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1 – 8 of 8Ali B. Mahmoud, Leonora Fuxman, Yousra Asaad and Konstantinos Solakis
The Metaverse is rapidly reshaping the understanding of tourism, yet the public perception of this new domain remains largely uncharted empirically. This paper aims to build on…
Abstract
Purpose
The Metaverse is rapidly reshaping the understanding of tourism, yet the public perception of this new domain remains largely uncharted empirically. This paper aims to build on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and diffusion of innovations theory (DIT) to fill this gap, offering crucial insights that could inform scholars and practitioners in both the tourism and technology sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a big-data approach, the authors applied machine learning to scrape comments made by social media users on recent popular posts or videos related to tourism in the Metaverse from three prominent social media platforms. The cleaning process narrowed down 15,461 comments to 2,650, which were then analysed using thematic, emotion and sentiment analysis techniques.
Findings
The thematic analysis revealed that virtual tourism evokes a complex range of public beliefs. While many express awe and excitement toward its immersive capabilities, others remain sceptical about authenticity compared to physical travel. Additional themes show people draw comparisons to real-world tourism, discuss technology’s role and note educational value and novelty. However, some comments raise concerns about potential societal harms, exploitation and mental health impacts. Sentiment analysis found over half of the comments positive, though some were negative. Emotion analysis showed contentment, happiness and excitement as most frequent, though sadness, worry and loneliness also featured. Overall, perceptions of Metaverse tourism encompass enthusiasm yet substantial ambivalence.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to comprehensively analyse public discussions on Metaverse tourism. It takes TAM and Rogers’s DIT a step further and provides fresh insights into how these theories can be employed in the emerging field of Metaverse tourism. The themes revealed new conceptual insights into multidimensional factors shaping public beliefs about Metaverse tourism and thus informing scholarly research on virtual interaction and technology acceptance regarding Metaverse tourism. In addition, the results can help tourism providers, platforms and marketers address salient public beliefs and sentiments/attitudes in developing marketing offerings, experiences and communications. Over time, this analysis methodology can be used to track the evolving public perceptions of Metaverse tourism.
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Ali Bassam Mahmoud, Nicholas Grigoriou, Leonora Fuxman, Dieu Hack-Polay, Fatina Bassam Mahmoud, Eiad Yafi and Shehnaz Tehseen
This study aims to assess consumers’ beliefs in three Middle Eastern Arab countries regarding attitudinal and behavioural responses towards permission-based direct email marketing…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess consumers’ beliefs in three Middle Eastern Arab countries regarding attitudinal and behavioural responses towards permission-based direct email marketing (hereafter DEM) and the moderating role of gender in the hypothesised path model.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised path model by using data collected from 829 respondents.
Findings
The findings show that attitude was found to fully mediate the relationship between beliefs and behavioural responses towards permission-based DEM. Gender moderates the relationship between beliefs and attitudes and responses to permission-based DEM. Notably, female respondents were found to react more actively when exposed to permission-based DEM.
Research limitations/implications
Further qualitative research is needed to learn more about how and why individuals develop behavioural intentions in certain ways towards opt-in DEM. In addition, neuropsychology approaches such as eye-tracking are endorsed for future research to gain more insights and conquer biases associated with self-reporting procedures in countries where such technologies are deemed as legal and ethical to be used with human subjects.
Practical implications
Advertisers promoting products and services in the Middle Eastern Arab context should take further steps to enhance the quality of information (including cultural sensitiveness) and the perceived entertainment value that could be delivered to consumers through permission-based DEM, especially for female internet users. Additionally, this study highly recommends the double opt-in approach to permission-based DEM.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to address the gender role as a moderator of the path depicting the effectiveness of permission-based DEM approach in the Middle East (Arab counties) from beliefs to behavioural responses via attitudes.
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Iris Mohr, Leonora Fuxman and Ali B. Mahmoud
This article critically synthesizes the literature on sustainable fashion, the movement behind it and plausible fashion adoption theories. Then, to build on those studies…
Abstract
Purpose
This article critically synthesizes the literature on sustainable fashion, the movement behind it and plausible fashion adoption theories. Then, to build on those studies, developing a new theory about adopting sustainable fashion – mainly among millennials and Generation Z who are behind forwarding and adopting this fashion trend – is sought after.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a theory-synthesized conceptual article that presents a literature-informed new theoretical structure pronouncing sustainable fashion adoption and its rise as a new luxury trend. That included explicating and unraveling the conceptual foundations and construction elements that different viewpoints use to articulate the trend under investigation and the searches for a common basis to construct a new and improved conceptual framework.
Findings
This study introduces the triple-trickle theory that incorporates the role of media and technology to organize and understand the diffusion of sustainable fashion and identify paths for future trickle-effects on fashion research.
Research limitations/implications
Even though this has the benefit of offering a vast array of views and evidence that offers an adequate problem inspection, further studies providing empirical evidence are needed to establish the external validity of the theory derived from this research.
