Expert survey on priorities for the information society in the Caribbean

An on-line survey of experts was conducted to solicit their views on policy priorities in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the Caribbean. The experts considered the goal to “promote teacher training in the use of ICTs in the classroom” to be the highest priority, followed by goals to “reduce the cost of broadband services” and “promote the use of ICT in emergency and disaster prevention, preparedness and response.” Goals in the areas of cybercrime, e-commerce, egovernment, universal service funds, consumer protection, and on-line privacy rounded out the top 10. Some of the lowest ranked goals were those related to coordinating the management of infrastructure changes. These included the switchover for digital terrestrial television (DTT) and digital FM radio, cloud computing for government ICT, the introduction of satellite-based internet services, and the installation of content distribution networks (CDNs). Initiatives aimed at using ICT to promote specific industries, or specific means of promoting the digital economy, tended toward the centre of the rankings. Thus, a general pattern emerged which elevated the importance of focusing on how ICT is integrated into the broader society, with economic issues a lower priority, and concerns about coordination on infrastructure issues lower still.

Social-servicescape conceptual model

There is considerable evidence that environmental variables can substantially influence consumer behavior in service settings (cf. Turley and Milliman, 2000). However, research to date has focused on the effects of the physical elements (‘atmospherics’), with the social aspects (customers and service providers) of the environment largely ignored. First, we provide a review of the extant literature drawing on four major streams of research from (1) previous marketing (servicescapes); (2) environmental psychology (approach–avoidance theory, behavior setting theory); (3) social psychology (social facilitation theory); and (4) organizational behavior (affective events theory). Second, we present a new conceptual model, the ‘Social-servicescape’. In this paper we argue that the social environment and purchase occasion dictates the desired social density which influences customers’ affective and cognitive responses, including repurchase intentions. Furthermore, we argue that customers play a key role in influencing the emotions of others either positively or negatively, and this largely determines whether they intend to return to the service setting. Implications of this conceptual model for theory and practice are discussed.

AS REDES SOCIAIS NA INTERNET, O COMPARTILHAMENTO DE INFORMAÇÕES E A ADERÊNCIA AO CONSUMO CONSCIENTE: UM ESTUDO EXPLORATÓRIO NA REGIÃO DO GRANDE ABC PAULISTA

Aliadas aos estudos sobre sustentabilidade, há inúmeras discussões e atitudes para combater consequências do uso irracional dos recursos naturais do planeta. Surge assim o entendimento do consumo, suas influências e alternativas. O indivíduo pode ter hábitos de consumo de forma consumista ou de forma consciente. O consumista é entendido como o oposto dos hábitos do consumidor consciente, sendo levado pelo impulso e pelo estímulo à compra, sem avaliar suas necessidades e impactos futuros. O consumo é de fato indispensável à humanidade. Entretanto, quando aplicado de forma exacerbada e incorreta, pode gerar sérias consequências sociais e/ou ambientais. O consumidor consciente tem a qualificação de avaliar dentre as possibilidades existentes, os impactos que podem ser ocasionados com a aquisição, de tal modo, a minimizar suas consequências e contribuir de alguma forma para uma sociedade mais sustentável. O principal objetivo desta pesquisa foi compreender a aderência dos pesquisados ao comportamento de consumo consciente, bem como avaliar o compartilhamento de informações sobre o tema por pessoas que estão inseridas em alguma rede social na internet, partindo do pressuposto que este é um dos principais meios de comunicação e compartilhamento de informações. Para a pesquisa, foi utilizada a metodologia de análise qualitativa de caráter exploratório e a técnica de entrevistas em profundidade baseada em roteiro semiestruturado. Por meio da análise do conteúdo, a compreensão dos resultados aponta que todos os entrevistados possuem um grau de conhecimento sobre o consumo consciente e a maioria tenta ter algum tipo de ação consciente. Mas, ao mesmo tempo, esses indivíduos podem sofrer influências neste processo principalmente de caráter pessoal, levando à alteração de ação. Com relação ao compartilhamento do tema nas redes sociais na internet, foi possível identificar que grande parte dos entrevistados já teve algum tipo de experiência da situação, mas ainda em pequena escala, com poucas ocorrências. Também acredita-se que o canal pode ser utilizado para a proliferação do tema, o que nos leva à conclusão de que é um canal viável ao compartilhamento. Porém, mediante a ruptura de hábitos, é utilizado para a ocorrência de um maior engajamento por parte dos usuários. A análise apresenta uma compreensão e perspectivas a partir do recorte estudado, abrindo horizonte para novos estudos e aprofundamento das reflexões apresentadas neste trabalho.

