Search results

This paper aims to investigate the impact of memorable destination experience and destination attractiveness on tourist-destination identification and destination love. It also investigates the moderating role of gender.

Using the cluster sampling method, the study selected cities of a developing country with the most popular destinations. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from a sample of foreign and domestic tourists. To test the research model, a covariance-based structural equation modelling approach was adopted.

According to the results, destination attractiveness and memorable experience had a positive effect on tourist-destination identification. Similarly, tourist-destination identification positively influenced destination love. In addition, destination love impacts the intention to revisit and word-of-mouth. Finally, the results indicate that gender moderates some of these relationships.

Understanding what items can create strong bonds between destination and tourist is of great importance. By providing a validated conceptual model that traces the relationship between memorable experience, destination attractiveness and tourist-destination identification through cognitive, affective and evaluative dimensions, this study attempts to answer prior calls for examination from the viewpoint of tourism scholars.

This study aims to investigate the key roles of human and relational capital in the export orientation and competitiveness of knowledge-intensive cooperative companies. It is also aimed to examine the moderating role of marketing knowledge capabilities.

Data from 552 managers at 86 companies, selected from knowledge-intensive export cooperatives, were analyzed with structural equation modeling with the partial least squares approach.

Results indicate that both human and relational capital exert considerable effects on competitiveness. Export orientation was a driving factor for cooperatives’ competitiveness. Human and relational capital fostered the effects of export orientation on competitiveness. Moreover, marketing knowledge capabilities were found to moderate the relationships between human and relational capital and export orientation, as well as between export orientation and competitiveness.

By highlighting the role of human capital and relational capital in export orientation and competitiveness, this study offers an analysis of important managerial processes within cooperative companies, which have not been sufficiently addressed in previous research. This research also demonstrated the moderating role of marketing knowledge capabilities in strengthening relationships between human and relational capital and export orientation, as well as between export orientation and competitiveness, which has been neglected in previous studies. These findings provide academics and practitioners with a new framework for examining the relationships between these constructs, which will enable them to establish strategies for achieving a competitive advantage.

Looking for ways to gain competitive advantage (CA) is one of the most challenging issues for today's businesses. Although previous research considered several aspects in this regard, the literature has largely overlooked the process of gaining CA via strategic intangibles, regarding business type and context. This paper aims to examine how to gain CA through strategic intangibles such as intellectual capital (IC).

Building on the concept of IC, and using data gathered from both the manufacturing/service and public/private firms, the authors tested a moderated mediation model to determine if the effect of IC on CA was conditioned on business type, competitive intensity and managerial support.

Among the factors in the relationship between IC and CA, the results discovered the role of business intelligence (BIN) and brand image (IM), as two key mediators. Furthermore, it was revealed that managerial support and competitive intensity moderate the relationship between IC, the mediators and CA. Finally, the authors provide academics and practitioners with some implications.

Previous research did not fully address the aforementioned antecedents (i.e., IC, BIN and IM) toward CA in a comprehensive model. Developing the path toward CA by focusing on the role of intangibles, the authors proposed a moderated mediation model, which has hitherto received scant attention in the field of competition.

This study aims to identify the main factors affecting export competitiveness and its barriers, focusing on the minerals industry so that a scale is achieved for measuring export competitiveness in this industry.

The research was conducted with a mixed method approach in the minerals industry. Among the active companies involved in this industry, 34 export companies and export management companies were selected and evaluated. In the qualitative phase, 18 experts and managers of the industry were interviewed to identify the factors affecting the export competitiveness of these companies and the barriers ahead of them. In the quantitative phase, a questionnaire was distributed among 412 managers and experts in this industry to categorize the identified factors and to measure the relationships among them. For data analysis in the qualitative phase, theme analysis was used. For the quantitative phase, factor analysis and structural equation modeling were adopted.

In addition to identifying the main components affecting the competitiveness of companies in exporting minerals as well as the main barriers ahead of them, the findings of the current research categorized these components using factor analysis. These components were categorized into factors, such as manufacturing factors, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, structural factors, competitive strategy and governmental supports. Afterward, their impacts on export competitiveness were measured and supported.

Although some studies have been conducted to examine the competitiveness in different industries, no research has been found that has examined and identified the main factors affecting export competitiveness and their impacts in the minerals industry with a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach. The findings of this research may help managers and policymakers, at the industrial and national levels, to reach a scale for assessing the export companies involved in this industry by identifying the most essential factors of export competitiveness of minerals. Furthermore, the findings of this research can act as a model for future researchers to develop a scale for export competitiveness in other industries.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of gamified e-service quality (GE-SQ) on customer value co-creation, relationship quality and purchase intention in e-retailing.

A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 549 e-retailing customers who participated in a gamified online service process. A structural equation modeling approach was adopted to analyze the model.

The empirical evidence confirmed that GE-SQ encouraged customer value co-creation behavior and relationship quality. Customer value co-creation and relationship quality led to higher purchase intention. Also, value co-creation and relationship quality partially mediated the relationship between GE-SQ and purchase intention.

The findings increase our knowledge of GE-SQ and its behavioral consequences. Moreover, the study proposes and validates a theoretical framework based on GE-SQ, value co-creation and customer relationship quality. This study provides insight into using gamification as a practical tool in the e-retailing industry.

This paper aims to develop a validated scale that can help in measuring the gamified e-service quality (GE-SQ) in the e-retailing industry.

