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The purpose of this paper, conducted at Penn State University, is to inform a redesign of the library facility integrating a Collaboration Commons projected to cost over $20m.

A mixed-methods design comprised of observation, focus groups, conversations with students, interviews with Knowledge Commons personnel and a UX Café was employed. Researchers investigated the students’ need for workspaces and soft-seating.

Findings suggested that students generally come to the libraries with a goal of being productive and they value the productivity generated by spacious and well-designed workspaces over the comfort of soft-seating. Students desire an increase in the availability of workspaces.

These findings informed facility enhancement recommendations, and have been integrated into the program statement made available to design firms bidding on the renovation project.

The purpose of this paper is to triangulate qualitative and quantitative data with existing data to inform on the function and user experience of a newly created the “News Library,” and, further, to inform on the viability of “bring your own device spaces” (BYOD) in meeting the computing needs of Penn State University Park students through a multi-dimensional study.

This study leverages several methodologies for data collection, including observation, survey, flip chart prompts, interviews and focus groups.

Findings suggest that the News Library accommodates users’ social needs. However, it does not accommodate their communal needs well. The majority of students at the Penn State University Park campus, own laptops and bring them to the library when they intend to study. Personal device usage is preferable to library-provided computers per a familiarity with their personal device, access to personal files and independence of workspace.

As this is a case study, the findings are not generalizable. This study was conducted in one library, on one campus at a 24-campus institution with over 30 libraries.

The mixed-methods study provides multiple views into user behaviors and expectations. The authors propose guidelines for informing the design of BYOD spaces.

This study aims to develop a four-dimensional (4D) textile composite that self-forms upon thermal stimulation while eliminating thermomechanical programming steps by using fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology, and tries to refine the product development path for this composite.

Polylactic acid (PLA) printing filaments were deposited on prestretched Lycra-knitted fabric using desktop-level FDM 3D printing technology to construct a three-layer structure of thermally responsive 4D textiles. Subsequently, the effects of different PLA thicknesses and Lycra knit fabric relative elongation on the permanent shape of thermally responsive 4D textiles were studied. Finally, a simulation program was written, and a case in this study demonstrates the usage of thermally responsive 4D textiles and the simulation program to design a wrist support product.

The constructed three-layer structure of PLA and Lycra knitted fabric can self-form under thermal stimulation. The material can also achieve reversible transformation between a permanent shape and multiple temporary shapes. Thinner PLA deposition and higher relative elongation of the Lycra-knitted fabric result in the greater curvature of the permanent shape of the thermally responsive 4D textile. The simulation program accurately predicted the permanent form of multiple basic shapes.

The proposed method enables 4D textiles to directly self-form upon thermal, which helps to improve the manufacturing efficiency of 4D textiles. The thermal responsiveness of the composite also contributes to building an intelligent human–material–environment interaction system.

Search engines and web applications have evolved to be more tailored toward individual user’s needs, including the individual’s personal preferences and geographic location. By integrating the free Google Maps Application Program Interface with locally stored metadata, the author created an interactive map search for users to locate, and navigate to, destinations on the University of New Mexico (UNM) campus. The purpose of this paper is to identify the characteristics of UNM map search queries, the options and prioritization of the metadata augmentation, and the usefulness and possible improvement of the interface.

Queries, search date/time, and the number of results found were logged and examined. Queries’ search frequency and characteristics were analyzed and categorized.

From November 1, 2012 to September 15, 2013, the author had a total 14,097 visits to the SearchUNM Maps page (http://search.unm.edu/maps/). There were total 5,868 searches (41 percent of all the page visits), and out of all the search instances, 2,297 of them (39 percent) did not retrieve any results. By analyzing the failed queries, the author was able to develop a strategy to increase successful searches.

Many academic institutions have implemented interactive map searches for users to find locations and navigate on campus. However, to date there is no related research on how users conduct their searches in such a scope. Based on the query analysis, this paper identifies user’s search behavior and discusses the strategies of improving searches results of campus interactive maps.

Transnational learning has become a mainstream issue in recent years due to the rise of global education. There are many kinds of overseas learning, including degree-seeking, joint/double degree, student exchange, internship, service learning and so on. The scope of learning may involve research, teaching/learning and community service. The purpose of the case study is to investigate how the Taiwanese students participating in an international internship project of the US–Taiwan Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) acquire professional knowledge and soft skills, including cross-cultural awareness, interdisciplinary communication, skill development and social networking. It also explores how a joint research project contributes into a collaborative educational program.

