Convergence or Divergence? Web Usage in the Workplace in Nigeria, Malaysia, and the United States

Author(s):  
Claire A. Simmers ◽  
Murugan Anandarajan

This study sets out to examine whether employee web usage patterns, attitudes toward web usage in the workplace, and organizational policies are more similar (convergence thesis) or less similar (divergence thesis) in three countries: Nigeria (n = 224), Malaysia (n = 107), and the United States (n = 334). Our results show general support for the divergence thesis. We found strong differences in employee usage patterns by country, even after controlling for differences in several demographic variables. However, there is less support for the divergence thesis in attitudes and organizational policies. In half of the eight indicators of employee attitudes, there were no differences among the three countries. Agreement that personal web usage at work is acceptable behavior is widespread. Other common perceptions are that companies tolerate personal web searches and that Internet usage policies are not enforced.

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-382
Author(s):  
Hartwig Spitzer

AbstractToday the Treaty on Open Skies is confronted with contradictory developments: Continuing adherence of all parties, in particular Russia and the United States to the treaty and preparations for modernisation of the technical monitoring capabilities on the one hand, while the general support for conventional arms control and military confidence building in the OSCE region declines. Since January 2011 an intervention of Turkey over the accession application of Cyprus has prevented any regular sessions and decisions of the Open Skies Consultative Commission ( OSCC ). The treaty is taken hostage for an unsolved status conflict which has much wider dimensions. Since the impasse in the OSCC could not be solved on the diplomatic level so far (Oct. 2011), high level political intervention is needed to save the treaty from erosion.


2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Ono ◽  
Madeline ZavodnY

This study examines whether there are differences in men's and women's use of computers and the Internet in the United States and Japan and, if so, how this gender gap has changed over time. We focus on these two countries because information technology is widely used in both, but there are substantial differences in institutions and social organizations. We use microdata from several surveys during 1997–2001 to examine differences and trends in computer and Internet usage in the two countries. Controlling for socioeconomic characteristics, our results indicate that there were significant gender differences in computer and Internet usage in both countries during the mid-1990s. By 2001 these gender differences had disappeared or were even reversed in the United States but persisted in Japan. People not currently working have lower levels of information technology (IT) use and skills in both countries regardless of gender, but working women in Japan have lower levels of IT use and skills than working men, a difference that generally does not occur in the United States. This suggests that employment status per se does not play a large role in the gender gap in Japan, but type of employment does. The prevalence of nonstandard employment among female workers in Japan can explain much of the gender gap in information technology use and skills in that country.


2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 423-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celeste Campos-Castillo

With the narrowing of Internet access divide, researchers have focused on Internet usage, taking for granted access issues. However, questions remain regarding who has Internet access in the United States: What is the status of the racial divide? Is there still a gender divide? How do Latinos compare to other racial and ethnic minority groups? How does gender intersect with race and ethnicity? I analyze nationally representative data to compare Internet access among adults from 2007 to 2012. I find that women are more likely to report having Internet access than men. Blacks and Latinos are equally likely to report having Internet access, and both groups are less likely to report having Internet access than Whites. Finally, Black men exhibited the greatest increase in access. This research complements Internet usage studies with a recent assessment of Internet access trends, important trends to monitor as policies and technological innovations aim for universal access.


2020 ◽  
pp. 146144482094118
Author(s):  
Angela Xiao Wu ◽  
Harsh Taneja ◽  
James G Webster

Theories explaining the impacts of online media often swing between the actions of empowered individuals and the distribution structures put in place by powerful corporations. To explicate how these factors interact, we adapt the concept of audience flow to highlight the temporal dimension of web use and demonstrate how digital architectures subtly nudge masses of people into online attention flows. We identify sequential usage patterns through a network analysis of passively measured clickstreams, combined with data on website ownership and website architectures. Our sample, based on a panel of 1 million users, includes 1761 websites that reached at least 1% of Internet users in the United States. Our findings reveal previously unseen patterns of online audience formation, which have implications for studying media effects and understanding institutional power on the Internet.


