Virtual reality: a new channel in sport consumption

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 472-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ania Izabela Rynarzewska

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine which factors affect virtual reality (VR) adoption by sports fans. Second, this paper seeks to evaluate consumer expectations of experience as related to introduction of VR. Based on the technology acceptance model, modified for the purpose of this study, and expectancy value theory, it was hypothesized that the frequency of sports-related information consumption, via different media channels, the expected improvement in the consumption of sports related information after adoption and attitude toward VR positively affect the likelihood of adoption. Design/methodology/approach The study relied on a quantitative questionnaire design method embedded in Qualtrics online survey tool. In addition, participants were exposed to a 75-s video about VR. Findings This study found that attitude toward VR, frequency of sports-related information consumption and expected improvements to information consumption after technology introduction positively affect adoption. The findings encourage adoption of a new channel, as it is likely to improve sports fan experiences related to information seeking and sports service consumption. Originality/value This study attempted to explore a relatively untapped area of research in VR usage particularly focusing on sports consumers. Most importantly, this applied study explored whether fans are willing to adopt VR, a relatively new technology that may have a high impact on the sports industry. Finally, this study relied on the modified technology adoption model and attempted to minimize its shortcomings. With that, this study should be viewed as beneficial to both theory and practice.

2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 372-384
Author(s):  
Sarah McNicol ◽  
Karine Aillerie

Purpose This paper aims to report the findings from a survey of secondary school students in Chile by exploring their use of social networking services for information-seeking purposes. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was distributed via Chile’s Ministry of Education and 12,354 responses were received. Findings The results indicate that young people in Chile extensively use SNSs, but there are differences in the ways in which they use these services, specifically for information purposes. When considering school-related activities, there are differences in the use of SNSs by students in different types of schools. Those in academic-focussed institutions are more likely to use SNSs for school-related information purposes and are more likely to publish most types of information on SNSs than their counterparts in vocational schools. Research limitations/implications The sample was self-selecting and excluded students without online access to the survey. Practical implications The findings indicate more needs to be done in schools serving lower socio-economic communities to support students’ use of SNSs for information-seeking, especially for academic purposes. Social implications The findings suggest that school-associated social capital may have a role in shaping students’ use of SNSs for information and learning purposes and, potentially, in exacerbating digital inequalities. Originality/value The focus on the use of social media specifically for information-seeking distinguishes this research. The findings challenge possible assumptions about the links between social media use and social class and suggest that differences may be exacerbated by school practices.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisha Ali ◽  
Andrew J. Frew

Purpose – The aim of this research is to foreground information and communication technology (ICT) as an innovative approach for sustainable tourism (ST) development of destinations. ICT is the technology required for information processing which facilitates data processing, information sharing, communication, searching and selection. This paper concentrates on the Abernathy and Clark model and its usefulness in applying ICT as innovative in managing ST. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was administered to destination managers and to eTourism experts. Destination managers were selected as they were identified as the person responsible for the overall management of a Destination Management Organisation. eTourism experts were identified as someone who possesses special expertise, knowledge and skills on ICT applications to tourism and offered expertise on which ranged from such areas as electronic distribution, recommender systems, user-generated content, online communities, mobile technology, technology acceptance, tourism networks and Web 2.0. This was followed by semi-structured interviews. Findings – These ICT tools were found to be innovative for information management and distribution for critical decision-making. Innovation was fostered through the use of ICT for ST by leading to a better understanding of the tourism product, monitoring, measuring and evaluating, forecasting trends, developing partnerships and engaging and supporting stakeholder relationships. ICT would provide novel ways of approaching marketing, energy monitoring, waste management, and communication for destinations. Originality/value – This research is important in demonstrating the value that technology can have to ST and further develops the work on tourism innovation theory.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maruf Gbadebo Salimon ◽  
Olanrewaju Kareem ◽  
Sany Sanuri Mohd Mokhtar ◽  
Olayemi Abdullateef Aliyu ◽  
Jibril Adewale Bamgbade ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt mobile commerce (m-commerce) by integrating the constructs of Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM 3), Universal Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 and Technology-Organization-Environment model. Though numerous m-commerce adoption (MCA) studies have been conducted, lesser attention is paid to how hedonic motivation (HM) can influence organizational users such as SMEs. This study bridges the gap by integrating the three models to provide a new lens to guide SMEs. Design/methodology/approach To examine the factors that influence the adoption of m-commerce, the researchers collected data from SMEs in Malaysia using an online survey. The sample size of the participants was determined through the available list provided by SME Corp Malaysia. The researchers also used Krejcie and Morgan’s sample size and G * Power techniques to determine that the sample size was appropriate. The data collected were analyzed using partial least square-structural equation modeling. Findings The findings of this study reveal that technological factors (computer self-efficacy [CSE], result demonstrability [RD] and computer anxiety [CA]) positively and significantly influence MCA. Likewise, the organizational/environmental factors (m-commerce knowledge, pressure from trading partners and pressure from competitors) positively and significantly influence MCA. The moderating influence of HM was also achieved on the relationship between CSE and RD. However, the proposed hedonic moderating relationship between CA and the adoption of m-commerce is not significant. Research limitations/implications This study integrates three models to explain the adoption of m-commerce among SMEs in Malaysia and tested the moderating influence of HM. The results obtained better explain the decision by the SMEs to use m-commerce. Originality/value The study critically considered how m-commerce can be adopted by SMEs in Malaysia, which previous studies have largely ignored. Considering this, the study, therefore, advances a new relationship by integrating Technology-organization-environment model with TAM 3 and the moderating influence of HM to explain MCA among SMEs. This paper is one of the few research studies to test the moderating influence of HM in this regard.


