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The role of open data intermediaries is considered instrumental in the supply and use of open data. There are various definitions of open data intermediaries in the literature and some of them are quite different from each other. These definitions can benefit from harmonization so knowledge about open data intermediaries can be developed on top of a shared understanding of what open data intermediaries mean. The objective of this article is to propose a common definition of open data intermediaries. We first carried out a systematic literature review and compiled the definitions of open data intermediaries from the literature. We found that each definition can be broken down into four basic components: (i) Who are the actors of open data intermediaries? (ii) What do they do? (iii) Where are they located in the open data lifecycle? and (iv) Why are they needed? We then conducted another round of data gathering and analysis to substantiate the four basic components. We proposed the following common definition of open data intermediaries: Third-party actors who provide specialized resources and capabilities to (i) enhance the supply, flow, and/or use of open data and/or (ii) strengthen the relationships among various open data stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of "disintermediation" is one of the instruments used to interpret recent developments in politics and communication, especially in digital media. Our thesis is that the concept of "disintermediation" can be considered from two different perspectives. On the one hand, it can be interpreted in the strict historically established sense. On this basis it may be argued that the internet has contributed to "disintermediate" traditional intermediaries, surpassing in part the traditional intermediaries of the twentieth century (such as journalists). On the other, "disintermediation" can be seen in broader, etymological, absolute and non-relative terms. In this sense, the concept of "disintermediation" is no longer appropriate and consequently, based on experimental results and a theoretical analysis of small and large digital intermediaries, we shall propose the concept of "neointermediation." This article presents the characteristics of neointermediaries, which are concentrating more and more power and are of two sizes: small and large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We combine literature on rhetoric and socially situated sensemaking to illuminate the challenges that emerge when chief executive officers (CEOs) try to influence infomediaries by using metaphorical communication—figurative linguistic expressions that convey thoughts and feelings by describing one domain, A, through another domain, B. Specifically, we theorize that because different infomediaries are situated in different thought worlds, CEOs’ use of metaphorical communication has contradictory effects on journalists’ and securities analysts’ evaluations: while it triggers more favorable statements from journalists, it prompts more unfavorable assessments from analysts. Moreover, we integrate findings from cognitive psychology to argue that these contradictory effects increase the more a firm’s performance falls behind market expectations. Our hypotheses find support in an extensive analysis of 937 quarterly earnings calls in the U.S. pharmaceutical, hardware, and software industries, and of journalists’ statements and analysts’ earnings forecasts and recommendations. Our novel theorizing and findings suggest that the use of discursive frames, especially in the form of metaphorical communication, in firms’ interactions with critical audiences creates thought-provoking and thus-far neglected dilemmas. In developing and testing these thoughts, we contribute to and link ongoing conversations in management science, especially discussions of organizational reputation, executive communication, and impression management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product information websites have become ubiquitous in supporting B2C E-Commerce. This study explores their impact on firm profitability, consumer surplus, and social welfare. Using an analytical model, we show that firms take advantage of such infomediaries and reduce their own information investments, increasing their profitability. Surprisingly, we find that the existence of these websites may actually reduce social welfare. Contrary to the common belief that product information websites are good for buyers, we show that they may be hurting consumers, even when they seek to maximize consumer surplus as their principal goal. These findings question the uncritical acceptance of infomediaries as beneficial to markets in general, and buyers in particular, especially when the infomediaries assume roles that substitute the information disclosure investments that sellers freely choose to make. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contemporary Accounting Research is the property of Canadian Academic Accounting Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, we address two questions that emerged in the aftermath of the 2008 financial/banking crisis. First, did the financial statements of bank holding companies provide an early warning of their impending distress? Second, were the actions of four key financial intermediaries (short sellers, equity analysts, Standard and Poor's credit ratings, and auditors) sensitive to the information in the banks' financial statements about their increased risk and potential distress? We find a significant cross-sectional association between banks' 2006 Q4 financial information and bank failures over 2008-2010, suggesting that the financial statements reflected at least some of the increased risk of bank distress in advance. The mean abnormal short interest in our sample of banks increased from 0.66 percent in March 2005 to 2.4 percent in March 2007 and the association between short interest and leading financial statement