Gour C. Saha and Theingi
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among the constructs of service quality, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions in passengers of three low‐cost…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among the constructs of service quality, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions in passengers of three low‐cost carriers (LCCs) offering airline services in Thailand.
Design/methodology/approach
A large sample of 1,212 passengers who had travelled on LCCs in Thailand in the preceding 12 months is surveyed to test four hypothesised relationships among the constructs of service quality, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions using structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
The study finds that the order of importance of the dimensions of service quality tested here is: flight schedules; flight attendants; tangibles; and ground staff. Passenger satisfaction with these service‐quality dimensions is found to be very important in explaining behavioural intentions. Satisfied passengers are mostly influenced by the schedule. Such customers engage in positive word‐of‐mouth communication and have high repurchase intentions. Dissatisfied passengers prefer to change airlines, rather than provide feedback to the LCCs.
Research limitations/implications
The study has not definitively established causality among the constructs of service quality, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions. Moreover, satisfaction is based only on service quality. Future research should examine the causality and other possible satisfaction factors.
Practical implications
Managers of LCCs who have not traditionally placed a high priority on quality should be aware of the importance of service quality and passenger satisfaction in determining the behavioural intentions of passengers of LCCs.
Originality/value
The study provides an example of the use of a revised set of SERVPERF service‐quality dimensions. The study also posits passenger satisfaction and behavioural intentions in a single model in the context of LCCs in Thailand.
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Anupam Das, Vinod Kumar and Gour C. Saha
This research aims to examine the applicability of the Retail Service Quality Scale (RSQS) in retail stores in Kazakhstan, a country of the Commonwealth of Independent States…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to examine the applicability of the Retail Service Quality Scale (RSQS) in retail stores in Kazakhstan, a country of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that is in the transition stage from a controlled economy to a market economy. This research also attempts to identify the dimensions and sub‐dimensions that contribute to increasing the customer base.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 220 shoppers from department stores, discount stores, and supermarkets in Almaty city, Kazakhstan, was surveyed to examine the validity and reliability of the five dimensions (physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem solving, and policy) and six sub‐dimensions (appearance, convenience, promises, doing‐it‐right, inspiring confidence and courteousness/helpfulness) of RSQS. The findings are cross‐validated hierarchically using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Step‐wise regression methods are used to identify the dimensions and sub‐dimensions contributing to increasing the customer base.
Findings
The research finds that the RSQS structure is a good fit in the Kazakhstan retail setting. The five dimensions and six sub‐dimensions together provide significant usefulness in measuring the quality of retail services. The research also finds that while all the dimensions and sub‐dimensions have a positive relationship, two dimensions (personal interaction, physical aspects) and one sub‐dimension (inspiring confidence) are strongly related to increasing the customer base through return customers and word of mouth from satisfied customers.
Research limitations/implications
The present study does not distinguish applicability of the RSQS in the different formats of the retail store. Future research should examine the impact of the different retail formats in using the scale for measuring retail service quality.
Practical implications
Prospective and existing retail service providers who place a high priority on quality can use this instrument to track the high growth potential of the retail sector in CIS countries. It will help to measure their services and increase their customer base by targeting the appropriate dimensions and sub‐dimensions.
Originality/value
The authors believe that this research reveals new insights about the retail sector in the context of CIS countries. This research also has managerial and research implications for designing and formulating operations strategy in providing retail services for new markets.
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Biswajit Paul, Raktim Ghosh, Ashish Kumar Sana, Bhaskar Bagchi, Priyajit Kumar Ghosh and Swarup Saha
This study empirically investigates the interdependency of select Asian emerging economies along with the financial stress index during the times of the global financial crisis…
Abstract
Purpose
This study empirically investigates the interdependency of select Asian emerging economies along with the financial stress index during the times of the global financial crisis, the Euro crisis and the COVID-19 period. Moreover, it inspects the long-memory effects of the different crises during the study period.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the objectives of the study, the authors apply different statistical tools, namely the adjusted correlation coefficient, fractionally integrated generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (FIGARCH) model and wavelet coherence model, along with descriptive statistics.
Findings
Financial stress is having a prodigious effect on the economic growth of select economies. From the data analysis, it is found that the long-memory effect is noted in the gross domestic product (GDP) for India and Korea only, which implies that the volatility in the GDP series for these two nations demonstrates persistence and dependency on previous values over a lengthy period.
Originality/value
The study is unique of its kind to consider multi-segments within the period of the study to get a clear idea about the effects of the financial stress index on select Asian emerging economies by applying different econometric tools.
