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1 – 10 of 16Abstract
Purpose
Co-creating value with customers is important for companies in order to gain a competitive advantage. Based on resource theory and social interaction theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the customer participation mechanism in co-creating value and test the effects of different types of customer resources and multi-level customer–firm interaction on customer value.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from tourism industry. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results indicate that both the customer’s human resource and relationship resource have a significantly positive effect on customers’ utilitarian value and hedonic value through reactive and proactive interactions. Reactive interaction has a full mediating effect on the relationship between relationship resource and proactive interaction, whereas proactive interaction has a full mediating effect on the relationship between reactive interaction and hedonic value.
Originality/value
This study explores the mediating effects of customer–firm interaction between customer resources and customer value. This paper contributes to the understanding of customers’ motivations for, and the processes of, participating in value co-creation.
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Chunjiang Yang, Qinhai Ma and Ling Hu
The purpose of this paper is first, to overview the current research situation on job embeddedness (JE), including the theoretical underpinning of JE, the definition and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is first, to overview the current research situation on job embeddedness (JE), including the theoretical underpinning of JE, the definition and dimensions of JE, its comparisons with similar constructs, and its global and composite measure; second, to intergrate the unfolding model, JE and image theory to better understand voluntary turnover – and indicate future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
An extensive literature search covering several separate electronic databases, including ScienceDirect, EBSCO, Kluwer and Emerald, was conducted. Most of the articles can be acquired online from The University of California Riverside. The validity and reliability are compared between global and composite scales. The authors summarized and categorized the findings of current research.
Findings
JE can be differentiated from those similar constructs and measures already in the literature. Almost all of the studies on JE have found that it predicted voluntary turnover better than job attitudes and perceived ease of movement from traditional models of turnover. Along with extended research on it, JE was disaggregated into two major sub‐dimensions, namely, on‐the‐job and off‐the‐job embeddedness, and it has been extended to occupational and career level.
Research limitations/implications
In this paper, the authors use qualitative methods to evaluate the current studies on JE, only. Meta‐analysis, as a reviewing method, should be used in future research on clarifying the relationships between JE and other constructs in organizational behavior.
Originality/value
This research reviews almost all of the studies on JE from 2001 to 2009 and organizes and categorizes them into three kinds: cause, consequence and theoretical extension. The authors also summarize its relationships with other constructs (e.g. turnover, turnover intention, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior) in various settings. Finally, based on discussion, the authors indicate future research directions.
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Na Fu, Qinhai Ma, Janine Bosak and Patrick Flood
Organizational ambidexterity enables firm to simultaneously exploit existing resources and explore new resources. It is associated with high levels of organizational performance…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizational ambidexterity enables firm to simultaneously exploit existing resources and explore new resources. It is associated with high levels of organizational performance. The purpose of this paper is to identify key internal management resources which contribute to building organizational ambidexterity. In particular, this study examines the impact of intellectual capital, i.e. human, social, and organizational capital, on organizational ambidexterity which in turn influences firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was conducted within the context of professional service firms due to the importance of intellectual capital and organizational ambidexterity. Data were collected from 112 Chinese (cross-sectional design) and 93 Irish accounting firms (time-lagged design).
Findings
Results provide support for the linkage of intellectual capital to organizational ambidexterity and firm performance. Interestingly, findings are mixed regarding the impact of the three types of capital resources on organizational ambidexterity across both countries.
Practical implications
This study finds that various components of intellectual capital facilitate organizational ambidexterity which in turn improves firm performance. Therefore the authors provide managers with evidential support for the salience of intellectual capital in enabling organizations to simultaneously engage in exploiting existing resources while also exploring new ideas and opportunities.
Originality/value
This study is unique in that it highlights the importance of internal management resources in building up organization’s ambidexterity capability. The link between intellectual capital and organizational ambidexterity was established using a rigorous research design which has not been done before. It also emphasizes the role of people in leading to organizational effectiveness via developing organizational ambidexterity. Furthermore the evidence is gathered in two countries.
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Na Fu, Qinhai Ma, Janine Bosak and Patrick Flood
The purpose of this paper is to better understand the indirect link between high-performance work systems (HPWSs) and firm performance in Chinese professional service firms (PSFs…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to better understand the indirect link between high-performance work systems (HPWSs) and firm performance in Chinese professional service firms (PSFs) by investigating the mediating role of organizational ambidexterity, i.e. a firm’s capability to simultaneously explore new ideas and exploit existing resources.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 120 Chinese accounting firms. The authors used hierarchical and polynomial regression analyses to test their hypotheses.
Findings
The proposed positive link between the HPWS and organizational ambidexterity was found. Further, the results showed a non-linear relationship between organizational ambidexterity and organizational performance.
