Kalliopi Evangelia Stavroulia, Maria Christofi, Evangelia Baka, Despina Michael-Grigoriou, Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann and Andreas Lanitis
The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of a virtual reality (VR)-based approach to improve teacher education and life-long professional development. Through constant…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of a virtual reality (VR)-based approach to improve teacher education and life-long professional development. Through constant training in real-life based situations but within a safe three-dimensional virtual school environment, teachers are given the opportunity to experience and learn how to react to different types of incidents that may take place in a school environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The current paper presents the design cycle that was followed for the implementation of the VR teacher training system. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated with a case study that aimed to promote teachers’ understanding of student’s problematic situations related to substance use. As part of the experimental investigation, the impact of the VR system on participants’ emotions and mood states is evaluated through Electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements, heart rate (HR) recordings and self-reported data.
Findings
Results indicate significant changes to participant’s negative emotional and mood states, suggesting that the scenario and the VR experience had a strong impact on them. Moreover, participants’ HR was increased during the experiment, while the analysis of the EEG signal indicated that the participants experienced a stressful situation that could justify the change in their negative emotions and mood states.
Originality/value
The proposed VR-based approach aims to provide an innovative framework to teacher education and the related training methodology. In the long-term, the proposed VR system aims to form a new paradigm of teacher training, an alternative safe method that will allow user-teachers to learn through trial and error techniques that reflect real-life situations within a three-dimensional school space and without the risk of harming real students. To the best of our knowledge this is one of the first systematic attempts to use a VR-based methodology to address real teachers’ needs. The development of the VR application is linked to both strong theoretical foundations in education derived from the literature but also from real teachers’ problems and requirements derived from an extensive literature analysis, survey and interviews with experts including teachers, school counselors and psychologists. The VR tool addresses specific teachers’ competences as outcome, after an extensive documentation of existing Teachers’ Competence Models and significant guidance by experts who pointed specific competencies of primary importance to teachers.
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Maria Christofi, Miguel Nunes, Guo Chao Peng and Angela Lin
ERP systems are not the exclusive concern of large companies anymore. More and more small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are now engaging with the implementation and…
Abstract
Purpose
ERP systems are not the exclusive concern of large companies anymore. More and more small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are now engaging with the implementation and exploitation of this type of system. However, reports of ERP failure are numerous and frequent. Very often, this failure results from technical and implementation problems. But even more frequently, it is due to lack of preparation, by the companies themselves, for the implementation process. The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to identify and explore ways in which SMEs may need to prepare themselves before implementing ERP systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The research took a Cypriot SME as a case study and adopted an inductive approach supported by in-depth interviews as the main method of data collection. The qualitative data collected were analysed by using a thematic analysis approach. Subsequently, a rich picture and concept maps were used to represent the findings generated.
Findings
The study identified that business deficiencies and problems, which can impact potential ERP adoption and usage in SMEs, can be localised across business processes boundaries, such as sales order processing, stock control, and bill of materials management, etc. These business problems were found to be attributed to a variety of organisational, technical and human-related reasons. Therefore, this study established that in order to implement ERPs successfully, organisations may require changes in people's work practices and understanding of technology, ownership and control of business processes, as well as organisational wide policies.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the knowledge of ERP preparation and business process improvement in SMEs.
Practical implications
The findings of the paper provide useful insights for both academic and practitioners who are thinking of implementing ERP systems. The paper contributes to the body of literature on issues that SMEs may need to reflect upon before embarking in a costly and resource intensive process of ERP implementation.
Originality/value
Business process improvement is traditionally considered as the result of an ERP project phase. This is how the large majority of the academic literature and the totality of marketing information by ERP vendors portray it. In fact, the reality of practice shows a different scenario with frequent reports of failure and inadequate ERP implementation. This paper aims at breaking with this myth, by proposing that ERPs cannot resolve the large variety of deficient business processes and internal problems that may exist in SMEs. Therefore, this study argues that SMEs need to prepare in advance by engaging in business process reviews prior to the ERP implementation that is engaging in a pre-implementation or preparation phase.
