Abstract:Taiwan suffers from heavy storm rainfall during the typhoon season. This usually causes large river runoff, overland flow, erosion, landslides, debris flows, loss of power, etc. In order to evaluate storm impacts on the downstream basin, a real-time hydrological modelling is used to estimate potential hazard areas. This can be used as a decision-support system for the Emergency Response Center, National Fire Agency Ministry, to make 'real-time' responses and minimize possible damage to human life and property. This study used 34 observed events from 14 telemetered rain-gauges in the Tamshui River basin, Taiwan, to study the spatial-temporal characteristics of typhoon rainfall. In the study, regionalized theory and cross-semivariograms were used to identify the spatial-temporal structure of typhoon rainfall. The power form and parameters of the cross-semi-variogram were derived through analysis of the observed data. In the end, cross-validation was used to evaluate the performance of the interpolated rainfall on the river basin. The results show the derived rainfall interpolator represents the observed events well, which indicates the rainfall interpolator can be used as a spatial-temporal rainfall input for real-time hydrological modelling.

As people feel more comfortable using the Internet, online hotel bookings has become popular in recent years. Understanding the drivers of online booking intention and behavior can help hotel managers to apply corresponding strategies to increase hotel booking rates. Thus the purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing the use intention and behavioral intention of online hotel booking. The proposed model has assimilated factors from the extended Unified theory of Acceptance and use of Technology (UTAUT2) along with age, gender, and experience as moderators. Data were collected by conducting a field survey questionnaire completed by 488 participants. The results showed that behavioral intention is significantly and positively influenced by performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating condition, hedonic motivation, price value, and habit behavior. Use behavior is positively influenced by facilitating condition and hedonic motivation. As for moderators, gender moderates the relationships between performance expectancy, social influence, and behavioral intention. Age moderates the relationships between effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, and behavioral intention. Experience moderates the relationships between social influence, price value, and behavioral intention and between habit behavior and use behavior. Based on the results, recommendations for hotel managers are proposed. Furthermore, research limitations and future directions are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between a principal’s transformational leadership and creative teaching behavior of physical education teachers at junior and senior high schools in Taiwan (at the individual level) and the cross-level effect on creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers in an innovative school climate (at the school level) and the moderator effect of an innovative school climate on the relationship between a principal’s transformational leadership and creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers. A total of 800 questionnaires were distributed to physical education teachers at 59 junior and senior high schools and 477 valid surveys were collected for data analysis. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we found that at the individual level, a principal’s transformational leadership has a positive impact on creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers, and at the school level, an innovative school climate has a positive impact on creative teaching behaviors (at the person level) of physical education teachers. An innovative school climate at the school level has no moderating effects on the relationship between a principal’s transformational leadership and creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers. This study provides implications and applications for cross-level studies, and builds the foundation for future multilevel research.

Compared to men, the sports participation of women is lower, especially in the East. Not many studies have compared the impacts of locus of control, agents of socialization, and sport socialization situations on the sports participation of women. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore the contributing factors which may promote the sports participation of women in Taiwan. To do this, 450 structured questionnaires were distributed to women in Chiayi, Taiwan, with an 89.3% return rate. The study found that internal locus of control, agents of socialization, and sport socialization situation had positive impacts on the sports participation of women. In line with these results, the study suggests the strengthening of the internal locus of control of women, making the best use of socialization agents, and improvement of sport socialization situations, in order to promote sports participation in women.

The aim of this study was to explore the influence of workplace incivility on the emotional exhaustion of recreational sport/fitness club providers through a cross-level analysis. A total of 200 recreational sport/fitness club providers from Taiwan were selected for the repeated collection of measures and a 10-day diary method was used. The effect of workplace incivility on recreational sport/fitness club employees’ emotional exhaustion on a daily basis was analyzed at the intra-personal level, and the relationship between psychological capital and perceived service climate was studied at the inter-personal level. Five hypotheses were developed and tested using hierarchical linear modeling. The results found that employees’ emotional exhaustion and burnout highly correlated with workplace incivility and service climate. Based on the results, recommendations for employees and sport/fitness centers are proposed. Furthermore, research limitations and future directions are discussed.