Social Networking Opportunities Research Articles

Factors that Affect Purchase Intention and the Effects of Livestream Influencers: Basis for Strategic Plan

The ability of online influencers in e-commerce livestreams to provide clear and intuitive insights into merchandise significantly shapes and drives consumer spending intentions. This study explored factors affecting purchase intention and the impact of livestream influencers on consumers in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, using a quantitative approach. The sample included consumers who watched livestreams on various social media platforms. Data analysis involved tables and weighted means to assess factors influencing purchase intention, the effects of livestream influencers, and the relationship between consumer profiles and purchase intention. Key findings indicated that factors such as social networking opportunities, efficiency of methods, and popularity significantly influenced purchase intentions, with social networking opportunities having the highest impact. The study also found that livestream influencers most strongly affected purchase decisions, followed by purchase intention and customer engagement. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between consumer profiles—specifically age, income, years of e-commerce usage, and frequency of platform use—and purchase intention, with educational attainment showing the strongest correlation. However, sex and the specific e-commerce platform used were not significant factors. The study's strategic plan provided recommendations for improving sales and consumer engagement on livestream platforms. The study concluded that livestream platforms significantly influence consumer purchases and contribute to increased sales and profits for enterprises, with recommendations directed at consumers, influencers, businesses, and the government.

Oral proficiency gains of study abroad students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Oral proficiency gains of study abroad students before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Doing Sociology across Borders: Student Experiences and Learning with Virtual Exchange in Large Introductory Sociology Classes

Virtual exchange programs represent a relatively novel approach designed to foster a more global perspective and promote discipline-specific learning; however, this approach has not been widely adopted in sociology. This article reports findings on student experiences and learning in a virtual exchange program involving two large introductory sociology classes in Hong Kong and Atlanta. A postsurvey invited students to reflect qualitatively on their experiences, and six major themes emerged from the data: (1) global application of sociological knowledge, (2) social and cultural relativism, (3) breaking the shell and gaining intellectual and social flexibility, (4) social networking opportunities, (5) challenges and adjustments, and (6) keeping contact beyond school. Based on our experience and the students’ feedback, we conclude that virtual exchange is an effective pedagogical approach for internationalizing sociology curricula, enhancing intercultural competency, and deepening students’ understanding of core sociological concepts.

"ПРАВОВЫЕ ВОПРОСЫ ВЕДЕНИЯ ИНТЕРНЕТ-РЕСУРСОВ ПРЕДСТАВИТЕЛЬНЫХ ОРГАНОВ МЕСТНОЙ ВЛАСТИ В УЗБЕКИСТАНЕ И КАЗАХСТАНЕ"

"The article provides a comparative legal analysis of the organizational and legal basis for maintaining the Internet resources of representative local authorities in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, ensuring the openness of their activities. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the websites of some representative local authorities do not contain all the information specified in the legislation, including information about their meetings; broadcasting of meetings is not provided; some information is not updated; and social networking opportunities are not used to broadcast meetings. It was hypothesized that in order to eliminate existing shortcomings, it is necessary to clarify the list of information on the activities of representative bodies of local government, taking into account their characteristics. The content of the relevant norms of national legislation, the interpretation of terms, and the experience of foreign countries confirmed the hypothesis. The author proposed to include in the list of information posted on the websites of representative bodies of local authorities information about official speeches and official statements of their leaders, standing committees and deputies, information messages, press releases aimed at notifying the population about the dates of meetings of representative bodies of local authorities and their working bodies, minutes of open meetings of representative bodies of local government and their working bodies, the results of hearing reports, and information on the activities of representative bodies of local government, its standing commissions, and deputies. "

Que(e)rying How Professional STEM Societies’ Serve Queer and Trans Engineering and Science Undergraduates

