Success Factors of Cable Network Brand Extension: Focusing on the Parent Network,Composition, Fit,Consumer Characteristics,and Viewing Habits

This study suggested a total of 7 hypotheses regarding variables affecting viewers' attitudes toward cable network brand extension. The regression analysis showed that 5 of the 7 hypotheses were accepted. Specifically, parent brand attitude, brand portfolio quality variance, the number perception of sub-brands, perceived fit, and innovativeness were found to significantly affect brand extension attitudes while parent brand familiarity and channel repertoire were shown not to be significant. Also, gender and income were found to affect brand extension attitude.     

An exploratory study of the relationship between the use of the Learning Commons and students' perceived learning outcomes

This study proposes and empirically tests a model explicating the impact of the Learning Commons on university students' learning behaviors and skills development. Adapting the information literacy instruction model that is based on expectation disconfirmation theory, a series of hypotheses were developed, and data were collected through an online survey at a Hong Kong university. Responses from 388 students were subjected to a partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis. The results suggest that expectation disconfirmation theory can be applied in the domain of the Learning Commons, and that the degree to which students' expectations are confirmed affects their degree of perceived quality of and satisfaction with the Learning Commons. Perceived quality in turn influences satisfaction. Both perceived quality and satisfaction lead to psychological outcomes that produce behavioral changes and possible benefits, including time savings, effort reduction, better grades, advanced problem-solving skills, and improved learning outcomes.     

A Study of the Causes of User Dissatisfaction in Academic Libraries: A Case of University Students in a Developing Country

ABSTRACT

This article investigates students’ perceptions and expectations of service quality to understand the causes of dissatisfaction with the services delivered by the university libraries in Bangladesh. A total of 623 usable responses were collected from ten public and private university libraries in the country. The survey data were collected using a modified five dimensional SERVQUAL-based questionnaire, consisting of 26 service items. To determine the level of user satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the service items, the study used the disconfirmation theory with slight modification. It was found that users’ unrealistically high expectation for quality services is one of the key sources of their dissatisfaction. The other causes of dissatisfaction include lack of user-employee relationships, lack of attention to users’ needs, an external communication gap between library and users, lack of attention to enhance staffs’ performance, etc. Based on the service deficiencies identified, the study offers some measures that could be used as a way to improve service quality, and thereby user satisfaction.     

品牌延伸视角下用户从免费到付费知识问答服务的转移意愿研究

[目的/意义]从品牌延伸视角出发,探究用户付费问答转移意愿的影响因素,为知识问答平台提高付费问答服务质量和用户付费转移意愿提供参考。[方法/过程]通过追述性口语报告测试,考察15位用户对原生问答平台及其免费问答服务付费问答延伸服务的认知情况,梳理免费和付费问答服务之间具有的品牌延伸关系,并通过构建结构方程模型,探寻品牌延伸关系影响用户从免费问答向付费问答转移意愿的内在机理。[结果/结论]付费问答并不是一种绝对的新生事物,品牌延伸在用户形成付费问答服务新的认知中具有重要价值。用户会体验到4种类型的品牌延伸关系:感知品牌契合度、感知产品契合度、感知联结度和感知差异性。其中,感知品牌契合度和感知差异性对付费问答转移意愿有显著正向影响,其作用机制除直接效应外,还通过影响延伸态度实现间接影响;感知联结度通过影响延伸态度进而影响付费问答转移意愿;母品牌质量对感知契合度与付费问答转移意愿之间的关系起负向调节作用。     

Television director communication as perceived by production personnel

This study explored perceptions of television production crew members regarding production situations and communication behavior of a television director. Results suggest that calm communication behavior is related positively to perceived appropriateness of the director's communication, to social and task attractiveness, and to production crew outcome satisfaction. In support of attribution theory, agitated communication behavior produced more favorable evaluations in a threatening as compared to routine situation. These evaluations, however, were less favorable than the effects of a calm manner, regardless of the production situation.     

Candidates’ use of informal communication on social media reduces credibility and support: Examining the consequences of expectancy violations

ABSTRACT

This experiment (N= 476) investigates how individuals evaluate political candidates who use informal communication on social media. We use expectancy violations theory (EVT) to predict that informal communication will lead to negative evaluations. Our results suggest that politicians’ use of informal communication on social media leads to expectancy violation, which decreases perceived credibility and lessens intention to support a candidate. This effect was not moderated by sex (male versus female) or age (young versus old) of the candidate, nor of participants being the same sex as the candidate. These findings suggest that political figures should use informal communication on social media with caution.     

