Utilitarian Expectations Research Articles

Decoding Generation Z's habits: the augmented reality shift from gimmick to utility in omni-digital shopping

Purpose Building on technology acceptance and learning transfer theories, this study aims to evaluate the integration of mobile augmented reality (MAR) in omnichannel retailing touchpoints for Generation Z (or Gen Z)'s apparel shopping, assessing how habitual augmented reality (AR) use in nonretailing contexts impacts Gen Z's motivations, acceptance and use of MAR shopping apps. Design/methodology/approach A total of 562 participants downloaded a footwear MAR app and completed a survey. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and multivariate regression to explore moderated mediation effects. Findings The study reveals a paradigm shift: Gen Z's habitual use of AR in social media (e.g. Snapchat and TikTok face filters) significantly influences their intent to use MAR in shopping, overshadowing hedonic motivations. This marks a transition from AR as a gimmick to a practical utility in omnichannel touchpoints, with performance expectancy emerging as a critical mediator in adopting MAR for utilitarian purposes. Research limitations/implications This study highlights how Gen Z consumers’ tech habits influence their pragmatic view of MAR, urging re-exploration of the main constructs of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model. Practical implications Findings suggest Gen Z values practicality over fun in MAR shopping apps, guiding marketers to emphasize tangible benefits for this demographic. Originality/value This research underscores the evolving perception of AR in retail among mobile natives, highlighting the shift from novelty to habitual utility. It offers strategic insights for integrating AR into omnichannel strategies, catering to the utilitarian expectations of Gen Z in the digital retail landscape.

Research on the Causes of Parents' Educational Anxiety under the Double Reduction Policy

China introduced a double reduction policy in 2021, but the survey found that parental education anxiety has not been sufficiently reduced. In order to reduce anxiety, the causes of the anxiety phenomenon need to be traced. Through documentary research, this study collated and summarised previous research and connected it with family capital theory and intensive mothering theory to explain the causes of anxiety. It is found that the limited economic, cultural, and social capital in a family can cause parental anxiety. Parents' anxiety is also affected when limited resources are confronted with parenting-intensive parents' high expectations of their children and utilitarian expectations of educational returns.

Examining the effects of robots' physical appearance, warmth, and competence in frontline services: The Humanness‐Value‐Loyalty model

AbstractBecause of continuous improvements in their underlying technologies, customers perceive frontline robots as social actors with a high level of humanness, both in appearance and behavior. Advancing from mere theoretical contributions to this study field, this article proposes and empirically validates the humanness‐value‐loyalty model (HVL model). This study analyzes to what extent robots' perceived physical human‐likeness, perceived competence, and perceived warmth affect customers' service value expectations and, subsequently, their loyalty intentions. Following two pretests to select the most suitable robots and ensure scenario realism, data were collected by means of a vignette experimental study and analyzed using the partial least squares method. The results reveal that human‐likeness positively affects four dimensions of service value expectations. Perceived competence of the robot influences mainly utilitarian expectations (i.e., functional and monetary value), while perceived warmth influences relational expectations (i.e., emotional value). Interestingly, and contrary to theoretical predictions, the influence of the robot's warmth on service value expectations is more pronounced for customers with a lower need for social interaction. In sum, this study contributes to a better understanding of customers' reactions to artificial intelligence‐enabled technologies with humanized cognitive capabilities and also suggests interesting research avenues to advance on this emerging field.

Методы преподавания философии в современном техническом вузе: «вызовы» и «ответы» в парадигме компетентностного подхода

Analyzed is the problem of teaching philosophy at a modern technical university: the place and significance of philosophy in the university cycle of disciplines, its genetic connection with the mission of the university. The relevance of this problem and the search for answers to the challenges of the time sharply raises the question that is latently present within the competence-based approach implemented in the modern educational space — about effective methods of teaching philosophy as an academic discipline within the framework of a technical university in close connection, taking into account the characteristics of students - course participants, representatives of technical areas of study that have a certain specificity of the perception of social and humanitarian knowledge. The article reveals the potential of such discipline teaching methods as Socratic and Pragmatic, the active use of which opens up prospects for a new ontology of university philosophy: as an anthropological practice of the Other, a practice that organically absorbs the utilitarian expectations from studying the content of the university discipline “Philosophy” by students of technical specialties.

