Search results
1 – 10 of 801Humanoid robot has similar shape and action characteristics as humans, and it can complete some basic tasks instead of humans without changing the human environment, which makes…
Abstract
Purpose
Humanoid robot has similar shape and action characteristics as humans, and it can complete some basic tasks instead of humans without changing the human environment, which makes humanoid robot become the best structure and help form for robot to provide services for human beings.
Design/methodology/approach
The mobile operation control of humanoid robot is generated by the walking movement of humanoid robot's feet, and the robot's hand and arm complete grasping and other operations together.
Findings
On the basis of humanoid robot, the integrated system of software and hardware based on the KM34Z256 humanoid robot is described first, and a series of kinematics discussion on its mobile operation is carried out.
Originality/value
The research based on this project shows that the target recognition and positioning method is not only accurate and of high energy but also can realize the mobile operation of humanoid robot.
Details
Keywords
Neha Sharma, Amit Sharma, Nirankush Dutta and Pankaj Priya
This article undertakes a literature review on showrooming, offering an exhaustive overview of research publications and future research objectives that will contribute to…
Abstract
Purpose
This article undertakes a literature review on showrooming, offering an exhaustive overview of research publications and future research objectives that will contribute to extending the understanding of the phenomenon.
Design/methodology/approach
The showrooming literature has been collected from journals indexed by SCOPUS and ranked by ABDC. This was later analysed with the SPAR-4-SLR framework and the TCCM methodology (theories, contexts, characteristics, and methodologies) proposed by Paul et al. (2021) and Paul and Rosado-Serrano (2019).
Findings
The insights of this review include bibliometrics of showrooming research and the number of explored showrooming theories, methodologies, and contexts from which the phenomenon has been studied. It also highlights the various aspects that might be considered while building an optimal approach.
Research limitations/implications
Articles published in SCOPUS-indexed and ABDC-ranked journals between 2012 and August 2022 were considered. Some articles published in conference proceedings and journals, not fulfilling the aforementioned criteria, might have been missed.
Practical implications
SPAR-4-SLR and TCCM methodologies would aid the researchers in further exploration of this phenomenon and suggest options for enhancing customer experience (CX) eventually leading to customer retention. Retail channel managers will find this knowledge handy in “encouraging loyal showrooming” and ensuring business sustainability.
Originality/value
This study uses the novel SPAR-4-SLR framework to structure the review, while TCCM methodology sheds light on the showrooming from the perspective of various theories, contexts, characteristics, and methodologies. The scope for further research identified through the above-mentioned framework and methodology would be of high value to the researchers and practitioners alike.
Details
Keywords
Jihwan Yeon, Michael S. Lin, Seoki Lee and Amit Sharma
The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating role of family involvement on the corporate social responsibility (CSR)-firm performance (FP) relationship in the US…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating role of family involvement on the corporate social responsibility (CSR)-firm performance (FP) relationship in the US hospitality industry. Building on agency theory, this study examines how family ownership, management and board control influence the relationship between CSR and FP.
Design/methodology/approach
To examine the moderating effect of family ownership, family management and family board control, this study adopts the two-way fixed-effects model and performs a panel regression analysis with robust standard errors. The sample period spans 1994–2018 and 565 firm-year observations are included.
Findings
This study finds that the impact of CSR on FP is positively moderated by the extent of a firm’s family member involvement. In specific, all three aspects of corporate governance (i.e. ownership, management and board control) positively moderate the relationship between CSR and FP.
Research limitations/implications
Findings of this study yield several recommendations for hospitality managers, including shaping strategic decisions for implementing CSR, by providing a unique perspective that the involvement of founding family members can be helpful in enhancing firm value through CSR activities.
Originality/value
This study sheds light on the further understanding of the CSR-FP link in the hospitality literature. In addition, this study provides practical guidelines for hospitality firms in the context of CSR by revealing possible advantages of strengthened founding family involvement.
Details
Keywords
Abhishek Bhati, Aditya Upadhayaya and Amit Sharma
This report aims to present a detailed evaluation of resilience planning of the ASEAN-5 tourism sector to national disasters. The project analyses the challenges to the tourism…
Abstract
Purpose
This report aims to present a detailed evaluation of resilience planning of the ASEAN-5 tourism sector to national disasters. The project analyses the challenges to the tourism industry in the ASEAN-5 (Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia) countries due to national disasters (economic crisis, health hazards, natural calamity and/or act of terrorism) and the effectiveness of the measures taken in response to disastrous events.
Design/methodology/approach
The project analyses the effect of national disasters over a 10-year period in the ASEAN-5 countries on tourism economy and effectiveness of government action in resilience planning. The study uses two research questions to comment on comparative effectiveness of resilience planning in the ASEAN-5 nations.
Findings
The findings of this study revealed that national disasters affect a county’s tourism sector performance and its economy negatively. In particular, national disasters have harmful effects for a country’s tourism arrivals, tourism receipts, gross domestic product and unemployment. The findings reveal that regardless of geographical closeness of the ASEAN-5 countries, each experienced different effects in terms of national disasters and each used different government recovery measures.
