Alejandro Ramirez‐Serrano, Hubert Liu and Giovanni C. Pettinaro
The purpose of this paper is to address the online localization of mobile (service) robots in real world dynamic environments. Most of the techniques developed so far have been…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address the online localization of mobile (service) robots in real world dynamic environments. Most of the techniques developed so far have been designed for static environments. What is presented here is a novel technique for mobile robot localization in quasi‐dynamic environments.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed approach employs a probability grid map and Baye's filtering techniques. The former is used for representing the possible changes in the surrounding environment which a robot might have to face.
Findings
Simulation and experimental results show that this approach has a high degree of robustness by taking into account both sensor and world uncertainty. The methodology has been tested under different environment scenarios where diverse complex objects having different sizes and shapes were used to represent movable and non‐movable entities.
Practical implications
The results can be applied to diverse robotic systems that need to move in changing indoor environments such as hospitals and places where people might require assistance from autonomous robotic devices. The methodology is fast, efficient and can be used in fast‐moving robots, allowing them to perform complex operations such as path planning and navigation in real time.
Originality/value
What is proposed here is a novel mobile robot localization approach that enables unmanned vehicles to effectively move in real time and know their current location in dynamic environments. Such an approach consists of two steps: a generation of the probability grid map; and a recursive position estimation methodology employing a variant of the Baye's filter.
Yeyi Liu, Tobias Johannes Hubert Mayerhofer, André Marchand, Thomas Foscht, Martin Paul Fritze and Andreas Benedikt Eisingerich
This study aims to explore the extent to which customer orientation and creative benefits offered by a firm may weaken rather than strengthen customer engagement. In doing so, it…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the extent to which customer orientation and creative benefits offered by a firm may weaken rather than strengthen customer engagement. In doing so, it sheds new light on how customer orientation and creative benefits may facilitate rather than hinder engagement by customers.
Design/methodology/approach
A field study provides a test of the proposed effects in a hedonic consumption setting with 1,703 customers of an online dating service. Furthermore, an experimental study with 277 executives in a functional consumption setting (new mobile app) helps affirm the robustness of the field study findings.
Findings
This research theorizes and examines how communal relationship norms between customers and a firm, along with customers’ psychological empowerment, mediate the effect of customer orientation and creative benefits on customer engagement. A provocative finding of the study is that communal relationship norms help boost, whereas psychological empowerment reduces, the effects of both customer orientation and creative benefits on customer engagement.
Research limitations/implications
The research examines different relationship norms and how they can become integral to customer–company relationships; this perspective helps reveal the underlying dynamics. It contributes to the literature on customer engagement by theorizing and demonstrating the link between customer orientation and customer engagement, two central constructs in the marketing literature. It theorizes and demonstrates that providing creative benefits brings about a direct competitive advantage for the product itself, and acts as a significant variable that explains the company−customer relationship.
Practical implications
The findings highlight the advantages and challenges associated with encouraging customer engagement. First, they suggest that companies emphasize their customer orientation and creative benefits. Second, managers should try to minimize the possible process of raising customers’ psychological empowerment while maximizing the impact of communal relationship norms.
Originality/value
This study identifies psychological empowerment as a key reason customer-oriented companies that provide creative benefits still struggle to engage their customers. It also suggests viable tactics to overcome barriers to enhanced customer engagement, such as by minimizing the effects of customers’ psychological empowerment while maximizing the impact of their perceived communal relationship norms.
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Marco Hubert, Markus Blut, Christian Brock, Ruby Wenjiao Zhang, Vincent Koch and René Riedl
This study aims to develop a comprehensive adoption model that combines constructs from various theories and tests these theories against each other. The study combines a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a comprehensive adoption model that combines constructs from various theories and tests these theories against each other. The study combines a technology acceptance model, innovation diffusion theory and risk theory. It develops this model in a smart home applications context.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on an online survey consisting of 409 participants, and the data are analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
Each theory provides unique insights into technology acceptance and numerous constructs are interrelated. Predictors from innovation diffusion and risk theory often display indirect effects through technology acceptance variables. The study identifies risk perception as a major inhibitor of use intention, mediated through perceived usefulness. Results reveal that the most important determinants of use intention are compatibility and usefulness of the application.
