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Article
Publication date: 24 January 2020

Phang Grace Ing, Ng Zheng Lin, Ming Xu and Ramayah Thurasamy

Loyal customers are committed to repeat patronage, make business referrals and provide publicity for the business. However, rising customer expectations and price consciousness…

3501

Abstract

Purpose

Loyal customers are committed to repeat patronage, make business referrals and provide publicity for the business. However, rising customer expectations and price consciousness, advancement of technology, lack of product differentiation and consumer choices have posted more challenges for customer retention. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between transaction specific characteristics (i.e. food quality, service quality, atmosphere, convenience and price perception), customer satisfaction and customer loyalty (behavioral and attitudinal loyalties) in the context of Sabah full-service restaurant. The mediating effect of customer satisfaction and moderating effect of customer innovativeness were also tested.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 225 valid questionnaires was collected via purposive sampling method and analyzed using Smart-PLS software 3.0.

Findings

All transaction specific characteristics have positive influences on customer satisfaction with price perception as the strongest predictor. Satisfaction had stronger effect on behavioral loyalty as compared to attitudinal loyalty. The mediating effects of customer satisfaction were only found in some of the relationships. None of the moderating effects of customer innovativeness was significant.

Originality/value

Utilizing the value-percept theory and transaction specific model which combine the evaluations of service and product elements of the full-service restaurant, this study contributed to the better understanding of the relationships between transaction specific characteristics, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The examination of both attitudinal and behavioral loyalties provided valuable insights to practitioners and researchers in understanding full-service restaurant consumers’ repatronage intention, intention to spread positive words-of-mouth (WoM) and commitment.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 32 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

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Article
Publication date: 29 October 2019

Yanhong Chen, Yaobin Lu, Sumeet Gupta and Zhao Pan

Social shopping website (SSW) introduce the social side into the shopping process, thus making “window” shopping or browsing more interesting for customers. The purpose of this…

2436

Abstract

Purpose

Social shopping website (SSW) introduce the social side into the shopping process, thus making “window” shopping or browsing more interesting for customers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate customer online browsing experience and its antecedents (i.e. information quality and social interaction) and consequences (i.e. urge to buy impulsively and continuous browsing intention) in the context of SSW.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey questionnaire was distributed to visitors of online SSW to collect data, and partial least squares technology was used to test the research model.

Findings

The results of this study reveal that three types of web browsing, namely, utilitarian browsing, hedonic browsing and social browsing, take place in a SSW. The unique factors of SSW, namely, the quality of user generated contents and social interaction are critical for facilitating customers’ browsing experiences. Furthermore, the findings reveal that hedonic browsing experience is found to be the most salient factor influencing customers’ urge to buy impulsively and continuance intention.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that practitioners, such as designers and managers of SSW should give special attention to the benefits of browsing activity to convert web browsers into impulse purchasers and increase customers’ loyalty. Moreover, they should focus on improving the quality of user generated content and pay more attention to support and encourage social interaction to enhance browsing experiences on a SSW.

Originality/value

Existing studies about browsing behavior mostly focus on traditional online e-commerce website. This study represents the first step toward understanding browsing activity on SSW. Moreover, prior studies mainly focused on utilitarian and hedonic browsing experience; however, there is a lack of research on social browsing experience. The current study attempts to fill this research gap.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 23 March 2022

Qi Ji, Yuanming Zhang, Gang Xiao, Hongfang Zhou and Zheng Lin

Data service (DS) is a special software service that enables data access in cloud environment and provides a unified data model for cross-origination data integration and data…

429

Abstract

Purpose

Data service (DS) is a special software service that enables data access in cloud environment and provides a unified data model for cross-origination data integration and data sharing. The purpose of the work is to automatically compose DSs and quickly generate data view to satisfy users' various data requirements (DRs).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper proposes an automatic DS composition and view generation approach. DSs are organized into DS dependence graph (DSDG) based on their inherent dependences, and DSs can be automatically composed using the DSDG according to user's DRs. Then, data view will be generated by interpreting the composed DS.

