Diana Escandon-Barbosa, Jairo Salas-Paramo. Modern technologies in education are essential for advancing learning processes and improving students' engagement with innovative tools. This research analyzes gamification through immersive virtual reality and traditional platform games to support cognitive development, creative problem-solving, interaction, understanding, and expected performance. The study explores how these approaches impact students in professional programs, such as SMART and related disciplines. Data from 210 undergraduate students across diverse university professional programs were analyzed using a structural equation model. As higher education institutions strive to enhance their curricula by incorporating gamification technologies, it is crucial to understand both the potential benefits and risks. Misapplication these technologies can negatively affect learning outcomes, emphasizing the need for informed implementation of pedagogical strategies. This study demonstrates that characteristics associated with the virtual environment, such as interaction and immersion, significantly enhance students' creativity and comprehension. Ensuring robust interaction and immersion within virtual learning environments correlates with heightened performance expectancy, fostering a more effective and engaging educational experience. By focusing on these aspects, this research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the effective use of digital technologies in education, offering insights into optimizing learning environments to maximize student engagement and learning outcomes.

Diana Escandon-Barbosa, Jairo Salas-Paramo, Luis Fernando Caicedo. Purpose – The main objective of our study is to shed light on how perceived enjoyment influences the intricate relationship between value cocreation and consumer satisfaction, with a specific focus on the realms of tourist services. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the objective outlined in this research, an information survey was carried out on 400 consumers of tourist services who have participated in virtual cocreation processes through digital platforms. As a data analysis technique, the dynamic structural equation modeling (DSEM) analyzes the causal relationships between the elements under study. Findings – Our extensive analysis draws upon the data collected through a survey spanning from 2018 to 2023, encompassing 400 participants who actively engaged in value cocreation processes in both physical and virtual settings. Our investigation considers two competing models to elucidate the role of perceived enjoyment. Our findings, established through DSEM illuminates that perceived enjoyment predominantly functions as a mediator, exerting a more pronounced influence on the connection between value cocreation and consumer satisfaction. Contrary to a moderating role, perceived enjoyment emerges as a significant mediator in our study. Originality/value – The most significant addition is recognizing virtual value cocreation behaviors in tourist sector activities over time, primarily because it indicates the likelihood of negative repercussions of its usage. Furthermore, it must be capable of designing surroundings according to the characteristics of customers in terms of immersion and technology usage, preventing a rise in stress situations that might result in more negative consequences than planned. Another important insight is that virtual value cocreation initiatives have detrimental long-term implications, particularly in tourism. Keywords Value cocreation, Tech enjoyment, Consumer satisfaction, Virtual environment Paper type Research paper

Technological advancements allow us to access diverse resources such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and virtual reality. As access to resources becomes easier, their effective use becomes crucial for improving companies' strategic management capacity and resource efficiency. Thus, this research seeks to explore the central role of digital technologies in the relationship between strategic decisions and actions that impact companies' sustainable performance. To achieve this objective, a survey was conducted among 400 international companies with active commercial presence in various countries and that, in turn, rely heavily on digital technologies to drive their global operations. These data were processed using a structural equation model to analyze the relationships between the study variables. Thus, the findings reveal that strategic choices significantly improve the performance of both Born Globals and Gradual Internationalizers Firms by adopting new technologies and creative business models.
Furthermore, strategic activities are a key success factor in achieving sustainability across different types of organizations, especially with Born Globals. Finally, this research contributes to the academic debate by integrating the concepts of Diffusion of Innovation Theory, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, and Dynamic Ambidexterity Theory into the analysis. From an applied perspective, the study highlights the importance of integrating decision-making processes, implementing digital technologies, and their impact on firm performance, especially in those serving international markets.

Diana Escandon-Barbosa, Jairo Salas, Josep Rialp, Maria del Camen Alarcon del Amo. There are different scales to measure value cocreation, but it still has no consensus about its uses. In this way, the aims to validate a multidimensional scale with seven factors related to individual characteristics and consumer behaviour included a new emerging dimension inside individual characteristics that are relevant to analyse value cocreation: power importance. The measurement instrument was developed, validated and tested using 1,300 Colombian and Vietnam consumers. For the final analysis, a confirmatory factor analysis was used, resulting in an adjusted and reliable multidimensional model. The results suggest seven dimensions (personal interaction, feedback, helping, tolerance, learning, personalization and power importance). Regarding the power importance that includes items that are related to the way in which consumers develop emotions at the moment of influencing others (authority, social recognized, wellness and monetary retribution). Finally, the present study contributes to the literature on value cocreation through the identification of a key aspect in the interaction between the company and the consumer. This term has recently attracted the attention of scholars and that has been little explored in the field of consumer behaviour.

Palacio-Cardona, J. J., Caicedo-Borrero, D. M., Cuartas, D. E., Calle-Madrid, C. & Aristizabal-Aristizabal, D. M. Background: In adult women, acne is often a chronic condition and remains difficult to manage due to treatment failures or limited medical care-seeking, with mental health implications. Oral contraceptives can provide an alternative to reduce acne and improve psychological well-being. Objective: To identify the change in acne severity in young college women using ethinyl estradiol 20 μg/dienogest 2 mg combined oral contraceptive pills, and their perceived psychological effects on self-esteem, social relationships, and non-contraceptive benefits. Methods: A prospective cohort was conducted between 2015 and 2016. A photographic follow-up of acne lesions was performed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the start of the study. The photographs were evaluated by two dermatology specialists, who established the degree of acne. Information was collected on perception of acne progression, improved self-esteem, and non-contraceptive benefits. A descriptive analysis was performed. Results: A total of 86 women were included. At 6 months of follow-up, the percentage of mild comedonic acne changed from 5.8% to 37.8%. At 12 months, at least 35% of the women had no acne lesions and 43% had mild comedonic acne. Results above 68% indicated a favorable perception of improved self-esteem, and participants recognized that these changes improved their social relationships (from the first month: 58.6% to the sixth month: 90.5%). Limitations: A locally applied acne severity scale was employed as it provides a detailed characterization of lesions, but limits comparability with other studies, and there is a lack of standardized scales to measure perceived psychological and non-contraceptive benefits. Bottom Line: Young women with acne who use oral contraceptives with dienogest and ethinyl estradiol get the added benefit of reducing acne severity.

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