Search results

This study aims to investigate the impact of service quality (SQ), perceived value (PV) and consumer satisfaction on Thai street food, with customer satisfaction (CS) as a mediator for customer loyalty and repurchase intention (RI). It also explores how consumer trust (CT) in Thai street food safety moderates these relationships.

Structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised to analyse the complex interrelationships between various constructs. Multi-group analyses were conducted to investigate the moderating effects of CT on the structural model, considering two distinct groups based on trust levels: low and high.

The findings revealed that SQ and PV significantly influenced CS and behavioural intention, while the perceived quality of Thai street food had no significant impact on post-COVID-19 consumer satisfaction. The study highlighted the critical role of CT in moderating the relationships between SQ, PV and CS, with distinct effects observed in groups with varying trust levels.

The research emphasises the importance of enhancing SQ and delivering value to customers in the context of Thai street food, which can contribute to increased CS, RI and positive word-of-mouth. Furthermore, the study underscores the critical role of building CT in fostering enduring customer relationships and promoting consumer satisfaction and loyalty.

This research offers valuable insights into consumer behaviour and decision-making processes, particularly within the realm of Thai street food. It underscores the significance of understanding and nurturing CT, especially in the post-COVID-19 landscape, emphasising the need for effective business strategies and consumer engagement.

This study evaluates the relative preference for local foods among foreign tourists. It also assessed how the sociodemographic profiles of tourists influence their local food preferences.

This research utilized a mixed-methods approach. The initial qualitative analysis phase involved semi-structured, in-depth interviews with stakeholders in Fiji’s local food sector, providing feedback on tourists’ preferred dishes. In the second phase, 204 foreign tourists were surveyed through the location intercept approach at various local restaurants, street food joints and eateries across Fiji. The preferences of these foreign tourists for the local food were subsequently analyzed utilizing the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) model and Chi-square statistics.

This research identified 25 local food dishes most preferred by foreign tourists. A pairwise comparison matrix revealed that “Kokoda” was most preferred, while “Tuna Ika Vakalolo” was the least preferred, and the normalized matrix presented the estimated overall priorities of the local foods based on taste and flavor. Among all the factors analyzed for their potential influence on the local food preferences of foreign tourists, “education attainment” and “marital status” were found to have no significant influence.

This study highlights the varied local dishes preferred by tourists, assessed through the AHP model, and provides the sociodemographic factors influencing these preferences. By identifying and presenting local Fijian dishes across regions and examining sociodemographics’ impact on food preference, this research provides invaluable implications for significantly benefiting the local food vending sector.

This research aims to assess the dimensions of local gastronomic image by identifying the vital gastronomic image traits utilised by foreign tourists for their evaluation of local foods while investigating any perceived disparities in the gastronomic image among Eastern and Western tourists.

It combined mixed-methods research involving 17 in-depth interviews with restaurant stakeholders in Fiji and analysis of responses from 221 foreign tourists using multivariate and descriptive statistical methodologies. A total of 25 local gastronomic image traits were assessed to understand tourists’ perceptions, which were further refined into foundational constructs through exploratory factor analysis.

Results highlighted that dishes like Kokoda, Palusami and Lovo are top favourites among both Eastern and Western tourists due to their less spicy nature. Findings also revealed that tourists positively evaluated four cognitive/perceptual dimensions of local gastronomic image: taste and freshness, culture and food authenticity, emotional food image, and quality and price value. Among all constructs, “freshness and taste” most significantly impacted foreign tourists’ satisfaction with their gourmet/culinary experiences, while “digestibility and nutritional value” showed the least value.

This research contributes to understanding how a destination’s gastronomic image influences tourists’ perceptions and how it can be effectively utilised to showcase the cultural uniqueness of destinations like Fiji.

The surge in pharmaceutical and health supplement usage among consumers aims to enhance personal well-being. This growing opportunity for pharmaceutical brands has resulted in increased market share and intensified industry competition. Using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), this study aims to identify the factors influencing Malaysians’ choices regarding pharmaceutical and health supplements. In addition, the variable of past behaviour was incorporated to account for consumer decisions based on prior experiences.

Using purposive sampling, 300 questionnaires were gathered and analysed via Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and structural equation modelling technique via Analysis of Moment Structures software to validate the reliability of each variables and the postulated relationships within the research framework.

Results revealed a pronounced impact of past behaviour on the intention to consume pharmaceutical and health supplements. The mediating role of perceived behavioural control in bridging past behaviour and consumption intention was also ascertained. Notably, the findings support the inclusion of past behaviour in the TPB as a pivotal determinant of intention.

The insights gleaned underscore the escalating trend of pharmaceutical consumption in Malaysia, providing strategies to enhance and maintain the competitive edge and market position of pharmaceutical brands.

The study tests risk-taking and risk-aversion capabilities while distinguishing between business group firms and stand-alone firms and considering oil price volatility. Second, this attempt to study the linkage between risk-taking during market down movements and when the firms have established themselves as product market leaders. Third, this study analyses the “sentiment” state, where it explores the reaction of corporations when the market is in the negative direction, and lastly, it explores the linkage between product market competition and risk-aversion.

This study uses financial information for 1,273 non-financial companies and other required data from various sources. The study employs panel data and utilizes different empirical methodologies, including the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator, to test the stated hypotheses.

We find that the business group firms have more risk-taking proficiencies compared with the stand-alone firms. Moreover, this study discovers that the corporates avoid taking risks when the market is not performing well. Also, when the market is down and crude prices are high, the management expects high earnings in the future, willingly takes risks and shows that product market leaders do not follow the risk-aversion strategy.

The empirical results indicate that oil price movement can restrict management’s behaviour when choosing a risky investment project. Management should develop a robust policy that follows the group of firms. In the policy, the management should describe the level of risk that may be taken by the firm and implement it when required.

