Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

What Is "Speedrunning?" Industry, Community, Identity, Riley Scott Kelfer

Senior Scholar Papers

What drives interaction in online contexts? How do “internet communities” form, and how do they generate a sense of interpersonal closeness? I address such questions through a cultural analysis of video game “speedrunning,” an emergent online community that some commentators have noted for its remarkable commitment to compassion and mutual advancement. While several game scholars have explored the narrative and temporal implications of the live-streamed and recorded speedrun, few have directed their attention to the ways in which video game speedrunning, as a community of dedicated practitioners and spectators, is informed by historical precedents and contemporary social processes. I place …

Postpartum Depression Symptoms In New Mothers And The Disclosure Process, Kelsey Lunsford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Using a qualitative approach, this study examined disclosure patterns of women who have experienced symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD). Postpartum depression is a mental illness that new parents are at risk of developing. If left unresolved, PPD can have severe, negative impacts on the development of the baby and the well-being of the parent. Unfortunately, due to the stigmatized nature of the illness, parents are sometimes reluctant to bring up their struggles with this illness and seek help. Eighteen women who had experienced PPD within the past five years were recruited and participated in an interview where they were asked …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Hospital Nurses' Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic Through The Lens Of The Demand-Control-Support Model, Alisha Garner

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Positive social support, realistic job demand, and appropriate levels of control over their responsibilities can mitigate empathy fatigue and burnout among nurses, increase quality care for patients, and lay the foundation for teams to embrace challenges during crises. The COVID-19 pandemic stretched nurses in all these areas, leading many nurses to contemplate changing fields. Failure to address and embrace the difficulties that nurses face during such crises can result in loss of nurses and impact the entire healthcare industry.

The present study used one-to-one interviews to glean insider perspectives of changes in job demand, control, and support nurses experienced as …

The Effects Of The Communication Techniques Of Concern Elicitation And Mutual Agenda Setting On The Satisfaction, Self-Efficacy, And Understanding Of A Patient After A Provider Encounter, Ajay Bharathan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The goal of this investigation is to explore the relationship of health provider communication techniques and their impact on patient understanding, satisfaction, and self-efficacy. This investigation looked at the two specific communication techniques of concern elicitation and mutual agenda setting which occur during the beginning of a medical visit. Encounters were recorded with patient knowledge and transcribed to be analyzed. Following a coding manual created from both previous research and original input, the transcripts were organized and read through to process data. Focusing on the two communication techniques—concern elicitation and mutual agenda setting—I looked at the beginning of the encounter …

The State Of Innovation And Media Viability In East Africa: From Indepth Media House Surveys, Hesbon Hansen Owilla, Rose Kimani, Ann Hollifield, Julia Wegner, Dennis Reineck, Roland Schürhoff

Graduate School of Media and Communications

Media houses globally are grappling with how best to produce quality content while at the same time remaining financially viable in the wake of shrinking revenues, technological disruptions, the emergence of peripheral content creators, competition for advertisement revenues from big tech platforms, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a myriad of other changes in the ecosystem. Despite these challenges, it is in the interest of the public that news media organisations (NMOs) produce quality content and do so in a financially sustainable fashion. Media viability, that is, producing quality journalism in a financially sustainable way, is, therefore, a growing area of focus. …

Is France Having A Populist Moment?, Emma Gilmore

Honors Theses

The word populism is often thrown around in news media and academic scholarship, but there is a lack of understanding of what it actually means as a political theory. In France, the two presidential candidates that made it to the second round in 2017, Emmanuel Macron and Marine le Pen, were both called populist, despite having vastly different campaign strategies and messages. This study used a computer-based method to analyze Campaign books from 24 candidates beginning in 1981 that determined that Populist language is on the rise, but not as aggressively as news media suggests.