2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 621-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roofia Galeshi ◽  
Jyotsna Sharman ◽  
Jinghong Cai

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the behavior diversities that exist among young millennials’ subgroups in ways they seek health-related information. Design/methodology/approach The authors ran several sets of analyses on the 2012–2014 US Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Data using Stata. The population was stratified into four specific subgroups based on their gender, ethnicity—blacks, Hispanics and whites—immigration status, college status—whether they were enrolled in a program of study at the time of the survey. The outcome variables were sources of health information including print (books/magazines/brochures), traditional media (Radio/TV), internet, family/friends/co-workers and health professionals. The independent variables were gender, ethnicity, educational status and immigration status. The authors utilized the appropriate sample weight derived by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development so the findings can be generalized to the populations. The analysis included several descriptive statistics and χ2 test of independence. Findings Despite similarities, young adults’ health seeking behavior is complex influenced by gender, ethnicity, immigration status and education. The results indicated that while the internet is the primary source of health-related information for all young adults, there are subtle differences in utilizing other available resources. For example while more educated young adults seek help from their family members, the less educated peers use the media to obtain health-related information. Ethnicity has also an effect on young adults’ information seeking behavior. The number of Hispanics and blacks that obtain their information from traditional media is significantly higher than their white counterparts. Research limitations/implications This study has several limitations. First, the authors did not consider the effect of young adults’ digital literacy skills, problem solving skills and numeracy skills on their health seeking approach. Including these cognitive skills could reveal key information about young adults approach to information seeking that is not apparent by race, ethnicity and gender only. Another limitation of this study is the lack of the ability to claim causation, PIAAC data are designed strictly for cross-sectional analysis. Practical implications Although, behaviors often do not change simply by presenting information, trying to change behavior without improving individuals’ understanding of the issue by providing accurate information is likely to fail. Providing standardized health-related information sources that are accessible to all is vitally important. The results indicate that while the majority of young adults use the internet as their primary source of information only a few percentage of young adults seek information from health professional. Consequently, there is a need for an easily accessible and standardized online health-related source of information. Social implications Healthcare facilities and health related industries have the resources and the ability to develop a reliable infrastructure that could potentially provide reliable information that is easy to understand and navigate for adults with a variety of literacy and skills to use. Perhaps adopting the Universal Design for Learning approach and providing information that is accessible to a variety of individuals regardless of their education, learning skills and language skills. Flexible learning resources provided within a standard infrastructure accessible to all can help individuals find trustworthy and consistent information that they can trust. Originality/value Despite the unique characteristics of the millennials and the profound change in the way young adults seek information, there is a paucity of research on the ways young adults seek health-related information. Most existing literature is based on locally developed surveys and convenient sampling with limited reliability and validity information. Consequently making a sweeping statement based on their findings is considered as hasty generalization. The PIAAC, on the other hand, is a nationally representative data, extensively examined for its validity and reliability.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuangao Chen ◽  
Ruyi Dai ◽  
Lu Wang ◽  
Shuiqing Yang ◽  
Yixiao Li ◽  
...  