The STEM climate is overall less welcoming for queer students, and is especially harrowing for transgender, nonbinary, and students with additional gender non-conforming identities (TNBGNC+). Professional STEM societies provide students with a range of resources that help them persist in STEM, though qualitative research shows that such societies geared toward queer and trans students may offer less professional and academic resources and prioritize identity management. The objective of our research is to identify, among queer and trans students, whether there are differences between how TNBGNC+ students and gender majoritized students access resources important in STEM persistence across professional society types, including those societies organized to serve women, racial/ethnic minoritized groups, queer and trans groups, as well as those science societies and chapters without a stated group focus. The society resources we focus on include: sense of community, social networking, professional resources, leadership skills, academic resources, reduced isolation related to identities, and perceptions that societies in which they may participate are helpful to them in their degree progress. This study offers an analysis of survey data from 477 queer and trans STEM undergraduates relating to their participation in STEM professional societies. To conduct this research, we embraced and enacted recommendations by scholars on strategies and frameworks to queer our methodology, survey, and analysis. We found that at oSTEM, TNBGNC+ students may not be benefitting to the same extent as gender majoritized students when it comes to feeling in community with other members and having opportunities for social networking. However, TNBGNC+ students may benefit more from a reduction in isolation related to their identities. Differences in how SWE served TNBGNC+ students echoes previous work, and may speak to the society’s organization around the cisgender, patriarchal framework. SHPE’s relative success with TNBGNC+ students also reproduces existing work, suggesting the society may be more largely scaffolded for more affirming environments writ large. As well, that science in comparison to industry chapters were more beneficial to TNBGNC+ students brings forward possible differences between science and industry chapters, in which the former may be influenced more by the scholarship and science of gender, while the latter, with its more business and public focus, could be more influenced by dominant narratives in STEM. This work has implications for societies when it comes to enacting policies to cultivate more inclusive community environments and buttress potentially unequal access to social networking as well as professional and academic resources. At the same time, there is room for oSTEM to augment how it supports TNBGNC+ students with academic and professional resources and benefit students’ progress in their degree programs.

Changing content plan structure of companies operating in Russia and represented on VK

The article identifies six main types of content: communication, entertainment, situational, news, sales, and reputation. The study analyzes changes in content plan structure of companies providing various categories of consumer goods in 2022. The reviewed companies operate in Russia, have official accounts VK and actively interact with users. These companies’ activity on VK has been reviewed and analyzed and trends in various types of content placement considered. The regularities in companies’ content plan change and types of prevailing content for 2022 have been highlighted. The article concludes that Russian companies are facing a serious challenge related to the vacated market niches due to a number of foreign brands market withdrawal. Companies that change their content plan in the direction of active interaction with users and effective use of available social network opportunities will have a clear advantage over those ones that continue to focus their efforts on Western resources, access to which is significantly hindered, and advertising placement and use of paid promotion tools are illegal.

A Social Network Theory-Inspired Study of Social Work Intervention in the Vendor Economy

This investigation concentrates on the opportunities and challenges confronted by social work intervention in the hawker economy. Concerning research background, small traders, who represent a crucial section of the hawker economy, encounter volatility in the economic milieu and insufficient social assistance. The study aims to comprehend the function and efficiency of social work in the area of vending in order to provide targeted policy recommendations and perspectives. To examine the feasibility of social work intervention, this study employed social network theory elaboration and a literature review. The study observed that social work intervention not only offers economic support, skills training and social networking opportunities to small traders but also enables their personal growth and social integration. Nonetheless, this study discovered resource, policy and cultural limitations that impede the effective professional intervention of social work. In summary, social work plays a crucial role in the growth of the hawker economy; nevertheless, there is an ongoing requirement to boost policy support and invest more in human and material resources to uphold development and amplify its social impact.

