• Title/Summary/Keyword: virtual academic communities

Search Result 6, Processing Time 0.021 seconds

Influencing Factors of Research Collaboration Intention in Virtual Academic Communities in China

  • Yan, Chunlai;Li, Hongxia
    • Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
    • /
    • v.9 no.2
    • /
    • pp.83-98
    • /
    • 2021
  • Research collaboration is an important strategy to improve research output, and virtual academic communities (VACs) have become an important platform to collaborate on. This paper reveals the influencing factors of researchers' collaboration intention in VACs from two attributes: individual, and inter-members. On the basis of the Social Cognitive Theory, Social Exchange Theory, social network theory, and Five-Factor Model, this paper constructed a model demonstrating the influencing factors of VACs researchers' collaboration intention. A self-administered questionnaire was employed on members of four VACs in China to collect data; subsequently, 558 usable responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The result showed that openness, conscientiousness, reciprocity, trust, and the social network characteristic had a significant influence on the collaboration intention of researchers in VACs, while self-efficacy, agreeableness, extroversion, neuroticism, and experience had no significant effects on the collaboration intention of researchers in VACs. This model plays a positive role in promoting the research collaboration intention of Chinese VACs researchers and in guiding the construction of VAC platforms.

The Antecedents of Need for Self-Presentation and the Effect on Digital Item Purchase Intention in an Online Community (온라인 커뮤니티에서 자기표현욕구의 영향요인과 디지털 아이템 구매의도에 미치는 효과)

  • Koh, Joon;Shin, Seon-Jin;Kim, Hee-Woong
    • Asia pacific journal of information systems
    • /
    • v.18 no.1
    • /
    • pp.117-144
    • /
    • 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.

Facebook Users' Behaviour and Motivation for Writing Reviews

  • Jeong, So Hee;Chung, Myoung Sug;Lee, Joo Yeoun
    • Journal of Korea Society of Industrial Information Systems
    • /
    • v.23 no.3
    • /
    • pp.97-116
    • /
    • 2018
  • Individuals depend considerably on gathering information from personal social networks rather than from commercial network channels or the mass media. Most academic journals that have examined this topic concentrate on online users' information-searching behaviours; however, this paper discusses online users' information-providing behaviour in the online community. The aim of this study is to investigate that online users' motivation to write reviews on Facebook and how the motivations affect users' information-providing behaviour. This study focusses on Facebook members' motivations that affect their review-writing behaviour. The fundamental theory for examining this topic is Vogt and Fesenmaier's (1998) 'information need'. This study modifies Vogt and Fesenmaier's (1998) theory for virtual communities through the development of each concept's measurement items, selecting the information need of four variables: functional, hedonic, innovation, and sign need. Among the four variables, sign need is the most important factor for Facebook users in the virtual environment. Through sign need, people indicate their status, personality form, and position, which significantly affects members' review-writing behaviour on Facebook.

Electronic Word-of-Mouth in B2C Virtual Communities: An Empirical Study from CTrip.com (B2C허의사구중적전자구비(B2C虚拟社区中的电子口碑): 관우휴정려유망적실증연구(关于携程旅游网的实证研究))

  • Li, Guoxin;Elliot, Statia;Choi, Chris
    • Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
    • /
    • v.20 no.3
    • /
    • pp.262-268
    • /
    • 2010
  • Virtual communities (VCs) have developed rapidly, with more and more people participating in them to exchange information and opinions. A virtual community is a group of people who may or may not meet one another face to face, and who exchange words and ideas through the mediation of computer bulletin boards and networks. A business-to-consumer virtual community (B2CVC) is a commercial group that creates a trustworthy environment intended to motivate consumers to be more willing to buy from an online store. B2CVCs create a social atmosphere through information contribution such as recommendations, reviews, and ratings of buyers and sellers. Although the importance of B2CVCs has been recognized, few studies have been conducted to examine members' word-of-mouth behavior within these communities. This study proposes a model of involvement, statistics, trust, "stickiness," and word-of-mouth in a B2CVC and explores the relationships among these elements based on empirical data. The objectives are threefold: (i) to empirically test a B2CVC model that integrates measures of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors; (ii) to better understand the nature of these relationships, specifically through word-of-mouth as a measure of revenue generation; and (iii) to better understand the role of stickiness of B2CVC in CRM marketing. The model incorporates three key elements concerning community members: (i) their beliefs, measured in terms of their involvement assessment; (ii) their attitudes, measured in terms of their satisfaction and trust; and, (iii) their behavior, measured in terms of site stickiness and their word-of-mouth. Involvement is considered the motivation for consumers to participate in a virtual community. For B2CVC members, information searching and posting have been proposed as the main purpose for their involvement. Satisfaction has been reviewed as an important indicator of a member's overall community evaluation, and conceptualized by different levels of member interactions with their VC. The formation and expansion of a VC depends on the willingness of members to share information and services. Researchers have found that trust is a core component facilitating the anonymous interaction in VCs and e-commerce, and therefore trust-building in VCs has been a common research topic. It is clear that the success of a B2CVC depends on the stickiness of its members to enhance purchasing potential. Opinions communicated and information exchanged between members may represent a type of written word-of-mouth. Therefore, word-of-mouth is one of the primary factors driving the diffusion of B2CVCs across the Internet. Figure 1 presents the research model and hypotheses. The model was tested through the implementation of an online survey of CTrip Travel VC members. A total of 243 collected questionnaires was reduced to 204 usable questionnaires through an empirical process of data cleaning. The study's hypotheses examined the extent to which involvement, satisfaction, and trust influence B2CVC stickiness and members' word-of-mouth. Structural Equation Modeling tested the hypotheses in the analysis, and the structural model fit indices were within accepted thresholds: ${\chi}^2^$/df was 2.76, NFI was .904, IFI was .931, CFI was .930, and RMSEA was .017. Results indicated that involvement has a significant influence on satisfaction (p<0.001, ${\beta}$=0.809). The proportion of variance in satisfaction explained by members' involvement was over half (adjusted $R^2$=0.654), reflecting a strong association. The effect of involvement on trust was also statistically significant (p<0.001, ${\beta}$=0.751), with 57 percent of the variance in trust explained by involvement (adjusted $R^2$=0.563). When the construct "stickiness" was treated as a dependent variable, the proportion of variance explained by the variables of trust and satisfaction was relatively low (adjusted $R^2$=0.331). Satisfaction did have a significant influence on stickiness, with ${\beta}$=0.514. However, unexpectedly, the influence of trust was not even significant (p=0.231, t=1.197), rejecting that proposed hypothesis. The importance of stickiness in the model was more significant because of its effect on e-WOM with ${\beta}$=0.920 (p<0.001). Here, the measures of Stickiness explain over eighty of the variance in e-WOM (Adjusted $R^2$=0.846). Overall, the results of the study supported the hypothesized relationships between members' involvement in a B2CVC and their satisfaction with and trust of it. However, trust, as a traditional measure in behavioral models, has no significant influence on stickiness in the B2CVC environment. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on B2CVCs, specifically addressing gaps in the academic research by integrating measures of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors in one model. The results provide additional insights to behavioral factors in a B2CVC environment, helping to sort out relationships between traditional measures and relatively new measures. For practitioners, the identification of factors, such as member involvement, that strongly influence B2CVC member satisfaction can help focus technological resources in key areas. Global e-marketers can develop marketing strategies directly targeting B2CVC members. In the global tourism business, they can target Chinese members of a B2CVC by providing special discounts for active community members or developing early adopter programs to encourage stickiness in the community. Future studies are called for, and more sophisticated modeling, to expand the measurement of B2CVC member behavior and to conduct experiments across industries, communities, and cultures.

