Jiaqi Ma and Changju Kim
Drawing on the philosophy of retail service quality, this study aims to empirically investigate how salespeople’s personal interaction affects customers’ positive word-of-mouth…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the philosophy of retail service quality, this study aims to empirically investigate how salespeople’s personal interaction affects customers’ positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intention through the lens of affective customer experience and consumers’ cross-cultural attitudes toward domestic or foreign products.
Design/methodology/approach
The hypothesis was tested with a two-step structural equation model using survey data obtained from 529 shopping center customers in China.
Findings
The positive impact of salespeople’s personal interaction on customers’ positive WOM intention is fully mediated by affective customer experience. In addition, consumer ethnocentrism strengthens the positive impact of salespeople’s personal interaction on affective customer experience, whereas this study fails to find the moderating effect of foreign product affinity.
Practical implications
To increase customers’ positive WOM intention, store managers need to encourage their frontline sales personnel to personally interact with customers to support customers’ problem-solving. Also, frontline salespeople should pay more attention to consumers’ cross-cultural attitudes such as consumer ethnocentrism when interacting with their customers.
Originality/value
By linking affective customer experience and consumers’ cross-cultural attitudes of ethnocentrism and affinity toward domestic or foreign products, this study further extends the knowledge of retail service quality on the relationship between salespeople’s personal interaction and customers’ positive WOM intention.
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Jingyi Tian, Ting (Tina) Li, Rui Chen, Kaining Yang, Ping Li and Si Wen
“Idol pilgrimage tour” is a popular trend among young Chinese fans who travel for idol-related purposes, engage in interactive events and have co-created experiences at…
Abstract
Purpose
“Idol pilgrimage tour” is a popular trend among young Chinese fans who travel for idol-related purposes, engage in interactive events and have co-created experiences at destinations. With the growing market size of fan economy, fan tourists generate significant revenue for the local. However, many destinations have not fully utilised this opportunity, and there is a lack of research on this niche form of tourism. This research was undertaken to address this research gap.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted an idol worship–motivation–co-created experience–tour satisfaction–destination loyalty framework in the context of idol pilgrimage tours. In addition, this study investigated the direct influence of idol worship on the other four constructs. Data were collected from 354 Chinese fans who had such experience through online questionnaires. The partial least squares–structural equation modelling technique was used to examine the research model.
Findings
It was demonstrated that idol worship has a direct influence on motivation, co-created experience, satisfaction and loyalty and that there is a positive relationship between motivation, co-created experience, satisfaction and loyalty. The results advance the brand sacralisation literature by studying worship in a tourism context and contribute to interactive marketing literature by clarifying the interactive mechanism between relationships among the idol, fans and destinations. The study suggests some practical implications for destination management organisations attempting to target tourist fans.
Originality/value
This is the first study introducing the concept of the idol pilgrimage tour. Empirical results of this study reveal the underlying mechanism of how idols influence fans' travel-related psychology and behaviour.
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Jiaqi Zhang, Ming Cong, Dong Liu, Yu Du and Hongjiang Ma
This paper aims to get rid of the traditional basic principle of using the motor as the variable stiffness drive source, simplify the structure of the exoskeleton and reduce the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to get rid of the traditional basic principle of using the motor as the variable stiffness drive source, simplify the structure of the exoskeleton and reduce the quality of the exoskeleton. This paper proposes to use shape memory alloys (SMA) as the variable stiffness drive source.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, SMA is used to construct the active variable stiffness unit, the Brinson constitutive model is used to establish a dynamic model to control the active variable stiffness unit and the above active variable stiffness unit is used to realize the force control function and construct a lightweight, variable stiffness knee exoskeleton.
Findings
The dynamic model constructed in this paper can preliminarily describe the phase transformation process of the active variable stiffness unit and realize the variable stiffness function of the knee exoskeleton. The variable stiffness exoskeleton can effectively reduce the driving error under the high-speed walking condition.
Originality/value
The contribution of this paper is to combine SMAs to construct an active variable stiffness unit, build a dynamic model for controlling the active variable stiffness unit and construct a lightweight, variable stiffness knee exoskeleton.
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Jiaqi Zhang, Ming Cong, Dong Liu, Yu Du and Hongjiang Ma
The purpose of this paper is to use a simple method to enhance the ability of lower limb exoskeletons to restore balance under large interference conditions and to solve the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use a simple method to enhance the ability of lower limb exoskeletons to restore balance under large interference conditions and to solve the problem that biped robot stability criterion cannot be fully applied to the underactuated lower limb exoskeletons.
Design/methodology/approach
The method used in this paper is to construct an underactuated lower extremity exoskeleton ankle joint with a torsion spring. Based on the constructed exoskeleton, the linear inverted torsion spring pendulum model is proposed, and the traditional capture point (CP) concept is optimized.
