Cheng-Yue Yin and Patrick Poon
This paper aims to examine the impact of other group members on the travel experiences of Chinese tourists participating in domestic package tours.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impact of other group members on the travel experiences of Chinese tourists participating in domestic package tours.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the critical incident technique, usable responses were obtained from 253 tourists regarding the influence of other group members on their travel experiences in the same group package tour (GPT).
Findings
The results show that the travel experiences of Chinese tourists on a domestic package tour are affected by three general factors, namely, appearance, behaviors, and language of other group members.
Research limitations/implications
This research mainly involves samples of young tourists. The findings may not be able to generalize to elderly tourists. Future studies may involve samples from various age cohorts.
Practical implications
The findings offer new insights and directions for GPT operators and tour guides to improve tourism management and tourist experiences.
Social implications
This study contributes to tourism literature about customer-to-customer interaction by identifying the major categories of other customers’ characteristics or behaviors that may positively or negatively influence a GPT tourist’s travel experience.
Originality/value
This study enriches the existing literature by investigating the attributes of other group members that may affect the travel experiences of a domestic GPT participant. Tourism firms can formulate better strategies and staff training to enhance tourists’ travel experiences.
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Patrick Poon, Gerald Albaum and Cheng-Yue Yin
The purpose of this paper is to examine the dimensions of interpersonal trust which would affect the buyer-salesperson relationship in a direct selling situation. It also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the dimensions of interpersonal trust which would affect the buyer-salesperson relationship in a direct selling situation. It also investigates consumers’ perceived risk and advantages of direct selling.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey of consumers (and also non-consumers) of direct selling companies in Hong Kong was performed by means of mall-intercept interview. The major measurements were perceived risk, perceived advantages, trust dimensions, and repurchase intention.
Findings
The results show that there are six dimensions of interpersonal trust in the buyer-seller relationship in direct selling, but only one dimension (i.e. honesty) has a significant relationship with repurchase intention. The ability to shop at home is found to have the highest advantage rating of direct selling. In addition, direct selling is perceived to have a lower level of risk than unsolicited telephone call such as telemarketing.
Originality/value
This is the first study to investigate the effects of different dimensions of interpersonal trust on consumer buying behavior under a direct selling situation in Asia. The study also serves as a foundation for studying the applicability and usefulness of all trust measures in other western or non-western cultures/nations.
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Cheng-Yue Yin, Nan Bi, Patrick Poon and Yang Sun
The purpose of this paper is to examine the interaction effect of endorser ethnicity (local Chinese vs Western) and portrayal (smart vs sexy) on Chinese women’s attitudes toward…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the interaction effect of endorser ethnicity (local Chinese vs Western) and portrayal (smart vs sexy) on Chinese women’s attitudes toward luxury advertisements and brands, as well as any moderating effect appearance self-esteem has on the above-mentioned interaction.
Design/methodology/approach
Two online experiments were conducted. Study 1 was a 2×2 factorial design (with 280 participants), while Study 2 was a 2×2 ×2 factorial design (with 320 participants). Data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test and simple effect analysis.
Findings
Results demonstrated that Chinese female consumers are more likely to have a positive attitude toward advertisements for luxury goods and brands when a local Chinese (vs Western) endorser is used and portrayed as smart (vs sexy), particularly if consumers have low appearance self-esteem.
Research limitations/implications
The research focused only on female consumers and only one product type was used for the experiments. The use of controls for potential confounding effects was insufficient in this study design.
Practical implications
To maximize profits, marketers should choose the most appropriate combination of endorser ethnicity and portrayal in the Chinese luxury goods market. Accordingly, if adopting a localization strategy and using a Chinese female endorser, the endorser should be portrayed as smart rather than sexy. In contrast, if a luxury brand adopts an internationalization strategy and uses the same Western female endorser as in other countries, it is more effective to portray her as sexy rather than smart. Furthermore, advertisers should pay particular attention to Chinese female consumers who have low appearance self-esteem when advertising their product and/or brand.
Originality/value
Compared with past studies concerned with consumers’ perceptions of endorser image in advertisements through a focus on endorser ethnicity, this study linked endorser portrayal with his/her ethnicity and discussed the interaction effects between these two factors on consumers’ attitudes toward the advertisement and the brand portrayed in the advertisement. The findings herein contribute new insights to the body of work on luxury marketing and endorser advertising.
