Khalid Hussain, Fengjie Jing, Muhammad Junaid, Qamar Uz Zaman and Huayu Shi
This study aims to investigate the outcomes of customers’ co-creation experience in a realistic and routinely performed co-creation setting, a restaurant. To fulfill this purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the outcomes of customers’ co-creation experience in a realistic and routinely performed co-creation setting, a restaurant. To fulfill this purpose, the current study links the branding literature to hospitality research and offers a novel framework by incorporating customers’ co-creation experience, customer brand engagement, emotional brand attachment and customer satisfaction in an integrated research model.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 421 diners at Chinese hotpot restaurants via a self-administered questionnaire. The reliability and convergent and discriminant validities were established through confirmatory factor analysis, and then hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling.
Findings
This study demonstrates that customers’ co-creation experience with a restaurant brand positively impacts customer brand engagement, emotional brand attachment and customer satisfaction. In addition, current study examines these relational paths at the dimensional level by taking the co-creation experience and customer brand engagement as multidimensional constructs. The resulting in-depth investigation reveals that the hedonic, social and economic experience dimensions of co-creation experience positively influence customer satisfaction, emotional brand attachment and customer brand engagement’s buying, referring, influencing and feedback dimensions.
Practical implications
This study helps relationship and brand managers better understand customer experience in co-creation settings and paves the way for managers to devise engagement strategies.
Originality/value
The current study marks an initial attempt to delineate the outcomes of customers’ co-creation experience in a realistic co-creation setting. Furthermore, the study is first of its kind that investigates the relationship of co-creation experience and customer brand engagement at the dimensional level.
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Khalid Hussain, Fengjie Jing, Muhammad Junaid, Farasat Ali Shah Bukhari and Huayu Shi
The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the effects of service quality (SQ) on outcome variables may shift over time. However, scant attention has been paid to capturing that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the effects of service quality (SQ) on outcome variables may shift over time. However, scant attention has been paid to capturing that shift. The current study uses the theory of relationship dynamics to capture the rate and direction of change in the effects of SQ attributes on customer satisfaction (CS) and emotional attachment (EA). For this purpose, the study takes CS-velocity and EA-velocity as dynamic outcomes of SQ.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 306 restaurant consumers responded to a structured questionnaire at three points in time. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out, followed by analysis of the data through latent growth curve modeling using MPlus (Version 8.1).
Findings
SQ attributes positively affect CS and EA, but these effects diminish over time, as SQ attributes negatively influence CS-velocity and EA-velocity. In addition, the study demonstrates that dynamic elements strongly impact behavioral intentions (BI).
Practical implications
The study enables service and relationship marketing managers to better understand the role of SQ attributes in maintaining longitudinal satisfaction, attachment and BI. The insights from this longitudinal investigation help managers to formulate long-term service management and relationship management strategies.
Originality/value
This study is the first attempt to examine SQ’s dynamic outcomes using longitudinal panel data. It is the first study to introduce EA-velocity as a dynamic construct of EA and the first to examine the relationships of CS-velocity and EA-velocity with BI.
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Khalid Hussain, Fengjie Jing, Muhammad Junaid, Huayu Shi and Usman Baig
Contemporary scholars contend that the buyer–seller relationship is dynamic in nature, so it grows, matures and declines over time. However, most studies that adopt the dynamic…
Abstract
Purpose
Contemporary scholars contend that the buyer–seller relationship is dynamic in nature, so it grows, matures and declines over time. However, most studies that adopt the dynamic perspective debates its conceptualization and how dynamic effects are captured. This scholarly discourse has led to multiple dynamic perspectives and resulted in fragmented and scattered literature on the subject. This study aims to synthesize the large body of research on dynamic perspectives in a systematic way.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper follows a systematic review approach to extract and review 192 research articles from four electronic databases: Web of Science, EBSCOhost Business, ScienceDirect and Emerald. Based on the inclusion criteria that the articles examine time-dependent relationship development in light of a generalizable dynamic perspective, 61 articles were selected for the final examination and reporting.
Findings
This review reveals that most research on the buyer–seller dynamic relationship follows at least one of four perspectives: the relationship lifecycle, relationship age, relationship velocity and the asymmetric–dynamic perspective. Each perspective offers a distinct conceptualization of relationship development and has certain advantages that enable researchers to capture information about relationships’ growth trajectory in a unique manner.
Practical implications
Firms need a set of diverse strategies for their customers, depending on the state of the relationships’ development, as strategies that pay off at initial levels may fail at later stages. This study helps managers select an appropriate dynamic perspective that best aligns with their customers’ stage of relationship development so they can devise customized relationship-management strategies.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this article is the first attempt to organize the discourse of a large body of research on dynamic perspectives, and therefore it helps academicians and practitioners to choose the dynamic perspective that best suits their objectives and research settings. This review documents key research areas that have been overlooked and highlights opportunities for future research.