indicators also increased. In contrast, we observe neither a meaningful change in analysts' recommendations, Standard and Poor's credit ratings, and audit fees nor an increased sensitivity of these actions to financial indicators of bank distress over this time period. Our results suggest that actions of short sellers likely provided an early warning of the banks' upcoming distress prior to the 2008 financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose The aim of the study is to explore factors that affect how healthcare clients in rural areas use infomediaries in maternal mHealth interventions. The study focuses on maternal healthcare clients who do not own mobile phones but use the mHealth intervention. Background Maternal mHealth interventions in poor-resource settings are bedevilled by inequalities in mobile phone ownership. Clients who do not own mobile phones risk being excluded from benefiting from the interventions. Some maternal mHealth providers facilitate the access of mobile phones for those who do not own them using "infomediaries". Infomediaries, in this case, refer to individuals who have custody of mobile phones that other potential beneficiaries may use. However, the use of infomediaries to offer access to the "have nots" may be influenced by a number of factors. Methodology The study uses a case of a maternal mHealth intervention project in Malawi, as well as a qualitative research method and interpretive paradigm. Data was collected using secondary data from the implementing agency, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions. Empirical data was collected from maternal healthcare clients who do not own mobile phones and infomediaries. Data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Contribution The study proposed a theoretical framework for studying infomediaries in ICT4D. The study may inform mHealth designers, implementers, and policymakers on how infomediaries could be implemented in a rural setting. Consequently, understanding the factors that affect the use of infomediaries may inform mHealth intervention implementers on how they could overcome the challenges by implementing mHealth interventions that reduce the challenges on the mHealth infomediaries side, and the maternal healthcare clients' side. Findings Characteristics of the maternal healthcare client, characteristics of the mHealth infomediary, perceived value of mHealth intervention, and socio-environmental factors affect maternal healthcare clients' use of mHealth infomediaries. Recommendations for Practitioners Implementers of interventions ought to manage the use of infomediaries to avoid volunteer fatigue and infomediaries who may not be compatible with the potential users of the intervention. Implementers could leverage traditional systems of identifying and using infomediaries instead of reinventing the wheel. Recommendations for Researchers This research adopted a single case study to develop the theoretical framework for mHealth infomediary use. We recommend future studies are conducted in order to test and develop this framework further, not only in ICT4D, but also in other areas of application. Impact on Society People still lack access. The lack of ownership of technology may still exclude them from participating in an information society. The use of infomediaries may help to provide access to technologies to those who do not have them thereby bridging the digital divide gap. Future Research We propose herein that traditional systems may offer a good starting point for designing a system that would work for communities. We, therefore, recommend that future research may explore these possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysts follow disproportionally firms whose fundamentals correlate more with those of their industry peers. This coverage pattern supports models of profit-maximizing information intermediaries producing preferentially information valuable in pricing more stocks. We designate highly followed firms whose fundamentals best predict those of peer firms as bellwether firms. When analysts revise a bellwether firm's earning forecast, it changes the prices of other firms significantly; however, revisions for firms that are less intensely followed do not change the prices of heavily followed firms. Unidirectional information spillovers explain how the more accurately priced stocks might exhibit more comovement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An information intermediary (or infomediary) is an online firm that plays an important role in the information component of a transaction but not in the logistics component. Infomediary sales channels in which leads that originate online are converted to sales by an offline sales force are particularly important in areas such as automobile retailing, real estate, insurance, mortgages, and many other contexts. This research examines the role of sales technologies and the organization of the sales force in creating value for infomediary sales channels, formally examining channel outcomes using an analytical model and empirically examining channel outcomes using a survey of 678 automobile dealerships. The analyses indicate that adoption of sales technologies for lead management and channel-specific salespeople influence leads purchased (from infomediaries) and infomediary channel sales for the retailer. These findings integrate important technologies from outside the organization (infomediaries) and technologies and management structures inside the organization (sales technologies for lead management and channel-specific salespeople) into an understanding of retailer use of infomediary channels. These findings also suggest that it is in the best interest of infomediaries to offer sales technology and services to retailers, bundling information products with technologies for channel management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business-to-consumer e-marketplaces are an important and fast-growing distribution