Inga Narkevica, Jurijs Ozolins, Kristaps Rubenis, Janis Kleperis, Janis Locs and Liga Berzina-Cimdina
The influence of thermal treatment conditions on titanium dioxide ceramics phase transformation, microstructure, physico-mechanical and electrical properties was studied. TiO2…
Abstract
The influence of thermal treatment conditions on titanium dioxide ceramics phase transformation, microstructure, physico-mechanical and electrical properties was studied. TiO2 ceramic was prepared using extrusion technology and thermal treatment in air and subsequent annealing under high vacuum conditions. It has been observed that intense TiO2 ceramic mass sintering occurs over the temperature ranging from 950 °C to 1100 °C. It is accompanied by crystallographic modification change from anatase to rutile. Ceramic sample annealing in vacuum causes formation of nonstoichiometric titanium oxide ceramics and as a result electrical conductivity of the material significantly increases. Using extrusion process relatively dense and mechanically resistant ceramic material can be obtained that can be used in different technological processes.
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Dongmei Cao, Maureen Meadows and Xiao Ma
Despite the extensive stimulus–organism–response (SOR) literature, little attention has been paid to the role of marketing activity as a key environmental stimulus, and there is a…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the extensive stimulus–organism–response (SOR) literature, little attention has been paid to the role of marketing activity as a key environmental stimulus, and there is a dearth of research examining the interplay between emotions and cognition on consumer behaviour, as well as the sequential effects of emotions on cognition. To address these gaps, this study aims to develop a revised SOR model by incorporating Kahneman’s fast and slow thinking theory to investigate the impulse buying of affordable luxury fashion (ALF).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use outlet stores at Bicester village (BV) in England as the research context for ALF shopping. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse a survey sample of 633 consumers with a BV shopping experience.
Findings
The authors find that impulse buying of ALF arises from the interplay of emotional and cognitive factors, as well as a sequential and dual process involving in-store stimuli affecting on-site emotion and in-store browsing.
Research limitations/implications
This study reveals that brand connection has a significant and negative influence on the relationship between on-site emotion and in-store browsing, advancing the SOR paradigm and reflecting the interactive effect of human emotion and reasoning on the impulse buying of ALF items.
Practical implications
Insights into consumers’ impulse buying offer practical implications for luxury brand management, specifically for ALF outlet retailers and store managers.
Originality/value
The results suggest a robust sequential effect of on-site emotion towards in-store browsing on impulse buying, providing updated empirical support for Kahneman’s theory of System 1 and System 2 thinking.
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Tri Minh Cao and Loc Thi Vy Nguyen
This study aims to assess the factors that impact the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the human resource (HR) recruitment procedure in Vietnam’s medium-sized firms.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the factors that impact the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the human resource (HR) recruitment procedure in Vietnam’s medium-sized firms.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a quantitative approach, this paper collected data of 297 hiring managers, HR directors and top-level executives from Vietnam’s medium-sized firms with a structured questionnaire. The partial least squares structural equation model was used to analyze the data and evaluate the hypothesis model (on platform Smart PLS 3.0).
Findings
The results show that in Vietnam’s medium-sized companies, both perceived benefits and perceived sacrifices directly impact on perceived value, which leads to organizations’ adoption of AI. HR readiness also has a moderating effect between perceived value and AI adoption.
Research limitations/implications
Future research can compare AI adoption between large and medium companies, as well as other criteria in Asian countries. Other organizational constructs can be considered moderators between perceived value and AI adoption.
Practical implications
This study offers a context-specific understanding of the practice of using AI to acquire talent in Vietnam. Both of AI technology’s perceived benefits and perceived sacrifices directly impact its perceived value, therefore indirectly impacting its adoption. In this study, HR readiness serves as an inhibitor to adoption. Some essential managerial implications are suggested.
Originality/value
This study provides valuable insights into applying AI to Vietnam’s medium-sized companies, especially in the recruitment process. It adds to a substantial body of work on applying AI to HR management.
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Ankita Sharma and Swati Sharma
This study examines the vital factors that influence digital marketing adoption among small travel agencies (brick-and-mortar) and the impact of digital marketing adoption on…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the vital factors that influence digital marketing adoption among small travel agencies (brick-and-mortar) and the impact of digital marketing adoption on organizational performance modeled as a formative-formative HOC.
Design/methodology/approach
This empirical study builds on diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory and technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework to identify the factors of digital marketing adoption by small travel agencies. Data were collected from 226 small travel agents in India using purposive and snowball sampling. Partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is used to analyze the reflectively and formatively measured constructs.
