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1 – 10 of over 112000Social information is crucial to credit ratings and can improve the accuracy of the traditional credit assessment model. Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) and social…
Abstract
Purpose
Social information is crucial to credit ratings and can improve the accuracy of the traditional credit assessment model. Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) and social capital theory (SCT), this research explores the relationships between corporate social activities, network centrality and corporate credit behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used social network analysis (SNA) and regression analysis to analyze the data collected from 14,544 enterprises on the Alibaba platform.
Findings
The results indicate that among the four types of social activities, the number of corporate questions and posts shows a positive relationship with credit behavior; while the number of corporate comments has negative relationship with credit behavior. Further, degree and betweenness centralities mediate the relationship between the number of corporate questions, posts and comments with credit behavior.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on non-financial factors (soft information) by exploring the social behavioral factors related to corporate credit. In addition, this study offers a new theoretical lens and reasonable explanations for investigating the relationship between corporate social activities, network centrality and credit behavior from the perspective of the resource-based view, while most studies are predictive and methodological. Moreover, this study provides new insights for platforms to evaluate enterprise credit and for managers to improve credit behavior.
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Xiaoyan Jiang, Jie Lin, Lixin Zhou and Chao Wang
Employees play an essential role in interactive innovation activities in Open Innovation Communities (OICs). Nevertheless, the factors influencing employees' innovation behavior…
Abstract
Purpose
Employees play an essential role in interactive innovation activities in Open Innovation Communities (OICs). Nevertheless, the factors influencing employees' innovation behavior in OICs have not been studied in depth. This study selects personality traits and social network characteristics to explain why and how these two factors affect employees' innovation behavior in OICs.
Design/methodology/approach
Three regression models were constructed to test the relationship between personality traits, social network characteristics, and interactive innovation behaviors. The authors examined how employees' personality traits (Big Five personality traits) influence employees' innovative behavior (initiating and supporting innovation) directly in OICs and explored whether social network characteristics (social group) mediate the relationship between employees' personality traits and employees' innovation behavior.
Findings
Using empirical data on 162 employees from Salesforce's IdeaExchange, the authors found that extraversion and openness to experience have significant positive effects on employees' interactive innovation behaviors, while conscientiousness has a significant negative effect on employees' interactive innovation behaviors in OICs. Furthermore, the mediation effect test results indicated that social network characteristics have a mediating effect on the relationship between extraversion and innovative behavior, and between openness and innovative behavior.
Originality/value
This study analyzes how personality traits influence innovation behavior in an open innovation environment, thus enriching research related to the factors influencing interactive innovation behavior. Meanwhile, the study integrates personality, social network, and innovative behavior research streams and clearly explains the relationship between the three variables. The research findings assist firms in selecting suitable employees to participate in interactive innovation behaviors in OICs.
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The purpose of this study was to examine how the identity of undergraduates who use social networking sites in selected Nigerian universities influences the prediction of their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine how the identity of undergraduates who use social networking sites in selected Nigerian universities influences the prediction of their sexual behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 388 students from three public universities in Nigeria.
Findings
Sex and age exerted sufficient influence on the youth’s sexual behaviour, but the identity variables seemed only to increase the tendency of younger males to form intimate relationship with partners. Specifically, young males who maintain high level of social relationships have a high tendency of developing intimate relationship with partners.
Research limitations/implications
This study that deployed identity variables provides wide-ranging information on how identity moderates sexual behaviour in the presence of traditional predictors of demographic characteristics and social networking.
Practical implications
This study demonstrates that identity has a very strong influence of the predictive power of sex and age on sexual behaviour.
Originality/value
This study is the first that examined sexual behaviour, identity and social networking together.
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The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effects of individual-level (espoused) cultural values (collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effects of individual-level (espoused) cultural values (collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity and long-term orientation) on the individuals' acceptability of inappropriate social network behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs survey data collected from 482 social network users (261 in the United States and 221 from India).
Findings
Results show that individuals with high power distance, masculinity and long-term oriented cultural values are more accepting of inappropriate social network behaviors of others, while those with strong uncertainty avoidance cultural values have high degree of social network behavior inappropriateness, which is defined as the extent to which behaviors of social network users are considered unacceptable by others.
Research limitations/implications
The paper highlights the need for more academic research on the intersection of culture and social network behaviors. This study emphasizes the need for adopting an interdisciplinary approach to understand individuals' social network behaviors.