channel. Nevertheless, there is a lack of literature that attempts to describe and classify business-to-consumer e-marketplaces and to analyze their role in the distribution channel. This article seeks to address this deficiency and to add clarity to our understanding of these two-sided platforms. A new innovative marketing functions concept is developed: the PILT framework. It consists of four main functions—product, information, logistics, and transaction—and ten subfunctions. Applying this framework reveals that business-to-consumer e-marketplaces are infomediaries, completely fulfilling only information functions. All other functions must be managed by the sellers themselves or outsourced to other intermediaries such as logistics companies or banks. A case study of Amazon and Walmart Marketplace is presented to further illustrate the PILT framework. It reveals that Amazon Marketplace fulfills more marketing functions than Walmart Marketplace, which may be an important success factor for B2C e-marketplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the process by which trust evolves over time. There have been a number of studies underscoring the importance of trust in the online environment. However, most trust studies have concentrated on the initial trust, and there is little known about how trust beliefs evolve over time. The dynamics of trust are of particular importance in the use of infomediaries (online information providers), among which health infomediaries are the most important for Web consumers in dealing with their wellness and health issues. We investigate the evolution of trust using the case of health infomediaries. The examination of the temporal changes in trust was carried out through two approaches--comparative statics and dynamic analyses. The research method was laboratory experiment and the data were collected for two episodes of encounters. Two comparative statics models and one dynamic model were estimated in order to examine the parameter changes from one episode of encounter to the next as well as the dynamics of belief changes. The results of analysis show that the structure of trust changes over time and information quality becomes the single most important antecedent in infomediary trust building in the later stages of use. Furthermore, our study also indicates that satisfaction plays an important role in changing Web customers' trust beliefs. Contributions as well as research and managerial implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on a novel mechanism for market segmentation and price discrimination based on consumers' use of online infomediaries. Using the automotive retailing context as the setting for the study, the authors address the following question: Can online infomediaries serve as a viable mechanism for market segmentation and price discrimination? They draw on a unique and extensive data set of consumers who report on the information they found when using online buying services (OBS) as part of their new vehicle purchase process. The analysis of the data set shows that consumers who obtain price information pay lower prices (for the same product), whereas consumers who obtain product information pay higher prices. Although this points to the existence of distinct consumer segments, this knowledge is of limited value without a viable mechanism that enables firms to identify and target these customer segments specifically. On the basis of consumer usage patterns of OBS, the authors uncover distinct OBS clusters and empirically demonstrate that the use of these different clusters is associated with predicted differences in consumer outcomes. They also show that the differential use of OBS clusters is systematically related to underlying consumer characteristics. They discuss the relevance of the findings for automobile dealers and manufacturers and for other industries in which online infomediaries have established a significant presence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrary to the common assumption that positive emotions generally lead to favorable behavioral intentions, feelings of pride can decrease consumers' repurchase intentions. Results from three experimental studies demonstrate that the impact of pride on repurchase intentions is contingent on consumers' self-regulatory goals but that this is so only among consumers with high levels of pride. Specifically, consumers with high prevention pride are less likely to repurchase than those with high promotion pride, whereas no difference arises between consumers with low promotion pride and those with low prevention pride. These effects generalize across situational and chronic differences in self-regulatory goals and are accompanied by differences in consumers' information requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Sur le Journalisme, About Journalism, Sobre Jornalismo is the property of Sur le journalisme, About journalism, Sobre jornalismo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We examine whether proxy advisory firms (PAs) serve primarily an information intermediary role by providing research and voting recommendations to shareholders, or directly influence executive compensation by exerting pressure on firms to adopt preferred pay practices. Through a field study, we find that PAs are perceived as both information intermediaries and agenda setters and that these roles provide leverage to enable PAs to exercise significant influence over executive pay practices. Boards feel, and sometimes yield to, pressure to conform to PA "best" practices despite their own preferred compensation philosophies, even in the absence of overt PA scrutiny or negative shareholder votes. We also find that PAs are susceptible to conflicts of interest and generally use a "one‐size‐fits‐all" approach to voting recommendations. Overall, however, PAs are viewed as improving compensation practices by increasing transparency and accountability and fostering dialogue between firms and their shareholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper explores the intersections between community development and youth development in an initiative that mobilized farmers' children as Rice Crop Manager (RCM) infomediaries (information mediators). RCM is an ICT-enabled nutrient management application. