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The study of social commerce in Generation Z context: the role of social support and privacy risk
Get PDFPurpose
The recent proliferation of social media platforms has witnessed a growth in social commerce by using social media to facilitate interactivity between customers and vendors. While emergent studies on social commerce are growing, their focus tends to be on millennials and cross-age groups. Given the growth of digital natives in shaping the online shopping experience of the future, we deemed an application to Generation Z necessary and overdue.
Design/methodology/approach
We draw on the existing literature and develop a framework to understand social commerce dynamics for digital natives. We employ PLS and CB-SEM to test our proposed model.
Findings
Our findings demonstrate the importance of social commerce information sharing activities in facilitating social support, a sense of warmth and belongingness, and online trust for Generation Z platform users. We also investigate the roles of online trust and perceived risk on intention to purchase and find support for both relationships. Finally, we discuss the findings in terms of theoretical and managerial contributions and conclude the study with limitations and future research directions.
Originality/value
This research is unique by using social commerce theory to explore Gen Z platform users. The finding will contribute to information system literature by expanding the social commerce research stream
Political, regulatory competition and the UK debt restructuring regime at the crossroads
Get PDFThis article analyses CIGA 2020 reforms to the UK insolvency and debt restructuring regimes, particularly, the new part 26A restructuring plan, the creditor cross-class cramdown and the new standalone moratorium and their impact on the UK insolvency and debt restructuring landscape. The article contends that these permanent changes were not needed immediately, in the aftermath of Brexit and COVID19 experiences. Rather, temporary time-limited changes would have been ideal, followed by an impact assessment that would inform desired course of reforms, rather than fast-tracked reforms that may have been driven by political and regulatory competition. The article further argues that these CIGA 2020 reforms could instigate a policy shift, from a pro-creditor to a pro-debtor restructuring regime, that questions the UK’s overall policy objective moving forward
Metaphor and Organization Studies: Going Beyond Resonance to Further Theory and Practice
Get PDFResearch on metaphor in organization studies has proliferated over the last 40 years. For the majority of its history, metaphors have been studied and deployed as linguistic and cognitive ‘resources’ to help scholars and practitioners understand the complexity of organizations and the environments in which they operate. Reviewing classic papers on the topic published in Organization Studies, we synthesise the key characteristics of past work and informed by our review offer a more multi-dimensional theoretical perspective to channel research into new directions. The new perspective that we offer is premised on leveraging dissonance and multi-modality in producing and using metaphors and we in turn demonstrate how such a viewpoint draws out new vistas for both scholars and practitioners alike. We highlight some of the implications of centring future thinking from this multi-dimensional perspective, including new strategies of deploying metaphors to generate potentially path-breaking theories and ways of studying phenomena
What is improvement science, and what makes it different? An outline of the field and its frontiers
Get PDFImprovement science has emerged as an interdisciplinary field of enquiry to provide methodological and scientific rigour to the practice and study of improvements in healthcare, and with contributions from a wide range of stakeholders and perspectives. However, compared to more well-established health-related sciences, the science of improvement remains in relative infancy. Whilst the improvement community has grown considerably, there is no existing articulation of the scope of what matters to the health and social care improvement community, and how this aligns to the enquiries of the field of improvement science. This paper aims to outline key areas of interest to the improvement community, and to propose distinguishing features of improvement science that help differentiate it from other areas of enquiry. Two over-arching research questions are identified, along with ten associated areas of enquiry which are grouped into three clusters: (1) improvement in practice, (2) aligning improvement efforts and (3) advancing the contribution of the improvement community. Four features that collectively define and distinguish the field of improvement science are proposed. The outline of the improvement landscape provides a common language for the diverse improvement community, supporting people to transcend disciplinary interests and constraints, and to consider how, collectively, we can improve health and care. Others are invited to refine and advance mapping of the improvement landscape by identifying gaps and increasing contributions from diverse perspectives
When we are alike: homophily in livestream commerce
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Homophily, a prominent phenomenon in social networking, profoundly shapes user behaviors on social media but has not been well studied in the livestream commerce context. This study aims to investigate its moderation role in leveraging the effects of key livestream commerce factors – perceived expertise of live streamers and perceived interaction during live streaming – on audience trust, a critical determinant of purchase intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted among livestream shoppers on Taobao. A sample of 313 responses was analyzed. SPSS (version 29) was used for general statistical analysis. The partial least squares structural equation modeling approach with SmartPLS 4.1 software was used to assess the research model and hypotheses.
Findings
The results reveal noteworthy differential effects of homophily: it negatively moderates the expertise–trust association but positively moderates the interaction–trust relationship. When the audience perceives strong homophily with live streamers, their trust in these live streamers becomes increasingly contingent on the level of interaction, whereas the effect of perceived expertise diminishes.
