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1 – 10 of 13Shivangi Sharma and Ammar Suhail
This study aims to explore perceived barriers to participating in regular physical activity (PA) among middle-aged adults in Una, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore perceived barriers to participating in regular physical activity (PA) among middle-aged adults in Una, Himachal Pradesh, India.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used qualitative methodology. The authors conducted face-to-face semi-structured interviews among adults between 40 and 60 years of age. Eleven interviews were conducted in participants’ vernacular language and were audio-recorded. The recordings were transcribed, and emergent findings were evaluated and interpreted using an open-ended method.
Findings
PA was mostly related to household chores by female participants. Male participants considered their daily tasks synonymous with PA. The main barriers identified were lack of enthusiasm/time, advancing age and declining health status, misperceptions of being physically active, lack of skill/knowledge, family responsibilities, lack of social support, lack of open spaces, parks and other facilities, and social restrictions due to the pandemic.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of this study will aid in designing better interventions targeted at promoting PA. Identification of the existing modifiable barriers can be a target source for most public health programs.
Practical implications
The barriers existing among the community must be addressed to achieve the recommended level of PA. The promotional strategies should focus on individual factors, such as increasing self-efficiency and knowledge about recommended levels of PA. The social barriers must also be addressed through peer support and group-based activities. Health policies should emphasize making societies more active by ensuring more open spaces and parks.
Originality/value
Barriers to PA may differ among the socioeconomic strata and geographical locations. The present study explored barriers among working adults in an urban Indian setting.
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In the information and technology age, where the “physical” world is merged with the “digital” world, the nature of social conditions, relations, citizenship and the flow of…
Abstract
Purpose
In the information and technology age, where the “physical” world is merged with the “digital” world, the nature of social conditions, relations, citizenship and the flow of information has shifted from a moral and legal approach to a digital approach. Nowadays, the functioning, dissemination, conduct and governance of organisations and their members are regulated by techno-ethical and digital principles. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the study hypothesises that techno-ethical orientation predicts corporate ethical values (CEV) through the moderation of digital citizenship behaviour (DC). The study further proposes that each dimension of DC: online respect (OR) and online civic engagement (OCE), moderates the hypothesised relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
546 respondents from India participated in the study. The responses were captured using structured and well-established questionnaires. The analysis was performed using robust measures of correlation, regression, reliability (Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability) and validity (convergent and discriminant validity). The moderation influence of DC was tested and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS).
Findings
The regression findings of the study revealed that the techno-ethical orientation positively predicts the CEV. R-square values showed a 24.1% variation in corporate ethical value was explained by techno-ethical orientation. It indicates that a positive techno-ethical orientation establishes the ethical context and corporate values. Besides, the moderation analysis using SEM AMOS indicates that at both low and high levels of OR and OCE, the relationship between techno-ethical orientation and CEV is positive and significant.
Originality/value
This study demonstrates a new facet of technology ethics that promotes the institutionalisation of CEV through DC. This study is the first to explore the interaction between techno-ethical orientation and CEV. Even though various former factors concerning ethical conduct have been examined, the results of the techno-ethical conduct of employees within the scope of an organisation have not been explored so far.
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Previous studies highlighted a shortage of scale to measure digital citizenship among Indians. Accordingly, this study examined the psychometric properties of Jones and…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous studies highlighted a shortage of scale to measure digital citizenship among Indians. Accordingly, this study examined the psychometric properties of Jones and Mitchell’s (2016) digital citizenship scale in the Indian context with the help of two independent studies.
Design/methodology/approach
In the first study, the factorial validity of the scale was determined using the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In the second study, Cronbach’s alpha (CA) and composite reliability (CR) values checked the internal consistency reliability of the scale. Also, convergent, discriminant and criterion validity were examined.
Findings
EFA recommended a two-factor structure explaining 58.219% of the total variance. The item loadings varied from 0.540 to 0.793. The Indian version of the scale showed one variation. In the original digital citizenship scale, the seventh statement (“I like to present myself online as someone was making positive choices”) was part of factor 1 (online respect); however, this study suggested that the seventh statement should be included in factor 2 (online civic engagement). In the second study, the acceptable (>0.70) values of CA and CR concluded the internal consistency reliability of the scale. The convergent validity was suggested by average variance explained values (>0.50). In addition, as expected, the Indian version of the digital citizenship scale reported a statistically significant positive correlation with Internet self-efficacy and a considerable negative relationship with cyberbullying. These findings concluded the criterion validity of the scale.
Originality/value
The Indian version of the digital citizenship scale showed appreciable psychometric properties among Indian students.
