Search results for: social behaviors

Authors: Shih-Chieh Liao, Cheng-Yan Shuai

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"Party game" is a game mode that enables players to maintain a good social and interactive experience. The common game modes include Teamwork, Team competitive, Independent competitive, Battle Royale. Party games are defined as a game with easy rules, easy to play, quickly spice up a party, and support four to six players. It also needs to let the player feel satisfied no matter victory or defeat. However, players may feel negative or angry when the game is imbalanced, especially when they play with teammates. Some players care about winning or losing, and they will blame it on the game mechanics. What is more serious is that the player will cause the argument, which is unnecessary. These behaviors that trigger quarrels and negative emotions often originate from the player's determination of the victory and the ratio of victory during the competition. In view of this, our research invited a group of subjects to the experiment, which is going to inspect player’s emotions by Electromyography (EMG) and Electrodermal Activity (EDA) when they are playing party games with others. When a player wins or loses, the negative and positive feeling will be recorded from the game beginning to the end. At the same time, physiologic and emotional reactions are also being recorded in each part of the game. The game will be designed as telling the interaction when players are in the quest of a party game. The experiment content includes the emotional changes affected by the physiological values of game victory and defeat between “player against friend” and “player against stranger.” Through this experiment, the balance between winners and losers lies in the basis of good game interaction and game interaction in the game and explore the emotional positive and negative effects caused by the result of the party game. The result shows that “player against friend” has a significant negative emotion and significant positive emotion at “player against stranger.” According to the result, the player's experience will be affected with winning rate or form when they play the party game. We suggest the developer balance the game with our experiment method to let players get a better experience.

Keywords: party games, biofeedback, emotional responses, user experience, game design

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Authors: Ping-Ben Liu, Chien-Chou Tseng

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The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the lift coefficient and dynamic behaviors of cavitating flow around a two-dimensional Clark Y hydrofoil at 8° angle of attack, cavitation number of 0.8, and Reynolds number of 7.10⁵. The flow field is investigated numerically by using a vapor transfer equation and a modified turbulence model which applies the filter and local density correction. The results including time-averaged lift/drag coefficient and shedding frequency agree well with experimental observations, which confirmed the reliability of this simulation. According to the variation of lift coefficient, the cycle which consists of growth and shedding of cavitation can be divided into three stages, and the lift coefficient at each stage behaves similarly due to the formation and shedding of the cavity around the trailing edge.

Keywords: Computational Fluid Dynamics, cavitation, turbulence, lift coefficient

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Authors: Felicia N. Obialo, Aliza Wingo, Thomas Wingo

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Psychosocial factors such as personality traits and social networks influence cognitive aging and dementia outcomes both positively and negatively. The inherent complexity of these factors makes defining the underlying mechanisms of their influence difficult; however, exploring their interactions affords promise in the field of cognitive aging. The objective of this study was to elucidate some of these interactions by determining the relationship between social network size and dementia outcomes and by determining whether personality traits mediate this relationship. The longitudinal Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) database provided by Rush University’s Religious Orders Study/Memory and Aging Project was utilized to perform retrospective regression and mediation analyses on 3,591 participants. Participants who were cognitively impaired at baseline were excluded, and analyses were adjusted for age, sex, common chronic diseases, and vascular risk factors. Dementia outcome measures included cognitive trajectory, clinical dementia diagnosis, and postmortem beta-amyloid plaque (AB), and neurofibrillary tangle (NT) accumulation. Personality traits included agreeableness (A), conscientiousness (C), extraversion (E), neuroticism (N), and openness (O). The results show a positive correlation between social network size and cognitive trajectory (p-value = 0.004) and a negative relationship between social network size and odds of dementia diagnosis (p = 0.024/ Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.974). Only neuroticism mediates the positive relationship between social network size and cognitive trajectory (p < 2e-16). Agreeableness, extraversion, and neuroticism all mediate the negative relationship between social network size and dementia diagnosis (p=0.098, p=0.054, and p < 2e-16, respectively). All personality traits are independently associated with dementia diagnosis (A: p = 0.016/ OR = 0.959; C: p = 0.000007/ OR = 0.945; E: p = 0.028/ OR = 0.961; N: p = 0.000019/ OR = 1.036; O: p = 0.027/ OR = 0.972). Only conscientiousness and neuroticism are associated with postmortem AD pathologies; specifically, conscientiousness is negatively associated (AB: p = 0.001, NT: p = 0.025) and neuroticism is positively associated with pathologies (AB: p = 0.002, NT: p = 0.002). These results support the study’s objectives, demonstrating that social network size and personality traits are strongly associated with dementia outcomes, particularly the odds of receiving a clinical diagnosis of dementia. Personality traits interact significantly and beneficially with social network size to influence the cognitive trajectory and future dementia diagnosis. These results reinforce previous literature linking social network size to dementia risk and provide novel insight into the differential roles of individual personality traits in cognitive protection.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive trajectory, personality traits, social network size

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Authors: A. B. Benshak, M. G. Yilkangnha, V. Y. Nanle