Implementation Of Respondent Driven Sampling In Nairobi, Kenya, For Tracking Key Family Planning Indicators Among Adolescents And Youth: Lessons Learnt, Mary Thiongo, Peter Gichangi, Patrick Macho, Meagan Byrne, Peter Kimani, Michael Waithaka, Scott Radloff, Philip Anglewicz, Michele Decker

Graduate School of Media and Communications

Objective: Adolescents and youth constitute a significant proportion of the population in developing nations. Conventional survey methods risk missing adolescents/youth because their family planning/contraception (FP/C) behavior is hidden. Respondent-driven sampling (RDS), a modified chain-referral recruitment sampling approach, was used to reach unmarried adolescents/youth aged 15–24 in Nairobi, Kenya to measure key FP/C indicators. Seeds were selected and issued with three coupons which they used to invite their peers, male or female, to participate in the study. Referred participants were also given coupons to invite others till sample size was achieved. We report on key implementation parameters following standard RDS reporting …

A Secondary Data Analysis Exploring The Impacts Of Synchronous And Asynchronous Sexual Assault Bystander Intervention Training: A Pilot Study, Jacquelyn A. Mesenbrink

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Campus sexual assault has been recognized as one of the most pressing issues on college campuses and an epidemic across the U.S. The purpose of this study is to explore perceived prosocial behavior change of one bystander intervention training in two different modalities: synchronous virtual via Zoom and asynchronous online training via a learning management system (LMS). To date, there is no research study that evaluates the same bystander intervention program across different intervention delivery modalities. This research is the first of its kind to examine the relationship between intervention delivery modality and post-evaluation questions and serves as a pilot …

Doing “Care Work” In Emergency Service Calls, Angela Cora Garcia

Natural & Applied Sciences Faculty Publications

Sending help when needed is a central role for emergency service call takers, but providing help during the call is also an important part of the job. The “care work” call takers do may assist callers with physical and emotional safety and enhance their resilience as they deal with ongoing emergencies prior to the arrival of the police. This conversational analytic study of a collection of 24 emergency telephone calls reveals the interactional techniques the call takers use to accomplish care work and shows how they integrate care work into their communication within the call.

How The Pandemic Affects Museums And Heritage, Grace J. Bowling

Ideas: Exhibit Catalog for the Honors College Visiting Scholars Series

Heritage is a dynamic concept up to interpretation by individuals and communities. It is shaped by the culture we engage with. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, museums shifted to a much more virtual format and in-person attendance dropped. Virtual engagement with a museum bypasses any spatial and temporal restraints from physically going to a museum. This can both increase accessibility in heritage and remove vital context and importance from the object. The changes in how we engage with museums resulting from the pandemic fundamentally affect the way we engage with and interpret heritage.

Virtually Incredible: Rethinking Deference To Demeanor When Assessing Credibility In Asylum Cases Conducted By Video Teleconference, Liz Bradley, Hillary Farber

All Faculty Scholarship

The COVID-19 pandemic forced courthouses around the country to shutter their doors to in-person hearings and embrace video teleconferencing (VTC), launching a technology proliferation within the U.S. legal system. Immigration courts have long been authorized to use VTC, but the pandemic prompted the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to expand video capabilities and encourage the use of video “to the maximum extent practicable.” In this technology pivot, we must consider how VTC affects cases for international humanitarian protections, where an immigration judge’s ability to accurately gauge an applicant’s demeanor can have life-or-death consequences.

This Article takes a deep dive …

Writing Towards Radicalism: On Biased Reporting & Its Effects On U.S. Extremism, Martha Tyler

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

Perceived influxes in biased reporting, disparities in reporting versus reality, and other factors have led many Americans to question the legitimacy of their most-frequented sources. These sentiments have encouraged migration from traditional sources to alternative ones, exposing many Americans to polarizing media. This report argues that unaddressed inadequacies in reporting force Americans to contend with a distorted reality or try their luck on the path toward alternative media.

The Impact Of Verified (Unverified) Online Product Consumer Reviews On Consumer Product Attitudes, Kathryn Cort Dr., Roland Leak Dr.

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Customer product reviews are an integral component for companies conducting e-commerce, enabling them to stay connected and engaged with their consumers. However, more important these reviews are being utilized and incorporated into the marketing plans of companies. Companies can use a mixture of verified and unverified purchase badges in their displayed product reviews. This study finds that as customers are provided with this additional information to help form impressions about the products they are reviewing, customers' need for cognition ultimately determines how they utilize the presence or absence of these badges.