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Yingxiang Zhao, Junde Guo, Xiaoni Yan, Shan Du, Min Gong, Biao Sun, Junwen Shi and Wen Deng
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the friction and wear mechanisms in copper-based self-lubricating composites with MoS2 as the lubricating phase, which provides a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the friction and wear mechanisms in copper-based self-lubricating composites with MoS2 as the lubricating phase, which provides a theoretical basis for subsequent research on high-performance copper-based self-lubricating materials.
Design/methodology/approach
Friction tests were performed at a speed of 100 r/min, a load of 10 N, a friction radius of 5 mm and a sliding speed of 30 min. Friction experiments were carried out at RT-500°C. The phase composition of the samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction of Cu Ka radiation, and the microstructure, morphology and elemental distribution were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Reactants and valences formed during the wear process were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
Findings
The addition of MoS2 can effectively improve friction-reducing and anti-wear action of the matrix, which is beneficial to form a lubricating film on the sliding track. After analyzing different changing mechanism of the sliding tracks, the oxides and sulfides of MoS2, MoO2, Cu2O, CuO and Ni(OH)2 were detected to form a synergetic lubricating film on the sliding track, which is responsible for the excellent tribological properties from room to elevated temperature.
Research limitations/implications
For self-lubrication Cu–Sn–Ni–MoS2 material in engineering field, there are still few available references on high-temperature application.
Practical implications
This paper provides a theoretical basis for the following research on copper-based self-lubricating materials with high performance.
Originality/value
With this statement, the authors hereby certify that the manuscript is the results of their own effort and ability. They have indicated all quotes, citations and references. Furthermore, the authors have not submitted any essay, paper or thesis with similar content elsewhere. No conflict of interest exits in the submission of this manuscript.
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Bifeng Yin, Xuefeng Wang, Bo Xu, Gongyin Huang and Xin Kuang
The purpose of this paper was to improve the frictional wear resistance properties of piston skirts caused by the low viscosity lubricant by studying the tribological performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to improve the frictional wear resistance properties of piston skirts caused by the low viscosity lubricant by studying the tribological performance of three novel coating materials.
Design/methodology/approach
Comparative tribological examinations were performed in a tribological tester using the ring-block arrangement under two viscosity lubricants, the loading force was applied as 100 N, the speed was set to 60 r/min and the testing time was 180 min.
Findings
Under low viscosity lubricant, the friction coefficient and wear of the three coatings all increase, and the friction coefficient and wear of the PTFE coating are the largest, while the MoS2 coating has the lowest friction coefficient and wear. Under low viscosity lubricant, the friction coefficient of the MoS2 coating is 2.1%–5.4% and 20.0%–24.3% lower than that of the SiO2 and PTFE coating, respectively. The friction coefficient and wear fluctuation rate of the MoS2 coating is the smallest when the lubricant viscosity decreases, which indicates that the MoS2 coating has excellent stability and adaptability under low viscosity lubricant.
Originality/value
To reduce the piston skirt wear caused by low viscosity lubricant in heavy-duty diesel engines, the friction and wear adaptability of three novel composite coating materials for piston skirts were compared under 0 W-20 low viscosity lubricant, which could provide a guidance for the application of wear-resistant materials for heavy-duty diesel engine piston skirt.
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Jie Meng and Fenghua Wu
As a crucial institutional form established since the Chinese economic reform, the system of competitive local governments has been shaping the characteristics of China's…
Abstract
Purpose
As a crucial institutional form established since the Chinese economic reform, the system of competitive local governments has been shaping the characteristics of China's socialist market economy to a considerable degree.
Design/methodology/approach
This study not only adopts the view of existing studies that attribute the economic motive of local governments to rent and consider land public finance as a means through which local governments carry out strategic investment but also attempts to further develop the view within a Marxist analytical framework.
Findings
As a result, the local governments have helped to maintain an incredibly high investment rate over a considerable period of time, facilitating the continuous, rapid growth of the Chinese economy.
Originality/value
This study concludes that China's local governments function as the productive allocator and user of rent in the strategic investment based on land public finance and thereby embed themselves in the relative surplus-value production initially arising from competition amongst enterprises, forming the dual structure of relative surplus-value production unique to China's economy.
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This paper aims to explore various tensions related to the diffusion and reception of the New Qing History (NQH) in China, and more specifically, it aims at underlying a recurrent…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore various tensions related to the diffusion and reception of the New Qing History (NQH) in China, and more specifically, it aims at underlying a recurrent tension within the core of this debate, between a Global and a Nationalist historical narrative.
