Ying Ho, Long W. Lam and Desmond Lam
This study aims to explore the influence of casino servicescape on unplanned gaming behaviors by examining the mediating role of casino customers’ perceived behavioral control…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the influence of casino servicescape on unplanned gaming behaviors by examining the mediating role of casino customers’ perceived behavioral control (i.e. perceived internal and external control).
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 475 casino customers using street intercept survey. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the mediating role of perceived behavioral control.
Findings
Results show a negative indirect effect of casino servicescape evaluation on customers’ unplanned gaming behaviors through perceived internal control. Moreover, casino customers’ perceived external control does not mediate the relationship between casino servicescape evaluation and unplanned gaming behaviors.
Research limitations/implications
Findings suggest that a favorable casino servicescape may enhance customers’ perception of control over their personal resources (e.g. skills and knowledge), which in turn facilitate self-regulation of their unplanned gaming behaviors. The findings are limited to Chinese casino customers, and researchers should further validate the results for non-Chinese casino patrons.
Practical implications
To casino operators, results suggest that the Friedman-style casino design (i.e. compact gambling areas and low ceilings) potentially encourages unplanned gaming behaviors of casino customers. From social-policy perspective, governments can create effective responsible gaming programs by enhancing casino customers’ perceived internal control.
Originality/value
This study illuminates the process that connects casino servicescape with unplanned gaming behavior by explicitly testing the mediating role of customers’ perceived behavioral control. Moreover, it examines unplanned gaming behaviors of leisure gamblers who represent the mass gaming population.
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Catherine Prentice, IpKin Anthony Wong and Desmond Lam
This paper, from a marketing and management perspective, aims to review the relevant literature germane to casino studies. The review discusses the major findings from previous…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper, from a marketing and management perspective, aims to review the relevant literature germane to casino studies. The review discusses the major findings from previous studies, provides a critique and identifies research gaps for future studies. In particular, the research foci presented in this paper rest on the service profit chain (SPC) model. The review involves studies relating to the constructs of the chain model and comprises sections that are categorized based on the internal link between management and employees, interaction between casino service employees and customers and profitability link.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach used in the current study involves a systematic review of the relevant academic literature with a focus on SPC studies in the casino industry, along with critical evaluation and analysis to identify research gaps. Google Scholar, EBSCOHost, Science Direct, Emerald and other academic databases were used to search relevant studies relating to casino and gambling research streams.
Findings
The review identifies several research gaps on the basis of the SPC link. Specifically, internal service quality needs more attention from both the practice and research points of view. Casino employee research should be extended to include personal traits and characteristics that may contribute to employee performance and loyalty. In the interaction between casino service providers and gamblers, more studies should be undertaken on the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing initiatives and promotions. Externally, the paper points out that more appropriate measurement of customer loyalty and casino profitability should be explored.
Research limitations/implications
This review provides references to focusing on key competitive advantages and presents guidelines on improving business growth and profitability for casino managers. The paper also identifies research areas that future studies should attend to.
Originality/value
The paper is the first thorough literature review of gaming research on marketing and management with a focus on the SPC model. This review represents a new era of gaming research, extending the problem gambling research focus into a broader scope embracing other disciplines.
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Candy Mei Fung Tang and Desmond Lam
This paper aims to examine the role of extraversion and agreeableness personality traits on Generation Y (Gen Y) consumers’ attitudes toward and willingness to pay for green…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the role of extraversion and agreeableness personality traits on Generation Y (Gen Y) consumers’ attitudes toward and willingness to pay for green hotels. Gen Y is a large and influential generational group, with a significant interest in green issues. There has been a lack of research on the consumer decision-making process toward green hotels. Specifically, the impact of personality on green attitudes and behavioral intentions is rarely investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
A major survey consisting of 406 final respondents was conducted. The 29-item survey questionnaire comprises items for extraversion, agreeableness, attitudes toward green hotels and behavioral intention toward green hotels. Numerous statistical techniques, including structural equation modeling, were used to evaluate the data collected.
Findings
The results show that extraversion and agreeableness personality traits are positively associated with respondents’ attitudes toward green hotels. Stronger and more positive attitudes toward green hotels lead to greater willingness to pay for green hotels. Moreover, attitudes toward green hotels mediate the relationship between the two personality traits and willingness to pay. These findings of Gen Y subsegments can be useful to hotel managers in identifying who are more likely to stay in and pay for environmentally friendly hotels.
Originality/value
Gen Ys are an influential consumer age group in the service industry, and their general attitudes toward “green” products are important to modern hoteliers. However, few researchers have examined Gen Ys’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward green issues. No research has examined the role of personality traits on consumers’ perceptions of green hotels. The present study found that the extraversion and agreeableness traits of Gen Y individuals are linked to their attitudes toward and willingness to pay for green hotels.
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Martin Jaeger, Desmond Adair and Sondus Al‐Qudah
Quality criteria of The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) have been used as a standard for organisational self‐assessment and benchmarking. The threefold purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality criteria of The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) have been used as a standard for organisational self‐assessment and benchmarking. The threefold purpose of this paper is: to analyse the individual weights of the MBNQA criteria for organisations of the construction and the manufacturing industry within the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries in order to create a basis for self‐assessment and benchmarking; to identify differences of criteria importance between the construction and the manufacturing industry (external alignment) in order to identify challenging areas on TQM when two organisations from the respective industries collaborate; and to compare the perspectives of project managers with those of quality management representatives (internal alignment) in order to identify challenging areas on an organisation's TQM caused by not aligned or contradicting perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaire based in‐depth interviews of GCC project managers and quality management representatives were analysed using a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to calculate the weights and subsequent ranking of seven quality criteria.
