The purposes of this study were to identify the sector-specific destination attributes as antecedents of tourism satisfaction in the context of industrial tourism and examine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purposes of this study were to identify the sector-specific destination attributes as antecedents of tourism satisfaction in the context of industrial tourism and examine their relative impact on intentions to recommend and re-participate in factory tour activities as consequences of tourist satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The 26 sector-specific destination attributes ranging from the diversity of on-site and nearby tourism resources, the ease of internal and external accessibility, the availability of lodging and dining facilities to the provision of information services and safety and emergency systems were drawn from the relevant literature. Data were collected with 222 on-site visitors using convenient sampling on three separate weekends in August 2014.
Findings
The results showed that tourist satisfaction with factory tour experience is composed of seven dimensions, namely, lodging and dining facilities, internal accessibility, nearby attractions, external accessibility, provision of safety and emergency systems, on-site attractions and provision of information services. While satisfaction with the provision of safety and emergency systems is the most important positive contributor to overall satisfaction, satisfaction with the on-site attractions exerts a negative effect on intention to recommend. Nevertheless, the higher overall satisfaction the visitors have, the more possibility they will recommend and re-participate in factory tour activities.
Research limitations/implications
There were three limitations to this study. First, this study was confined to Taiwan. The sector-specific destination attributes may be limited and only applicable to Taiwan. Second, this study was based on a convenience sample of 222 domestic tourists at the three selected tourism factory sites. The results may not be generalized beyond this population. Third, overall satisfaction, intention to re-participate and willingness to recommend were all measured by a single question. The use of a single-item measure may cause the measurement error inherent in any singular measure and weaken the reliability of findings.
Practical implications
This study is a step toward strengthening tourist satisfaction with factory tour experience. Ensuring on-site safety and security is listed as the top priority for both the government and industry sectors. The bad publicity arising from any accidents occurring on any tourism factory sties could seriously tarnish the overall factory tour experience, which, in turn, influences more significantly on intention to re-participation than on willingness to recommend. The second task is to diversify the on-site attractions, which enable the pursuit of learning as a type of leisure/entertainment, and promote the authentic aspects of these attractions through social media.
Originality/value
Previous studies have examined the antecedents and consequences of tourist satisfaction with the chosen destination; however, none has been undertaken in the context of industrial tourism. Moreover, the existing industrial tourism literature has mainly focused on the socio-demographic and traveling characteristics of industrial tourists as well as the conditions under which industrial tourism can be successfully developed in the Western context. The perceptions of industrial tourists toward the determinants of industrial tourism potential in the context of Asia generally and Taiwan in particular have been poorly under-researched. This study with an attempt to address these issues is, therefore, both timely and worthwhile.
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Fei-Fei Cheng, Meng-Hsu Hsu and Chin-Shan Wu
This study adopted the collaborative consumption triangle to explore the influence of online food delivery platforms (OFDP) on consumer purchase intentions. It investigates the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study adopted the collaborative consumption triangle to explore the influence of online food delivery platforms (OFDP) on consumer purchase intentions. It investigates the effects of restaurants' corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, individuals' food neophilic tendencies (FNT), and platforms' perceived benefits on purchase intention within OFDP. Furthermore, the study analyses differences in consumers' pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) on OFDP.
Design/methodology/approach
The 497 participants conducted a web-based self-completion survey, using structural equation modelling to analyse the path structure of consumer purchasing intention. Furthermore, differences in PEB among OFDP consumers were compared through multigroup analysis.
Findings
The findings indicate that CSR influences the perceived value of sustainability and that the perceived value of sustainability influences purchase intention. Additionally, the influence of the perceived value of sustainability on purchase intention is more pronounced among consumers with low PEB compared to those with high PEB.
Research limitations/implications
The findings may not be generalisable to other countries due to cultural differences, CSR policies, and strategies for promoting sustainable development.
Social implications
The study provides valuable contributions related to (1) restaurants increasing their revenue and meeting their long-term sustainable development goals; (2) providing reusable containers policy and reusable containers policy and category tags for restaurants within OFDP.
Originality/value
This study is a pioneering work examining factors influencing purchase intentions within OFDP from the tripartite collaborative consumption perspective post-COVID-19 and focuses on the differences in PEB concerning OFDP.
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Fei-Fei Cheng, Chui-Chen Chiu, Chin-Shan Wu and Der-Chian Tsaih
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of user’s learning style (including accommodators, divergers, convergers, and assimilators) on user’s satisfaction on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of user’s learning style (including accommodators, divergers, convergers, and assimilators) on user’s satisfaction on the web-based learning system and their learning effectiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
This experimental research used the college students from a technology institute in Taiwan as the subject sources. By using the Kolb’s learning style model, the students are classified as four types of learners: convergers, divergers, assimilators, and accommodators. The authors analyzed the relationships among the different learning styles with their effectiveness of learning and satisfaction of using the web-based learning system. The mediation effect of gender is also presented.
