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Article
Publication date: 16 February 2022

Tharaka Wijesundara and Samantha Kumara

The purpose of this study is to examine the predictors of product placement acceptance in social networking sites (SNSs) and the mediating role of consumer materialism in the…

373

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the predictors of product placement acceptance in social networking sites (SNSs) and the mediating role of consumer materialism in the relationship between SNSs usage frequency and product placement acceptance.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted with a structured questionnaire for a sample of 327 SNSs users in Sri Lanka. The collected data were analyzed using partial least squares–structural equation modeling with Smart PLS to test the hypotheses derived.

Findings

The results of this study revealed that SNSs usage frequency and consumer materialism positively predict the acceptance of product placement in SNSs and materialism partially mediates the relationship between SNSs usage frequency and product placement acceptance in SNSs.

Originality/value

This study fills the gap in the existing literature by finding the factors that predict the acceptance of product placement in SNSs and the mediation effect of consumer materialism in the relationship between SNSs usage frequency and acceptance of product placement in SNSs.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 72 no. 6/7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

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Article
Publication date: 27 July 2020

María del Carmen Arrieta and Beatrice Avolio

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that impact the quality of the education service in a Peruvian private university, based on the perception of students and…

966

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that impact the quality of the education service in a Peruvian private university, based on the perception of students and graduates.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consisted of 29 students and 20 graduates from the Administration and Finance Program of a Peruvian private university. The data was collected through focus groups and in-depth interviews based on the students’ and graduates’ perspectives of their experiences. The collected data was subjected to content analysis.

Findings

The study identified ten factors or the underlying dimensions that drive the quality of the education service provided by a Peruvian private university. The factors are professors, lecturers, curriculum, extracurricular activities, position and recognition of the university, infrastructure, library, admission, adequate communication mechanisms with faculty and authorities and services. The main quality indicators of the education service were the professors and curriculum planning. As the students were using the education service, they were more focused on “how” they received the service, rather than “what” services they received, i.e. they evaluated the quality of the process. In contrast, graduates gave more importance to functional service quality. They evaluated the quality of “what they received,” i.e. the result.

Research limitations/implications

The study has several limitations. First, the qualitative approach does not allow generalizing data. The sample size was relatively small and only involved one Peruvian private university. The study was based on the respondent’s perceptions, which were considered accurate.

Practical implications

Based on the study findings, the authors made recommendations to meet the needs of the students and graduates. These findings can help universities to develop strategies that improve educational quality and to allocate resources more effectively. Further research could focus on factors that impact service quality in higher education at different stages of the student lifecycle, namely, applicants (service expectations), students (quality of the process) and graduates (results). The authors suggest validating these results quantitatively.

Originality/value

The study proposes a framework of the higher education service quality based on the experiences of students and graduates that can be used by higher education institutions to continue improving educational quality. The originality of the study lies in the perspective on service quality according to the experiences of students and graduates. Also, this study provides empirical evidence on service quality research in Latin American higher education institutions.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

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Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Danilo Soares Silva, Gustavo Hermínio Salati Marcondes de Moraes, Ieda Kanashiro Makiya and Francisco Ignácio Giocondo Cesar

This study aims to find evidence of the HEdPERF scale use for measuring the perceived service quality from the perspective of students in higher education institutions (HEIs…

2971

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to find evidence of the HEdPERF scale use for measuring the perceived service quality from the perspective of students in higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to find evidence of the scale use in articles published between January 2005 and May 2017, according to databases Emerald, SciELO, Scopus, Web of Science, and Wiley Online Library. The articles were searched on the databases on Jun 17, 2017 and at the end of the selection of articles, were kept 12 distinct documents.

Findings

The articles found pointed towards classic SERVQUAL and SERVPERF scales as being well substantiated for measuring perceived service quality. The HEdPERF scale was applied in articles about perceived service quality in HEI in studies in Brazil, China, Croatia, India, Malaysia, Portugal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

Originality/value

The paper attempts to gather some articles on the measurement of service quality in higher education institutions, by the HEdPERF scale use. This study indicates that SERVPERF scale can also be an appropriate model to measure service quality in HEI context, that is, it is not yet possible to defend a single instrument as a standard for this purpose.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

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Article
Publication date: 8 December 2020

Elina Kallas and Eve Parts

The present paper aims to identify a set of cognitive and contextual characteristics that explain entrepreneurial intentions, actions and venture creation, thereby covering three…

685

Abstract

Purpose

The present paper aims to identify a set of cognitive and contextual characteristics that explain entrepreneurial intentions, actions and venture creation, thereby covering three successive stages of becoming an entrepreneur.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on entrepreneurship data from a self-reported online survey (n = 1,492) gathered among the Estonian population in 2017. The authors use an exploratory factor analysis to reduce initial survey responses about the external environment into latent factors. Linear regression models are applied to predict the determinants of entrepreneurial intention and actions, whereas the logit model is applied to find out the determinants of being or not being an entrepreneur.

Findings

Younger people, respondents with vocational education and the unemployed have a higher intention to start up. Men are more active than women in the second stage of taking real action, whereas middle-aged respondents and managers are less active. In the final stage of enterprise creation, men become more likely entrepreneurs, whereas younger people and those who do not have higher education become less likely entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial attitudes and competencies as preconditional factors of entrepreneurial readiness have a positive effect in all three stages. The role of motivation appeared to be controversial – it has a weak positive effect on the intention stage but a strong negative effect on the action stage, becoming insignificant in the final stage of becoming an entrepreneur. In the final stage, taking real action has the strongest positive effect. Regarding differences between entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs have a more positive perception of the business environment and the ease of doing business, including the simplicity of entrepreneurship-related legislation. On the other hand, entrepreneurs are more skeptical about the availability of financial resources, and they perceive public attitudes and the role of entrepreneurs in a society less positively.