Practical implications
This paper builds a knowledge management system for national disasters and the tourism sector. It provides a ready reference of timeliness and effectiveness of measures and to develop a framework for future tourist disaster management systems. Specifically, the relationships between the tourism indicators explored in this study contribute significantly to the knowledge on how these indicators interact to affect the tourism industry and the country’s economy. Furthermore, this information would act as a guide for countries to design and implement resilience planning and disaster management response.
Originality/value
Resilience planning is emerging as a key area under sustainable development. This report presents an evaluation of resilience planning of the ASEAN-5 tourism sector to national disasters.
Details
Keywords
Tanmay Sharma, Joseph S. Chen, William D. Ramos and Amit Sharma
Green hospitality studies have not adequately focused on the diffusion of eco-innovative hotels amongst visitors. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying green hotel…
Abstract
Purpose
Green hospitality studies have not adequately focused on the diffusion of eco-innovative hotels amongst visitors. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying green hotel attributes that influence visitors’ adoption of eco-friendly hotel and their intentions to partake in green initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a mixed-method approach to explore the drivers of customers’ green hotel adoption and consumption. In the qualitative phase, data were collected via 20 open-ended interviews and analyzed to derive a measurement scale. The scale was then tested through a survey comprising 500 respondents using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The study results elucidate how guests’ visit intentions and green consumption behavior is built through their perception of newness and uniqueness of eco-innovative attributes. Findings shed light on how green hotel’s sustainable communication and corporate social responsibility outreach efforts positively influence guest visit intentions.
Research limitations/implications
Study results reveal perceived eco-innovativeness as an important antecedent of visit intentions. Based on guest’s preferences, green hotels striving to increase its visitors’ base could begin by expanding their eco-innovative attributes.
Originality/value
Contrasting previous studies that have exclusively used the theory of planned behavior constructs, this study argues that diffusion of innovation constructs also offer valuable insights into guests’ visit intentions. While existing studies have covered limited number of eco-innovative attributes, this study adds to the literature by presenting a comprehensive set of attributes including trustworthiness of communication and observability of its social impacts.
Details
Keywords
Singular perturbation turning point problems (SP-TPPs) involving parabolic convection–diffusion Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) with large spatial delay are studied in this…
Abstract
Purpose
Singular perturbation turning point problems (SP-TPPs) involving parabolic convection–diffusion Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) with large spatial delay are studied in this paper. These type of equations are important in various fields of mathematics and sciences such as computational neuroscience and require specialized techniques for their numerical analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
We design a numerical method comprising a hybrid finite difference scheme on a layer-adapted mesh for the spatial discretization and an implicit-Euler scheme on a uniform mesh in the temporal variable. A combination of the central difference scheme and the simple upwind scheme is used as the hybrid scheme.
Findings
Consistency, stability and convergence are investigated for the proposed scheme. It is established that the present approach has parameter-uniform convergence of
Originality/value
Parabolic SP-TPPs exhibiting twin boundary layers with large spatial delay have not been studied earlier in the literature. The presence of delay portrays an interior layer in the considered problem’s solution in addition to twin boundary layers. Numerical illustrations are provided to demonstrate the theoretical estimates.
Details
Keywords
Amit Sharma, Laure Saulais and Yidan Huang
Strategies to promote more sustainable consumer choices have been gaining interest among tourism and hospitality scholars. In particular, behavioral economic theories of…
Abstract
Purpose
Strategies to promote more sustainable consumer choices have been gaining interest among tourism and hospitality scholars. In particular, behavioral economic theories of decision-making have gained popularity in the past decade, led by behavioral interventions (BIs) such as the nudge movement. This paper aims to present a critical reflection on this recent trend, with a specific focus on whether these BI approaches are an adequate tool to contribute to long-term behavioral changes, one crucial aim of the promotion of sustainable consumption.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a critical review of recent significant academic works in the field, this paper reflects on how nudge principles are applied in the hospitality and tourism sectors, as well as the usual justifications given for their use. This paper then discusses the potential limitations, both theoretical and practical, of using these short-term focused approaches to decisions that intend to have long-term outcomes and aims.
Findings
BIs in hospitality and tourism have the potential to create long-term sustainable changes through a more comprehensive view of behavioral factors influencing decisions; however, such approaches would need to be strongly embedded in theoretical arguments that question “how” and “why” behavior change could be sustainable in the long term. This paper proposes a conceptual framework to address these concerns for future research.
Research limitations/implications
This critical reflection proposes a comprehensive framework that will help guide stronger theoretically motivated identification, design and empirical testing of BIs and nudges. Industry can eventually benefit from theoretically stronger interventions that provide a balance between the short-term and long-term influence of BIs to attain customer loyalty and eventually greater value for business stakeholders.
Originality/value
This reflection paper critically reviews the basis of BIs and recommends a framework to strengthen their theoretical arguments. This reflection focuses on the theoretical critique of BIs and nudges to ensure long-term behavior changes are sustainable. The paper also proposes a comprehensive framework that incorporates well-founded theoretical models to enhance BIs and nudge literature.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this study was to investigate the preference of health-warning message labeling in an eating-away-from-home context. The authors assessed individuals’ preference…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the preference of health-warning message labeling in an eating-away-from-home context. The authors assessed individuals’ preference valuation of such messaging from a dual – consumer and citizen – perspective and with associated expected risk reduction (RR) level.