REDE SOCIAL CAFÉS DO BRASIL: UMA ANÁLISE COMUNICACIONAL

Este trabalho teve como objetivo descrever e analisar a rede social Cafés do Brasil rede social na Internet criada para integrar cafeicultores, agrônomos, pesquisadores e demais agentes que atuam no agronegócio café - a partir da comunicação estabelecida entre seus atores, procurando, ainda, avaliar a adequação desta nova formatação de rede social para o processo de comunicação à transferência de informação tecnológica ao setor produtivo e para a interação dos agentes que atuam nos diversos segmentos da cadeia agroindustrial do café. A principal metodologia empregada foi a Análise de Redes Sociais (ARS) que, por meio de análises matemáticas e estatísticas, fundamentadas na modelagem por meio de grafos (sociogramas), permitiu-nos não só descrever as propriedades estruturais da rede estudada, como interpretar e criar significados para as relações sociais identificadas na rede. Os resultados obtidos caracterizam a rede Cafés do Brasil como uma rede pouco conectada tanto no âmbito das relações estabelecidas entre seus atores pela troca de mensagens por e-mail, quanto nos espaços destinados à discussão e debates sobre temas relacionados ao setor. À guisa de conclusões pode-se afirmar que, apesar de possuir estrutura aberta e flexível, e ferramentas que facilitam o compartilhamento de informações, a rede Cafés do Brasil não foi capaz até o momento de integrar de forma satisfatória os agentes da cadeia agroindustrial do café que dela participam, e sua formatação atual não favorece substancialmente o processo de comunicação para a transferência de tecnologia ao setor produtivo. Com base no estudo, apresentamos sugestões para ajustes na configuração da rede de forma a adequá-la aos objetivos para os quais foi construída.(AU)

The influence of social e-atmospherics in practice:a website content analysis perspectives from Turkey as an illustration of emerging market and France as a mature market

E-atmospherics have been often analyzed in terms of functional features, leaving its characteristics' link to social capital co-creation as a fertile research area. Prior research have demonstrated the capacity of e-atmospherics' at modifying shopping habits towards deeper engagement. Little is known on how processes and cues emerging from the social aspects of lifestyle influence purchasing behavior. The anatomy of social dimension and ICT is the focus of this research, where attention is devoted to unpack the meanings and type of online mundane social capital creation. Taking a cross-product/services approach to better investigate social construction impact, our approach also involves both an emerging and a mature market where exploratory content analysis of landing page are done on Turkish and French web sites, respectively. We contend that by comprehending social capital, daily micro practices, habits and routine, a better and deeper understanding on e-atmospherics incumbent and potential effects on its multi-national e-customer will be acquired.

Cartões de saudações em língua inglesa: uma prática de letramento em análise

This research aims at studying the use of greeting cards, here understood as a literacy practice widely used in American society of the United States. In American culture, these cards become sources of information and memory about people‟s cycles of life, their experiences and their bonds of sociability enabled by means of the senses that the image and the word comprise. The main purpose of this work is to describe how this literacy practice occurs in American society. Theoretically, this research is based on studies of literacy (BARTON, HAMILTON, 1998; BAYHAM, 1995; HAMILTON, 2000; STREET, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1993, 2003), the contributions of social semiotics, associated with systemic-functional grammar (HALLIDAY; HASAN 1978, 1985, HALLIDAY, 1994, HALLIDAY; MATTHIESSEN, 2004), and the grammar of visual design (KRESS; LEITE-GARCIA, VAN LEEUWEN, 1997, 2004, 2006; KRESS; MATTHIESSEN, 2004). Methodologically, it is a study that falls within the qualitative paradigm of interpretative character, which adopts ethnographic tools in data generation. From this perspective, it makes use of “looking and asking” techniques (ERICKSON, 1986, p. 119), complemented by the technique of "registering", proposed by Paz (2008). The corpus comprises 104 printed cards, provided by users of this cultural artifact, from which we selected 24, and 11 e-cards, extracted from the internet, as well as verbalizations obtained by applying a questionnaire prepared with open questions asked in order to gather information about the perceptions and actions of these cards users with respect to this literacy practice. Data analysis reveals cultural, economic and social aspects of this practice and the belief that literacy practice of using printed greeting cards, despite the existence of virtual alternatives, is still very fruitful in American society. The study also allows users to comprehend that the cardholders position themselves and construct identities that are expressed in verbal and visual interaction in order to achieve the desired effect. As a result, it is understood that greeting cards are not unintentional, but loaded with ideology and power relations, among other aspects that are constitutive of them.

The social values of wireless technology in the institutional context

Despite growing attention, social values, compared to economic aspects, of information technology (IT) capture substantially less attention in the mainstream IT literature. In the context of mobile technology, social values might be as critical to help justify technology investment as the predominant economics perspective in the existing IT literature. As wireless networks and relevant mobile technologies continue to penetrate the global society and business world, an emerging social phenomenon rapidly reshapes how organizations interact with the technology and reposition themselves in their specific institutional context where organizations often develop networked alliance to compete against one another. This study thus seeks to shed light on how organizations make sense of the social aspects of wireless network implementation. Preliminary understanding derived from two higher education organizations' experiences is summarized. Implications for future research endeavor are suggested.