Marketing of social networks: the challenge of today

The aim of the article. The purpose of the article is to research social network marketing as a modern element of promotion in the Internet space. Analysis results. The rapid development and digitization of society has caused the transformation of traditional marketing tools and methodologies into new, more effective marketing elements and methods. Social networks as a new space for the presence of consumers have acquired their own characteristics and properties that distinguish them from traditional ones, which is why the very methods of working in the acquired conditions differ from classical ones. Because it is vital for business entities to respond in a timely and competent manner to modern trends and changes in consumer behavior, making social networks an important element of their marketing processes. Marketing activity in social networks has become one of the most effective ways to attract and engage more consumers, however, it remains a fairly new concept and is characterized by constant and dynamic changes, so it is worth investigating the features and trends in the development of social network marketing, their tasks, advantages, disadvantages and opportunities application of social networks in the marketing strategy of enterprises. Today, using social media marketing is the most versatile method of online promotion. The pace of development is so rapid that every year social media become an integral part of the marketing activities of any enterprise. The article discusses the issue of marketing ,as an important component of the modern Internet space. The right choice of Internet marketing strategy and tools is one of the components of marketing. Attention is focused on the use of an effective social media marketing strategy in modern business conditions. Conclusions and directions for further research. The relevance and necessity of using the described type of marketing has been proven, as it contributes to increasing the competitiveness of economic entities in the modern business environment. Therefore, today's business environment requires establishing a strong presence in the Internet space, and the use of an effective social media marketing strategy allows today's market representatives to influence traffic and conversions. Thus, today, social network marketing is becoming a valuable tool that helps to create and develop modern brands, increase consumer confidence and form demand not only on the Internet, but also in traditional markets

FACEBOOK AS A PROMOTIONAL TOOL FOR LEARNER AUTONOMY: THAI PRE-SERVICE EFL TEACHERS’ VOICES

Facebook has not only opened up new opportunities for social networking, but has also been recognized as an educational tool for language learning beyond the classroom. However, little is known as to what extent Facebook can promote learner autonomy among English as a foreign language (EFL) pre-service teachers (PSTs). This study explores the voices of EFL PSTs with regard to their use of Facebook as a tool for promoting their autonomy in learning English, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing upon Betts and Kercher’s (1996) Autonomous Learner Model (ALM), this study gained deeper insights into the EFL PSTs’ attitudes, perceptions, and ideas concerning the opportunities and challenges Facebook offers them. This qualitative study was based on a purposive sampling of twenty EFL PSTs from a university in northern Thailand. The findings reveal that Thai EFL PSTs experienced all five dimensions of ALM, namely, orientation, individual development, enrichment, seminars, and in-depth study. They also viewed learning English on Facebook positively during the lockdowns since they simultaneously acquired English and enjoyed edutainment resources despite some limitations concerning this platform. Pedagogical implications of this study suggest that Facebook is a suitable platform for ELT professional development and life-long learning, particularly amid the global disruption caused by COVID-19.

Peer community health workers improve HIV testing and ART linkage among key populations in Zambia: retrospective observational results from the Z-CHECK project, 2019-2020.

Zambia has made tremendous progress towards HIV epidemic control; however, gaps remain among key populations (KPs), such as female sex workers (FSWs), men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID) and people in prisons and enclosed settings due to cultural, social and legal barriers. The University of Maryland, Baltimore Zambia Community HIV Epidemic Control for Key Populations (Z-CHECK) project aimed to improve HIV case-finding, linkage and treatment adherence at the community level for KPs in Zambia. We describe Z-CHECK strategies and examine HIV positivity yield and antiretroviral therapy (ART) linkage among KPs to inform ongoing programme improvement. Z-CHECK recruited, trained and deployed peer community health workers (CHWs) for KP groups, with ongoing mentorship in community engagement. CHWs offered HIV testing in safe spaces and escorted newly HIV-diagnosed clients for same-day ART initiation. Z-CHECK also reached out to KP community leaders and gatekeepers for KP mobilization and trained healthcare workers (HCWs) on KP services and sensitivity. We conducted a retrospective observational review of routinely collected aggregate data for KPs aged ≥15 years at high risk for HIV transmission across five districts in Zambia from January 2019 to December 2020. Z-CHECK provided HIV testing for 9211 KPs, of whom 2227 were HIV positive (positivity yield, 24%). Among these, 1901 (85%) were linked to ART; linkage for MSM, FSW, PWID and people in prisons and enclosed settings was 95%, 89%, 86% and 65%, respectively. Programme strategies that contributed to high positivity yield and linkage included the use of peer KP CHWs, social network testing strategies and opportunities for same-day ART initiation. Challenges to programme implementation included stigma and discrimination among HCWs, as well as KP CHW attrition, which may be explained by high mobility. Peer CHWs were highly effective at reaching KP communities, identifying persons living with HIV and linking them to care. Engaging KP community gatekeepers resulted in high diffusion of health messages and increased access to health resources. The mobility of CHWs and HCWs is a challenge for programme implementation. Innovative interventions are needed to support PWID and people in prisons and enclosed settings.

