No abstract

Purpose Using the context of Rio Olympic games, the purpose of this paper is to investigate attitude toward sponsorship outcome as it relates to purchase behavior, gender, sponsor patronage, sports enthusiasm, and social media consumption. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using an online survey of 265 participants. Questions regarding demographics, viewing habits, sports participation, enthusiasm, attitude toward Olympic events were included in the survey. The four sub-scales were sponsorship attitude, sponsor patronage, social media consumption, and sports enthusiasm. Findings The findings of the study showed that social media consumption is positively related to attitude toward event and sports patronage. There was a significant gender difference on attitude toward event, social media consumption, and sports enthusiasm. Predictors for making a purchase as a result of seeing a social media advertisement were gender, playing competitive sport, and social media consumption. Practical implications This study will add to the body of academic and practitioner research on sponsorship outcomes, and provides an opportunity for marketers to leverage social media networks for sponsorship communication. Originality/value As the use of social media networks has increased over the past few years, no previous study has investigated association of sports enthusiasm, gender, or social media consumption toward sponsor patronage which relates to consumers seeking out sponsors and being influenced to make a purchase as a result of marketing communication of sponsors.

With the widespread popularity of distance learning, there is a need to investigate elements of online courses that continue to pose significant challenges for educators. One of the challenges relates to creating and managing group projects. This study investigated business students' perceptions of group work in online classes. The constructs of learning and social interaction, process satisfaction, product satisfaction, and use of technology in the virtual learning environment were investigated. The use of social media networks by group participants was also examined. Recommendations are provided for business educators looking to develop or enhance teamwork in virtual learning environments.

Privacy affects every user who exchanges information over the Internet. In the past few years, the growth of information on social networks (such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln) has increased exponentially. Companies are harvesting this information with and without the knowledge ofindividuals. While the exchange ofinformation and seamless interaction between individuals and groups has become an easy task, issues related to this exchange, such as information privacy and security, have created new challenges. This study investigated respondents' attitudes towards privacy on social networking sites. In addition, the study sought to ascertain whether sociodemographic variables and knowledge of privacy issues influence attitudes and privacy concerns towards using social computing sites. Data analysis includes descriptive profile analysis, and statistical validation of attitudes and privacy concerns by means of correlation, regression, and cluster analysis. There was a significant relationship between privacy awareness and knowledge based on information provided by respondents. Most socio-demographic variables did not show significant effects on information privacy concerns. Implications of the findings are discussed. Further research is needed to investigate individual concerns on specific information that is being collected, stored, and shared on popular social networking sites.

To investigate differences in gender in the influence of user generated content (UGC) on purchase behaviour, trust, and intention to purchase. UGC refers to online comments/opinions which can influence other users' purchase decisions. Quantitative data gathered through a survey of 232 undergraduates at an American university. UGCs have a greater influence on purchase intentions and trust for females. No gender differences were found in terms of UGC's influence for a gender-neutral product, propensity to read UGCs, frequency of purchase and authoring reviews. Insights are provided for managers interested in consumers' use of UGC. It is not only important to monitor what is being written, but also who is writing it. A better understanding of the target audience can serve only to enhance an organisation's marketing efficiency. This research attempts to address a relatively unmet need for research specifically addressing gender differences relating to UGC.