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Filipa Rosado-Pinto and Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro
The topic of customer engagement has been growing in relevance and complexity in the last decade. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to systematically review and critically…
Abstract
Purpose
The topic of customer engagement has been growing in relevance and complexity in the last decade. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to systematically review and critically analyse the research about customer engagement and address the research question: “What marketing research has been conducted on customer engagement until now and what could be future avenues for research?”
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review of the existing literature is performed based on the Web of Science and Scopus electronic databases. A total of 144 articles are included in the final analysis.
Findings
Customer engagement is perceived as a multidimensional concept with different definitions and sub-forms associated. There is an increasing number of authors studying the concept in different industries and geographies, with empirical studies being widely used. The concept emerges from specific theoretical pillars. Different constructs are associated with customer engagement, being studied as antecedents and/or outcomes. This study presents 8 major paths for future research.
Research limitations/implications
This type of approach has a certain level of subjectivity, associated to the methodological process for choosing the articles to be included in the final analysis and the applied filters.
Originality/value
Through this study, readers become aware of the state of the art on customer engagement and associated constructs, the gaps found in past research, the research contexts and also have a glimpse about what can be the future of this field of research, as well as research questions to be addressed.
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Filipa Rosado-Pinto and Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review authenticity in the branding context and suggest avenues for future research.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review authenticity in the branding context and suggest avenues for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies a systematic literature review process and analyzes a total of 171 articles published from 1988 to 2021 and three items that are books or book chapters.
Findings
Brand authenticity has several definitions and dimensions. Although some common ground can be found among researchers, the study of authenticity is very fragmented. Even so, brand authenticity is often associated with a brand being genuine, real, true to itself and its consumers, and with consistent behavior, reflecting its values. A growing number of studies about the topic have been published, most of them empirical, applied in different industries and different geographical contexts. The authors also present several constructs associated with the topic (antecedents and consequences). Finally, this study shows paths for scholars to build on.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitations are associated with the inherent subjectivity related to the inclusion and exclusion criteria defined to select articles for the analysis.
Originality/value
This systematic review maps the past, structures existing knowledge about authenticity in the branding context, and sheds light on what could be future research in this field.
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Marcella Giacomarra, Antonino Galati, Maria Crescimanno and Demetris Vrontis
This systematic review aims to investigate how geographical cues affect wine consumers' behaviors, with reference to the New and Old Worlds, and accordingly, how are recent…
Abstract
Purpose
This systematic review aims to investigate how geographical cues affect wine consumers' behaviors, with reference to the New and Old Worlds, and accordingly, how are recent consumption patterns and new consumer profiles modifying roles of geographical cues?
Design/methodology/approach
This work employed a systematic literature review methodology on the extant literature published from 2009 to 2019.
Findings
Results, summarized in a conceptual framework, emphasize five thematic areas on how geographical cues should be considered for future research and for new marketing strategies to capture consumers of New and Old World wines. Consumers' wine knowledge, socio-ethno-demographic factors, consumption settings, labeling strategies and the use of medals and awards on labels emerged as relevant factors to deal with consumer's risk-reduction strategies.
Research limitations/implications
The main limit is the adoption of a systematic review method.
Practical implications
Results suggest that wine managers should invest in acquiring more knowledge about consumers' profiles in both Worlds for their marketing campaigns, labeling and advertisement strategies. Although geographical cues are considered relevant in consumers' buying decisions, extrinsic cues are also increasingly acceptable, and there should be more investment in publicizing geographical attributes around the world.
Originality/value
This is the first review focusing exclusively on the role of geographical cues on consumer's behavior toward New and Old World wine producers.
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Antonino Galati, Antonio Tulone, Demetris Vrontis, Alkis Thrassou and Maria Crescimanno
This paper aims to assess the willingness of individuals living in coastal communities affected by climate change to financially support mitigation policies towards the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the willingness of individuals living in coastal communities affected by climate change to financially support mitigation policies towards the preservation of marine ecosystems and fish resources and to identify the key drivers of their behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was carried out involving 994 people living in three main Italian coastal communities. To investigate the main factors affecting Italian coastal communities’ willingness to pay (WTP) to support climate change mitigation measures to protect the marine ecosystem and fishery resources, a Tobit regression model was implemented.