Labor market participation for employees with disabilities: a cross-organizational review in India

This paper aims to review the current state of workplace inclusion of employees with disabilities in India. Specifically, this work uses the human resource (HR) practices to examine how employees with disabilities are accommodated and integrated with the non-disabled workforce in organizations. A qualitative research design was adopted. Interview responses were collected from HR heads and employees with disabilities in sixteen organizations of foreign multinationals, Indian multinationals and Indian start-ups operating in India. This study found that the disability inclusion practices and programs, social and professional networking opportunities, and career development factors of employees with disabilities vary across different types of studied organizations. The country specific context becomes relevant for the implementation of disability inclusion initiatives. The findings are relevant to HR executives, who are entrusted with the responsibility of accommodating employees with disabilities. This paper serves as a guiding principle for rolling out initiatives targeted towards employees with disabilities.

Engaging women brings conservation benefits to snow leopard landscapes

SummaryProtection of biodiversity requires inclusive and gender-responsive programming. Evidence of success in engaging women in large carnivore conservation remains scarce, however, although women play an important role in caring for livestock at risk of predation and could contribute to large-carnivore conservation. We aimed to assess the performance of an income-generation and skills-building programme for women in Spiti Valley (India) that sought to engage women in local conservation action. Annual programme monitoring together with a one-time survey of attitudes, perceptions and social norms in eight communities exposed to the conservation programme and seven ‘control’ communities revealed: a keen interest and increasing levels of women’s participation over 7 years of programme operation; participant reports of multiple programme benefits including additional personal income, social networking and travel opportunities; and more positive attitudes towards snow leopards among programme participants than among non-participants in the control communities. Women from programme communities recorded in their diaries 33 self-directed conservation actions including improving livestock protection and preventing wildlife poaching. These results show a way forward to purposively engage women in conservation programming towards achieving sustainable and equitable outcomes in efforts to promote carnivore–human coexistence.

Facebook as a Flexible Ubiquitous Learning Space for Developing Speaking Skills

he research studied the effectiveness of the integration of Facebook as a flexible ubiquitous learning space into the educational process for speaking skills development of undergraduate students learning English as a second language. For this purpose teaching was organised via a specially created and moderated Facebook group where various media resources, uploaded materials, links to different applications and other social networking opportunities were accumulated. It was designed to achieve the educational programme objectives and address the specifics of digital age learning. A set of specially designed materials posted on the Facebook platform for language input, structured output, and communicative output activities was applied in experimental teaching to develop talk as transition, talk as interaction and mediation, and talk as performance. The results of the quasi-experiment (students’ speaking performance) were assessed in the form of the post-test with the data being analysed and interpreted based on descriptive and inferential statistics (independent samples t-test) by means of SPSS. The results revealed higher achievement scores of the experimental group in comparison to the control group in terms of expanding vocabulary, increasing English grammar literacy, developing interactive skills, discourse management, and pronunciation. The survey administered to find out the learners’ impressions of the successfulness of the FB-assisted activities revealed their overall positive attitude to the new methodology and usefulness for the development of all speaking qualifications checked.

Residents' Challenges in Transitioning to Residency and Recommended Strategies for Improvement.