答案质量反馈对社会化问答社区用户持续答题意愿的影响研究——以“知乎”平台为例

[目的/意义] 分析答案质量反馈对社会化问答社区用户持续答题意愿的影响,可以对社会化问答社区增加用户粘性、提高用户体验起到一定的指导作用。[方法/过程] 从社会资本理论中提取答案质量反馈变量并分析其对社会化问答社区用户持续答题意愿的影响。通过结构方程方法对收集整理的调查问卷数据进行分析,验证模型的可行性和优越性。[结果/结论] 构建答案质量反馈对社会化问答社区用户持续答题意愿影响模型;结论表明,答案质量反馈正向影响反馈期望确认程度与反馈感知有用性;反馈期望确认程度正向影响反馈感知有用性与反馈满意度;反馈感知有用性正向影响反馈满意度与持续答题意愿;反馈满意度也同样正向影响持续答题意愿。     

“Why post more pictures if no one is looking at them?” Parents’ perception of the Facebook Like in sharenting

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on findings from an exploratory investigation about parents’ perceived role of the Facebook Like in sharenting (i.e., sharing about their children on social media) by drawing on the qualitative results of an online survey. Findings show that the majority of participants think that getting a Like on a picture of one’s child can encourage a parent to share more about him/her because of two main understandings of this paralinguistic cue: the Like as a received validation of one’s parenting, or as a metric of connection with important people, causing emotional reactions in the receivers. Several parents, though, judge the Like as more commonly being important for others, explaining this difference in terms of internal characteristics. This study aims to extend our understanding of the motivations behind sharenting by taking into account the role of the Like in this practice and highlighting how parents position themselves in such an exchange of digital photo-sharing and feedback. As communication does not happen in a vacuum, we advance that research on parents’ photo-sharing behavior online may benefit from considering whether and how social media liking can foster and shape interpersonal communication between posters and recipients.     

Extending the Television Brand: An Examination of Why Consumers Use Broadcast Network Web Sites

Framed by the technology acceptance and customer-based brand equity (CBBE) models, this study investigated how audiences intend to use broadcast television network Web sites. Drawing upon the results of a survey (N = 178), this research found that perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment significantly influence intent to use broadcast Web sites. Findings also reveal that CBBE plays a significant role as a mediator between motivations and behavioral intention to use broadcast networks' Web sites. It is concluded that as the medium of television evolves, networks' Web sites should be conduits for sustained brand allegiance and broadcasters should make more strategic use of their Web sites.     

Reducing political polarization through narrative writing

ABSTRACT

This study proposes two complementary writing activities designed to reduce affective polarization and malevolent outgroup attributions. The strategies draw on narrative theorizing and intergroup contact theory. Our intervention is low cost and can be effectively administrated in educational settings to combat the deleterious effects of political polarization. In this four-group between-subjects randomized experiment (n?=?179), we found that a first-person perspective taking narrative writing exercise and a common ingroup cooperative narrative writing exercise both reduced political polarization and, thereby, reduced malevolent outgroup attributions. Our results revealed that both activities improved affect toward and perceived similarity with a noxious member of the political outgroup and, as a result, reduced affective political polarization. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of our findings and encourage educators to adopt activities modeled after our interventions in their classrooms.     

信息耦合视角下网购消费者失验的形成机理研究

[目的/意义]对失验现象的探究具有信息科学与行为科学研究的双重意义。基于信息耦合的视角,揭示失验现象形成的内在机理,有助于对信息与消费者认知之间协调关系的构建。[方法/过程]将网购过程细化为完整的时序流程,在解析信息耦合过程的基础上,将期望作为线上与线下链接的关键中介变量,阐释信息、心理、用户行为之间的关系。[结果/结论]建立网络购物的时序流程图,揭示信息耦合对失验的影响,从信息、心理、行为3个层面建构消费者失验形成的理论模型,以期为未来的网络信息行为研究提供理论参考。     

Community Connections: Advocating for Libraries through Effective Brand Advocacy

ABSTRACT

Information professionals strive to understand the needs of communities in order to discover ways to connect and engage them in library resources and services. Positive word-of-mouth communication remains one of the most powerful tools used to develop mutually rewarding connections with the community. This article argues that libraries can harness the power of brand advocacy to transform their patrons into the most enthusiastic sharers of information, or informal brand advocates. Moreover, it emphasizes how libraries can carefully build and maintain mutually rewarding community connections through effective brand advocacy by utilizing the STEPPS framework – Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value, Stories. Each principle in this framework can help an organization to effectively spread important brand messages. While the social currency principle encourages people to talk about topics that make them appear more favorable to others, triggers provide everyday cues that remind people of the library brand. Emotion focuses on appealing to feelings and the public principle calls for initiatives that advertise the brand. Finally, practical value motivates people to spread useful information and the stories principle explains that people share their experiences through memorable narratives. The article calls for adopting a holistic approach toward brand advocacy in applying the STEPPS framework in libraries.     

