The moderating role of cultural orientation in explaining temporal orientation of self-referencing

A psychological process called self-referencing justifies the use of ‘you’ statements in advertisements; the more an individual relates an ad to him/herself, the greater the likelihood of recall and favorable evaluation. Self-referencing can be differentiated based on the temporal dimension of the self being activated while processing advertisements: when people remember themselves in the past they engage in retrospective self-referencing whereas they engage in anticipatory self-referencing when imagining themselves in the future. The current study examined the moderating role of consumers’ cultural background (i.e. long-term vs. short-term orientation) on the effects of temporal orientation of self-referencing. A corollary of this premise is that the match between cultural time orientation and the type of self-referencing activated by an ad will increase the extent of viewers’ self-referencing as well as advertising effectiveness. Further, this study confirmed a mediating role of self-referencing in explaining the match effects. The findings inform the extant literature on self-referencing and also provide managerial implications for international advertising practitioners.     

Peer choice – does reviewer self‐selection work?

The British Journal of Educational Technology (BJET) uses a novel system for obtaining referees by e‐mailing the abstracts of submissions to a panel of over 250 referees and allowing these individuals to choose which papers they would like to review. An analysis of 13 experienced referees showed that, of 473 reviews assessed, these referees were slightly more lenient than the editor and that electronic records provide useful data that can be mined in interesting ways.     

Uses and Gratifications,Journalists’ Twitter Use,and Relational Satisfaction with the Public

This study employed the uses and gratification approach to investigate how journalists perceive relational satisfaction with the public on Twitter, specifically the associations between journalists’ motivations to use Twitter, their Twitter use, and their relational satisfaction with the public. Through a survey of South Korean journalists, this study revealed that journalists’ motivations for Twitter use are positively related to their job-related activities on Twitter (e.g., posting/sharing their news and interacting with audience), which consequently influences perceived relational satisfaction with the public. The findings provide new insight into an increasingly important part of the public’s engagement and news/information flows in the digital media environment. This study expands upon the literature by analyzing how journalists’ motivations for using Twitter and their job-related activities on Twitter are associated with relational satisfaction with the public.     

Social Media Type Matters: Investigating the Relationship Between Motivation and Online Social Network Heterogeneity

This study investigated relationships between social media motivation, relative preferences for social media type, and network heterogeneity, using a U.S. national survey. By classifying social media into the symmetrical and the asymmetrical, we showed that relationship motivation was more likely to be associated with a preference for the symmetrical type, whereas information motivation with a preference for the asymmetrical. Network heterogeneity was positively predicted by relationship motivation but not by information motivation. Finally, a relative preference for the symmetrical type was found to mediate the association between relationship motivation and network heterogeneity.     

The “sacred” standing for the “fallen” spirits: Yasukuni Shrine and memory of war

This essay examines the rhetoric/politics of Yasukuni Shrine as an experiential memory-scape, a material and discursive ground to frame and enact banal patriotism and militant nationalism. As a powerful mnemonic and rhetorical institution, Yasukuni Shrine (re)produces a nationalistic narrative and identity by (con)fusing natural feelings of individual grief and cultural tradition of commemoration with national heritage of banal patriotism. By (con)fusing what is “particular” and “universal,” Yasukuni Shrine establishes its rhetorical ground to justify a “banal” sense of patriotism that slips into the “ordinary yet honorable” fervor of militant nationalism, while effectively evading its moral/ethical reflexivity.     

A coach’s political use of video-based feedback: a case study in elite-level academy soccer

This paper examines the video-based pedagogical practices of Terry (pseudonym), a head coach of a professional junior academy squad. Data were collected through 6 in-depth, semi-structured interviews and 10 field observations of Terry’s video-based coaching in situ. Three embracing categories were generated from the data. These demonstrated that Terry’s video-based coaching was far from apolitical. Rather, Terry strategically used performance analysis technologies to help fulfil various objectives and outcomes that he understood to be expected of him within the club environment. Kelchtermans’ micropolitical perspective, Callero’s work addressing role and Groom et al.’s grounded theory were primarily utilised to make sense of Terry’s perceptions and actions. The findings point to the value of developing contextually grounded understandings of coaches’ uses of video-based performance analysis technology. Doing so could better prepare coaches for this aspect of their coaching practice.     

A descriptive study of step alignment and foot positioning relative to the tee by professional rugby union goal-kickers

This study describes foot positioning during the final two steps of the approach to the ball amongst professional rugby goal-kickers. A 3D optical motion capture system was used to test 15 goal-kickers performing 10 goal-kicks. The distance and direction of each step, as well as individual foot contact positions relative to the tee, were measured. The intra- and inter-subject variability was calculated as well as the correlation (Pearson) between the measurements and participant anthropometrics. Inter-subject variability for the final foot position was lowest (placed 0.03 ± 0.07 m behind and 0.33 ± 0.03 m lateral to the tee) and highest for the penultimate step distance (0.666 ± 0.149 m), performed at an angle of 36.1 ± 8.5° external to the final step. The final step length was 1.523 ± 0.124 m, executed at an external angle of 35.5 ± 7.4° to the target line. The intra-subject variability was very low; distances and angles for the 10 kicks varied per participant by 1.6–3.1 cm and 0.7–1.6°, respectively. The results show that even though the participants had variability in their run-up to the tee, final foot position next to the tee was very similar and consistent. Furthermore, the inter- and intra-subject variability could not be attributed to differences in anthropometry. These findings may be useful as normative reference data for coaching, although further work is required to understand the role of other factors such as approach speed and body alignment.