Bertram Tan, Hae‐Ching Chang and Chen‐Kuo Lee
This paper aims to examine empirically the relationships among industry environment, diversification motivations and corporate performance for a sample of Taiwanese automobile…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine empirically the relationships among industry environment, diversification motivations and corporate performance for a sample of Taiwanese automobile enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
A 55‐item survey questionnaire was developed to obtain the responses from companies in the automobile industry in Taiwan. Independent sample t‐test and χ2 tests were employed to confirm the homogeneity between the respondents and non‐respondents by firm's characteristics, including by industry, number of employees, and capital.
Findings
The results suggest that industry environment has positive and significant impact on diversification motivations, and has positive but not significant impact on corporate performance. Diversification motivations has positive and significant impact on corporate performance. The results also indicate that firms of higher capital amounts have greater influence on diversification motivations and corporate performance, firms of publicly listed have greater influence on industry environment, diversification motivations and corporate performance and firms of higher degree of diversification have greater influence on diversification motivations only.
Research limitations/implications
Several limitations exist in this study. This study adopts the cross‐sectional research design and examines firms at one point time and because of the constraints of time and data availability, longitudinal research was not viable in this study. Also the amount of variation for some regression models is low.
Originality/value
The paper's results not only provide researchers with a theoretical basis for further research, but also provide top management teams with important data when engaging in diversification.
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Nuraddeen Abubakar Nuhu, Kevin Baird and Sophia Su
This study examines the impact of environmental activity management (EAM) on triple bottom line (TBL) performance and the role that sustainability strategies play in mediating…
Abstract
This study examines the impact of environmental activity management (EAM) on triple bottom line (TBL) performance and the role that sustainability strategies play in mediating these relationships. Data were collected using a survey of Australian managers and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings indicate that each of the three levels of EAM – Environmental Activity Analysis, Environmental Activity Cost Analysis, and Environmental Activity Based Costing – influence-specific aspects of performance, either directly and/or indirectly through environmental and social sustainability strategies. The findings suggest that managers could enhance their use of EAM practices through the use of sustainability strategies in order to enhance performance. This study provides empirical insight into the impact that EAM practices and environmental and social sustainability strategies have on all three aspects of TBL performance.
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Abstract
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Chen-Kuo Pai, Haoran Chen, Ivan Ka Wai Lai and Tingting Li
Smart tourism is undergoing a trend of rapid development. The quality of service in smart tourism forms the basis of tourists’ evaluations, it needs to be investigated. However…
Abstract
Purpose
Smart tourism is undergoing a trend of rapid development. The quality of service in smart tourism forms the basis of tourists’ evaluations, it needs to be investigated. However, as high-quality smart tourism technologies (STTs) can enhance the overall tourist experience and increase tourist satisfaction, and there is no standard service quality evaluation system for STTs. Therefore, this study aims to explore how the quality of STTs is evaluated from the tourist’s perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors develop a measurement scale for smart tourism technology quality (STTQUAL) based on qualitative interviews, the Delphi method and a survey conducted in three cities that use smart tourism: Macau, Chengdu and Hangzhou.
Findings
The STTQUAL scale encompasses 37 measurement items in 7 dimensions: functionality, security, informativity, reliability, responsiveness, convenience and empathy. These dimensions encompass both technical and nontechnical aspects of service.
Research limitations/implications
This study enriches the smart tourism research literature, provides a reference for future research and helps relevant stakeholders understand tourists’ views on STTQUAL. Recommendations are provided to governments, the tourism industry and system developers for how to proceed in future development.
Originality/value
This is a mixed-methods study that fulfills established logical research criteria and proposes a scale for evaluating STTQUAL. The scale is validated through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.
