The purpose of this paper is to reveal generic skills improvement from participation in overseas working programs using Taiwanese young adults taking an Australian working holiday…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reveal generic skills improvement from participation in overseas working programs using Taiwanese young adults taking an Australian working holiday program as an example.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, respondents needed to be those who had participated in an Australian working holiday program and had stayed in Australia for at least six months so that their experiences would be extensive enough to enable answering questions in the questionnaire. There were a total of 122 respondents. After eliminating incomplete observations, there were a total of 95 valid observations.
Findings
The average number of jobs held per person was 2.77, and farm and factory jobs seemed to be popular. Thinking skills and learning skills were significantly improved, especially for highly motivated respondents. An unfamiliar working environment in foreign countries reinforces personal characteristics. Students who participate in overseas working programs need to interact with local people to improve communication skills, especially for those who are less motivated. Although the natural environment is the main attraction for students who participate in overseas working programs, improvement in generic skills is actually the core factor for students to benefit from the experiences.
Originality/value
The results of this study would be useful for working holiday participants to understand what they can expect to experience in improving generic skills and further to form a baseline for future studies as well as guidelines for promoting Australian working holiday programs.
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Jane Lu Hsu, Charlene W. Shiue and Kelsey J.-R. Hung
The purpose of this paper is to reveal influential information used in vegetable purchasing decisions of household primary food shoppers in China and in Taiwan.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to reveal influential information used in vegetable purchasing decisions of household primary food shoppers in China and in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
Two in-person surveys were administrated separately in Shanghai, China and in Taipei, Taiwan, the two most populous metropolitan areas in China and in Taiwan, respectively.
Findings
Results reveal that about 32 per cent of respondents in Taipei purchase vegetables once in every two to three days. The majority of respondents in Shanghai (81 per cent) purchase vegetables on a daily basis. Results of factor analysis reveal the four dimensions, origin labelling, promotion, selection, and quality, influence purchasing decisions of respondents in Taipei and in Shanghai. For household primary food shoppers in Taipei, origin labelling and selection help food shoppers in Taipei in vegetable purchasing decisions, but not promotion. For those food shoppers in Shanghai who purchase large volume of vegetables, quality is the most important factor in purchasing decisions.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into vegetable purchasing decisions in two populous cities in China and Taiwan. The contributions of this study are to provide valuable information in vegetable purchasing decisions for effective information communication in retailing; and to fill in the gap of research in vegetable purchasing decisions in consumer behaviour studies in Chinese societies.
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The increasing frequency and intensity of the extreme weather events could cause devastating consequences in tourism. Climate change–related extreme weather events and their…
Abstract
Purpose
The increasing frequency and intensity of the extreme weather events could cause devastating consequences in tourism. Climate change–related extreme weather events and their relation to tourism is an emerging field for education and research. The purpose of this study is to categorize the impact of climate change on tourist destinations with regard to extreme weather-related risks in outdoor recreation and tourism. Managerial implications for policymakers and stakeholders are discussed.
Design/methodology/approach
To outline the risks from climate change associated with tourism, this study uses the Prisma analysis for identification, screening, checking for eligibility and finding relevant literature for further categorization.
Findings
Based on a thoroughly examination of relevant literature, risks and threats posed by climate change could be categorized into following four areas: reduced experiential value in outdoor winter recreation; reduced value in beach scenery and comfort; land degradation and reduced biodiversity; and reduced value in personal safety and comfort in tourism. It also focuses on the significance of using big data applications in catastrophic disaster management and risk reduction. Recommendations with technology and data analytics to continuously improve the disaster management process in tourism education are provided based on findings of this study.
Originality/value
Primary contributions of this study include the following: providing a summarized overview of the risks associated with climate change in terms of tourist experiential value for educational implications; and revealing the role of data analytics in disaster management in the context of tourism and climate change for tourism education.
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Jane Lu Hsu and Chih-Hung Feng
The purpose of this paper is to examine factors influencing environmental behaviour of the general public and to develop educational implications that will enhance effectiveness…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine factors influencing environmental behaviour of the general public and to develop educational implications that will enhance effectiveness in information dissemination for environmental sustainability in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey using personal interviews was administered in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung metropolitan areas following stratified sampling method based on age and gender distributions of the population between the ages of 18 and 59 in Taiwan. Total valid samples were 481. Probit model was applied to examine factors influencing environmental behaviour.
Findings
Based on findings in the study, environmental knowledge, pro-environmental attitude (emphasising balance of nature), altruism and habitual behaviour positively influence environmental behaviour. Humancentric (emphasising human domination) negatively influence environmental behaviour. The following educational implications are capable to enlarge a spectrum of environmental behaviour in Taiwan: including topics of waste avoidance and reduction in chemical usage for cleaning or for insecticides in lessons/curricula; and promote general public to live a life which causes fewer burdens on the environment.
