bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Understanding the behavioural intention to play online games
Authors: Lee Ming‐Chi 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether flow experience, perceived enjoyment, and interaction affect people's behavioural intention to play online games and whether gender, age and prior experience have moderating effects on online game acceptance.Design/methodology/approachThis study extends the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) with flow experience, perceived enjoyment, and interaction to propose a theoretical model to explain and predict people's behavioural intention to play online games. This model is examined through an empirical study involving 458 participants using structural equation modelling techniques. In addition, a competing model based on the technology acceptance model (TAM) is proposed to evaluate whether TPB is more suitable than TAM to explain the use of online games. The two action‐theoretical models are compared in terms of their predictive power and their practical utility.FindingsAlthough both models explain the players' intention to play online games very well, the extended TPB model provides a better fit and explanatory power. Notably, this study finds that flow experience is a more important factor than perceived enjoyment in influencing customer acceptance of online games. Further analysis reveals that gender is a key moderator of online game acceptance.Practical implicationsOnline game developers need to search for flow experience building strategies that might assist in engaging players. This study suggests that game developers should consider focusing more on establishing the interactions between players (social interaction) and online games (human‐computer interaction) in their marketing strategies.Originality/valueThis study is significant for two reasons. First, it synthesises the theory of planned behaviour with psychological and interaction factors and, second, it presents a blueprint for an entertainment‐oriented technology acceptance model.
Virtual worlds adoption: a research framework and empirical study
Authors: Hua Guangying , Haughton Dominique 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a new framework to examine the adoption of virtual worlds. Virtual worlds, defined as internet‐based simulated environments that emulate the real world and are intended for users to inhabit and interact within them through avatars, are growing fast and are attracting more and more users.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, a new framework is proposed on the basis of previous literature. An empirical study is performed to test the framework, using survey research. The data are collected through a questionnaire, which is developed on the basis of previous empirical studies.FindingsBased on the data, it is found that perceived usefulness and social factors are two main factors influencing people's adoption of virtual worlds. The technology acceptance model (TAM) is still acceptable, while the diffusion of information (DOI) theory does not fit. Perceived enjoyment does not have a significant impact on the adoption of virtual worlds, but is highly correlated with perceived usefulness. Both factors capture the productivity and entertainment aspects of virtual worlds.Originality/valueThis study is a novel attempt to examine the adoption of virtual worlds. A new research framework is proposed and empirical data are collected to test its validity. The findings have theoretical and practical implications.
Towards an ontology‐based network for banking supervision
Authors: Bonsón‐Ponte Enrique , Escobar‐Rodríguez Tomás , Flores‐Muñoz Francisco 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of an information submission model based on OWL (Web Ontology Language) that permits the subsequent implementation of knowledge‐sharing systems, such as the Set of Experience Knowledge Structure, among the various EU banking supervisors.Design/methodology/approachRecent theoretical advances in the use of semantic web languages are introduced and put theoretically into force in the context. Additionally, a first‐hand questionnaire is directed to the supervisors, measuring the value compatibility of the semantic technology with the needs of the existing European banking environment.FindingsThe results illustrate that there exists a good level of value compatibility between the normative challenge and the new technology. Although there are some differences, these would perhaps not make the implementation of this technological framework particularly difficult, in that they focus on the same points that the regulators must consider to achieve success in the new European environment, for example, the balance between normative and practical approaches.Originality/valueThis is the fist time that an ontology‐based system has been proposed for banking supervision in Europe.
A comparative analysis of social sciences citation tools
Authors: Levine‐Clark Michael , Gil Esther 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the utility of Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar as citation analysis tools for the social sciences.Design/methodology/approachThe 25 most‐accessed articles in 163 social sciences journals are searched in three citation databases.FindingsWeb of Science has long been the only tool for citation analysis. Scopus and Google Scholar, while still new to the market, are complementary to Web of Science and in some cases can provide a more nuanced view of the importance of scholarly articles in the social sciences.Practical implicationsAs libraries struggle to provide the best tools to their users, they may wish to consider the freely‐available Google Scholar as a substitute or complement to expensive databases such as Web of Science and Scopus.Originality/valueMost analyses of citation databases have focused on the sciences. Because this study examined the social sciences literature, it has expanded on the research available on Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scopus.
