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While the process of negotiation has been studied extensively, little research has been done on the factors that lead parties to the negotiation table. In light of this, the purpose of this paper is to examine effects of unilateral conciliatory initiatives (UCIs) (actions) on the willingness and preparedness of parties to negotiate.

The study used a separate-sample posttest, 2 × 3 factorial design. Subjects were placed into simulated intractable resource- and identity-based conflicts. Groups then received UCIs (in the form of economic aid and apology) intended to benefit the other and contribute to a high commitment to de-escalation (ripeness). Ripeness was measured by increased empathy; and decreased distrust, escalatory behaviors (operationalized as aggression and autistic hostility), anger, win-lose/competitive orientation and negative attributions.

UCIs were shown to impact both the state and the process of ripeness. Apology facilitated ripeness in an identity conflict and positively impacted five of the six resistance areas in a resource conflict. Economic aid likewise affected ripeness in an identity conflict but did not impact a resource conflict better than an apology. The offer of an apology affected empathy in both conflict types but economic aid did not do so in a resource conflict. It was also observed that an identity-based conflict produced less trust and increased negative attributions than did a resource conflict.

This suggests that identity and resource conflicts activate some resistance areas differently. It also reveals that similar interventions may be effective in both conflicts but that each UCI affects particular resistance areas differently. The findings suggest that there should be an increased emphasis on apology by conflict resolution practitioners. The practical and theoretical implications of apologies and resource sharing in de-escalation are discussed, to facilitate their appropriate use in resolution strategies that reduce tensions within conflict.

This study aims to describe and analyze the factors associated with dependence and motivation to stop smoking in patients with schizophrenia.

This descriptive, analytical study was conducted between October 2021 and April 2023 at two psychiatric centers in Morocco. The study population consisted of 274 smokers diagnosed with schizophrenia, who were examined just before their discharge. In addition to sociodemographic and economic data, tobacco use status and clinical information, the authors assessed dependence with Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), motivation to quit and depression.

Around three-quarters (74%) smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day, with a mean FTND score of 5.61 (±1.94). Dependence was reported in 76% of smokers. More than two-thirds (69%) had made at least one attempt to quit, and almost all participants (99%) had done so without medical assistance. Nicotine dependence was associated with income, illness duration, motivation to stop smoking and depression. In addition, lower income, level of education, number of hospitalizations, attempts to stop smoking and nicotine dependence were associated with motivation to quit tobacco use. However, depression was not associated with motivation to stop smoking.

The present study has the following limitations: the cross-sectional nature of the study does not allow for temporal evaluation, the sampling technique does not allow for generalization of the results, participants’ responses may be subjective despite the use of validated psychometric scales.

The results of this research have important public health implications: Duration of schizophrenia progression was associated with nicotine dependence – highlighting the need to offer help as soon as possible after diagnosis, as a preventative measure; Calgary depression score was a factor associated with increased dependence – suggesting that screening and additional help for people with co-existing mental health problems could be important. Similarly, the onset of depression after the development of schizophrenia should be monitored.

The authors have further searched the literature and have not found similar studies. The absence of such studies justifies the significance of this research, and its results will be valuable for publication to guide researchers in the treatment of tobacco dependence and, furthermore, to guide the preventive efforts of health authorities in Morocco. Additionally, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind in Morocco and among the few in North Africa.

The authors explore neuro-enhanced reality (NeR) as a novel approach for enhancing service communication between customers, frontline employees, and service organizations that extends beyond current state-of-the-art approaches based on augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies.

The authors first take stock of research on reality-enhanced service communication with AR and VR, then complement these insights with emerging neuroscientific research to conceptualize how NeR enables innovative forms of service communication. On this basis, the authors develop a research agenda to guide the future study and managerial exploitation of NeR.

AR and VR already offer unique affordances for digital-to-physical communication, but these can be extended with NeR. Specifically, NeR supports neuro-to-digital and digital-to-neuro communication based on neuroimaging (e.g. controlling digital content through thought) and neurostimulation (e.g. eliciting brain responses based on digital content). This provides a basis for outlining possible applications of NeR across service settings.

The authors advance knowledge on reality-enhanced service communication with AR and VR, whilst also demonstrating how neuroscientific research can be extended from understanding brain activity to generating novel service interactions.