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study engaged 30 farmers' children in high school level from the provinces of Pangasinan, Isabela, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, Bukidnon, and Davao del Norte from November 2016 to October 2017. They interacted with the research team (the authors) and the RCM-SMS platform that sends text messages regarding fertilizer recommendations. A staff member from the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) also called the students for some follow-up questions. The research team conducted three rounds of interviews with the students concerning the messages and calls that they received and what they did with the information. Findings: This study finds that farmers' children can perform infomediary roles quite effectively. Academically excellent children and those involved in farm work performed best. Practical Implications: The study provides guidance on similar initiatives tapping young people in agricultural development. Theoretical Implications: This paper finds that while Community Youth Development (CYD) Theory provides a powerful lens in understanding community and youth development intersections, some identified outcomes may overlap and may not be very easy to observe. Hence, the identified outcomes may be revisited for clarity and to make them more all-encompassing. Originality/Value: The paper documents actual parent-child interaction when the latter is mobilized to serve as an infomediary to access nutrient management-related information on rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturers and distributors of expensive implants and other medical supplies often require buyers to sign non‐disclosure agreements treating all information concerning negotiated prices as trade secrets. Such agreements make it difficult for hospitals to obtain accurate pricing benchmarks. To save on procurement costs and to obtain pricing information, most hospitals in the United States join group purchasing organizations (GPOs). GPOs are believed to lower procurement costs by aggregating hospitals' demand. Whether GPOs indeed add value to the healthcare supply chain and produce actual savings for hospitals are debated policy issues, as evidenced by the ongoing discussions on the topic in the US Congress. Some hospitals procure using GPO contracts, and some try to improve on prices available via GPO contracts, negotiating custom contracts directly with the GPO vendors. Using a game‐theoretic model, we prove that GPOs that operate independently and allow for custom contracting limit the benefit of demand aggregation to smaller hospitals only. The larger hospitals gain primarily from using the GPO as an infomediary to obtain critical pricing information benchmarks. Our results further explain why the introduction of custom contracting lowers the value of access to this pricing information for the hospitals, and how the savings through custom contracting can be misleading. We reveal how GPO vendors can exploit information asymmetry about their prices and earn even higher profits, and why, contrary to the industry's belief, the resulting savings are never higher for any hospital, not even for the larger ones when the GPOs allow custom contracting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a brief review of the most recent evolution stages of the public management, emphasizing the role that information management has had in them, the open government model is introduced as a tool of the collaborative government to form an objectively informed society. With this aim, the pillars of the open government model are explained, finding open government data as its main ally to make government's actions transparent and involve citizenship in the decision- making process. We conclude locating intermediary agents (including librarians) as bridging agents joining open government data and population through the development of platforms and skills included in the data-literacy concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the recent discussion about the role information intermediaries (infomediaries) play in affecting corporate responsibility (CR) adoption, we analyze the representation of CR issues in a business infomediary distributed by a leading business organization. The explicit task of the business infomediary is to promote a competitive national business environment. This paper contributes to (1) research on CR, by providing new knowledge on the current CR discourse within the business community, and (2) research on infomediaries, by introducing a distinction between watchdog-oriented and business-oriented infomediaries. The findings show that the business infomediary promotes green practices and constructs a national business identity in terms of environmental business when responsible practices are voluntary. We argue that as business-oriented infomediaries shape the meaning of CR according to their own interests, signifiers that refer to the positive contributions of business become preferred in the articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many markets, buyers, sellers, and their agents have differential information about the quality of heterogeneous assets. We study negotiated transaction prices in the commercial real estate market, which is characterized by heterogeneous assets, illiquidity, and highly segmented local markets, all of which increase the importance of asymmetric information in negotiated pricing outcomes. Using 114,588 industrial, multi-family and office sale transactions that occurred during 1997-2011, we document that distant commercial real estate buyers pay, on average, premiums of 4 % to 15 % relative to local buyers, controlling