Research limitations/implications
Studies which do not examine different theories together may not be able to detect the indirect effects of some predictors and could falsely conclude that these predictors do no matter. The findings emphasize the crucial role of compatibility, perceived usefulness and various risk facets associated with smart homes.
Originality/value
This study broadens the understanding about the necessity of combining acceptance and adoption drivers from several theories to better understand the usage of complex technological systems such as smart home applications.
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Marcin Nowak, Rafał Mierzwiak, Hubert Wojciechowski and Camelia Delcea
The article proposes a new method of strategic analysis. The method was called the grey portfolio analysis method. The presented method is complementary to the popular BCG matrix…
Abstract
Purpose
The article proposes a new method of strategic analysis. The method was called the grey portfolio analysis method. The presented method is complementary to the popular BCG matrix. The use of the grey portfolio analysis method enables to make a dynamic portfolio analysis for data with a high level of uncertainty.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the article presents current problems related to the application of portfolio methods in strategic management, in particular with reference to the BCG matrix. Second, the basics of grey numbers, operations with them and the way of acting in the grey portfolio analysis method are presented. Finally, the developed method is presented in a case study concerning an IT enterprise, whose portfolio includes cloud computing services.
Findings
In the article, a new method of a strategic analysis based on the BCG matrix was presented. It combines grey methodologies of decision making with a grey prognostic model in the context of a strategic analysis. Due to this fact, a dynamic approach to the issues of portfolio methods is possible.
Practical implications
The article fits the current need related to the development of new expert systems supporting strategic management in enterprises.
Originality/value
An introduced method is new and innovative in the area of portfolio methods. Its originality results from the fact that it eliminates a static nature of the BCG matrix through the use of grey prognostic models. What is more, when grey numbers are used, a problem of uncertainty of information, which appears, is solved at a methodological level.
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Hsiao-Han Lu and Wei-Jen Huang
This study aims to examine the effects of network externalities and diffusion of innovation on users’ perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment, and in turn subjective…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the effects of network externalities and diffusion of innovation on users’ perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment, and in turn subjective well-being and intention to use in the smart living context.
Design/methodology/approach
To explore different types of smart living services, the data collected come from surveying 512 users of smart home services and 570 users of smart living apps. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data, and post hoc interviews are conducted to provide insights into our conceptual model of smart living services.
Findings
Compatibility and perceived service complementarity are the most influential determinants of users’ perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment toward smart living services. Perceived usefulness has a greater impact on users’ intention to use and their subjective well-being than perceived enjoyment. Interestingly, perceived enjoyment exerts a stronger influence on subjective well-being than on intention to use.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to provide empirical evidence in the context of smart living services, contributing to transformative service literature by extending the understanding of technology use and its influence on user well-being into a less explored service context. This study also advances users’ intention to use and subjective well-being of technology adoption in the service context by integrating perspectives from network externalities and diffusion of innovation.
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Zaira Camoiras-Rodriguez and Concepción Varela
This study aims to increase the understanding of the drivers of mobile shopping, by analyzing when and how two personality traits – value consciousness and shopping enjoyment �…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to increase the understanding of the drivers of mobile shopping, by analyzing when and how two personality traits – value consciousness and shopping enjoyment – impact mobile shopping intention through usefulness and ease-of-use perceptions.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the conditioned indirect effects, path analysis is used.
Findings
The results indicate that both consumers’ value consciousness and shopping enjoyment have a positive indirect effect on mobile shopping intention. However, shopping enjoyment is related only through usefulness, whereas value consciousness is related via both usefulness and ease of use. The results also suggest the need to consider boundary conditions when examining the impact of personality traits.
