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Conversational robots (chatbots) are currently an extended Insurtech that is widely used to enable policyholders' communication with insurance firms. This paper analyses customers' acceptance of chatbots in procedures with regard to in-force policies. We analysed a semistructured survey answered by workers of a public Spanish university. Structured questions have been grounded in the well-known technology acceptance model (TAM), which is based on two explanatory variables: perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU). We have also considered two additional explanatory factors: social influence (SI), whose impact on behavioral intention (BI) is mediated by PU, and trust (TRUST), whose influence on BI is supposed to be made throughout PU and PEOU. Likewise, we asked two open questions about the advantages and disadvantages of chatbot use to make procedures linked with in-force insurance contracts. We performed our analysis by using quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative analysis tests the suitability of TAM on our data and has been performed by using structural equation modelling with partial least squares (PLS-SEM). Subsequently, to reach a deeper understanding of the reasons that explain the respondents' behavioral intention, we provide a systematic overview of the answers to open questions with the help of the groundwork provided by TAM. We have checked that the basic TAM along with social influence and trust provide a satisfactory explanation for behavioral intention toward bots. Likewise, we have observed a general reluctance toward the use of chatbots. The qualitative analysis showed that arguments explaining resistance come from all explanatory factors considered in the paper. Therefore, mainstream responses have outlined that interaction with chatbots is difficult, and many times, the procedure must be finished with the assistance of a human operator. Likewise, many responses point out as a relevant drawback that they provide a dehumanized service without empathy. Consequently, interactions with chatbots are perceived as cumbersome, ineffective, and a loss of time. Although some people perceive that the faster service provided by chatbots in concrete circumstances is an advantage, other theoretical consequences that may add value, such as temporal flexibility and the possibility of proving better services with the same cost and/or reducing insurance prices because of the reduction of firms' administrative costs, are generally not perceived. Our findings have theoretical and practical implications. We have shown that TAM provides a reliable theoretical model to understand policyhoders' acceptance of chatbot technology in an insurance setting. Perceived usefulness, reliability, social opinion about bot adoption, and usability must be improved to avoid generalized policyholders' reluctance. That resistance is because of issues such as conversational skills, the capability to provide an interaction closer to being human, and users' perception that chatbots actually add value to policyholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica 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.)

Understanding the factors that influence the intention to use vaccines is crucial for implementing effective public health policies. This study examined the impact of various cognitive, affective, normative, and sociodemographic variables on the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the first-generation AstraZeneca vaccine. A survey of 600 residents of Spain was used to assess the influence and hierarchy of the drivers of the intention to vaccinate via least-squares and quantile regressions. The most significant factors were the perceptions of efficacy and social influence, both of which had positive impacts (p < 0.0001). The positive influence of fear of COVID-19 and the negative influence of fear of the vaccine were also significant in shaping the central tendency toward vaccination. However, these fear-related variables, particularly the fear of COVID-19, lost importance in quantile adjustments outside the central tendency. Among the sociodemographic variables, only the negative impact of income was statistically significant. These results are valuable for the development of vaccination policies because they measure the sensitivity of attitudes toward vaccination to exogenous variables not only in the central values, as is common in similar studies, but also across the entire range of responses regarding the intention to vaccinate. This additional analysis, which is not commonly performed in studies on vaccine acceptance, allows us to distinguish between variables which are consistently related to the intention to vaccinate and those that influence only expected responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Substance use among adolescents is a public health problem, and the simultaneous use of multiple substances aggravates this problem. Although the facilitators of specific substance use in adolescents have been widely investigated, polydrug use is a less common topic. Likewise, the role that the origin of the information available to adolescents regarding substance use plays in relation to polydrug use is practically unexplored. Objectives: This work analyzed the relevance of the origin of the information sources available to adolescents regarding substance use, among which we distinguished those that were monitored (or supervised) by public agencies from those that were unmonitored (or unsupervised) in the consumption of more than one substance. As control variables, we considered three individual factors and four environmental factors. The relevance of these sources was analysed from a dual perspective: on the one hand, their statistical relevance was measured, and on the other hand, how they combined with the control variables was analysed to identify risk and risk-free profiles in substance poly-drug use. Methods: This paper utilized a sample of N = 573 