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Social crises and violent conflict can inflict direct (short-term) impact on the environment like poisoning water bodies, climate change, deforestation, destroying the chemical component of the soil due to the chemical and biological weapons used. It can also impact the environment indirectly (long-term), e.g., the destruction of political and economic infrastructure to manage the environmental resources and breaking down traditional conservation practices, population displacement and refugee flows which puts pressure on the already inadequate resources, infrastructure, facilities, amenities, services etc. This study therefore examines the impact of social crises on the environment in Jos Plateau State with emphasis on the long-term impact, analyze the relationship between crises and the environment and assess the perception of people on social crises because much work have concentrated on other repercussions such as the economy, health etc that are more politically expedient. The data for this research were collected mostly through interviews, questionnaire, dailies and reports on the subject matter. The data and findings were presented in tables and results showed that the environment is directly and indirectly impacted by crises and that these impacts can in turn result to a continuous cycle of violent activities if not addressed because of the inadequacies in the supply of infrastructural facilities, resources and so on caused by the inflow of displaced population. Recommendations were made on providing security to minimize conflict occurrences in Jos and its environs, minimizing the impact of social crises on the environment, provision of adequate infrastructural facilities to carter for population rise, renewal and regeneration schemes, etc. which will go a long way in mitigating the impact of crises on the environment.

Keywords: environment, impact, long-term, social crises

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Authors: Erez Kita, Gil Luria

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This study examines gender as a boundary condition for the relationship between the psychological variable of mindfulness and the social variable of income with regards to the use of smartphones by young drivers. The use of smartphones while driving increases the likelihood of a car accident, endangering young drivers and other road users. The study sample included 186 young drivers who were legally permitted to drive without supervision. The subjects were first asked to complete questionnaires on mindfulness and income. Next, their smartphone use while driving was monitored over a one-month period. This study is unique as it used an objective smartphone monitoring application (rather than self-reporting) to count the number of times the young participants actually touched their smartphones while driving. The findings show that gender moderates the effects of social and personal factors (i.e., income and mindfulness) on the use of smartphones while driving. The pattern of moderation was similar for both social and personal factors. For men, mindfulness and income are negatively associated with the use of smartphones while driving. These factors are not related to the use of smartphones by women drivers. Mindfulness and income can be used to identify male populations that are at risk of using smartphones while driving. Interventions that improve mindfulness can be used to reduce the use of smartphones by male drivers.

Keywords: mindfulness, using smartphones while driving, income, gender, young drivers

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Authors: Dhruv Saini, Megha Sharma, Sharad Gupta

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This research is showing the use of celebrity endorsement and social media influencers and how they help in enhancing the brand loyalty of the consumers. The study aims at keeping brand image of the brand as the link between the two. However, choosing the right celebrity or social media influencer is not an easy task and it is very essential for a brand to select the right ambassador for advertising their products and for selling the product to the ultimate consumer. The purpose of the study is to create a relationship of Celebrity endorsement with brand image and with brand loyalty and creating a relationship of Social media influencers with brand image and with brand loyalty and then making a comparison between the two by measuring the effects of both simultaneously. And then by analyzing which among the two has a greater impact on brand loyalty of the consumers. The study mainly focuses on four major variables namely Celebrity endorsement, Social media influencers, Brand image and Brand loyalty. The study also focuses on interdependence and relationships that these variables have with each other and how they are linked with each other. The study also aims at looking which among Celebrity endorsement and Social media influencer has a greater impact on increasing or enhancing the loyalty for a brand. Earlier celebrity endorsers had a major impact on brand loyalty of the consumers but with time social media influencers are also playing a very vital role in impacting the brand loyalty of the consumers and are giving a fight to the celebrity endorsers as well. Also, Brand image also has a very vital role to play in enhancing the brand loyalty of a brand in the minds of the consumers as a well-known and a better perception of a brand leads to retention of more and more consumers. Also, both Celebrity endorsement and Social media influencers are two-way swords as both have a number of positives and a number of negatives as well, so these are to be compared keeping in mind their adverse effects. Examination of the current market situation has shown that the recommendations of celebrities when properly integrated by comparing product strengths. Advertisers agree that celebrity authorization does not guarantee sales but it can create buzz and make the consumer feel better by-product, which is also what customers should expect as a real star by delivering the promise. On the other hand, depending on the results of the studies, there should be a variety of conclusions planned. Some of the influential people on social media had a positive impact on the product portrait. One of the conclusions is that the product image had a positive impact on consumers. Moreover, the results of the following study states that the most influential influencers consumers in their intended purpose of the purchase, but instead produced a positive result indirectly with Brand image which would further lead to brand loyalty .

Keywords: brand image, brand loyalty, celebrity endorsement, social media influencer

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Authors: Stephen Hamafyelto, Hussaini Garba, Mary Pindar Ndahi

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The study was carried out with the intent to mitigate the trauma experienced by victims of insurgent attacks by the so-called Boko Haram militants in Borno state of Nigeria. The area was ridden by the crisis over the past 9 years. As a result, many people were killed, maimed and raped. Some others suffered all manner of inhuman treatment at the hands of their captors. The extent to which this dehumanized treatment has gone and impacted on the people in this area has left most of them traumatised. Victims who survived the attacks have been resettled in camps provided by government where their needs have been cared for. This can never be the same with their natural habitats. Many interventions have also been done by government, non-governmental organisations and corporate and individual bodies. In this regard, social needs of the victims have been the immediate concerns of most organisations, where food, shelter, and clothing were provided. However, there is little that has been done to rehabilitate these victims psychosocially. In this regard, sports and games including the victims’ local games were used to provide psychosocial rehabilitation of victims. The intent was to bring them back to social reality, social inclusion, and stable emotions and peer integration. Descriptive statistics and Multivariate analysis were done. No statistically significant difference was found among male and female children and adults in terms of psychosocial rehabilitation using sports and games.