Practical implications
Mobile retailers need to conduct market segmentation based on users’ personalities when trying to increase their customer base.
Originality/value
Despite the relevance of personality traits on individual behavior, studies on the effects that different aspects of personality have on the participation of individuals in mobile commerce are very scarce and show inconsistent results regarding their impact. Thus, this study tries to contribute to the mobile commerce research by analyzing the interplay between two customer characteristics and two mediating variables: ease-of-use and usefulness perceptions.
Propósito
Esta investigación busca aumentar la comprensión de los antecedentes de las compras móviles, analizando cuándo y cómo dos rasgos de personalidad – conciencia de valor y disfrute por la compra – afectan a la intención de compra móvil a través de las percepciones de utilidad y facilidad de uso.
Diseño/metodología/enfoque
Para comprobar los efectos indirectos condicionados propuestos se emplea un análisis path.
Hallazgos
Los resultados indican que tanto la conciencia de valor como el disfrute por la compra de los consumidores tienen un efecto indirecto positivo en la intención de compra móvil. Sin embargo, el disfrute por la compra se relaciona sólo a través de la utilidad, mientras que la conciencia de valor se relaciona tanto a través de la utilidad como de la facilidad de uso. Los resultados también sugieren la necesidad de considerar factores moderadores al examinar el impacto de los rasgos de personalidad.
Implicaciones para la gestión
Los minoristas a través del móvil que quieran aumentar su base de clientes necesitan segmentar el mercado en base a la personalidad de los usuarios.
Originalidad/valor
A pesar de la relevancia que tienen los rasgos de personalidad en el comportamiento de los individuos, los estudios sobre los efectos de distintos aspectos de la personalidad sobre la participación de los individuos en el comercio móvil son muy escasos y muestran resultados inconsistentes. Así, este estudio intenta contribuir a la investigación sobre comercio móvil analizando la relación entre dos características del consumidor y dos variables mediadoras: las percepciones de facilidad de uso y utilidad.
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Alei Fan, Hubert B. Van Hoof, Xueting Dou and Ana Lucia Serrano
Drawing on the dual process theory and the cultural dimension of power distance, the current research investigates the impact of a specific service clue—the linguistic style of…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the dual process theory and the cultural dimension of power distance, the current research investigates the impact of a specific service clue—the linguistic style of address forms (salutation) in hotel manager letters to guests—on customer satisfaction in a hotel context in Ecuador.
Design/methodology/approach
Following an experimental design research approach, this research conducted a series of two studies to examine how customers' cultural values (high vs low power distance), linguistic style of address forms (formal vs casual) and service valence (service success vs service failure) together influenced customer satisfaction. Specifically, Study 1 examined the service success condition, and Study 2 investigated the service failure condition.
Findings
The research results show that, in the service success condition, customers follow their distinct cultural orientations (high vs low power distance) when responding to the different linguistic styles (formal vs casual). On the other hand, in the service failure situation, as customers desire for expressions of respect that can be reflected in a formal address form, the level of satisfaction is lower when the casual address form is used in guest communications, regardless of customers' cultural orientations in power distance.
Originality/value
This research adds to existing cross-cultural service research, particularly in terms of service valence, and provides practical implications for enhancing service providers' cultural awareness and sociolinguistic competence to effectively communicate with customers from diverse cultural backgrounds.
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Ruoqing Zhang, Minjoon Jun and Sergio Palacios
The present study seeks to identify the salient mobile shopping (m-shopping) service quality dimensions as perceived by mobile shoppers (m-shoppers) and examines the linkages…
Abstract
Purpose
The present study seeks to identify the salient mobile shopping (m-shopping) service quality dimensions as perceived by mobile shoppers (m-shoppers) and examines the linkages between the derived m-shopping service quality dimensions, customer trust and customer loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
The research instrument is developed based upon the mostly validated measures of prior studies. A pretest of the questionnaire is conducted to assess the content validity of the measurement scales. An online survey is used to collect the required data. We employ structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze data collected from 286 m-shoppers.
