Search results

Quantity surveying firms are characterized by their professional identity and knowledge‐driven nature; knowledge is crucial to their success in the competitive and dynamic business environment. As knowledge management is still in its infancy in the construction industry and structured knowledge management processes have not yet been adequately deployed in the surveying discipline, this research seeks to focus on the implicit knowledge management processes being undertaken in professional quantity surveying firms in Hong Kong.

A framework of knowledge processes was developed from a detailed literature review in an attempt to enhance the knowledge flow in Hong Kong professional quantity surveying firms. The applicability and validity of the framework were verified by quantitative research methods. Based on the proposed process model, a questionnaire survey was then conducted to study the opinions of professional quantity surveyors on the details of these processes; the questionnaire was returned with a response rate of 42.6 percent out of 260.

From the findings of the questionnaire survey, the research confirms the six knowledge management processes in quantity surveying firms, namely acquisition, creation, storage, distribution, use, and maintaining. There is a general lack of specifically assigned staff for knowledge acquisition from external sources, knowledge acquisition having an overall mean value marginally below the passing point, and a relatively low reliance on external knowledge by these firms.

The paper unravels some of the mysteries and difficulties of transferring knowledge both within and across projects. The findings can equally be applied in other project‐based industries.

A clear policy/strategy governing the ways in which knowledge should be handled is far from prevalent in Hong Kong quantity surveying firms. The appointment of managers for knowledge aspects was only carried out by one third of the responding quantity surveyors. Despite the absence of such an appointment and policy, nearly half of the responding quantity surveyors can seek the necessary knowledge when they need it.

Although the study applies uniquely to quantity surveying professional services firms and may not yield an evaluation that is comparable with previous studies, it is hoped that the same survey instrument can be applied to other types of project‐based professional services organizations in order to find out whether there are differences among different professions in terms of how they manage their organizational knowledge. In addition, these future studies can offer a benchmarking effect to firms providing customized professional services to clients.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of four important variables in the development of customer loyalty in mobile commerce. These variables are personal (propensity to use information and communication technologies (ICTs)), transactional (opportunism), and relational (trust and satisfaction).

A broad sample of 1,053 mobile customers in Mexico was studied using the structural equation analysis methodology.

The results offer evidence on how trust and satisfaction can increase loyalty and motivate purchases via mobile devices. In addition, the results show evidence of the indirect effect (mediated through trust) of opportunism, and propensity to use ICTs on loyalty.

Achieving customer satisfaction is revealed as the main strategy enterprises should seek in order to encourage repetitive purchases via mobile devices and customer loyalty. At the same time, companies should consider that the customers most likely to use ICTs, and those who perceive less opportunism can also be very loyal as a result of a higher level of trust when making purchases using mobile devices.

The contributions of this paper are: (1) to analyze the generation of loyalty in mobile commerce using a conceptual model that includes variables of different theoretical perspectives and nature, both positive and negative. (2) To provide empirical evidence from a sample of mobile users who have already bought goods via mobile phone, contributing to prior literature that has focused on analyzing the behavior of mobile phone users who do not make purchases via mobile phones. (3) To study mobile commerce in an emerging market with notable potential for growth (Mexico), which has not been studied at length in previous literature.

El presente trabajo analiza el papel de cuatro importantes variables en el desarrollo de la lealtad de los compradores por móvil. Variables de índole personal (propensión al uso de las TICs), transaccional (oportunismo) y relacional (confianza y satisfacción).

Una amplia muestra de 1053 compradores por móvil en México es analizada mediante la metodología de ecuaciones estructurales.

Los resultados ofrecen evidencia sobre la capacidad de la confianza y la satisfacción para incrementar la lealtad y motivar la compra a través del móvil. Además, se muestra evidencia del efecto indirecto (mediado a través de la confianza) del oportunismo y la propensión al uso de las TICs sobre la lealtad.