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Gour Gobinda Goswami, Farhan Khan, Kazi Labiba, Farhanaj Achol, Tapas Kumar Saha and Aunanna Zulfikar
The scope of this work is to explore whether Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) would be beneficial to Bangladesh, given Bangladesh's strong ties with India and…
Abstract
Purpose
The scope of this work is to explore whether Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) would be beneficial to Bangladesh, given Bangladesh's strong ties with India and the west.
Design/methodology/approach
Using extended gravity equation and data from Head and Mayer (2021) and the Direction of Trade Statistic (IMF, 2021) for Bangladesh with its applicable partner countries from 1972 till 2019, the authors attempted to examine the potential impact of joining RCEP while keeping its relationship with South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and other existing economic integration schemes intact.
Findings
Using traditional pooled ordinary least squares, two-stage least square and generalized method of moment techniques, it has been revealed that conventional partners in the South led by India are still beneficial to Bangladeshs trading line. Joining RCEP provides ample avenues for trade expansion without replacing the positive effects of SAARC.
Practical implications
Traditional partners from European, American and South Asian trading opportunities are still paying enough dividends to Bangladesh. RCEP is providing a trade-enhancing chance for Bangladesh in the eastern direction. This paper provides a policy suggestion to look east policy of government. A total overhaul of her tax structure through minimizing excessive reliance on import tariff revenue is desired to facilitate her to join RCEP in the future because most of its prospective RCEP partners are import partners.
Originality/value
This is the first and the only study which explores the feasibility of Bangladesh to join the RCEP by using the most recently updated gravity data in a panel framework.
Highlights
Since its inception on November 15, 2020, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has emerged as one of the largest economic integration areas in the world.
As a borderline country between South Asia and RCEP, Bangladesh is in a fix to take a decision either to join or not to join RCEP if they are invited.
This paper used the gravity equation in an extended form by taking Bangladesh with its 197 trading partners’ trade data for 1972–2019.
The findings postulate that the existing relationship with SAARC countries is still beneficial to its welfare, and RCEP is also economically helpful in enhancing its trade.
Since its inception on November 15, 2020, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has emerged as one of the largest economic integration areas in the world.
As a borderline country between South Asia and RCEP, Bangladesh is in a fix to take a decision either to join or not to join RCEP if they are invited.
This paper used the gravity equation in an extended form by taking Bangladesh with its 197 trading partners’ trade data for 1972–2019.
The findings postulate that the existing relationship with SAARC countries is still beneficial to its welfare, and RCEP is also economically helpful in enhancing its trade.
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Vinita Dwivedi and Uttam Kumar Khedlekar
This study aims to explore the global threat of diseases that affect people, such as diarrheal, Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Measles diseases, emphasizing the integration of disease…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the global threat of diseases that affect people, such as diarrheal, Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Measles diseases, emphasizing the integration of disease vaccines into immunization programs globally as recommended by the World Health Organization, resulting in significant case reductions.
Design/methodology/approach
Notably, it stresses the necessity of raising awareness about diseases and vaccines through promotional efforts alongside effective inventory management because of vaccine perishability, highlighting preservation techniques and cold storage. Addressing environmental concerns, including carbon emissions from vaccine deterioration, the study proposes green technology investments aligned with Sustainable Development Goals to mitigate these impacts. Additionally, advanced optimization algorithms, including ant colony, modified flower pollination, cuckoo search and particle swarm optimization algorithms, are used to optimize pricing, preservation strategies, green investments and replenishment schedules. The research also uses the concept of interval values to enhance the robustness of the optimization framework. Through numerical experiments, the study demonstrates the effectiveness of this dynamic investment approach, providing empirical validation.
Findings
Furthermore, sensitivity analysis on critical parameters yields valuable insights for decision-makers, underscoring the importance of dynamically managing vaccine inventory. The study offers practical solutions and managerial insights that can inform policy decisions and strategic planning in disease response efforts.
Originality/value
This study concludes by emphasizing how creative green technology approaches can help decision-makers manage the social and environmental effects of vaccine inventories in the health care of people.
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Gour Gobinda Goswami, Md. Rubaiyath Sarwar and Md. Mahbubur Rahman
The main objective of this paper is to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism flows of eight Asia-Pacific Countries: Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The main objective of this paper is to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism flows of eight Asia-Pacific Countries: Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
Design/methodology/approach
Using monthly data from 2019M1 to 2021M10 and 48 origin and eight destination countries in a panel Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood (PPML) estimation technique and gravity equation framework, this paper finds that after controlling for gravity determinants, COVID-19 periods have a 0.689% lower tourism inflow than in non-COVID-19 periods. The total observations in this paper are 12,138.
