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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of design features in in-feed advertising on its effectiveness. Previous research on various forms of advertising has demonstrated that design features can influence advertising effectiveness. However, given the distinct presentation mode and content of in-feed advertising compared to traditional forms, it is crucial to examine whether the effects of design features differ for this type of advertising. Through two studies, we examined how five specific design features affect consumers' purchase intention within the context of in-feed advertising. The mediating role of perceived value and the moderating role of product involvement are also proved.

Using the methods of online survey and online experiment, the author conducted two empirical studies. In study 2, the authors adopted the orthogonal array design to simplify experimental grouping.

The findings demonstrate that akin to conventional Internet advertising, the informational content, credibility and entertainment value of in-feed advertising exert a positive influence on its efficacy. Notably, the interactive nature of in-feed advertising significantly enhances users' inclination toward making purchases. Conversely, any form of interference can detrimentally impact its utility.

The study demonstrates five design characteristics that may impact the effectiveness of in-feed advertising, expanding the relevant theories about in-feed advertising. At the same time, this study contributes to the understanding of consumer responses to advertising. However, the two studies in this paper are conducted within the framework of WeChat, a popular Chinese social media platform, with the participants consisting exclusively of Chinese users.

Considering the rapid development of in-feed advertising in terms of quantity, content and form, the author believes that the results of this paper can help advertisers in their design thinking. The moderating effect of product involvement can be applied to optimize personalized advertising delivery schemes.

This paper focuses on a practical problem, that is, how to improve the effectiveness of in-feed advertising by modifying advertising design features.

This paper aims to examine the congruency effects of physically embodied robots in service encounters, which addressed a significant research gap concerning the synthesis of robot design elements (e.g., appearance and voice) and their service purposes.

Grounded in congruity theory and human-robot interaction literature, this study conducted a pretest and two experimental studies revealing the need to view robot design holistically and recognizing the pivotal role of congruity in shaping consumers’ service robot adoption. The moderating role of service purposes (utilitarian vs hedonic) was also investigated in terms of robot design and consumer reactions.

Consumers generally tend to favor robots with congruent designs, particularly for utilitarian service purposes. The serial mediation through perceived congruence and perceived intelligence explains such a favorite tendency.

This study advances service robot design research by highlighting the critical role of congruity in enhancing consumer engagement. It supports the use of comprehensive, congruent designs for services with utilitarian purposes and recommends adaptable designs for hedonic settings.

This study addressed the research gap by examining service robot design from a holistic perspective. The research findings highlight the importance of congruency effects in service robot design and deployment and provide valuable insights and guidelines to industry practitioners for optimal investment in service robots.

The meshfree node-based smoothed point interpolation method (NS-PIM) is extended to the forward and inversion analysis of a high gravelly soil core rock-fill dam during construction periods.

As one member of the meshfree methods, the NS-PIM has the advantages of “softer” stiffness and adaptability to large deformations which is quite indispensable for the stability analysis of rock-fill dams. In this work, the present method contains a reconstruction procedure to deal with the existence or nonexistence of the construction layers. After verifying the validity of the NS-PIM method for nonlinear elastic model during construction period, the convergence features of the NS-PIM and FEM methods are further investigated with different mesh schemes. Furthermore, the NS-PIM and FEM methods are applied for the forward analysis of a high gravelly soil core rock-fill dam and the convergence features under complex stress conditions are also studied using the rock-fill dam model. Finally, the NS-PIM method is used to calculate the Duncan–Chang parameters of the deep overburden under the high gravelly soil core rock-fill dam based on the back-propagation neural network method.

The results show that: the NS-PIM solution for construction analysis still possesses the property of upper bound solution even under complex stress conditions and can provide comparatively more conservative results for safety evaluation. Furthermore, it can be used to evaluate the accuracy of results and mesh quality together with the FEM solution which has the property of lower bound solution; the inversion analysis in this work provides a set of material parameters for the deep overburden under high rock-fill dam during construction period and the calculated results show good agreement with the measured displacement values and it is feasible to apply the NS-PIM to the forward and inversion analysis of high rock-fill dams on deep overburden during construction periods.

In further study, the feasibility of three-dimensional problems, elastic–plastic problems, contact problems and multipoint inversion can still be probed in the NS-PIM solution for the forward and inversion analysis of high rock-fill dams on deep overburden.