Findings
When compared to the original weights of the MBNQA criteria, the “results” criterion was found to be ranked the same. However, clear differences were identified regarding the criteria “leadership” and “measurement/analysis”. The differences between the two analysed industries were not significant, whereas project managers and quality management representatives have clearly differing views on all seven criteria.
Originality/value
First, the analysed ranking of MBNQA quality criteria in the GCC countries gives organisations of the construction and the manufacturing industry a benchmark for comparison with their ranking of the MBNQA criteria. Second, clients may assume a common and hence strong basis for TQM when organisations belonging to the construction industry collaborate with organisations belonging to the manufacturing industry. Third, the organisations’ internal communication between project managers and quality management representatives needs to be improved in order to pursue common TQM goals effectively.
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The paper presents a case study of Ikeda Hover Ltd, a synchronous seat supplier to Nissan Manufacturing UK Ltd. The case study explores the differences between just‐in‐time (JIT…
Abstract
The paper presents a case study of Ikeda Hover Ltd, a synchronous seat supplier to Nissan Manufacturing UK Ltd. The case study explores the differences between just‐in‐time (JIT) and synchronous supply from both the buyer and supplier perspective, as well as examining the importance of effective supply chain management, effective use of appropriate technologies and the importance of quality within the context of a synchronous buyer‐supplier relationship. The findings of this case study suggest that whilst synchronous supply results in notable benefits for both buyer and supplier the journey to achieving synchronicity is difficult and such a supply system may be limited to the supply of a small number of key components or high value component systems.
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Research demonstrates that social class affects where high-achieving students apply to college, but the processes through which such effects come about are not well understood…
Abstract
Research demonstrates that social class affects where high-achieving students apply to college, but the processes through which such effects come about are not well understood. This chapter draws on 46 in-depth interviews with high-achieving students in the Bay Area to examine how social class impacts college application decisions. I argue that the upbringing and experiences associated with students’ social class shape their narratives regarding how much autonomy or constraints they perceive in making college decisions. Higher-SES students present a narrative of independence about what they have done to prepare themselves for college and where to apply. In contrast, lower-SES students speak of experiences and considerations that reflect a narrative of interdependence between themselves and their parents that is grounded in the mutual concern they have for one another as the prospect of college looms. As a result, higher-SES students frame college as an opportunity to leave their families and immerse themselves in an environment far from home while lower-SES students understand college as a continuation of family interdependence. Consequently, higher-SES students are more likely to apply to selective private universities in other parts of the country, while lower-SES students tend to limit their choices to primarily selective and nonselective public colleges closer to home. This research enhances our understanding of the mechanisms by which social class differences in family experiences contribute to the perpetuation of social inequality.
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Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System’s model, this study documented acculturation and parental involvement in low-income Chinese immigrant homes that serve as predictors…
Abstract
Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System’s model, this study documented acculturation and parental involvement in low-income Chinese immigrant homes that serve as predictors of parental mediation. By surveying 165 parents of 3–13-year-old immigrant children, this study found that low-income Chinese parents enacted restrictive mediation the most and exhibited a slow acculturation process even after an average of seven years of emigration. Higher parental acculturation was related to a higher use of active and restrictive mediation. Additionally, different aspects of parental involvement also served as predictors of the three mediation strategies. Chinese cultural emphasis on academic excellence and success was used to help interpret the findings. Future research should consider implementing research-based adult media literacy programs for immigrant parents to help them practice their parental mediation skills in the host culture.
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Desmond Eseoghene Ighravwe and Sunday Ayoola Oke
Maintenance plans are programmes, which follow maintenance appraisals, contain information of what to do and the time approximates for accomplishments. They also deal with how to…
Abstract
Purpose
Maintenance plans are programmes, which follow maintenance appraisals, contain information of what to do and the time approximates for accomplishments. They also deal with how to carry out maintenance jobs. In contemporary period, curiosity has proliferated about how sustainability affects manufacturing plans. The purpose of this paper is to offer a comprehensive notion of maintenance sustainability in maintenance planning. The literature has downplayed maintenance sustainability but may support in understanding how to crack the present company-community conflicts about the negative influence of manufacturing on the environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This study develops the idea of selecting the proper maintenance strategy based on integrated fuzzy axiomatic design (FAD) principle and fuzzy-TOPSIS. This work suggests that the maintenance function is an uncertain, activity-oriented system. To fully appreciate the proposed framework, the work employs data from a cement manufacturing plant to test the structure. This study offers 20 influential factors on which it build the fundamental structure of maintenance system sustainability for manufacturing concerns. A novel literature contribution that departs from existing conceptions is the classical determination of weights of each sustainability factor, employing fuzzy entropy weighting approach. Furthermore, work innovatively determines the ranking of some important tenets of sustainability in maintenance and optimises the maintenance consumables employing the FAD principle.
Findings
Interestingly, the output of the investigation revealed differences as the work adopts fuzzy-TOPSIS in comparison with FAD principle.
Originality/value
Case examination of a real-life manufacturing venture validated the claims, showing maintenance workforce training as a top-echelon strategy for maintenance system sustainability.
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This paper explores the development of modular supply within the automotive sector with particular emphasis on the impact that modularization is likely to have on the value‐adding…
Abstract
This paper explores the development of modular supply within the automotive sector with particular emphasis on the impact that modularization is likely to have on the value‐adding processes of key component suppliers. In addition, a reclassification of the term “first‐tier” supplier is proposed with a view to exploring the attributes necessary for such suppliers to succeed within the emerging modular environment.