The serendipitous impact of COVID-19 pandemic: A rare opportunity for research and practice

In this opinion paper, I argue that the Covid-19 pandemic, as tragic and disastrous as it undoubtedly is, has also given us a rare opportunity to deeply examine the research and practice of information management in particular and information systems in general. To cope with the pandemic, we have retreated to the digital world and drastically changed the way we work. Yet these very practices can well shape the way we work in the post-pandemic world. Moreover, the pandemic is also a sharp lens through which we can study deep-rooted theoretical issues that otherwise would not have surfaced, or at least remained in the background. My call to the research community is to seize this rare opportunity.     

Social commerce adoption using TOE framework: An empirical investigation of Saudi Arabian SMEs

Social commerce is becoming an important hub for product sourcing, which helps companies to connect with customers and to gain competitive advantages. However, very little empirical research that focuses on small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been conducted to date. This study examines factors that affect social commerce adoption by SMEs. Using the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) as the theoretical framework, the researchers tested the model and related hypotheses, employing structural equation modelling. The results from a survey of 181 SMEs in Saudi Arabia indicate that trading partner pressure in the environmental context, followed by top management support in the organisational context, and perceived usefulness in the technological context, have the most significant influence on behavioural intention to use social commerce. The research contributions and conclusion as well as limitations and future research directions are presented.     

SDGs影响下的全球大学社会责任实践

为响应联合国可持续发展目标(SDGs),一股“大学社会责任”正在全球蔓延开。日本“地方知识基地推动计划”、欧盟大学社会责任计划(EU-USR)、“伊拉斯莫斯计划”、英国“教学卓越架构”等都在鼓励大学落实社会责任,这些计划和政策的实施对我国高校教学改革具有一定的借鉴和启发意义。     

What does it take to become “one of us?” Redefining ethnic-civic citizenship using markers of everyday nationhood

In this study we examined what are the markers of immigrant naturalisation as seen from the perspectives of recipient nationals. Social markers are perceptual signposts that receiving nationals use in deciding whether a non-native born is a member of the destination country. In short, what should immigrants do in order to be accepted by receiving nationals as “one of us”. Cross national data on 20 indicators of “everyday nationhood” were collected from five countries – Singapore, Japan, Australia, Finland, and Canada. The markers highlight common dispositions, activities, or social norms that are associated with citizenship. Exploratory factor analysis in each sample consistently demonstrated a two-factor structure model that supports the contemporary ethnic-civic distinction, but the markers that make up each of the two dimensions vary between countries. No metric equivalence was found, and that the markers have culture-specific meanings. The framework offers a novel insight to intercultural relations. The results suggest that adaptation and social inclusion need to consider the norms and values practised in the recipient society, and how immigration may redefine intergroup boundaries.     

The benefits of ethnic activity group participation on older immigrant well-being and host country adjustment

Drawing on acculturation and social identity literatures, the present research extends on initial work on social group connectedness among older immigrants to examine in a quasi-experimental study the well-being benefits of participating in heritage culture groups. Older immigrant clients (N = 66) of six aged-care agencies in Australia were given diary booklets in which to complete a set of measures on selected days when they did or did not attend the agencies’ heritage culture group activities, over a 2-month period. Results showed that heritage group participation reduced loneliness and increased well-being. Future research should replicate and extend these findings to assist our understanding of how heritage culture group participation aids first-generation older immigrants with aging successfully in a foreign land.     

The mediating role of moral exclusion between authoritarianism and outgroup discrimination

It has been well-documented that right wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation as two facets of the authoritarian personality differentially account for a variety of negative intergroup behaviors. Integrating the Dual Process Model (Duckitt, 2001), with the literature on “Moral exclusion” (e.g., Opotow, 1990; Tileagă, 2007) we investigated whether or not moral exclusion would mediate such a relationship. Employing survey data (N = 1015), collected from a representative Hungarian sample, we found that moral exclusion mediated the effects of both RWA and SDO on the negative behavioral intentions against Roma as well as Jewish minorities in Hungary. Moreover, we argued that the concept of moral exclusion should be interpreted not as a generalized tendency, but as a mechanism which can be stemmed from distinct social cognitive motivations.     

校企(地)联合培养社会体育指导与管理专业应用型人才的创新研究——以残疾人运动与康复方向为例

针对社会体育指导与管理专业学生就业渠道不畅、市场前景萎缩的现状,通过构建校企(地)联合培养的社会体育指导与管理专业人才培养模式,打造残疾人运动与康复服务的专业小方向,重新构建专业人才培养目标定位、以市场为导向的课程体系和结合人才培养对接的实习、实训课程体系,为推动社会体育指导与管理专业培养模式和方向的转型与发展提供重要理论指导和借鉴。     

Examining Minor League Baseball Spectator Nostalgia: A Neuroscience Perspective

The purpose of this study was to explore nostalgia’s effect on MiLB spectators’ psychological, emotional, and behavioral responses. Mobile encephalography (EEG) headsets were used to monitor attendees’ neurological responses that may be indicative of nostalgia, while an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) permitted the capturing of spectators’ self-reported nostalgic levels. This approach allowed participants’ mental scores to be analyzed in relationship to their nostalgic occurrences. Brainwave frequencies emblematic of inward attention and arousal were significantly related with the number of instances spectators reported feeling nostalgic, which denote mental dispositions prevalent among attendees more prone to nostalgia. Moreover, PROCESS macro regression highlighted nostalgia’s ability to influence spectators’ behavioral intentions. Results also revealed environmental stimuli originating from sight, sound, and sociability to be especially prominent in triggering nostalgia. Overall, the study’s findings reveal unique characteristics present in baseball that render both immediate and enduring effects.     

浅析美欧公共电视发展的法律环境

本文讨论的是美国民营公共电视机构所处的法律环境,以及欧盟各国对公共电视发展的法律支持,旨在提供对国外公营广电的基本了解。     

Making American Friends: The Effects of Musical Tastes and English Proficiency on Chinese International Students’ Social Networks in the United States

This study investigated the relationship between Chinese international students’ social networks in the United States and their musical tastes. Based on concept of homophily, this study used a self-reported Social Network Analysis (SNA) survey to examine whether sharing similar musical tastes affected Chinese international students’ relationship, their musical tastes, and music consumption. The results showed that having high musical taste similarity predicted closer relationship between respondents and their alters, and higher likelihood of new music consumption. This study also found that frequent American English-language songs listeners were more likely to have Americans in their social network than less-frequent American English-language songs listeners.