Database source coverage: hypes, vital signs and reality checks
Authors: Jacsó Péter 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that the extent of journal coverage, size and retrospectivity are three of the most commonly advertised features of database content. However, these data by themselves rarely provide a good enough sense of the real breadth of database coverage.Design/methodology/approachSome easy‐to‐calculate measures can provide vital signs of database coverage, which in turn may trigger in‐depth analysis at the individual journal level. When similar vital signs are produced from comparable databases and database segments, as is done for Arts and Humanities (A&H) sources in Web of Science, Scopus, H.W. Wilson and CSA databases for this paper, the real dimensions of the source coverage can be much better understood.FindingsThe decision to almost double the number of A&H journals reinforces the concept of enhancing the breadth of source coverage, obviously at the expense of depth of coverage. It is like those “If it is Tuesday, it must be Belgium” tours, where the emphasis is on beating the other tours by advertising more comprehensive coverage of European countries by “virtue” of visiting more countries in a single afternoon.Originality/valueFor scientometric searches so called “known item” searches are made, and the more records that are missing from core journals, the more harm is done to the subjects of the search. In subject searches a few good finds may be fine, but in “known item” searches that is not good enough. Doubling the cited reference enhanced segment, and eliminating the gaps in, say, the 1975‐2009 segment would have been much smarter policy for Scopus.
How do business group firms utilize internal capital markets?
Authors: Gonenc Halit 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide evidence for how business group firms transfer financial resources among affiliated firms by examining the differences in the level of debt financing and the choices of new equity financing between group affiliated and non‐affiliated firms in an emerging market, Turkey. The role of affiliated banks for internal capital market transactions is also to be examined.Design/methodology/approachUnivarite analysis and simple pooled OLS regression analysis are performed to examine the role of group affiliation on the level of several debt financing measures. Additionally, a Logit regression analysis is used to analyze the behavior of affiliated firms in their equity financing decisions by issuing new shares.FindingsGroup affiliated firms transfer funds in the group by using transactions such as trade debt, and issuing cash rights and bonus shares. The affiliated firms – especially with a bank in the group – support their higher growth with new equity issues in the forms of cash rights and bonus shares along with higher trade debt. Moreover, non‐affiliated firms utilize a higher percentage of debt to shareholders, while affiliated firms without a bank utilize a higher financial debt. These findings are consistent with the idea that the role of the group bank is very important in financing choices of affiliated firms.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper provides direct measures of external and internal funds by focusing on new equity issues and debt structure, which can be applied in different economic environments, rather than using indirect measures or not readily available datasets such as connected party transactions.Originality/valueThe paper provides additional evidence to assess the efficiency of the use of internal capital markets. Moreover, the role of group affiliated banks among affiliated firms has not yet been extensively addressed in the literature and an examination of this issue leads to a better understanding of their roles in diversified business groups.
Credit scoring and decision making in Egyptian public sector banks
Authors: Abdou Hussein A. , Pointon John 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe main aims of this paper are: first, to investigate how decisions are currently made within the Egyptian public sector environment; and, second, to determine whether the decision making can be significantly improved through the use of credit scoring models. A subsidiary aim is to analyze the impact of different proportions of sub‐samples of accepted credit applicants on both efficient decision making and the optimal choice of credit scoring techniques.Design/methodology/approachFollowing an investigative phase to identify relevant variables in the sector, the research proceeds to an evaluative phase, in which an analysis is undertaken of real data sets (comprising 1,262 applicants), provided by the commercial public sector banks in Egypt. Two types of neural nets are used, and correspondingly two types of conventional techniques are applied. The use of two evaluative measures/criteria: average correct classification (ACC) rate and estimated misclassification cost (EMC) under different misclassification cost (MC) ratios are investigated.FindingsThe currently used approach is based on personal judgement. Statistical scoring techniques are shown to provide more efficient classification results than the currently used judgemental techniques. Furthermore, neural net models give better ACC rates, but the optimal choice of techniques depends on the MC ratio. The probabilistic neural net (PNN) is preferred for a lower cost ratio, whilst the multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) is the preferred choice for a higher ratio. Thus, there is a role for MDA as well as neural nets. There is evidence of statistically significant differences between advanced scoring models and conventional models.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research could investigate the use of further evaluative measures, such as the area under the ROC curve and GINI coefficient techniques and more statistical techniques, such as genetic and fuzzy programming. The plan is to enlarge the data set.Practical implicationsThere is a huge financial benefit from applying these scoring models to Egyptian public sector banks, for at present only judgemental techniques are being applied in credit evaluation processes. Hence, these techniques can be introduced to support the bank credit decision makers.Originality/valueThie paper reveals a set of key variables culturally relevant to the Egyptian environment, and provides an evaluation of personal loans in the Egyptian public sector banking environment, in which (to the best of the author's knowledge) no other authors have studied the use of sophisticated statistical credit scoring techniques.