Originality/value
The insights on the differential effects of homophily are novel to the literature. These findings extend theoretical understanding of the homophily effect and provide valuable guidance for live streamers, marketers and platforms seeking to reinforce audience trust and drive purchase intentions in livestream commerce
Enhanced psychosocial assessment and rapid follow-up care for people presenting to emergency departments with self-harm and/or suicidal ideation: the Assured feasibility study and internal pilot trial
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Patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) following an episode of self-harm are at risk of future suicide. There are few evidence-based interventions for self-harm in the ED context in England. This study sought to assess the feasibility of a trial of a newly developed brief psychological intervention, the Assured approach. This approach consisted of an enhanced psychosocial assessment, collaborative safety planning and three rapid solution-focussed follow-up sessions. Phase 1 was a feasibility study, and phase 2 was an internal pilot trial of a cluster randomised controlled trial to assess whether progression to a full-scale trial was warranted.
Methods
In phase 1, patients were recruited and allocated to a study arm, the Assured arm or treatment as usual, depending on the allocation of their assessing practitioner, in four EDs in England. They were invited to research assessments after consent and at 6 months. Phase 2 was the internal pilot of a cluster randomised controlled trial conducted in six EDs in England. Practitioners were randomised to deliver the Assured approach or treatment as usual. Patients were recruited and allocated to a study arm depending on the allocation of their assessing practitioner. They were invited to complete research assessments after consent and at 3, 9 and 18 months.
Results
Sixty-one patients were recruited into the Assured (n = 46) and treatment as usual (n = 15) arms in phase 1. Findings showed we could recruit and follow up patients over a 6-month period. The research procedures were acceptable to patients and practitioners, and the intervention was delivered with acceptable fidelity to the intervention manual. Forty-seven patients were recruited into the phase 2 internal pilot trial, falling substantially short of our target of 491 in the stop-go criteria, indicating that the trial was not feasible in its current design.
Conclusion
The feasibility study indicated that both the intervention and research processes were acceptable. However, the internal pilot trial revealed substantial challenges in recruiting patients and delivering the intervention in the ED context. Adaptations to the trial design and intervention are proposed to enable the Assured approach to be tested in a future trial, to improve care for this underserved population
Interviews and Focus Groups in Social Science and Linguistics Research: A Critical Review
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In this chapter we look at the use of interviews and focus groups within social science and linguistics research. Working on the basis that they are closely related methods, we begin by examining the arguments, put forward by a number of critical commentators, that they are fundamentally flawed in offering up artificial or contaminated data. In line with those criticisms, we agree that there are some serious problems involved where they are deployed and understood – in traditional terms - as means of mining particular ‘nuggets of truth’. Rather, following a more constructionist stance, we recommend that interviews and focus groups are treated as collaborative or interactional events in which the interviewer or moderator plays an important, participative role. So conceived, we argue that there is a legitimate case for employing either of these research methods – and we provide a critical review of what are widely considered to be their primary strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we discuss the benefits and disadvantages of conducting interviews and focus groups virtually – a practice that has intensified in the (post)pandemic era.
Learning objectives
After reading this chapter, readers should:
• have an overview of key reasons, benefits and challenges of using interviews and focus groups
• gain a critical understanding of interviews and focus groups in linguistics research
• be familiar with illustrations of critical perspectives through examples of relevant data
• have an understanding of key issues around the online uses of these method
A model of the mechanisms underpinning unconventional aqueous humor outflow
Get PDFPurpose: To develop a mathematical model of the unconventional outflow pathway.
Methods: The unconventional pathway is modeled as having two key components: the uveovortex and the trans-scleral pathways. The uveo-vortex pathway is modeled using Starling’s law and the trans-scleral flow using predominately hydrostatic forces. We include transcytosis from the choriocapillaris (CC) and collapsibility of the suprachoroidal space (SCS) as particular features. There is considerable uncertainty in a number of model parameter values, and we identify the most significant ones using sensitivity analysis.
Results: The model successfully generates a fluid flow from anterior to posterior in the choroidal tissue and the SCS, which also demonstrates many of the known physiological features, including the insensitivity of the unconventional flow to fluctuations in the intraocular pressure (IOP), albumin removal by the trans-scleral flow and the CC as a net absorber of fluid from, and supplier of albumin to, the choroidal tissue. The model supports the two previously proposed mechanisms of the action of prostaglandin F2α analogues.
Conclusions: We have developed a theoretical model of the unconventional aqueous outflow pathway that successfully captures its physiological features and elucidates the actions of prostaglandin F2α analogues and other drugs
Association of systemic calcium channel blockers use with visual field progression in a large real-world cohort from glaucoma clinics
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To test the association between use of calcium channel blocker (CCB) medications and the rate of visual field (VF) progression in a large cohort of patients from five glaucoma clinics.