adolescents aged ≥17 years. This sample was collected from a survey administered in the spring of 2023. We examined the impact of unmonitored information sources (peers, siblings, and the Internet) and supervised sources (school, parents, and media) on the combined consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis. Additionally, we took three individual factors (gender, early onset of alcohol, and tobacco use) and four environmental factors (parental control, alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use among peers) into account as control variables. Initially, we conducted a regression analysis to adjust for the impact of these factors on polydrug use. Subsequently, we employed a fuzzy set qualitative analysis (fsQCA) to investigate how predictor factors combined with the formation of adolescent profiles associated with polydrug consumption and nonconsumption. Results: Unmonitored information sources were associated with a greater incidence of poly consumption, with ORs of 1.703 and p values of 0.004. However, the protective effects of regulated information sources remained ambiguous. Among the variables positively linked with of polydrug use, are female sex (OR = 1.329, p = 0.0076), early alcohol consumption (OR = 4.680, p < 0.0001), and early tobacco consumption (OR = 3.242, p < 0.001) were the most important. Peer drinking (OR = 1.556, p = 0.0187) and peer cannabis use (OR = 1.351, p = 0.0226) were also significantly correlated. The use of the fsQCA made it possible to identify the profiles of adolescents associated to polysubstance use and non-use. The conditions of the configurations that explained use were characterized by an early onset of the joint consumption of tobacco and alcohol. The profile of non-consuming adolescents is that of adolescents whose peers do not use tobacco or cannabis and who have parental control and monitored sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En el estudio de los sistemas de bienestar la relación entre el gasto social y los indicadores de vulnerabilidad como la tasa de pobreza o índices de desigualdad de ingresos tienen gran interés en la literatura. Este trabajo evalúa la productividad del gasto social de los estados de la EU15 (los estados de bienestar más consolidados de la EU28), en el período 2011-2015, con metodología Análisis Envolvente de Datos. Posteriormente, con un método clustering difuso identificamos los patrones existentes de gasto social y su eficiencia. Observamos tres grupos de países. El primero engloba la mayor parte de estado del bienestar nórdico y continental. El segundo grupo, conformado por Luxemburgo e Irlanda, son países con el menor volumen de gastos social sobre PIB pero a la vez son países eficientes. El tercero engloba a los estados del bienestar mediterráneos, junto con Gran Bretaña, que son los menos eficientes en la reducción de los indicadores de vulnerabilidad. || In the study of welfare systems, the relation of the social expenditure and the indicators of vulnerability as poverty rates or income inequality indexes focus a great interest in the literature. In this way, we evaluate the productivity of social transfer policies of EU15 states, which are the countries with more consolidated Welfare States within EU28, during the period 2011-2015, with data envelopment analysis. Subsequently, with a fuzzy clustering method we identify the existing patterns of social expenditures and their efficiency. We identify three groups. The first of them embeds most of the Nordic and continental welfare states. The second group is only made up with Luxembourg and Ireland, that are the countries with the lowest social spending but at the same time, they are within the group of efficient countries. The third group is made up of Mediterranean welfare states and United Kingdom and they are the less efficient countries in reducing vulnerability indexes.

A highly relevant topic in the actuarial literature is so-called "claim reserving" or "loss reserving", which involves estimating reserves to be provisioned for pending claims, as they can be deferred over various periods. This explains the proliferation of methods that aim to estimate these reserves and their variability. Regression methods are widely used in this setting. If we model error terms as random variables, the variability of provisions can consequently be modelled stochastically. The use of fuzzy regression methods also allows modelling uncertainty for reserve values using tools from the theory of fuzzy subsets. This study follows this second approach and proposes projecting claim reserves using a generalization of fuzzy numbers (FNs), so-called intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IFNs), through the use of intuitionistic fuzzy regression. While FNs allow epistemic uncertainty to be considered in variable estimation, IFNs add bipolarity to the analysis by incorporating both positive and negative information regarding actuarial variables. Our analysis is grounded in the ANOVA two-way framework, which is adapted to the use of intuitionistic regression. Similarly, we compare our results with those obtained using deterministic and stochastic chain-ladder methods and those obtained using two-way statistical ANOVA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the effects of open innovation (OI), organizational strategy and the existence of a corporate risk management (CRM) strategy on competitive advantage (CA) in cost, service and product in the Portuguese hotel sector. This paper uses a survey over 251 CEOs of Portuguese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hotels and applies two complementary statistical methods: partial least squares regression and quantile regression. It can be stated that both OI and the degree of dynamism and flexibility of the organizational structure and CRM are relevant to explain the different types of competitive advantage. However, the results show that the importance of the incidence of the different explanatory factors considered is different depending on