Fluchtpunkt Magdeburg: Documentation Of An Integration-Oriented Theater Project From The Perspective Of Theater Pedagogy And Language Didactics, Mona Eikel-Pohen, Sarah Dolbier

Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics - All Scholarship

Based on Dwight Conquergood's key concepts of play, power, process, and poetics/language, this paper documents the theater-pedagogical model project Fluchtpunkt Magdeburg 2015 to2019, in which young people with and without refugee experiences living in Magdeburg, Germany, developed three plays and a film under dance- and theater-pedagogical direction with the pronounced goal of promoting social and linguistic integration. The aim of this documentation is to systematically describe the project and to identify successful elements that make future projects sustainable and feasible for planning and implementation in the long term.

Fashion And Sustainability: Consumption And Shared Responsibility, Jie Gao Fowler, Timothy Reisenwitz, Rongwei Chu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Indulgence in fashion has been indispensable in modern societies, as it is a crucial device for self-image and identity construction. With the advanced technology and globalization of production, the fashion industry has skewed towards fast fashion, making the latest trends available to mass consumers at affordable prices. This research aims to examine how Chinese consumers perceive sustainable consumption in the context of fashion. We endeavor to explore the factors that influence the engagement of sustainable consumption. This study aims not to argue whether sustainable fashion should mobilize or replace the current fashion system but to provide evidence on consumers' perception …

กระบวนการสื่อสารเพื่อสร้างภาวะล้มแล้วลุกของพนักงานที่เป็นแม่ในการเปลี่ยนแปลงแบบฉับพลัน, ณัฏฐณิชา หฤรักษ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยเชิงคุณภาพนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาถึง กระบวนการสื่อสารเพื่อสร้างภาวะล้มแล้วลุกของพนักงานที่เป็นแม่ในองค์กรไทยเมื่อต้องเผชิญกับการเปลี่ยนแปลงแบบฉับพลัน โดยอาศัยมุมมองการสื่อสารเชิงระบบนิเวศในองค์กร ใช้การสัมภาษณ์เชิงลึก (in-depth interview) กับพนักงานหญิงในองค์กรไทยขนาดใหญ่ ประเภทแสวงผลกำไร ระดับปฏิบัติการและบริหาร ซึ่งสมัครใจให้ข้อมูลด้วยตนเอง (Self-report) ว่า ในช่วง 3 ปีที่ผ่านมา ตนได้เผชิญกับความเปลี่ยนแปลงแบบฉับพลันในขณะที่ต้องเลี้ยงดูลูกอายุไม่เกิน 13 ปีไปด้วยอย่างน้อย 1 เหตุการณ์ และในปัจจุบันสามารถก้าวข้ามอุปสรรคและอารมณ์เชิงลบที่เกิดขึ้นได้แล้ว โดยมีชีวิตส่วนตัวและการทำงานที่ดำเนินต่อไปได้ หรือเข้าสู่สภาวะปกติ) จำนวน 20 คน สุ่มตัวอย่างโดยสุ่มตัวอย่างแบบเจาะจง (Purposive Sampling) และสมัครใจ (Volunteer Sampling) ผลการศึกษาพบว่า การเปลี่ยนแปลงฉับพลันระดับมหภาค (Macrodisruptions) ที่ส่งผลกระทบต่อกลุ่มตัวอย่างพนักงานที่เป็นแม่ในภาพรวม ได้แก่ การแพร่ระบาดของเชื้อไวรัส COVID-19 นอกจากนี้ กลุ่มตัวอย่างบางส่วนยังได้รับผลกระทบจากการย้ายแผนกไปทำสายงานที่ไม่มีความรู้มาก่อน การเกิดวิกฤตแบบฉับพลันในองค์กรอื่นๆ ที่ไม่เกี่ยวข้องกับการแพร่ระบาดของโรค การย้ายที่อยู่อาศัย การตั้งครรภ์แบบไม่ได้วางแผนและคนในครอบครัวเกิดความเจ็บป่วย นำไปสู่การเปลี่ยนแปลงฉับพลันระดับจุลภาค (Microdisruptions) ซึ่งกลุ่มตัวอย่างรับรู้ถึงอุปสรรคจากการเปลี่ยนแปลง 6 มิติ ได้แก่ 1) เวลา 2) ทักษะการทำงาน 3) บทบาทหน้าที่ 4) วิถีการดำเนินชีวิต 5) การเงิน และ 6) สถานที่ และส่งผลกระทบทางลบต่อตนเองทั้งด้านสุขภาพจิตใจและร่างกาย ในการสื่อสารเพื่อสร้างภาวะล้มแล้วลุก กลุ่มตัวอย่างพนักงานที่เป็นแม่มีการสื่อสารเพื่อสร้างภาวะล้มแล้วลุกในทุกระดับในระบบนิเวศการสื่อสารองค์กร ดังนี้: ในระบบจุลภาค (ได้แก่ การสื่อสารภายในตนเองและระหว่างบุคคล) กลุ่มตัวอย่างสื่อสารภายในตนเอง 3 ระยะ คือ ในระยะที่ 1 มุมมองแรกต่อการเปลี่ยนแปลงมีทั้งบวกและลบ ระยะที่ 2 การสื่อสารภายในบุคคลเพื่อก้าวข้ามความรู้สึกเชิงลบ แบ่งออกเป็น 4 ลักษณะ ได้แก่ บอกตัวเองให้ 1) คิดหาวิธีแก้ 2) อดทน 3) มองเป็นความท้าทาย 4) มองการเปลี่ยนแปลงเป็นเรื่องธรรมดา และระยะที่ 3 การสื่อสารความตั้งใจที่จะกระทำหรือการกระทำเพื่อสร้างภาวะล้มแล้วลุก แบ่งออกเป็น 5 กระบวนการ …