for individual property characteristics as well as time fixed-effects. We also examine the extent to which the sources of these observed premiums are a product of higher search costs/information asymmetry problems associated with distance (search cost channel) or a result of reference-dependence preference/anchoring based on the price levels in the investors’ local market (behavioral biases channel). Our results suggest the observed price premiums are explained by distant investors who face higher search costs and are at an information disadvantage compared to investors located in closer proximity to the property. In contrast, anchoring plays a more muted role in explaining observed premiums. The use of an intermediary (broker) increases, on average, the acquisition prices of buyers and decreases the disposition prices of sellers by 3 % to 8 %. This result is consistent with the incentive real estate agents have to convince sellers to dispose of their properties too quickly and to convince buyers to search less and therefore pay higher prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the function of transnational corporations in many global supply chains as information intermediaries, which carries with it responsibilities and opportunities for incentivization. Topics include information intermediary role of corporations; preventing consumers from suffering identity harms that results from risks in the supply chain; and Sud v. Costco court case on the same.

New technologies such as product simulators and virtual reality now allow firms to provide realistic product usage experiences and reduce buyer uncertainty about product quality.We argue that today's firms should view product design and investments to reduce buyer uncertainty as an integrated process, which is in turn influenced by how much information buyers can obtain from third-party infomediaries.We introduce a game-theoretic model of a competitive market where both quality production and quality disclosure are endogenous decisions, affected by information made available by third parties. We show that quality investment under uncertainty never exceeds the level of quality investment under perfect information. Furthermore, we show that information availability by third parties allows firms to free ride, and it especially favors lower quality firms, who can reduce their information disclosure investments more so than higherquality firms. Finally, we show that the intuitive argument that firms must improve their product quality when overall information availability in the market improves does not always hold. Instead, improved information availability may enable firms to reduce their quality in some situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Policy & Internet is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the 90s, Internet appeared in the Spanish tourist industry, fact that preoccupied most companies and business in it; specially travel agencies, which were at that moment overcoming a difficult situation due to the economic crisis, the saturation of the industry and the reduction of their commissions. Time has demonstrated that Internet is just a tool that, when properly used, can enhance the efficiency and benefits of the tourist companies. This last decade we have witnessed the digital transformation of this sector and, specifically, of the distribution chain. Traditional tourist intermediaries have adapted to this new era, incorporating technology to their everyday life when commercializing their products and services. At the same time, new agents have appeared online, that make us ask ourselves if they can be considered as intermediaries or not. The main goal of this paper is to analize the evolution of the intermediation activity since the 90s, with special attention to the birth of new business models in this area. The results will help us establish an updated classification of tourist intermediaries and their role in the tourism system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet is an enormous and growing source of information for investors about the opinions of others. Virtually any individual with internet access can express opinions about firms and editorialize about company news. However, to date we know very little about the impact these nontraditional internet intermediaries have on markets. We develop a framework wherein internet information intermediaries fall along a spectrum of professionalism and document a nuanced relationship between coverage by these intermediaries and capital market effects. Using a novel dataset that tracks coverage of companies by individuals posting on thousands of websites, we find that coverage by professional and semi-professional intermediaries is associated with positive capital market effects but coverage by nonprofessional internet intermediaries has the opposite effect-hindering price formation. The detrimental effects of nonprofessional coverage are observed most strongly when the intermediaries have larger audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals and organizations, software and hardware combine to create an ecosystem in which infomediaries interact with government and its constituents. These infomediaries engage in the production and dissemination of either governmentgenerated or citizen-sourced data, which we collectively call civic data. We argue that infomediaries not only play a role in the valuation of civic data but are involved in data's various transformations before it reaches the end-user, whether citizen or government. We selected five Canadian municipal applications that used civic data. Drawing on qualitative interview data of app developers and government, we characterize each app's ecosystem, the collective of interconnected human and non-human actors within the app's development cycle. Variations in characteristics of apps such as data source, data user, sectoral type, and reasons governing appification display different landscapes of influence on