The transition from internship to residency can be a particularly stressful time for learners, adversely affecting residents' experience of training. Despite awareness of residents' stress during transitions, there is limited information available regarding how residents perceive these transitions or how they could be improved. We explored residents' accounts of the experience of transitioning from internship to residency to develop a better understanding of their challenges and recommended strategies for interventions. We conducted semistructured interviews with first-year anesthesia residents at the University of California, San Francisco. We conducted a thematic analysis through a general inductive approach on transcribed interviews. Ten residents, evenly split among categorical and noncategorical residents, participated in the interviews. We identified seven challenges faced by residents during the transition, including cognitive load management, self-assessment and eliciting effective feedback, learning resource utilization, preoperative care planning and discussion, forming relationships with peers and faculty, and professional identity formation. Residents also recommended strategies to address these challenges, including early low-stake exposure to complex cases, standardized feedback structure, resource utilization guides, normalization of discussing errors with peers, and protected time for networking events. Residents face multiple challenges at the personal, social, and structural levels during the transition. Their recommended strategies are actionable, including scaffolded learning opportunities with increasing difficulty, more standardized and structured communications around expectations and effective feedback, enhanced orientation through bootcamp, and integration of more formal and informal social networking opportunities to increase peer and faculty interaction.

Mobility enhancement among older adults 75\u2009+\u2009in rural areas: Study protocol of the MOBILE randomized controlled trial

BackgroundMaintaining mobility in old age is crucial for healthy ageing including delaying the onset and progress of frailty. However, the extent of an individuals´ mobility relies largely on their personal, social, and environmental resources as outlined in the Life-Space Constriction Model. Recent studies mainly focus on facilitating habitual out-of-home mobility by fostering one type of resources only. The MOBILE trial aims at testing whether tablet-assisted motivational counselling enhances the mobility of community-dwelling older adults by addressing personal, social, and environmental resources.MethodsIn the MOBILE randomized controlled trial, we plan to enrol 254 community-dwelling older adults aged 75 and older from Havelland, a rural area in Germany. The intervention group will receive a tablet-assisted motivational counselling at the participant´s home and two follow-up telephone sessions. Main focus of the counselling sessions lays on setting and adapting individual mobility goals and applying action planning and habit formation strategies by incorporating the personal social network and regional opportunities for engaging in mobility related activities. The control group will receive postal general health information. The primary mobility outcome is time out-of-home assessed by GPS (GPS.Rec2.0-App) at three points in time (baseline, after one month, and after three months for seven consecutive days each). Secondary outcomes are the size of the GPS-derived life-space convex hull, self-reported life-space mobility (LSA-D), physical activity (IPAQ), depressive symptoms (GDS), frailty phenotype, and health status (SF-12).DiscussionThe MOBILE trial will test the effect of a motivational counselling intervention on out-of-home mobility in community-dwelling older adults. Novel aspects of the MOBILE trial include the preventive multi-level intervention approach in combination with easy-to-use technology. The ecological approach ensures low-threshold implementation, which increases the benefit for the people in the region.Trial registrationThe MOBILE trial is prospectively registered at DRKS (Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien, German Registry of Clinical Trials) DRKS00025230. Registered 5 May 2021.

Living With Early-Onset Dementia in China: Through a Person-Centered Care Lens

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 35 dyads of persons with early-onset dementia (EOD) and their primary informal care partners to explore their dyadic experiences of living EOD in Shanghai, China. Many of them are in their 50s and still need to make familial, financial, and social commitments. They experienced significant disruptions of their "normal" family life and family dynamics, social stigma, and felt marginalized when there was very limited age-appropriate support for them. During COVID-19 pandemic, many persons with EDO and their care partners had decreased social networking opportunities, physical exercises and experienced an increased level of social isolation. The pandemic further complicated their family dynamics, relationships, and communications. Care partners used their strengths to adaptively deal with multiple challenges, cope with the stress, social isolation, and normalize their family life by facilitating collaborative work with persons with EOD.