The Sublime Object Of Digitality: Psychoanalysis And Cyberspace, Grady Kennison

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Psychoanalysis, from Freud to Lacan and beyond, offers a unique toolkit for theorizing and understanding the visible and invisible effects of our collective digitization. In this project, I will work through central concepts of psychoanalytic theory – including Lacan’s three orders, the objet a, and more – while both rethinking our understanding of cyberspace via psychoanalysis and rethinking our understanding of psychoanalysis via cyberspace. Our subjectivity and our public discourse are today irrevocably intertwined with digital technology and cyberspace; psychoanalysis, as a theory centered on subjectivity and discourse, is an indispensable framework for reckoning with our plugged-in lives.

Accustomly Intermarried: Racial/National Intermarriages And Their Negotiation Of Family Celebrations, Jori Adrianna Nkwenti

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Previous quantitative works gives a decent account for the predictors of racial/national intermarriages, and qualitative research finds that intercultural couples negotiate their racial, national, religious, class, and cultural differences within the context of their intimate relationships and the broader stigma of the social world. However, no scholars, to my knowledge, have looked intently at this intersection of interracial and international intermarriages. Related, scholars have not dissected how these couples negotiate their family celebrations-despite research showing the importance of celebrations to family well-being. Through autoethnographic reflexivity, and in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of 4 individuals married to a spouse of …

Exploring How Online Responses Change In Response To Debunking Messages About Covid-19 On Whatsapp, Xingyu Ken Chen, Jin-Cheon Na, Luke Kien-Weng Tan, Mark Chong, Murphy Choy

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a concurrent outbreak of false information online. Debunking false information about a health crisis is critical as misinformation can trigger protests or panic, which necessitates a better understanding of it. This exploratory study examined the effects of debunking messages on a COVID-19-related public chat on WhatsApp in Singapore. Design/methodology/approach: To understand the effects of debunking messages about COVID-19 on WhatsApp conversations, the following was studied. The relationship between source credibility (i.e. characteristics of a communicator that affect the receiver's acceptance of the message) of different debunking message types and their effects on the length …

Where Are My People? A Historical Analysis On Nasa’S Equal Opportunity Initiatives, Heather D. Smith

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses historical analysis to review how the NASA Communication Office published information about its equal opportunity efforts from the 1970s through the 2010s. NASA press materials were examined using various keywords to search for programs and initiatives to recruit and maintain women and minorities in the space agency. The idea to create internal programs to increase women and ­­minorities within NASA appeared in the mid-1970s, but the agency did not report initiatives until the late 1980s and 2010s, when the keywords women, minorities, and equal opportunity ­were mentioned most often. NASA continues to develop and implement …