Research limitations/implications

As data of this study originates from a survey, the sample may not represent the whole population. This might limit the extent to which the conclusions of this study can be generalized. Also, the study’s data do not enable us to consider all potential factors that may affect entrepreneurial intention, action and venture creation. For example, the authors do not consider the effect of income or differences between opportunity and necessity entrepreneurship because of data limitations.

Practical implications

This study focuses on environmental obstacles and individual restrictions that are important in different stages of becoming an entrepreneur. In terms of policy implications, providing better financing opportunities both from private and public institutions and keeping entrepreneurship legislation simple and transparent have the utmost importance in increasing the share of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship-related benefits in society. The younger population’s high entrepreneurial intentions should be transferred more effectively into real actions toward starting up, paired with supportive entrepreneurship education.

Social implications

The study results show that developing positive attitudes towards entrepreneurship and providing relevant competencies through the education system are relevant factors in all stages of becoming an entrepreneur, thus enabling entrepreneurial activities in society.

Originality/value

First, the authors investigate the factors of entrepreneurship separately during the three stages in the journey of becoming an entrepreneur, starting from intentions, followed by preparation actions and finalized by real enterprise creation. Second, the analysis of this study is based on the original Environment-Readiness Entrepreneurship Intention model, which emphasizes the role of the external environment in entrepreneurial processes. Ten factors of the external environment are extracted using exploratory analysis instead of using three traditional predefined factors of the economic, political and socio-cultural environment. Third, our focus on Estonia broadens the knowledge about entrepreneurship in the Central and Eastern European region in general and in the Baltic region, more specifically.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, vol. 13 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4604

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Article
Publication date: 5 April 2024

Yichen Zhou and Lisa Gao

This study aims to examine how consumers’ propensity to purchase imported wines is influenced by their attitudes and perceptions toward the countries of origin (COO) of those…

466

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine how consumers’ propensity to purchase imported wines is influenced by their attitudes and perceptions toward the countries of origin (COO) of those wines.

Design/methodology/approach

The questionnaires were distributed online and 298 valid completed questionnaires were received. This study measured the perception of the wines’ countries of origin by adopting two independent dimensions of competence and warmth in the stereotype content model.

Findings

The results show a relationship between the purchase intention and the perception of the country of origin of the wine. Furthermore, the perceived image of the country of origin impacts the brand image of the wine and the quality of wine from its country of origin.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s questionnaire was distributed online. Future research would benefit from in-depth qualitative investigation and a wider range of sample sizes across countries.

Practical implications

The results of this study guide imported wine companies in product marketing design and advertising. By promoting the countries of origin of premium wines to target consumers, trust in the quality of imported wine can be improved, thereby increasing consumers’ purchase intention.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the understanding of consumer perception of the country of origin in the context of wine marketing. It provides valuable implications for wine companies’ marketing positioning and strategy, benefiting wine marketers, distributors and importers.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 36 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 13 May 2024

Nancy Bouranta, Evangelos L. Psomas and Dimitrios Kafetzopoulos

Online learning gained ground during the pandemic and has continued to be used in the post-Covid era. Items related to online learning should be included in service quality…

381

Abstract

Purpose

Online learning gained ground during the pandemic and has continued to be used in the post-Covid era. Items related to online learning should be included in service quality assessment. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of service quality, which includes the online learning dimension, on student satisfaction in higher-education in a blended learning environment.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 452 valid questionnaires were collected from business undergraduate students enrolled in public universities in Greece. A modified version of HEdPERF is used to evaluate service quality. Due to the extensive use of online learning, an additional dimension was added to the HEdPERF scale which focuses on online education, a field that has not yet been widely examined. Structural equation modeling is used to examine the relationships between service quality, and student satisfaction.

Findings

The research findings verify the six-structure scale of the HEdPERF instrument (non-academic aspects, academic aspects, reputation, access and programs issues and online learning), providing satisfactory results in terms of reliability and validity tests. Service quality dimensions such as academic aspects, access, program issues and online learning are the influential dimensions of student satisfaction in a blended learning context.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has expanded traditional service quality instruments to include the dimension of service quality of online learning.

Details

The TQM Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2731

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Article
Publication date: 24 February 2022

Arosha S. Adikaram and Ruwaiha Razik

This study aims to explore the challenges and barriers encountered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) women entrepreneurs in an emerging country context �…

1163

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the challenges and barriers encountered by Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) women entrepreneurs in an emerging country context – Sri Lanka – within a context of strict gender role stereotyping beliefs and norms.

Design/methodology/approach

Using qualitative research methodology, 15 in-depth, in-person, semi-structured interviews were conducted with STEM women entrepreneurs using the theoretical lenses of intersectionality and social role theories in tandem.

Findings

Findings revealed that participants were confronted with an array of structural/administrative and gender-related challenges at the intersections of gender, entrepreneurship and characteristics mapped with STEM fields. Accordingly, lack of access and reach to networks and opportunities, procedural obstacles, difficulties in staffing, difficulties in obtaining finances, lack of understanding and support from family and society, difficulties in managing work-life, and legitimacy obstacles appear to restrain the participants in starting and running their businesses. These challenges have their roots embedded in a complex web of ideologies and expectations related to gender.

Originality/value

This research contributes to the scant body of literature on STEM women entrepreneurship in general and specifically to the literature on challenges facing STEM women entrepreneurs from the perspective of a non-Western – emerging economy, which is built on strong cultural strictures and gender ideologies.

Details

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, vol. 15 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2053-4604

Keywords

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