Keywords: social reality, social inclusion, emotional intellegence, peer model

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Authors: Yuanxiang Miao

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This paper aims to examine the perceptual features of couchsurfers on a new hospitality tourism platform, the free homestay website couchsurfing. As a local host, the author has accepted 61 couchsurfers in Kyoto, Japan, and attempted to figure out couchsurfers' characteristics on perception by hosting them. Moreover, the methodology of this research is mainly based on in-depth interviews, by talking with couchsurfers, observing their behaviors, doing questionnaires, etc. Five dominant perceptual features of couchsurfers were identified: (1) Trusting; (2) Meeting; (3) Sharing; (4) Reciprocity; (5) Worries. The value of this research lies in figuring out a deeper understanding of the perceptual features of couchsurfers, and the author indeed hosted and stayed with 61 couchsurfers from 30 countries and areas over one year. Lastly, the author offers practical suggestions for future research.

Keywords: couchsurfing, depth interview, hospitality tourism, perceptual features

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Authors: Yu Yaochuan

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This paper explores the pivotal role of public opinion during the Xinhai Revolution. Examining the dynamics of public sentiment in Chinese society in 1911 shows how information dissemination, ideological propaganda, and public mobilization worked together to drive the revolution to success. The study highlights the indispensable role of revolutionary newspapers, assemblies, and speeches in spreading revolutionary ideas, mobilizing the public, and shaping policy perceptions. By analyzing these historical events, the paper provides a deeper insight into the Xinhai Revolution and offers theoretical and empirical support for understanding the application of public opinion in modern social and political transformations.

Keywords: Xinhai Revolution, public opinion, social mobilization, information dissemination, ideology, political transformation

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Authors: Fatima Homor

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The new era in business has started, according to my research paper findings, corporate social responsibility leads organizations to an incomparable advantage phase, where competition is secondary and financial growth is a result. Those who join later, lose their active advantage and cause passive disadvantage for their organizations. The main purpose of this presentation is to state the obvious and shed the light of the advantages of doing good, while doing well for multinational enterprises, extremely low fluctuation (preventing one of the highest costs), significantly lower marketing budget, enhanced reputation causing customer and supplier loyalty, employee commitment results in higher motivation level leading to better quality at each stages, Corporate Social Responsibility brings Unique Selling Proposition incomparable to others. The paper is based on a large research work conducted for the University of Liverpool Masters in Business Administration program, with the title of Corporate Social Responsibility for Multinational Enterprises to gain incomparable advantage. The research is based on both recent secondary data, but most importantly on 25 interviews with Chief Executive Officers at Multinational Enterprises and / or the Human Resources / corporate communications directors. The direct gains on Corporate Social Responsibility are analyzed when it is embedded into the core of the business. It is evident that project based Corporate Social Responsibility is not effective neither from the supported topic, Non-governmental Organizations point of view nor from the organization’s long-term sustainability point of view. Surveys have been conducted, data compared and consequences drawn. Corporate Social Responsibility must be started inside of the business to strengthen it. First, commit employees. It must come from the Chief Executive Officer. It must be related to the business profile. It has to be long term. They will commit customers. B-corps are coming (e.g. Unilever); the phenomenon of social enterprises has become a leading one.

Keywords: B-corps, embedded into core business, first inside, unique advantage

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Authors: Mohammad Reza Dawoudi

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With the increasing rate of patients suffering from chronic pain, several methods for evaluating of chronic pain are suggested. Motion of morbid has been defined as the rate of pine and it is linked with various co-morbid conditions. This study provides a summary of procedure useful to statistics performing direct behavioral observation in hospital settings. We describe the need for and usefulness of comprehensive “morbid motions” observations; provide a primer on the identification, definition, and assessment of morbid behaviors; and outline and discuss specific statistical procedures, including formulating referral motions, describing and conducting the observation. We also provide practical devices for observing and analyzing the obtained information into a report that guides clinical intervention.

Keywords: assessing pain, DNA modeling, image matching technique, pain scale

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Authors: Yujie Lei

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This article examines the evolving concept of urban living through the lens of co-living spaces, focusing on Liverpool. It explores how co-living can address challenges such as rising urban isolation, housing affordability, and social autism, particularly among younger generations. The research aims to understand how these spaces can mitigate social isolation and maximize urban space use. Using a case study approach, the study examines models like Superloft, co-office spaces, and platforms like Airbnb. Findings reveal that Liverpool’s co-living initiatives have gained popularity, offering flexibility and community engagement. This concept has the potential for expansion, not only for the younger generation but also for elderly communities, fostering intergenerational living. The dissertation concludes that co-living offers a sustainable alternative to traditional housing models, aligning with digital-age lifestyles that prioritize flexibility and community. It presents a promising framework for shaping the future of urban development.

