quantitative study is to explore the differences and relations among how Black science, technology, engineering and mathematics-life and health sciences (STEM-H) and non-STEM-H students develop a sense of belonging and community at a Hispanic serving institution (HSI).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper used findings from a survey that collected both numeric and string data. Surveys were administered via e-mail.
Findings
There were a limited number of significant findings related to STEM-H students believing that faculty would be sensitive to their needs and that they would be part of the community. String data provide more data about positive and negative experiences related to belonging and community.
Research limitations/implications
It was a single-institution study in New Mexico. Therefore, it may not mirror other HSIs across the country. Also, there were only 84 participants. This number is relatively low compared to the 465 Black students identified at the institutions. Thus, it is clear that not all voices are heard in this study. Finally, this study used preexisting scales to measure a sense of belonging and a sense of community. Because of this, the questions were not customized to the region.
Originality/value
This study introduces STEM-H as a viable area of study. It examines Black STEM-H students enrolled at an HSI using two scales for sense of belonging and sense of community.
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