This paper introduced a method for the forward and inversion analysis of high rock-fill dams during construction period using the NS-PIM solution. The property of upper bound solution ensures that the NS-PIM can provide more conservative results for safety evaluation. The inversion analysis in this work provides a set of material parameters for the deep overburden under high rock-fill dam during construction periods.

First, the analysis from forward to inversion for high rock-fill dams during construction period using the NS-PIM solution is accomplished in this work. A procedure dealing with the existence or nonexistence of the construction layers is also developed for the construction analysis. Second, it is confirmed in this work that the NS-PIM still possesses the property of upper bound solution even under complex stress conditions (the forward analysis of high rock-fill dams during construction period). Thus, more conservative results can be provided for safety evaluation. Furthermore, it can be used to evaluate the accuracy of results and mesh quality together with the FEM solution which has the property of lower bound solution. Third, the calculated material parameters of the deep overburden in this work can be used for further studies of the high rock-fill dam.

Art hotels are increasingly providing an opportunity for creative artists to exhibit their artworks and collections within their premises. This research investigates how some hotels are transforming themselves into important cultural tourism centers. Specifically, its objectives are: (i) to better understand the extent to which travelers are aware about the existence of art hotels and to evaluate their level of interest in art-oriented initiatives; (ii) to determine which attributes and features of art hotels are appreciated by travelers; and (iii) to identify the type of travelers who are willing to stay in art hotels. The findings from a descriptive survey suggest that the incorporation of art into the hospitality industry can attract a diverse customer base and could result in a sustainable competitive advantage for hotels. This study identifies four types of travelers including: Art-Infused Travelers, Art-Seeking Travelers, Art-Indifferent Travelers, and Art-Blind Travelers. These prospective tourists were categorized according to their level of awareness and interest in art hotels and art-related experiences. In conclusion, this contribution implies that artification processes within the hospitality industry can add value to the cultural tourism market. Hence, it also advances future research avenues to academia.

We take a state-stewardship view on corporate governance and executive compensation in economies with strong political involvement, where state-appointed managers act as responsible “stewards” rather than “agents” of the state.

We test this view on China and find that Chinese managers are remunerated not for maximizing equity value but for increasing the value of state-owned assets.

Managerial compensation depends on political connections and prestige, and on the firms’ contribution to political goals. These effects were attenuated since the market-oriented governance reform.

Economic reform without reforming the human resources policies at the executive level enables the autocratic state to exert political power on corporate decision making, so as to ensure that firms’ business activities fulfill the state’s political objectives.

As a powerful social elite, the state-steward managers in China have the same interests as the state (the government), namely extracting rents that should adhere to the nation (which stands for the society at large or the collective private citizens).

As China has been a communist country with a single ruling party for decades, the ideas of socialism still have a strong impact on how companies are run. The legitimacy of the elite’s privileged rights over private sectors is central to our question.

Chinese executive compensation stimulates not only the maximization of shareholder value but also the preservation of the state’s interests.

Gives an in depth view of the strategies pursued by the world’s leading chief executive officers in an attempt to provide guidance to new chief executives of today. Considers the marketing strategies employed, together with the organizational structures used and looks at the universal concepts that can be applied to any product. Uses anecdotal evidence to formulate a number of theories which can be used to compare your company with the best in the world. Presents initial survival strategies and then looks at ways companies can broaden their boundaries through manipulation and choice. Covers a huge variety of case studies and examples together with a substantial question and answer section.

The purpose of this study is to propose a synthetic post-adoption model based on the expectation-confirmation model (ECM) and flow theory to examine whether the fit factor, network factors and psychological factors as antecedents to end-users’ beliefs can affect their continuance intention of the robo-advisor.

This study used the research model based on ECM and flow theory to examine the effects of the fit factor, network factors and psychological factors on end-users’ beliefs and continuance intention of the robo-advisor. Sample data were collected from end-users at three financial services companies in Taiwan. A total of 450 questionnaires were distributed and 360 (80.0%) usable questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

This study proposes a solid research model that based on ECM and flow theory, three types of factors, namely, fit factor, network factors and psychological factors, as antecedents to end-users’ continuance intention of the robo-advisor have been examined and this study’s results strongly support the research model with all hypothesized links being significant.

