Determinants of the intention to use non-medical insertable digital devices: The case of Chile and Colombia

In the past, thinking of carrying electronic devices inside our bodies was only posed by non-real scenarios. The emergence of insertable devices has changed this. Since this technology is still in its initial development stages, few studies have investigated factors that influence its acceptance. This paper analyzes the predictors of the intention to use non-medical insertable devices in two Latin American contexts. We used partial least squares structural equation modeling to examine whether six constructs predicted intention to use insertable devices. A questionnaire was administered to undergraduate students located in Colombia and Chile (n = 672). We also examined whether these predictors influenced intention differently for both of them. Four common constructs significantly and positively influenced both Chilean and Colombian respondents to use insertable devices (hedonic motivation, habit, performance expectancy, and social influence). Also, the habit has a complementary mediating effect on the relationship between social influence and behavioral intention. By contrast, effort expectations were a positive and significant predictor, but only among Chilean respondents. Findings suggest that when technologies are emerging, well-known predictors of intention (e.g., performance and effort expectations) are less influential than predictors related to self-efficacy (e.g., habit and hedonic motivation). The use of insertable devices has a significant impact on society. Thus, a better understanding of what motivates their use has implications for both academia and industry.     

Consumer perception of extruded snacks containing brown rice and dried mushroom

Effects of mushroom type, seasoning and health benefit information (HBI) on consumers’ saltiness expectation, sensory liking, elicited emotions and purchase intent (PI) of extruded snacks were investigated. Five snacks were evaluated: straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) extrudates without (SME) or with seasoning (SMES), phoenix mushroom (Pleurotus pulmonarius) extrudates without (PME) or with seasoning (PMES), and the control without mushroom and seasoning. Hedonic scores and positive emotions were generally higher for seasoned mushroom-containing snacks (SMES and PMES) with 65% and 75.83% of consumers reporting willingness to purchase, respectively, after receiving HBI. Bored, interested and satisfied were identified as significant emotional predictors for PI odds. Flavour, saltiness, overall liking, bored, good and interested were critical attributes, differentiating snacks. This study demonstrated that sensory liking and PI of extruded brown rice-based snacks containing mushroom could be improved through savoury seasoning addition, which also allowed saltiness expectations to be met.     

Compensation paradox: the influence of monetary rewards on user behaviour

Many e-commerce companies collect users’ personal data for marketing purposes despite privacy concerns. Information-collecting companies often offer a monetary reward to users to alleviate privacy concerns and ease the collection of personal information. This study focused on the negative effects of monetary rewards on both information privacy concerns (IPC) and information disclosure. A survey approach was used to collect data and 370 final responses were analysed using a two-way analysis of variance and a binomial logistic regression model. The results show that monetary rewards increase IPC when an information-collecting company requires sensitive information. Additional results indicate that building trust is a more effective way of collecting personal data. This study identifies how organisations can best execute information-collection activities and contributes additional insights for academia and practitioners.     

反拍卖采购:一种新的采购模式

反拍卖采购技术以其新的理念和对信息技术的融合，能够使企业采购成本大幅度降低。通过对我国传统采购模式与反拍卖采购模式的对比分析，可以了解到反拍卖采购技术的应用前景。     

公伯峡水电站高压电缆设计几个技术问题分析

结合公伯峡水电站电缆系统设计，对合理选择电缆截面、敷设方式及保护措施等技术问题加以介绍。由于目前电缆设计标准不太完善，因此设计中应结合电站具体情况，合理地选择和提出技术要求。     

Surveying instructor and learner attitudes toward e-learning

The trend of using e-learning as a learning and/or teaching tool is now rapidly expanding into education. Although e-learning environments are popular, there is minimal research on instructors’ and learners’ attitudes toward these kinds of learning environments. The purpose of this study is to explore instructors’ and learners’ attitudes toward e-learning usage. Accordingly, 30 instructors and 168 college students are asked to answer two different questionnaires for investigating their perceptions. After statistical analysis, the results demonstrate that instructors have very positive perceptions toward using e-learning as a teaching assisted tool. Furthermore, behavioral intention to use e-learning is influenced by perceived usefulness and self-efficacy. Regarding to learners’ attitudes, self-paced, teacher-led, and multimedia instruction are major factors to affect learners’ attitudes toward e-learning as an effective learning tool. Based on the findings, this research proposes guidelines for developing e-learning environments.     

A motivational model of rural students' intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school.

Using self-determination theory, the authors tested a motivational model to explain the conditions under which rural students formulate their intentions to persist in, versus drop out of, high school. The model argues that motivational variables underlie students' intentions to drop out and that students' motivation can be either supported in the classroom by autonomy-supportive teachers or frustrated by controlling teachers. LISREL analyses of questionnaire data from 483 rural high school students showed that the provision of autonomy support within classrooms predicted students' self-determined motivation and perceived competence. These motivational resources, in turn, predicted students' intentions to persist, versus drop out, and they did so even after controlling for the effect of achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

对完善公司物资供应管理体系的思考

针对经“债转股”和资产重组成立的北京东方石油化工有限公司物资供应管理特点和存在的问题，从供应管理模式、采购方式、采购过程监控、信息化管理、物资储备、人员结构等6个方面，分析了目前供应管理存在的问题和不足，并针对问题通过对物资供应管理体制的分析和思考，提出对策，为新的物资供应体制的建立提供参考。     

在备件招标采购中运用"定质比价法"初探

针对公司在备件采购中存在的质量、价格等问题，探讨了如何使用“定质比价法”这一新的招标采购方法来提高备件质量、降低成本。     

A connectionist implementation of the theory of planned behavior: Association of beliefs with exercise intention.

The theory of planned behavior suggests attitudes are a product of salient beliefs. This study examined whether aggregating salient beliefs was plausible within a more biologically centered information-processing environment. A neural network was used to examine associations among beliefs relating to exercise intention. Data on intentions and behavioral, normative, and control beliefs from 114 respondents were used to train (by error backpropagation) a neural network to associate beliefs with intention. The R2 between the network's estimated and self-reported intention was .66. The network's representation comprised 6 belief profiles associated with high, moderate, or low behavioral intention. The neural network accommodated complex relationships among beliefs and belief-intention associations and indicated how high-level constructs such as attitudes may be viewed as the best fit (compromise state) between aroused beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)