The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of relationship marketing factors of sports centers on commitment to relationship and intention to recommend.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of relationship marketing factors of sports centers on commitment to relationship and intention to recommend.
Design/methodology/approach
A statistical survey was conducted for quantitative research, and in-depth interviews, for qualitative research, according to the mixed methods research.
Findings
The results of the quantitative research show that the relationship marketing factors of bonding, facility, and price positively influence commitment to relationship. Expertise and facility positively influence intention to recommend. Finally, commitment to relationship positively influences intention to recommend.
Practical implications
Sports centers could build relationships based on polite and hospitable service, and host monthly events for building rapport among members. Instructors’ expertise promotes bonding and serves as the most essential factor for intention to recommend. Sports centers must adequately introduce promotions related to rational consumption and specialized promotion. Centers that are managed too carelessly or frugally will have a highly negative impact on customer relationship and intention to recommend.
Originality/value
This study aims to empirically analyze customer needs by comparing the results of in-depth interviews with customers based on the results of quantitative studies through mixed methods research. It determines the relationships between the aforementioned variables, providing practical implications through analysis of the customers’ subjective consciousness by focusing on sports facilities in order to secure competitive advantage, and thus, overcome financial difficulties.
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The purpose of this paper is to establish the effects of service quality of sports centers on customer loyalty and intention to adhere to exercise.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to establish the effects of service quality of sports centers on customer loyalty and intention to adhere to exercise.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 500 questionnaires were distributed to five sports centers located in the city of Seoul, of which 472 were returned and used in the data analysis. The collected data were subjected to frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, a reliability test, and structural equation model analysis using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 18.0.
Findings
The results show that, first, service quality, comprising the two factors of the facilities of sports centers and instructors, positively influences customer loyalty. Second, the service quality of sports centers positively influences the intention to adhere to exercise, and, third, so does customer loyalty.
Practical implications
Management needs to make more efforts to strengthen service quality, comprising facilities and instructors, in order to increase customer loyalty, represented by the sense of closeness with and attachment of customers using sports centers, as well as to increase the need for exercise.
Originality/value
Previous studies on the service quality of sports centers have been limited to customer satisfaction, customer trust, reuse intention, recommendations to others, consumption behavior, and relationship commitment. Since the research on the direct relationship between service quality of sports centers and exercise adherence is still limited, this study provides data and implications relevant to the management of sports centers by investigating the relationship among service quality of sports centers, customer loyalty, and intention to adhere to exercise.
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This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the extant empirical body of knowledge regarding the impact of Guanxi on international Business-to-Business…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic review of the extant empirical body of knowledge regarding the impact of Guanxi on international Business-to-Business (B-to-B) relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
After the collection and refinement of studies that appeared in marketing, business and management literature during 1995-2018 period, a systematic review was conducted to discover the current situation and future research directions on the subject.
Findings
Theoretically, vast majority of the reviewed studies lacked a theoretical foundation, with the remainder anchored primarily on the resource-based view, social network theory and social exchange theory. Methodologically, Ganqing, Xinren and Mianzi are the most frequently investigated dimensions, whereas Renqing is the least investigated dimension. Data are mostly obtained from both Chinese and Western counterparts through survey and analyzed through univariate and multivariate data analysis techniques. Empirically, extant research focused on many diverse outcomes including trust, financial performance, cooperation, satisfaction, time orientation, opportunism and liability of foreignness, while under-examining the drives of Guanxi.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides a synthesis of extant line of research on the subject that are published in peer-reviewed international journals, which publish research in English. A meta-analysis may be conducted for providing a further detailed framework.
Originality/value
This study contributes to international marketing literature by providing an in-depth and synthesized inventory of knowledge to scholars; deriving a comprehensive analysis of theoretical foundations, methodological approaches and findings addressed by scholars in the field; noticing theoretical, methodological and empirical gaps to be examined; and providing future research directions.
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Chang-Hua Yen, Sheng-Hshiung Tsaur and Chin-Ying Ho
The friendliness of a destination is a key factor influencing tourists' destination selection. However, few studies have explored the construct of friendly tourism destinations…
Abstract
Purpose
The friendliness of a destination is a key factor influencing tourists' destination selection. However, few studies have explored the construct of friendly tourism destinations. The purpose of this study was to establish a typological framework of friendly tourism destinations and compare older and younger adults' valuations of friendly destination attributes.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach was used; in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 tourism stakeholders. Content analysis of the collected data was performed to construct a friendly tourism destination framework.
