• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.117-144
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• 2008

Lots of virtual communities and online businesses presently derive their primary sources of revenues through advertising, but nevertheless are plagued with marginal profitability though they might possess a significant user base. In the light of the need for an efficacious business model, there have been recent insights of an online community in particular reaping profits through an innovative and lucrative revenue generation method that earns by selling digital items. There have been some obvious evidences (e.g., Cyworld, SecondLife, Habo Hotel, etc.) that online communities can be profitable through their unique business model of selling digital items. However, there is lack of understanding about the motivation of purchasing digital items. This study tries to identify the main motivators of digital item purchases based on social/individual identity theory and self-presentation theory. "Digital items", otherwise known as "virtual assets", may include online avatars, accessories for the avatars, decorative ornaments like furniture, digital wallpapers, skins, background music and virtual weapons used for Internet games. These digital items are employed by users for representation and articulation in the online space, especially to create and enhance their online profiles in web pages and games. Prices for digital items typically range from a few cents to a few dollars each. Based on the theoretical framework like social identity theory and self-presentation theory, we developed the research model and proposed seven hypotheses. An analysis of 225 members of Cyworld found that digital item purchase intention in virtual world is affected by both members' need for self-presentation and need for affiliation. We also found that the need for self-presentation is significantly increased by innovativeness of members, community group norm, and community involvement. We concluded that the need for self-presentation could be a key variable for profitable business model in online community service industry. However, neither individual self-efficacy nor the need for affiliation significantly influenced the need for self-presentation which triggers purchase intention of digital items. In term of the theoretical and practical contribution, this study can be a pioneering empirical research that investigates the purchase intention of digital items based on social identity theory and self-presentation theory in the online context. Also, the findings of our study are valuable and practical for practitioners in the market who wish to adopt or improve the business model of selling digital items in an online community. From the findings, it can be seen that innovativeness of users, community group norm, and community involvement are three significant factors that influence need for self-presentation of users which ultimately leads to their intentions to buy digital items. These findings put forth that virtual community providers and online businesses selling digital items should prioritize their efforts and focus on these three factors if they want to increase the sales of these digital items and generate greater revenues. This study provides important implications for academic researchers and practitioners to understand why the community members pay money for their digital items in virtual world and how the practitioners can increase the sales of digital items in an online community. A couple of limitations of the study and future research directions are also discussed.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.45-62
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of Needle-Embedding Therapy with Acupuncture for Chronic Tension-type Headache (CTTH) patients. Methods : The study recruited Chronic Tension-type Headache patients. A total of twenty-six patients were divided into 2 groups. 13 subjects were placed into a needle-embedding therapy group and 13 subjects into an acupuncture therapy group by a randomization table. The needle-embedding therapy group was treated with needle-embedding at Fengchi (GB20), while the acupuncture therapy was acupunctured at Fengchi (GB20). Then, a comparative analysis was conducted by comparing the results with those measured by a Blood pressor, Heart rate variability (HRV), Henry Ford Headache Disablity Inventory (HDI) Internet Headache Impact Test (HIT), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Results & Conclusions : As a result of evaluation by using the self-rating headache index (VAS, HDI, HIT), pain score declined in both groups. But they were not difference between the two groups.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.337-346
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to develop a mobile web-based pregnancy health care educational program for mothers who were at an advanced maternal age (AMA) and to verify the effects of the program on pregnancy health care. Methods: This program was developed using a web-based teaching-learning system design model and composed of 10 subject areas. This research was a quasi-experimental study using a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest time serial design and data were collected from April 2 to May 3, 2014. To verify the effects of the program, it was used for 2 weeks with 30 AMA mothers (experimental group). For the control group, a classroom education booklet for pregnant women used with 31 AMA mothers. Results: The experimental group having participated in program had statistically significantly higher scores for knowledge (t=3.76, p <.001), self-efficacy (t=8.54, p <.001), and practice behavior (t=4.88, p <.001) of pregnancy health care, compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results of the program indicate that a Mobile web-based pregnancy health care educational program is effective in meeting the needs of AMA mothers and can be used as the prenatal educational program for AMA mothers and is appropriate as an educational media for theses mothers.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.205-214
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• 2016

Dramatic transformation in education has taken place and Internet Technologies have played a key role. Especially SNS has been considered as an effective educational tool because of its exceptional features such as discussion on course topics, feedback from peers and group collaboration. The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting the attitude, intention to continuous use of SNS and performance in college education comparing between experienced learner and non-experienced learner. Self-efficacy on media usage, educational expectancy, subjective norm, habit, and enjoyment were identified as affecting factors based on prior researches. The results shows that all factors are significantly related to the learner's attitude on the use of SNS in college education. Experienced learner's attitude on educational use of SNS in college was found to be significantly related to the intention to continuous use and performance. This study can provide a guideline of effective strategy for SNS utilization in college education.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.79-98
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• 2009