Findings
The results show that these communities are likely to pay to safeguard fish resources and the marine ecosystem, owing to their social and economic importance for these communities. In particular, this study’s findings highlight that the individuals’ attitudes towards climate change, social pressures and their perception of the phenomenon play a significant role on their intention to support mitigation policies. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that the communities most threatened by the negative effects of climate change are more willing to contribute financially to protect fish resources and the marine ecosystem.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation is related to the adopted methodology. In particular individuals’ intention to adopt pro-environmental behaviours does not always translate into real WTP through additional taxes.
Originality/value
The value of the research stems from its unique collective cross-communal comparison of attitudes and intentions, its parallel identification of behavioural drivers at the individual level and its prescriptive conclusions of both scholarly and practical worth.
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Samson Ajayi, Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro and Daniela Langaro
The growing complexity of consumer engagement (CE) due to the impact of Internet of things (IoT) has been attracting significant attention from both academics and industry…
Abstract
Purpose
The growing complexity of consumer engagement (CE) due to the impact of Internet of things (IoT) has been attracting significant attention from both academics and industry practitioners especially in recent times. Hence, understanding this phenomenon remains very crucial to the body of knowledge. This study conducted a systematic review on IoT and CE with the aim of proposing future research opportunities using the TCCM model.
Design/methodology/approach
Extant literature studies were systematically examined by sourcing high ranking ABS journals from EBSCO, ScienceDirect and Emerald. A total of 58 articles were included in the final analysis of this research.
Findings
The analysis established the need to conduct more research on CE due to the impact of new technological implementation in retail. The results further suggest the need for extensive research across African countries and emerging markets to enable broader empirical generalizations of research outcomes. Using the TCCM framework, the authors indicated directions for future empirical research.
Originality/value
This study exposes the current trends in CE and IoT. The results and analysis are both compelling and verifiable, hence, establishing a firm base of reference for future research in related fields.
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María Fuentes-Blasco, Beatriz Moliner-Velázquez, David Servera-Francés and Irene Gil-Saura
Despite the importance of innovation in business performance, investigation into innovation in services is scanty and lacking consensus. In retailing, it is a topic that has been…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the importance of innovation in business performance, investigation into innovation in services is scanty and lacking consensus. In retailing, it is a topic that has been awakening considerable academic and business interest in recent years. In this study context, this work aims to analyse innovation in retail experiences from two aspects – marketing innovation and technological innovation – to understand the role it exercises in satisfaction and subsequent recommendation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors’ objective is to investigate the direct and indirect influence of marketing and technological innovation on satisfaction and word-of-mouth (WOM) through three core constructs: store image, consumer value and store brand equity. SEM methodology is applied on a sample of 820 retail customers of grocery, clothing, furniture an electronics store.
Findings
The results show that technological innovation is more important than marketing innovation in shaping image, value and satisfaction. At the same time, store image is the variable that most influences customer satisfaction and that satisfaction is a very significant antecedent of WOM behaviour. Practical implications for retail managers and further research are presented.
Originality/value
The main value of this work has been to go deeper into the study of retail innovation, both in marketing and technologies, and its direct and indirect effects on satisfaction and subsequent recommendation through store image, consumer value and store brand equity. It is a new line of study, which is still fragmented and with little empirical evidence.
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Antonios Georgopoulos, Eleftherios Aggelopoulos, Elen Paraskevi Paraschi and Maria Kalogera
This paper aims to examine the effect of R&D laboratories on the perceived performance of MNE subsidiaries during recession.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effect of R&D laboratories on the perceived performance of MNE subsidiaries during recession.
Design/methodology/approach
Employing resource-based view and knowledge-based theory, the authors investigate a unique sample of 171 technologically heterogenous foreign MNE subsidiaries located in Greece over the period of recession 2009–2016. The sample subsidiaries operate different types of R&D laboratories.
Findings
The authors find that MNE subsidiaries with advanced R&D laboratories such as locally integrated laboratories (LILs) and internationally interdependent laboratories (IILs) perform better in recession than subsidiaries with support laboratories (SLs) or subsidiaries without R&D laboratories. Overall, the authors find an asymmetric performance contribution of R&D laboratories at subsidiary level.
