Jae Eun Park, Alei Fan and Laurie Wu
Artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbot technology is increasingly used to handle customer complaints in the service recovery process. Built on the justice theory, this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbot technology is increasingly used to handle customer complaints in the service recovery process. Built on the justice theory, this paper aims to explore the optimal way to utilize chatbots in handling customer complaints for service failure recovery and the moderating role of humor.
Design/methodology/approach
Two scenario-based between-subjects experimental design studies were conducted to examine the two aspects of justice in service failure recovery: Study 1 focuses on procedural justice manifested as perceived control and Study 2 on interactional justice assessed as social presence. Furthermore, the moderating role of humor is investigated.
Findings
The results indicate that both perceived control and social presence can improve chatbots’ effectiveness in handling service failures to regain customer satisfaction and the consequent revisit intention. However, humor shows opposite effects in the two studies: chatbots using humorous language in complaint handling may attenuate the positive effect of perceived control but enhance the positive effect of social presence.
Practical implications
The findings provide practical guidelines to the service industry regarding the optimal service design and technology deployment in customer service, particularly for an effective service failure recovery process.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the service failure recovery literature by investigating how the new service technology of AI-powered chatbots can effectively handle customer complaints for service failure recovery. Furthermore, the research reveals the nuanced effects of humor in different complaint-handling situations.
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Yun Zhan, Jia Liao and Xiaoyang Zhao
This study aims to investigate the effect of top management team (TMT) stability on outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) of Chinese firms and the moderating effects of state…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effect of top management team (TMT) stability on outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) of Chinese firms and the moderating effects of state ownership and managerial ownership on this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical analysis based on the ordinary least square regression model is conducted using Chinese A-share listed firms that engaged in OFDI from 2008 to 2021.
Findings
TMT stability has a positive effect on firms’ OFDI. Moreover, state ownership significantly strengthens the positive relationship between TMT stability and OFDI, while managerial ownership weakens this positive relationship.
Practical implications
The findings help firms to effectively retain TMT talents and promote the smooth internationalization of firms, thereby enhancing their long-term development capabilities and competitive advantages.
Originality/value
This study expands the investigation of the factors influencing OFDI at the micro level of the TMT, providing valuable decision-making insights for firms.
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Feng Wang, Rong Fu, Fu Yang and Ren Yingwei
Although the targets of envy have received increasing attention in management research, how envied employees respond to envy remains ambiguous and merits further investigation…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the targets of envy have received increasing attention in management research, how envied employees respond to envy remains ambiguous and merits further investigation. Drawing upon regulatory focus theory, this paper aims to reconcile these inconsistent findings by developing and testing a model that elucidates how different types of being envied (i.e. benignly or maliciously) can elicit either favorable or unfavorable motivational and behavioral reactions.
Design/methodology/approach
An experience sampling study was conducted on 131 employees across 10 consecutive workdays in China. Focusing on within-person effects, multilevel mediation models using multilevel structural equation modeling were applied.
Findings
Results indicated that on days when employees are benignly envied, they engage in more organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) due to increased daily promotion focus. On the contrary, on days when employees are maliciously envied, they participate in more counterproductive work behavior (CWB) due to decreased daily promotion focus.
Practical implications
Organizations and managers should take a more holistic view of workplace envy when considering that envied employees may use OCB to deal with benign envy. Conversely, considering that CWB may emerge from employees who are maliciously envied, it is crucial for managers to be vigilant in discouraging and addressing malicious envy in the workplace.
Originality/value
This paper takes an initial foray into incorporating the concepts of benign envy and malicious envy into the literature on being envied and provides a novel perspective to explain why being envied can lead to both functional and dysfunctional responses.
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Hardik D. Sondagar and Shailendra Kumar
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a widely used 3D printing technique for the fabrication of mechanical metamaterials with intricate geometries. Gradient strategy is applied to…
Abstract
Purpose
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a widely used 3D printing technique for the fabrication of mechanical metamaterials with intricate geometries. Gradient strategy is applied to geometric parameters of gradient star re-entrant hybrid auxetic (GSRA) structure. Deformation behaviour is studied under compressive loading. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of gradient geometric parameters on mechanical properties, namely, specific strength (SS), specific modulus (SM) and specific energy absorption (SEA).
Design/methodology/approach
Response surface methodology (RSM) is implemented for the design of experiments of gradient geometric parameters to minimize the number of experimental tests. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene material is used for the fabrication of GSRA structures by FFF technique. The best set of gradient parameters has been optimized maximizing all three responses using RSM and artificial neural network optimization technique.
