Xing (Stella) Liu, Lisa C. Wan and Anna S. Mattila
This study aims to explore how the extensive implementation of virtual influencers (VIs) in the hospitality and tourism industry shapes tourists’ trust perceptions. Specifically…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how the extensive implementation of virtual influencers (VIs) in the hospitality and tourism industry shapes tourists’ trust perceptions. Specifically, it compares the differences between human influencers (HIs) and VIs based on mind perception theory and outlines the strategies for hospitality and tourism marketers to efficiently adopt influencers to enhance customers’ trust in diversified consumption contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
Three experiments were conducted with online panels (n = 799). Study 1 outlines the anticipated focal effect and the mediating role of perceived experience. Study 2 replicates the effect and investigates its downstream consequences. Study 3 examines the moderating effect of product type.
Findings
The results reveal that customers are more likely to distrust VIs than their human counterparts because the former is thought to possess a lower degree of perceived experience. This effect is more prominent in the endorsement of experiential (versus functional) products and services.
Originality/value
This research advances the understanding of how tourists perceive HIs andVIs differently in social media endorsement, enriching the growing literature on VIs. Hospitality marketers can also gain insights into the advantages and limitations of VIs, providing valuable information to optimize their marketing effectiveness.
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Xiaoyan Luo, Ding Xu, Yuan (William) Li and Lisa C. Wan
The advancements in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) encourage disruptive transformation in the hospitality industry. Previous discussions predominantly focused on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The advancements in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) encourage disruptive transformation in the hospitality industry. Previous discussions predominantly focused on the impact of AI-powered agents on the labor force. This research extends previous studies by investigating the feasibility of GenAI as an information search agent in comparison to the predominant role of search engines.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the Tourist Online Information Search Behavior framework, the authors proposed that consumers’ GenAI adoption may vary upon search purpose (search type), individual differences (travel motive) and situational differences (GenAI task-oriented customization level). Four studies with a total number of 813 participants were conducted.
Findings
Taking GenAI over traditional search engines for pre-trip information search significantly increased with a non-decision-based (vs decision-based) purpose. To enhance the adoption of GenAI in its less effective but more important decision-based situations, the authors proposed and confirmed the incremental effect of utilitarian travel motives and task-oriented customization levels.
Practical implications
This study highlights GenAI’s potential as an information communication technology (ICT). This encourages tourism and hospitality businesses to consider integrating GenAI to strengthen ICT services. Moreover, search type, travel motive and task-oriented customization level are important in deploying GenAI for ICT improvement.
Originality/value
This study deepens the understanding of GenAI adoption in the tourism and hospitality sector by elaborating on the GenAI-as-ICT perspective and offers fresh insights into AI for pre-trip or pre-consumption information search.
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Lisa C. Wan, Patrick S. Poon and Chunling Yu
Face concern is a personal value that refers to the extent an individual shows regard for or interest in the protection and enhancement of face. This study aims to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
Face concern is a personal value that refers to the extent an individual shows regard for or interest in the protection and enhancement of face. This study aims to examine the moderating influence of face concern on consumer responses to brands associated with corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental study was conducted to test the proposed conceptual model in consumer reactions to CSR brands.
Findings
The results show that consumers with a high face concern (vs low face concern) have a better quality perception toward CSR brands than non-CSR brands. In addition, they also have a higher purchase intention and propensity to recommend the CSR brands than those with a low face concern. However, this interaction effect between face concern and brand type (CSR brand vs non-CSR brand) is mediated by consumers’ perceived quality of the brand.
Practical implications
This study provides critical implications for the formulation of brand management strategies, particularly for international firms entering an Asian country like China where people generally have a high degree of face concern.
Originality/value
This study highlights the moderating role of face concern in the relationship between consumer responses and brands associated with CSR. It also suggests the mediating role of consumers’ perceived brand quality in the relationship between brand types (CSR brands vs non-CSR brands) and consumer responses.
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Norman Cameron Croker and Lisa Robyn Barnes
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social performance (CSP) in literature from its inception to 2013.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social performance (CSP) in literature from its inception to 2013.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a bibliometric technique, the authors examine CSR’s epistemological orientation and determine whether it is primarily composed of authors building on each other’s work (“progressive”), or comprises the development of alternative constructs (“variegational”), or whether both orientations exist side-by-side within a dynamic, multidimensional concept.
Findings
The paper reviews bibliometric analysis of the epistemological evolution of the CSR concept within the management literature, from 1972 to 2002, using a dataset to that time of approximately 500 articles. Since then, the evolving CSR/CSP literature has transitioned the main CSR debate from a “whether or not to”, to a “how to” implement CSR debate, and the body of literature has grown to over 8,000 articles. The authors find that the progression of the CSR construct is both variegational and progressive. They identify that the predominant theoretical theme is based on stakeholder theory.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this research, identifying that the epistemological evolution of the CSR concept within the recent management literature can be characterised as being both variegational and progressive, adds a valuable contribution to the ongoing and increasing body of knowledge relating to CSR.