Findings
The underactuated exoskeleton ankle joint with torsion springs, combined with the improved CP concept, can effectively reduce the forward stepping distance under the same interference condition, which is equivalent to enhancing the balance ability of the lower extremity exoskeleton.
Originality/value
The contribution of this paper is to enhance the balance ability of the exoskeleton of the lower limbs under large interference conditions. The torsion spring is used as the exoskeleton ankle joint, and the traditional CP concept is optimized according to the constructed exoskeleton.
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Jiaqi Fang, Kun Ma, Yanfang Qiu, Ke Ji, Zhenxiang Chen and Bo Yang
The discrepancy between the content of an article and its title is a key characteristic of fake news. Current methods for detecting fake news often ignore the significant…
Abstract
Purpose
The discrepancy between the content of an article and its title is a key characteristic of fake news. Current methods for detecting fake news often ignore the significant difference in length between the content and its title. In addition, relying solely on textual discrepancies between the title and content to distinguish between real and fake news has proven ineffective. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new approach called semantic enhancement network with content–title discrepancy (SEN–CTD), which enhances the accuracy of fake news detection.
Design/methodology/approach
The SEN–CTD framework is composed of two primary modules: the SEN and the content–title comparison network (CTCN). The SEN is designed to enrich the representation of news titles by integrating external information and position information to capture the context. Meanwhile, the CTCN focuses on assessing the consistency between the content of news articles and their corresponding titles examining both emotional tones and semantic attributes.
Findings
The SEN–CTD model performs well on the GossipCop, PolitiFact and RealNews data sets, achieving accuracies of 80.28%, 86.88% and 84.96%, respectively. These results highlight its effectiveness in accurately detecting fake news across different types of content.
Originality/value
The SEN is specifically designed to improve the representation of extremely short texts, enhancing the depth and accuracy of analyses for brief content. The CTCN is tailored to examine the consistency between news titles and their corresponding content, ensuring a thorough comparative evaluation of both emotional and semantic discrepancies.
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Xiaoqiang Ma, Jiaqi Wang, Ling Zhao and Jinmian Han
The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the effects of different dimensions of social capital on the well-being of farmers in China’s undeveloped poverty-stricken…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the effects of different dimensions of social capital on the well-being of farmers in China’s undeveloped poverty-stricken areas, and study the equivalent multiple of social capital and income compensation.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper opted for an exploratory study using the open-ended approach of grounded theory, including 1,176 interviews with rural households in poverty-stricken areas in China. The data were complemented by documentary analysis. Then an econometric model of social capital and farmers’ well-being was applied to the data.
Findings
The results show that the number frequently visiting relatives, reciprocity, participation and trust level are significantly positively related to the well-being of the farmers, and the level of participation in social capital requires the most income compensation, while the level of trust comes second.
Originality/value
This paper can serve as a template for developing a useful tool that can be fitted to national or regional data for studying the effects of social capital on the well-being of farmers in poor areas or countries and for calculating the concrete equivalent multiple of social capital and income compensation.
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Fengwen Zhi, Zhaoqi Peng, Jiaqi Chen and MengFan Zhao
This paper aims to develop a demand scale from the perspective of scientific data providers and to analyze their demands, offering references for research and practice in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop a demand scale from the perspective of scientific data providers and to analyze their demands, offering references for research and practice in scientific data sharing.
Design/methodology/approach
The initial scale was designed based on a literature review. A total of 479 valid responses from data providers were collected via questionnaires. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted using SPSS21.0 and AMOS23.0, followed by a discussion on practical implications.
Findings
Providers exhibit significant demands in all dimensions, with data security being the most urgent, followed by data management platforms and self-value realization. Additionally, the prioritization of providers’ demands varies according to their intentions to share.
Originality/value
The study developed a scale of providers’ demands in scientific data sharing that comprises 21 items across five dimensions: data security, data management platform, self-value realization, social and benefits return and analyzed the demand degree of providers for the above items. Finally, the paper proposes strategies from stakeholders’ perspectives to meet providers’ demands and facilitate scientific data sharing.
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Xiaofen Jiang, Gao Guangkuo and Yang Xuezheng
This paper considers the brand awareness and anchor influence on consumers' live-streaming purchases, and explores the existence of “free-riding” behavior, the comparison of brand…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper considers the brand awareness and anchor influence on consumers' live-streaming purchases, and explores the existence of “free-riding” behavior, the comparison of brand promotion effect and active live-streaming effect and the optimal strategic combination between the brand and the anchor. The authors investigate the evolutionary stabilization strategies of the bounded rational brand and anchor, and explore the conditions for the realization of the optimal strategy. Management suggestions for the development of live streaming commerce can be provided in this paper.