Since we do not find any studies in this context, then there is a major and essential gap in the literature that this study should fill.

Currently, the design, technological features of voices, and their analysis of various applications are being simulated with the requirement to communicate at a greater distance or more discreetly. The purpose of this study is to explore how voices and their analyses are used in modern literature to generate a variety of solutions, of which only a few successful models exist.

The mel-frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC), average magnitude difference function, cepstrum analysis and other voice characteristics are effectively modeled and implemented using mathematical modeling with variable weights parametric for each algorithm, which can be used with or without noises. Improvising the design characteristics and their weights with different supervised algorithms that regulate the design model simulation.

Different data models have been influenced by the parametric range and solution analysis in different space parameters, such as frequency or time model, with features such as without, with and after noise reduction. The frequency response of the current design can be analyzed through the Windowing techniques.

A new model and its implementation scenario with pervasive computational algorithms’ (PCA) (such as the hybrid PCA with AdaBoost (HPCA), PCA with bag of features and improved PCA with bag of features) relating the different features such as MFCC, power spectrum, pitch, Window techniques, etc. are calculated using the HPCA. The features are accumulated on the matrix formulations and govern the design feature comparison and its feature classification for improved performance parameters, as mentioned in the results.

The purpose of this paper is to determine the most efficient hotels in the Indian hotel industry, the competitive positioning of these hotels, and the factors that affect their efficiency change.

This study conducts a two-stage analysis and uses data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Global Malmquist productivity index (MPI) approach in the first stage to calculate the managerial performance of a panel of 63 Indian hotels in 2019–2020 and their efficiency change from 2009–2010 to 2019–2020. Bootstrapped generalized least square (GLS) approach is applied in the second stage to evaluate the impact of contextual variables on efficiency change.

Using the results of the first stage analysis, the authors categorized the 63 Indian hotels into 7 distinct clusters. These clusters represent different levels of competitiveness and pace of growth. The GLS regression reveals a U-shaped relationship between hotel size and efficiency change and a negative relationship between pro social investments and efficiency.

This is the first study in the hotel industry that has used global MPI as a measure of efficiency change in the first stage and GLS in the second stage. In the Indian context, to the best of authors’ knowledge, no such study exists.

The objective of this research is to identify and prioritize the critical factors that influence the adoption of blockchain technology within the banking sector.

A well-known theoretical framework, the “Technology Organization Environment (TOE),” was chosen to analyze what criteria and sub-criteria affect blockchain adoption in the banking sector after a thorough assessment of the prior literature. Following that, 3 evaluation criteria and 14 sub-criteria were selected and verified using expert opinion. A survey design was created, and data for the study has been collected from various information technology (IT) managers/officers in the banking sector. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (Fuzzy-AHP) was then used to meet the purpose of the research.

The study identified that the organizational dimension is the most significant criteria for blockchain adoption in the banking sector, followed by the environmental dimension. In contrast, the technological dimension is the least influential criterion. Clientele pressure, IT resources, financial resources, pressure from competitors and relative advantage are the most influential sub-criteria for blockchain adoption.

This study provides valuable insights to bank managers, blockchain and IT developers, third-party service providers and policymakers. For instance, adopting the same blockchain platform is easier for both large and small banks for banking operations by using third-party service provider. At the same time, banks should have the banks' own core team to implement the blockchain-based systems or to have control over the third-party service providers during the adoption stage.

To the best of the authors' knowledge, no empirical studies have used a holistic organizational context to understand the factors influencing the adoption of blockchain technology from traditional to blockchain-based banking systems.

Peer-to-peer lending has emerged as a promising alternative investment avenue globally. This study explores the variables influencing investors' intention in peer-to-peer lending. Studying these factors is crucial for inspiring investor motivation, which leads to the growth of peer-to-peer lending platforms in India.

The research utilizes information gathered from 293 investors of the Rang de platform through a questionnaire. It employs ordinal logistic regression to assess how demographic characteristics, investor experience, social projects and investment factors influence the study’s outcomes.

The research indicates that the education qualification and income level of the investors are significant demographic variables in their investment decisions. Moreover, social projects, the experience of the investors and investment factors affect their intent to invest more in peer-to-peer lending projects.

It helps stakeholders and borrowers of crowdfunding platforms think about these aspects when creating plans to bring in and keep investors. This approach also enhances the openness and dependability of lending processes.

This research sheds light on Indian investors' behavior toward peer-to-peer lending platforms and includes new investment factors like project categories and impact partners that other researchers did not identify.

This study aims to build a comprehensive model for developing higher education institutes (HEIs) brand equity by examining the impact of HEIs intangible resources, brand management aspects, attachment strength and student’s contemporary citizenship behavior (CCB).

Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire from Indian students and alumni (n = 703). The study examines the proposed comprehensive model through serial and multiple mediation analysis.

The study unfolded “service quality? brand image? attachment strength? word-of-mouth? brand equity” as the most significant path to develop HEI’s brand equity.

This study pioneers an empirically validated mechanism for developing brand equity in HEIs, addressing gaps identified by previous studies and offering a theoretical framework that elucidates how HEIs can leverage intangible resources through strategic brand management to foster attachment and influence positive student behaviors, thereby contributing to the development of HEI brand equity.

HEIs need to understand that relying solely on tangible aspects leads to short-lived effects. To maintain a lasting competitive advantage, HEIs should focus on crafting a rich historical narrative, retaining talented faculty and staff and earning respect from the public to build a lasting reputation.

This study develops the mechanism for developing brand equity of HEIs using its valuable, rare and inimitable intangible resources. Along with the introduction of novel constructs like competence, heritage and word-of-mouth to existing study, the proposed conceptual model is premised on the theory of self-congruence, social-exchange theory and CCB.