Practical implications
The paper offers recommendations to global organizations pertaining to the need for creating social network policies in such a way that encourages their global workforce to openly, yet respectfully, share their ideas using social networks.
Originality/value
Using an interdisciplinary approach, the present study extends our understanding of a recently proposed social network behavioral inappropriateness construct and explains how differences in cultural values may lead to differences in individuals' social network behaviors.
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Sajad Shokouhyar, Seyed Hossein Siadat and Mojde Khazeni Razavi
The purpose of this paper is to focus on understanding how social influence and personality of individuals differentiate between users’ social network fatigue and discontinuance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on understanding how social influence and personality of individuals differentiate between users’ social network fatigue and discontinuance behavior. Furthermore, the most common discontinuance behavior among users was investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
The research model was tested with the data from 163 Instagram users based on online and offline surveys. The partial least squares method was used to test the proposed hypotheses of this study.
Findings
The results indicate that social influence affects users’ discontinuance behavior and social network fatigue. Social network fatigue is greater in users with higher reported social influence compared to those with a lower one. Moreover, in response to social network fatigue, users prefer to keep their activities under control instead of switching to alternative social network sites (SNSs) or a short break in social network activities.
Practical implications
By achieving a better understanding of users’ feeling and behaviors, social network providers may codify their strategies more efficiently.
Originality/value
The study is novel in exploring users’ SNS fatigue and their discontinuance behavior by integrating social influence and personality. The authors defined a new concept of effect of social influence on social network fatigue. Additionally, the authors examined which discontinuance behaviors in individuals were more prevalent.
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Sarra Rajhi, Muhammad Ali Asadullah and Walid Derbel
The usage of social media at the workplace has become an undeniable reality, yet the role of social media use (SMU) in job-related outcomes is still unclear. This study uncovers…
Abstract
Purpose
The usage of social media at the workplace has become an undeniable reality, yet the role of social media use (SMU) in job-related outcomes is still unclear. This study uncovers a chain process through which SMU may strengthen job security perception of employees through social media disorder (SMD) and networking behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
This quantitative study used ratings of 197 Emirati students enrolled in a higher education institution located in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The respondents were professionals serving in different public and private organizations in UAE.
Findings
The statistical results supported a significant serial mediation of SMD and networking behavior between SMU and job security perceptions of employees.
Practical implications
This study offers implications for employees and their supervisors about the usage of social media for strengthening their perceptions of job security.
Originality/value
This study contributed to the existing stream of research on SMU to explain a chain process through which employees may benefit from social media to strengthen their perceptions of job security.
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Anming Li, Eric W.T. Ngai and Junyi Chai
– The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach recommending friends to social networking users who are also using weight loss app in the context of social networks.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach recommending friends to social networking users who are also using weight loss app in the context of social networks.
Design/methodology/approach
Social network has been recognized as an effective way to enhance overweight and obesity interventions in past studies. However, effective measures integrating social network with weight loss are very limited in the healthcare area. To bridge this gap, this study develops a measure for friend recommendation using the data obtained by weight loss apps; designs methods to model weight-gain-related behaviors (WGRB); constructs a novel “behavior network;” and develops two measurements in experiments to examine the proposed approach.
Findings
The approach for friend recommendation is based on Friend Recommendation for Health Weight (FRHW) algorithm. By running this algorithm on a real data set, the experiment results show that the algorithm can recommend a friend who has a healthy lifestyle to a target user. The advantages of the proposed mechanism have been well justified via comparisons with popular friend recommenders in past studies.
Originality/value
The conventional methods for friend recommenders in social networks are only concerned with similarities of pairs rather than interactions between people. The system cannot account for the potential influences among people. The method pioneers to model a WGRB as recommendation mechanism that allow recommended friends to simultaneously fulfill two criteria. They are: first, similarity to the target person; and second, ensuring the positive influence toward weight loss. The second criterion is obviously important in practice and thus the approach is valuable to the literature.
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Sheau Fen Crystal Yap and Christina Kwai Choi Lee
The purpose of this paper is to examine online community loyalty through an extension of the theory of planned behaviour by incorporating motivational drivers of enjoyment and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine online community loyalty through an extension of the theory of planned behaviour by incorporating motivational drivers of enjoyment and compatibility and the moderating role of consumer traits.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected using an online survey of 382 Facebook users in Malaysia. Structural equation modelling was used to assess the hypothesised relationships.