Findings

Experimental results with real cross-origination data sets show the proposed approaches have high efficiency and good quality for DS composition and view generation.

Originality/value

The authors propose a DS composition algorithm and a data view generation algorithm according to users' DRs.

Details

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing and Special Equipment, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2633-6596

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Article
Publication date: 6 May 2021

Bo Xie and Yuan-Ming Wang

This paper aims to discuss the stagnation-point flow and heat transfer for power-law fluid pass through a stretching surface with heat generation effect. Unlike the previous…

157

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the stagnation-point flow and heat transfer for power-law fluid pass through a stretching surface with heat generation effect. Unlike the previous considerations about the research on stagnation-point flow, the process of heat transfer and the convective heat transfer boundary condition use the modified Fourier’s law in which the heat flux is power-law-dependent on velocity gradient.

Design/methodology/approach

The similarly transformation is used to convert the governing partial differential equations into a series of ordinary differential equations which are solved analytically by using the differential transform method and the base function method.

Findings

The variations of the velocity and temperature fields for different specific related parameters are graphically discussed and analyzed. There is a special phenomenon that all the velocity profiles converge from the initial value of velocity to stagnation parameter values. And the larger power-law index enhancesthe momentum diffusion. A significant phenomenon can be observed that the larger power-law index causes a decline in the heat flux. This influence indicates that the higher viscosity restricts the heat transfer. Furthermore, both velocity gradient and temperature gradient play an indispensable role in the processes of heat transfer.

Originality/value

This paper researches the process of heat transfer of stagnation-point flow ofpower-law magneto-hydro-dynamical fluid over a stretching surface with modified convective heat transfer boundary condition.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 32 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 December 2019

Jun Xiao, Hong-Zheng Sun-Lin and Hsu-Chen Cheng

The purpose of this paper is to propose a design of online-merge-offline (OMO) classroom for open education with design principles related to practical issues of teachers’…

9568

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a design of online-merge-offline (OMO) classroom for open education with design principles related to practical issues of teachers’ teaching, students’ learning and schools’ management.

Design/methodology/approach

Three stages were covered: drafted an OMO classroom framework, built a sample classroom and explored end-users’ experience. First, authors searched for and reviewed previous studies and related cases to draft an OMO framework. Second, a classroom, consisted of wireless devices, cloud-based services, Internet of Things terminals, ergonomics furniture, and comprehensive data management and analysis services, was built in Shanghai Open University. Third, invited 11 students’, 18 teachers’ and 9 school managers’ perspectives were collected and analysed by surveys and interviews.

Findings

All student participants responded positively in terms of learning experience in the classroom. They not only engaged in classroom activities such, but also accessed needed learning materials and interacted with teachers and peers anytime anywhere via mobile devices. Similarly, most teachers (90 per cent) made positive responses because of flexibility of teaching strategies and learning activities and expressed willingness to use the classroom in the future (94.4 per cent). In addition, more than 78 per cent of managers positively commented on the design of classroom, interaction effects and effective management. Visualised data allowed them to timely monitor status of facilities, comprehensively understand users’ behaviour and issues, make necessary decision with scientific evidence.

Research limitations/implications

The framework and classroom not only provide teachers, students, school managers and researcher with a better understanding of innovative open education, but also indicate the key role of objective-oriented and data-driven issues for further work.

Originality/value

To meet needs of teachers, students, managers and researchers in today’s open education, an OMO classroom was built in Shanghai Open University based on the proposed Objective-Oriented Pedagogy-Space-Technology (OPST) framework. The framework provides readers (especially teachers and administrators of open-education institutes, staff of information centres and ed-tech researchers) with a better understanding of innovative instruction and effective management, and the originally designed classroom can be a practical and illuminating example.