Mobilizing capacity of environmental information: the importance of quality journalism to achieve proenvironmental attitudes

Citizens say they are very concerned about the environment, and they know the role they play in their deterioration; but there is a gap between this proclaimed interest and the mobilization against environmental problems. Several news published between 2010 and 2011 about the Spanish energy policy and Doñana have economic and social aspects, that sometimes are confused with environmental aspects. It is worthy of study, therefore, to analyze how the press reflects that citizen interest; and how a critical issue as the quality of the information can influence the attitude of citizens in issues related to the environment. If the journalistic practice does not meet quality its function, it will condition the social participation.

Arte, museu, educação: uma integração necessária na superação das tecnologias de controle social

This research aims to reflect on the strategies and mediation used by Oscar Niemeyer and Museum of contemporary art, in Curitiba, and Pinacoteca and Museum of modern art of São Paulo, to approximate audience of art. Recognizes that the gap between the two and that is reflected in the low visitation to art museums is the result of social control technologies historically elaborate and maintained to keep track of who has economic power over others , are people , as in the case of artistic appreciation, or countries, such as what happens with technology.It also presents some possibilities of subversion of this control , which occur especially because the human being creative and interpretive. Finally, it notes that the work carried out by the educational sectors of museums to attract different audiences is very relevant institutions and committed. With regard to teaching materials prepared and distributed to visitors, however, the need for some adjustments so that they communicate better with visitors and contribute, in fact, to deconstruct the idea of the Museum as an elite space and available only to a few privileged.

Vagabundos e criminosos: o trabalho como mecanismo de poder e índice de criminalização no discurso jurídico-penal de reinserção social dos apenados

This study was a critical investigation of the configuration of discourse on work in the Brazilian criminal legal discourse. We problematized the discourse of an alleged reintegrative social function proposed by the criminal legal system and analyzed the role of such discourse in the core of disciplinary power strategies that impose on individuals the honest worker condition as a major criterion for their rehabilitation and return to society as citizens. This critique is our starting point to build the argument that discourse on work as it appears in current criminal legal texts operates more as a criminalization index of those who do not have a lawful occupation than a guarantee of legitimate social transit for convicts and recognition of their dignity. For this purpose, we used as corpus the main sources of Law, namely the Federal Constitution of 1988, the Penal Code, the Penal Execution Law, the Brazilian criminal doctrine and an extensive, more recent penal jurisprudence with regard to techniques of resocialization through work. This critical line enabled us to recognize complexity and plurality of discourses - antagonistic, at times - that build the world of work as portrayed in legal texts. We also sought reference in the discussion on the centrality of work as a formative category of the social being as well as theories that defend the non-centrality of work. Throughout our investigation, we sough to question the very condition of such centrality and to understand the ways in which it was possible to produce a legitimating discourse on work as a model of emancipatory social conduct defended and demanded by the Brazilian punitive system. In a context of precariousness, unemployment and flexibilization of the world of work in contemporary society, convicts hardly ever succeed to resume the identity of honest, hard-working citizens - and no longer offenders. In this context, we also questioned the formulation of a discourse that speaks about human labor as the essence of man and criticizes the Marxist vision that is based on work centrality, and we approached the concept of Michel Foucault, our theoretician of reference, who understands work more as a mechanism of power that promotes the individuals’ submission and adaptation to a goods-producing society than the natural activity of man. We ascribe our study to the field of questions that tackle the political conception of the body as subject to labor imposed as productive and political force. It is about the issue of political technology of individuals, a technology of power, as named by the French author. The intended analysis has not dismissed the material existence of labor relations but sought to discuss the validity of a discourse that considers work the main resource for convict rehabilitation and index for the recognition of dignity and honesty. The Foucauldian discourse analysis was the foundation for the investigation of our object, especially if we understand discourses as social practices with power to institute knowledge and produce truths.

On the Economic Aspects of Unemployment: The Case of Consumer Confidence

Unemployment is related to economic, political and social aspects. One of the least analysed economic aspects is the relationship of unemployment to the level of confidence that characterizes some macroeconomic relevant agents, such as consumers or investors. Expanding previous work on this matter, this chapter considers a fuzzy logic methodology in order to uncover the relationship that exists between the unemployment rate and the consumer confidence level for a large group of European Union countries, in the period 1995-2015. It is concluded that this relationship is stronger than apparently it looks, especially in certain countries. This result should therefore be used as an extra argument in making economic decisions leading to the diminishment of unemployment, which will boost economic confidence.

On the Political Aspects of Unemployment: The Case of Election Results

Unemployment is related to economic, political and social aspects. One of the least analysed political aspects is the relationship that, from a partisan or ideological perspective, should exist between the election results and the aging level of the voters, which is to be reflected in different electoral costs of unemployment. This chapter updates previous work on the subject, using a spatial econometrics methodology to estimate the relationship between the levels of aging and the election results that were obtained in the most recent elections that took place in Portugal, i.e. the October 2015 legislative elections. The results confirm the hypothesis that the level of unemployment involves a higher (resp. lower) electoral cost the less (resp. more) aged is the electorate.