Findings
The framework consisted of 37 categories, which were classified into six themes: transportation and infrastructure, friendly tourism environments, government policies and tourism promotion measures, tourism products and activities, tourism information services and friendly residents. Furthermore, survey data from 1,153 respondents in Taiwan revealed that older adults valued friendly tourism environments and friendly residents more highly than younger adults did.
Research limitations/implications
The participants were all from Taiwan; therefore, the results might not be applicable to tourists in other countries or regions. Furthermore, this study only compared the valuations of older and younger adults for the attributes of friendly tourism destinations.
Practical implications
Friendly tourism destination categories can provide a reference for tourists when making travel decisions. The framework provides destination marketers with a new tool for managing friendly tourism destinations. The findings can act as a reference for travel suppliers seeking to improve tourism-friendly services.
Originality/value
This study introduced a multifaceted framework for developing friendly tourism destinations from a holistic perspective. The results contribute to the tourism literature, revealing that younger and older adults have different valuations for the attributes of friendly tourism destinations.
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Yen-Yu Liu, Pin-Sheng Lee and Chih-Hao Yang
This study aims to discuss whether a new accounting policy can help enterprises withstand operating risks and whether corporate governance can play a supervisory role. Taiwan took…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to discuss whether a new accounting policy can help enterprises withstand operating risks and whether corporate governance can play a supervisory role. Taiwan took the lead worldwide in allowing companies to distribute cash dividends from capital reserves. Compared with traditional cash dividends distributed from retained earnings, this move was aimed at maintaining the stability of cash dividends and helping listed companies address the risks of temporary downturns. However, the distribution of cash dividends from capital reserves may violate the principle of capital maintenance and damage creditors’ equity. The authors sought to examine whether corporate governance could play a supervisory role.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study targeted Taiwanese listed companies and cited data from the Taiwan Economic Journal. The study period was from 2011–2019. The authors tested the hypotheses using the least square method.
Findings
The results showed that ultimate controlling shareholders of listed companies can maximize their own interests through ownership arrangements, whereas corporate governance cannot play a supervisory role nor protect creditors’ equity. The findings provide insight on whether, in the development process of corporate governance, appropriate measures are taken to protect creditors’ equity in addition to shareholders’ equity, or achieve a good coordination of interests among all stakeholders.
Originality/value
The ultimate controlling shareholders or directors of a listed company would seek to maximize their own interests, and transfer the operating risks to creditors through the arrangement of dividend policy, thus harming creditors’ equity. However, independent directors cannot play a supervisory role. The authors inferred that corporate governance standards previously focused on the shareholder level or alleviation of the agency problem between controlling shareholders and non-controlling shareholders but ignored creditors’ equity.
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This study investigates the impact of ESG performance on the duration of dividend sustainability, introducing survival analysis as a novel methodological approach in this context…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the impact of ESG performance on the duration of dividend sustainability, introducing survival analysis as a novel methodological approach in this context and highlighting its differences from commonly used regression analyses such as OLS and logistic regression.
Design/methodology/approach
Survival analysis methods, including Kaplan–Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards time-dependent regression, were employed to examine data from publicly listed companies in Taiwan between 2016 and 2023. Additionally, logistic regression was tested to compare results with those from the survival analysis.
Findings
While overall ESG performance did not show a significant impact on the duration of dividend sustainability, a detailed analysis of the individual ESG components revealed that the environmental performance component can extend the duration of dividend sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
The findings based on companies in Taiwan may not generalize to other contexts. However, this study primarily highlights the application of survival analysis in ESG-related literature. Future research could explore similar analyses in different international settings to better understand the broader applicability of these results.
Practical implications
The results suggest that the impact of ESG performance on dividend amounts and the duration of dividend sustainability are distinct issues. Investors and stakeholders should consider these differences when assessing corporate performance and making investment decisions.
Social implications
The study highlights the importance of environmental sustainability in corporate dividend policies, indicating that companies with better environmental performance provide more stable returns.
Originality/value
This study introduces survival analysis to the study of ESG performance and the duration of dividend sustainability, addressing a gap in the literature by focusing on the duration of dividends rather than their amount.
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Ying-Wen Liang, Chih-Hung Wang, Sheng-Hshiung Tsaur, Chang-Hua Yen and Jin-Hua Tu
The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact indicators of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition from the perspective of residents and to investigate the effects…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact indicators of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition from the perspective of residents and to investigate the effects of these impacts on the urban sustainability through the perceptions of Taipei residents after the exposition.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a literature review and consulted experts to identify the impact indicators of the exposition. This process resulted in 17 indicators of economic impact, 12 indicators of environmental impact, and 13 indicators of social impact, and the authors developed a 12-dimension/42-indicator mega-event impact measurement scale. Using a survey of 1,628 host residents after the exposition, the authors performed regression analysis to investigate the effects of these impacts on the urban sustainability.