研究目的
智慧旅游正经历快速发展的趋势, 其服务质量构成了游客评价的基础, 因此需要进行深入研究。然而, 由于高质量的智慧旅游技术(STTs)可以提升游客的整体体验并提高满意度,目前尚未有针对智慧旅游技术STTs的标准服务质量评价体系。因此,本研究旨在探讨如何从游客的角度理解STTs质量的评价方式。
研究方法
本研究基于定性访谈、德尔菲法以及在澳门、成都和杭州三座智慧旅游城市进行的问卷调查, 开发了一套智慧旅游技术质量(STTQUAL)测量量表。
研究发现
STTQUAL量表涵盖了7个维度的37项测量指标, 包括功能性、安全性、信息性、可靠性、响应性、便利性和同理心。这些维度综合了服务的技术和非技术方面。
研究意义
本研究丰富了智慧旅游研究文献, 为未来研究提供了参考, 并帮助相关利益相关者理解游客对STTQUAL的看法。研究为政府、旅游业和系统开发者在未来发展中的行动提供了建议。
研究创新
本研究采用混合研究方法, 符合既定的逻辑研究标准, 并提出了一套用于评估STTQUAL的量表。通过探索性因子分析和验证性因子分析对量表进行了验证。
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Vivian M. Evangelista and Rommel G. Regis
Machine learning methods have recently gained attention in business applications. We will explore the suitability of machine learning methods, particularly support vector…
Abstract
Machine learning methods have recently gained attention in business applications. We will explore the suitability of machine learning methods, particularly support vector regression (SVR) and radial basis function (RBF) approximation, in forecasting company sales. We compare the one-step-ahead forecast accuracy of these machine learning methods with traditional statistical forecasting techniques such as moving average (MA), exponential smoothing, and linear and quadratic trend regression on quarterly sales data of 43 Fortune 500 companies. Moreover, we implement an additive seasonal adjustment procedure on the quarterly sales data of 28 of the Fortune 500 companies whose time series exhibited seasonality, referred to as the seasonal group. Furthermore, we prove a mathematical property of this seasonal adjustment procedure that is useful in interpreting the resulting time series model. Our results show that the Gaussian form of a moving RBF model, with or without seasonal adjustment, is a promising method for forecasting company sales. In particular, the moving RBF-Gaussian model with seasonal adjustment yields generally better mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values than the other methods on the sales data of 28 companies in the seasonal group. In addition, it is competitive with single exponential smoothing and better than the other methods on the sales data of the other 15 companies in the non-seasonal group.
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Vincent Ting Pong Cheng and Chen-Kuo Pai
Online travel agencies (OTAs) have been offering tourists trip planning services (TPS) for more than a decade. However, they are less popular than other online travel services…
Abstract
Purpose
Online travel agencies (OTAs) have been offering tourists trip planning services (TPS) for more than a decade. However, they are less popular than other online travel services such as metasearch with price comparison. This study aims to investigate why TPS on the internet, although important to tourists, are not well accepted by young mainland Chinese tourists.
Design/methodology/approach
A trip planning service acceptance model (TPSAM) was constructed and tested by inviting participants to take part in a trial using the TPS of a China OTA and then participants were asked to complete a questionnaire based on their user experience. Partial least square technique was used to perform a path analysis on the model.
Findings
Social influence and effort expectancy have significant direct influence on reuse intention. Social influence increases the trust level of the tourists on the TPS and effort expectancy’s strong influence on joy suggest that a joyful and effortless experience is critical for tourists to consider reusing the TPS.
Practical implications
The findings could provide some insight to the OTAs on improving their TPS. For instance, OTAs should let tourists feel that the TPS requires little effort and is fun to use and more promotion is needed through social media.
Originality/value
Although trip planning is essential for tourists in achieving a delightful travel experience, few studies have examined the adoption of Web-based TPS. This study contributes to the literature by establishing a TPSAM and extends previous work by showing that a causal relationship exists between social influence and trust in the service acceptance context.
论专属中国大陆年轻游客的旅游计划服务接受模型
研究目的
线上旅游代理(OTA)已经十多年为游客提供旅游计划服务(TPS)。然而, OTA比其他在线旅游服务相较则受欢迎程度下降, 比如价格比对的元搜索服务。本论文旨在研究网络TPS, 即便对游客重要, 但是为什么不受中国大陆年轻游客的欢迎。
研究设计/方法/途径
本论文通过邀请受访者参与中国OTA提供的旅游计划服务试点样品, 并完成针对他们的用户体验的问卷, 来开发和测验这个旅游计划服务接受模型(TPSAM)。本论文采用PLS分析法来测验模型。
研究结果
社会影响和努力预期对再使用意图起到直接影响。社会影响增强了游客对TPS的信任度, 努力预期对愉悦感有强烈影响, 这预示着对于游客而言, 一个愉悦的且不太费劲的体验对于再次使用TPS起到关键作用。
研究实际意义
本论文研究结果对于OTA增强其TPS起到启示作用。比如, OTA应该让游客感受TPS不需要费很多力气来学习使用并且使用过程很有趣, 此外, 通过社交媒体来增强更多宣传是有必要的。
研究原创性/价值
尽管旅游计划对游客而言获得愉快旅游体验是必要的, 然而, 很少文章研究线上TPS使用现象。本论文建立了TPSAM, 对理论做出贡献, 并且本论文对之前的文献做出扩展, 验证了服务接受背景下社会影响和信任之间的直接联系。
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Hsin-Yi Huang, Po-Lin Chen and Yu-Chen Kuo
Focusing on social network services (SNS), the purpose of this paper is to propose a research model to investigate individuals’ SNS usage facilitators and inhibitors from the…
Abstract
Purpose
Focusing on social network services (SNS), the purpose of this paper is to propose a research model to investigate individuals’ SNS usage facilitators and inhibitors from the perspective of individuals’ media system dependency (MSD) and privacy concerns.
Design/methodology/approach
The research model will be tested with data collected from online users of Facebook. The survey yielded a total of 403 responses for the data analysis which was conducted by measurement and structural models.