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Post-millennial youths are well equipped with internet technology and computers since birth and find it easier to operate computers and technologies than their previous…
Abstract
Purpose
Post-millennial youths are well equipped with internet technology and computers since birth and find it easier to operate computers and technologies than their previous generations. With the advancement of technology, the ethical dilemma associated with its use has evolved. This paper aims to develop and validate a measurement scale for the ethical orientation of post-millennial technology usage by capturing the key factors that best describe the behavior adopted by students.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic scale development procedure was used, involving both reviews of the literature and focus group discussions to generate the items that specify the domain of this study. After generating items, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were applied to identify latent constructs of techno-ethical orientation. Lastly, the scale was subjected to reliability and validity testing.
Findings
The study found that the techno-ethical orientation scale has five dimensions: privacy concerns, classroom behavior, accessibility dilemma, social media usage and assignment ethics. Overall, a scale comprising 17 statements was derived.
Research limitations/implications
The findings of our study attempt to augment the growing efforts to explore all facets of techno-ethics. It is probably the first attempt to develop a valid and reliable scale for the techno-ethical orientation of post-millennial.
Practical implications
This scale could be used by academicians and practitioners to assess the techno-ethical orientation of post-millennial for positive interventions.
Originality/value
This study derives a new reliable and valid scale for measuring the techno-ethical orientation of post-millennial toward technology usage.
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Naval Garg, Shivangi Verma and Jason Timothy Palframan
The aim of the current study was to examine the previously unexplored relationship between positive reframing as a mediator between gratitude and technostress in Indian students…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the current study was to examine the previously unexplored relationship between positive reframing as a mediator between gratitude and technostress in Indian students. By examining this relationship, the authors aim to expand the theoretical domain of gratitude research by examining its potential influence on technology-induced stress.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional survey was used to collect and analyze data from 552 Indian college students who participated in graduate and postgraduate programs across various educational institutions in India. Regression and mediation analyses were performed with both IBM SPSS 25 and AMOS.
Findings
This study’s data suggest that positive reframing plays an important mediating role between gratitude and technostress. Gratitude also encourages positive reframing, which reduced technostress among the students. Taken together, our data showed that gratitude induces positive reframing, which in turn reduces techno-stress among Indian students in the current study.
Research limitations/implications
The sample size in this study is relatively small in relation to the student population in India. The current study relied primarily on quantitative data and analysis and further research could use a mixed-method approach to better understand the underlying mechanisms between positive reframing, gratitude and technostress. The results are derived under an extreme coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic situation; therefore, the results cannot be generalized to normal times.
Practical implications
The paper includes implications for teachers, academic leaders, parents and civil society.
Originality/value
Overall, the relationship between positive reframing, gratitude and technostress has not been thoroughly explored. To the best of the authors' understanding, this is the first study to examine the influence of gratitude on technology-induced stress and the role of reframing.
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The purpose of this study was to explore patient’s perception of their disorder.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore patient’s perception of their disorder.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a phenomenographical approach within a qualitative research paradigm. A total of 21 patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) were recruited for the study, and data were collected through open-ended face-to-face interviews. The interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed. The transcribed verbatim was analyzed for themes.
Findings
The themes developed reflected the patients’ perceptions about the disease process. Thematic analysis revealed three themes: Knee OA is a degenerative disease, Knee OA is an age-related disease and Knee OA is caused by certain activities of daily living. The patient’s information varied and was limited to what had been provided by the health-care practitioner. The knowledge was more biomedical in orientation and was limited and not supported by the evidence.
Research limitations/implications
There is a need to provide evidence-based information that the patient must understand. Health-care providers must use a biopsychosocial framework to discuss the disease knowledge with patients.
Practical implications
This study helps us in identifying disease perceptions that can be used to design education programs for knee OA patients. It also highlights the need for delivering educational programs to knee OA patients.
Originality/value
This study lays a foundation for further research. To the author’s best knowledge, this is the first study to explore disease perceptions using a qualitative approach conducted among patients from a lower middle-income country.
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Shivangi Verma, Naval Garg and Thangaraja Arumugam
The present study aims to examine the relationship between techno-ethical orientation and ethical decision-making (EDM) in Indian supply chain companies during the COVID-19…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study aims to examine the relationship between techno-ethical orientation and ethical decision-making (EDM) in Indian supply chain companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also aims to explore the moderating role of technological frames (TF) in the relationship between techno-ethical orientation and EDM.
Design/methodology/approach
The relationship between techno-ethical orientation and EDM is examined using correlation and regression analysis. The moderating effect of five dimensions of TFs (personal attitude, application value, organisational influence, supervisor influence and industry influence) is analysed using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The correlation coefficient between techno-ethical orientation and EDM is 0.513. Also, the regression coefficient (β = 0.213) is significant at 0.05, establishing a positive linkage between the two. R-square values showed a 45.2% variation in EDM is explained by techno-ethical orientation. Similarly, all variables of TFs have a positive and significant moderating effect on the relationship between techno-ethical orientation and EDM.
Originality/value
This is one of the pioneer studies exploring techno-ethical orientation’s impact on EDM in supply chain companies.
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