Task Efforts Research Articles

Explaining the Outcomes of Social Gamification: A Longitudinal Field Experiment

ABSTRACT Social gamification, which allows technology users to interact with each other in gamified tasks, has drawn increasing interest due to its effectiveness in facilitating users’ game engagement and task efforts. In social gamification, users can compete or cooperate with other users or teams to complete game tasks and achieve game goals. However, it remains unclear how various social interaction mechanisms (SIMs), such as cooperation, interpersonal competition, and intergroup competition, influence gamification outcomes when they are separately or jointly implemented. In addition, the effects of SIMs on experiential and instrumental gamification outcomes have not been well differentiated. In this study, we systematically investigate the influences of these fundamental SIMs, as well as the possible interaction effects among them, on fitness app users’ game engagement and fitness behavior. Using a fitness app custom-developed for the Chinese market, Fitness Castle, we conducted a longitudinal field experiment to test our proposed model and hypotheses. The results indicate that when separately implemented, cooperation and interpersonal competition can lead to differential instrumental gamification outcomes in the fitness context. We also systematically compare the differential gamification outcomes when cooperation, interpersonal competition, and intergroup competition are combined in various coopetition settings. Our study offers a theory-based framework and design principles for social gamification. Our findings help practitioners better design SIMs in their gamified technologies with the purpose of achieving optimal experiential and instrumental gamification outcomes simultaneously.

The relationship between empowering leadership and project performance: a resource perspective

PurposeWhile existing literature emphasizes the importance of empowerment in construction projects, the working mechanisms of empowering leadership in the project context are unclear. Based on conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study aimed to examine the relationship between empowering leadership and project performance, highlighting the mediation roles of creative self-efficacy and leadermember exchange and the moderation role of perceived overqualification.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from 287 project members in different projects and tested the integrated conceptual model through moderated mediation analysis with bootstrapping strategy.FindingsThe results revealed that empowering leadership was positively related to project performance through creative self-efficacy and leader–member exchange. Perceived overqualification served as significant moderator.Originality/valueThe findings contribute to the understanding of empowering leadership in projects by verifying and extending the resource acquisition and investment process in the project context. The results of this study also demonstrated that creative belief and social exchange facilitate the effectiveness of project members' task efforts and outcomes and that perceived overqualification might not exert a detrimental effect on project performance.

Estimating Task Efforts in Hardware Development Projects in a Scrum Context

Hardware developers started experimenting with Scrum to accelerate their product development. However, it is not possible to implement Scrum in the same way as it was done for software systems, where the approach is already well established. One of the processes required in Scrum is the estimate of task efforts when creating a backlog for an Agile Sprint. This article presents a pilot validation experiment of a novel Agile framework for the development of hardware systems, including a parametric tool to estimate task effort in a more rigorous way than traditional confidence votes. This article presents the validation of electronic hardware design task estimation and overall project performance. The validation is performed through experimental work with teams of junior engineering students. The validation experiment showed an improvement from a minimum of eight to a maximum of eighteen percent when employing the presented tool during planning phases of the development.

Evaluation of park management based on "Installation-Management Permission" in TEN-SHIBA, Tennoji Park, Osaka City: focus on park users and financial effects

The park management (PM) that evolved from the park-renewal project based on Installation-Management Permission (IMP) in Tennoji Park, a major urban park in Osaka City, Japan is evaluated herein. The PM of Tennoji Park is composed of 'hard' and 'soft' tasks. The process and characteristics of the hard tasks, i.e., the park-renewal project including the construction of a significant landmark, the lawn plaza (named 'TEN-SHIBA') and convenience facilities with various service functions are analyzed. The details and outcomes of the soft tasks including cleaning, security, and lawn/planting management plus events held on the TEN-SHIBA plaza are also clarified. The PM results and financial effects of the introduction of IMP in TEN-SHIBA are evaluated based on both the park users' characteristics obtained by a questionnaire, an observation survey of the park users, and a data analysis of the track record. Based on a comparison with Sumiyoshi Park, an urban park similar to TEN-SHIBA but without the introduction of IMP, it was found that young females were the predominant users of TEN-SHIBA, and the average staying time on the lawn plaza was 2 min. longer than that in Sumiyoshi park. Together these results suggest the effectiveness of IMP for PM based on the TEN-SHIBA experience. It also appears that placing a plaza in the center of a park and providing facilities and various events by private business operators can generate profits; this might be effective for future PM hard tasks, while various and continuous soft task efforts remain essential.

Comparison of Virtual Reality Visualizations With Traditional Visualizations in Hotel Settings

The objective of the current study was to investigate how virtual reality (VR) visualizations compare with traditional visualizations such as two-dimensional (2D) photos as a marketing tool for hotel websites. The specific research question was “How do VR visualizations compare with 2D photos in terms of (1) affective responses, (2) attitudinal/behavioral responses, and (3) cognitive load—that is, task efforts and experiences associated with technology?” A quasi-experimental study was conducted over two time periods with independent sample pools. A boutique hotel lobby and a guest room were captured in 2D and VR formats. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two types of visualizations. The sample comprised 84 university undergraduate students from the South-Central United States. Nonparametric tests were used to test the proposed hypotheses. There was a statistically significant difference between two visual conditions for several variables—that is, pleasure, satisfaction, word of mouth, and so on. However, those differences were not always consistent between the two time periods. Overall findings suggest that the use of VR visualizations as a promotional tool might not be more effective than traditional photos. Limitations of the study include using students as a proxy for the general population of travelers, small sample size, self-reported measures, and narrow conditional scope. Those limitations should be addressed in future studies.

