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This paper evaluates how the intention to develop webrooming or showrooming behaviour is affected by both the perceived usefulness and the perceived ease-of-use, as well as by the consumer's personal predisposition to exploratory information seeking and acquisition.

The fashion retailing environment is more omni-channel than ever before. The two predominant omni-channel behaviours are webrooming and showrooming. Taking as its basis the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the concept of exploratory consumer behaviour.

The results obtained from a sample of 847 apparel shoppers (462 webroomers and 385 showroomers) show that the higher perception of the usefulness and ease-of-use of omni-channel buying processes, the higher the intention to develop both webrooming and showrooming behaviours. Additionally, the perceived ease-of-use exerts an additional indirect effect on the intention of developing these omni-channel behaviours through perceived usefulness. Finally, exploratory information seeking and acquisition have a relevant influence on webrooming intentions, but not on showrooming.

The authors’ research contributes to the literature on consumer behaviour in the fashion sector by testing a model to explain the intentions of individuals to adopt webrooming and showrooming, incorporating different psychographic variables linked to the use of ICT and the development of an exploratory consumer behaviour.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how country image affects the dimensions of country brand equity (CBE) (i.e. awareness, image, perceived quality and loyalty) in the higher education sector, as well as the interrelationships between these dimensions.

Quantitative research with 208 international students who were starting the academic year at a Spanish university was performed to test the hypotheses. In accordance with the characteristics of the target population, the subjects interviewed were mainly from Europe and the Americas.

The results indicate that the country image affects the perceived quality and awareness of the universities in the country. Additionally, a hierarchy of effects between the dimensions of CBE was found. In particular, loyalty toward the universities of a country is positively influenced by their perceived quality, which is affected by image and awareness of these universities. For its part, the image of universities is positively influenced by the awareness attributed to them by international students.

These results have implications for marketing activities aimed at the internationalization of higher education institutions and, therefore, their appeal to international students.

The paper’s findings represent an important step in the advancement of knowledge about CBE by taking as a basis a complex model that involves the different dimensions of this construct together with a relevant variable in international marketing, that is, country image.

This study aims to explore the relationships among green practices, environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) image, customers’ trust and their behavioral intentions in a certified hotel context and examine the moderating effect of customers’ involvement in the buying process.

A survey was used to collect data from Spanish hotel customers. A structural equation model was developed to assess the research hypotheses.

Consumers’ trust on environmentally certified hotels has a direct effect on their behavioral intentions. Environmental CSR image has a direct effect on consumers’ trust on environmentally certified hotels, but it does not exert significant influence on consumers’ behavioral intentions. Additionally, the results support a positive and significant influence of consumers’ perceptions of green practices on the environmental CSR image of hotels. Finally, there is not a moderating effect of consumers’ involvement on the effects of green practices on CSR environmental image and of this variable on behavioral intentions.

To cross validate the results of this study, it is recommended that the formation of behavioral intentions in various types of environmentally certified hotel settings be investigated in future research.

Hospitality managers should design strategies to raise the perception of the green-related features of environmentally certified companies.

No prior study investigates the relationship between green practices, customers’ trust, their degree of involvement in the buying process and their behavioral intentions in relation to companies’ environmental CSR image in the hotel sector.

Este estudio explora las relaciones entre las prácticas medioambientales, la imagen de RSC medioambiental, la confianza de los consumidores y sus intenciones comportamentales en un contexto hotelero certificado examinando el efecto moderador de la involucración de los consumidores en el proceso de compra.

En la recopilación de los datos se empleó una encuesta dirigida a clientes de establecimientos hoteles en España. Así mismo, se desarrolló un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales para evaluar las hipótesis de investigación.

La confianza de los consumidores en hoteles certificados medioambientalmente tiene un efecto directo en sus intenciones comportamentales. La imagen de RSC medioambiental tiene un efecto directo en la confianza de los consumidores en dichos hoteles, a pesar de que no ejerce una influencia significativa en sus intenciones comportamentales. Además, los resultados respaldan una influencia positiva y significativa de las percepciones de los consumidores sobre las prácticas medioambientales en la imagen de RSC medioambiental de los hoteles certificados. Finalmente, no existe un efecto moderador de la involucración de los consumidores en los efectos de las prácticas medioambientales en la imagen de RSC y de esta variable en las intenciones comportamentales.