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Yue Cheng, Yi Zheng, Francesco Schiavone and Octavio R. Escobar
This study investigates the impact of internal expectations, such as fantasy of success and fear of failure and external factors, such as social environment and past experiences…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the impact of internal expectations, such as fantasy of success and fear of failure and external factors, such as social environment and past experiences, on entrepreneurial choice.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on achievement motivation and social cognitive theories, the authors construct hypotheses and use secondary data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) database and Economic Freedom Index report to empirically test the hypotheses. The authors also use propensity score matching to solve the endogeneity issue and test the robustness.
Findings
Internal expectations (fantasy of success and fear of failure) on business outcomes inversely affect entrepreneurial choices, with a vibrant business environment amplifying and past failure experience mitigating these effects.
Originality/value
Due to the economic recession, governments encourage small businesses. Thus, the complexity of individual entrepreneurial motivations and influencing factors necessitate deeper exploration. This study is one of the first research offering insights into entrepreneurial motivations from combined dimensions and providing theoretical support for strategies promoting public entrepreneurship.
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Xiaoguang Wang, Yue Cheng, Tao Lv and Rongjiang Cai
The authors hope to filter valuable information from online reviews, obtain objective and accurate information about the demands of auto consumers and help auto companies develop…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors hope to filter valuable information from online reviews, obtain objective and accurate information about the demands of auto consumers and help auto companies develop more reasonable production and marketing strategies for healthy and sustainable development. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected review data from online automotive forums and generated a corpus after pre-processing. Then, the authors extracted consumer demands and topics using the LDA model. Finally, the authors used a trained Word2vec tool to extend the consumer demand topics.
Findings
Different types of vehicle consumers have the same demands, such as “Space,” “Power Performance,” and “Brand Comparison,” and distinct demands, such as “Appearance,” “Safety,” “Service,” and “New Energy Features”; consumers who buy new energy vehicles are still accustomed to comparing with the brands or models of fuel vehicles; new energy vehicles consumers pay more attention to services and service quality during the purchasing and using process.
Research limitations/implications
The development time of new energy vehicles is relatively short, with some models being available for only one year or even six months. The smaller amount of available data may impact the applicability of topic models. The sample size, especially for new energy vehicles, needs to be increased to improve the general applicability of topic models further.
Practical implications
First, this measure helps online review websites improve their existing review publication mechanisms, enhance the overall quality of online review content, increase user traffic and promote the healthy development of online review websites. Second, this allows for timely adjustments in future product production and sales plans and further enhances automotive companies' ability to leverage online reviews for Internet marketing.
Originality/value
The authors have improved the accuracy and stability of the fused topic model, providing a scientific and efficient research tool for multi-dimensional topic mining of online reviews. With the help of research results, consumers can more easily understand the discussion topics and thus filter out valuable reference information. As a result, automotive companies may gain information about consumer demands and product quality feedback and thus quickly adjust production and marketing strategies to increase sales and market share.
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Jon McNaughtan, Sarah Maria Schiffecker, Santiago Castiello-Gutierrez, Hugo A. García and Xinyang Li
While there is research that has explored how institutions have responded to various crises, these are usually locally or regionally situated. However, no event has impacted…
Abstract
While there is research that has explored how institutions have responded to various crises, these are usually locally or regionally situated. However, no event has impacted higher education globally like COVID-19 and it will certainly alter the way top administrators lead and how institutions move forward. Thus, this chapter will explore how to better understand how presidents and top administrators navigate the (inter)national geopolitics as they move the institution forward. In addition, clear and up-to-date communication has proven to be important in battling this crisis. Thus, how presidents at national universities have communicated with students, faculty, staff, and various off-campus communities members regarding COVID-19 and how they have achieved is important to explore. Our findings suggest that presidents and top administrators need to build support to help them navigate the political roadblocks they may encounter. Findings also suggest that communication is the main role they play as leaders on their campus. On/off-campus community members see the presidents as the face of the university and key communicator as relates to communicating what the institutions is doing and how they are addressing the crisis. This chapter helps in better understanding the roles presidents and top administrators play during a global crisis.