Framing, Advice-Seeking, And Medical Trust In The R/Keto Community: An Analysis Of The Medical Flair On R/Keto, Sabrina Finke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First created in 1921, the ketogenic diet was used as a medical intervention for children suffering from severe epilepsy. However, in recent years, this highly restrictive diet has gained mainstream popularity for a number of illness management, wellness, and weight loss uses. Despite its rise in use and popularity, mainstream medical opinion still views the ketogenic diet as a last resort for severe conditions. Using a content analysis of posts tagged with the “medical” flair on the subreddit “r/Keto,” this thesis found commonalities among posts which praised the ketogenic diet and shared positive personal anecdotes were the most likely to …

Ideological Boundaries Of Status Advantages: Legislative Effectiveness In The House Of Representatives In The United States Congress, Francois Collet, Gianluca Carnabuci, Gokhan Ertug, Tengjian Zou

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Prior research assumes that high-status actors have greater organizational influence than lower-status ones, that is, it is easier for the former to get their ideas and initiatives adopted by the organization than it is for the latter. Drawing from the literature on ideology, we posit that the status-influence link is contingent on actors’ ideological position. Specifically, status confers organizational influence to the degree that the focal actor is ideologically mainstream. The more an actor’s ideology deviates from the mainstream the less will her status translate into increased organizational influence. We find support for this hypothesis using data on the work …

"Not Liberating Women Means The Building Of A Socialist Society Is Only Half-Way Done": A Feminist Analysis Of Ho Chi Minh's Advocacy For The First Law On Marriage And Family In 1959 Vietnam, Hannah Nguyen

Senior Independent Study Theses

In October 1959, Ho Chi Minh attended and spoke before the North Vietnamese National Assembly at the “Meeting to Discuss the Draft of the Law on Marriage and Family.” The purpose of this study is to provide a feminist rhetorical analysis of this address to explicate the rhetorical strategies Ho employed to advocate for this law. I argue that Ho reframed the Marriage and Family Law into a policy that corresponded to the needs and demands of the National Assembly through methods of dissociation, association, and strategic repetition. I also found that Ho employed a dual leader/uncle first persona to …

Inclusion Of The Mobility Impaired In Our Community: Ask First!, Jeffrey M. Heinz Dds, Msd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This DEI Series feature article provides a unique perspective on the inclusion of individuals with physical disabilities, focusing on mobility impairment, in the dental profession and community. The author, a paraplegic orthodontist, shares personal experiences and challenges, shedding light on the importance of considering physical disabilities in dental offices. Navigational difficulties in compliant yet wheelchair-unfriendly spaces are discussed, urging practitioners to have contingency plans. The article emphasizes the significance of etiquette in assisting individuals with disabilities, encouraging respectful communication and asking before offering help. Practical insights on dental chair usage and transfer assistance are provided, promoting a more inclusive environment …

ความรุนแรงบนฐานเพศสภาพในซีรีส์วาย, ปณต สิริจิตราภรณ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยเรื่องนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาความรุนแรงบนฐานเพศสภาพที่ปรากฏในซีรีส์วาย ผลกระทบจากการนำเสนอความรุนแรงดังกล่าวและแนวทางในการนำเสนอเนื้อหาที่เกี่ยวข้องกับเพศหลากหลายในซีรีส์วายให้มีความเหมาะสมตามมาตรฐานจริยธรรมสื่อ โดยใช้วิธีการวิเคราะห์ตัวบทซีรีส์วาย รวมถึงสัมภาษณ์เชิงลึกกลุ่มนักสิทธิมนุษยชน นักกิจกรรมด้านความเป็นธรรมทางเพศ และกลุ่มผู้ชมที่ทำงานภายใต้เครือข่ายภาคประชาสังคมด้านสิทธิความหลากหลายทางเพศ ที่เป็นบุคคลเพศหลากหลาย ผลการวิจัยพบว่า ความรุนแรงบนฐานเพศสภาพที่ปรากฏในซีรีส์วาย มีดังนี้ 1) การใช้กำลังประทุษร้าย 2) การแสดงออกถึงความเหยียดหยามทางวาจา 3) การกระทำทางเพศอันปราศจากความยินยอม 4) การปฏิบัติต่อคู่รักเสมือนอีกฝ่ายเป็นสมบัติของตน และ 5) การแบ่งแยกบทบาททางเพศ โดยที่ความรุนแรงเหล่านี้มักถูกนำเสนอออกมาในเชิงโรแมนติไซส์ อันเป็นการลดทอนความรุนแรงลง รวมทั้งยังละเลยที่จะถ่ายทอดให้เห็นถึงผลกระทบที่ตามมาของความรุนแรงนั้น ๆ ซึ่งการนำเสนอเช่นนี้ส่งผลกระทบดังนี้ คือ 1) ปัญหาความรุนแรงบนฐานเพศสภาพถูกลดความสำคัญ 2) สร้างภาพจำหรือภาพลักษณ์เหมารวมให้กับกลุ่มบุคคลเพศหลากหลาย 3) สร้างความกดดันแก่บุคคลเพศหลากหลาย ให้พยายามเปลี่ยนแปลงตนเองเพื่อให้ได้รับการยอมรับ และ 4) เรื่องสิทธิต่าง ๆ ของบุคคลเพศหลากหลายถูกละเลย ในส่วนของแนวทางการนำเสนอเนื้อหาที่เกี่ยวข้องกับเพศหลากหลาย พบว่ามีแนวทางดังนี้ 1) การสร้างสรรค์เนื้อหาสื่อที่เกี่ยวข้องกับบุคคลเพศหลากหลายควรจะมีความหลากหลายมากขึ้น อาทิ ด้านตัวละคร ด้านเนื้อหา 2) สื่อควรนำเสนอประเด็นความรุนแรงบนฐานเพศสภาพออกมาอย่างครอบคลุมรอบด้าน และ 3) การอาศัยความร่วมมือหรือการมีส่วนร่วมจากฝ่ายต่าง ๆ ที่เกี่ยวข้อง เพื่อผลิตสื่อที่มีเนื้อหาเกี่ยวข้องกับบุคคลเพศหลากหลายให้มีความสร้างสรรค์