Investigating onsite restaurant interactive self-service technology (ORISST) use: customer expectations and intentions

PurposeThis study aims to investigate consumers’ intention to use onsite restaurant interactive self-service technology (ORISST) using a modified value attitude-behavior model. To extend the understanding of how consumers’ dining value focus could influence their intention to use ORISST, this study examines the conditional indirect effects of restaurant type (quick-service vs fine-dining) within the proposed model.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was developed and distributed to randomly selected respondents in the USA. A total of 588 (quick-service: 295; fine-dining: 293) responses were used for the data analysis. Structural equation modeling with a robust maximum likelihood method was used to examine the proposed model. To investigate the moderated effects of restaurant type, a latent moderated mediation model was used.FindingsThe results showed that consumers’ value perceptions toward technology use in restaurants influenced their intention to use ORISST via both hedonic and utilitarian expectations. Latent moderated mediation analyzes revealed that the mediation effect of hedonic expectation between perceived value and the intention was stronger in fine-dining than in quick-service restaurants.Originality/valueThis study extends the understanding of consumer intentions to use interactive self-service technology in restaurants by building on a model that is customer-oriented instead of tech-specific. Furthermore, the conditional effects of restaurant type are investigated using the latent moderated structural equation method. The findings of this study provide guidelines for managers of quick-service and fine-dining restaurants to better incorporate ORISST in their restaurants, to boost customer experiences and to increase operational efficiency.

How national identification matters: the development of European identification among established ethnic minority groups

Based upon the data from qualitative studies of eight national minorities between the Baltic and the Danube, this article investigates the formation of European identification among members of the minority groups representing ‘split nations’ along the new eastern borders of the enlarged EU. The analysis reveals mechanisms of the formation of supranational identification by focusing on the relationships between subnational, national and European identifications to ascertain the degree of interconnectedness of these identification levels. These relationships are examined in the context of the potential impact of perceived ethnic conflict and utilitarian expectations of socio-economic and cultural gains from the process of European integration.

Pedagogic Predicament

Initially implicated in the political agenda of colonialism, English studies within the postcolonial situation has continued and expanded. Teaching English in an undergraduate college, my predicament (one that is shared by other such teachers) stems from an acute awareness of the problematic status of English studies and the contradictions that are endemic to teaching it as a language and literature subject within a context where access to English still remains tied to class identity, social power and cultural privilege. Even as a number of us have welcomed the unfettering of traditional English studies so that we can connect it in our English literature classrooms to questions of imperial politics, race and class, we also teach English in the form of a grammar-based curriculum within the same institution to what are known as ‘B’ and ‘C’ stream students in ways that leave no room for political questioning or subversion. Thus, while in our English literature classrooms we talk about our resistant postcolonial identities, within these language classrooms we have to privilege learners’ utilitarian expectations and their legitimate desire for social empowerment.

Para além do olhar econômico nas alianças estratégicas: implicações sociológicas do caso Unihotéis

O propósito do presente artigo é discutir o fenômeno das alianças estratégicas à luz da perspectiva sociológica de análise em contraponto com a orientação econômica que privilegia a concepção de ator racional, sob uma lógica utilitarista e contratualista. O trabalho foi construído a partir do estudo do caso da constituição de uma aliança estratégica no setor de hotelaria brasileiro. Entrevistas e dados documentais foram analisados qualitativamente, combinando análise de conteúdo tradicional e história oral. Os resultados apontaram aspectos emergentes de ordem sociológica no estudo de alianças estratégicas, os quais serviram de base para a constituição de quatro proposições analíticas: 1. o processo de constituição de alianças estratégicas é influenciado pela atividade interessada de diferentes atores distribuídos numa arena política, cujas ações são orientadas não apenas por expectativas utilitárias, mas também simbólicas; 2. o esforço de atores incumbentes para justificar e legitimar um projeto de cooperação interorganizacional e para mobilizar outros atores em favor de ideias e interesses que se coadunam a esse projeto influencia o processo de formação de alianças estratégicas; 3. princípios, categorias e entendimentos compartilhados acerca da cooperação interorganizacional, construídos na interação dos atores constituintes com agentes externos, condicionam os arranjos formais e relacionais no processo de formação de alianças estratégicas; 4. a constituição de alianças estratégicas depende do quanto os atores organizacionais interpretam sua adesão como desejável ou obrigatória em um determinado contexto social. Conclui-se em favor da complementaridade entre a perspectiva econômica e o olhar sociológico na análise das alianças estratégicas, reconhecendo a inserção social dos atores econômicos, bem como outras dimensões institucionais do ambiente, o que possibilita um entendimento mais aprofundado sobre alianças estratégicas.