Findings
This research indicates that: first, the satisfaction of the web-based learning system has significant influence on the learning performance of learners; second, different learning styles learners have no significant effect to the satisfaction on using the web-based learning system; third, learning effectiveness has significant difference among different learning style learners on the web-based learning system; the learning effectiveness of accommodators and divergers was significantly higher than the assimilators; fourth, different learning styles learners show significant difference in gender proportion. In addition to accommodators, whose proportion of women is higher than men, the other three learning styles’ proportions in men are higher than women.
Research limitations/implications
This study was grounded in the Kolb’s learning style theory. The authors provide implications for academic studies in e-learning research stream that aimed at understanding the role of learning style as well as gender differences in the asynchronous web-based learning system.
Practical implications
Results from this study provided the implications for students, educators, and e-learning system designers. The design of teaching materials as well as functions of e-learning systems should take learners’ learning style into consideration to ensure the best learning outcome.
Originality/value
This study examined the students’ learning style as well as gender differences in the asynchronous web-based learning system. An experiment was conducted to ensure the data were collected in a controlled environment, thus, offer the value that most of the prior study lacks.
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Fei-Fei Cheng, Yu-Wen Huang, Der-Chian Tsaih and Chin-Shan Wu
The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of collaboration among researchers in Library Hi Tech based on the co-authorship network analysis.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the evolution of collaboration among researchers in Library Hi Tech based on the co-authorship network analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The Library Hi Tech publications were retrieved from Web of Science database between 2006 and 2017. Social network analysis based on co-authorship was analyzed by using BibExcel software and a visual knowledge map was generated by Pajek. Three important social capital indicators: degree centrality, closeness centrality and betweenness centrality were calculated to indicate the co-authorship. Cohesive subgroup analysis which includes components and k-core was then applied to show the connectivity of co-authorship network of Library Hi Tech.
Findings
The results indicated that around 42 percent of the articles were written by single author, while an increasing trend of multi-authored articles suggesting the collaboration among researchers in librarian research field becomes popular. Furthermore, the social network analysis identified authorship network with three core authors – Markey, K., Fourie, I. and Li, X. Finally, six core subgroups each included six or seven tightly connected researchers were also identified.
Originality/value
This study contributed to the existing literature by revealing the co-authorship network in librarian research field. Key researchers in the major subgroup were identified. This is one of the limited studies that describe the collaboration network among authors from different perspectives showing a more comprehensive co-authorship network.
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Philip Cheng-Fei Tsai and Chih-Ting Shih
A subject of continuous debate in the field of organizational change research and management practices is on whether downsizing strategies result in improved firm performance. The…
Abstract
Purpose
A subject of continuous debate in the field of organizational change research and management practices is on whether downsizing strategies result in improved firm performance. The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically examine dynamic firm capabilities as a major missing mechanism of firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses the data of 154 Taiwanese firms that employed an organizational downsizing strategy as the sample for testing the research question.
Findings
The results indicate that a responsible downsizing strategy can result in greater firm performance for the development and enhancement of dynamic firm capabilities.
Originality value
This research introduces dynamic capabilities into the downsizing context, and the empirical results provide new theoretical insight into downsizing and dynamic capabilities research, suggesting that downsizing should be regarded by management as resource management rather than a cost-cutting action.
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Given a growing literature indicating that downsizing is not an effective way to address financial decline, having either little impact or negative impact on the financial health…
Abstract
Purpose
Given a growing literature indicating that downsizing is not an effective way to address financial decline, having either little impact or negative impact on the financial health or market valuation of financially troubled companies, what is the alternative for those companies in financial trouble? Three sets of alternatives to downsizing are available to companies suffering financial trouble: strategies addressing personnel/fix costs, strategies focused on addressing cost cutting/variable costs and strategies addressing strategic planning/revenue. Although alternatives to downsizing have been identified, little research has been conducted comparing the impact of downsizing vs alternatives to downsizing on firm performance. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This present study looked solely at strategies focused on addressing personnel/fix costs. Focusing primarily on forced attrition (downsizing) vs temporary attrition and/or natural attrition, this research attempts to determine whether specific groupings of alternatives to downsizing are more effective at addressing financial decline that companies find themselves in as compared to downsizing. This included relying on temporary attrition, natural attrition or doing nothing at all.
Findings
The research presented here indicates that various alternatives to downsizing have an immediate positive impact on measures of profitability and a positive long-term impact on one measure of efficiency: revenue per employee. Evidence shows that temporary attrition leads to better financial outcomes than natural attrition than forced attrition or downsizing.