Research limitations/implications
The present study is limited in terms of small sample size, single industry and self-report data.
Practical implications
Firms which reported a higher level of HPWS demonstrated better performance due to their organizational capability to explore new ideas and exploit existing resources. In the Chinese context, firms that had high levels of exploration (exploring new resources) and exploitation (exploiting existing resources) or that had a high level of exploration experienced higher performance. The authors can conclude from these findings that without exploration, organizational success is difficult to achieve for PSFs.
Originality/value
This is the first study examining the underlying mechanism of organizational ambidexterity in the indirect relationship between HPWS and firm performance in Chinese PSFs. It advances the authors understanding of HPWS and firm performance relationship in an Eastern country and an emerging context of PSFs. This is also the first study to use polynomial regression to operationalize organizational ambidexterity.
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Linda L. Zhang, Roger J. Jiao and Qinhai Ma
The purpose of this paper is to provide a methodology to industry and academia on how to reengineer the order fulfillment process (OFP) by capitalizing on integration and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a methodology to industry and academia on how to reengineer the order fulfillment process (OFP) by capitalizing on integration and coordination across the entire supply chain to sustain supply chain management.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study at a semiconductor equipment manufacturer in Singapore is undertaken.
Findings
This paper confirms that the traditional OFPs present companies a challenge to satisfy the demanding customer requirements while achieving performance optimization of each supply chain partner; and it is imperative to reengineer the OFPs to stay competitive. To successfully reengineer OFPs, the efforts should be systematically organized to, for example, exploit potential processes as many as possible, determine an optimal process based on mathematically sound grounds.
Research limitations/implications
The use of a single case study may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Practical implications
A methodology incorporating accountability‐centered approach and simulation is developed for companies to reengineer OFPs while considering the entire supply chain.
Originality/value
The literature does not provide solutions for reengineering OFPs regardless of the fact that OFP reengineering is an emerging area of interest. This paper presents a valuable contribution to this topic by introducing a methodology and by applying the methodology to a semiconductor equipment manufacturer in Singapore.
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Mitchell M. Tseng, Ma Qinhai and Chuan‐Jun Su
The growing importance of the service sector in almost every economy in the world has created a significant amount of interest in service operations. In practice, many service…
Abstract
The growing importance of the service sector in almost every economy in the world has created a significant amount of interest in service operations. In practice, many service sectors have sought and made use of various enhancement programs to improve their operations and performance in an attempt to hold competitive success. As most researchers recognize, service operations link with customers. The customers as participants act in the service operations system driven by the goal of sufficing his/her added values. This is one of the distinctive features of service production and consumption. In the paper, first, we propose the idea of service operations improvement by mapping objectively the service experience of customers from the view of customer journey. Second, a portraying scheme of service experience of customers based on the IDEF3 technique is proposed, and last, some implications on service operations improvement are given.
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Siukan Law, Chuanshan Xu and Albert Wingnang Leung
The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the use of Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China and Asia.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the use of Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China and Asia.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper provides a brief overview of the COVID-19. Based on the syndrome differentiation (辨證論治), the concept of clearing heat and detoxifying lung in traditional Chinese medicine is used to prevent and treat COVID-19 through restoring the vital qi (正氣) in human body and regulating the lung as well as spleen to strengthen the immune system. Traditional Chinese medicine has been used as a complementary therapy for the possible intervention of COVID-19 including traditional Chinese herbal decoctions, Chinese traditional patent medicines, acupuncture and moxibustion as well as the traditional health exercises in China and parts of Asia.
Findings
Traditional Chinese medicine plays a significant role in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 pandemic. The infection cases of China are around 80,000 and a steady decline compared with the USA which has 5,000,000 infection cases and continuous increases. It is shown that more than 90% of patients recovered after the treatment of traditional Chinese herbal decoctions and Chinese traditional patent medicines without any side-effect compared to the use of Remdesivir (GS-5734). Acupuncture (針灸) and moxibustion (艾灸) stimulate the immune and nervous systems for preventing infectious diseases. Taichi (太極) and Baduanjin (八段錦) as the auxiliary aerobic exercise under the theory of Chinese medicine can enhance the immune system and improve the lung function. Thus, an integration of traditional Chinese Medicine and Western medicine is the best strategy for the prevention, treatment and control of COVID-19 pandemic in the future.
Originality/value
This paper describes traditional Chinese medicine as an effective way for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
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Augustine Ebuka Arachie, Emmanuel Kalu Agbaeze, Hope Ngozi Nzewi and Emmanuela Obianuju Agbasi
The frequent turnover of academic instructors (lecturers) to other organizations and countries despite the autonomies their job offer them necessitated; this study aims to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The frequent turnover of academic instructors (lecturers) to other organizations and countries despite the autonomies their job offer them necessitated; this study aims to examine the relationship between job crafting (JC) and embeddedness of lecturers to their jobs.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey research design was adopted. This study is carried out in the south-east region of Nigeria. The population of the study consisted of 8,051 academic staff of six randomly selected public universities in the region and a sample size of 367 was determined using Krejcie and Morgan (1970) formula. The primary and secondary source of data were used in data collection and were analysed using regression analysis at a 5% level of significance.