Keywords: co-living, urban design, social isolation, urban development, housing challenges

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Authors: Rofayda A. Hout

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This study aims to investigate the relationship between women on board and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in addition to the role of corporate governance in introducing and implementing CSR practices. Analysis has been conducted on 30 prior studies published between 2007 and 2017 to investigate the common areas and differences across the studies with varying conclusions. The study also handles the differences between developing and developed countries when it comes to gender diverse board and corporate social responsibility. The review conducted reveals that there is a positive relationship between women on board and corporate social responsibility. Comparison between developed and developing countries with respect to CSR implementation highlighted differences due to possible reasons relating to socio-political, cultural, socio-economic, and institutional factors. In addition, developing countries perceive CSR as philanthropy rather than part of their business mission. Given that, CSR needs to be integrated into the corporate strategic planning and be considered as fundamental part of the operations to improve the region’s needs. Developing countries were late in adopting CSR in comparison to developed countries, thus to have a fair comparison between developed and developing countries, corporate governance in developing countries should take serious steps in developing a framework for CSR implementation and integrating it within corporate operations.

Keywords: corporate governance, corporate performance, corporate social responsibility, developed countries, developing countries, gender diverse board, systematic review

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Authors: Michał Jaśkiewicz

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The relation between walkability, place adherence, social relations and quality of life was explored in a Polish context. A considerable number of studies have suggested that environmental factors may influence the quality of life through indirect pathways. The list of possible psychological mediators includes social relations and identity-related variables. Based on the results of Study 1, local identity is a significant mediator in the relationship between neighbourhood walkability and quality of life. It was assumed that pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods enable residents to interact and that these spontaneous interactions can help to strengthen a sense of local identity, thus influencing the quality of life. We, therefore, conducted further studies, testing the relationship experimentally in studies 2a and 2b. Participants were exposed to (2a) photos of walkable/non-walkable neighbourhoods or (2b) descriptions of high/low-walkable neighbourhoods. They were then asked to assess the walkability of the neighbourhoods and to evaluate their potential social relations and quality of life in these places. In both studies, social relations with neighbours turned out to be a significant mediator between walkability and quality of life. In Study 3, we implemented the measure of overlapping individual and communal identity (fusion with the neighbourhood) and willingness to collective action as mediators. Living in a walkable neighbourhood was associated with identity fusion with that neighbourhood. Participants who felt more fused expressed greater willingness to engage in collective action with other neighbours. Finally, this willingness was positively related to the quality of life in the city. In Study 4, we used commuting time (an aspect of walkability related to the time that people spend travelling to work) as the independent variable. The results showed that a shorter average daily commuting time was linked to more frequent social interactions in the neighbourhood. Individuals who assessed their social interactions as more frequent expressed a stronger city identification, which was in turn related to quality of life. To sum up, our research replicated and extended previous findings on the association between walkability and well-being measures. We introduced potential mediators of this relationship: social interactions in the neighbourhood and identity-related variables.

Keywords: walkability, quality of life, social relations, analysis of mediation

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Authors: Nilay Balkan

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Introductory statement: The purpose of this study is to understand how small business owners develop social media marketing competency, the challenges they encounter in doing so, and establish the social media training needs of such businesses. These challenges impact the extent to which small business owners build effective social media knowledge and, in turn, impact their ability to implement effective social media marketing into their business practices. This means small businesses are not fully able to benefit from social media, such as benefits to customer relationship management or increasing brand image, which would support the overall business operations for these businesses. This research is part one of a two-phased study. The first phase aims to establish the challenges small business owners face in building social media marketing competency and their specific training needs. Phase two will then focus in more depth on the barriers and challenges emerging from phase one. Summary of Methodology: Interviews with ten small business owners were conducted from various sectors, including fitness, tourism, food, and drinks. These businesses were located in the central belt of Scotland, which is an area with the highest population and business density in Scotland. These interviews were in-depth and semi-structured, with the purpose of being investigative and understanding the phenomena from the lived experience of the small business owners. A purposive sampling was used, where small business owners fulfilling certain criteria were approached to take part in the interviews. Key findings: The study found four ways in which small business owners develop their social media competency (informal methods, formal methods, learning through a network, and experimenting) and the various challenges they face with these methods. Further, the study established four barriers impacting the development of social media marketing competency among the interviewed small business owners. In doing so, preliminary support needs have also emerged. Concluding statement: The contribution of this study is to understand the challenges small business owners face when learning how to use social media for business purposes and identifying their training needs. This understanding can help the development of specific and tailored support. In addition, specific and tailored training can support small businesses in building competency. This supports small businesses to progress to the next stage of their development, which could be to further their digital transformation or grow their business. The insights from this study can be used to support business competitiveness and support small businesses to become more resilient. Moreover, small businesses and entrepreneurs share some similar characteristics, such as limited resources and conflicting priorities, and the findings of this study may be able to support entrepreneurs in their social media marketing strategies as well.