civic data creation. Actors in the ecosystem exert control over the structure and form of civic data, such as data hosting, data modification, and representational transforms. Ultimately, the civic data app ecosystem reflects a model of government as a platform, and serves as a caution to current and future government officials wishing to transform civic data into apps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the time of ancient Greece, the public library has been an important civic institution in support of democracy. With their provision of free, accessible information at the community scale, public libraries have a long history that tightly aligns with the goals of progressive local governments now engaging in open data efforts. While libraries and librarians have long positioned themselves as leaders in animating open-information provision, local government open data efforts, thus far, have been more focused on how city hall can make data available rather than engaging people with its use. This paper considers the manner in which public libraries are well positioned to act as intermediaries that render this data useful to the general public. The authors employ the term civic infomediaries to describe how these nonpartisan public institutions have the ability to connect community members with open data in a meaningful and civically engaged manner. This paper first explains the importance of ensuring that open data is accessible and useful to a nonexpert public and then explores the ways in which libraries have the capacity to connect users with open data resources, provide access to necessary technology, and act as a hub for civic digital activities. Ultimately, this paper argues that local government staff with open data responsibilities could be more active in engaging in partnerships with public librarians to create a more dynamic and robust open-government ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open data, that is, the provision of government data in a publicly accessible, machine-readable format, with liberal usage terms, has become commonplace. Despite the promise of open data, there are many questions about who is accessing government open data and what they are using it for. This research presents a characterization of the infomediary, a third party who accesses government open data and creates value-added products from it. Using four major Canadian municipal open data providers, we present an information scan and classification of open data infomediaries and the products they create. Five classifications of infomediary are proposed: government, private sector, NGO, academic, and media. Within each of these classifications, the type of infomediary products created and the delivery method used are summarized. Findings from this research indicate a diversity in infomediary actors and products, but that this activity is largely concentrated in government and privatesector infomediary types. Further considerations of the impact of infomediary activity on government open data provision are presented as important future directions of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change (CC) is an urgent and highly relevant topic that must be integrated into the school curriculum. Literature on CC integration, however, is scarce, let alone literature on integrating climate-smart rice agriculture (CSRA). Bringing CSRA lessons into the classroom means the chance is higher that climate-smart technologies on rice will reach even the most far-flung areas of the Philippines, which stand to be among the most vulnerable as regards the negative impacts of CC. This paper shares experiences drawn from three high schools in the Philippines on integrating CSRA into their curriculum. The research centers on appropriate teaching tools/strategies, push and exogenous factors in CSRA integration, and the types of information that are likely to be shared by the students with their farmer-parents or other farmers in their communities. Surveys among participating students (n = 155) and three focus group discussions among key school officials were conducted. Different teaching methods and/or tools were found to be generally useful in various contexts. Photos and videos, however, emerged as the most effective tools across sites. The livelihood source of the students does have a bearing on the complexity of messages that they can convey. Students from rice-farming households can competently discuss even highly complex adaptation and mitigation information with their farmer-parents or other farmers. Thorough message-framing is necessary to maximize student involvement as well as to increase production of education-entertainment (edutainment) materials to be utilized in teaching. This study, in general, contributes to CC education by bringing in best-fit practices in teaching tools and strategies to mobilize students to act on urgent matters relating to the impacts of CC. It also advises on considering exogenous factors that might affect CC education by taking into account those that are equally capable of shaping students' perception and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Financial blogs provide an online platform whereby retail investors effortlessly gain access to an abundant array of investment guidance. Prior studies find that the market reacts to financial blogs and similar online venues but results are inconsistent and financial blogs, a growing area in new media and distinct from other online venues, have received little attention. The purpose of this paper is to examine the particular conditions in which financial blogs serve an infomediary role in capital markets; when information asymmetry is high, earnings quality is low, and during economic uncertainty. These are conditions in which retail investors may seek easily accessible advice for their investment decisions. Design/methodology/approach – Abnormal returns for firms mentioned in blog posts on the SeekingAlpha.com financial blog are examined using