Findings
The findings indicate that SNSs members strive for understanding, orientation, and play dependencies which facilitate their satisfaction and social presence, and subsequently fosters their continuance intention toward the SNS. In addition, the members’ privacy concerns decrease satisfaction and social presence online.
Originality/value
First, this study has contributed to the authors’ understanding of an individual’s SNS facilitators and inhibitors from the theoretical perspective (i.e. MSD theory and privacy concerns). Second, satisfaction is a strong antecedent of continuance intention and would dilute the effect of social presence on an individual’s SNS continuance intention.
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Chung-Han Ho, Ping-Teng Chang, Kuo-Chen Hung and Kuo-Ping Lin
The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel intuitionistic fuzzy seasonality regression (IFSR) with particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms to accurately forecast air…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel intuitionistic fuzzy seasonality regression (IFSR) with particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms to accurately forecast air pollutions, which are typical seasonal time series data. Seasonal time series prediction is a critical topic, and some time series data contain uncertain or unpredictable factors. To handle such seasonal factors and uncertain forecasting seasonal time series data, the proposed IFSR with the PSO method effectively extends the intuitionistic fuzzy linear regression (IFLR).
Design/methodology/approach
The prediction model sets up IFLR with spreads unrestricted so as to correctly approach the trend of seasonal time series data when the decomposition method is used. PSO algorithms were simultaneously employed to select the parameters of the IFSR model. In this study, IFSR with the PSO method was first compared with fuzzy seasonality regression, providing evidence that the concept of the intuitionistic fuzzy set can improve performance in forecasting the daily concentration of carbon monoxide (CO). Furthermore, the risk management system also implemented is based on the forecasting results for decision-maker.
Findings
Seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average and deep belief network were then employed as comparative models for forecasting the daily concentration of CO. The empirical results of the proposed IFSR with PSO model revealed improved performance regarding forecasting accuracy, compared with the other methods.
Originality/value
This study presents IFSR with PSO to accurately forecast air pollutions. The proposed IFSR with PSO model can efficiently provide credible values of prediction for seasonal time series data in uncertain environments.
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Owing to the inconclusive results of prior studies on the strategic change–firm performance relationship, this paper extends the marketing strategy literature by postulating an…
Abstract
Purpose
Owing to the inconclusive results of prior studies on the strategic change–firm performance relationship, this paper extends the marketing strategy literature by postulating an “inverted U-shaped” relationship and the moderating roles of “organizational learning” (OGL) and “strategic flexibility” (STF).
Methodology/approach
A self-administered survey was employed to collect data from different strategic business units of 550 firms operating in Thailand. The data collection yielded a response rate of 17.27%. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to validate the scales, and path analysis was employed to test the hypotheses in this study.
Findings
Although no significant curvilinear relationship was found, the directions of the path coefficients are consistent with the hypothesis. Both OGL and STF serve as significant moderators in the marketing strategic change (MSC)–business performance relationships. While STF strengthens the relationship, the generative OGL tends to weaken it.
Practical implications
Managers need to understand the type of learning that fits different types of strategic changes in order to enhance business performance. Generative OGL may seem harmful for changes that are less proactive. Furthermore, firms should incorporate flexibility in managing political, economic, and financial risks in their strategies by emphasizing investments and cost sharing, flexible human capital allocation, and spontaneous and impromptu actions.
Originality/value
This study extends international marketing strategy literature by empirically testing the hypotheses in an emerging Asian economy. The research proposes a nonlinear relationship between MSC and business performance as well as introduces the moderating roles of OGL and STF.
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Adetayo Olaniyi Adeniran, Ikpechukwu Njoku and Mobolaji Stephen Stephens
This study examined the factors influencing willingness-to-repurchase for each class of airline service, and integrate the constructs of service quality, satisfaction and…
Abstract
This study examined the factors influencing willingness-to-repurchase for each class of airline service, and integrate the constructs of service quality, satisfaction and willingness-to-repurchase which were rooted on Engel-Kollat-Blackwell (EKB) model. The study focuses on the domestic and international arrival of passengers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja. Information was gathered from domestic and foreign passengers who had post-purchase experience and had used the airline's services more than once. The survey data were obtained concurrently from arrival passengers at two major international airports using an electronic questionnaire through random and purposive sampling techniques. The data was analysed using the ordinal logit model and structural equation model. From the 606 respondents, 524 responses were received but 489 responses were valid for data analysis and reporting and were obtained mostly from economy and business class passengers. The study found that the quality of seat pitch, allowance of 30 kg luggage permission, availability of online check-in 24 hours before the departing flight, quality of space for legroom between seats, and the quality of seats that can be converted into a fully flatbed are the major service factors influencing willingness-to-repurchase economy and business class tickets. Also, it was found that passengers' willingness to repurchase is influenced majorly by service quality, but not necessarily influenced by satisfaction. These results reflect the passengers' consciousness of COVID-19 because the study was conducted during the heat of COVID-19 pandemic. Recommendations were suggested for airline management based on each class.