PurposeThis study adopts self-determination theory and stimulus-organism-response framework to develop a model that explores the motivations of such donors by considering their self-determination needs and extrinsic and intrinsic motivations.Design/methodology/approachBased on online survey data collected from 436 crowdfunding donors in China, this study follows a structural equation modeling analysis to test hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that perceived ease of use, perceived self-efficacy and social connection have positive effects on the donation intentions of backers through a combination of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations.Originality/valueThe findings shed light on various extrinsic and intrinsic motivations advancing knowledge of individual fund motivation in donation-based crowdfunding and provide guidelines for the development of donation-based crowdfunding theory and practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kadri Ojaperv ◽  
Sirje Virkus

Purpose This study aims to increase the understanding of the pregnancy-related information behavior (IB) of pregnant women in Estonia. Design/methodology/approach The research involved a quantitative research methodology consisting of a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was collected from pregnant Estonian women through a self-administered Web-based questionnaire using a convenience sampling during the period from January to February 2019. A total of 300 pregnant women answered the questionnaire. The data were analysed using statistical analysis and the results of the study were compared with the results of previous studies. Findings The three topics on which information was most frequently sought were: fetal development, use of medicines during pregnancy and symptoms of pregnancy. The main sources of information were the internet and the midwife. The most reliable and valuable source of information was a midwife. Health-related information was sought mainly because it helped women make decisions related to pregnancy and childbirth. A number of factors facilitate the information seeking process. In addition, widespread access to the internet and technological skills facilitated IB. The following factors hindered the search for information: the controversy and/or ambiguity of information published on the internet and the time spent searching for information. Most women used wearable technologies during pregnancy. Research limitations/implications This study has several limitations. First, the weakness of online surveys is the potential lack of representativeness, as it excludes from the survey those who do not have access to or ability to use the internet for various reasons (Evans and Mathur, 2005; Limbu et al., 2021). Second, as most recruitment for the study took place online, there was a risk that those who did not use the internet could be excluded from the survey. Third, as the questionnaire was also shared in the Facebook news feed by the Women’s Clinic and Maternity Hospital of the East Tallinn Central Hospital, it may be that the respondents recruited through it more often used the support provided by medical professionals. Fourth, due to the volume limits of the study, it is not possible to present all the results of the study on the basis of socio-demographic characteristics and stage of pregnancy. Therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to the broader population and future studies should explore a larger and more representative populations. Practical implications This study will give some useful information to help to improve the services offered for pregnant women in Estonia. Social implications The findings of this study may inform how to better support this target group. Originality/value There is a lack of research in Estonia that focuses on the IB of pregnant women and this research fills this gap.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolaine Rivest-Beauregard ◽  
Justine Fortin ◽  
Connie Guo ◽  
Sabrina Cipolletta ◽  
Ram Sapkota ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND While exposure to COVID-related stressors, level of peritraumatic distress, and frequency of media use for seeking COVID-related information can increase the risk for trauma- and stressor-related (TSR) symptoms during the pandemic, frequency of social media use for support and connection may buffer these effects. OBJECTIVE We examined the associations between COVID-related stressors and frequency of media use for information-seeking on TSR symptoms, with a focus on the indirect effects of social media use for support-seeking and peritraumatic distress. METHODS A path model was tested in an international sample of 5 913 adults who completed an online survey. RESULTS COVID-related stressors (β = .25, p <.05) and information-seeking through media (β = .24, p <.05) were significantly associated with TSR symptoms in bivariate comparisons. Levels of peritraumatic distress and frequency of social media use for support were significant intermediary variables (respectively, β=0.71, p<.05; β=.02, p<.05). CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that exposure to COVID-related stressors and seeking COVID-related information through the media are associated with higher levels of peritraumatic distress and, in turn, higher levels of TSR symptoms. Although exposure to the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic may be unavoidable, the frequency consuming COVID-related information through the media should be approached with caution. CLINICALTRIAL NA