La consecución de la satisfacción del comprador se revela como la principal estrategia que deben seguir las empresas que buscan fomentar la repetición de la compra a través del móvil y la confianza de sus actuales compradores. A la par, las empresas deben considerar que los clientes más propensos al uso de las TICs y los que perciben menos oportunismo pueden ser más leales, al aumentar su confianza en la compra por móvil.

Las contribuciones son: (1) Analizar la generación de la lealtad en el comercio móvil utilizando un modelo conceptual que incluye variables de distintas perspectivas teóricas y de naturaleza tanto positiva como negativa. (2) Ofrecer evidencia empírica de una muestra de usuarios de teléfono móvil que ya han comprado por este medio, contribuyendo a la literatura previa que se ha centrado en analizar el comportamiento de los usuarios de teléfono móvil no compradores. (3) Estudiar el comercio móvil en un mercado emergente (México) poco estudiado en la literatura previa y con un notable potencial de crecimiento.

This study aims to focus on how smartphone addiction impacts young consumer behavior related to mobile technology (i.e. the compulsive app downloading tendency). After a thorough literature review and following the risk and protective factors framework, this study explores factors that could mitigate its effects (resilience, family harmony, perceived social support and social capital).

The study used the covariance-based structural equation modeling approach to analyze data collected from 275 Generation Z (Gen Z) smartphone users in Spain.

Results suggest that resilience is a critical factor in preventing smartphone addiction, and smartphone addiction boosts the compulsive app downloading tendency, a relevant downside for younger Gen Z consumers.

Through the lens of the risk and protective factors framework, this study focuses on protective factors to prevent smartphone addiction and its negative side effects on app consumption. It also offers evidence of younger consumers’ vulnerability to smartphone addiction, not because of the device itself but because of app-consumption-related behaviors.

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the state-of-the-art about sustainable tourism. Despite the significant growth of publications exploring sustainable tourism, the debate on the relationship between tourism and sustainability remains open. In addition, the sector faces the challenge of the 2030 Agenda, as the authors have not yet managed to curb environmental degradation and social disparities. This research needs to be comprehensively addressed to inform future steps and to identify sustainable tourism practices that will advance the goals of this action plan.

This study applies a mixed methodology, using a bibliometric analysis performed by VOSviewer and SciMat software of 311 articles from the Web of Science. In addition, it includes an in-depth analysis of trending research topics in the field during 2019 and 2020.

After 20 years of research on sustainable tourism, there is still significant dispersion of studied topics, frameworks and applications. The results show the evolution of research towards the study and measurement of sustainable change, social and cultural aspects and the development of responsible governance models.

New stakeholder relationships models require a methodological and technological framework. Further progress in sustainable tourism guided by the 2030 Agenda demands the establishment of worldwide recognised measurement indicators and policy frameworks.

With a mixed methodological approach and a special focus on the sustainable development goals (SDGs), this paper provides a “state-of-the-art” update to sustainability research in tourism. The results obtained have been associated with their contribution to achieving SDGs.

尽管探索可持续旅游业的出版物大幅增长, 但关于旅游业和可持续性之间关系的辩论仍然没有结束。此外, 该部门还面临着2030年议程的挑战, 因为我们还没有设法遏制环境退化和社会差异。这项研究需要全面解决, 以便为未来的步骤提供信息, 并确定可持续旅游的做法, 以推进本行动计划的目标。

本研究采用混合方法, 通过VOSviewer和SciMat软件对来自科学网的311篇文章进行文献计量分析。此外, 它还包括对2019年和2020年期间该领域的趋势性研究课题的深入分析。

经过20年的可持续旅游研究, 所研究的课题框架和应用仍然存在很大的分散性。我们的结果显示, 研究朝着研究和测量可持续变化、社会和文化方面以及发展负责任的治理模式的方向发展。