the type of competitive advantage that we are analysing and the relevance of disaggregating those associated with AI (inbound and outbound) and organizational strategy (dynamic of the environment, internal organizational flexibility and innovative strategic position). Thus, the CRM variable is the fundamental variable in the explanation of the competitive advantage in cost, while the incidence of inbound OI is especially relevant in the CA in service and product. Within organizational strategy, the factor that most clearly affects competitive advantage is the strategic position with respect to innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Adolescence is a critical period for the initiation of the consumption of alcohol, which is the toxic substance most commonly used by young people. Given the serious impact of alcohol on youth, there is an extensive body of literature that examines the facilitators of and barriers to alcohol consumption among adolescents. Among the barriers, several reports highlight that being a member of a religious community is a protective factor against alcohol consumption. (2) Methods: We conducted an analysis of a structured questionnaire completed by 1935 adolescents from Tarragona to assess the protective capacity of belonging to a religious community, differentiating between the various religions practiced in Tarragona. (3) Results: The variables related to family configuration emerged as the main protective factor against alcohol consumption attitudes among adolescents. Those who lived with both parents exhibited greater protection than those living with only one parent. Living with a single parent provided more protection than living with none. Belonging to a religious community did not significantly protect against drunkenness. However, religion appeared to inhibit alcohol use. The protective capacity of religion was evident only when the professed faith was Muslim and/or when the parents were migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversational robots powered by artificial intelligence (AI) are intensively implemented in the insurance industry. This paper aims to determine the current level of acceptance among consumers regarding the use of conversational robots for interacting with insurers and seeks to identify the factors that influence individuals' behavioral intention to engage with chatbots. To explain behavioral intention, we tested a structural equation model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. It was supposed that behavioral intention is influenced by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and trust, and by the moderating effect of insurance literacy on performance expectancy and effort expectancy. The study reveals a significant overall rejection of robotic technology among respondents. The technology acceptance model tested demonstrates a strong ability to fit the data, explaining nearly 70% of the variance in behavioral intention. Social influence emerges as the most influential variable in explaining the intention to use conversational robots. Furthermore, effort expectancy and trust significantly impact behavioral intention in a positive manner. For chatbots to gain acceptance as a technology, it is crucial to enhance their usability, establish trust, and increase social acceptance among users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the explanatory power of individual, environmental, and job factors on Spanish telecommuters' presence and absence of stress in a home telework setting during the COVID-19 crisis. It uses a survey of the Spanish agency "Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas" on the perceptions of the Spanish population about several aspects of information communication technologies (ICTs) that was carried out in March 2021. We use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to capture how factors combine to enable and inhibit stress feeling. The perception of stress is less covered by fsQCA configurations than the nonperception. However, fsQCA provides profiles that cause stress feelings and nonstress feelings with great consistency. We have checked that overload is the most important variable to explain stress. Likewise, fsQCA has also shown that while some variables, such as overload, isolation, non-adequacy, or organizational support, impact symmetrically on the presence and absence of stress perception, other factors, such as attaining a satisfactory work-home balance or gender, impact them asymmetrically. From a practical point of view, we can outline that clearer regulation of teleworking is needed to prevent imbalances in rights and obligations between companies and employees. However, there are also several challenges at the organization and worker level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this paper is to expand Jamshidian's bond option formula and compatible one-factor term structure models by incorporating the existence of uncertainty in the parameters governing interest-rate fluctuations. Specifically, we consider imprecision in the parameters related to the speed of reversion, equilibrium short-term interest rate, and volatility. To model this uncertainty, we utilize fuzzy numbers, which, in this context, are interpreted as epistemic fuzzy sets. The second objective of this study is to propose a methodology for estimating these parameters based on historical data. To do so, we use the possibility distribution functions capability to quantify imprecise probability distributions. Furthermore, this paper presents an application to the term structure of fixed-income bonds with the highest credit rating in the Euro area. This empirical application allows for evaluating the effectiveness of the fuzzy extension in fitting the dynamics of interest rates and assessing the suitability of the proposed extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anales del Instituto de Actuarios Españoles is the property of Instituto de Actuarios Espanoles 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.)