Details

Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2414-6994

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Book part
Publication date: 2 August 2021

Daniel Cosgrove and Imran Chowdhury

In this chapter, the authors focus on the development of the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry in China. As a modern borrowing platform, P2P lending allows clients to obtain…

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors focus on the development of the peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry in China. As a modern borrowing platform, P2P lending allows clients to obtain funding from peer lenders for a multitude of loan purposes, including credit consolidation, personal purchases, and the development of business ventures. However, the speed at which this industry has grown has created numerous problems for regulatory agencies, particularly in China, the largest P2P lending market in the world. This chapter examines how lenders in the Chinese context continue to function as formal institutions regulating this sector continue to grow following a series of highly publicized illegal lending activities in recent years. Additionally, the authors determine whether implemented regulatory measures are providing an overall benefit or detriment to the Chinese P2P lending industry. Finally, the authors highlight the potential for positive social change and social entrepreneurship arising from P2P lending, particularly in terms of the empowerment of traditionally disadvantaged groups by providing access to capital. The authors use the P2P lending industry in the United States, currently the second largest in the world and one operating in a highly regulated financial industry, as a comparison for the Chinese case.

Details

Entrepreneurship for Social Change
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-211-9

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Book part
Publication date: 15 November 2016

Kathleen M. Alley and Barbara J. Peterson

To review and synthesize findings from peer-reviewed research related to students’ sources of ideas for writing, and instructional dimensions that affect students’ development of…

Abstract

Purpose

To review and synthesize findings from peer-reviewed research related to students’ sources of ideas for writing, and instructional dimensions that affect students’ development of ideas for composition in grades K-8.

Design/methodology/approach

The ideas or content expressed in written composition are considered critical to ratings of writing quality. We utilized a Systematic Mixed Studies Review (SMSR) methodological framework (Heyvaert, Maes, & Onghena, 2011) to explore K-8 students’ ideas and writing from a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives.

Findings

Students’ ideas for writing originate from a range of sources, including teachers, peers, literature, content area curriculum, autobiographical/life experiences, popular culture/media, drawing, and play. Intertextuality, copying, social dialogue, and playful peer interactions are productive strategies K-8 writers use to generate ideas for composing, in addition to strategies introduced through planned instruction. Relevant dimensions of instruction include motivation to write, idea planning and organization, as well as specific instructional strategies, techniques, and tools to facilitate idea generation and selection within the composition process.

Practical implications

A permeable curriculum and effective instructional practices are crucial to support students’ access to a full range of ideas and knowledge-based resources, and help them translate these into written composition. Instructional practices for idea development and writing: (a) connect reading and writing for authentic purposes; (b) include explicit modeling of strategies for planning and “online” generation of ideas throughout the writing process across genre; (c) align instructional focus across reading, writing, and other curricular activities; (d) allow for extended time to write; and (e) incorporate varied, flexible participation structures through which students can share ideas and receive teacher/peer feedback on writing.

Details

Writing Instruction to Support Literacy Success
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-525-6

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Article
Publication date: 11 November 2021

Sunil Kumar Jauhar, Natthan Singh, A. Rajeev and Millie Pant

Productivity improvement is key to sustainability performance improvements of organizations. In a real-world scenario, the nature of inputs and outputs is likely to be imprecise…

283

Abstract

Purpose

Productivity improvement is key to sustainability performance improvements of organizations. In a real-world scenario, the nature of inputs and outputs is likely to be imprecise and vague, leading to complexity in comparing firms' efficiency measurements. Implementation of fuzzy-logic based measurement systems is a method for dealing with such cases. This paper presents a fuzzy weight objective function to solve Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) CCR model for measuring paper mills' performance in India for 15 years.

Design/methodology/approach

An integrated methodology is proposed to solve DEA models having fuzzy weights. The fuzzy DEA methodology is an extended version of the DEA approach that researchers have used for performance measurement purposes in imprecise and vague scenarios. The ecological performance of the paper industry is evaluated, considering some desirable and undesirable outputs. The effect of non-discretionary input on the performance of a paper mill is also analyzed.