Consumer empowerment model: from unspeakable to undeniable
Authors: Umit Kucuk S. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeAlthough consumer sophistication and empowerment is on the rise as a result of the digital revolution, there is insufficient academic exploration with the aim of understanding how this empowerment functions on the internet. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by proposing a new conceptual model in light of available literature.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a deep and broad literature review and discussion regarding possible consumer power sources on the internet to develop the proposed conceptual model, which is defined as consumer empowerment model (CEM). The components of the model are discussed in detail to reveal possible links, consumer empowerment actualization, and impacts on consumer markets on the internet.FindingsThe components of CEM are structured in light of the theory of reasoned action's main proposals as follows: “Perceived consumer power,” “Perceived consumer trust,” “Attitudinal consumer power” and finally “Behavioral consumer power.” Each component is discussed in terms of its possible contributions to the model in order to illustrate how this new form of consumer power actually works. The possible implications of consumer empowerment are also discussed in light of the newly proposed model.Originality/valueThere is no paper discussing how consumer power actualization works and thus how consumer power revolutionizes today's cyberspaces. In this context, the study is the first of its kind.
Changing paradigms?
Authors: Stiles Deborah , Cameron Greg 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine a model of corporate and civic communities as it relates to change in rural Atlantic Canada. The aim is to frame questions relevant to what appears to be a situation of changing paradigms.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is largely conceptual. An exploration of Lyson's model of corporate and civic communities, review of selected Atlantic Canada historiography, and preliminary findings of a research consultation offer understanding of the historical and changing paradigmatic terrain of rural communities and agriculture in Atlantic Canada. Selected issues, emerging from the literature as well as from a series of consultations held with farmers, rural non‐profits, policy makers, businesses, agricultural groups and others, are examined in the context of the region's past and the corporate and civic models outlined by Lyson. Atlantic historiography is discussed in view of contemporary challenges, and questions relevant to change in the region are raised and framed.FindingsIncreasingly vulnerable to a number of provincially, regionally, nationally and globally formulated challenges, Atlantic Canada's rural communities have been and are being reshaped, as is the agriculture being practiced within them. In the midst of these upheavals, a practice‐policy “dis‐connect” is making it unclear how alternative agricultural and rural community developmental paradigms might be actualized in the region. But some of these challenges are not new.Research limitations/implicationsThe research consultation is at the beginning stages, and thus results reported are speculative.Practical implicationsLessons from the Atlantic past, and Lyson's civic model, may provide guideposts toward a more ecologically‐sound and economically‐viable way for the future of rural communities and agriculture in the region.Originality/valueThis paper raises key questions that take into account the region's rural past and changing paradigms pertaining to agriculture and rural communities.
Regime or coalition? Power relations and the urban agenda in Saint John, 1950‐2000
Authors: Marquis Greg 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the forces and actors that shaped urban development in a mid‐sized Canadian city over a half century.Design/methodology/approachThis case study adopts a qualitative research approach based on government documents, planning studies, the media and non‐governmental organization sources to examine the applicability of regime theory versus growth coalition theory in the Canadian context.FindingsThe paper concludes that the broader urban agenda in Saint John, with its focus on economic competitiveness, has been shaped by shifting growth coalitions supported by both the private and public sectors.Research limitations/implicationsOne limitation is that analysis is based mainly on documentary evidence and the public statements of elected officials and business interests. Future research would attempt to conduct oral interviews with representative informants.Practical implicationsOne practical implication for urban researchers is the need to look beyond electoral politics and partisanship in order to understand how urban development is shaped in the medium and long term. The research findings suggest also the need for informed citizens to adopt a more critical stance to business and political leaders, and to the local media, in their own communities.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the few to address the politics of urban development in Saint John, New Brunswick's largest city. It also contributes to the literature on regionalism and mid‐sized cities.
