ASSESSING PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF URBAN AGRICULTURE IN CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES: TOWARDS DEVELOPING ACTION PLANS

Background and Purpose: Urban agriculture (UA) has become an even more attractive option for food security and safety brought by the spread of COVID-19 which causes global health crisis. However, studies examining the perceived values, challenges, and needs towards urban agriculture are very limited and this does not exempt even the context of Cebu City in the Philippines. In this regard, this study aimed to assess the problems and prospects concerning urban agriculture in the aforementioned City. The purposes are to propose action plans and offer insights in designing and implementing food and agricultural programs and policies in the planned participatory action research (PAR) for sustainable urban agriculture. Methodology: This study used Kemmis and McTaggart’s (1988) Model of Action Research. The use of this research method is an essential approach towards constructing sustainable developments of urban agricultural systems. However, only the planning stage was accomplished in this phase of action research of which it employed sequential explanatory research design. There were 509 household representatives in this stage of the study who participated in an online survey, 217 and 292 were from the north district and south district, respectively. Subsequently, each district had five representatives who were subjected to interviews to explain the quantitative results. Findings: Results indicate that Cebuanos positively perceives the social, economic, health, environmental, and aesthetic values of urban agriculture. However, the presence of urban agriculture in the metropolitan is only from moderate to nonexistent due to lack of space or designated area. In addition, the participants disclosed a lack of training and capital or funding, thus further disengaging them from adopting urban agriculture. Nonetheless, the majority (n=463) expressed willingness to be trained in urban agriculture if given the opportunity. Contributions: This study provides key points as to how urban agriculture can be promoted. These include designating some portions of public and privately unused lands as “urban agriculture areas”. In addition, financing institutions may also allocate small subsidies for marginally low-income families as their starting capital for urban agriculture activities. Finally, universities, non-government, and government agencies in the agriculture sector may train Cebuanos in backyard and rooftop gardening being the widely accepted urban agriculture form. Keywords: Action research, perceived challenges, perceived needs, perceived values, urban agriculture. Cite as: Cortes, S. T., Bugtai, V. H., Lampawog, E. Q., Sadili, C. B., Agero, A. D., Ramas, C. B., … Lorca, A. S. (2022). Understanding the issues of citizen participation. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 7(1), 264-291. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol7iss1pp264-291

Purchase Motivation, Experiential Value Related to Continuance Intention to Purchase on China’s Double 11 Shopping Festival

As well as bringing convenience to consumers, online shopping also represents an enormous business opportunity. In online shopping, the Double 11 shopping festival (hereafter Double 11) organized by China’s Alibaba has set records and has continued to grow rapidly for the last 10 years. To understand this phenomenon, this study adapted self-determination theory to explore customers’ motivation and perceived values with respect to Double 11. This study focused on people who live in China who shopped during the China Double 11 Carnival Shopping Festival in 2018. A total of 399 validated data were collected and then confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation model was conducted. The results of the study show that purchase amotivation is not significantly related to, but extrinsic purchasing motivation is positively related to hedonic value and social value. Moreover, continuance intention to purchase can be positively predicted by hedonic value and social value. With a better understanding of these results, managers operating electronic businesses can use certain approaches to increase customers’ extrinsic motivation and enhance their experiential values to promote their continuance intention to purchase goods on a particular day, for example, by creating more shopping festivals.

Determinants of Millennial behaviour towards current and future use of video streaming services

Purpose This study aims to investigate the evolution of factors that influence the current and future use of video streaming applications by Millennial consumers. Design/methodology/approach Combining technology acceptance, perceived values and user identity theory this study used factor analysis and multiple regression to examine data from a survey of 292 university undergraduates. Findings Millennial’s current and future use of video streaming services remains driven more by social and emotional values and their effect on identity salience with their choice of content. Ease of use, convenience and monetary value remains less of an influence currently but may become more important in the future with the continued maturity of the industry. Practical implications The results of this study suggest that video streaming service providers should be developing business models that recognize the increasing importance of emotional appeal and self-identity of their service offerings as the industry matures and competition increases. Originality/value The research is novel in addressing future video streaming service provision by examining changes in young consumer behaviour over time within a similar sample population and considering the growth and technological advancement of video streaming services. The results are significant in addressing the gap that exists in understanding whether perceived values for technology adoption of the same product or service by millennials change over time and the implications that have for product and service providers.

