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This study aims to examine the motivations of a group of music fans of the Eurovision Song Contest to seek information about the competition and to participate in a virtual community of fans.

The study draws from the uses and gratifications framework to understand the needs that a particular mass medium fulfills for its users. Fifteen Eurovision fans were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviewees were asked to talk about how they seek information about the competition, to relate their engagement and participation with the virtual community and to reflect on the role that the community of fans and the Eurovision have in their lives.

Content analysis revealed four themes that reflect the motivations that shape many aspects of participants lives, relating to seeking information about the Eurovision Song Contest, fulfilling the need for serious leisure, making social connections, finding a sense of belonging and forming an identity.

The study examines the motivations of a group of people who share a common interest that shaped the ways the seek information, related to others, view themselves and construct their identity and make social connections, all to satisfy their love and admiration for the competition, and this regardless of the societal stigma that the competition might carry.

This study extends the literature on serious leisure information seeking by exploring the role that information and social media play in different aspects serious leisure activities.

The study aims to explore the concept of the indigenous and how Greenlandic and Sámi indigeneities is expressed, made sense of and contested within a Nordic context by using the Eurovision Song Contest as a branding platform.

Initiating with an introduction of the historical and political contexts of Sámi and Greenlandic Inuit indigeneity, the study compares lyrics, stage performances and artefacts of two Sámi and Greenlandic contributions into the European Song Contest. This is used to discuss the situated ways in which indigenous identity and culture are branded.

The study shows how seemingly “similar” indigenous identity positions take on very different expressions and meanings as Arctic, indigenous and global identity discourses manifest themselves and intertwine in a Greenlandic and Sámi context. This indicates, as we discuss, that indigeneity in a Nordic context is tightly connected to historical and political specificities.

The study argues against a “one size fits all” approach to defining the indigenous and even more so attempts to “pinning down” universal indigenous issues or challenges.

The study highlights how decisions on whether or how to use the indigenous in place or destination branding processes should always be sensitive to its historical and political contexts.

By focusing on the most prevalent European indigenous groups, the Sámi from the Northern parts of Norway and Greenlandic Inuit, rather than existing nation states, this study expands on current research on Eurovision and nation branding. By exploring the role of the indigenous in place branding, this study also contributes to the existing place branding literature, which overwhelmingly relates to the branding of whole nations or to specific places within nations, such as capital cities.

“Good morning, this is Vienna calling”. The temptation was strong to ask Vienna for the votes of the Austrian jury, but I remembered in time that this was not the Eurovision Song Contest, but the IFLA Information Desk and this was my first call. It was only Friday, the desk was still being organised, the exhibition did not begin until Sunday and the Conference proper not until Monday. However, the enquiries were already beginning to trickle in. This one turned out to be a cancellation from a delegate, so she was referred to the Registration Desk.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the interrelationship between television (TV) consumption (viewing ratings), engagement behaviors of different actors on Twitter (TV programs, media, celebrities and viewers) and the content of engagement behaviors (affective, program-related and social content).

TV ratings and Twitter data were obtained. The content of tweets was analyzed by means of a sentiment analysis. A vector auto regression model was used to understand the interrelationship between tweets of different actors and TV consumption.

First, the results showed a negative interrelationship between TV viewing and viewers’ tweeting behavior. Second, tweets by celebrities and media exhibited similar patterns and were both affected mostly by the number of tweets by viewers. Finally, the content of tweets matters. Affective tweets positively relate to TV viewing, and program-related and social content positively relates to the number of tweets by viewers.

The findings help us understand the online engagement ecosystem and provide insights into drivers of TV consumption and online engagement of different actors.

The results indicate that content producers may want to focus on stimulating affective conversations on Twitter to trigger more online and offline engagement. The results also call for rethinking the meaning of TV metrics.

While some studies have explored viewer interactions on Twitter, only a few studies have looked at the effects of such interactions on variables outside of social media, such as TV consumption. Moreover, the authors study the interrelations between Twitter interactions with TV consumption, which allows us to examine the effect of online engagement on offline behaviors and vice versa. Finally, the authors take different actors into account when studying real-life online engagement.