Keywords: small business, marketing theory and applications, social media marketing, strategic management, digital competency, digitalisation, marketing research and strategy, entrepreneurship

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Authors: Bekhemmas Youcef

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The category of the disabled, like other social groups, is considered to have been affected by fate with a disability that led to a reduction in the fulfillment of its social roles to the fullest extent or led to its complete abandonment. Psychological, and until we understand its behavioral methods that express a lot of this complexity and intertwining, and despite all that, this category has not yet received the appropriate great interest from specialized researchers, and even officials, and it is natural that the category of people with disabilities has psychological and social requirements in order to regains their capabilities or some From her, it also needs to prepare the environment in which she lives in order to integrate into society As the motor disability is one of the most common types of disability in the world, and it is constantly increasing, considering the increase in the causes leading to it, such as the traffic accident, and the motor disability often affects individuals from a psychological point of view, but it also affects their social surroundings, whether close or extended, and thus it draws limits and quality For their way of life, as well as determining roles for them as actors of a special kind within their societies. The methodology is similar to the organizational framework for the production of any scientific knowledge and based on the fact that sociology is a project that aims to understand and interpret the social reality scientifically and through the nature of the subject studied in the framework of the reality of the disabled in the city and in order to get closer to the daily life of the physically disabled within the urban center, we adopted the qualitative approach A choice that complies with the spirit of Viberian sociology, especially since Max Weber insists on the need to search for the meaning that the social actor gives to his behavior. Through the results reached in this study, it was found that the city still suffers from several deficiencies at the level of equipment and urban planning in a way that keeps pace with the number of people with disabilities in the city.

Keywords: physically, handicapped, in, the city

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Authors: Ana M. G. Sperandio, Adriana A. C. Rosa, Jussara C. Guarnieri

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This study consists of a research of the Post Occupancy Assessment (POA) of Medicinal Gardens' project of Urban Social Center’s square, in the city of 'Santa Barbara d'Oeste', located in the interior of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In view of the fact that community gardens, as well as medicinal gardens, are based on innumerable functions. The addition to the pedagogical function rescues people from their origins through (re)contact with the land, as a vehicle for social integration. Bearing in mind the project has the potential to fight hunger among the low-income population, to treat some diseases, also works as a strategy of environmental recovery especially of idle land. Such as very often only accumulate weeds and garbage, and therefore, must be considered in the Municipal Master Plan for the activity to be regulated. Objective: Identify on implantation the medicinal plants' value and principles for the promotion of a healthy city. Methodology: Application of the walkthrough, where it is possible to affirm that this instrument has three routes: one officer applied within the urban social center and two complementary ones, one being about 3 miles and the other being almost 5,5 miles. Results: Through a dialogical course, one can observe the benefits that the community medicinal gardens bring to the local population. In addition, it is consistent with the proposal for the community to be enabled to access collective care with home orientations that rescue the local and regional culture making the physical environment. This project aims at promoting more pleasant and inclusive through the actions of the caregiver, local leadership and the co-participation of local government. Although with the aim of increasing the supply value and improving the living conditions of social groups and interrelationship. Conclusion: This type of urban intervention, which articulates social participation, rescue of medicinal cultures and local knowledge, intersectoriality, social inclusion, among other premises connected with health promotion, and the city presents a potential for reverberation of practices in social networks with the objective of meeting the healthy city strategies.

Keywords: healthy city, healthy urban planning, medicinal gardens, social participation

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Authors: Jihye Jeon

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This paper analyzes the conceptual framework of three statistical methods, multiple regression, path analysis, and structural equation models. When establishing research model of the statistical modeling of complex social phenomenon, it is important to know the strengths and limitations of three statistical models. This study explored the character, strength, and limitation of each modeling and suggested some strategies for accurate explaining or predicting the causal relationships among variables. Especially, on the studying of depression or mental health, the common mistakes of research modeling were discussed.

Keywords: multiple regression, path analysis, structural equation models, statistical modeling, social and psychological phenomenon

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Authors: Ilona Bontenbal

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In this research, the potential for societal change is researched through the idea of migrants as change agents. The viewpoint is on the potential that migrants have for affecting societal change in their country of origin through transmitting transnational peer-to-peer information. The focus is on the information that Russian migrants living in Finland transmit about their experiences and attitudes regarding the Nordic welfare state, its democratic foundation and the social rights embedded in it, to their family and friends in their country of origin. The welfare provision and level of democracy are very different in the two neighbouring countries of Finland and Russia. Finland is a Nordic welfare state with strong democratic institutions and a comprehensive actualizing of civil and social rights. In Russia, the state of democracy has on the other hand been declining, and the social and civil rights of its citizens are constantly undermined. Due to improvements in communications and travel technology, migrants can easily and relatively cheaply stay in contact with their family and friends in their country of origin. This is why it is possible for migrants to act as change agents. By telling about their experiences and attitudes about living in a democratic welfare state, migrants can affect what people in the country or origin know and think about welfare, democracy, and social rights. This phenomenon is approached through the concept of social remittances. Social remittances broadly stand for the ideas, know-how, world views, attitudes, norms of behavior, and social capital that flows through transnational networks from receiving- to sending- country communities and the other way around. The viewpoint is that historically and culturally formed democratic welfare models cannot be copied entirely nor that each country should achieve identical development paths, but rather that migrants themselves choose which aspects they see as important to remit to their acquaintances in their country of origin. This way the potential for social change and the agency of the migrants is accentuated. The empirical research material of this study is based on 30 qualitative interviews with Russian migrants living in Finland. Russians are the largest migrant group in Finland and Finland is a popular migration destination especially for individuals living in North-West Russia including the St. Petersburg region. The interviews are carried out in 2018-2019. The preliminary results indicate that Russian migrants discuss social rights and welfare a lot with their family members and acquaintances living in Russia. In general, the migrants feel that they have had an effect on the way that their friends and family think about Finland, the West, social rights and welfare provision. Democracy, on the other hand, is seen as a more difficult and less discussed topic. The transformative potential that the transmitted information and attitudes could have outside of the immediate circle of acquaintances on larger societal change is seen as ambiguous although not negligible.