Originality/value
The study provides useful insights into the environmentally derived “knowledge-based - performance” context, so filling an important research gap, since little is known about the performance impact of the input-side of technological activity at MNE subsidiary level, especially as regards R&D facilities/infrastructure. Based on the findings the authors identify important managerial implications.
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Aihoor Aleem, Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro and Ricardo Godinho Bilro
This paper aims to review the topic of “luxury fashion consumption”, a field of recent interest for academics and practitioners. However, a literature review that can map the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the topic of “luxury fashion consumption”, a field of recent interest for academics and practitioners. However, a literature review that can map the existing knowledge and aggregate it into relevant topics and offers a research agenda for future research is still lacking.
Methodology
This paper uses a systematic review and a text mining approach to analyse 73 articles on luxury fashion consumption aiming to clarify, rationalise and critically interpret the literature on luxury fashion consumption; identify the core topic, create an integrative framework of core constructs; and offer research gaps and suggest a research agenda for future studies.
Findings
From this analysis, eight major research topics are found and analysed (brand desire, authenticity, luxury markets, value perceptions, luxury retail experience, luxury brands communication, responsible consumption and sustainability and status signalling). Based on these topics and following the TCM framework, this review offers directions for future research.
Value
This research offers a text-mining review of luxury fashion consumption to help scholars and managers further develop this field, as there is no comprehensive review on the topic exploring the themes, theories, constructs and methods used in prior studies.
Objetivo
Este artículo pretende revisar el “consumo de moda de lujo”, un tema de reciente interés para académicos y profesionales. Sin embargo, sigue faltando una revisión de la literatura que pueda ordenar el conocimiento existente y aglutinarlo en temas relevantes y que ofrezca una agenda de investigación futura.
Metodología
Este trabajo emplea una revisión sistémica de la literatura y la minería de textos para analizar 73 artículos sobre el consumo de moda de lujo con el objetivo de (i) aclarar, racionalizar e interpretar críticamente la literatura sobre el consumo de moda de lujo, (ii) identificar el tema central, crear un marco integrador de constructos clave y (iii) presentar las lagunas de la investigación y sugerir una agenda de investigación para futuros estudios.
Resultados
A partir de este análisis, se identifican y analizan ocho temas principales de investigación (el deseo de marca, la autenticidad, los mercados de lujo, las percepciones de valor, la experiencia de la venta al por menor de lujo, la comunicación de las marcas de lujo, el consumo responsable y la sostenibilidad, y la señalización de estatus). Sobre la base de estos temas y siguiendo el marco del TCM, esta revisión propone líneas para futuras investigaciones.
Originalidad
Esta investigación ofrece una revisión de la minería de textos sobre el consumo de moda de lujo para ayudar a los académicos y gestores a seguir desarrollando este campo, ya que no existe una revisión exhaustiva sobre el tema que explore los conceptos, teorías, constructos y métodos utilizados en estudios previos.
Tipo de papel
Revisión de la literatura
目的
本文旨在回顾 “奢侈时尚消费”, 这是学术界和从业人员最近关注的一个话题。然而, 目前仍然未能将现有知识分类并为未来研究提供议程的文献回顾。
方法
本文使用系统的文献综述和文本挖掘, 分析了73篇关于奢侈时尚消费的文章。此文目的是:(1)批判性地解释关于奢侈时尚消费的文献; (2)确定中心主题, 建立综合框架; (3)提出研究缺憾, 为未来的研究提出议程。
结果
从这个分析中, 我们发现并分析了八个主要的研究主题(品牌欲望、真实性、奢侈品市场、价值认知、奢侈品零售体验、奢侈品品牌传播、负责任的消费和可持续性、以及地位信号)。基于这些主题并遵循TCM框架, 本评论提出了未来研究的方向。
原创性
目前还没有关于该主题的全面文献回顾, 以探索以前研究中使用的概念、理论、构造和方法。本研究对奢侈时尚消费的文本挖掘进行了回顾, 以帮助学者和管理者进一步发展该领域。
文章类型
文献评论