新的利益相关者关系模型需要一个方法学和技术框架。在2030年议程的指导下, 可持续旅游业的进一步发展需要建立世界公认的测量指标和政策框架。

通过混合方法和对可持续发展目标（SDGs）的特别关注, 本文为旅游业的可持续性研究提供了 “最先进 “的更新。获得的结果与他们对实现可持续发展目标的贡献有关。

A pesar del importante crecimiento de las publicaciones que exploran el turismo sostenible, el debate sobre la relación entre turismo y sostenibilidad sigue abierto. Además, el sector se enfrenta al reto de la Agenda 2030, ya que aún no se ha conseguido frenar la degradación medioambiental y las disparidades sociales. Esta investigación debe abordarse de forma exhaustiva para informar de los pasos futuros e identificar las prácticas de turismo sostenible que harán avanzar los objetivos de este plan de acción.

Este estudio aplica una metodología mixta, utilizando un análisis bibliométrico realizado por el software VOSviewer y SciMat con 311 artículos de la Web of Science. Además, incluye un análisis en profundidad de los temas de investigación de tendencia en el campo durante 2019 y 2020.

Después de 20 años de investigación sobre el turismo sostenible, sigue habiendo una importante dispersión de los marcos temáticos estudiados y de las aplicaciones. Nuestros resultados muestran la evolución de la investigación hacia el estudio y la medición del cambio sostenible, los aspectos sociales y culturales y el desarrollo de modelos de gobernanza responsable.

Los nuevos modelos de relaciones con los grupos de interés requieren un marco metodológico y tecnológico. Los nuevos avances en el turismo sostenible guiados por la Agenda 2030 exigen el establecimiento de indicadores de medición y marcos políticos reconocidos a nivel mundial.

Con un enfoque metodológico mixto centrado especialmente en los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS), este trabajo proporciona una actualización del “estado del arte” a la investigación de la sostenibilidad en el turismo. Los resultados obtenidos se han asociado con la consecución de los ODS.

This paper aims to present and describe the main actions carried out in six different faculties and common areas such as cultural and research centres and administrative buildings in the Ferrol campus at the University of A Coruña to achieve the second green flag on a Galician University.

A case study describing the steps for implementing a green campus programme in a medium-size, young university campus integrated into a small city. An Environmental Campus Committee was created to assess the main factors that affect environmental footprint, discuss sustainability initiatives and develop a guide to action regarding different goals related to sustainable transport options, energy, water conservation and waste reduction. The actions included several fields such as education, circular economy and healthy life and involved the on and off-campus community.

The programme achieved a decrease in water consumption and electrical energy. An important change in educational values and behaviours regarding sustainability was observed in and out of the campus community. The measurements adopted mainly in waste management, mobility and education led the Ferrol campus to achieve a green campus flag on November 2019.

This experiment can serve as a guide to establish the Green Campus philosophy in other similar university campuses.

Consumer behavior has evolved because of technological development. Nowadays, consumers carry out the different stages of the decision-making process by combining multiple devices which has been defined as multi, cross and omnichannel behavior. These behaviors have attracted the attention of academics and become a hot topic in literature. As a result, vast amounts of studies on the subject need to be revised and clarified. Thus, the aim of this chapter is to synthetize the primary academic literature that analyzes multi, cross and omnichannel behavior from the consumer point of view. To do that, first, the main concepts (multi, cross and omnichannel) and their differences are clarified. Second, the major findings of channel mix literature regarding the topics, channel scope and theories are exposed and described. Third, the opportunities and future lines of research are presented. This chapter contributes to the literature by clarifying the conceptualization of multi, cross and omnichannel behaviors; offering a complete picture of the main topics, channel approaches and theories addressed in channel mix literature; and presenting future research opportunities and open research questions in a channel mix context that could serve as a starting point to build further research.

This study aims to explore the issue of word of mouth (WOM) about mobile shopping, including activities conducted by consumers using a wireless internet connection to make a purchase. The objective is to ascertain the determinants of m-shoppers’ WOM.