Para validar los resultados de este estudio, se recomienda investigar la formación de intenciones comportamentales en diversos tipos de entornos hoteleros certificados medioambientalmente.

Los gerentes de establecimientos hoteleros deben diseñar estrategias para aumentar la percepción por parte de los consumidores de las características medioambientales de las empresas certificadas medioambientalmente.

Ningún estudio previo analiza la relación entre las prácticas medioambientales, la confianza de los consumidores, su grado de involucración en el proceso de compra y sus intenciones comportamentales en relación con la imagen de RSC medioambiental en el sector hotelero.

This paper aims to analysis the factors that explain the effectiveness of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication on Facebook by a hospitality company. Taking the affect transfer hypothesis (ATH) model as a basis, the influence of beliefs about the company (attributions and corporate image) is studied and variables related to the receiver (environmental consciousness and identification with the territory) as direct antecedents of the improvement of the attitude towards the company and attitude towards the post, which influence the intention to share the information.

This study developed a quantitative study based on a structured questionnaire targeted at regular Facebook users. Specifically, this study used a stimulus-based method, designing a fictitious post by a leading Spanish hotel chain about an environmental initiative. The post, which was shown to the participants before they answered the questionnaire, provided information about the development of an environmental programme by the hospitality company in the region where the study was carried out. Specifically, this study measured two communication outcomes (the improvement in attitude towards the hospitality company and the user’s intention to share the information) and variables related to the receiver (environmental consciousness and identification with the territory), to the message (information’s usefulness) and to the company (image and attributions) as explanatory variables. This study obtained a final sample of 239 valid surveys respecting the socio-demographic profile of the target population. The hypotheses were tested using a covariance-based structural equations model approach (software EQS 6.1).

This study observed that the ATH model is valid to measure the effectiveness of CSR communication on Facebook. Thus, the intention to share a post about an environmental initiative of the hotel is explained by both the attitude towards the company and the attitude towards the information. Factors related to the company and the environmental consciousness of the individuals exert an indirect influence. This study also found that the attitude towards the post has a double influence in the model, in the sense that it enhances the attitude towards the company and, at the same time, has a direct influence on the intention to share the information.

This study must first mention the use of a non-probabilistic sampling procedure, which could condition the representativeness of the sample obtained. Another limitation of our research is the use of cross-sectional data instead of longitudinal data. This study can also consider as a limitation the specific business and geographical context in which it was developed. In addition, it will be interesting to analyze other types of CSR initiatives, focused on other stakeholders, as well as to consider how the creativity of the post (text, image and/or video) could influence the effectiveness of the communication.

CSR information can reveal a mix of business and social attributions. The first of these, a source of scepticism and distrust, will always appear, but these extrinsic attributions do not have a negative effect in all cases. To reach positive communication outcomes, in terms of an improvement in the attitude towards the hotel and the intention to share the post and viralize the information, it is important to assure that people perceive that the hotel has a real interest in benefiting society with its initiative. To achieve this, it is very important to have a good corporate image. Furthermore, CSR-related posts may catch the attention of and generate interest in environmentally conscious people, so we suggest including CSR information in companies’ brand content strategy on social network sites (SNS) on a regular basis.

Hospitality companies have to make people aware of CSR initiatives. This study suggests including CSR information in companies’ brand content strategy on SNS on a regular basis. These channels let companies create attractive and compelling stories, and if CSR initiatives are framed on them, companies will be able to generate emotional connection with consumers. Furthermore, social platforms are relational channels, so it is advisable to use a friendly tone to connect with the individuals. Their greater or lesser participation and the possible associated comments will give clues to companies about the feelings and perceptions of people regarding CSR, which has great value.

Social networks can be interesting vehicles to convey CSR information, although users’ reactions towards a CSR post on these platforms have not yet been explored. This study tries to cover this gap and to contribute to the hospitality literature by studying the factors that would explain two communication outcomes of a CSR post on Facebook, one internal outcome (the improvement of the attitude towards the brand) and the other external (the intention to share the information). Furthermore, the study is a pioneer in the application of the ATH model to measure the marketing effectiveness of social media in the hotel industry.

This paper aims to analyse the determinants of the intention to share a post about an environmental issue posted by a tourism destination on Facebook. The authors use the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model as a theoretical framework and consider cognitive variables (destination social responsibility, tourist social responsibility and three types of congruence) as antecedents of emotions and of the tourists’ response (intention to share). Specific factors related to the social platform (attachment and active use of social media) are also included.