Originality/value
The results of this study may be of practical importance to scholars in identifying relevant foci for their future research into the CSR construct.
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Firwan wan Tan, Lisa Nesti, Efa Yonnedi Yonnedi and Endrizal Ridwan Ridwan
This research aims to study the economic conditions of fishermen living in the coastal area of Kabupaten Pesisir Selatan.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to study the economic conditions of fishermen living in the coastal area of Kabupaten Pesisir Selatan.
Design/methodology/approach
The method used is a descriptive analysis method supported by a participatory planning method. The importance of primary data is to understand deeply the real problems of fishermen in the field, collected by using a survey method such as field observations, in-depth interviews by gathering fishermen and related stakeholders in the area, undertaking forum group discussion, workshop and seminar. Secondary data are necessary to support the primary data analysis.
Findings
The results showed that there is an abundance of marine resources, but the economic condition of fishermen is far from expected. The income from fishing is not enough to feed their family's daily needs due to low catching productivity and raw fish selling price. The regency government and province do not have clear and concrete policies to resolve firmly and thoroughly the economic problems of fishermen living in the coastal areas.
Research limitations/implications
This study succeeds in providing two breakthrough strategic policies to improve the economic conditions of fishermen, i.e. institutional and entrepreneurial innovations.
Practical implications
Both strategic policies have a mutual relationship. Therefore, the implementations have to integrate with one another and be executed simultaneously in a single coastal area management system.
Social implications
Bupati as a top policymaker in this region must take full responsibility for the successful implementation of these two strategic policies.
Originality/value
Providing new ideas to solve the main problem of fishermen living in the coastal area in Indonesia.
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Muhammad Haziq Mazlan, Saifullizam Puteh, Zunuwanas Mohamad, Nor Lisa Sulaiman, Kahirol Mohd Salleh, Wan Rosemehah Wan Omar, Rosnawati Buhari and Hartoyo Mp
This study aims to identify and explore the critical components of Industry 4.0 (IR4.0) talent domains needed by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify and explore the critical components of Industry 4.0 (IR4.0) talent domains needed by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students through work-based learning (WBL) programs in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research design was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with 11 experts from academia and industry. Document analysis was employed to complement expert interviews, offering an enriched understanding of the IR4.0 talent domains. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and reliability analysis through Fleiss’s Kappa.
Findings
The study reveals a consensus between academic and industry experts on the importance of cognitive abilities and professionalism for IR4.0 talent. However, significant discrepancies were noted in the domain of operational work skills, with academic experts agreeing on 12 out of 14 components, while industry experts agreed on only four. This highlights a potential misalignment between academic curricula and industry needs, particularly in operational skills.
Research limitations/implications
This research only involves academics and industry experts in the field of IR4.0. The focus of this research is on the undergraduate WBL programmes at Malaysia’s Polytechnic.
Practical implications
The findings can guide curriculum development in TVET programs, ensuring that students are equipped with the necessary skills to meet industry expectations.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on IR4.0 talent development, offering valuable insights into the essential talent domains for TVET students engaged in WBL programs. The findings underscore the need for closer collaboration between educational institutions and industry to ensure that TVET programs are better aligned with the demands of the IR4.0 workforce.
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Jiangjun Wan, Yuxin Zhao, Miaojie Chen, Xi Zhu, Qingyu Lu, Yuwei Huang, Yutong Zhao, Chengyan Zhang, Wei Zhu and Jinxiu Yang
The construction industry accounts for a large proportion of the economy of developing countries, but the connotation and influencing factors of high-quality development (HQD) are…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry accounts for a large proportion of the economy of developing countries, but the connotation and influencing factors of high-quality development (HQD) are still unclear. This study aims to gain a more comprehensive insight into the current development status of the regional construction industry under China's HQD orientation and the obstructive factors affecting its development and to provide informative suggestions for its HQD prospects.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the construction industry of 16 cities in the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle (CCEC), a new region in southwest China, was used as the research object to collect data from the 2006–2019 yearbooks, construct an evaluation index system for HQD of the construction industry, derive the development level of the construction industry using the entropy value method and spatial autocorrelation method and then apply the barrier Diagnostic model was used to compare and analyze the impact level of each index.
Findings
In terms of the time dimension, the development of the construction industry in CCEC is characterized by “high in the twin core and low in the surrounding area”, with unbalanced and insufficient development; in terms of spatial correlation, some factors have positive aggregation in spatial distribution, but the peripheral linkage decreases; through barrier analysis, the impact of different barrier factors is different.
Originality/value
This paper will help governments and enterprises in developing countries to make urban planning and management policies to fundamentally improve the development of the construction industry in underdeveloped regions.
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Examines the thirteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects…
Abstract
Examines the thirteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.