To better understand participants' experiences in the PRIE, this study held three focus groups and seven in-depth interviews on the students, faculty members and project managers for data collection.

Three major findings are shown in the study. First, participants agreed that the overall learning experiences in knowledge acquisition or skill development have been positive. Second, participants obviously expressed their greater interests in intercultural interaction with the locals, which did not happen quite often during the internship. Third, the extent of interest in applying for the PIRE deg ree program after the internship program is escalating year by year.

More investigation into participants’ social and cultural engagement in similar project will be needed for future research.

The results will be implicated into other cross-border education project evaluation.

This study manages to investigate the cross-border research initiative from different participants' perspectives and received comprehensive feedbacks.

This study aims to identify why restaurant firms go public (IPO) despite high financing costs and which factors make firms stay public for the long term after an IPO. Also, this study aimed to link and compare restaurant firms’ pre- and post-IPO accounting information and how IPO proceeds were used.

This study used random-effects regression analysis with a number of dependent variables for a sample of 1,347 unbalanced panel data. In addition, logistic regression analyses were used to identify why restaurant firms were delisted within short periods after going public.

First, rebalancing financial structures was the most important reason for IPOs, whereas financing future growth was only a minor motivation. Second, post-IPO performance significantly differed between restaurant firms based on their pre-IPO financial conditions, as well as how they used IPO proceeds. Third, restaurant firms with low profitability, inefficient non-operating expenses and difficulties in generating revenue increased their financial burdens, which ultimately caused restaurant firms to be delisted within a short period after an IPO. Furthermore, the reasons for merging included cash shortages, large short-term liabilities and increased major operating expenses, together with increases in capital expenditures.

This study is unique, in that it explains the relationships between motivations for going public and post-IPO performances by directly linking the usages of IPO proceeds with firms’ operational performances. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the effects of IPOs on restaurant firms’ operational, non-operational, investment and financial activities on firms’ performances.

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) on vlog marketing. The focus was to analyse the major themes in this field and provide insights for future research directions.

The authors reviewed a total of 49 peer-reviewed publications that include the search terms “vlog” or “video blog” in their titles, keywords and abstracts, retrieved from digital databases Scopus and Web of Science, up to the end of July 2023. Thematic analysis was used to examine and synthesise the articles.

The authors found 19 sub-themes and identified four major themes that emerged from the literature: (1) endorsement outcomes, (2) vlogger characteristics, (3) consumer credibility and (4) vlog content crafting.

There are many unanswered questions in the literature, suggesting that vlog marketing research is still in its infancy, and that in-depth further studies are required for a more comprehensive understanding of the field. This study has identified potential avenues for future research that may contribute to the existing body of knowledge and valuable insights on vlog marketing.

Communication about sustainability in fashion is complex. While fashion businesses have increasingly sought to manage their sustainability practices, their understanding of how to communicate about sustainability persuasively remains limited. The authors argue that a key problem with a firm’s efforts in communicating about sustainability is that it is a psychologically distant issue for both businesses and stakeholders. This paper aims to apply construal level theory to explore managers’ construal level in shaping communication about sustainability.

The paper used a two-phase qualitative methodology. Phase one involved undertaking interviews with ten managers in fashion firms to address communications about sustainability in the UK. In phase two, 16 consumers interpreted and reflected on the persuasiveness of communications about sustainability encompassing both concrete and abstract forms of messaging.

The authors identify the factors driving different approaches to communication (concrete and abstract) depending on the construal levels of managers, managers’ perceptions of the construal level of target stakeholders and the perceived authenticity of the sustainability claim. The paper highlights the conditions under which the (mis)match with the brands’ sustainable practices works in crafting communication. The authors also highlight three main communication strategies in responding to the complexity of sustainability in fashion ecosystems: amplification, quiet activist and populist coupling.

As an in-depth qualitative study, the authors seek to expose an under-researched phenomenon, yet generalisations both within the fashion industry and beyond are limited by this focus.

Fashion managers need to be flexible and evaluate how their communications about sustainability affect stakeholders’ evaluations of their brands. As sustainability in fashion brands grows, concrete and specific sustainability messaging may be necessary to improve sustainable behaviours.

The prevailing literature encourages symbiosis between sustainability practices and communications; such relationships are rare, and studies outside the consumer perspective are also rare. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this exploratory study is the first to understand how managers’ construal level influences decisions around communications about sustainability in fashion and how these messages are perceived by consumers.