Findings
A 1% increase in COVID-19 transmission in the origin country leads to a 0.037% decline in tourism flow in the destination country, while the reduction is just 0.011% from the destination. On the mortality side, the corresponding decline in tourism flows from origin countries is 0.030%, whereas it is 0.038% from destination countries. A 1% increase in vaccine intensity in the destination country leads to a 0.10% improvement in tourism flows, whereas vaccinations at the source have no statistically significant effect. The results are also robust at a 1% level in a pooled OLS and random-effects specification for the same model.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide insights into managing tourism flows concerning transmission, death and vaccination coverage in destination and origin countries.
Practical implications
The COVID-19-induced tourism decline may also be considered another channel through which the global recession has been aggravated. If we convert this decline in terms of loss of GDP, the global figure will be huge, and airline industries will have to cut down many service products for a long time to recover from the COVID-19-induced tourism decline.
Social implications
It is to be realized by the policymaker and politicians that infectious diseases have no national boundary, and the problem is not local or national. That’s why it is to be faced globally with cooperation from all the countries.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to address tourism disruption due to COVID-19 in eight Asia-Pacific countries using a gravity model framework.
Highlights
Asia-Pacific countries are traditionally globalized through tourism channels
This pattern was severely affected by COVID-19 transmission and mortality and improved through vaccination
The gravity model can be used to quantify the loss in the tourism sector due to COVID-19 shocks
Transmission and mortality should be controlled both at the origin and the destination countries
Vaccinations in destination countries significantly raise tourism flows
Asia-Pacific countries are traditionally globalized through tourism channels
This pattern was severely affected by COVID-19 transmission and mortality and improved through vaccination
The gravity model can be used to quantify the loss in the tourism sector due to COVID-19 shocks
Transmission and mortality should be controlled both at the origin and the destination countries
Vaccinations in destination countries significantly raise tourism flows
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Showmitra Kumar Sarkar, Swapan Talukdar, Atiqur Rahman, Shahfahad and Sujit Kumar Roy
The present study aims to construct ensemble machine learning (EML) algorithms for groundwater potentiality mapping (GPM) in the Teesta River basin of Bangladesh, including random…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study aims to construct ensemble machine learning (EML) algorithms for groundwater potentiality mapping (GPM) in the Teesta River basin of Bangladesh, including random forest (RF) and random subspace (RSS).
Design/methodology/approach
The RF and RSS models have been implemented for integrating 14 selected groundwater condition parametres with groundwater inventories for generating GPMs. The GPM were then validated using the empirical and bionormal receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve.
Findings
The very high (831–1200 km2) and high groundwater potential areas (521–680 km2) were predicted using EML algorithms. The RSS (AUC-0.892) model outperformed RF model based on ROC's area under curve (AUC).
Originality/value
Two new EML models have been constructed for GPM. These findings will aid in proposing sustainable water resource management plans.
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Ishita Afreen Ahmed, Shahfahad Shahfahad, Mirza Razi Imam Baig, Swapan Talukdar, Md Sarfaraz Asgher, Tariq Mahmood Usmani, Shakeel Ahmed and Atiqur Rahman
Deepor Beel is one of the Ramsar Site and a wetland of great biodiversity, situated in the south-western part of Guwahati, Assam. With urban development at its forefront city of…
Abstract
Purpose
Deepor Beel is one of the Ramsar Site and a wetland of great biodiversity, situated in the south-western part of Guwahati, Assam. With urban development at its forefront city of Guwahati, Deepor Beel is under constant threat. The study aims to calculate the lake water volume from the water surface area and the underwater terrain data using a triangulated irregular network (TIN) volume model.
Design/methodology/approach
The lake water surface boundaries for each year were combined with field-observed water level data to generate a description of the underwater terrain. Time series LANDSAT images of 2001, 2011 and 2019 were used to extract the modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) in GIS domain.
Findings
The MNDWI was 0.462 in 2001 which reduced to 0.240 in 2019. This shows that the lake water storage capacity shrank in the last 2 decades. This leads to a major problem, i.e. the storage capacity of the lake has been declining gradually from 20.95 million m3 in 2001 to 16.73 million m3 in 2011 and further declined to 15.35 million m3 in 2019. The fast decline in lake water volume is a serious concern in the age of rapid urbanization of big cities like Guwahati.
Originality/value
None of the studies have been done previously to analyze the decline in the volume of Deepor Beel lake. Therefore, this study will provide useful insights in the water resource management and the conservation of Deepor Beel lake.