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PurposeThe use of social networking sites (SNSs) can promote life satisfaction mainly because of their social relationship benefits. Although prior studies examined the roles of different types of social capital (SC), the association between online and offline SC is ignored. This research addresses this gap by uncovering a mechanism of transformation between online and offline SC in terms of bonding and bridging types when linking SNSs usage and life satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachCategorizing the concept of SC into four sub-types from bonding/bridging and online/offline dimensions, the paper establishes a theoretical framework based on the transformation mechanism among these four kinds of SC. A component-based approach, partial least square method, is chosen for hypothesis testing with a survey-based sample collected from WeChat users.FindingsFirst, SNSs usage is positively related to life satisfaction and four types of SC (i.e. online/offline and bonding/bridging SC). Second, both online bonding SC and offline bridging SC are positively related to life satisfaction and can mediate the relationship between SNSs usage and life satisfaction. Third, offline bonding SC is positively related to online bonding SC and can mediate the relationship between SNSs usage and online bonding SC; on the contrary, online bridging SC is positively related to offline bridging SC and can mediate the relationship between SNSs usage and offline bridging SC.Practical implicationsIn the environment of SNSs, users can take vigorous strategies to better balance online and offline spaces and improve life satisfaction by adapting to the characteristics of SNSs in developing different types of SC. Specifically, it is encouraged for users to transfer online bridging SC into offline space and offline bonding SC into online space.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study exploring the association between online and offline SC when linking SNSs usage and life satisfaction. Instead of the single transformation direction from online to offline in prior Internet research, this research has revealed different transformation directions between online and offline SC in terms of bonding and bridging types in the context of SNSs.

This study explores the antecedents of market entry strategy in emerging markets and examines the market environmental, transaction-specific, competitive strategic factors and organizational capability that influence the choice of market entry mode. Empirical results based on a survey of Japanese companies support the combined relevance of their factors on choice of market entry mode in an emerging market. Although most of the mode of entry research assumes that the firm has the option to choose any entry mode in a given market, this study examines the impact of the factors in the internationalization process of firms. The results suggest that experiential knowledge has an immense impact on the choice of entry mode in China, an emerging market with high environmental uncertainty, but also high market potential. The empirical findings also show the important influences of risk-absorption capability and risk-dispersion mechanism on the choice of entry mode into the Chinese market.

Smart media combines media and artificial intelligence (AI) and can also be a user-centered content service market. However, existing research lacks an understanding of user's perceptions concerning smart services generated by different user experience types across different payment groups. Taking AI-powered Smart TV (AI TV) as a typical research object, this study (1) develops a theoretical model by integrating the technology acceptance model with users' smart service belief factors and (2) employs the user experience type as an original moderator. Using data from 585 AI TV users, the structural equation modeling analysis suggests that perceived two-way communication, perceived personalization, and perceived co-creation as three belief factors, are important antecedent constructs in the extended technology acceptance model. The analysis also suggests that the user experience type exerts positive moderating effects on two-way communication and personalization to attitude toward behavior and purchase intention. This study thus contributes to the literature on smart service by identifying and studying smart service belief factors. The addition of smart service belief factors as antecedents, as well as user experience type as a moderator, are crucial to expand the generalizability of TAM to the smart media service context. From a customer experience management perspective, this study shows how to convert ad-supported users into new paid subscribers, while keeping existing subscribers by fulfilling their smart service requirements.

PurposeThe literature reports inconsistent findings about the effects of social media usage (SMU). Researchers distinguish between active and passive social media usage (ASMU and PSMU), which can generate different effects on users by social support and social comparison mechanisms, respectively. Drawing on social presence theory (SPT), this study integrates an implicit social presence mechanism with the above two mechanisms to explicate the links between SMU and seniors' loneliness.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from a field study by interviewing seniors living in eight aging care communities in China. Loneliness, social media activities and experiences with social media in terms of online social support (OSS), upward social comparison (USC) and social presence (SP) were assessed. Factor-based structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.FindingsOSS can mediate the relationship between ASMU and seniors' loneliness. Moreover, SP mediates between ASMU, PSMU, and seniors' loneliness, and between OSS, USC and seniors' loneliness. OSS mediates the relationship between ASMU and SP, and USC mediates the relationship between PSMU and SP.Practical implicationsThis study shows that social media can alleviate seniors' loneliness, which could help relieve the pressures faced by health and social care systems. Social presence features are suggested to help older users interact with social health technologies in socially meaningful ways.Originality/valueThis study not only demonstrates that SP can play a crucial role in the relationship between both ASMU and PSMU and loneliness, but also unravels the links between SP and OSS, as well as USC.

Firms are increasingly introducing enterprise social media (ESM) technologies to nurture the virtual community of practice, offering a prospect for collaborative problem-solving (CPS) within organizations. Based on a unique dataset including 10101 actual problem-solving scenarios across 519 ESM groups, our objective is to identify the relationships between many social factors and the occurrence of CPS by drawing on different social theories. Via multilevel logistic regression, we found that the quality and decentralized degree of social interactions in an ESM group can increase the likelihood of CPS; one user's social similarity with other members of the group and the user's user classes are positively related to the likelihood of CPS. Finally, social ties' strength between the user and other members in the ESM group has a U-shaped association with the likelihood of CPS. These findings can provide companies with meaningful implications for using ESM sites to support CPS. INDEX TERMS collaborative problem-solving, enterprise social media, virtual group, social influence, multilevel logistic modeling.

PurposeSocial networking services (SNSs) have been praised for their social capital (SC) benefits. However, the time displacement hypothesis in Internet research may challenge such an optimistic view. In response to this challenge, this study aimed to develop a theoretical model that uncovers the transformation, rather than displacement among online and offline SC in terms of bonding and bridging types during SNSs use.Design/methodology/approachThe concept of SC was divided into the following four types: offline bonding, online bonding, offline bridging and online bridging. A theoretical model grounded in individual ambidexterity theory was developed that uncovered the transformation among these types of SC, and it was tested a sample of WeChat users in China. Furthermore, the theoretical model included the concept of cognitive ambidexterity, which promotes transformation.FindingsAs an exploitation process, offline bonding SC mediated the relationship between SNSs use and online bonding SC. As an exploration process, online bridging SC mediated the association between SNSs use and offline bridging SC. In addition, cognitive ambidexterity moderated the exploration and exploitation processes positively.Originality/valueThis study demonstrated that SNSs users strategically and successfully manage SC benefits through exploitation and exploration processes, and ambidextrous individuals can do this more effectively. Accordingly, this study proposed the transformation hypothesis in the SNSs context.