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Martin Lyubomirov Ivanov, Wan Ki Chow, Tsz Kit Yue, Hing Lung Tsang and Wei Peng
The purpose of this paper is to check and fill the gap between the existing fire safety regulations for newly built tall buildings in Bulgaria and those in areas with rapid…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to check and fill the gap between the existing fire safety regulations for newly built tall buildings in Bulgaria and those in areas with rapid economic growth in the Asia-Oceania regions like the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Mainland China, by making comparative analysis and identifying good practices. The main focus is on the development of fire safety designs, facilities and management, which shall be recognized as essential parts of facility management in tall buildings.
Design/methodology/approach
Bulgarian regulations are analyzed and then compared with those in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Mainland China. In addition, the scientific aspect of fire load density in the fire codes is discussed. The possibility of implementing a fire engineering approach to supplement prescriptive codes is outlined. The essential roles of fire safety management and fire safety culture are presented.
Findings
Key points and recommendations that are worthy for discussion about incorporation in the Bulgarian tall buildings fire safety requirements are upgraded requirements for fire load density, detection and sprinkler systems in tall residential buildings, refuge floors, ventilation/air conditioning control systems, full-scale burning tests and fire engineering approach. The importance of fire safety management is emphasized as a main, key component in facility management.
Originality/value
The research is the first study focusing on implementation of additional and specific fire safety regulations for tall buildings in Bulgaria.
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The aim of this paper is to study the effect of heat treatment temperature and time on the corrosion behavior of ductile iron in 0.5 M NaCl and 0.5 M H2SO4.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to study the effect of heat treatment temperature and time on the corrosion behavior of ductile iron in 0.5 M NaCl and 0.5 M H2SO4.
Design/methodology/approach
Ductile iron samples of known composition were austenized at temperatures 800°C and 850°C, and austempered at 300°C and 350°C for periods of 30, 45 and 60 min to convert them to austempered ductile iron (ADI). The corrosion behavior of these ADI samples in 0.5 M NaCl and H2SO4 was measured using the conventional weight loss method. The metallographic examination of the samples was carried out to study the morphology of their corroded surfaces.
Findings
Ductile iron is susceptible to corrosion in both acidic and chloride media, while attack by acid media is mainly at the grain boundaries, that from the chloride is pitting. The corrosion behavior of the material is affected by the compositional structures of the materials as well as the austempering temperature and time it was subjected to.
Practical implications
Ductile iron has the potential to replace costlier materials in many engineering and structural applications.
Originality/value
The results revealed that the corrosion of ADI in both acidic and chloride media were strongly dependent on the structure of the material, which in turn was affected by the austempering temperature and time.
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Belverd E. Needles, Mark L. Frigo, Marian Powers and Anton Shigaev
Prior research shows that companies that achieve high performance excel at certain financial objectives. This chapter addresses the question: Do companies that excel at these…
Abstract
Purpose
Prior research shows that companies that achieve high performance excel at certain financial objectives. This chapter addresses the question: Do companies that excel at these financial performance objectives also excel in integrated reporting and sustainability reporting?
Methodology/approach
We compare a sample of high performance companies (HPC) with a sample of companies that purport to support integrated reporting, and a sample that purport to support sustainability reporting. Our hypotheses are that HPC will equal or exceed the integrated reporting and sustainability reporting practices shown by International Integrated Reporting Committee (IIRC) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) companies and US companies will be less at these practices than non-US companies.
Findings
Our findings indicate that IIRC companies and GRI companies generally do not meet the high financial performance measures of the HPC. Based on an integrated reporting and sustainability reporting matrix, we show that HPC exhibit equal performance on the practices of sustainability and integrated reporting compared to GRI companies, but both HPC and GRI are lower on these practices than IIRC companies. Also, US companies disclose less information in sustainability reports and integrated reports as compared to non-US companies. Overall, all three groups fall short of full compliance with standards of integrated reporting and sustainability reporting.
Originality/value
This chapter provides evidence as to the financial performance and the current state of integrated reporting and sustainability reporting among HPC, GRI, and IIRC companies. This chapter highlights the global need for a generally accepted set of standards for sustainability and integrated reporting practices.