Findings
During compressive testing, row-wise deformation is observed with two-stage plateau regions, which results in increase in SEA of the structure. Furthermore, based on analysis of variance and 3D response plots, it is found that height gradient is the most influencing gradient geometric parameter on SS and SM, whereas the wall thickness gradient has maximum influence on SEA. Meanwhile, the interaction effect of wall thickness gradient and height gradient has maximum influence on SS, SM and SEA.
Research limitations/implications
This study of applying gradient strategy to geometric parameters is limited to GSRA structure under compressive loading. In addition, findings are valid within the selected range of gradient geometric parameters. These findings are useful for the selection of gradient geometric parameters to maximize SS, SM and SEA of GSRA structure simultaneously. These outcomes pave the way for designing light-weight gradient hybrid auxetic structures in the field of construction, aerospace, automobile and biomedical engineering.
Originality/value
Limited experimental study is available on investigating the influence of gradient geometric parameters on mechanical properties, namely, SS, SM and SEA, and deformation behaviours of hybrid auxetic structures. This study directly addresses the above research gaps.
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Fahad Khalid, Chih-Yi Su, Kong Weiwei, Cosmina L. Voinea and Mohit Srivastava
This study empirically evaluates the effect of China’s 2016 Green Financial System (GFS) framework on corporate green development, focusing on the role of green investment in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study empirically evaluates the effect of China’s 2016 Green Financial System (GFS) framework on corporate green development, focusing on the role of green investment in achieving sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a quasinatural experiment design to combine difference-in-difference and propensity score matching methods for analysis. It examines 799 polluting and 1,130 nonpolluting firms from 2013 to 2020, enabling a comprehensive assessment of the GFS framework’s influence.
Findings
This study affirms a statistically significant positive influence of the GFS framework on escalating green investment levels in polluting firms. Robust sensitivity analyses, encompassing parallel trend assessment, entropy balancing test, and alternative proxies, corroborate these findings. A mediation analysis identifies the implementation of an environmental management system as the potential underlying mechanism. A cross-sectional analysis identifies high financial slack, high profitability, mandatory CSR regulations, and marketization level as the influencing factors.
Research limitations/implications
The study’s findings have critical implications for policymakers, regulators, and companies. Demonstrating the effectiveness of the GFS framework in driving green investment underscores the importance of aligning financial systems with sustainability goals.
Originality/value
This study contributes novel empirical evidence on the positive effect of China’s GFS framework on corporate green development. The quasinatural experiment design, coupled with comprehensive sensitivity analyses, strengthens the robustness of the findings.
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Ylenia Cavacece, Giulio Maggiore, Riccardo Resciniti and Andrea Moretta Tartaglione
The purpose of this paper is to investigate user satisfaction with digital health solutions by identifying and prioritizing different service attributes on the basis of their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate user satisfaction with digital health solutions by identifying and prioritizing different service attributes on the basis of their impact on improving user satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a literature review and interviews with health professionals and patients, 20 attributes of digital health services provided in Italy have been identified. User satisfaction with these attributes has been evaluated by adopting the Kano model’s continuous and discrete analyses.
Findings
The findings reveal the essential attributes of digital health services that meet users' expectations, identify the attributes that users appreciate or dislike having and highlight unexpected attributes that lead to a significant boost in satisfaction when provided.
Research limitations/implications
This study demonstrates the efficacy of the Kano model in assessing the nonlinear correlation between user satisfaction and the quality of digital health services, thus contributing to fill a gap in the literature in this area. The main limitation of this work is the use of a non-probabilistic sampling method.
Practical implications
This research suggests healthcare institutions and organizations consider user preferences when designing digital health solutions to increase their satisfaction. The results indicate different effects on user satisfaction and dissatisfaction for different categories of attributes in the Italian context.
Originality/value
Previous works studied customer satisfaction with digital health, assuming a linear relationship with service quality, or investigated consumer adoption intentions focusing on the technological factors. This work advances available knowledge by analyzing the nonlinear relationship between digital health attributes and users’ satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
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Drawing upon compensatory ethics theory, this study explored the underlying mechanisms through which gossipers engaged in helping behavior as a form of compensation after…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing upon compensatory ethics theory, this study explored the underlying mechanisms through which gossipers engaged in helping behavior as a form of compensation after initiating negative workplace gossip.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a two-wave field study of 394 Chinese employees, this study tests theoretical hypotheses using path analysis and bootstrapping methods.