How Do Aspects Of Chain Restaurants Affect The Overall Rating: Trip-Advisor Multi-Dimensional Rating System Analysis, Yuanyuan Gao, Anqi Xu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

In this study, we analyze the aspect ratings and overall ratings of chain restaurants retrieved from the TripAdvisor multi-dimensional rating system. We gain aspect ratings including food aspect rating, value aspect rating, service aspect rating, and atmosphere aspect rating and their corresponding overall restaurant rating from individual reviews and each restaurant. We build three econometric models to examine how overall rating is affected and found that the food aspect has a significant positive impact on the overall rating. Another interesting finding of our analysis is that the service aspect negatively affects the overall rating. This is explainable under the chain …

Jitim Front Cover Vol 31 1 2022

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Table of Content JITIM Vol 31. issue 1, 2022

Examining Factors Influencing Intention To Use M-Health Applications For Promoting Healthier Life Among Smartphone Users In Tanzania, Herman Mandari, Mahija Yahaya

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Deaths related with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have recently increases, similarly, development of mobile technologies have paved a way in which Smartphone users can use m-health applications to address high level of sedentary behaviours that relates to negative health consequences. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine factors which may influence generation Y who are Smartphone users to adopt m-health applications in controlling NCDs in Tanzania. TAM theory was extended with awareness, trust and perceived cost to develop a research conceptual model of this study. Google form was used to developed online questionnaire which was distributed through social media platforms to …

Evolution And Diffusion Of Icts In The Indian Railways: A Historical Analysis, Ramesh Subramanian

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The Indian Railway system is one of the largest socio-technical systems in the world. It has existed for over 160 years, starting from the British Colonial times. It continues to play a critical role in present-day India. It’s continued functioning is dependent not only on the personnel who are employed in the railways, but also the technologies that go into the system. A critical technology in the functioning of the railway system is information and communications technologies (ICTs). ICTs are deployed in almost every facet of the railway system. But these ICTs did not manifest themselves recently. They have been …

Online Discussion Forum And Pre-Migration Information Seeking: An Affordance Perspective, Daniel Gulanowski, Luciara Nardon, Michael J. Hine

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Potential immigrants increasingly rely on online technologies to access needed information as they have limited access to offline sources of information at the pre-arrival stage. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of online discussion forums in facilitating potential immigrants’ access to relevant information about the host country labor market. This paper draws on extant literature on computer-mediated communication and a qualitative content analysis of 363 forum discussions to explore the phenomenon of increased use of online forums by prospective immigrants to Canada to access relevant labor market information. We draw on existing concepts of technology affordances …