Design/methodology/approach
The author’s focus is to analyze various texts published in China between 2006 and 2018.
Findings
The author argues that the intensity of the current debate is partly related on the one hand, to the fact that NQH undermines various aspects of China’s Nationalist teleology and territorial claims and, on the other hand, to the basic difficulty of accepting the coexistence of various historical representations that are risking to weaken contemporary’s justifications of its rising schemes.
Originality/value
The text presents an original reading of some important issues raised by the NQH debate.
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Zeyu Xing, Tachia Chin, Jing Huang, Mirko Perano and Valerio Temperini
The ongoing paradigm shift in the energy sector holds paramount implications for the realization of the sustainable development goals, encompassing critical domains such as…
Abstract
Purpose
The ongoing paradigm shift in the energy sector holds paramount implications for the realization of the sustainable development goals, encompassing critical domains such as resource optimization, environmental stewardship and workforce opportunities. Concurrently, this transformative trajectory within the power sector possesses a dual-edged nature; it may ameliorate certain challenges while accentuating others. In light of the burgeoning research stream on open innovation, this study aims to examine the intricate dynamics of knowledge-based industry-university-research networking, with an overarching objective to elucidate and calibrate the equilibrium of ambidextrous innovation within power systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors scrutinize the role of different innovation organizations in three innovation models: ambidextrous, exploitative and exploratory, and use a multiobjective decision analysis method-entropy weight TOPSIS. The research was conducted within the sphere of the power industry, and the authors mined data from the widely used PatSnap database.
Findings
Results show that the breadth of knowledge search and the strength of an organization’s direct relationships are crucial for ambidextrous innovation, with research institutions having the highest impact. In contrast, for exploitative innovation, depth of knowledge search, the number of R&D patents and the number of innovative products are paramount, with universities playing the most significant role. For exploratory innovation, the depth of knowledge search and the quality of two-mode network relations are vital, with research institutions yielding the best effect. Regional analysis reveals Beijing as the primary hub for ambidextrous and exploratory innovation organizations, while Jiangsu leads for exploitative innovation.
Practical implications
The study offers valuable implications to cope with the dynamic state of ambidextrous innovation performance of the entire power system. In light of the findings, the dynamic state of ambidextrous innovation performance within the power system can be adeptly managed. By emphasizing a balance between exploratory and exploitative strategies, stakeholders are better positioned to respond to evolving challenges and opportunities. Thus, the study offers pivotal guidance to ensure sustained adaptability and growth in the power sector’s innovation landscape.
Originality/value
The primary originality is to extend and refine the theoretical understanding of ambidextrous innovation within power systems. By integrating several theoretical frameworks, including social network theory, knowledge-based theory and resource-based theory, the authors enrich the theoretical landscape of power system ambidextrous innovation. Also, this inclusive examination of two-mode network structures, including the interplay between knowledge and cooperation networks, unveils the intricate interdependencies between these networks and the ambidextrous innovation of power systems. This approach significantly widens the theoretical parameters of innovation network research.
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Jasvinder Singh, Pulak Mohan Pandey, Tejinder Kaur and Neetu Singh
The purpose of this paper is to fabricate pre-existing geometries of the stents using solvent cast 3D printing (SC3P) and encapsulation of each stent with heparin drug by using…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to fabricate pre-existing geometries of the stents using solvent cast 3D printing (SC3P) and encapsulation of each stent with heparin drug by using aminolysis reaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The iron pentacarbonyl powder and poly-ɛ-caprolactone blend (PCIP) were used to print stent designs of Art18z, Palmaz-Schatz and Abbott Bvs1.1. The properties of antithrombosis, anticoagulation and blood compatibility were introduced in the stents by conjugation of heparin drug via the aminolysis process. The aminolysis process was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy due to presence of amide group and nitrogen peak in the respective analysis. Biological studies were performed to depict the cell viability, hemocompatibility and antithrombotic properties. Besides, mechanical behaviors were analyzed to study the behavior of the stents under radial compression load and bending load.
Findings
The amount of heparin immobilized on the Art18z, Palmaz-Schatz and Abbott Bvs1.1 stents were 255 ± 27, 222 ± 30 and 212 ± 13 µg, respectively. The cell viability studies using L929 fibroblast cells confirmed the cytocompatibility of the stents. The heparinized SC3P printed stents displayed excellent thrombo-resistance, anticoagulation properties and hemocompatibility as confirmed by blood coagulation analysis, platelet adhesion test and hemolysis analysis. Besides, mechanical behavior was found in context of the real-life stents. All these assessments confirmed that the developed stents have the potential to be used in the real environment of coronary arteries.
Originality/value
Various customized shaped biodegradable stents were fabricated using 3D printing technique and encapsulated with heparin drug using aminolysis process.