From Real to Virtual and Back Again

2011 ◽  
pp. 285-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas M. Kaplan ◽  
Michael Haenlein
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
Hewlett Packard ◽  
Online Application ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Conscious Choice ◽  
Social Gaming ◽  
Profit Potential

Researchers and practitioners alike have speculated that virtual social worlds and social gaming will likely be major platforms for business operations in the future. This chapter shows how major IT companies make use of virtual social worlds (esp. the online application Second Life), focusing on the examples of Dell, Hewlett-Packard, International Business Machines (IBM) and Microsoft. Specifically, the authors investigate whether and how corporate presences within Second Life can be used as platforms to distribute Real Life products and services, so-called virtual commerce (v-Commerce). They show that although the four firms included in our analysis all have a different perspective on the potential of virtual social worlds, each of them made an active and conscious choice about how to use this medium. With regard to v-Commerce, their results indicate that although the short-term profit potential of this form of distribution is still limited, Second Life residents perceive the idea of buying products through in-world stores as positive and exciting. Based on these results, they derive a set of key insights regarding the business potential of virtual social worlds, consumers’ reactions towards corporate presences within Second Life, and advice for firms planning to enter this type of application.

Flagship Brand Stores within Virtual Worlds: The Impact of Virtual Store Exposure on Real-Life Attitude toward the Brand and Purchase Intent

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Haenlein ◽  
Andreas M. Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Purchase Intent ◽  
Social Worlds ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Store Design ◽  
Virtual Store ◽  
The Impact

Virtual hyperrealities, also referred to as virtual social worlds, have experienced increasing managerial interest in recent years. Although they have also received some attention in the academic literature, the extent to which corporate presences within such environments can influence attitude toward the brand and purchase intent in real life remains unclear. Based on a survey conducted among 580 Second Life residents, we show that exposure to flagship brand stores within virtual worlds positively influences attitude toward the associated brand and real life purchase intent. We furthermore show that a user's purchase experience (shopping frequency, purchase frequency, spending per purchase) and the gratification derived from the use of their purchases have a significant moderating effect on these relationships. Our results are of managerial and theoretical importance as they provide empirical evidence for spill-over effects between virtual worlds and real life and help to develop recommendations on optimal store design within virtual social worlds.

scholarly journals Who is Portrayed in Second Life: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? The Extent of Congruence Between Real Life and Virtual Identity

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadett Koles ◽  
Peter Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Second Life ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Physical World ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Virtual Identity ◽  
Digital Environments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Public Self Consciousness

Virtual social environments opened the door to individual experiences that may not be feasible or possible in real physical settings; in turn bringing to question the applicability of certain more traditional theories to digital environments. Addressing some of this gap in the available literature, in the current study, we compare virtual and real life identities simultaneously, as well as explore the impact of selfconsciousness on virtual identity. Our results indicate that while some of the overall trends are similar between identities constructed in the physical world and those constructed in virtual settings, different identity elements and dimensions tend to be emphasized to different degrees. Furthermore, we find evidence for the role of private in addition to public self-consciousness as influencing virtual existence. In other words, in addition to the general emphasis concerning the  role of socially influenced external elements in the formulation of virtual identities, the current study highlights the importance of more internalized and  individual level attitudes and perceptions, including one’s inner thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. Implications and future directions are discussed.

scholarly journals Digital Guqin Museum from a Virtual World to the Real World : Conception and design of an ongoing cultural sim

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuen-git Chow
Keyword(s):  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Mixed Reality ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Good Match ◽  
Chinese Music ◽  
Place Holder ◽  
Informal Settings

This paper provides an overview of the Digital Guqin Museum built in Second Life that provides the user an opportunity to experience and interact with different facets of Chinese culture. The user will find examples of Guquin culture, considered by some to be a place holder for Chinese culture , such as the guqin, a rarely seen musical instrument sometimes confused with the guzheng, a more common popular instrument. Users can see the making of a guqin instrument and listen to guqin music being played, which represents both Chinese music, and more specifically, the guqin music genre - an elegant and quiet music – that might be considered a good match for a virtual world. The Digital Guqin Museam enables participants to play guqin music both in-world and via mixed-reality session, such as the recreation of an online “yaji” – elegant gatherings . This paper questions which groups of Guqin players would be interested and which group would not, and what types of uses might be most engaging . The Digital Guqin Museum in Second Life enables meetings possible only in a virtual world. Real life people could meet in virtual places, visit cities, venues as an end in itself. DGM has been shown to professional guqin players, in informal settings and at a specialists conference.

Griefing in a Virtual Community

2009 ◽  
Vol 217 (4) ◽  
pp. 214-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iain Coyne ◽  
Thomas Chesney ◽  
Brian Logan ◽  
Neil Madden
Keyword(s):  
Second Life ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Cyber Bullying ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Negative Behavior ◽  
Traditional Bullying ◽  
The Impact

Building on the research of Chesney, Coyne, Logan, and Madden (2009), this paper examines griefing within the virtual online community of Second Life via an online survey of 86 residents (46% men). Results suggested that griefing was deemed to be an unacceptable, persistent negative behavior which disrupted enjoyment of the environment and which was experienced by 95% of the sample, with 38% classified as frequent victims and 20% classified as perpetrators. No differences emerged in rates between gender (real life and second life), age, and time as a resident in Second Life. A number of self, player- and game-influenced motivations were judged to promote griefing, with respondents overall split on the impact of griefing when compared to traditional bullying. Further, respondents felt that a shared responsibility to control griefing was needed with individuals, residents as a community, and Second Life developers all playing a part. Discussion of the findings in relation to cyber-bullying in general is presented.