Defining Natural Landscape Qualities of the Southern Part of the Krka National Park in Croatia

The paper is based on a review of the established principles for evaluating the natural qualities of landscapes and developing procedures that can contribute to current methods, upgraded with indicators derived from the perception and attitudes of the public. They were implemented into an integrated model of natural landscape qualities. The method included modeling of the natural landscape qualities for the southern part of the Krka National Park in Croatia. The first evaluation model was based on a survey whose responses were processed and classified using the AHP method and GIS. The results showed that the respondents recognize the diversity of land cover and relief forms and the degree of their fragmentation as the highest natural landscape quality. The second step included overlapping the vulnerability model of natural landscape qualities and the model of perception of natural qualities. It was found that the implementation of perceived natural qualities in the evaluation process affects the model of vulnerability of landscape quality. It also indicates the possibility of implementing the perceived natural qualities of certain landscape types into the complete landscape evaluation process, which encompasses all values in the space, including human perception. Therefore, the whole procedure pointed out the importance of the implementation of perceived values into landscape evaluation, something which is also emphasized by the European Landscape Convention (ELC).

Audit sampling strategies and frauds: an evidence from Africa

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how professionals such as accountants, auditors, senior civil servants and academics perceive the use of audit sampling strategies adopted by professionals to increase detection rates of frauds and corruption within the public sector in Africa. It also examines the respondents’ perceived values regarding the reasons for committing frauds, types of fraud and corruption, as well as the aspects of audit sampling strategies to tackle frauds. Design/methodology/approach This research uses non-parametric statistics and logistic regression to analyse the respondents’ opinions regarding the state of frauds and corruption in Africa (particularly in Tunisia and non-Tunisia countries), the common factors behind people committing frauds, including the types of frauds and corruption and the respondents’ opinions on the use of audit sampling strategies (non-random and random) to examine the instances of frauds and corruption. Findings The findings indicate that most respondents prefer to use non-probabilistic audit sampling rather than more robust sampling strategies such as random sampling and systematic random sampling to detect frauds and corruption. In addition, although there are some minor statistical differences between the countries in terms of the respondents’ perceived values on skimming fraud and on the use of audit random sampling to tackle rampant corruption in Africa, the overall findings indicate that opinions do not significantly differ between the respondents from Tunisia and other countries in terms of the types of fraud, the reasons for committing fraud and the auditing sampling strategies used to investigate the frauds. Research limitations/implications This research serves as an analytical exploratory study to instigate further audit sampling research to combat rampant fraud and corruption in the public sector in Africa. Originality/value There are few or non-existent studies investigating the application of audit sampling strategies in Africa countries, particularly to examine the application of audit random sampling and audit non-random sampling strategies to detect fraudulent activities and corruption. Correspondingly, this research carries strategic implications for accountants and auditors to successfully detect fraudulent activities and corruption in Africa.

The Impact of the No-Plastic-Bag Campaign on Customer Repurchase Intentions and its mechanism in the Modern Trade Business in Bangkok

This research investigated the impact of the no-plastic-bag campaign on customer repurchase intentions in the modern trade business in Bangkok. Six hundred customers of modern trade stores in Bangkok were initially approached using a stratified random sampling method, but only 418 of them participated in this survey. The partial least squares structural equation results indicated that the no-plastic-bag campaign promotes customer repurchase intentions (β=0.098; p=0.038). Also, the no-plastic-bag campaign could indirectly foster customer repurchase intentions via both enhancing brand image (t=7.379; p<0.001) and increasing customers’ perceived value (t=2.806; p<0.001). Therefore, it can be concluded that the no-plastic-bag campaign benefits modern trade businesses, promoting customer repurchase intentions by enhancing their brand image and customer perceived values. This research also explored the mediating roles of brand image and perceived value on the relationship. These findings provide new knowledge of the no plastic bag campaign’s contribution to customer repurchase intentions which has not yet been investigated, and the mechanism linking them together. The results can be applied as a guideline to other modern-trade businesses or other businesses to enhance their brand image and promote customer repurchase intentions, which is crucial to sustainable business accomplishment. This research investigated the impact of the no-plastic-bag campaign on customer repurchase intentions in the modern trade business in Bangkok. Six hundred customers of modern trade stores in Bangkok were initially approached using a stratified random sampling method, but only 418 of them participated in this survey. The partial least squares structural equation results indicated that the no-plastic-bag campaign promotes customer repurchase intentions (β=0.098; p=0.038). Also, the no-plastic-bag campaign could indirectly foster customer repurchase intentions via both enhancing brand image (t=7.379; p<0.001) and increasing customers’ perceived value (t=2.806; p<0.001). Therefore, it can be concluded that the no-plastic-bag campaign benefits modern trade businesses, promoting customer repurchase intentions by enhancing their brand image and customer perceived values. This research also explored the mediating roles of brand image and perceived value on the relationship. These findings provide new knowledge of the no plastic bag campaign’s contribution to customer repurchase intentions which has not yet been investigated, and the mechanism linking them together. The results can be applied as a guideline to other modern-trade businesses or other businesses to enhance their brand image and promote customer repurchase intentions, which is crucial to sustainable business accomplishment.