Findings
We identify five key m-shopping service quality dimensions: responsiveness, personalization, ease of use, aesthetics and perceived risk based on an extensive review of relevant literature. The SEM results show that all the five m-shopping service quality dimensions significantly impact, directly and/or indirectly, customer loyalty. Moreover, the results show that trust plays a partial mediating role in the effects of responsiveness and personalization on loyalty; a full mediating role in the effects of aesthetics and perceived risk on loyalty and no mediating role in the effect of ease of use on loyalty.
Practical implications
Mobile retailers (m-retailers) can use the quality measurement tool developed in this study to detect service quality weaknesses and strengths. Based on their quality assessment, m-retailers can effectively allocate corporate resources to the important service quality attributes uncovered by this study, thereby improving their overall service quality performance and in turn expanding their loyal customer base.
Originality/value
Prior studies have demonstrated that service quality and customer trust play a pivotal role in enhancing customer loyalty in both offline and online settings. Unfortunately, no research has empirically examined the relationships between service quality dimensions, trust and loyalty in the context of m-shopping. Therefore, a major contribution of this study is to address this research gap and add knowledge to the limited body of post-adoption m-shopping research.
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Dimitrios Sakkos, Edmond S. L. Ho, Hubert P. H. Shum and Garry Elvin
A core challenge in background subtraction (BGS) is handling videos with sudden illumination changes in consecutive frames. In our pilot study published in, Sakkos:SKIMA 2019, we…
Abstract
Purpose
A core challenge in background subtraction (BGS) is handling videos with sudden illumination changes in consecutive frames. In our pilot study published in, Sakkos:SKIMA 2019, we tackle the problem from a data point-of-view using data augmentation. Our method performs data augmentation that not only creates endless data on the fly but also features semantic transformations of illumination which enhance the generalisation of the model.
Design/methodology/approach
In our pilot study published in SKIMA 2019, the proposed framework successfully simulates flashes and shadows by applying the Euclidean distance transform over a binary mask generated randomly. In this paper, we further enhance the data augmentation framework by proposing new variations in image appearance both locally and globally.
Findings
Experimental results demonstrate the contribution of the synthetics in the ability of the models to perform BGS even when significant illumination changes take place.
Originality/value
Such data augmentation allows us to effectively train an illumination-invariant deep learning model for BGS. We further propose a post-processing method that removes noise from the output binary map of segmentation, resulting in a cleaner, more accurate segmentation map that can generalise to multiple scenes of different conditions. We show that it is possible to train deep learning models even with very limited training samples. The source code of the project is made publicly available at https://github.com/dksakkos/illumination_augmentation
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David E. Caughlin and Talya N. Bauer
Data visualizations in some form or another have served as decision-support tools for many centuries. In conjunction with advancements in information technology, data…
Abstract
Data visualizations in some form or another have served as decision-support tools for many centuries. In conjunction with advancements in information technology, data visualizations have become more accessible and more efficient to generate. In fact, virtually all enterprise resource planning and human resource (HR) information system vendors offer off-the-shelf data visualizations as part of decision-support dashboards as well as stand-alone images and displays for reporting. Plus, advances in programing languages and software such as Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, R, and Python have expanded the possibilities of fully customized graphics. Despite the proliferation of data visualization, relatively little is known about how to design data visualizations for displaying different types of HR data to different user groups, for different purposes, and with the overarching goal of improving the ways in which users comprehend and interpret data visualizations for decision-making purposes. To understand the state of science and practice as they relate to HR data visualizations and data visualizations in general, we review the literature on data visualizations across disciplines and offer an organizing framework that emphasizes the roles data visualization characteristics (e.g., display type, features), user characteristics (e.g., experience, individual differences), tasks, and objectives (e.g., compare values) play in user comprehension, interpretation, and decision-making. Finally, we close by proposing future directions for science and practice.