Design/methodology/approach
Two significant models are used in this paper. The Stackelberg model is used to study the “free-riding” behavior, the comparison of brand promotion effect and active live-streaming effect and the optimal strategic combination between the brand and the anchor. Using evolutionary game theory to get the evolutionary stable equilibrium strategies and analyze the binary equilibrium strategy of the bounded rational brand and anchor. In addition, relevant simulation analysis is conducted using realistic data to verify the conclusions and for further analysis, making the conclusions of the paper have realistic significance.
Findings
The study shows that “free-riding” behavior exists and the positive effect of brand promotion is greater than that of active live-streaming. The brand and the anchor take active actions as the optimal strategy. As the sensitivity coefficient of consumers to live-streaming effort and the sensitivity coefficient of consumers to brand promotion change, various evolutionary stabilization strategies will appear. When the two sensitivity coefficients are below a certain threshold, the game sides will reach the optimal strategic combination to obtain the maximum benefits. When they rise above this threshold, it is counterproductive instead. The system achieves the optimal strategic combination when the difference factor between effort cost and promotion cost must be higher than a certain value, but when it takes the smallest possible value, the game sides tend to take active actions. This study can provide management suggestions for the sustainable development of the live-streaming model.
Research limitations/implications
This paper shows that under certain conditions, the brand and the anchor can evolve into the optimal strategy to maximize the profits of both parties, which has certain practical significance for the prosperous development of live streaming commerce. In future research, the authors will consider the regulatory role of the government and construct a more realistic game model to provide constructive suggestions for the sustainable prosperity of live streaming commerce. Meanwhile, there are also games between multiple brands and multiple anchors, as well as games among brands-anchors-the live streaming platforms, and the authors will conduct more in-depth research in the future.
Originality/value
So far, the co-impact of anchor influence and brand awareness has not been considered simultaneously in published articles. This paper provides theoretical guidance for the behavioral choices of the brand and the anchor under the live streaming commerce, which is conducive to the prosperous development of live streaming commerce.
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Xin Liu, Chenghu Zhang and Jiaqi Wu
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influencing mechanism of consumers' continuous purchase intention toward the subscriber-based knowledge payment platforms (SBKPPs).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influencing mechanism of consumers' continuous purchase intention toward the subscriber-based knowledge payment platforms (SBKPPs).
Design/methodology/approach
This study obtained 226 valid samples through questionnaire surveys and used partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) methods to elucidate the complex causal patterns of consumers' continuous purchase intention toward the SBKPPs.
Findings
The findings revealed that perceived utilitarian value, perceived hedonic value and perceived social value directly affected consumers' continuous purchase intention, while content quality and service quality indirectly affected consumers' continuous purchase intention. In addition, this study also demonstrated that all factors must be combined to play a role, and there exist four configurations resulting in consumers' continuous purchase intention toward the SBKPPs.
Research limitations/implications
The results can help researchers and practitioners better understand the causal patterns of consumers' continuous purchase intention toward the SBKPPs.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the knowledge payment literature by investigating consumers' continuous purchase intention toward the SBKPPs. This study also provides practical enlightenment for the SBKPPs' marketing.
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Lingyun Guo, Xiayu Hu, Jinxuan Lu and Ling Ma
Live streaming commerce, a new form of social commerce where firms integrate with broadcasters, community members and customers in live chat rooms for real-time interaction to…
Abstract
Purpose
Live streaming commerce, a new form of social commerce where firms integrate with broadcasters, community members and customers in live chat rooms for real-time interaction to help sell products, has become increasingly popular. However, factors that impact the success of live streaming commerce are not fully explored. The purpose of this study is to examine these factors by exploring the relationships among customer trust (i.e., trust in broadcasters, community members, and products) and customer engagement, and the mediating role of swift guanxi.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors surveyed 422 customers who have watched Taobao Live, one of the largest live streaming commerce sites in China, and used their questionnaires to test the research model employing partial least squares modeling.
Findings
The authors’ results indicate that trust in broadcasters has a positive effect on trust in products and community members, which positively influences trust in products. Additionally, swift guanxi has a fully mediating effect on the relationship between customers' trust in broadcasters and customer engagement.
Originality/value
First, from the theoretical perspective, this study comprehensively identifies three types of trust, explores the transfer relationships among trust in broadcasters, community members, and products based on Trust Transfer Theory. In addition, this study examines the mediating influence of swift guanxi on the relationship between customer trust and engagement. Second, from the managerial perspective, the study provides insights to help broadcasters and practitioners use live streaming to facilitate shopping.