Ecotourism Consumption Values in the Unfamiliar Market and Mediating Role of Destination Image

This empirical study aims to determine the dimensions of the perceived value that are considered by the market that is unfamiliar to the ecotourism in relation to ecotourism purchase intention. The study also examines the role of destination image as mediators on the relation between perceived value and ecotourism purchase intention. Data was collected through a survey by self-administered structured questionnaire. The data from 355 respondents are analyzed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analyses and regression analysis. The study findings reveal that three significant predictors i.e. conditional value, emotional value and epistemic value influence ecotourism purchase intention in the unfamiliar market. The strongest influence comes from conditional value, followed by emotional value and epistemic value. Result of this study also reveals that perceived value consisting of these three dimensions significantly influences ecotourism purchase intention. Destination image partially mediate relationship between perceived value and ecotourism purchase intention. This study concludes that only three perceived values significantly affect ecotourism purchase intention in the unfamiliar market. The conceptual model of this study is grounded in the priori causal model. Inferring strong causal effect may be considered as a limitation as it is not based on mixed models method. For deep understanding of the metaphor of values, future studies can carry qualitative investigation by experimental designs or focus groups. Connivance sampling technique also put limitation on the generalization of the study. The present study add to comprehensive understanding about the perceived values that are evaluated by individuals who are unfamiliar with ecotourism. While there is extensive research both for demand and supply in the area of ecotourism, this studyprovide the perceived values considered by the potential tourists who are unfamiliar to ecotourism.

Similarity Effect and Purchase Behavior of Organic Food Under the Mediating Role of Perceived Values in the Context of COVID-19

Due to the influence of COVID-19, people pay more attention to the balance between human and nature and pursue more healthy, environmental and nutritional sustainable products (such as organic food). However, the mainstream consumption of organic food is far less, especially in developing countries like China. Therefore, it is urgent to take effective measures to promote the development of China's organic food market. This current study investigated the relationships between consumers' similarity (i.e., information anxiety, uncertainty, and sustainable consumption attitude), perceived values (i.e., functional value, health value, and environmental value) and organic purchasing behavior based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theoretical model and information similarity effect. And considering gender differences in consumers' similarity, perceived values and organic purchasing behavior. Meanwhile, the mediating effects of perceived values on the relationship between consumers' similarity and purchasing behavior were also discussed, considering the background of COVID-19. Data were collected using structured questionnaire survey in first-tier cities in China. A total of 344 consumers of organic foods participated in the study. Structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. The results indicated the significant association of information anxiety, uncertainty and sustainable consumption attitude with perceived values. And perceived values and sustainable consumption attitude had a positively significant influence on purchase behavior. In addition, environmental value played mediating effects in the relationships between organic purchasing behavior and information anxiety, uncertainty and sustainable consumption attitude. And the impact of sustainable consumption attitude and environmental value on organic purchasing behavior differed in gender. The research not only provides novel insights for understanding organic consumption, but also provides reference for organic sellers to develop sales strategies and policy makers to formulate policies to guide organic consumption, which are conducive to promoting China's organic food industry.

Intention to continue using mobile learning: the effects of perceived values and role of locus of control

PurposeThe study aims to determine the factor of perceived machine learning adoption (MLA) values that affect learners' intention to continue using (ICU), the extent of their relationships in the learners' ICU and the role of locus of control (LOC) in their relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a rigorous literature review of MLA studies that lead to a multidimensional value-based theoretical model. This model combined the theory of consumption and altruistic values. Simple descriptive statistics provide the frequency and percentage of the demographic profile. An orthogonalized approach was used to assess for investigating moderating effects. The data and model analysis used a convenience sample of 419 undergraduate perceptions of MLA value from rural higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines.FindingsThe findings indicate that three perceived values (functional value (FUV), social value (SOV) and spiritual value (SPV)) of MLA significantly affect learners' ICU. Interestingly, the study found that LOC strengthens the positive relationship of FUV on learners' ICU.Originality/valueThe study is one of the few to provide evidence on using a multidimensional value-based adoption model in MLA. The study successfully integrates SPV to the concept of perceived value ignored in the theory of consumption value (TCV) and the role of LOC on FUV relationship to learners' ICU.