HUBUNGAN KINERJA PENYULUH PERTANIAN LAPANGAN DENGAN KEBERHASILAN PETERNAK SAPI POTONG DI KECAMATAN KWANDANG KABUPATEN GORONTALO UTARA

ABSTRACTRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGRICULTURAL EXTENTION TASK EFFORTS AND BEEF CATTLE HOUSEHOLD FARMER SUCCCESS AT KWANDANG DISTRICT OF NORTH GORONTALO REGENCY. On basis of the ratio between total of villages and total of agricultural extension officers (AEO), meaning each AEO worked one village, the system of the AEO should run smoothly. Based on the initial survey, it showed that task effort of the AEO at several villages of Kwandang district, indicated minimum task effort by the AEO. Low task effort affected productivity success of beef cattle household farmers indicating it should be improved. The objective of this study was to evaluate the task effort of the AEO, the success of beef cattle household farmers, and to analyze the relationship between the AEO and beef cattle household success at Kwandang district of North Gorontalo regency. The purposive sampling method was applied in this study involving four villages of Ombulodata, Alata Karya, and Posso. The household respondents were choosed based on stratified random sampling of the total population of all household farmers at each village using Slovin formula, completed by the AEO working at the sample villages. Variable measurements were applied using Liker scale.The relationship between the AEO and beef cattle household success was tested using Spearman correlation coefficient test. Results showed that task effort of the AEO was included into good category with the percentage of 96.67 percents. The household success was also included into good category with the percentages of 57.58 percents. In addition, there was strong relationship between task effort and beef cattle household success with the correlation value of 0.6942 indicated by z-calculated of 3.9269 > z-table of 1.960. Therefore, it can be concluded that the task effort of the AEO and beef cattle household farmer success were categorized into good condition indicated by strong relationship between those two variables at Kwandang district of North Gorontalo regency.Keywords : AEO Performance, Succes of Beef Cattle Ranchers

Solving software project scheduling problems with ant colony optimization

Software project scheduling problem (SPSP) is one of the important and challenging problems faced by the software project managers in the highly competitive software industry. As the problem is becoming an NP-hard problem with the increasing numbers of employees and tasks, only a few algorithms exist and the performance is still not satisfying. To design an effective algorithm for SPSP, this paper proposes an ant colony optimization (ACO) approach which is called ACS-SPSP algorithm. Since a task in software projects involves several employees, in this paper, by splitting tasks and distributing dedications of employees to task nodes we get the construction graph for ACO. Six domain-based heuristics are designed to consider the factors of task efforts, allocated dedications of employees and task importance. Among these heuristic strategies, the heuristic of allocated dedications of employees to other tasks performs well. ACS-SPSP is compared with a genetic algorithm to solve the SPSP on 30 random instances. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is promising and can obtain higher hit rates with more accuracy compared to the previous genetic algorithm solution.

On how employees perceive task ability

The purpose of this study was to explore employee consciousness on task ability: on its perceived components and on individual differences in task ability. Subjects consisted of 877 employees derived from 4 different companies.Three questions were asked; 1) what are the components of task ability perceived by employees? 2) to what extent do they see individual differences associated with the task ability? and 3) what do they see are the determinants of task ability?The following results were found.1) Employees tend to see task ability as an integrated whole covering achievement, potential and personal characteristics, rather than as a narrow task performing ability.2) Individual variations in the task ability were perceived to be large. This result contradicted prediction that stated employee would see no individual differences in the level of employees task ability.3) Regarding the perceived determinants of task ability, it was found that employees see differenees in individual aptitudes and task efforts create differential quality of task ability among themselves.

Locus of Control and Perceived Ability Level as Determinants of Partner and Opponent Choice

Summary The effects of individual differences in locus of control orientation and perceived ability level on the selection of partners or opponents with superior, equal, or inferior abilities for cooperative or competitive task efforts were examined. The results indicated that internals were willing to relinquish much of their personal control over their outcomes by selecting superior partners for cooperative ventures, but only after they had become thoroughly convinced of their own lack of ability on the task. Where they perceived themselves as having good ability, in contrast, internals tended to select partners of equal ability for the anticipated cooperative activities, even though selection of superior-ability partners would have enhanced their teams' chances for success. Surprisingly, some externals tended to select inferior-ability partners under the same conditions, thus virtually ensuring defeat for their teams.

PERSONAL HISTORY CORRELATES OF PERFORMANCE AMONG MILITARY PERSONNEL IN SMALL ANTARCTIC STATIONS. REP 63-20.

Abstract : Personal history data were evaluated in relation to performance criterion measures for sixty-four Navy personnel each of whom had spent one year at an Antarctic scientific station. The four criteria included an evaluation of the man's social compatibility, emotional composure, and task efforts. As in previous studies of Antarctic station personnel, age was significantly related to performance. In the present study it was particularly related, in a positive direction, to emotional composure. Associated with age, but not significantly related to the criteria as individual items, were years of experience, previous stressful duty assignments, and advancement in rate. A second set of results centered about the concept of personal activities of an avocational nature. Individuals who were relatively heavy readers, had several hobbies, were active in sports, and belonged to various clubs were considered to be active individuals. Such activity, particularly for self oriented activity such as reading and hobbies, was negatively related to social compatibility. The third major find was that individuals with a past history of delinquent behavior tended to perform less well than those without such a history.