The model was tested for two destinations with different positioning (green tourism versus sun and beach). For the sampling strategy, the authors conducted an online poll targeting Facebook users who had undertaken at least one trip in the previous year. The sample consisted of 1,001 individuals.

The empirical evidence obtained indicates that consumer–cause congruence is the most important variable for explaining the intention to share the post for both destinations, with the destination–cause congruence being non-significant. The authors also observed that active participation on the social network stimulated the intention to share this specific content.

Unlike prior research, this paper examined consumer motivators for engaging with online corporate social responsibility content for tourism destinations, specifically focusing on destination social responsibility in sustainable tourism. The model also incorporates three types of congruence, revealing variations in their impact on explaining the intention to share sustainability-related posts.

Este trabajo analiza los determinantes de la intención de compartir una publicación sobre un tema ambiental publicada por un destino turístico en Facebook. Utilizamos el modelo estímulo-organismo-respuesta (SOR, por sus siglas en inglés) como marco teórico y consideramos variables cognitivas (responsabilidad social del destino, responsabilidad social del turista y tres tipos de congruencia) como antecedentes de las emociones y de la respuesta de los turistas (intención de compartir). También se incluyen factores específicos relacionados con la plataforma social (apego y uso activo de las redes sociales).

El modelo se probó para dos destinos con diferentes posicionamientos (turismo verde versus sol y playa). Para la estrategia de muestreo, realizamos una encuesta en línea dirigida a usuarios de Facebook que habían realizado al menos un viaje en el año anterior. La muestra consistió en 1.001 individuos.

La evidencia empírica obtenida indica que la congruencia consumidor-causa es la variable más importante para explicar la intención de compartir la publicación en ambos destinos, mientras que la congruencia destino-causa no fue significativa. También observamos que la participación activa en la red social estimuló la intención de compartir este contenido específico.

A diferencia de investigaciones previas, este artículo examinó los motivadores del consumidor para interactuar con contenido de responsabilidad social corporativa en línea de destinos turísticos, enfocándose específicamente en la responsabilidad social del destino en el turismo sostenible. El modelo también incorpora tres tipos de congruencia, revelando variaciones en su impacto en la explicación de la intención de compartir publicaciones relacionadas con la sostenibilidad.

本研究分析了在Facebook上分享旅游目的地发布的环保问题帖子的意图决定因素。我们使用刺激-有机体-反应（SOR）模型作为理论框架, 并考虑了认知变量（目的地社会责任、游客社会责任和三种类型的一致性）作为情绪和游客反应（分享意图）的前因。此外, 还包括与社交平台相关的特定因素（社交媒体的依赖度和活跃使用）。

该模型针对两个具有不同定位（绿色旅游与阳光沙滩）的目的地进行了测试。我们通过在线问卷调查了过去一年内至少进行过一次旅行的Facebook用户, 最终样本量为1,001人。

研究结果表明, 对于两个目的地, 消费者与环保事业一致性是解释分享帖子的意图的最重要变量, 而目的地与环保事业的一致性并不显著。我们还发现, 社交网络的活跃参与能激发用户分享此类特定内容的意图。

与以往研究不同, 本文探讨了消费者参与在线企业社会责任内容的动机, 特别关注于可持续旅游中的目的地社会责任。该模型还引入了三种类型的一致性, 并揭示了它们在解释分享可持续性相关帖子意图中的影响差异。

The purpose of this study is to develop an integrative model of credit granting to small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) incorporating the loan officers’ perceptual factors about SMEs (risk and trust) and accounting information (quality and usefulness). Moreover, the role of auditing on credit granting has been studied.

The structural equation modelling (SEM) approach is used to test the joint effect of explanatory variables. Empirical evidence is obtained from a questionnaire administered to 471 bank loan officers in Spain. The questions are asked for both audited and not-audited firms.

The results obtained confirm that perceived risk and trust have a significant influence on the probability that SMEs can get access to credit and obtain better financing conditions. Additionally, this research supports the relevance of presenting high-quality accounting information, as it increases information usefulness for loan officers, which improves the perceived risk and trust on SMEs and leads to better credit granting. There are no significant differences on the model between the sub-groups of audited and not-audited SMEs, although the valuations are significantly better for the former.

This study shows the need to consider subjective variables to understand properly the cognitive process underlying credit-granting decisions.

This research has relevant implications for the management of relationships between SMEs and banks.