It is particularly worth mentioning that a synthetic post-adoption model can be proposed in this study by introducing the fit factor extracted from task-technology fit model, network factors originated from the theory of network externalities and psychological factors derived from uses and gratifications theory as antecedents to perceived usefulness, confirmation, satisfaction and continuance intention referred in ECM and flow experience derived from flow theory. Thus, this study’s research model and findings can reveal deep insights into the evaluation of determinants in the field of end-users’ continuance intention of the robo-advisor.

Social media has revolutionized marketing communication (MC). Rugby is South Africa’s most professionalized sport, leading the industry in its business management structure as well as its high-performance achievements. However, below the professional level, local rugby clubs face a large disparity compared to their professional counterparts, often relying on volunteers or part-time employees to manage the organizations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how non-professional rugby clubs use social media as a MC tool.

The study was exploratory, and a cross-sectional sample of twelve organizations was selected and employed a multiple case study approach. Club managers responsible for MC or social media participated in semi-structured interviews. The qualitative data analysis software, ATLAS.ti, facilitated the researchers’ use of an inductive approach to develop codes and themes for further analysis.

The findings revealed a high level of adoption of social media by the multiple cases (i.e. rugby sports club respondents), with only slight variations in the usage of specific social media applications (viz., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp). The sports clubs perceived that employing social media added substantial value to their MC. There were six emergent themes related to the organization’s perceived benefits from adopting social media MC, namely: brand awareness, relationship-building, player recruitment, attracting sponsors, storytelling, and information sharing.

The study makes a novel contribution in terms of how rugby clubs use social media as an MC tool. The paper advances scant knowledge and awareness of the relationship between South Africa’s sports marketing and social media. The conclusions will aid non-professional sports organizations in enhancing the effectiveness of their social media marketing by ensuring that their objectives and target audiences are well-defined.

This research paper explores the type and amount of business communication education given to students in Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes, and offers insight into the thinking of those who supervise and teach business communication within those programmes. While this particular research study focuses on US MBA schools, it is advocated that this subject and research findings have global relevance. Communication and public relations skills have been recognised as being critical to the success of aspiring managers and business leaders. Prospective managers need to possess not only the skills of communication, but also an appreciation of strategic business communication factors. However, most MBA curricula do not require or recommend communication education for students. This paper compares the findings of two studies: research conducted in 1995–96 (n = 215, 31.5 per cent response rate) replicated a 1991 study (n = 51, 26 per cent response rate). In addition, the paper discusses prior research on the subject and the role and quality of business communication currently found in MBA curricula. It also includes a model communication curriculum for MBA programmes and proposes suggestions for additional research.

The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper insight on how education boosts economic progress in key emerging economies. This project is aimed at exploring the interactive dynamics between the tertiary education sector and economic development in BRICS countries. The author also aims to examine how the structure of higher education contributes to economic expansion.

The author uses the time series data of BRICS countries across approximately two decades to determine the statistical causality between the size of tertiary enrollment and economic development. The linear regression model is then used to figure out the different impact levels of academic and vocational training programs at the tertiary level to economic development.

Data from all BRICS countries exhibited a unidirectional statistical causality relationship, except the Brazilian data. The national economic expansion Granger Caused increased tertiary enrollment in Russia and India, while in China and South Africa, higher education enrollment Granger Caused economic progress. The impact from tertiary academic training is found to be positive for all BRICS nations, while tertiary vocation training is shown to have impaired the Russian and South African economy.

This project is based on a rather small sample size, and the stationary feature of the time series could be different should a larger pool of data spanning a longer period of time is used. In addition, the author also neglects other control variables in the regression model. Therefore, the impact level could be distorted due to possible omitted variable bias.

Tertiary academic study is found to have a larger impact level to all countries’ economic advancement, except for China, during the time frame studied. There is a statistical correlation between the education and economic progress. This is particularly true for BRICS countries, especially China. But the exception is Brazil.

The government should provide education up to the certain level, as there is a direct correlation to the job creation and economic progress. Furthermore, the government should also work closely with industry to ensure growth of industry and creation of new jobs.

The comparative analysis and evaluation of the dynamic interaction of tertiary enrollment and economic output across all five BRICS nations is unique, and it deepens the understanding of the socioeconomic development in these countries from a holistic management perspective.