Research limitations/implications
Environmental education plays fundamental role in educating the public with concurrent environmental knowledge, in an expectation that the general public would take the information into consideration and modify behaviour in an effort to sustain the environment. Research implications of this study are: environmental behaviour is multidimensional and can be examined using a comprehensive set of statements including domains of energy conservation, mobility and transportation, waste avoidance, consumerism and recycling; and habitual behaviour is an influencing factor to explain environmental behaviour and can be examined thoroughly in future studies.
Originality/value
The study provides insights into environmental education based on examining factors influencing environmental behaviour. It advances the field by exploring environmental behaviour in five domains and revealing habitual behaviour as an influential factor. This allows educators to comprehend gaps in environmental behaviour and the needs for environmental education in Taiwan.
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This study aims to examine the consumption patterns of fresh milk, yogurt drinks, and flavoured milk along with the product attributes that consumers perceived.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the consumption patterns of fresh milk, yogurt drinks, and flavoured milk along with the product attributes that consumers perceived.
Design/methodology/approach
Over 300 samples were collected from the three most populated metropolitan areas in Taiwan. The cluster analysis is applied in the study to segment respondents in order to reveal different consumption patterns.
Findings
Consumers who purchase larger quantities of fluid milk are those who have relatively higher household incomes. The taste and flavour of fluid milk products are the attributes that consumers value. Consumers who purchase more fresh milk products pay more attention to the fat content, calcium content, and whether the products have the certified labels. Consumers who consume large quantities of yogurt drinks value overall beneficial bacterium attributes of the products.
Originality/value
Based on the results of this study, appropriated marketing strategies are suggested and can be useful for firms to target customers.
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Jane Lu Hsu, Chih-Hung Feng and Cherie Hsu
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how globalised business programmes in higher education in Taiwan fills latent gaps between business education and the local job markets…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how globalised business programmes in higher education in Taiwan fills latent gaps between business education and the local job markets from viewpoints of teachers, students in higher education, and those working in the job markets within five years of graduation. The distinction in viewpoints from teachers, students, and graduates is valuable in examining how globalised business programmes in Taiwan help students in competitiveness in the local job markets.
Design/methodology/approach
Six teachers (five males, one female) in business programmes from two national universities with teaching experiences ranging from 2 to 19 years were interviewed. Ten students (four males, six females) in business programmes from six universities ranging from junior to master’s level were interviewed. Nine people (five males, four females) who were working full-time in the local job markets within five years of graduation from business programmes were interviewed. A total of 25 subjects (14 males, 11 females) participated in the study.
Findings
In course-related issues, students seem to have difficulties in understanding certain issues with different cultural background, and this affects teachers using textbooks and cases with USA or European standpoints. In applicability, some teachers believe it is students’ responsibilities to know how to apply what they have learned in school in practice. Those graduates who are working in local markets explained that in reality they do not apply much of what they have learned in globalised business programmes at work. In crossing over the gap, some teachers try to include local cases in teaching materials.
Research limitations/implications
The argument in this study is not to lose the beauty of localisation in globalisation in business programmes in higher education. The latent gaps between globalised business programmes and local job markets can be crossed over with a strong foundation of training in theories in globalised business programmes plus some experiences obtained in working experiences.
Originality/value
Findings in this study provided new insights into gaps between globalised business programmes and local job markets, and how it can be crossed over with a strong foundation of training in theories plus experiences obtained in practical training. Generic competence and transferable skills in local business operations ought to be included in globalised business programmes.
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Jane Lu Hsu and Roxy Hsien‐Chen Mo
This paper aims to examine how consumers perceive incomplete information in print apparel advertisements in magazines and whether incomplete information influences decisions.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how consumers perceive incomplete information in print apparel advertisements in magazines and whether incomplete information influences decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 239 examples of print apparel advertisements in fashion magazines were collected in 2006. Content analysis was utilised to code the types of information in print apparel advertisements prior to the design of the questionnaire in the consumer survey. In the questionnaire, attitudes toward incomplete information in print apparel advertisements, information search, involvement, purchasing intentions, and demographics were included. A consumer survey was administered in Taiwan using stratified sampling. The total number of completed, usable questionnaires returned was 304.
Findings
Consumers who thought missing information in print apparel advertising to be important tended to find missing information from other sources like media, word‐of‐mouth, salespersons, and in stores. Information search behaviour positively influenced purchasing intentions. Consumers with higher levels of involvement tended to pay more attention to missing information and were more likely to search information.
Research limitations/implications
Print apparel advertisements are presented not only in magazines, but on outdoor billboards, in catalogues, on the internet, in newspapers, and in buses. The restrictions of readers of fashion magazines as respondents in the study could limit the applicability of research findings of the study to attitudes toward incomplete information in print apparel advertisements of fashion magazine readers.
Practical implications
Print apparel advertisements are not a major source for consumers to obtain comprehensive fashion information. Simplified but clear design of print apparel advertising is acceptable for consumers who are prone to ignore missing information. Those who tend to notice missing information in print apparel advertisements would investigate other sources to obtain information for purchase decisions. Print apparel advertisements showing fashion clothing and brand names only are easy for browsing. The attractiveness of print apparel advertising design seems to be more important than detailed information included in advertisements.