This study contributes to the previous literature by proposing an integrative model of the variables that affect loan officers’ lending decision to SMEs, considering the influence of perceptual variables such as risk and trust, as well as the evaluation of the information available.

In recent years, the food industry has evolved dramatically showing Argentina's real capacity for food production. A survey on supply chain management was developed and data were collected from both suppliers and buyers at three levels of the supply chain. Statistical significance in difference of means for both groups is analyzed and drivers and trends emerging from those samples are shown.

Existing innovation frameworks suggest that manufacturing firms have traditionally developed a complementary model of technological innovations comprising process and product innovations (e.g. Oslo Manual). This article presents digital service innovation as a novel form of technological innovation that is capable of enhancing the performance of firms in certain manufacturing industries.

Drawing on technological innovation and digital servitization fields of research, this study argues that digital service innovation, in manufacturing contexts, complements traditional sources of technological innovation, so increasing the profit margins of firms. This effect is significant in industries characterized by business-to-business contexts, high presence of link channels and long product life spans (e.g. manufacturing and computer-based industries). Predictions are tested on a unique sample of 423 Spanish manufacturing firms using parametric (t-test) and nonparametric (fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, fsQCA) approaches.

The results of this analysis show that a necessary condition so that manufacturing firms can increase profits is the deployment of simultaneous process and product innovations. It also reveals that optimal configuration requires that digital service innovation be undertaken, particularly in machinery and computer-based manufacturing industries. Hence, all three sources of technological innovation are brought together in order to reach the highest levels of company performance. The evidence suggests that technological innovation and digital servitization are closely interrelated in highly innovative manufacturing contexts.

This study's originality and value reside in the fact that it reveals the existence of firms incorporating digital service innovation – a new, technological innovation dimension that challenges existing innovation frameworks – to complement traditional technological innovation sources, namely process and product innovation. Moreover, the study conceptualizes and empirically tests the value-adding role of digital services in firms' technological innovation portfolio.

The implementation of Smart Manufacturing (SM) is deemed a key enabler in the enhancement of manufacturing competitiveness and performance. Nevertheless, SM's repercussion on consumer perceptions and the contextualization of SM's performance-enhancement effects remain undetermined and have yet to be clarified. This study analyzes the effect of SM on operational and customer performance. Moreover, this study explores how these relationships change depending on a firm's geography of production (i.e. national/local vs transnational operations) and the relational arrangement adopted (i.e. service-oriented vs transaction-oriented manufacturers).

This research surveys 351 Spanish manufacturing firms operating in an SM environment. The theoretical framework comprises a Multiple-Indicators Multiple-Causes (MIMIC) model and is tested using a Generalized Structural Equations Model.

The results obtained substantiate the positive effect of SM implementation on both of the performance measures analyzed (i.e. operational and customer focused). Moreover, the study reveals that while geography of production moderates the effect on a firm's operational performance, relational arrangement also does so in terms of customer performance.

This research clearly differentiates the benefits of SM depending on business context. In this regard, transnational production firms tend to gain in operational performance while service-oriented manufacturers gain in customer performance.

Whilst substantial evidence from low-corruption, developed market environments supports the view that more productive firms are more likely to export, there has been little research into analysing the link between productivity and exports in high corruption, developing market environments. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to test the premise of self-selection theory whether the association between productivity and export is maintained in high-corruption environments, and second to identify other variables explaining export activity in high-corruption contexts, including cluster networks and firms’ competences.

The authors draw on the World Bank Enterprise survey to undertake a cross-section analysis including 1,233 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in nine African countries. The advantage of this database is that it contains information about the level of perceived corruption at firm level. Logistic regressions are performed for the full sample and for subsamples of firms in high- and low-corruption environments.

The findings demonstrate that the self-selection theory only applies to low-corruption environments, whereas in high-corruption environments, alternative factors such as cluster networks and outward-looking competences (OLC) exert a stronger influence on the exporting activity of African SMEs.

This research contributes to the theory as it provides evidence that contradicts the validity of self-selection theory in high-corruption environments. The findings would benefit from further longitudinal investigation.

African SMEs need to consider cluster networks and OLC as important strategic factors that might enhance their international competitiveness.

The criticism of the self-selection theory is distinctive in the literature and has important implications for future research. The authors show that the contextualisation of existing theories matters and this opens a research avenue for further more sensitive contextualisation of existing theories in developing economies.