Originality/value
The research presented here indicates that various alternatives to downsizing have an immediate positive impact on measures of profitability and a positive long-term impact on one measure of efficiency: revenue per employee. This has implications for managers put in the position of having to make a decision whether to downsize or not.
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Xiao Fang, Yajie Zeng, Feng Xiong, Jiang Chen and Fei Cheng
Seepage of the dam is an important safety problem, which may cause internal erosion of the structure. In the field of seepage monitoring in civil engineering, the distributed…
Abstract
Purpose
Seepage of the dam is an important safety problem, which may cause internal erosion of the structure. In the field of seepage monitoring in civil engineering, the distributed optical fiber sensing technology based on the temperature tracing method has been paid more attention due to its unique advantages of high sensitivity, good stability and high resolution. The purpose of this paper is to make a review of the existing related research, so as to facilitate the later scholars to understand and further study more systematically.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, three kinds of commonly used distributed fiber temperature measurement technologies are introduced. Based on the working principle, monitoring system, theoretical analysis, experimental research and engineering application of the fiber seepage monitoring technology, the present situation of dam seepage monitoring based on distributed fiber is reviewed in detail and their advantages and disadvantages are compared.
Findings
The thermal monitoring technology of seepage measurement depends on the accuracy of optical fiber temperature measurement (including the accuracy of the system and the rationality of the discrimination method), the correct installation of optical fiber and the quantitative analysis of temperature data. The accuracy of the current monitoring system can basically meet the existing measurement requirements, but the correct installation of optical fiber and the calibration of temperature data need to be further studied for different discrimination methods, and this field has great research value.
Originality/value
At present, there are many applications and research studies of optical fiber sensing in the field of structural health monitoring, and there are also reviews of related aspects. However, there is little or no review only in the field of seepage monitoring. This paper summarizes the research and application of optical fiber sensing in the field of seepage monitoring. The possibility of the gradient method to find its new prospect with the development of monitoring systems and the improvement of temperature resolution is discussed. The idea of extending the seepage monitoring method based on distributed optical fiber thermal monitoring technology to other monitoring fields is also given in the paper.
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Fu Lai Tony Yu and Diana S. Kwan
The purpose of this paper is to explain the miraculous rise of the mobile phone industry in China in particular and China’s impressive industrial growth in recent decades in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain the miraculous rise of the mobile phone industry in China in particular and China’s impressive industrial growth in recent decades in general.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses qualitative or story-telling approach for empirical analysis. Specifically, it uses case studies to illustrate the authors’ arguments.
Findings
Utilizing the theory of imitative strategies of latecomer firms and I.M. Kirzner’s concept of entrepreneurial alertness, this paper argues that adaptive entrepreneurs in China’s phone industry survive by being alert to profit opportunities, flexible and adaptable to the changing environments. With limited resources and low technological capabilities at the beginning, Chinese phone makers conduct replication via reverse engineering. Through entrepreneurial learning and imitation, they are able to make indigenous or incremental innovation. The modified models with functions compatible to different groups of consumers and sold at low prices are able to penetrate the low-end markets in the Third World nations.
Practical implications
The authors’ explanation on the success of China’s mobile phone industry sheds light on broader China’s industrial growth as a result of economic reform.
Originality/value
Most studies on China’s mobile phone industry focus on technological analysis, without acknowledging the role of entrepreneurship. This study fills the gap.
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The purpose of this paper is to present specific tour services that influence international tourist satisfaction (ITS) and behavioural intentions (BIs) utilising…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present specific tour services that influence international tourist satisfaction (ITS) and behavioural intentions (BIs) utilising transaction-specific customer satisfaction theory in a developing country. Identified factors will help stakeholders to plan, market and brand Elmina, Ghana, as a viable tourism destination to attract more tourists.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed conceptual model of seven hypotheses based on validated survey data gathered from 432 international tourists in Elmina, Ghana.
Findings
Empirical results revealed that food services, transportation, tour guide performance and community interactions had positive effects, whereas accommodation had a negative effect on ITS. However, tourist satisfaction had a positive effect on BIs.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are limited to this sample and cannot be projected to other destinations. Future studies can examine other tour services like tourism information centres and retail travel agents in Elmina.
Practical implications
International tourists’ stay in Elmina could be improved by providing competitive, insightful and memorable tours. Management of Elmina should constantly investigate the quality of tour services available to meet emerging needs of tourists.
Originality/value
To date, research into tour services, satisfaction and intentions of international tourists within city tourism as a foundation for future tourism development in Ghana has been overlooked. The findings provide an improved understanding of tour services, which will help Elmina’s tourism management to design and offer innovative and quality tour services to tourists.