Keywords: migrants as change agents, Russian migrants, social remittances, welfare and democracy

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Authors: Intissar Abbes, Yousra Hallem, Jean-michel Sahut

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The purpose of this research is to explore the legitimacy of a proximity mobile payment (PMP) system by taking into account the social aspects related to its use (social acceptability). We have chosen to focus on the acceptability process of a PMP application (‘Flashplay’) from the first testing to the adoption in a service context. This PMP solution is a pilot program developed as part of a global strategy of disintermediation in various sectors (retail, catering, and entertainment). This case is particularly interesting for two reasons: the context and environment are suitable to the adoption of innovation in payment like other African countries and the possibility to study different stages of the social acceptability process of that PMP system. The neo-institutional theory is mobilized to identify the three pillars of legitimacy: cognitive, normative and regulatory. A longitudinal qualitative study was conducted with 27 customers using the PMP service. Results highlighted the importance of the consumption system and the service provider as institutions. Recommendations are thus proposed to PMP service providers in order to rethink the design and implementation strategies of their PMP system to ensure their adoption and promote the institutionalization of this type of consumption practice.

Keywords: legitimacy, payment, acceptability, mobility

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Authors: Shatha Ahmad Alharthi

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Prior research suggests that reduced social interaction can negatively affect well-being and impair mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety), resulting in lower academic performance. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly limited social interaction among Saudi Arabian school children since the government closed schools and implemented lockdown restrictions to reduce the spread of the disease. These restrictions have resulted in prolonged remote learning for middle school students with unknown consequences for perceived academic performance, mental health, and well-being. This research project explores how middle school Saudi students’ current remote learning practices affect their mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety) and well-being during the lockdown. Furthermore, the study will examine the association between social interaction, mental health, and well-being pertaining to students’ perceptions of their academic achievement. Research findings could lead to a better understanding of the role of lockdown on depression, anxiety, well-being and perceived academic performance. Research findings may also inform policy-makers or practitioners (e.g., teachers and school leaders) about the importance of facilitating increased social interactions in remote learning situations and help to identify important factors to consider when seeking to re-integrate students into a face-to-face classroom setting. Potential implications for future educational research include exploring remote learning interventions targeted at bolstering students’ mental health and academic achievement during periods of remote learning.

Keywords: depression, anxiety, academic performance, social interaction

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Authors: Debrah Mtshelwane, Alewyn Nel, Lizelle Brink

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Social desirability is an important topic to study. It may be possible that different cultures experience social desirability in different ways. Different cultural groups exist within South Africa, however the focus of this study is specifically in the Zulu culture. This research aims to explore social desirability from an emic perspective within the social constructivist paradigm among individuals within the Zulu culture. The researcher intended to identify those features Zulu individuals deem as socially desirable and undesirable from their cultural viewpoint. The research was conducted using a qualitative research design and the constructivism paradigm was utilised in this study. Combined purposive and quota non-probability sampling was employed for this study. A sample of 30 employees (N = 30) working in various organisations from the provinces of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal formed part of this study and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The main findings showed that Zulu people regard certain behaviours and actions as socially desirable and others as undesirable. The following are considered socially desirable: Conscientiousness, dominance, subjective expectations and positive relations, these are the themes that were reported on the most. These are positive features in the Zulu culture, and they reflect on behaviour patterns, attitudes and manners that people display, which are also seen as acceptable and good in the Zulu culture. The following are regarded as socially undesirable features that were identified by people who belong to the Zulu culture, the themes that were identified as undesirable are: non-conscientiousness, non-dominance (male), dominance (females), tradition, negative relations and subjective expectations. This study creates awareness on social desirability in the workplace and provides basic tools to management on how to deal with such behaviours relating to this phenomenon in the workplace. This knowledge informs employees on the concept of socially desirable behaviour, and provide more insight into behaviours and/or emotions Zulu individuals. The outcome of this study provided new indigenous, empirical knowledge on the phenomenon of social desirability within the South African context.

Keywords: cultural diversity, emic perspective, social constructivism paradigm, social desirability, Zulu culture

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Authors: Nino KItoshvili

Abstract:

The family is an integral part of society, which plays a major role in the socialization and the formation of a person as a full member of society. The marital conflict even harms family members and finds a different effect on each member of the family, especially on children. There is a significant difference in the behavior of adolescents in conflict and non-conflict families. In times of marital conflict, adolescent psycho-social well-being is significantly dependent on socio-cultural mediating variables such as; Family income; Parenting style; The functioning of the family, and the existence of psycho-social support. In a family with low economic performance, low psychosocial harassment, family dysfunction, and bad parenting style, marital conflict significantly increases the risk of deteriorating adolescent psycho-social well-being. At this time, to support the well-being of the child, a special role is played by improving the marital relationship, which must be supported by state and community services. There are very few family studies in this field in Georgia, the therapeutic direction of the family is at an early stage, and there are no family-supporting psycho-social programs. This increases the chances of adolescent psycho-social well-being deteriorating amd socialization problems. The study will examine the mediating variables of marital conflict and adolescent psycho-social well-being and will attempt to determine their mediating and moderating role. Research suggests that an increase in the rate of marital conflict is associated with a decrease in child well-being. The well-being of children in conflict families is lower than that of children in non-conflict families and depends on the variables of mediating variables. Quantitative research will be conducted to study this phenomenon through a questionnaire developed and standardized in the research process. The study will be attended by families living in Georgia - spouses (married) and their adolescent children. By analyzing the data obtained from the research, we will be able to determine in which cases the intensity of the relationship between the marital conflict and the well-being of the adolescent increases or decreases; To conclude the mediating and moderating role of mediating variables and also to make relevant recommendations to reduce the negative impact on the psycho-social well-being of a child of marital conflict.