2020 ◽  
pp. 146144482090655
Author(s):  
Chen Sabag Ben-Porat ◽  
Sam Lehman-Wilzig

Social networks are generally regarded as channels through which parliamentarians establish direct contact with the public. However, do they engage in these activities personally or rather delegate them to their parliamentary assistants? This study examines the intermediary relationship between parliamentarians and the public (henceforth PAs)—seeking to understand their role in contemporary, political communications. While numerous studies have looked at types of parliamentarian contact with the public, PAs have received little scholarly attention. Adopting a comparative perspective, this study will suggest a theoretical model of the MP/PA social media work relationship, creating a new questionnaire for PAs in the US House of Representatives, German Bundestag, and Israeli Knesset, exploring whether level of parliamentarians’ involvement in social networking is influenced by working within different electoral systems: representatives elected directly (the United States), mixed (Germany), and indirectly (Israel). The study investigates the level of parliamentarians’ engagement with social media communication according to a four-category model.


Author(s):  
Murugan Anandarajan

The ubiquitous nature of the World Wide Web (commonly known as the Web) is dramatically revolutionizing the manner in which organizations and individuals alike acquire and distribute information. Recent reports from the International Data Group indicate that the number of people on the Internet will reach 320 million by the year 2002 (Needle, 1999). Studies also indicate that in the United States alone, Web commerce will account for approximately $325 billion by the year 2002.


2017 ◽  
Vol 197 (4S) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitar V. Zlatev ◽  
Shufeng Li ◽  
Laurence C. Baker ◽  
Michael L. Eisenberg

2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Domino

A scale to measure attitudes toward physician assisted suicide was administered to a sample ( N=246) of Polish citizens and a sample ( N=246) of U.S. citizens equated on gender, marital status, religion, and socioeconomic level. In both samples the reliability was substantial (Cronbach's alphas of .93 and .89), and the factor structure identical (one major factor). Significant ethnic differences were found for 10 of the 12 scale items, but no differences related to demographic variables. The obtained differences appear to parallel a conservative-liberal dimension, though this will need to be assessed in future studies.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12619
Author(s):  
Sneha M. Vaddadi ◽  
Nicholas J. Czelatka ◽  
Belsy D. Gutierrez ◽  
Bhumika C. Maddineni ◽  
Kenneth L. McCall ◽  
...  

Background The prescription stimulants methylphenidate, amphetamine, and lisdexamfetamine are sympathomimetic drugs with therapeutic use. They are designated in the United States as Schedule II substances, defined by the 1970 Controlled Substances Act as having a “high potential for abuse”. Changing criteria for the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in 2013 and the approval of lisdexamfetamine for binge eating disorder in 2015 may have impacted usage patterns. This report compared the pharmacoepidemiology of these stimulants in the United States from 2010–2017. Methods Distribution of amphetamine, methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine were examined via weights extracted from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System (ARCOS). Median stimulant Daily Dosage per patient was determined for a regional analysis. The percent of cost and prescriptions attributable to each stimulant and atomoxetine in Medicaid from the “Drug Utilization 2018 - National Total” from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid was determined. Results There was a rise in amphetamine (+67.5%) and lisdexamfetamine (+76.7%) from 2010–2017. The change in methylphenidate (−3.0%) was modest. Persons/day stimulant usage was lower in the West than in other US regions from 2014-2017. There was a negative correlation (r(48) = −0.43 to −0.65, p < .05) between the percent Hispanic population per state and the Daily Dosage/population per stimulant. Methylphenidate formulations accounted for over half (51.7%) of the $3.8 billion reimbursed by Medicaid and the plurality (45.4%) of the 22.0 million prescriptions. Amphetamine was responsible for less than one-fifth (18.4%) of cost but one-third of prescriptions (33.6%). Lisdexamfetamine’s cost (26.0%) exceeded prescriptions (16.3%). Conclusion The rising amphetamine and lisdexamfetamine distribution may correspond with a rise in adult ADHD diagnoses. Regional analysis indicates that stimulant distribution in the West may be distinct from that in other regions. The lower stimulant distribution in areas with greater Hispanic populations may warrant further study.


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