Findings
The findings reveal significant constructs of digital marketing adoption by small travel agencies. The study also establishes the positive impact of digital marketing adoption on organizational performance. Trust partially mediates the impact of technological factors (relative advantage, security concerns) and organizational factor (knowledge) on digital marketing adoption.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides methodological contribution to the literature by applying confirmatory composite analysis (CCA) approach in PLS-SEM. The study contributes to the literature by integrating DOI theory and TOE framework. The study enriches the literature on trust as it recognizes the crucial role of trust as a mediating construct.
Practical implications
The study provides useful implications to marketing practitioners of small travel agencies. The study shows strong predictive capacity and can be generalized throughout diverse samples.
Originality/value
The study adds value to the literature as it explores the digital marketing adoption among the under researched small travel agencies by integrating DOI-TOE theory. The study uniquely proposes and validates organizational performance as a formative-formative higher-order construct.
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Berto Mulia Wibawa, Chelsia Pranindyasari, Gita Widi Bhawika and Rachma Rizqina Mardhotillah
This research aims to identify halal attributes for Indonesian Muslim tourists that can create a destination image, revisit intention and recommendation intention. Indonesia has…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to identify halal attributes for Indonesian Muslim tourists that can create a destination image, revisit intention and recommendation intention. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world and their Muslim tourists who frequently visit non-Muslim countries. This is a great opportunity for non-Muslim countries to improve halal tourism services.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected through a panel of recruited online sampling on 268 Indonesian Muslim tourists who had visited non-Muslim countries. Structural equation modeling analysis is used to investigate the impact of halal tourism attributes on destination images and behavioral intentions.
Findings
This study found the five halal tourism attributes that had a positive and significant impact on affective destination image, overall destination image, revisit intention and recommendation intention.
Practical implications
Halal tourism attributes can be used as a basis for marketing strategies of tourism bureaus to create a destination image, increase intention to revisit and provide effective word-of-mouth recommendations based on Muslim tourists needs.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze the main needs for halal tourism of Indonesian Muslim tourists when traveling to non-Muslim countries. Our study contributes to the halal tourism literature, along with having implications for non-Muslim tourism bureaus and halal tourism teaching and practice.
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History-based trade books have an important and expanding role in various curricula. Contemporary education initiatives urge English and language arts educators to spend half…
Abstract
Purpose
History-based trade books have an important and expanding role in various curricula. Contemporary education initiatives urge English and language arts educators to spend half their time on non-fiction and history and social studies teachers to include diverse sources starting in the early grades. Diverse professional organizations annually make financial commitments to promote new trade books. Research indicates misrepresentations abound in history-based trade books, yet few empirical studies have been completed. The purpose of this paper is to research examine the historical representation of Abraham Lincoln, arguably the most consequential nineteenth-century American.
Design/methodology/approach
Data samples included trade books intended for early grades and middle grades students. These grade ranges were selected because these students have the least prior knowledge and are perhaps most dependent on the text. Qualitative content analysis research methods were employed.
Findings
Misrepresentations emerged regarding Lincoln’s poverty, actions, motivations for actions, and implications of his actions as seemingly necessary historical content was minimized, vaguely included, or omitted. Findings are juxtaposed across and between selected grade ranges.
Practical implications
Discussion focused on the significance of findings for teachers and researchers. Teachers are guided to supplement trade books with primary sources to position students to distinguish historical misrepresentations.
Originality/value
This research builds on previous scholarship on Lincoln-based trade books by expanding grade range, data samples and research questions.
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Yingxia Li, Norazlyn Kamal Basha, Siew Imm Ng and Qiaoling Lin
Cultivating loyal customers is a pressing concern for streamers. The present study investigates how to build interpersonal relationships with streamers and whether different…
Abstract
Purpose
Cultivating loyal customers is a pressing concern for streamers. The present study investigates how to build interpersonal relationships with streamers and whether different interpersonal relationship factors lead to repurchase intention and WOM intention in live streaming commerce. The moderating effect of gender is also examined.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 429 live streaming commerce users in mainland China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicate that all four streamer attributes (expertise, authenticity, attractiveness, and homophily) have a positive influence on swift guanxi, and swift guanxi is effective in predicting both calculative commitment and affective commitment. In addition, all interpersonal relationship factors (swift guanxi, calculative commitment, and affective commitment) significantly affect repurchase intentions, with only affective commitment being linked to WOM intention. Also, the moderating role of gender was confirmed in expertise – swift guanxi, attractiveness – swift guanxi, cognitive commitment – repurchase intention and affective commitment – repurchase intention linkages.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the live streaming commerce literature by integrating swift guanxi, calculative commitment, and affective commitment to understand the repurchase intention and WOM intention from the relationship-building process perspective. In addition, this paper enriches the source credibility and source attractiveness models by identifying gender boundaries on the effectiveness of these models in predicting swift guanxi.
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Tianjian Liu, Sijun Liu and Yee Ming Lee
Guided by stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory, this study analyzed the user-generated content (UGC) produced by attendees from six anime conventions in the USA.