46th Annual Conference of the German Neuropaediatric Society (GNP) and 17th GNP Training Course Academy

After the long break in 2020 due to the pandemic we were pleased to once again offer not only a professional exchange on the latest developments in child neurology but also social networking opportunities at this year's Annual GNP Conference in Salzburg from 5 to November 7, 2021. In early 2020 we were eagerly putting the finishing touches on the planned 46th Annual GNP Conference in Dornbirn, when the developments of the pandemic forced us to cancel the meeting. According to the motto “Turning the crisis into an opportunity”, the 46th Annual GNP Conference and GNP Training Course Academy were therefore also designed as hybrid events to avoid having to completely cancel everything again in these uncertain times.

46th Annual Conference of the German Neuropediatric Society (GNP) and 17th GNP Training Course Academy.

After the long break in 2020 due to the pandemic, we are pleased to once again offer not only a professional exchange on the latest developments in child neurology but also social networking opportunities at this year's Annual German Neuropediatric Society (GNP) Conference in Salzburg from November 5 to 7, 2021. In early 2020, we were eagerly putting the finishing touches on the planned 46th Annual GNP Conference in Dornbirn, when the developments of the pandemic forced us to cancel the meeting. Over the last year, we all had to show a lot of flexibility in our everyday lives, and we learned to appreciate the possibilities of virtual participation. According to the motto “Turning the crisis into an opportunity,” the 46th Annual GNP Conference and 17th GNP Training Course Academy were therefore also designed as hybrid events to avoid having to completely cancel everything again in these uncertain times. In Salzburg, the three main tracks of the scientific program will be livestreamed so that the planned topics can reach a large virtual audience. Moving the originally planned venue from Dornbirn to Salzburg is to help create an incentive for attending in person. Unfortunately, the GNP's popular “Skills Lab” with its practical training has fallen victim to the pandemic again this year due to the necessary safety concept.

Providing Business school students with online social networking opportunities during remote learning

Providing Business school students with online social networking opportunities during remote learning

Creating safe spaces to prevent unintentional childhood injuries among the Bedouins in southern Israel: A hybrid model comprising positive deviance, community-based participatory research, and entertainment-education.

BackgroundDespite several intervention programs, the Bedouin population living in the Southern District of Israel has the highest mortality rate among children and adolescents from unintentional injuries. Our research questions asked: (1) How does increasing the involvement and participation of Bedouin community members influence the issue of unintentional injuries among children? (2) How does reframing of the technical issue of safety into security influence community involvement and cooperation?Objectives1) To identify effective and efficacious positive deviance practices through community-based participatory research with adults, children, and professionals in the Bedouin community. 2) To create wider and deeper connections and cohesion between and among diverse Bedouin communities by seeding and sparking opportunities for social networking and cross-learning.MethodsThe study used a qualitative multi-method approach to generate a hybrid intervention model for reducing unintentional childhood injuries among the Bedouins. To frame the issue of unintentional injuries from the lived perspective of the Bedouins, we employed the Positive Deviance (PD) and Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach. Drawing upon theatrical traditions, entertainment-education (EE), was employed as a way to narratively engage and persuade the Bedouins.ResultsOur research resulted in: (1) the emergence of several PD ideas and practices for preventing and avoiding children’s injuries; (2) the actual creation of a safe and secure playroom for children at a neighborhood mosque; and (3) the creation of cascading and cross-learning social networks between and among members of the Bedouin community spread across various locations.ConclusionThis study helped in reframing the technical issue of accidents and safety into the notion of sacredness and security, enhanced the association between emotions and cognition by means of experiential and EE methods, and stimulated creative thinking and the emergence of new culturally and contextually relevant ideas and practices through the PD process. It demonstrated the synergistic power of using a hybrid model that combined the rigor and vigor of different health communication approaches to address a significant disparity in the burden of child accidents faced by the Bedouins. Our study generated solutions that emerged from, and directly benefitted, Bedouin children—those, who face overwhelming risk of injury and death from preventable accidents.