To give or to receive? Factors influencing members’ knowledge sharing and community promotion in professional virtual communities

Professional virtual communities (PVCs) bring together geographically dispersed, like-minded people to form a network for knowledge exchange. To promote knowledge sharing, it is important to know why individuals choose to give or to receive knowledge with other community members. We identified factors that were considered influential in increasing community knowledge transfer and examined their impact in PVCs. Data collected from 323 members of two communities were used in our structural equation modeling (SEM). The results suggested that norm of reciprocity, interpersonal trust, knowledge sharing self-efficacy, and perceived relative advantage were significant in affecting knowledge sharing behaviors in PVCs. The knowledge contributing and collecting behaviors were positively related to knowledge utilization. Furthermore, while the collecting behavior had a significant effect on community promotion, the influence of contributing behavior on community promotion was limited.     

Exercise referral: the public health panacea for physical activity promotion? A critical perspective of exercise referral schemes; their development and evaluation

This review critically explores the development, impact and evaluation of exercise referral schemes (ERS) in the UK. A rapid expansion in the use of such ERSs has been recorded throughout leisure and primary care settings, but the evidence underpinning their implementation has been sparse and predominantly limited to randomized control trial (RCT) research design. Consequently, understanding of exercise referral as a 'real world' intervention has been limited. Considering the increasing importance being placed on evidence-based practice and clinical effectiveness, it is no longer sufficient for service providers of exercise referral to ignore the need to evaluate schemes. The guidelines on evaluation provided by the National Quality Assurance Framework for Exercise Referral are limited, hence practitioners are often unsure of the best measures to use when assessing effectiveness. Predominantly, exercise professionals focus on the collection of physiological data but tend to ignore relevant psychological and environmental parameters. Also, few UK studies have followed participants up in the long term, to see if physical activity behaviour is sustained over time. Here, evidence from two on-going, large-scale (n = 1600/annum) evaluation studies of exercise referral schemes, based in urban localities in the northwest of England, are described. A participatory action research framework for evaluation was utilized and incorporated multi-method research approaches for the assessment of both ERS participants and health professionals involved in intervention delivery. This framework is an appropriate methodology for the evaluation and development of complex interventions, and here incorporates case study, focus groups, interviews and survey questionnaires. Included was a 12-month tracking study of a cohort of exercise referral participants (n = 342), which measured leisure-time physical activity levels (Godin leisure time score), at baseline (entry to exercise referral) and at 3 monthly intervals thereafter. Adherence to the ERS was approximately 35-45%, with the older participants more likely to complete. Physiological changes during the ERS, although statistically significant, were not of a magnitude to convey any real health benefit to an individual's health status. Although small in scale, physiological changes were all in a positive direction (e.g. reduction in blood pressure) and, if maintained over time, could bring about population-level benefits in health. Participants referred from cardiac and practice nurses had higher levels of adherence than participants referred by general practitioners. Scheme B showed that the participants who adhered (n = 103) until the end of the ERS (12 weeks) were able to sustain a small increase in physical activity at the end of 12 months (increase of 21 min moderate activity/week compared with baseline). In conclusion, this research shows that the process of exercise referral benefits certain segments of the population, but not necessarily all.     

Is that deal worth my money? The effect of relative and referent thinking on starting price under different promotion programs using hotel coupons in online auctions

Developments in information technology have made shopping at home much easier and have created a so-called “Otaku economy” that is an increasing focus for tourism and hotel business managers. A related development is the increase in the popularity and value of online auction channels. Scholars thus argue that it is important to examine what factors influence consumers’ bidding behavior in this new context. One issue is what initial bidding price and a promotion program must offer to attract customers to join an auction when they will be using a complex online auction mechanism. This study used a 2 × 2 between-subjects design and the principles of relative and referent thinking to examine the influence of the starting price (whether the starting price deviates from the reference price) and the promotion program (price vs. non-price) on consumers’ online bidding for hotel coupons. The results of the analysis indicate the following. First, starting price is positively related to end price. Second, the relative thinking effect holds when the actual price is the same as the sellers’ reference price (i.e., when the starting price is higher). In this context, consumers prefer price promotion programs, and hence, their willingness to pay through bidding will increase. Finally, the referent thinking effect holds when the actual price deviates from the seller’s reference price (i.e., when the starting price is low). In this context, consumers prefer non-price promotion programs, and their willingness to pay through bidding will increase. The academic and managerial implications of this research are discussed in the conclusion.