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Browsing by Author "Mohammadi, Neda"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Diffusion Dynamics of Energy Saving Practices in Large Heterogeneous Online Networks
    Mohammadi, Neda; Wang, Qi; Taylor, John E. (PLOS, 2016-10-13)
    Online social networks are today's fastest growing communications channel and a popular source of information for many, so understanding their contribution to building awareness and shaping public perceptions of climate change is of utmost importance. Today's online social networks are composed of complex combinations of entities and communication channels and it is not clear which communicators are the most influential, what the patterns of communication flow are, or even whether the widely accepted two-step flow of communication model applies in this new arena. This study examines the diffusion of energy saving practices in a large online social network across organizations, opinion leaders, and the public by tracking 108,771 communications on energy saving practices among 1,084 communicators, then analyzing the flow of information and influence over a 28 day period. Our findings suggest that diffusion networks of messages advocating energy saving practices are predominantly led by the activities of dedicated organizations but their attempts do not result in substantial public awareness, as most of these communications are effectively trapped in organizational loops in which messages are simply shared between organizations. Despite their comparably significant influential values, opinion leaders played a weak role in diffusing energy saving practices to a wider audience. Thus, the two-step flow of communication model does not appear to describe the sharing of energy conservation practices in large online heterogeneous networks. These results shed new light on the underlying mechanisms driving the diffusion of important societal issues such as energy efficiency, particularly in the context of large online social media outlets.
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    Generational Differences in Virtual Teaming in the United States: Culture, Time, and Technology
    Ferrara, Samuel J.; Mohammadi, Neda; Taylor, John E.; Javernick-Will, Amy N. (2017)
    The globalization of the workplace has led to the extensive use of virtual teams. Virtual teams are groups of geographically distributed workers that use technology to collaborate and communicate. Due to their geographic distribution, these teams experience high levels of cultural diversity and time dispersion among team members. Millennials and Baby Boomers in the United States have been reported as having differing views in regards to cultural diversity, time, and technology in the workplace. These differing views could lead to conflict and poor performing virtual teams. However, there is a lack of research on generational differences in the context of virtual teams. This study sought to quantify these generational differences (or lack thereof) in virtual teams, focusing specifically on differences between Baby Boomers and Millennials working in the fields of engineering and construction. The results show that Millennials may have relative strengths related to handling cultural diversity, time-distributed team members, and technology use in the context of a virtual team when compared to Baby Boomers. These findings will help inform virtual team leaders by allowing them to better leverage their team members' strengths.
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    Urban Spatiotemporal Energy Flux
    Mohammadi, Neda (Virginia Tech, 2016-11-30)
    Urban energy systems are often studied in a very similar way in the sense that the characteristics of the underlying physical infrastructure are weighted as the main determinants of energy use predictions, while the behavior of the human population in relation to this systemthe so-called ``energy consumers''in time and urban spaces is effectively neglected. The spatial and temporal variations in infrastructure-population interactivity greatly complicate urban energy systems; the unremitting growth in population and advances in technology mean that the dynamic interrelationship between the population and urban environment will continue to grow exponentially, resulting in increasing uncertainties, unreliable predictions and poor management decisions given the inadequacy of existing approaches. In this dissertation, I explore the interdependencies of spatiotemporal fluctuations of human mobility as an indicator for human activities and energy use in urban areas in three main studies. First, I show that the fluctuations of intra-urban human mobility and energy use have an underlying structure across both time and space, and that human mobility can indeed be used as a predictor for energy use in both dimensions. Second, I examine how one of the dominant drivers of this structure, namely individuals' location-based activities, influence patterns in energy supply and demand across building types (i.e. residential and commercial buildings) and show how variations in the human mobility networks of two distinct urban populations (the so-called returners and explorers) can explain fluctuations in energy use. Third, I introduce an integrated approach for predicting urban energy use across time and space by incorporating these interdependencies. Generating predictive models that capture the spatiotemporal variations in these determinants in urban settings, as suggested in this research, will contribute to our understanding of how variations in urban population activities for particular times and locations influence can be applied to estimate energy use patterns in surrounding areas.