Design
Retrospective, longitudinal case-control study.
Subjects
Patients attending five glaucoma clinics in the United Kingdom using the same Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.
Methods
For the main analysis, we selected one eye of patients with at least 5 reliable (false positive errors < 15%) VFs over at least 4 years. The use of systemic medications was derived from the EMR system. CCB users were identified as cases. Propensity Score Matching (PMS) and multivariable analyses (MV) were used to adjust for confounders. A Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) of the relevant variables guided the selection of covariates. Linear mixed effect models (LMMs) were used to test the effect on the rate of VF Mean Deviation (MD) associated with CCB use and other covariates (for the MV analysis). Sensitivity analyses were conducted with different inclusion criteria and cut-offs on the estimated duration of CCB use.
Main Outcome Measure
Mean difference in the rate of VF MD progression between CCB users and controls.
Results
The main analysis included 14,475 eyes (1,942 from CCB users) which met the selection criteria (one eye per patient). The Median [Interquartile Range] VF series length was 8 [6, 11] tests, with a follow-up of 8.6 [6, 11.5] and 8.2 [5.9, 11.2] years in CCB users and controls respectively. One-to-one PSM pairing with controls was achieved for all CCB users. The estimated rate of MD progression was -0.31 [-0.33, -0.28] dB/year (Mean [95%-Confidence Intervals]) in the CCB users and -0.35 [-0.37, -0.33] dB/year in the matched controls (p = 0.016). This significant difference was confirmed with the MV analysis, including all controls (p = 0.020). All sensitivity analyses confirmed the main results.
Conclusions
CCB use was statistically significantly associated with a slower rate of VF deterioration, after multivariable adjustment. The estimated difference was small and likely not clinically significant but may be influenced by the limited information on the duration of CCB exposure in this cohort.
Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are some of the most commonly prescribed medications for cardiovascular conditions. Up to 40% of patients with systemic hypertension are prescribed a CCB1 to control their blood pressure. In the United Kingdom (UK), CCBs make up approximately 4% of all primary-care prescriptions2. Because the incidence of both systemic hypertension3 and glaucoma4 increases with age, and the known association between these two conditions5,6, many patients who are at risk of, or have, glaucoma are likely to be prescribed CCBs.
The effect of systemic CCBs on glaucoma is controversial. Many large observational investigations have consistently shown an association between CCB use and increased risk of receiving a glaucoma diagnosis7, 8, 9, 10, 11, replicating this result across different cohorts. Other studies have also shown an association between CCB use and glaucoma-related traits, such as thinner inner retinal layers on optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging10,12. On the other hand, studies investigating the association between CCBs and disease progression in patients with glaucoma have shown either no association13 or a protective association14, 15, 16, 17, especially in normal tension glaucoma (NTG). Two of the studies showing a protective effect were small randomised clinical trials (RCTs)14,15.
However, well-powered studies of the association between CCB use and rate of glaucoma progression are still lacking. In this work, we analysed real-world data from more than 14,000 patients followed in five glaucoma clinics across the UK. We investigated the association between systemic CCB use and the rate of visual field (VF) progression, adjusting for multiple confounders. We further report on the association of the rate of VF progression with the use of systemic medication classes and multiple patient characteristics
MEDTEG (Minimum Entropy Dynamic Test Grids): A Novel Algorithm for Adding New Test Locations to a Perimetric Test Grid
Get PDFPurpose: To describe a novel algorithm (MEDTEG) for dynamically adding new test locations to a perimetric grid—to provide a more personalized/comprehensive visual field (VF) assessment.
Methods: MEDTEG operates by finding the most informative new test location. First, Voronoi tessellation is used to construct a list of candidate locations (i.e., points that lie in between the current test locations, even when the current grid is sparse or irregular). Next, each candidate’s probability mass function is computed using natural neighbor interpolation. Finally, the most informative candidate is determined by computing the expected reduction in entropy (after trial t + 1) and then multiplying this value by the area of its Voronoi cell, to estimate the overall volume of expected information gain. Optional weighting coefficients can be applied to encourage/restrict testing to particular spatial locations (e.g., to avoid the midline, target the macula, or prioritize regions exhibiting structural damage).
Results: Using a combination of mathematics, graphics, and MATLAB code, we describe the algorithm and simulate possible use cases. These include ways of providing more detailed evaluations of small scotomas (“enhanced perimetry”), more efficiently assessing patients with extensive loss (“personalized perimetry”), or maximizing VF information in patients with limited attention spans (“indeterminate duration perimetry”).
Conclusions: Simulations of perimetric data indicate that MEDTEG provides a logical and flexible way of automatically adding test locations to an existing perimetric test grid, or of constructing entirely novel grids based on a handful of seed locations.
Translational Relevance: MEDTEG may facilitate more informative VF assessments or allow testing in challenging populations
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