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shavneet Sharma ◽  
Neale Slack ◽  
Kritika Devi ◽  
Tuma Greig ◽  
Samantha Naidu

PurposeWith the increasing popularity of online games like Pokémon Go, a new wave of crowdsourcing communities have emerged, allowing gamers to collaborate, communicate and share useful game-related information. This paper aims to examine the factors that influence gamers' crowdsourcing behaviour.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework is developed that combines the DeLone & McLean model, self-determination theory, and different levels of engagement behaviour. The online survey collected 371 responses that were analysed using Covariance Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM).FindingsThe results show that extrinsic and intrinsic motivation positively influenced gamers' crowdsourcing engagement intention. System quality and information quality were also confirmed to be positively associated with gamers' crowdsourcing engagement intention. Furthermore, crowdsourcing engagement intention was found to be positively associated with crowdsourcing content consumption, contribution, and creation.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study are useful for the owners of Pokémon Go and other gaming-related crowdsourcing platforms in devising tailored strategies to increase the crowdsourcing engagement of gamers.Originality/valueThis study provides the first empirical evidence of factors motivating online gamers' crowdsourcing intention. This study also presents novel insight into online gamers' crowdsourcing intention by combining diverse theories which offer different perspectives and a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. Contribution to the research on the intention-behaviour gap by modelling three behavioural outcomes (content creation, contribution, and consumption behaviour) of crowdsourcing engagement intention, is another important contribution of this study.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro ◽  
Hans Rüdiger Kaufmann ◽  
Samuel Rabino

Purpose – In an online banking context this study seeks to explore the relation between the relationship marketing factors of customer intentions to continue to use services and to recommend these services to others, and the technology acceptance factors of self-control, usefulness, customer value, technology-based service encounter satisfaction and reputation. Innovatively this study also compares the proposed model in two countries, Portugal and Austria. Design/methodology/approach – Derived from a review of previous literature, a survey was developed and data were collected using the online survey service of universities in two countries, Portugal and Austria. The partial least squares approach was employed to test the hypotheses. Findings – The findings showed that self-control and usefulness are important antecedents of customer value delivery. Furthermore perceptions of online bank reputation were enhanced by the satisfaction derived from positive customer encounters with online banking services. Unlike the Portuguese, Austrians' perceptions of bank reputation did not significantly influence their intention to continue to use or their propensity to recommend online banking to others. Originality/value – Based on literature which suggests that constructs such as customer value, trust, satisfaction and reputation are inter-related to the technology acceptance model, this paper extends earlier theoretical frameworks and is the first study to incorporate relationship marketing constructs into a model examining intention to use, and recommending online banking services. The study also differentiates the model in two countries that represent different business and cultural settings: Portugal and Austria.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-103
Author(s):  
Reinhard E. Kunz ◽  
James P. Santomier

PurposeNotwithstanding the dynamics of digital transformation and its relevance for revenue generation in the entertainment industry, empirical research that focused on consumer behavior at the intersection of sport content and media technology acceptance is limited. Virtual reality (VR) is a re-emerging and nowadays commercially available technology that impacts sport consumed through media. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the consumer acceptance of VR technology and highlight the effects of content quality and flow experience as influencing factors of behavioral intention.Design/methodology/approachBased on a literature review, the authors constructed and empirically tested a model that extends the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) by considering additional antecedent factors. Participants (N=570) in the empirical study viewed sport content via VR technology (Sport VR) and completed a survey before and after viewing. The authors conducted factor analysis and structural equation modeling.FindingsThree UTAUT2 influencing factors, i.e., performance expectancy, social influence and hedonic motivation, showed significant effects. Furthermore, flow and content quality had positive indirect effects. Thus, the quality of sport content and the state of flow that users experience when immersed in a VR environment are relevant factors that determine the performance expectations of consumers and their Sport VR usage intention.Originality/valueThis empirical study contributes to knowledge on consumer acceptance of a hedonic technology in a sport media context. Moreover, two factors extended the established UTAUT2 model.


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