International Business Initiatives of the Turkish Enterprises in Global Trade

2016 ◽  
pp. 166-186
Author(s):  
Aytaç Gökmen
Keyword(s):  
International Business ◽  
National Income ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Internationalization Process ◽  
Trade Routes ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
Firm Internationalization ◽  
The World ◽  
Multinational Businesses ◽  
North And South

The amount of trade and international business volume in the world has amounted considerably as a result of the fast moving globalization and declining borders especially after the 1990s. International business and trade are important tools for countries and enterprises to increase their volumes of production and commerce as well as enhance employment, increase the national income and raise revenue for enterprises to make further investments. Turkey is located at the threshold of Europe and Asia, consolidating East and West, and North and South at the convergence of various trade routes. However, despite of being close to various countries, a great deal of Turkey's export potential is focused on the EU and developed countries. However, the production means in Turkey are not adequate, so it imports factors of production from abroad by way of international business operations. Thus, the aim of this study is to review the theory of globalization, international business, firm internationalization process of businesses, impact direction of multinational businesses as well as the commercial operations of the Turkish enterprises, real and commercial abilities of the Turkish firms and international business activities on the global basis; compare this to its entire trade volume and propose comments on these issues resting on credible national and international publications and figures.

Segmenting Brand Value Perceptions of Consumers in Virtual Worlds

2013 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart J. Barnes ◽  
Jan Mattsson
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Measurement Instrument ◽  
Brand Value ◽  
Value Perceptions ◽  
Modeling Techniques ◽  
Electronic Marketing

Virtual worlds are emerging as a promising new channel for electronic marketing and brand-related activities. However, like Second Life. This paper examines the spectrum of perceptions of consumers of four major real-life brands (Armani, Dell, Mercedes and Hublot) that have established operations in Second Life. A survey was conducted using an avatar survey bot (n=1,039). Using the FIMIX-PLS procedure (Ringle et al., 2009), an axiological measurement instrument for brand value and formative modeling techniques, the authors identify segments of consumers with different perceptions of value for each brand. The analysis shows a clear difficulty in establishing ‘emotional’ rapport with consumers in Second Life.

What’s In It for Me?

2013 ◽  
pp. 91-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Grassian ◽  
Rhonda Trueman
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Knowledge Innovation ◽  
3D Virtual World

Virtual worlds offer synchronous (simultaneous) real life participation through virtual reality, combining the two to provide convenient and low-cost options for librarians’ professional development. This chapter explores the use of virtual worlds for meetings, training, conferences, discussions, mentoring, networking, and peer-to-peer information sharing, with a focus on the 3D virtual world of Second Life. Definitions of “professional development” and “virtual worlds” precede discussion of the issues surrounding the use of this type of environment for a variety of training events and activities to support and encourage ongoing expansion of knowledge, innovation, and creativity among librarians. This chapter also includes information about planning and implementing professional development sessions in this arena, along with information on effective methods for publicizing these activities for parties interested in using virtual worlds for professional development. For those interested in attending professional development opportunities in virtual worlds, the chapter provides information on how to discover and choose useful activities and events in virtual worlds.

The Added Value of 3D World in Professional, Educational, and Individual Dynamics

2017 ◽  
pp. 275-297
Author(s):  
Ivonne Citarella
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Worlds ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Economic Opportunities ◽  
Fantasy World

The author focused her studies on the series of professional competences which have grown within virtual worlds, and which have been made possible thanks to two main peculiarities: the highly intuitive software and playfulness gaming. The research allowed to classify the various professions born within the Second Life virtual world, these have allowed also to become a viable economic opportunities in real life. In parallel with the observations on the dimension of “work” within Second Life, the author gave also attention to the relational and educational dynamics. The author decided to enact her sociological and didactical experiment in the occasion of the event Salerno in Fantasy, a yearly convention dedicated to the Fantasy world.

The Effects of Second Life on the Motivation of EFL Student Teachers

2019 ◽  
pp. 86-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galip Kartal ◽  
Cem Balçıkanlı
Keyword(s):  
Student Teachers ◽  
Second Life ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Free Environment

This study aimed at investigating the effects of using a virtual world, Second Life (SL), on the motivation of Turkish EFL student teachers. First, a 10-week real-life task syllabus was designed and conducted in SL. Focus-group interviews were utilized to enhance the quality of the tasks. Then, the effects of SL on motivation were tracked via qualitative research tools, namely semi-structured interviews, weekly evaluation forms, and observations. The findings showed that SL was effective in increasing motivation of the participating student teachers. The characteristics of the virtual world that were reported to have an effect on motivation were as follows: natural environment, realistic places, anxiety-free environment, excitement, and visual support. This chapter provides possibilities for those who are interested in employing virtual world technologies in foreign/second language teaching and learning and finally describes an investigation into the role of the virtual world in relation to affordances such technologies present across the globe.

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