Practical implications
This theory can be applied to develop targeted practices to understand the diffusion and adoption of sustainable fashion and further practitioners’ understanding of product positioning, target marketing, marketing strategy and luxury opportunities in general.
Originality/value
Though interest in sustainable fashion has increased among consumers, no theory or model exists to explain its adoption. Therefore, the triple-trickle theory is proposed and aimed to be a more relevant framework to offer a theoretical premise for future empirical investigations of sustainable fashion adoption.
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Ali B. Mahmoud, Leonora Fuxman, Iris Mohr, William D. Reisel and Nicholas Grigoriou
The primary purpose of this research is to examine generational differences in valuing the sources of employees' overall motivation in the workplace across Generation X…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary purpose of this research is to examine generational differences in valuing the sources of employees' overall motivation in the workplace across Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z with a view of assisting managers in making employment decisions and maintaining multigenerational staff.
Design/methodology/approach
The respondents in the study live and work in Canada and provided answers to self-administered online surveys between the fourth quarter of 2017 and the end of January 2020. To assess subjects' work motivation, the study employed Gagné et al.'s (2014) multidimensional work motivation scale (MWMS) alongside a three-item measure of employees' overall motivation (designed for this study). The authors assessed measures of validity and reliability and tested the hypothesis about generational differences in work motivation using structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
The six motivators regress differently to employees' overall motivation. Generation Z is more sensitive to amotivation than Generation X and Generation Y. Extrinsic regulation-material is a valid source of overall work motivation for Generation Z only. Only Generation X values extrinsic regulation-social as a source of employees' overall motivation. So is introjected regulation by Generation Y. Unlike Generation Z, both Generation X and Generation Y employees value identified regulation as a source of overall work motivation. Finally, intrinsic motivation contributes more to Generation Z employees' overall work motivation than it does for Generation X and Generation Y.
Research limitations/implications
Further work needs to be done to establish whether variations in valuing the sources of motivation may also be spawned by age or status of the respective groups. Future investigations can expand the authors’ focal theme to include additional organisational outcomes, alternative geographical settings and/or include country's economic development as an additional variable. Moreover, further research can address the implications of national culture on shaping generational differences in employee's motivation as well as aiding companies to redesign work tasks considering today's uncertainty as well as increasingly competitive, global environment (e.g. the rise of artificial intelligence).
Practical implications
It is vital to offer motivators that are valued by each of the three generations, i.e. X, Y and Z, before being able to attract the best candidates of each generation. Organisations should not only create an inclusive and understanding multigenerational working environment but also be able to communicate strong branding via new communication channels successfully (e.g. social media networks), which Generation Yers and Generation Zers utilise better than any other generation in employment. Finally, the authors suggest that service organisations with diverse generational composition should adopt new measures of workplace agility to survive interminable disruptions (e.g. the coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19] pandemic).
Originality/value
This is the first study of its kind to examine generational differences between Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z in valuing workplace motivation from a western cultural perspective.
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With the increasing technological innovation in the automotive industry, the need for complementary innovations in worker organization has arisen. In response to this need, two…
Abstract
With the increasing technological innovation in the automotive industry, the need for complementary innovations in worker organization has arisen. In response to this need, two distinct approaches for teamwork in automotive production have been developed. This paper discusses both the Japanese and the Scandinavian teamwork models and their various implementations found among auto manufacturers worldwide. Work teams must be supported by changes in production philosophy, intensive training programs, and enhanced labor‐management relations. These complementary systems require significant investments, making team building a risky but potentially valuable venture. New insights on team building and its implications for production processes are provided.
Many Ukrainian firms experience managerial difficulties due to a lack of qualified managers. This shortage of managerial talent affects many firms, regardless of their size and…
Abstract
Many Ukrainian firms experience managerial difficulties due to a lack of qualified managers. This shortage of managerial talent affects many firms, regardless of their size and origin. To solve this problem, small/entrepreneurial firms as well as medium‐size firms rely mainly on their own managerial talents, while larger organizations turn to consulting management. Consulting management in the Ukraine is still in its infancy and suffers from a lack of managerial and restructuring experience in a free‐market economy. This paper explains an organizational improvement model developed based on a small advertising agency that could be generalized for use by other firms.
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Ali B. Mahmoud, Shehnaz Tehseen and Leonora Fuxman
This chapter attempts to provide answers to the following questions:
- What is artificial intelligence (AI)? Moreover, what is AI-based retail innovation?
- How does AI work?
- What are…
Abstract
Learning Outcomes
This chapter attempts to provide answers to the following questions:
What is artificial intelligence (AI)? Moreover, what is AI-based retail innovation?
How does AI work?
What are the applications of AI in retail services innovation?
What are the ethical aspects, considerations and issues regarding the employment of AI in retail?
What is artificial intelligence (AI)? Moreover, what is AI-based retail innovation?
How does AI work?
What are the applications of AI in retail services innovation?
What are the ethical aspects, considerations and issues regarding the employment of AI in retail?
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