The paper uses a mixed-method approach to develop and validate a scale for GE-SQ. First, reviewing the literature and interviewing with 14 experts were conducted to explore the initial items and themes. A sample of 215 participants was collected from online customers in Iran. Explanatory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to this sample to validate the categorized themes. Next, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the validity of the established dimensions by a sample of 549 online customers.

The results extracted 26 items and categorized them to 6 dimensions. “Ease of use”, “reliability”, “emotional appeal”, “interactivity”, “security” and “visual appeal” have been identified as the dimensions of the GE-SQ scale in the e-retailing industry. The validity of the developed scale containing 6 dimensions and 26 items was confirmed.

This research identified GE-SQ as a valid and reliable scale with six dimensions for measuring e-service quality in e-retailing. This finding has made significant academic contributions to the service quality and the retailing literature.

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting brand competitive positioning (BCP) and its components in the home appliance industry and also to develop a scale for it, considering both the seller’s and the buyer’s side.

The factors were investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Data was collected from findings of previous research as well as interviews with experts in the industry. After conducting thematic analysis, the extracted factors were confirmed by experts. A total of 400 samples was used to test the BCP scale. Respondents were the customers of some selected home appliance brands.

The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that seven main factors influenced BCP, including product quality, service quality, perceived price, sales and distribution, marketing communication, market orientation and reputation and background. Also, the five components of BCP are distinctiveness, desirability, credibility, value for money and top of the mind awareness.

Modelling a new scale on BCP is of considerable importance. Using mixed method, the current study presents a new scale named Brand Competitive Positioning Scale.

One of the most challenging issues businesses face today is seeking ways toward gaining competitive advantage (CA). Although previous research considered several aspects in this regard, the literature has largely overlooked the process of gaining CA via knowledge-based marketing (KBM) capabilities. This paper aims to conceptualize KBM, to develop a new scale for KBM and to examine how to gain CA through KBM.

Drawing from the related literature and building on the concept of KBM, this paper conducted a mixed-method approach. After reaching a pool of items using qualitative methods, this paper developed new scales and validated them. This paper developed the model by highlighting the antecedent role of KBM toward CA. In the quantitative phase, using data collected from both public/private and manufacturing/service firms, this paper classified the extracted items into five critical factors. Moreover, the relationship between KBM and CA was tested.

The results indicate that KBM construct consists of five critical capabilities, including market research, competitive intelligence, supply chain management, customer relationship management and new product development. Moreover, there is a positive and significant relationship between KBM and CA.

The traditional ways to achieve CA no longer work. Instead, success in the existing business context necessitates firms to seek CA through their knowledge capabilities. Previous research did not fully address KBM antecedents toward CA in a comprehensive model. By developing a new scale for KBM, this paper tested its relationship with CA, which has hitherto received scant attention in the field of knowledge and competition.

This study was carried out to identify mall image dimensions, analyse and discuss how shopping well-being is influenced by mall image and impacts on mall loyalty with the moderating role of gender differences. Besides, the relationship between hedonic value (HV) and utilitarian value (UV) on shopping well-being are investigated. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Through a questionnaire, data were obtained from shoppers at the biggest and the most remarkable malls in Tehran that has a high level of brand awareness. A two-stage method of structural equation modelling was used for testing the hypotheses.

The results show that shopping well-being is affected by mall image and HV but not by UV. In addition, as indicated in previous researches, this study supports the idea that shopping well-being influences mall loyalty. In other words, it is argued that shopping well-being is more about pleasure and fun than doing task-oriented activities.

Most of the mall image dimensions overlapped each other, therefore the purpose of this research is to choose and introduce the best and the most comprehensive combination of those dimensions. Also, in spite of the recent emergence of the shopping well-being concept, it has proved to be delicate in the Iranian context through value, consumer well-being, consumption experiences and sociological life space theories in the quantitative method. In addition, this study shows that shopping well-being is a subjective well-being. This is in contrast to what the common Islamic philosophers opine. Additionally, not only did it propose how to make shoppers more loyal through shopping well-being, but it also discussed the role of gender difference on the subject of shopper loyalty phenomenon. More importantly, this study enables other researchers to investigate cultural differences in this region and make it possible to compare Middle Eastern Countries, especially Iran, to other countries.

This paper aims to assess the contribution of competitiveness factors in how small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) would access competitive advantage (CA) by focussing on industry structure and devise a conceptual model thereof.

The enterprises from three industries consisting of knowledge-based, single-use medical device producers and construction stone cutting each with different structures were assessed. The method is qualitative and quantitative where grounded theory and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) are applied. The initial survey involves 36 deep semi-structured interviews with some of the top managers of each of the three selected industries and a questionnaire distributed among 158 individuals with 46 structured questions.

The findings indicate that the micro-competitiveness factors are more contributive in achieving CA than macro factors as follows: in knowledge-based enterprises, customer relationship management (CRM), goods/services features and knowledge management are the most important variables. As to single-use medical device production industry, the sales force, sales promotion, and CRM are the most effective factors. Regarding construction stone-cutting industry, quality of the stone, sales promotion, and advertisement play the same role. The results of the EFA indicate that the three impressive factors, including capabilities of the enterprises, strategies of the enterprises and macro factors, are the extracted factors.

The findings here would assist SMEs’ managers in identifying the most essential factors in accessing CA.

The innovation of this study is that although there exist many studies on SMEs and their CAs, this study seeks the models of CA among SMEs in industries with different structures.