Keywords: adolescent, mediation, moderation, conflict, couple, well-being

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Authors: Kirit Siddhapara, Dimple Shah

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In this research, we have studied the doping behaviors of two transition metal ion dopants on the crystal phase, particle sizes, XRD patterns, EDAX spectra, and photoreactivity of TiO2 nanoparticles. The crystalline size of TiO2 is close to 4 nm Calculated from (1 0 1) peak by using FWHM method in Scherrer’s equation. Test metal ion concentrations ranged from 1% to 4 at.%, we report the growth of [Fe, Mn]xTiO2 nanocrystals prepared by Sol-Gel technique, followed by freeze-drying treatment at -30°C temperature for 12hrs. The obtained Gel was thermally treated at different temperature like 200°C, 400°C, 600°C, 800°C. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) shows that dopant concentration affects thermal decomposition. The photoreactivities of transition metal ion-doped TiO2 nanoparticles under UV irradiation were quantified by the degradation of formaldehyde.

Keywords: growth from solution, sol-gel method, nanomaterials, oxides, magnetic materials, titanium compounds

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Authors: Natalia Khvorostianov, Larissa Remennick

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Recent immigrants seldom join the ranks of volunteers for various social causes. This gap reflects both material reasons (immigrants’ lower income and lack of free time) and cultural differences (value systems, religiosity, language barrier, attitudes towards host society, etc.). Immigrants from the former socialist countries are particularly averse to organized forms of volunteering for a host of reasons rooted in their past, including the memories of false or forced forms of collectivism imposed by the state. In this qualitative study, based on 21 semi-structured interviews, we explored the perceptions and practices of volunteer work among FSU immigrants - participants in one volunteering project run by an Israeli NGO for the benefit of elderly ex-Soviet immigrants. Our goal was to understand the motivations of immigrant volunteers and the role of volunteering in the processes of their own social and economic integration in their adopted country – Israel. The results indicate that most volunteers chose causes targeting fellow immigrants, their resettlement and well-being, and were motivated by the wish to build co-ethnic support network and overcome marginalization in the Israeli society. Other volunteers were driven by the need for self-actualization in the context of underemployment and occupational downgrading.

Keywords: FSU immigrants, integration, volunteering, participation, social capital

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Authors: Ewelina Zdebska

Abstract:

A social worker is an integral part of an interdisciplinary team working with the child and his family in a terminal state. Social support is an integral part of the medical procedure in the care of hospice. This is the basis and prerequisite of full treatment and good care of the child - patient, whose illness often finds at least the expected period of his life when his personal and legal issues are not regulated, and the family burdened with the problem requires care and support specialists - professionals. Hospice for Children in Krakow: a palliative care team operating in the province of Krakow and Malopolska, conducts specialized care for terminally ill children in place of their residence from the time when parents and doctors decided to end of treatment in hospital, allows parents to carry out medical care at home, provides parents social and legal assistance and provides care, psychological support and friendship to families throughout the life of the child's illness and after his death, as long as it is needed. The social worker in a hospice does not bear the burden of solving social problems, which is the responsibility of other authorities, but provides support possible and necessary at the moment. The most common form of assistance is to provide information on benefits, which for the child and his family may be subject to any treatment and fight for the life and health of a child. Employee assists in the preparation and completion of documents, requests to increase the degree of disability because of progressive disease or Allowance care because of the inability to live independently. It works in settling all the issues with the Department of Social Security, as well as with the Municipal and District Team Affairs of disability. Seeking help and support using multi-faceted childcare. With the Centres for Social Welfare contacts are also often on the organization of additional respite care for the sick at home (care), especially in the work of the other members of the family or if the family can not cope with the care and needs extra help. Hospice for Children in Cracow completing construction of Poland's first Respite Care Centre for chronically and terminally ill children, will be an open house where children suffering from chronic and incurable diseases and their families can get professional help, whenever - when they need it. The social worker has to pick up a very important role in caring for a terminally ill child. His presence gives a little patient and family the opportunity to be at this difficult time together while organizing assistance and support.

Keywords: social worker, care, terminal care, hospice

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Authors: Daniia Nigmatullina, Vlada Kugurakova, Maxim Talanov

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We present a methodology and our plans of anthropomorphic social agent visualization. That includes creation of three-dimensional model of the virtual companion's head and its facial expressions. Talking Head is a cross-disciplinary project of developing of the human-machine interface with cognitive functions. During the creation of a realistic humanoid robot or a character, there might be the ‘uncanny valley’ problem. We think about this phenomenon and its possible causes. We are going to overcome the ‘uncanny valley’ by increasing of realism. This article discusses issues that should be considered when creating highly realistic characters (particularly the head), their facial expressions and speech visualization.