Training is one of the key dimensions of internal marketing. Virtual reality (VR), a computer technology that replicates an environment (real or imagined) and simulates a user’s physical presence in that environment to allow for user interaction, offers unique opportunities from a training perspective, such as allowing users to improve their skills without the consequence of failing real customers or the need to be in the real environment physically. This study aims to focus on comparing the effectiveness of VR hospitality training with that of real-world hospitality training.

This study adopts situated cognition theory to empirically test the effect of the awareness of contextual variables (social interaction, location and task) on learning and compare learning outcomes between tourism training in VR and real-world experimental settings.

Results indicate that location and task awareness enhance cognitive absorption, but social awareness does not influence cognitive absorption. There is no significant difference between training in real-world and VR environments. Finally, cognitive absorption has a positive effect on mental model change (the learning outcome).

This result advances the theoretical understanding on the significance of learning context by applying situated cognition theory in hospitality training and has significant implications for training that aims for rigor and efficiency within cost, location and time constraints.

培训是内部营销的关键维度之一。 虚拟现实 (VR), 一种复制某种环境（真实的或想象的）并模拟在该环境中实质性存在的用户的计算机技术并且允许用户交互, 从培训的角度来看提供独特的机会, 例如允许用户在没有培训的情况下提高他们的技能避免承担损失真实客户的后果或需要实际身处真实环境中。 本研究的重点是比较 VR 酒店培训与现实世界的招待培训的效果。

本研究采用情境认知理论对情境变量（社交互动、位置和任务）的认识对学习和比较 VR 和现实世界实验环境中的旅游培训之间的学习成果进行实证检验。

结果表明, 位置和任务意识增强了认知吸收, 但社会意识不影响认知吸收。 在现实世界和 VR 环境中的训练之间没有显着差异。 最后, 认知吸收对心理模式改变（学习结果）有显著积极作用。

该结果通过在酒店培训中应用情境认知理论促进了对学习情境重要性的理论理解, 并对旨在成本、地点和时间限制内实现严谨和高效的培训具有重要意义。

The paper focuses on extended reality technologies and their potential contribution to the improvement of services. First, it identifies extended reality technologies (AR/VR) as the most promising interfaces to enable an experiential consumption of the services. It then summarises their properties and discusses similarities and differences. Last, it maps these technologies onto a consumer psychology framework of experience to derive possible areas of future research.

The authors conduct a literature review and present a conceptual framework of AR/VR contributions on experience.

The study provides an up-to-date literature review including AR and VR applications for consumer and service experience, as well as recommendations for possible research directions.

Whereas previous contributions adopted the same, experiential approach but focused on different technology (e.g. AI) or considered multiple interfaces and their impact on the consumer journey (mostly transactions), this paper aims at digging deeper into AR/VR, while retaining an experiential view on consumption that best serves the contextualisation of AR/VR.

This paper aims to assess COVID-19 (C-19) pandemic influence in the 37 factors identified from extant literature as factors influencing the viability of local construction firms (LCFs).

A sample size of 65 staff of 31 LCFs that were awarded construction projects contracts in institutions in Nigeria was purposefully selected and accessed based on relevant predetermined criteria. Respondents’ views on factors determining the viability of LCFs were obtained. Factors known to be influenced by C-19 are 25 of the 37 factors rated on a five-point Likert scale of importance by the respondents. Mean scores were used to rank the factors and principal component analysis was used to obtain key component factors (CFs) influenced by the C-19 pandemic.

Six of the first ten “extremely important” and “very important” factors are known to be influenced by C-19 pandemic. A total of 8 CFs having 20 variables with factor loadings of more than 0.5 each were known to be influenced by C-19. The C-19 pandemic influenced LCFs’ cash flow and management of construction labour, plant and equipment amidst variables that had above 0.8 factor loading.

A limitation of this study is the inability to conduct close contact interview during this period to obtain personal views on the influence of C-19 on LCFs. However, this does not reduce the quality of findings of this study, as there are valid literature basis hinging this study findings.

The paper recommends that all stakeholders pay prompt attention to the factors adversely affected by the C-19 pandemic to improve or at the least sustain the viability of LCFs.

This paper fulfils a present pertinent need of assessing the influence of the C-19 pandemic on various factors influencing the viability of construction firms.