Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Temporal Focus as a Mediator between Cultural Values and Subjective Happiness: Evidence from Ecuador and Russia [Временной фокус как медиатор взаимосвязи между культурными ценностями и субъективным счастьем: на материале Эквадора и России]

2022 , Zabelina E.V. , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Guadalupe-Lanas J. , Deyneka O.S.

Though numerous scholars have studied subjective time, its predictors and effects, the general model considering demographic variables, cultural values and level of wellbeing is not presented. This study seeks to bridge this gap by contributing a comparative study of two very different countries: Ecuador (N=745, aged 19—76, 48.7% male), a Latin American developing country, and Russia (N=428, aged 18— 72, 40.2% male), an emerging Eurasian nation. We assumed that temporal focus plays the role of a mediator in the relationship between cultural values and subjective happiness in both countries. To predict the temporal focus (Temporal Focus Scale by Shipp, Edwards, and Lambert, 2009) in both countries, based on the previous literature the study tests the importance of three groups of variables: demographic factors (gender, age, education, income), subjective happiness (Subjective Happiness Scale by Lyubomirsky and Lepper, 1999), and cultural values (Cultural Values Scale by Yoo, Donthu and Lenartowics, 2011). The first stage of analysis involved confirmatory factor analyses and invariance tests for the scales used. Subsequently, multiple regression models made it possible to establish that sociodemographic variables, introduced as covariates, had little influence on the prediction of people's temporal orientation. However, the cultural and psychological variables (long-term orientation, uncertainty avoidance and subjec - tive happiness) introduced as predictors played an important role in the prediction of temporal (current, past and future) focus. Additionally, there are some cultural and psychological predictors of temporal focus specific for each country. Ultimately, structural equation models demonstrated that temporal focus plays the role of the mediator in the relationship between cultural values and subjective happiness in both Ecuador and Russia. © 2022. Cultural-Historical Psychology. All Rights Reserved.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Smartphones and Higher Education: Mapping the Field

2023 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Zabelina E. , Deyneka O. , Palacio-Fierro A. , Guadalupe-Lanas J. , Ramos-Galarza C.

Smartphones are devices widely used by the global population and are the main means by which people connect to the Internet. Smartphones are also being increasingly used in higher education, which has resulted in the generation of a large amount of academic and scientific literature. To present an ordered picture of this significant body of knowledge, the present study seeks to carry out a bibliometric analysis of the academic and scientific literature on smartphones and higher education. For this purpose, the present study uses the Scopus database from which 2,453 articles were selected. A descriptive analysis of this body of documents allows us to observe a rapid growth rate in the number of documents published annually. Additionally, it is possible to establish that the most research on the topic has been carried out in developed and emerging countries. An analysis of the co-occurrence of terms makes it possible to define three research areas: 1) technology and the applications of smartphones in higher education, 2) administrative and pedagogical considerations in the use of smartphones in higher education, and 3) negative effects of smartphone use on students. An analysis of the evolution of research priorities shows a shift of interest from a focus on smartphone technology and its applications to a focus on the negative impacts of the use of these devices and their prevention. The present study ends by presenting the most relevant conclusions and the implications of the findings for future studies. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Factors Influencing the Consumer Tendency to Use Mobile Instant Messaging (MIM): A Mixed Method Study

2022 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Guadalupe-Lanas J. , Ramos-Galarza C. , Palacio-Fierro A.

Mobile instant messaging (MIM) is currently one of the most influential areas of technology. MIM applications have experienced substantial growth in the number of users; however, research on consumer behavior regarding the use of these applications is relatively scarce. The present study seeks to fill this gap, with the objective of identifying, understanding, and establishing the determinants of MIM use. The current study takes place in Ecuador, a developing Latin American country, and focuses on WhatsApp, the leading MIM application. The study is based on a sequential exploratory mixed method design with 25 in-depth interviews and a subsequent survey of 504 adults. The qualitative phase allows the establishment of a qualitative theoretical model in which the core category studied to understand the tendency of people to use WhatsApp is the perception of its utility. The qualitative phase and a literature review are the basis for formulating the study hypotheses. Finally, the quantitative analysis, based on structural equation modeling, yields the conclusion that network externalities, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use are the constructs that explain the tendency of individuals to use WhatsApp. © 2022, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw. All rights reserved.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Bibliometric Analysis of Existing Knowledge on Digital Transformation in Higher Education