突出“姓”还是“名”?文化框架对品牌延伸命名策略的影响

在"一带一路"的国家战略背景下,无论是中国企业走出去,还是西方企业走进来,都要考虑中西方语言文化差异。本研究采用个案研究法和实验法,选择集体主义/个人主义文化框架的典型代表--中国与美国为研究背景,以市场和消费者视角为切入点,具体从品牌延伸命名策略的角度展开研究。研究发现:集体主义/个人主义文化框架下品牌延伸命名的差异与人的命名的差异结果一致,集体主义文化背景下的消费者更偏爱突出母品牌和家族关联式命名策略,个人主义文化背景下的消费者更偏好突出子品牌和独立个性式命名策略。本研究开创性地研究了不同文化背景下的消费者对品牌延伸命名策略的偏好,为企业在跨文化市场上合理应用品牌延伸策略提供理论依据。     

Individual and community practices for constructing communicative resilience: exploring the communicative processes of coping with parental alienation

ABSTRACT

Parental alienation occurs after parents divorce and intentionally or even unintentionally persuade their children to distance themselves from or reject the other parent. Framed by the communication theory of resilience, this study explores the communicative practices that enable and constrain the targeted alienated parents’ ability to create normalcy at the individual and online community levels. We also examine the relationships between individual-level and online community-level resilience. Findings from 40 narrative interviews reveal communicative practices/processes that enable and constrain alienated parents at both the individual and online support group levels. Findings also suggest that there is a robust relationship between resilience practices at the individual and community levels. Theoretical implications and practical applications are discussed.     

Surprise,Hurt, and Anger as Emotional Responses to Expectancy Violations Following Feedback Messages

ABSTRACT

Using expectancy violations theory, this study examined how the communication of unexpected feedback messages evoke emotional responses. A convenience sample (N = 309) reported instances of unexpected feedback within the last month. Results showed that receipt of the feedback message types were considered moderate-to-high violations. Violation expectedness and valence were negatively associated with the emotional responses, but violation importance was positively associated with the emotional responses. Finally, hurt and anger (but not surprise) were positively linked to perceptions of relational damage between the message sender and receiver. Taken together, our study demonstrates that expectancy violations are connected to emotions and relational outcomes.     

A Squatter on the Fourth Estate: Google News

SUMMARY

Buoyed by its brand name, Google News has grown from its beta stage into a popular news site with a significant share of the Internet market for “Current Events and Global News.” The success of Google News raises questions about the nature of news and even the desirability of Google's presenting news. Where does Google News fit into the myriad news resources available on the Internet and in libraries? How does Google News work? Is Google News an effective source for news research? How will Google News stand up to its competition, in particular a new wave of community news sites?     

How can Journalists Promote News Credibility? Effects of Evidences on Trust and Credibility

ABSTRACT

With reference to the current debate about a loss of trust in news media, journalism experts in practice and research often demand that journalists should concentrate on enhancing the quality of their reporting and hence focus on facts and evidences. Building on research on trust and credibility, we investigate how the use of different forms of evidences affects the credibility and quality evaluation of news stories, as well as the reading experience from the audience’s perspective. We conducted an online experiment to detect the influence of the presence of scientific sources, statistical information, and their visualization in an online article. Our findings indicate that these evidences increase the perceived credibility. At the same time, we found that adding scientific sources, statistical data and, visualizations to an article does not lessen its reading enjoyment but improves its perceived vividness in the view of news users. Further results and implications are discussed.     

It's HBO: Passionate engagement,TV branding,and tourism in the postbroadcast Era

This paper contends with how postbroadcast television branding subsumes viewers’ affective interactivities with place to produce brand value. Focusing on the HBO series Treme, I argue that Treme engendered HBO's postbroadcast brand mutation by producing “passionate engagement,” where viewers were invited to interact with the show by touring New Orleans, thus adding place to online interactivity and multiscreen engagement as a means of constructing an “authentic” brand identity. The desire for viewers to connect to New Orleans’ culture is thus transformed into a vehicle for profit making for HBO and an assurance to shareholders that the brand still holds value.