Volker Stocker, William Lehr and Georgios Smaragdakis
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the ‘real’ world and substantially impacted the virtual world and thus the Internet ecosystem. It has caused a significant exogenous shock that…
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the ‘real’ world and substantially impacted the virtual world and thus the Internet ecosystem. It has caused a significant exogenous shock that offers a wealth of natural experiments and produced new data about broadband, clouds, and the Internet in times of crisis. In this chapter, we characterise and evaluate the evolving impact of the global COVID-19 crisis on traffic patterns and loads and the impact of those on Internet performance from multiple perspectives. While we place a particular focus on deriving insights into how we can better respond to crises and better plan for the post-COVID-19 ‘new normal’, we analyse the impact on and the responses by different actors of the Internet ecosystem across different jurisdictions. With a focus on the USA and Europe, we examine the responses of both public and private actors, with the latter including content and cloud providers, content delivery networks, and Internet service providers (ISPs). This chapter makes two contributions: first, we derive lessons learned for a future post-COVID-19 world to inform non-networking spheres and policy-making; second, the insights gained assist the networking community in better planning for the future.
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José M. Ponzoa, Andrés Gómez and Ramón Arilla
This study aims to develop a proprietary indicator to measure the digital presence of the institutions: the digital presence index.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a proprietary indicator to measure the digital presence of the institutions: the digital presence index.
Design/methodology/approach
This research delves into how nonprofit institutions, specifically business interest associations (BIAs), have developed their internet presence by applying essential digital marketing techniques. To this end, and using big data mining tools, this study analyzes the tracking by internet users of 102 BIAs, with their respective websites in 36 countries in Europe and the USA. In addition, the presence and activity of the institutions included in this study on social networks are considered.
Findings
This research serves as a basis for discussing the current gap between social reality and the digitalization of institutions. In this sense, conclusions are drawn on the importance of managerial profiles in decision-making on digitization and the necessary knowledge that, together with Web and social network managers, they must have to articulate the means and techniques that promote the internet presence of the organizations they manage.
Originality/value
Conclusions are drawn according to the geographical scope of the BIAs, and an argument is made about the difficulties of connection and loss of prominence of this type of institutions among their different target audiences, especially among the youngest and most digitized.
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Kinga Xénia Havadi Nagy and Ana Espinosa Segui
The purpose of this paper is to analyse community-based tourism (CBT) initiatives in the post-socialist rural Romania in terms of the holism of the tourist project and the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse community-based tourism (CBT) initiatives in the post-socialist rural Romania in terms of the holism of the tourist project and the implementation of the local participation. The paper focusses on chances and challenges of CBT.
Design/methodology/approach
Once the main objective was established, three research interests arose: How and why tourism played a significant role in the economic and social development of the rural local community? How has the local community participated in the starting and maintenance of the CBT projects and who played a key part? How can the level of success of the CBT implementations be qualitatively measured? Qualitative methodologies (interviews, on-site observations, informal discussions) were applied to survey the four case studies.
Findings
Natural and cultural features ensure a versatile potential for touristic exploitation of the Romanian rural area, but the villages are endangered by post-socialist economic and social transformations. Innovative approaches of CBT in rural areas ignited by charismatic leaders with entrepreneurial spirit develop based on the existent social, natural and cultural capital, but on the other hand, endeavours can be vulnerable because of hindering local municipalities or sustainability issues.
Practical implications
The findings facilitate recommendations in favour of effective CBT ventures.
Originality/value
Learning about the contribution of CBT to a sustainable development of rural regions with no/little tradition of private entrepreneurship can contribute to the revitalization of rural areas facing post-socialist challenges.
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James Lappeman, Robyn Clark, Jordan Evans and Lara Sierra-Rubia
This study analysed the effect of online negative word-of-mouth (nWOM) firestorms in the retail banking sector. By understanding negative sentiment and sentiment recovery across…
Abstract
Purpose
This study analysed the effect of online negative word-of-mouth (nWOM) firestorms in the retail banking sector. By understanding negative sentiment and sentiment recovery across an entire retail banking sector, the research exposed a unique view of banking in South Africa.