Applications and Effects of EdTech in Medical Education (의학교육에서의 에듀테크(EdTech)의 활용과 효과)

  • Hong, Hyeonmi;Kim, Youngjon
    • Korean Medical Education Review
    • /
    • v.23 no.3
    • /
    • pp.160-167
    • /
    • 2021
  • Rapid developments in technology as part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution have created a demand for educational technology (EdTech) and a gradual transition from traditional teaching and learning to EdTech-assisted learning in medical education. EdTech is a portmanteau (blended word) combining the concepts of education and technology, and it refers to various attempts to solve education-related problems through information and communication technology. The aim of this study was to explore the use of key EdTech applications in medical education programs. A scoping review was conducted by searching three databases (PubMed, CINAHL, and Educational Sources) for articles published from 2000 to June 2021. Twenty-one studies were found that presented relevant descriptions of the effectiveness of EdTech in medical education programs. Studies on the application and effectiveness of EdTech were categorized as follows: (1) artificial intelligence with learner-adaptive evaluation and feedback, (2) augmented/virtual reality for improving learning participation and academic achievement through immersive learning, and (3) social media/social networking services with learner-directed knowledge generation, sharing, and dissemination in medical communities. Although this review reports the effectiveness of EdTech in various medical education programs, the number of studies and the validity of the identified research designs are insufficient to confirm the educational effects of EdTech. Future studies should utilize suitable research designs and examine the instructional objectives achievable by EdTech-based applications to strengthen the evidence base supporting the application of EdTech by medical educators and institutions.

The Effects of Needs for Affiliation and Needs for Self-Presentation on Digital Item Purchase Intention: The Moderating Roles of Gender and Purchase Experience (친교욕구와 자기표현욕구가 디지털 아이템 구매의도에 미치는 영향: 성별과 구매경험의 조절효과를 중심으로)

  • Shin, Seon-Jin;Jang, Heeh-Young;Koh, Joon
    • The Journal of Information Systems
    • /
    • v.17 no.3
    • /
    • pp.79-109
    • /
    • 2008
  • Cyworld was successful where others have foiled because of its unique and profitable business model that relies on the purchase of digital items and its ability to mimic and recreate aspects of face-to-face interpersonal relationships among the members of the online community. The purpose of this study is to understand how the needs for self-presentation and needs for affiliation influence digital item purchase intention, and to analyze the moderating roles of gender and purchase experience in those relationships. Based on the theoretical framework including self-presentation theory and theory of affiliation, we developed the research model and proposed ten hypotheses. A survey was conducted with 225 members of Cyworld. The research model and the related hypotheses were tested using Amos. As the result of the analysis, eight hypotheses out of ten hypotheses were supported. In particular, digital item purchase intention in virtual world was found to be affected by both members' needs for self-presentation and needs for affiliation. We also found that the needs for self-presentation is significantly influenced by innovativeness of members, self-efficacy, and group norm. Also, needs for affiliation is significantly affected by self-efficacy, group norm and perceived value. Furthermore, the results indicate that 1) moderating effects of gender on those relationship is supported; and 2) moderating effects of purchase experience is partially identified. This study provides several implications for academic community and practitioners to understand why the community members pay real money for their digital items as well as how the sales of digital items can be increased in online communities. Some study limitations and future research directions are also discussed.