Originality/value
The contribution of the study is to reveal attitudes toward incomplete information in print apparel advertising. The results of the study could be beneficial for apparel advertisers and could be valuable for marketers to realise the types of information consumers prefer while searching though the medium of fashion magazines.
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Jane Lu Hsu and Kai‐Ming Chang
The purpose of this paper is to examine how family communication patterns and lifestyles are linked to purchases of sports shoes and casual clothing for young adults.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how family communication patterns and lifestyles are linked to purchases of sports shoes and casual clothing for young adults.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey was conducted in 2005, and total valid samples were 576. Differences in purchasing decisions among various segments of young adults are analysed for two product categories: sports shoes and casual clothing.
Findings
This study segments the respondents into two clusters, pragmatic and fashion‐cognisant. The family communication patterns for respondents in the pragmatic cluster are more likely to be low concept‐oriented, Protective and Laissez‐faire. The respondents in the pragmatic cluster purchase sports shoes and casual clothing less frequently, and pay less attention to marketing‐related information. The fashion‐cognisant respondents pay special attention to the marketing‐related information and brands can be influential in decisions. These fashion‐cognisant young adults are considered to be opinion leaders, and purchase sports shoes and casual clothing more frequently with higher budgets. The family communication patterns of respondents in this cluster are high concept‐oriented: Pluralistic and Consensual.
Practical implications
Strategic marketing designed to attract pragmatic young adults can follow two directions: atmosphere in stores and discounts. For young adults who are fashion‐cognisant, directions of strategic marketing are to strengthen the brand image and utilise advertising to disseminate information.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into the area that has not been studied exclusively, the linkages of family communication patterns and lifestyles to purchases of sports shoes and casual clothing.
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Jane Lu Hsu and Vikki Wei‐Ting Chiu
Complaint handling has the great influence on customer retention and provides a chance for businesses to improve service quality. This study intended to reveal the complaint…
Abstract
Purpose
Complaint handling has the great influence on customer retention and provides a chance for businesses to improve service quality. This study intended to reveal the complaint actions of adolescent customers and perceptions of failure recovery in buffet restaurants with a linkage of family communication patterns.
Design/methodology/approach
A consumer survey was administered in the metropolitan area of Taipei. Quota sampling procedure was applied following the age and gender distribution of the population between the ages of 13 and 19. Consent from parents was obtained prior to the survey.
Findings
Based on the results of the study, adolescent customers with high concept‐ and high socio‐orientation were prone to complain for dissatisfaction. Private actions were preferred by adolescent customers to express dissatisfaction, followed by using the internet or through actions of parents. For service recovery, adolescents preferred to have discounts, followed by free desserts. The results indicated that adolescents were more straightforward and they wanted to have compensations immediately. Furthermore, service recovery satisfaction showed a positive relationship with repeat purchases. Adolescent customers who were satisfied with service or food compensations would be likely to have repeat purchases. Nevertheless, adolescents who were unsatisfied with the service or food recovery did not totally cease purchasing.
Practical implications
Buffet managers should give inducements to encourage adolescents to complain spontaneously. Buffet managers may offer discounts for the current consumption rather than coupons for next patronage. Adolescent customers with concept‐ and socio‐orientation will provide useful information for buffet managers to improve their service quality.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into the area that has not been studied exclusively, complaint behavior of adolescent customers in buffet restaurants.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine evaluations of teaching from viewpoints of lecturers and students to reveal perceived differences in teaching performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine evaluations of teaching from viewpoints of lecturers and students to reveal perceived differences in teaching performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey is administered to lecturers and students in a large‐scale university in Taiwan. Valid samples include ten lecturers and 250 students. Upon obtaining consensuses from lecturers, 25 students in each course are randomly selected to fill out questionnaires. Lecturers are requested to fill out questionnaires designed for instructors only. Factor, cluster, and multivariate analyses of variance are applied in analyzing the survey data. Five dimensions of evaluations of teaching are extracted from students' viewpoints, including content of materials, learning condition, interaction, attitudes, and responsiveness. These five factors are used in the clustering procedure to segment courses into superior‐ and inferior‐quality.
Findings
Results indicate surveyed students in the clusters of superior‐ and inferior‐quality courses have statistical differences in seriousness of evaluations of teaching performance and how they believe the suggestions will be taken into consideration in modifications of teaching styles. However, lecturers of superior‐ and inferior‐quality courses are not statistically different in their viewpoints in how they value evaluations of teaching performance.
Research limitations/implications
Survey data in this paper are obtained from a single university. Students are able to distinguish courses of different quality in various dimensions, but lecturers seem to believe that they have done well in teaching and will not know differences in teaching performance perceived by students as of superior‐or inferior‐quality.
Practical implications
For efficient utilization of student evaluations of teaching in educational institutions, gaps in perceived differences in teaching performance from lecturers and students need to be identified and filled.
Originality/value
End‐of‐term student evaluations of teaching are used in educational institutions for assessing how well instructors do in helping students to learn theoretical and practical aspects of knowledge. Findings in this paper can be used to form a baseline for educational institutions to improve applicability of student evaluations of teaching.