Design/methodology/approach
The study made use of both a sentiment and topic analysis of over 1.7 million social media posts in South Africa. The methodology made use of both NLP and human validation techniques to measure changes in social media sentiment during online firestorms. This measurement included each of South Africa's major retail banks over a twelve month period.
Findings
From the analysis, key trigger characteristics for these firestorms (product failures, service failures, social failures and communication failures) were categorised. In addition, the average duration of a firestorm was calculated and factors that impact sentiment recovery were explored.
Originality/value
The study was located in South Africa and, unlike firm level studies, researched nWOM for the whole retail banking sector. A theoretical footprint depicting the typical anatomy of a firestorm was derived in order to aid stakeholders to be more vigilant and better equipped to provide correct intervention in such times of crisis.
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Jinhong Gong, Xinhua Guan and Tzung-Cheng Huan
This study aims to explore the key attributes of robot chef restaurants and their influencing factors from the perspective of customers and analyzes how these key attributes…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the key attributes of robot chef restaurants and their influencing factors from the perspective of customers and analyzes how these key attributes affect customer perceived value.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-methods research design was used in this study. Using 473 online reviews and ratings (Study 1), the research summarized customers’ evaluations on three types of attributes (environment, service and food) and identified the key attributes along with their influencing factors. Subsequently, through field questionnaires (Study 2) involving 269 actual customers, structural equation modeling was used to analyze how the identified key attributes and their influencing factors impact customer perceived value.
Findings
This study reveals that customers in robot chef restaurants prioritize food attributes, particularly valuing food authenticity alongside food quality. In contrast to traditional restaurants, customers’ evaluations of food attributes in robot chef restaurants are significantly influenced by the competence of robot chefs. Notably, customers’ negative attitudes toward robots diminish the positive effects on both food quality and food authenticity.
Practical implications
To enhance customer perceived value, robot chef restaurants should concentrate on food attributes. They can achieve this by fostering a high-quality, authentic food experience through the elevation of robot chefs’ competence and by providing customer education.
Originality/value
This study expands research on the customer experience in robotic restaurants by proposing an integrated model determining factors that affect the perceived customer value.
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Araceli Galiano-Coronil, Alexander Aguirre Montero, Jose Antonio López Sánchez and Rosario Díaz Ortega
This work aims to examine the communication on Twitter of the most responsible companies in Spain to identify the topics covered on corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the…
Abstract
Purpose
This work aims to examine the communication on Twitter of the most responsible companies in Spain to identify the topics covered on corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the perspective of happiness and social marketing. In addition, the profiles of the messages that show an association with the impact of the messages have been identified.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical analysis of the Twitter posts of Spain's ten most responsible companies has been carried out. The methodology of this work combines data mining techniques, sentiment analysis and content analysis, both from a quantitative and qualitative approach.
Findings
The results show that most brand tweets do not deal with CSR-related topics. The topics they address the most are those related to sports and the weather. From the perspective of social marketing, conversational-type tweets are the most published and have achieved the most significant reaction from the public. In addition, four messages' profiles have been identified based on the company and the emotional connotation associated with the impact, giving rise to more outstanding promotion of social causes.
Originality/value
Our main contribution to this work has been to value positive communication and social marketing to promote better CSR on Twitter. In this sense, it has been verified that there is a relationship between the public's reaction, the affective connotation and the company that issues the messages.
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Fuad Mehraliyev, Irene Cheng Chu Chan and Andrei Petrovich Kirilenko
This study aims to conduct a systematic review and critically analyze the sentiment analysis literature in hospitality and tourism from methodological (data sets and analyzes) and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to conduct a systematic review and critically analyze the sentiment analysis literature in hospitality and tourism from methodological (data sets and analyzes) and thematic (topics, theories, key constructs and their relationships) perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative thematic review and quantitative systematic review were performed on 70 papers obtained from hospitality and tourism categories of two databases, namely, Web of Science and Scopus.