IPTV has risen as a new driving force amid concerns against the saturated internet market and gained enormous attention of both the government and industry as niche market. Especially, IPTV banking which is one of the major services, IPTV has risen up recently as another financial service channel. Prior to the expansion of the new technology, this study attempts to predict its success possibility. In order to grasp variables that would effect formation of user intention of potential adopters, and external variables that influence user intention of IPTV banking have been confirmed and studied empirically based on Technology Acceptance Model(TAM). As a result, it was validated that self?efficacy, facilitating condition, social influence, and perceived importance to TV banking needs are the influential variables. Therefore, one may able to find appropriate direction of marketing activities for effective expansion of IPTV banking service through this study. Also, considering the fact that the number of service users has absolute influence over profit determination in the IPTV banking service industry, the study about characteristics and intention of such potential adopters could certainly be significant.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.410-422
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• 2016

Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of a cultural competence training program for public health nurses (PHNs) using intervention mapping. Methods: An embedded mixed method design was used. Forty-one PHNs (experimental: 21, control: 20) and forty marriage migrant women (MMW) (20, in each group) who were provided nursing care by PHN participated in the study. The experimental group was provided with a four-week cultural competence program consisting of an eight hour offline and online course, e-mail newsletters and social networking services (BAND). Transcultural Self-efficacy (TSE) of the PHNs, client-nurse trust, and satisfaction with nursing care of MMW were measured. Ten PHNs in the experimental group were interviewed after the experimental study. Results: The experimental group showed a significantly greater improvement in TSE, client-nurse trust, and satisfaction with nursing care than did the control group. Six themes emerged from qualitative data: (a) Recognizing cultural differences, (b) Being interested in the multicultural policy, (c) Trying to communicate in MMW's own language, (d) Providing medical information using internet and smart phone, (e) Embracing culturally diverse people into society, and (f) Requiring ongoing cultural competence training. Conclusion: Cultural competence training enabled PHNs to provide culturally competent care and contribute to MMW's health outcomes.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-24
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• 2015

Electronic Commerce or e-commerce implies such an industry where goods and services are bought and sold over electronic systems. This is rapidly growing sectors in Bangladesh which influence local and international trade. Government of Bangladesh has also initiated quite a good number of measures for the expansion of e-commerce. However, low adoption of e-commerce is not uncommon in Bangladesh. The objective of this study is to determine the factors that influence the adoption of e-commerce services in Bangladesh. Extended version of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is envisaged as the theoretical backbone of the study. Reliability analysis using Cronbach's Alpha test indicates that the research model is internally consistent. The study reveals that 35 percent of respondents became interested in e-commerce services from advertisement on Internet or other electronic media. The findings of the study shows that all the four constructs, namely-Computer Self Efficacy, Perceived Credibility, Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use have significant effect on the adoption of e-commerce. The study has also demonstrated that Perceived Usefulness appeared as the most important factor in describing user's adoption of e-commerce.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.8
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• pp.181-189
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• 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the tourism industry due to the resulting travel restrictions as well as a slump in demand among travelers. The tourism industry has been massively affected by the spread of coronavirus, as many countries have introduced travel restrictions in an attempt to contain its spread. In Vietnam, the government has largely been credited for the country's success in keeping COVID-19 transmission rates under control. Early awareness of the pandemic, appropriate, drastic, and people-centric measures, as well as public support, are the main factors behind the success of Vietnam. In that context, it is observed that people's travel demand has bounced back and this research will examine factors driving the public's travel intention in the post-crisis (pandemic) period. The survey was conducted on the Internet using questionnaires designed in the Google platform. Data was collected from April 16 to May 31, 2020, from 154 Vietnamese participants. Research findings demonstrate 4 direct and indirect determinants of travel intention. The strongest effects come from perceived behavioral control which is influenced by subjective well-being. Perceived risk negatively correlates with Self-efficacy and subjective well-being. Conducted in the context of post-COVID-19, the research implies that once the pandemic has been controlled, perceived risks, although still exist, insignificantly influence the public's travel intention.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.183-191
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• 2014

SNS uses the Internet as its base. It is created in order to achieve communication between the users. Up until now, most previous research were focused on the users of SNS. But, there are still a great deal of people who do not use or discontinuously use SNS. This is because users have natural resistance against SNS when using the service. In this study, time shortage perception, awareness of SNS, self-efficacy, suitability, information quality of SNS, subjective norm and privacy concern are considered as influence factors by previous research. An empirical study for Chinese students and internet users was conducted to identify how these factors influence perceived risk and perceived usefulness, and how this influence to user's resistance. This study can explain the reason why users don't use SNS and resist SNS use.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.205-216
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• 2020

In this study, a research model is constructed based on the theory of technology adoption. Independent constructs are largely grouped into two: (1) virtual bank characteristics (responsiveness, ease of use, economic benefits, and security), and (2) individual characteristics (innovativeness, self-efficacy and Internet experience). On the dependent side, user satisfaction is posited to influence the loyalty via intention to continuous use. PLS analysis of 194 data points collected revealed that economic benefits, security, innovativeness, and Internet experiences are significantly and positively associated with user satisfaction, intention to continuous use and loyalty. Paths among satisfaction and intention towards the loyalty are also validated. Details of results are discussed with practical and academic implications.