Keywords: anthropomorphic social agent, facial animation, uncanny valley, visualization, 3D modeling

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Authors: Joseph Bentil

Abstract:

Successful acquisition of 21st-century competencies needed by students to navigate through the ever-changing world requires that they are taught and molded by 21st-century teachers with the needed professional competencies. Accordingly, this study sought to understand the readiness and how efficacious pre-service Social Studies specialism students are towards the implementation of the Common Core Social Studies Curriculum in the Junior High Schools in Ghana. Theory of Experience served as the theoretical lens for the study. Working within the pragmatist paradigm, this study utilized the cross-sectional descriptive survey design with a mixed method approach where, through census sampling technique, all the 120 pre-service Social Studies specialism students were sampled for the study. A structured questionnaire and an interview guide were the instruments employed for data collection. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and inferential statistics like independent samples t-test, one-way between groups ANOVA and Pearson Product Moment Correlation) were employed in the analysis the research questions and hypotheses with the aid of version 28 of SPSS while the qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings discovered that pre-service Social Studies teachers were highly ready and efficacious towards implementing the Common Core Junior High School Social Studies curriculum. However, male pre-service teachers were highly efficacious and ready than their female counterparts. Besides, it was disclosed that pre-service teachers within the 31-40 years age bracket were found to be highly efficacious and ready than their colleagues with 20-30 and below 20 years age bracket respectively. The findings further revealed that there was a moderate and statistically significant positive relationship between pre-service teachers’ readiness and efficacy in implementing the Common Core Social Studies curriculum. Therefore, the study recommended that interventional programmes aimed at raising the readiness and efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers should be targeted towards female preservice teachers and those below 20 years age bracket for successful implementation and realization of the competencies enshrined in the common core social Studies curriculum.

Keywords: pre-service, readiness, social studies, teachers

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Authors: Shari S. C. Shang, Lynn S. L. Chiu

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In the digital payment market, some consumers use only one payment wallet while many others play multi-homing with a variety of payment services. With the diffusion of new payment systems, we examined the determinants of the adoption of multi-homing behavior. This study aims to understand how a digital payment provider dynamically expands business touch points with cross-business strategies to enrich the digital ecosystem and avoid the trap of multi-homing in customers. By synthesizing platform ecosystem literature, we constructed a two-dimensional research framework with one determinant of user digital behavior from offline to online intentions and the other determinant of digital payment touch points from convenient accessibility to cross-business platforms. To explore on a broader scale, we selected 12 digital payments from 5 countries of UK, US, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. With the interplays of user digital behaviors and payment touch points, we group the study cases into four types: (1) Channel Initiated: users originated from retailers with high access to in-store shopping with face-to-face guidance for payment adoption. Providers offer rewards for customer loyalty and secure the retailer’s efficient cash flow management. (2) Social Media Dependent: users usually are digital natives with high access to social media or the internet who shop and pay digitally. Providers might not own physical or online shops but are licensed to aggregate money flows through virtual ecosystems. (3) Early Life Engagement: digital banks race to capture the next generation from popularity to profitability. This type of payment aimed to give children a taste of financial freedom while letting parents track their spending. Providers are to capitalize on the digital payment and e-commerce boom and hold on to new customers into adulthood. (4) Traditional Banking: plastic credit cards are purposely designed as a control group to track the evolvement of business strategies in digital payments. Traditional credit card users may follow the bank’s digital strategy to land on different types of digital wallets or mostly keep using plastic credit cards. This research analyzed business growth models and inter-firms’ coopetition strategies of the selected cases. Results of the multiple case analysis reveal that channel initiated payments bundled rewards with retailer’s business discount for recurring purchases. They also extended other financial services, such as insurance, to fulfill customers’ new demands. Contrastively, social media dependent payments developed new usages and new value creation, such as P2P money transfer through network effects among the virtual social ties, while early life engagements offer virtual banking products to children who are digital natives but overlooked by incumbents. It has disrupted the banking business domains in preparation for the metaverse economy. Lastly, the control group of traditional plastic credit cards has gradually converted to a BaaS (banking as a service) model depending on customers’ preferences. The multi-homing behavior is not avoidable in digital payment competitions. Payment providers may encounter multiple waves of a multi-homing threat after a short period of success. A dynamic cross-business collaboration strategy should be explored to continuously evolve the digital ecosystems and allow users for a broader shopping experience and continual usage.

Keywords: digital payment, digital ecosystems, multihoming users, cross business strategy, user digital behavior intentions

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Authors: S. Arun Prakash, V. Malathi, M. S. Mani Rajan

Abstract:

The analytical bright two soliton solution of the 3-coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations with variable coefficients in birefringent optical fiber is obtained by Darboux transformation method. To the design of ultra-speed optical devices, Soliton interaction and control in birefringence fiber is investigated. Lax pair is constructed for N coupled NLS system through AKNS method. Using two soliton solution, we demonstrate different interaction behaviors of solitons in birefringent fiber depending on the choice of control parameters. Our results shows that interactions of optical solitons have some specific applications such as construction of logic gates, optical computing, soliton switching, and soliton amplification in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) system.

Keywords: optical soliton, soliton interaction, soliton switching, WDM

Procedia PDF Downloads 511