a multivariate regression to determine whether or not the market reaction associated with these posts is related to information asymmetry, earnings quality, and economic uncertainty. Findings – Results indicate that abnormal returns are associated with the SeekingAlpha.com financial blog when information asymmetry is high and during bearish market conditions, and in particular when buy recommendations are posted on the blog for firms with high information asymmetry. This association is strengthened for firms with low institutional ownership, a proxy for unsophisticated or retail investors. Research limitations/implications – Results are based on a sample collected during a specific time period in order to detect whether financial blogs serve an infomediary role during uncertain market conditions. Practical implications – Results of this study can be useful to company executives who may want to monitor investment advice posted about their firm on financial blogs. Financial blogs and other forms of social media such as Twitter and Facebook are becoming the “new normal” in the investor information environment, a trend that is likely to continue. Originality/value – Financial blogs provide an abundance of supplemental information demanded by investors. Financial blogs represent a form of “new media,” now considered a key component of firms’ information environment (Saxton, 2012). In contrast to prior studies which primarily investigate only whether the market reacts to financial blogs or similar online platforms such as stock message boards, this study attempts to understand the specific conditions in which the market reacts to financial blogs. The results provide a rationale as to when and why investors rely on financial blogs and whether financial blogs serve an infomediary role in capital markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An emerging area of inquiry in Internet governance scholarship is the role of private information intermediaries in enacting governance via technical design choices and user policies. Following this trajectory, this paper addresses governance by social media rather than governance of social media. Informed by conceptual frameworks from Internet governance and Science and Technology Studies, it examines the extent to which these platforms either promote or constrain rights in three thematic areas: (1) anonymous speech and individual privacy; (2) the ability to express ideas or, stated as a negative liberty, freedom from censorship; and (3) technical affordances of interoperability and permissionless innovation. Because of their unique role as the intermediaries providing citizens with access to the digital public sphere, social media platforms are central points of control on the Internet. Viewing these private platforms through an Internet governance lens, rather than a content lens, suggests that social media technical architectures and policies actually pose several challenges to communication rights as well as to the open Internet. There is an opportunity for Internet governance studies, which have primarily focused on governmental policies and new global institutions, to give greater consideration to the direct policymaking role of private intermediaries and the accompanying phenomenon of the privatization of human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated recommendation systems now occupy a central position in the circulation of media and cultural products. Using music as a test case, this article examines the use of algorithms and data mining techniques for the presentation and representation of culture, and how these tools reconfigure the process of cultural intermediation. Expanding Bourdieu’s notion of cultural intermediaries to include technologies like algorithms, I argue that an emerging layer of companies – call them infomediaries – are increasingly responsible for shaping how audiences encounter and experience cultural content. Through a critical analysis of The Echo Nest, a music infomediary whose databases underpin many digital music services, I trace the shift from intermediation to infomediation and explore what is at stake at the intersection of data mining, taste making and audience manufacture. The new infomediary logics at work are computational forms of power that shape popular culture and highlight the social implications of curation by code. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines the effect of information intermediaries, specifically financial analysts, on the non-price terms and syndicate structure of bank loans. We find that loans to firms with higher analyst coverage have significantly less intensive covenant restrictions, a lower likelihood of requiring collateral and a lower likelihood of having performance-pricing provisions. Furthermore, our results document a negative relation between analyst coverage and loan maturity, implying that banks become more information-sensitive when lending to firms with large analyst coverage. We also find evidence that lenders tend to form less concentrated syndicate when the number of analysts increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on both a managerial discipline perspective and an information intermediary perspective, we explore how media coverage of a firm's controlling shareholder influences firm valuation in corporate China. Using 366 listed family firms in China from 2003 to 2006, we find that firms in which controlling shareholders receive more neutral media reports enjoy higher valuation, whereas negative media reports on controlling shareholders impose adverse effects on firm valuation. Interestingly, favorable media coverage of the controlling shareholders does not enhance firm value. Further analyses reveal that ownership structure and audit quality moderate the relationship between media coverage and firm valuation. Our study complements the emerging literature on the monitoring role of the media on the stock markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]