Various studies have shown that music plays an important role during contemporary funerals. Most music that sounds during funerals is played because it evokes memories of the deceased (Adamson & Holloway, 2012; Bruin-Mollenhorst, 2018). The music that had played an important role during the life of the deceased becomes an important part of the so-called ‘personalised funerals’ (Bruin-Mollenhorst, 2018). After the funeral, the music often has a ‘special place’ in the life of the next of kin. Referencing bereavement theory and paying special attention to the continuing bonds model (Klass & Steffen, 2018), this chapter explores the music and death nexus by studying the diverse ways in which personalised funeral music is experienced in the period after the funeral, ranging from unexpected and unpleasant confrontations with funeral music to daily experiences of consolation through this music.

To provide insights into approaches for conceptualising and producing case studies that will be appropriate for inclusion in educational and training programmes.

The efficacy of a new process adopted in case writing, through “front loading” production of the teaching note, is described. An analogy is derived with crossword puzzle compilation and an approach to developing “entertaining” cases from the creative industries sector is provided. Experiences are recounted on production and use in classroom/examination sessions of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance studies.

Conclusions are drawn from primary research undertaken with nine cohorts, totalling over 320 students, (undergraduate/graduate, spread over three university campuses), in relation to the effectiveness of the case assessment process in end‐of‐term examinations.

The existing academic literature provides a limited information base on topics concerned with case writing and experiences in regard to student performances in case study discussion sessions/assessment procedures. The implication is that further original research is called for in the area.

Educators and trainers must be more immediately concerned with establishing the particular roles that case studies can play within their programmes. They should also ensure that the cost effectiveness of case production systems is optimised.

The paper fulfils a number of identified needs, including development of a more efficient method of case writing and supplementation of the limited knowledge base within the current literature on the topics covered. This is particularly so in regard to the efficacy of the case method in terms of student learning and assessment processes.

This chapter explains how SYRIZA managed to build international support up to the January 2015 election with very limited resources, and against mainstream coverage, by relying essentially on grassroots movements and social media. It also shows how, approaching to power, SYRIZA's political, but also communication strategy, became more institutionalised and relied less on grassroots campaigning. Methodologically, our research is based on the following research techniques: First, interviews with activists and members of the party as well as observations inside its social media team. Second, the study of online content and data from 2006 to 2015. Overall, this chapter shows that SYRIZA's campaign on the Internet relied mainly on alternative media activists who acquired a specific savoir faire and developed international networks during the intense antiausterity social movement that took place in Greece between 2010 and 2013. The campaign was also supported by young experts from the private sector that contributed on a voluntary basis. Nevertheless, its success was mainly due to the European political context and the opportunities it offered to the radical Left, rather than the communication strategy, which in any case suffered from a lack of means and from a somewhat chaotic (non) organisation.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and extent of corruption in the telecommunications sector in Azerbaijan and the associated issues of governance.

A case study examining a wide range of sources on Azerbaijan.

Unusually, perhaps uniquely, ownership of major operators has been concealed. Nonetheless, the presidential family controls one of three mobile operators and has a stake in a second.

A law from 2012 conceals the beneficial ownership of some operators, others merely use offshore registries.

One of only half a dozen case studies on corruption in telecommunications. It is very unusual in the extent to which ownership of operators is hidden.

In 2002 Arcada began an experiment that aimed to develop a learning laboratory in the form of a virtual culture embodied in an online world. This chapter examines how and why this was attempted, the opportunities that it offered, and the reasons why the experiment was ended. It draws from interviews with staff and students, both during and after the project, as well as papers and reports written as the project evolved. Marinetta Ombro was designed to explore several possibilities inherent in online worlds, other than their use as “virtual classrooms” – possibilities that were intended to derive a pedagogical approach that drew from the core features of multiuser worlds, rather than ignoring them. These included the ever-present possibility of creative disruption. The chapter presents a case study that focuses on an approach to virtuality that was genuinely challenging and innovative. It offers practical and theoretical insights, including a sample learning plan, for educators wishing to explore virtual worlds as well as those wishing to reimagine their current work.