Maheen Iqbal Awan, Amjad Shamim and Jiseon Ahn
In the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, organizations now are expected to serve customers who are highly conscious of safety and sanitation. Among others, the hospitality industry is…
Abstract
Purpose
In the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, organizations now are expected to serve customers who are highly conscious of safety and sanitation. Among others, the hospitality industry is significantly and negatively influenced by this pandemic. Given the unique characteristics of services, using advanced technology is not enough to create a memorable experience without physical interaction between service providers and customers. Thus, this study aims to define the “new normal” for service customers and to explore the “new service design” for the hotel industry.
Design/methodology/approach
As most of the Southeast Asian countries heavily rely on the tourism industry, this study focuses on one of the emerging tourism destinations in this region, Malaysia. The data is collected through in-depth interviews with 17 potential national and international tourists.
Findings
The results suggest that considering the “new normal” for customers, there is an immediate need for the hotel industry to revamp their service design by mainly practicing disinfection and sanitation activities, re-designing overall infrastructure and introducing promotional offers.
Originality/value
This study is novel in its kind as it provides useful guidelines for both practitioners and academicians/researchers. Under this crucial time, very few research is conducted specifically focusing on the hotel industry and tourists’ behaviors amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will provide in-depth knowledge about tourists’ expectations from the hotel services, especially in their own voices.
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Muhammad Farrukh Abid, Amjad Shamim, Park Thaichon, Sara Quach, Junaid Siddique and Maheen Iqbal Awan
This study examines the roles of retail experience quality dimensions, customers’ in-shop emotion valence and in-shop involvement valence in shaping the holistic retail customer…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the roles of retail experience quality dimensions, customers’ in-shop emotion valence and in-shop involvement valence in shaping the holistic retail customer experience.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted a total of 25 interviews with customers who have used services at non-fuel retail stores in Malaysia, commonly known as tuckshops, which are located adjacent to fuel stations. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which led to the identification of key themes and categories that informed the development of our conceptual framework.
Findings
This study identifies three dimensions of retail experience quality: physical surroundings experience quality, interaction experience quality and service innovation experience quality. These dimensions, which were previously unexamined, are shown to influence customer evaluations based on their interactions with the retail environment, employees and digital applications. Additionally, the study finds that these dimensions impact customers’ emotions and involvement valence, suggesting that even with negative experiences, high involvement and overall positive perceptions can still occur.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, it identifies key retail antecedents that shape how customers interact with, interpret and evaluate the quality of their retail experiences. Second, it examines the complex nature of customers’ in-store emotions and involvement valence, highlighting the coexistence of positive and negative emotions in certain retail contexts. Third, the study offers practical insights for retail firms, urging them to adopt a holistic approach in addressing customer emotions and involvement across diverse retail service channels.
Originality/value
The study introduces new dimensions of retail experience quality and develops a framework linking these dimensions to customer emotions and involvement valence. Unlike previous research that has focused on either positive or negative aspects in isolation, this study offers a comprehensive view of how mixed emotions and involvement can impact the overall retail experience. It provides both theoretical insights and practical guidance for creating more balanced and engaging retail experiences.
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Muhammad Shoaib Saleem, Ahmad Shahrul Nizam Isha and Maheen Iqbal Awan
The study investigated the predictive role of supportive leadership and psychological safety for mindful organizing and the subsequent impact of mindful organizing on individual…
Abstract
Purpose
The study investigated the predictive role of supportive leadership and psychological safety for mindful organizing and the subsequent impact of mindful organizing on individual task performance. Mindful organizing, a concept from high-reliability organizations (HROs), can improve performance in various industrial settings. The limited availability of novel predictors for mindful organizing necessitates exploring this concept in the context of adventure tourism.
Design/methodology/approach
Through a cross-sectional research approach, 394 respondents were selected from the adventure tourism industry in Malaysia. The proposed causal research model was evaluated through structural equation modeling (SEM), aggregation and bootstrapping.