Abstract
Purpose
Guided by stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory, this study analyzed the user-generated content (UGC) produced by attendees from six anime conventions in the USA.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 739 online reviews and 1,932 photos were collected from the social platforms of six large anime conventions in the USA (Yelp and Facebook), and the study employed thematic analysis and image analysis to analyze the collected UGCs.
Findings
The findings revealed eight main themes (i.e. ambient and space, customers, service and products, sign and symbol, social density, emotional status, motivation, and behavior intention) and 32 subthemes across the three dimensions of SOR theory. Leveraging the power of cutting-edge image analysis, the image labels obtained from the analysis contributed to the creation of network clusters. The result of the image analysis also continued consistently with the thematic analysis result, which reflected SOR theory.
Research limitations/implications
Theoretically, the study applied SOR theory and blended thematic and image analyses to gain a comprehensive understanding of anime convention attendees’ experience and categorized the attendees’ emotional status as positive or negative to reflect their overall evaluation. Practically, this study highlighted some complaints from attendees and provided suggestions for operators. However, the study focused only on large anime conventions in the USA; future studies should compare attendees’ experiences with small and large conventions or anime conventions worldwide.
Originality/value
The study utilized UGCs to understand the key patterns essential to attendees during anime conventions in the USA and applied SOR theory to its investigation.
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Arash Asiaei and Nor Zairah Ab. Rahim
The purpose of this study is to develop a model to understand the relationships among technology, organizational and environmental (TOE) contexts, intention to adopt cloud…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a model to understand the relationships among technology, organizational and environmental (TOE) contexts, intention to adopt cloud computing (IACC) and actual usage of cloud computing (AUCC) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia as a developing country. More specifically, this paper seeks to explore the mediation effect of IACC on the relationship between TOE context and AUCC.
Design/methodology/approach
A positivist research approach was selected for this study. Drawing largely upon the TOE framework, this study uses survey data from 209 Malaysian SMEs. Structural equation modelling (SEM) based on partial least squares (PLS) was used to assess the structural relations of the research model.
Findings
The results of the structural model show that data security, technology readiness, top management support, competitive pressure and innovativeness are the most significant factors in predicting the adoption of cloud computing in Malaysian SMEs. Further, the results indicate that intention to adopt cloud computing can play a mediating role between TOE factors and the actual usage of cloud computing.
Research limitations/implications
The focus upon Malaysian SMEs may diminish the generalizability of the findings. This study provides profound insight into the management and foundation of cloud computing, different types of cloud services and deployment models that could facilitate the management of enterprise strategic resources and contribute to the performance improvement. This study also provides another important implication for practitioners regarding the absolute necessity of value drivers’ identification within enterprise and understand the causal relationships, which are vital in driving those values.
Practical implications
This study provides several practical guidance for practitioners in deploying cloud services which are most suitable option for their specific technology requirement in their enterprise to enjoy the full benefits of their intangible assets. Another significant implication of this study lies in the fact that it may require a different emphasis on nature and adoption design when there is a higher level of stress on technology-related and cloud computing resources.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the extant literature by developing an integrative model to identify how a wide set of contextual factors can determine the intention to adopt cloud computing and, in turn, influence the actual usage of cloud computing in SMEs in Malaysia as a developing country.
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Shambhu Sajith, R S Aswani, Mohammad Younus Bhatt and Anil Kumar
The purpose of this study is to identify Offshore Wind Energy (OWE) as a key technology that could drive countries toward achieving climate goals. However, there are multiple…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify Offshore Wind Energy (OWE) as a key technology that could drive countries toward achieving climate goals. However, there are multiple challenges that this sector faces.
Design/methodology/approach
This study aims to identify the challenges faced by the sector globally by systematically reviewing the existing literature in global context and portraying it in the Indian context. Factors are identified using content analysis.
Findings
Results suggest high levelized cost of energy as the most discussed challenge for the growth of OWE. Insufficient financial support and policy, initial capital and inadequate technology formed the second, third and fourth most discussed challenges respectively.
Research limitations/implications
To reduce the cost of OWE, the distribution companies in India could adopt feed-in tariffs (FiTs) in the early stages of development and make OWE procurement mandatory. The renewable purchase obligation (RPO) in India is specific to solar and non-solar; policy should accommodate offshore wind-specific RPO targets for each state to reach the 2030 target of 30 GW from OWE.
Practical implications
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to study the challenges of OWE development from a global perspective and portray these major challenges in the Indian context and uses content analysis from the existing literature to ascertain the major roadblocks for the development of OWE.
Originality/value
The study identifies the unexplored gap in literature that includes futuristic challenges for OWE from climate change. Future studies can explore the possibilities of forecasting based on climate change scenarios and rank the challenges based on their relevance caused by possible damages.