2022 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Guadalupe-Lanas J. , Palacio-Fierro A. , Galarraga Carvajal, Mercedes

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been feeling great pressure to advance in digital transformation. This pressure has been intensified with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of 2019. Because the digital transformation of HEIs has been attracting a growing number of publications, the present study sought to carry out a bibliometric analysis of such titles. For this purpose, 643 relevant documents were identified from the Scopus database in January 2022. The descriptive results show an accelerated growth of the relevant literature, with conference papers being the main form of publication, followed by articles, conference reviews, and book chapters. The areas with which the majority of documents were associated were computer science, followed by social science, engineering, and business and management. An analysis of the co-occurrence of terms based on the titles and abstracts enabled the identification of three thematic areas of interest: 1) digital transformation in teaching, particularly under the pressure exerted by COVID-19; 2) environmental influences on the digital transformation of HEIs; and 3) enabling technologies for digital transformation. A longitudinal analysis also based on titles and abstracts allows us to see how the primary focus shifted from the economic issue (in 2019) to the COVID issue (in 2021). This study concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of the findings, demonstrating as a particularly interesting area for future research the study of the digital transformation of HEIs in a future post-COVID scenario. © 2022, The Author(s).

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

Psychological time of green entrepreneurs: a mixed methods study of SMEs

2023 , Zabelina E. , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Deyneka O. , Maksimenko A. , Guadalupe-Lanas J. , Ramos-Galarza C.

Purpose: Green entrepreneurship is a topic of transcendental importance for today's societies. Studies on why entrepreneurs engage in green business have primarily focused on external influences, paying little attention to internal factors such as cognitive mechanisms. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on the characteristics of the perceived (psychological) time of entrepreneurs who choose green businesses. Design/methodology/approach: Using a sequential exploratory mixed methods design, this study conducts a series of 20 in-depth interviews with green entrepreneurs in Russia, an emerging economy, and then formulates the hypotheses. The hypotheses are tested in the quantitative phase by surveying 389 green and non-green entrepreneurs. Findings: The data obtained in the survey phase support several hypotheses. Specifically, green entrepreneurs think more critically about their past than their non-green colleagues. Similarly, green entrepreneurs have a longer time perspective and are more focused on possible future events. Finally, green entrepreneurs are farsighted and perceive the future more negatively than non-green entrepreneurs. Research limitations/implications: The data obtained in the survey phase support several hypotheses. Compared with non-green entrepreneurs, green entrepreneurs think more critically about their past, have a longer time perspective and are more focused on possible future events. In addition, green entrepreneurs are farsighted and perceive the future more negatively than their non-green counterparts. Originality/value: This study contributes to the least examined area in the relevant literature by identifying internal factors that explain green entrepreneurship. Furthermore, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is one of the first to provide an in-depth understanding of the characteristics of the perceived (psychological) time of green entrepreneurs. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

COVID-19 in Relation to Business and Management: A Bibliometric Analysis

2021 , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Guadalupe-Lanas J. , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Oleas Gallo, Nora Helena , Salazar, Laura , Proaño-Guerrero R.

The COVID-19 crisis has generated considerable research efforts in all areas of knowledge, including the area of business and management. This article aimed to describe the body of knowledge generated on COVID-19 regarding business and management to generate the basis for future research. The present study identified 1,751 relevant articles in the Scopus database. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia stood out in terms scientific production, whereas the National Natural Science Foundation of China dominated in funding studies. The analysis of the co-occurrence of keywords in the articles allowed the identification of four thematic clusters that correspond to the priorities given by the research: 1) the crisis and use of technology to overcome it; 2) leadership and risk management; 3) impact on the hospitality, tourism, and air transport sectors; and 4) social impact and corporate social responsibility. This article ends by discussing these results and their implications. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

No Thumbnail Available
Publication

The Impact of COVID–19 on Students’ Economic Life

2021 , Guadalupe-Lanas J. , Cruz Cárdenas, Jorge , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio

COVID-19 had caused severe effects on students’ lives, especially in terms of their own income and family members. The key areas where negative effects on household income have affected students are related with the number of household members receiving income, the type of income of head of household receive, and the amount of money received by the household. With the aim of measure these effects, we have collected surveys to a representative sample of students. We tested the results using a Mc Nemar test with the aim of test whether the differences found in the pre and post COVID-19 results were significant. The mains results show us that the pandemic outbreak has affected negatively the income received by students and their family members. By the other side, the labor stability changed drastically for some students and family workers. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.