Findings
Psychological safety and supportive leadership significantly impacted mindful organizing. Mindful organizing, in turn, was positively associated with individual task performance. The mediating role of mindful organizing between psychological safety and task performance was statistically significant. However, the mediating role of mindful organizing between supportive leadership and task performance was not statistically significant.
Practical implications
Managers in the adventure tourism industry should consider applying mindful organizing to increase employee productivity and develop collective sensemaking. Also, developing a culture of support among managers and coworkers, emphasizing the team's psychological safety, may boost the morale and productivity of the workforce.
Originality/value
This research has identified and empirically tested new antecedents, psychological safety and leadership for mindful organizing in the adventure tourism context and has addressed a significant research gap (Sutcliffe et al., 2016) by broadening the scope of mindful organizing research to encompass contexts beyond those exclusively considered HROs.
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Maheen Iqbal Awan, Amjad Shamim, Muhammad Shoaib Saleem and Shahbaz Shabbir Gill
The purpose of this study is to develop a scale for measuring service inclusion for tourists with disabilities in tourism and hospitality services. Transformative service research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop a scale for measuring service inclusion for tourists with disabilities in tourism and hospitality services. Transformative service research serves as the basis for the conceptualization and dimensionality.
Design/methodology/approach
To develop and purify the items as well as develop dimensions, standard scale development procedures were applied. Two studies were undertaken. In Study 1, the factorial structure of the service inclusion was constructed and confirmed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In Study 2, the field study was conducted to validate the scale.
Findings
The study developed a new scale for measuring service inclusion. The results show that service inclusion is a higher-order construct with four dimensions, namely, enabling opportunity, offering choice, relieving suffering and fostering happiness. Furthermore, service inclusion has a significant effect on tourists’ well-being perception, which results in more favorable behavioral responses. The newly constructed scale is declared as valid and reliable by the study that examined it for nomological validity by examining the relationship between service inclusion and tourists’ perceptions of their well-being.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to develop measurement scale for service inclusion in the tourism and hospitality industry. The scale is proven as reliable and valid and is well suitable for measuring service inclusion for tourists with physical disabilities. It has potential to use for other relevant service contexts.
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Quang-Thanh Ngo, Hoa Anh Tran and Hai Thi Thanh Tran
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of green finance (i.e. green investment, green security and green credit) along with capital formation and government…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of green finance (i.e. green investment, green security and green credit) along with capital formation and government educational expenditures on the economic development of (ASEAN) countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were gathered from the central banks of all ASEAN countries and the World Bank Indicators between 2008 and 2019. The fixed-effect model and generalized method of moments were used to check the nexus between the constructs.
Findings
The results revealed that green finance along with capital formation and government educational expenditures have a positive association with the economic development of ASEAN countries.
Research limitations/implications
The study carries some limitations, even though it addresses the underlying variables comprehensively. These limitations provide opportunities to future researchers and authors to expand the scope and accuracy of their study. This research investigation has been supported by the data collected from a single source. Though data collection is maintained correctly, it is still recommended to the upcoming scholars to acquire data to reconfirm the same findings using multiple data sources. The data collected from using some specific data source may be limited in scope and may hinder the comprehensive elaboration of the underlying variables and their mutual relationship. Therefore, the utilization of multiple sources of data collection gives data sufficient to meet the requirement of an okay quality research study. The study is about the economies of ASEAN countries. It checks the influences of green finance development on economic activities and the country's economic growth in ASEAN countries' economies. Thus, its results are valid only in the economies of these countries, and this research investigation lacks generalizability. For generalizability, the authors must consider the underlying variables in the world's vast economies. They must adopt a standard scale to judge the impacts of green financial development on economic development. Besides, the study analyzes the economic factors, economic conditions and their effects on the country's position in the world economy in the face of a severe epidemic like COVID-19. Thus, the results may be different in the case of the normal situation. So, a general standardized study is recommended to be conducted in the upcoming days.
Originality/value
Green finance has significant capability to improve the global economy, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is beneficial for policymakers to develop policies related to economic development with reference to green finance and also helps future research on a similar topic.