Design/methodology/approach
In an online stated choice experiment on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (N = 658), participants were asked to provide willingness to pay (WTP) preferences for health-warning messages and based on the expected RR from health-warning messages. Two types of multiple price list questions were used for consumer and citizen contexts. Interval regression and descriptive analysis methods were applied to analyze the data.
Findings
The study found that individuals placed a higher value (higher WTP) on health-warning message labeling when acting as citizens rather than as consumers. An RR expectation of 50 per cent was most effective in increasing participants’ WTP. Individuals who ate out frequently were more concerned about healthier food messages, and the influence of gender and age on WTP was conditional on individuals’ roles as consumers versus citizens.
Originality/value
This study extends the theory of consumer-citizen duality to the context of health-related information labeling, thus opening the discussion to extending such labeling from traditionally risky behavior such as alcohol and tobacco to also including food choice behavior. The authors also highlight implications on policy and industry practices to promote healthy food choices through such messages.
Details
Keywords
Amit Sharma, Victor Eduardo Da Motta, Jeong-Gil Choi and Naomi S. Altman
Economic production analysis can provide critical perspectives on an industry’s performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factor input intensity of hospitality…
Abstract
Purpose
Economic production analysis can provide critical perspectives on an industry’s performance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factor input intensity of hospitality and related industries, namely, accommodation, food service and amusement, gaming and recreation (AFAGR), compared to other service industries.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper compared AFAGR with other industries categorized as services by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The NAICS code of up to four digits was used to collect data (US Census Bureau).
Findings
Results of this paper confirm extant literature that food service is more labor-intensive than other service industries; however, this was not true of accommodation and AGR industries. Similarly, while food service industry was relatively less intermediate input intensive than other service industries, accommodation and AGR were not. There were no significant differences between hospitality and other service industries (AFAGR) in their capital intensity. Another important finding was that while accommodation had constant results to scale, AGR had increasing returns to scale and food service industry was found to have decreasing returns to scale.
Research limitations/implications
This investigation only looked at the four-digit NAICS-coded industries. International differences could also be investigated in the future.
Practical implications
Based on theoretical arguments, high labor intensity together with low intermediate input in food service industry suggests that efficiencies could be gained in these businesses. This may also be evident by the decreasing returns to scale that this paper found for the food service industry. These comparisons could guide additional research about the causes, consequences and potential sources of improvement of efficiency of economic productivity in AFAGR. Managers in AFAGR would find it valuable to understand how they might be able to enhance economic output, particularly in the context of the role of labor. Furthermore, any changes in one economic input would have implications on other inputs and possibly on productivity.
Social implications
Any future recalibration of input intensity in hospitality industries could have both social and economic consequence.
Originality/value
This paper enhances our understanding of how hospitality industries use economic factors of production. Labor in AFAGR is viewed as a given. This study suggests that food service industry may need to reevaluate its labor productivity, the way it is measured and how it might affect efficiencies. Such understanding could better inform the sources and causes of economic efficiencies in AFAGR industries. Until now, this understanding has mostly been based on relatively scarce comparative systematic analysis.
Details
Keywords
Amit Sharma, Phillip M. Jolly, Robert Magneson Chiles, Robin B. DiPietro, Angeline Jaykumar, Hema Kesa, Heather Monteiro, Kevin Roberts and Laure Saulais
Moral aspects of food are gaining increased attention from scholars due to growing complexity of the food system. The foodservice system is a complex arrangement of stakeholders…
Abstract
Purpose
Moral aspects of food are gaining increased attention from scholars due to growing complexity of the food system. The foodservice system is a complex arrangement of stakeholders, yet has not benefited from similar scholarly attention on the moral facets. This gap is of significance given that the foodservice system has increased in importance with the larger proportion of food consumed in foodservice environments. This paper aims to focus on the foodservice system with the goal of applying moral perspectives associated with the theoretical discussion on the principles of food ethics.
Design/methodology/approach
Food ethics is described within the theoretical framework of three principles, namely, autonomy, justice and well-being. These ethical principles are reviewed in context of the foodservice system comprised of food distribution (supply chains), preparation (foodservice establishments) and consumption (consumer demand). The review also includes international perspectives on foodservice system ethics to assess relativism (versus universalism) of moral issues.
Findings
As the foodservice system increases in complexity, greater discussion is needed on the ethics of this system. This study observes that ignoring ethical principles can negatively impact the ability of consumers, businesses and communities to make informed choices, and on their well-being. Alternatively, a focus on understanding the role of food ethics can provide an anchor for research, practice and policy development to strengthen the foodservice system. While these moral principles are universal truths, they will require relative introspection globally, based on local experiences.
Originality/value
This paper presents a moral principle-based description of food ethics that incorporates the various components of the expanding foodservice system.
Details