This study uses a causal model to examine how satisfaction, perceived control, perceived entertainment and subjective norms affect WOM about mobile commerce. The authors treated a sample of 447 Spanish mobile phone buyers and applied different sound theoretical approaches to support the research.

Shopping experience, control over the process, group influence and satisfaction with mobile purchasing affect subsequent WOM shopping recommendations by innovative and pioneer mobile shoppers. Besides, entertainment, group influence, shopping experience and perceived control influence customer satisfaction in mobile shopping contexts.

This research provides a better understanding of WOM regarding m-shopping and contributes by outlining important variables for recommending WOM regarding m-shopping, which is key in the m-shopping diffusion. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a pioneer study in Europe focusing on these variables for addressing the ways of achieving m-shopper WOM and one of the few addressing WOM in the m-shopping context. This study is based on information collected from real buyers, who are pioneer in m-shopping.

There are calls for greater regulation of online content related to self-harm and suicide, particularly that which is user-generated. However, the online space is a source of support and advice, including an important sharing of experiences. This study aims to explore what it is about such online content, and how people interact with it, that may confer harm or offer benefit.

The authors undertook a systematic review of the published evidence, using customised searches up to February 2021 in seven databases. The authors included empirical research on the internet or online use and self-harm or suicide content that had been indexed since 2015. The authors undertook a theoretically driven narrative synthesis.

From 4,493 unique records, 87 met our inclusion criteria. The literature is rapidly expanding and not all the evidence is high quality, with very few longitudinal or intervention studies so little evidence to understand possible causal links. Very little content online is classifiable as explicitly harmful or definitively helpful, with responses varying by the individual and immediate context. The authors present a framework that seeks to represent the interplay in online use between the person, the medium, the content and the outcome.

This review highlights that content should not be considered separately to the person accessing it, so online safety means thinking about all users. Blanket removal or unthinking regulation may be more harmful than helpful. A focus on safe browsing is important and tools that limit time and diversify content would support this.

The key concern nowadays is smartphone addiction and user profiles. Following the risk and protective factors framework, the authors aim to characterize smartphone users according to two levels: (1) individual: referred to the use (i.e. boredom proneness, compulsive app downloading smartphone addiction) and (2) microsystem: referred to family and peers (i.e. family harmony and phubbing). Besides, the authors will derive useful managerial implications and strategies.

First, an extensive literature revision and in-depth interviews with experts were employed to identify the addiction-related variables at the individual and microsystem level. Second, information was collected from a sample of 275 Spanish smartphone users, and a K-means clustering algorithm was employed to classify smartphone users.

The proposed traffic lights schema identifies three users’ profiles (red, yellow and green) regarding their smartphone addiction and considering individual and microsystem critical variables.

This study proposes a practical and pioneer traffic lights schema to classify smartphone users and facilitate each cluster's strategies development.

一個大家現時頗關注的事項就是智慧型手機癮和用戶檔案。遵循著風險和保護因子框架,我們擬根據兩個層面,去描述智慧型手機使用者的特性:(一) 個人層面: 這是指手機的使用方面 (即是:無聊傾向、強制性應用程式的下載、智慧型手機癮), 以及(二)微系統層面:這是指家庭和同儕 (即是:家庭和諧和低頭族)。此外,我們也會探討從中得到管理方面的啟示和一些有用的策略。

我們首先進行廣泛的文獻回顧和深入訪問有關的專家,以確定在個人和微系統層面上與入迷成癮有關的變數。繼而從275名西班牙智慧型手機使用者中收集資料,然後以K均值聚類算法把智慧型手機使用者分類。

我們提出的紅綠燈圖表,就用戶的智慧型手機癮,並考慮了個人和微系統的關鍵變數,識別了三個用戶檔案(紅、黃、綠)。

本研究提出一個實用及有倡導性的紅綠燈圖表,把智慧型手機使用者分類,並促進每個群集戰略的制定。