Findings
A total of 5 topics and 27 sub-topics were identified and the major theme is market intelligence. Sentiment variables were investigated not only as independent but also as dependent variables. The customer rating is the most investigated dependent variable, whereas moderators and mediators were rarely tested. Most reviewed studies did not use theory. The findings from the methodological review show that analysis of big data was rare. Moreover, testing the performance of sentiment analyzes was uncommon, and only one paper tested the performance of aspect/feature extraction.
Research limitations/implications
This study extends prior review studies by providing a comprehensive view of how knowledge and methodologies of sentiment analysis have developed. The identified themes and key constructs serve as a solid base for future knowledge advancement. Future research directions on sentiment analysis are also provided.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first comprehensive methodological and thematic review of sentiment analysis in hospitality and tourism. Based on the identified findings, the authors propose several directions for future research.
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A proposition offered in this manuscript is that activist musicians use their musical competencies to enhance their social change strategies within the local community. However…
Abstract
A proposition offered in this manuscript is that activist musicians use their musical competencies to enhance their social change strategies within the local community. However, it is unclear what strategies are being utilized by local activist musicians in order to reach collective action and achieve social and political change. A self-developed framework, the Framework for Activist Musicians (FAM), portrays how an activist musician utilizes their social experiences, behaviors, and influence to enact social change. The framework delineates how a musician utilizes their music-making involvement and status to enhance their charisma and authenticity as an activist to establish social change. Additionally, the framework outlines the unique qualities of a musician and activist which make them well-prepared to be an influential community leader.
In Austria the 1930s constituted the final period of success and failure of the Austrian school, ending with its emigration to the United States. This chapter focuses on this…
Abstract
In Austria the 1930s constituted the final period of success and failure of the Austrian school, ending with its emigration to the United States. This chapter focuses on this period, when the Austrian economy was hardest hit by the Great Depression, and it examines the ways and means by which the Austrian economists attempted to influence economic policy. In particular, from 1932 to 1934 in a concerted effort Austrian economists like Ludwig Mises, Fritz Machlup, and especially Oskar Morgenstern tried to “educate” the Austrian public and policy-makers in the benefits of a liberal approach towards the crisis. This effort included the advocacy of the policies typically associated with the gold standard, that is, stable money, balanced budgets, the absence of exchange restrictions, and free trade. In the actual situation the outcome of these endeavors was futile, if not harmful, insofar as indeed Austrian economic policy slowly converted to the implied deflationary stance of monetary and fiscal policy. Yet, under the regime of the so-called corporate state the necessary complement of such policies, namely the flexibility of prices and the furthering of competition, could not be accomplished. This eventual failure of the liberal cause may be ascribed to the fact that it had to rely on shifting coalitions and fragile personal relations, which in the end turned out too weak for sustaining the policies envisioned by the Austrian economists.
This paper uses data about the challenges and difficulties confronting organisations and leaders to advance a dualized meaning of corporate leadership in the context of a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper uses data about the challenges and difficulties confronting organisations and leaders to advance a dualized meaning of corporate leadership in the context of a developing country. The purpose is to describe a leadership frame that is locally contextualised, thereby bringing conceptualisation and thought closer to action, reified reality and applicability.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was designed as a series of three studies starting from an applied/interventionist standpoint. The first study used data from applied diagnostic interventions, the second used qualitative interviews and the third used open‐ended questionnaires. Data were collected from 25 Ghanaian organisations and 29 corporate executives.
Findings
Drawing on a range of everyday issues such as poor attention to customers, pressure from stakeholders (such as political overlords) and leaders' “love” for perks, the paper develops a notion of leadership as “engagement” and as “system development”.
Research limitations/implications
The data are exploratory and the sample size may be considered small.
Originality/value
The paper discusses implications for leadership research and leader development in a developing country like Ghana.