Enabling volunteer health planning capacity: a rural Canadian case study
Authors: Coady Maureen 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine opportunities, resources, and capacity building supports that enable volunteer capacity to participate in localized health planning processes.Design/methodology/approachA case study methodology is employed in this study. A range of qualitative research methods including focus groups, individual interviews, observation and document analysis is used to gather detailed data about the experience of the health volunteers. They engage in an in‐depth analysis of this experience. A thematic analysis of volunteer accounts informs the explanation of the case and the study findings.FindingsThe development of partnerships between health systems and communities is advocated as a means of enhancing overall community capacity to address priority health concerns, and to reduce escalating health care costs and inequities. The process of building health partnerships is complex, requiring extensive assessment of both health system and community readiness. Health volunteers have many capacities well suited to collaborative activity; these are more likely to find expression when barriers are minimized and facilitative conditions are maximized. The study finds that dialogue is a key mechanism for assessing community and system readiness, and for building trust and mutual understanding in such health partnerships. This case study introduces facilitated dialogue as a mechanism for assessing volunteer readiness and timely capacity building resources and supports, in line with the developmental needs of volunteers. Assessing health system readiness involves consideration of health system goals and definitions of participation, and overall commitment to developing and resourcing this kind of system‐wide change where the outcomes are longer term in nature. This commitment entails training of health professionals in the relevant health promotion knowledge and skills. This extends to mobilizing, nurturing, and supporting volunteer capacity to work with the health system to make informed decisions about the health needs of their community.Research limitations/implicationsA health system perspective on this question should be explored to identify other complex challenges associated with managing this kind of system‐wide change.Practical implicationsThe paper provides detailed insights into the experience of health volunteers in a health planning context. These insights potentially inform concrete strategies for assessing community strengths and readiness, and for minimizing barriers to volunteer participation, particularly in a rural context.Originality/valueThe paper provides insights about how health system structure and environmental processes can be adapted to create an environment conducive to community participation.
Re‐conceptualizing health and learning in terms of community resilience and enterprise
Authors: Kraglund‐Gauthier Wendy L. , Folinsbee Sue , Allan Quigley B. , Grégoire Hélène 
Published: October 2009

PurposeMany Canadians presume their universal health care system provides equitable opportunity and access to health, yet this is not necessarily the case, especially for marginalized populations. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize how marginalized, yet resilient, communities are able to build capacity and contribute to their own learning about health.Design/methodology/approachEnvironmental scan, state of the field review and community consultations on a national scale.FindingsFor adults living in rural and remote areas that fall below health norms, health knowledge and care is often not enough to build capacity and support resilient communities. More learning needs to be done by all members of community and government.Practical implicationsConsultations with selected members of marginalized populations and their service providers reveal a cross‐community, cross‐sector and cross‐government focus on addressing the social determinants of health is needed to increase individual capacity.Originality/valueConsultations with community members and their service providers reveal rich information about the state of health and learning in selected areas across Canada. Using literature on health and learning as a framework, this paper discusses challenges and promising practices in terms of participants' abilities to sustain their own and their communities' health and learning.
The impact of economic globalization on work and family collectivism in India
Authors: Shah Grishma 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of economic globalization on work and family collectivism for young middle class Indians.Design/methodology/approachThe study surveys more than 1,000 individuals living in globalized and lesser‐globalized cities in India. The data are analyzed using factor analysis, independent sample t‐tests and multiple regressions.FindingsResults suggest that in an increasingly globalizing India, young Indians will strive to preserve traditional values of collectivity when it comes to family, but will loosen their reins on work‐place collectivism.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to examining the educated middle class in India as they are at the forefront of globalization. The intention of the study is not to assess national culture as a whole, but to predict cultural shifts in India.Practical implicationsThe results provide critical insight as to how values are changing in a nation that promises to be a prominent feature on the global economic map in this century. Such insight is not only useful to scholars who wish to predict behavior within firms and organizations, but also to policy makers, entrepreneurs and businesses, as it informs them of impending infrastructure needs which must be met via public, private, and/or public‐private ventures.Originality/valueRecently, there has been a vital recognition that large‐scale intuitional changes, such as globalization, call for a reexamination of not only values worldwide, but also their changing dynamics. This paper heeds the call for understanding the onset of value changes in India as a result of its rapid economic and social transformation.