Findings
The findings suggested that negative workplace gossip positively influenced the gossipers’ helping behavior through moral self-image and guilt. Moreover, moral reflectiveness not only positively moderated the impacts of negative workplace gossip on moral self-image and guilt but also positively moderated the mediating effects of moral self-image and guilt in the relationship between negative workplace gossip and helping behavior.
Originality/value
These results enrich the theoretical research on negative workplace gossip, offer new perspectives for studying this phenomenon and provide a theoretical basis and decision-making reference for management practices.
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Ismail Olatunji Adeyemi, Ridwan Muhammed-Jamiu, Isiwat Opeyemi Muhammed, Roqeebat Temiloluwa Mustapha, Mahbuba Oyindamola Mustapha, Zainab Musa and Abdusalam Salman
Large volumes of complex and diverse data sources present a tremendous barrier for big data applications (BDAs) in digital library in terms of processing and extracting relevant…
Abstract
Purpose
Large volumes of complex and diverse data sources present a tremendous barrier for big data applications (BDAs) in digital library in terms of processing and extracting relevant insights. The purpose of this study is to examine librarians’ perceptions of BDAs and management for digital library services in selected academic libraries in Kwara State.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design that was adopted in this study is the cross-sectional research design. The total population for this study is 58 (58) library professionals. Owing to the small population of this study, total enumeration sampling technique was adopted for this study. Hence, the sample size for this study is 58 (58). Questionnaire was used for data collection. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Findings
The study demonstrated that digital library services provided include virtual reference services, institutional repositories and personalized content recommendation. Also, the librarians were aware of BDAs like Apache Hadoop and Python. It was showed that BDAs are used for resource transfer, borrowing management, user needs, usage tracking and personalizing content recommendations. Results showed that open-source software and hardware, and training on handling diverse data sets are essential for the management of big data. Challenges associated with the use of BDAs include scalability limitations, complex data structures, lack of big data processing, power supply issues and data privacy.
Originality/value
This study provides unaddressed questions and gaps in the area of using BDAs for the provision of digital library services, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.
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Ned Kock, Mohamed Yacine Haddoud, Adah-Kole Onjewu and Shiyu Yang
This inquiry extends the discourse on job satisfaction and employee referral. It aims to examine the moderating effects of perceived business outlook and CEO approval in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This inquiry extends the discourse on job satisfaction and employee referral. It aims to examine the moderating effects of perceived business outlook and CEO approval in the dynamics of job satisfaction and employee referral. A model predicting job satisfaction and employee referral through the lens of Herzberg’s two-factor theory is developed and tested.
Design/methodology/approach
To remedy the overreliance on self-reported surveys, impeding generalization and representativeness, this study uses large evidence from 14,840 voluntary disclosures of US employees. A structural equation modeling technique is adopted to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The inherent robust path analysis revealed intriguing findings highlighting culture and values as exerting the most substantial positive impact on job satisfaction, while diversity and inclusion played a relatively trivial role. Moreover, employees’ view of the firms’ outlook and their approval of the incumbent CEO were found to strengthen the job satisfaction–referral nexus.
Originality/value
The study revisits the relationship between job satisfaction and employee referral by capturing the moderating effects of perceived business outlook and CEO approval. We believe that this investigation is one of the first to capture the impact of these two pivotal factors.
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Shuhao Li, Yuhang Zhang and Mimi Chen
This study aims to investigate the different effects of physical and social servicescapes on brand love for internet-famous restaurants, focusing on their pathways and strengths…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the different effects of physical and social servicescapes on brand love for internet-famous restaurants, focusing on their pathways and strengths of influence.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze data from 387 online questionnaires in China.
Findings
Results indicate that social servicescape directly influences brand love for internet-famous restaurants, while physical servicescape does not. The effect of physical servicescape on brand love for internet-famous restaurants is mediated by perceived coolness and perceived enjoyment, whereas social servicescape’s influence is mediated solely by perceived enjoyment. Overall, physical servicescape has a stronger impact on brand love for internet-famous restaurants compared to social servicescape.
Practical implications
The findings help internet-famous restaurants create effective physical and social servicescapes to enhance brand love, underscoring that physical servicescape is more crucial than social servicescape for cultivating this love.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by analyzing the heterogeneous pathways and strengths of physical and social servicescapes influencing brand love for internet-famous restaurants, while highlighting the mediating role of perceived coolness and expanding the application scope of cognitive appraisal theory.