Findings
The results indicated that economic, environmental, and social impacts exerted significant positive effects on urban sustainability. All positive dimensions of economic, environmental, and social impact exerted significant positive effects on urban sustainability, and all negative dimensions exerted nonsignificant effects on urban sustainability.
Originality/value
This study identified the impact indicators of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition and investigated the effects of these impacts on the urban sustainability. The findings of this study indicated that economic, environmental, and social impacts of the exposition exerted significant positive effects on urban sustainability.
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Sheng-Hshiung Tsaur and Chang-Hua Yen
Service excellence has been recognized as a crucial means of achieving customer delight. Several recent studies have argued that redundant services may be perceived as unnecessary…
Abstract
Purpose
Service excellence has been recognized as a crucial means of achieving customer delight. Several recent studies have argued that redundant services may be perceived as unnecessary by customers; however, few studies have explored the construct of service redundancy. This study aims to identify and classify service redundancy in the foodservice industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study conducted in-depth interviews with 72 participants, namely, 36 customers and 36 managers of fine dining restaurants in Taiwan. Content analysis of the data yielded the classification of service redundancy.
Findings
This study determined 16 categories of service redundancy categorized under three themes: service behavior, service regulations and environmental factors. Furthermore, six causes and four consequences of service redundancy were identified.
Research limitations/implications
Customers and managers of fine dining restaurants were interviewed; thus, the findings may not be fully generalizable to service redundancy in other restaurant types.
Originality/value
The contribution of this research is the construction of a model of service redundancy, which could serve as a theoretical foundation for further examination of service redundancy and the relationships between the related constructs.
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Jeou-Shyan Horng, Chih-Hsing Sam Liu, Sheng-Fang Chou, Chang-Yen Tsai and Da-Chian Hu
This study aims to determine essential attributes of sustainable service innovation (SSI) in the Taiwan hospitality industry.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to determine essential attributes of sustainable service innovation (SSI) in the Taiwan hospitality industry.
Design/methodology/approach
By combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies while considering perspectives on sustainable management and service innovation, the present study extends the related literature on SSI and presents a new framework. The decision-making trail and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) analytical approaches are used to identify relations between dimensions and their causality attributes.
Findings
The findings of the DEMATEL result indicate that innovation diffusion has direct and indirect effects on dimensions of sustainable innovation and on organizational factors. Furthermore, sustainable innovation emerged as the most important attribute while the analytic network process analysis was used.
Practical implications
The critical dimensions identified in this study may serve as guidelines that hospitality practitioners or hotel managers may use when engaging in SSI.
Social implications
Sustainability management is ranked the most important criterion of sustainable practice, which indicates that considerations of sustainability are necessary when hospitality managers wish to carry out a sustainability project in an organization. Furthermore, organizational capabilities were ranked the most important criteria among all organizational factors. This finding implies that the first step involves establishing a shared vision.
Originality/value
The current study integrates and applies Rogers’ (2003) diffusion of innovations theory (DIT) to identify how to facilitate sustainability through service innovation. In so doing, this study can add to our knowledge in the hotel industry by using the DIT.
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Jiangang Wang and Fanghong Liu
This study aims to examine the effects of formal and informal institutional factors (i.e. marketization and guanxi culture) on interorganizational conflicts (IOCs) and their…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the effects of formal and informal institutional factors (i.e. marketization and guanxi culture) on interorganizational conflicts (IOCs) and their interaction effects.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on IOC literature and an institution-based view, the authors use a sample of 12,022 Chinese firms from the World Bank’s Investment Climate Survey. A zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to analyze the data.
Findings
The results suggest that guanxi culture has U-shaped effects, but marketization does not negatively affect IOCs. Furthermore, a low level of marketization weakens the U-shaped effect of guanxi culture on IOCs. A moderate level of guanxi culture can enable marketization to reduce IOCs.
Practical implications
This study provides a better understanding of the management of IOCs. Managers should fully understand the differential effects of the institutional environment in different regions and their interactions by adopting different response strategies.
Originality/value
This study enriches the literature on IOCs’ antecedents and contextual factors by examining the institutions’ direct and interaction effects on IOCs.