Findings

Analysis suggests that the productivity of the paper industry is improving consistently throughout the period. The comparative evaluation of methods suggests that a diverse cluster of DMUs and integration of DEA with the fuzzy logic increases the diversity in the efficiency score while DEA-DE imitates the results of CCR DEA.

Originality/value

Proposed a fuzzy DEA-based analytical framework for measuring the paper industry's ecological performance in an imprecise and vague scenario. The model is tested on data from the paper industry in a developing country context and comparative performance analysis using DEA, fuzzy DEA and DE algorithm is done.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

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Article
Publication date: 1 January 2024

Xingxing Li, Shixi You, Zengchang Fan, Guangjun Li and Li Fu

This review provides an overview of recent advances in electrochemical sensors for analyte detection in saliva, highlighting their potential applications in diagnostics and health…

366

Abstract

Purpose

This review provides an overview of recent advances in electrochemical sensors for analyte detection in saliva, highlighting their potential applications in diagnostics and health care. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the current state of the field, identify challenges and limitations and discuss future prospects for the development of saliva-based electrochemical sensors.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews relevant literature and research articles to examine the latest developments in electrochemical sensing technologies for saliva analysis. It explores the use of various electrode materials, including carbon nanomaterial, metal nanoparticles and conducting polymers, as well as the integration of microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices and wearable/implantable technologies. The design and fabrication methodologies used in these sensors are discussed, along with sample preparation techniques and biorecognition elements for enhancing sensor performance.

Findings

Electrochemical sensors for salivary analyte detection have demonstrated excellent potential for noninvasive, rapid and cost-effective diagnostics. Recent advancements have resulted in improved sensor selectivity, stability, sensitivity and compatibility with complex saliva samples. Integration with microfluidics and LOC technologies has shown promise in enhancing sensor efficiency and accuracy. In addition, wearable and implantable sensors enable continuous, real-time monitoring of salivary analytes, opening new avenues for personalized health care and disease management.

Originality/value

This review presents an up-to-date overview of electrochemical sensors for analyte detection in saliva, offering insights into their design, fabrication and performance. It highlights the originality and value of integrating electrochemical sensing with microfluidics, wearable/implantable technologies and point-of-care testing platforms. The review also identifies challenges and limitations, such as interference from other saliva components and the need for improved stability and reproducibility. Future prospects include the development of novel microfluidic devices, advanced materials and user-friendly diagnostic devices to unlock the full potential of saliva-based electrochemical sensing in clinical practice.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 44 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

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Article
Publication date: 2 May 2017

Wing-hin Kam

This paper aims to analyse how both Lin’s birthplace identity and his Christian identity contributed to his fruitful public career and to ascertain which identity became the most…

101

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse how both Lin’s birthplace identity and his Christian identity contributed to his fruitful public career and to ascertain which identity became the most significant.

Design/methodology/approach

Archival research is the main method used in this paper. The most important archives drawn from are the Daniel Tse Collection in the Special Collection and Archives of the Hong Kong Baptist University Library. Oral history has also been used in this paper to uncover more material that has not yet been discussed in existing scholarly works.

Findings

This paper argues that although Lin’s birthplace identity and social networks helped him to start his business career in Nam Pak Hong and develop into a leader in the local Chaozhou communities, these factors were insufficient to his becoming a respectable member of the Chinese elite in post-war Hong Kong. He became well known not because of his leading position in local Chaozhou communities or any great achievement he had obtained in business but because of his contribution to the development of Christian education. These achievements earned him a reputation as a “Christian educator”. Thus Lin’s Christian identity became more important than his birthplace identity in contributing to his successful public career.

Originality/value

This paper has value in showing how Christian influences interacted with various cultural factors in early Hong Kong. It also offers insights into Lin’s life and motivations as well as the history of the institutions he contributed to/founded. It not only furthers our understanding of the Chinese Christian business elite in early Hong Kong but also provides us with insights when further studying this group of people in other British colonies in Asia.

Details

Social Transformations in Chinese Societies, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1871-2673

Keywords

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