Findings
Findings reveal that individuals’ attitude towards social network usage is associated with three factors: social influence, compatibility and enjoyment; attitude and usage behaviour are the determinants of online community loyalty. In addition, moderating effects are found in innovativeness and social network user experience.
Research limitations/implications
Generalisation of the results to other contexts or populations should be made with caution given the study's focus on Facebook and its use of non-probability sampling. Future research can cross-validate or extend the theoretical model across different samples and/or virtual community settings.
Practical implications
This study highlights the importance of designing online brand community web sites which are not only appealing and enjoyable but also acts as an outlet for its members to build upon their experiences and showcase their innovativeness.
Originality/value
This research contributes to a better understanding of how personal factors can either strengthen or attenuate a member's loyalty to his or her online community. The research framework developed in this study can serve as a springboard for future research to examine other virtual community engagement such as blogging, online advertising and online public relation activities.
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Xiaohui Huang, Qian Lu, Lili Wang, Maosen Cui and Fei Yang
Based on the survey data of 1,152 households in three provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia on the Loess Plateau, this paper aims to empirically analyze the impact of aging and…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on the survey data of 1,152 households in three provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia on the Loess Plateau, this paper aims to empirically analyze the impact of aging and off-farm employment on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology. This paper analyzes the moderating effect of social network and the mediating effect of technological cognition in this impact relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the above analysis, the second part of this paper is based on relevant theories and constructs a theoretical model of the relationship of aging, off-farm employment, social network, technology cognition and farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology. The third part introduces research methods, variable selection and descriptive statistics analysis of variables. The fourth part, based on the data of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia provinces in the Loess Plateau in 2016, empirically analyzes the impact of aging, off-farm employment and social network on the farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology. This paper further examines the moderating effect of social network and the mediating effect of technology cognition in this influence relationship. Finally, based on the findings of the empirical study, this paper puts forward countermeasures and suggestions.
Findings
First, aging and off-farm employment have a significant negative impact on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology, while social network has a significant positive effect. Second, social network has alleviated the effect of aging and off-farm employment on restraining farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology. Third, aging and off-farm employment have restrained farmers’ cognition of soil and water conservation technology. Social network has promoted farmers’ cognition of soil and water conservation technology. Social network plays a moderating role in the impact of aging and off-farm employment on farmers’ cognition of soil and water conservation technology. Technology cognition plays a mediating role in the impact of social network on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology.
Originality/value
This paper integrates the aging, off-farm employment and social network into the same analytical framework and reveals their impact on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology and its action mechanism, which enriches the impact of human capital and social network on farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology. Then taking the social network as a moderator variable, the paper verifies its moderating effect on the relationship of aging, off-farm employment and farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology. Farmers’ technology cognition should be included in the analysis framework to examine the impact of aging, off-farm employment and social network on farmers’ cognition of soil and water conservation technology. Taking the technology cognition as a mediator variable, the paper verifies its mediating effect on the relationship of aging, off-farm employment and farmers’ adoption behavior of soil and water conservation technology.
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Xiaodong Li, Chuang Wang and Yanping Zhang
Due to customers' extensive avoidance behavior, social commerce may be less successful than anticipated. This study investigates the underlying mechanism and antecedents that…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to customers' extensive avoidance behavior, social commerce may be less successful than anticipated. This study investigates the underlying mechanism and antecedents that influence customers' avoidance of peer-generated advertisements.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the general framework of avoidance behavior, we propose a theoretical model for the context of a mobile social network, with tie strength as the user-related factor and violation of shared language, advertisement relevance and information overload as contextual variables. Using survey data collected from 334 customers on WeChat, we empirically examine the research model and hypotheses.
Findings
Tie strength and advertisement relevance are negatively associated with avoidance behavior, whereas information overload and violation of shared language have significantly positive effects. Furthermore, tie strength weakens the negative relationship between violation of shared language and avoidance behavior but strengthens the positive relationship between advertisement relevance and avoidance behavior.
Originality/value
The findings extend understanding of advertisement avoidance behavior and can guide practitioners' improvement of advertising efficiency in mobile social networks.
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