Findings
Result revealed that task crafting has a statistically significant positive relationship with employee job fit (r = 0.949, R2 = 0.900, F = 2699.473, p-value < 0.05), that relational crafting has a statistically significant positive influence on employee links (r = 0.982, R2 = 0.964, F = 8112.281, p-value < 0.05) and that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between cognitive crafting and sacrifice links (r = 0.962, R2 = 0.926, F = 3729.900, p-value < 0.05).
Practical implications
This study’s practical implication is that it will aid in making academics in Nigeria embedded in their jobs by encouraging them to craft their jobs so as to give them more meaning. In the field of research, this study helps to close the literature gap existing in JC and the role it plays in embedding academics in their jobs, hence, opening up a whole new research area with empirical data to back it up. For management, the study will help in knowing how to appropriately harness the potential of JC in making employees more engaged in their jobs.
Originality/value
Many studies have been carried out in the past in areas of JC and employee performance, non to the best knowledge of the researchers has been extended to studying JC as it relates to the embeddedness of academics to their jobs in Nigeria, this study is, therefore, a new addition to academic literature in this area.
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Rejikumar G. and Aswathy Asokan-Ajitha
Business-to-business (B2B) relations will become more prevalent in many areas such as delivery services, based on current trends supporting e-commerce proliferation. In addition…
Abstract
Purpose
Business-to-business (B2B) relations will become more prevalent in many areas such as delivery services, based on current trends supporting e-commerce proliferation. In addition, hyperlocal e-commerce, which focuses on customers in a small geographic region, relies heavily on another business to handle the supply chain. Emerging trends in business to business to customer (B2B2C) experiences provide retailers with opportunities to develop strategies for better customer service. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a scale for measuring business customer experience in the B2B2C aggregator business model.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the psychometric scale development procedure, the researchers devised a 29-item, six-dimensional scale measuring business customer experience with the help of two cross-sectional studies. Restaurant managers who rely on delivery partners to serve their customers were surveyed twice. The authors validated a scale for assessing business customer experience using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling.
Findings
Based on fit criteria, a higher-order formative structure was best suited to the scale. The dimensions identified were shared vision, interaction experience, end-customer focus, relationship experience, service experience and outcome focus. According to the study, business customer experience is more objective and utilitarian than existing paradigms on customer experience.
Research limitations/implications
Theoretically, this research helps to understand the underpinnings behind the formation of business customer experience and attempt to bring transformative service research focus in the B2B2C trilogy as better experiences predict the well-being of members of the business centre in the B2B.
Practical implications
Practically, this research helps businesses to revisit their strategies for a better relationship with business partners for jointly offering an improved experience to the end customers.
Originality/value
This study explains a pioneer attempt to develop a scale for business customer experience in the context of B2B2C aggregator business models.
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Allard C.R. van Riel, Janjaap Semeijn, Dina Ribbink and Yvette Bomert‐Peters
In retail settings, customer satisfaction is generally associated with a global evaluation of the store, i.e. the store image. Waiting for service is not part of the store image…
Abstract
Purpose
In retail settings, customer satisfaction is generally associated with a global evaluation of the store, i.e. the store image. Waiting for service is not part of the store image dimensions, but it does play an increasingly important role in the retail experience where waits are often inevitable. The present study seeeks to investigate how waiting for service at the checkout counter influences overall satisfaction, along with the store image.
Design/methodology/approach
The study combines services marketing and waiting literature. Data were collected in various supermarkets in The Netherlands. A partial least squares regression technique is used to analyze the data.
Findings
The paper demonstrates an important and complementary role of the behavioural construct “negative response to the wait” in explaining overall customer satisfaction in a retail environment. The effect of customers' negative emotional response to the wait on satisfaction is partially mediated by store image, and explained variance in the dependent variable increases by 24 percent when the effect of the wait at the checkout is included.
Research limitations/implications
Measuring customer satisfaction without taking into account the effects of various waits during the retail experience will produce incomplete results.
Practical implications
Moreover, a range of controllable factors influences the customer's wait. Intelligently managing these factors can mitigate negative effects on customer satisfaction, or even increase the overall evaluation of the service. Specific recommendations for service managers and a research agenda are provided.
Originality/value
The study combines service marketing and waiting literature to address the issue of waiting in line and tests the theory with real‐world data from a field study.
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