Adoption behaviour differences for mobile data services: m-internet vs. m-portals

This study attempts to investigate the potential differences among individual adoption patterns between mobile portal and mobile internet services usage. A theoretical model that reflects six unique predominant factors of IS usage is developed and is empirically tested using data collected from mobile data services MDSs users 116 mobile internet users and 178 mobile portal users. The results indicate that there are differences among the adoption behaviour of mobile portal users and mobile internet users. Specifically, mobile internet use is likely to be driven by utilitarian expectations and the perceived usefulness of accessing the web through this alternative medium. Conversely, mobile portals use is likely to be dependent on the users' personal innovativeness and is not significantly affected by the utility of the mobile service itself. Moreover, we find indirect effects of performance expectancy, facilitating conditions and social influence to the behavioural intention to use mobile internet.

Between Euroscepticism and Eurosupport: The Attitudes of Urban and Rural Populations in Poland 2000–2008

Three main factors explain public support for EU membership: utilitarian expectations, the role of values and ideas, and class partisanship. In the Polish case, public opinion polls and issues more specific to Poland, such as the role of the Catholic Church, populist political parties and profound Euroscepticism among farmers, suggest that although these theoretical explanations overlap, each of them has a different explanatory value. The economic approach remains the best predictor of support for EU membership, and whereas values and identity are closely linked to and dependent upon economic expectations, the impact of national politics appears largely decoupled from Polish Euroscepticism.

European Identity Building from the Perspective of Efficiency

The paper seeks to analyse whether citizens' utilitarian expectations towards the European level can explain variations in European identity. Based on Lipset (1960) it is argued that a political system that is expected to be efficient can gain identity. Identity is believed to encompass different dimensions of which efficiency is one. As such it is possible to use utilitarian reasoning to observe affective (identity) variations. As utilitarian expectations we use citizens' policy preferences. We observe whether they favour a national handling of the policy or whether they prefer the EU to be the main policy actor. The results of factor and multinominal logit analyses confirm the existence of a ‘utilitarian identity’ at the European level indicating that the development of a European identity is closely connected to the EU's ability to deliver policy outputs according to citizens' expectations.

Determinants of public support for EU membership: Data from the Baltic countries

Abstract. Focusing on individual–level determinants of public support for EU membership, this paper brings the literature on Western European integration to bear on the Eastern and Central European accession. Existing theories have focused on utilitarian expectations, political values, and domestic politics as determinants of public attitudes toward European integration. The paper discusses the applicability of the proposed theories and measures in the Eastern European context and develops a model that identifies micro–level economic expectations, support for democratic norms, trust in the national government, and perceptions of ethnic tension as possible determinants of public support for EU membership. These propositions are tested with survey data from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, using logistic regression. The results lend strong support to the expected gains and domestic politics hypotheses but suggest that individual competitiveness, a frequently used proxy for economic expectations, may be a poor predictor of attitudes toward the EU in the CEE context. Perceptions of increased ethnic tensions were found to decrease minority support for EU membership in Latvia, the Baltic country that has pursued particularly stringent citizenship and minority policies. Identification with democratic norms did not influence opinions in Latvia and Estonia, while having an unexpected negative effect on the attitudes of the Lithuanian public.

Making Out in Industrial Research

In recent years the role of the industrial scientist has been the subject of many sociological studies. The predominant concern of these has been to investigate the relative importance of two sets of values within the role'scientific' values and 'managerial' values. As most industrial scientists are trained by academic scientists in academic settings, and only then become industrial employees, it has seemed natural to analyse their role in this way and thereby relate it to developed studies within two pre-existing research traditions. It has been assumed that the training of the scientist produces a stable and universal identification with the 'scientific community' and its values-notably communality, that all research results should be published openly for the scrutiny of peers, and autonomy, that full control of ongoing research should be retained by the scientist performing it. Such values are incompatible with the utilitarian expectations of industrial management, who will seek to direct research to practical ends and to conceal it from the scrutiny of competitors. Hence strain and conflict should be endemic both in the experience of the individual scientist moving from an academic to an industrial setting after training, and more generally within the culture of the industrial laboratory as a whole.' Some authors have presented empirical evidence to show that this generalization enjoys only limited validity. A survey by Box and Cotgrove has shown that academic experience does not uniformly produce attachment