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Our research investigated how the perceived effectiveness of privacy, perceived privacy risk, and perceived security influenced consumers' behavioral intention to use mobile payment applications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We applied a quantitative method using a cross-sectional online survey conducted over three years. We collected a sample of 1,471 survey responses focused on ages 18–39. Using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling, we tested our hypotheses with SPSS 27 and AMOS 27.

Results of the study indicate that the perceived effectiveness of privacy positively influences perceived privacy risk, perceived security, and behavioral intention. Moreover, perceived privacy risk has a positive effect on perceived security. We found no significant relationship between perceived privacy risk and behavioral intention, although perceived security has a positive effect on behavioral intention. Further mediation analyses showed that perceived privacy risk and perceived security mediate the relationship between the perceived effectiveness of privacy and behavioral intention.

This research sheds new light on the role of perceived privacy effectiveness in mobile payment adoption in Hungary, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our research also explains why and how perceived privacy effectiveness influences consumers' perceived privacy risk, perceived security, and behavioral intention.

As one of the most cutting-edge technologies in the digital age, facial enhancement technology (FET) has greatly enhanced consumer online shopping experience and brought new e-commerce opportunities for cosmetics retailers. The purpose of this paper is to extend the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model in the context of FET. In addition to the concepts from the original model, the new FET-UTAUT model features (low) body esteem, social media addiction and FET adoption.

A purposive sampling of FET users in China via an online questionnaire yields 473 respondents. To analyze the data, this research uses the structural equation modeling method via statistical package for the social sciences and analysis of a moment structures software. A two-step approach, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, was used to test the hypotheses and generate the findings.

Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions and (low) body esteem have positive relationships with FET adoption. FET adoption has a positive relationship with online purchase intention of branded color cosmetics, and the empirical evidence for the moderating role of social media addiction in the relationship between FET adoption and online purchase intention is inconclusive.

This research extends the traditional UTAUT model by proposing a novel FET-UTAUT model that incorporates additional key concepts such as body esteem, FET adoption and social media addiction. Managerial implications of this research are provided for FET designers and branded color cosmetic retailers.

The recent advancements in smartphone technology and social media platforms have increased the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) color cosmetics. Meanwhile, China is a lucrative market for various foreign beauty products and technological innovations. This research aims to investigate the adoption of AI color cosmetics applications and their electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) intention among Chinese social media influencers. Several key concepts have been proposed in this research, namely body esteem, price sensitivity, social media addiction and actual purchase.

An online questionnaire design was used in this research. A combination of purposive sampling and snowball sampling of AI color cosmetics users who are also social media influencers in China yields 221 respondents. To analyze the data, this research employs Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) method via SPSS and AMOS software. A 2-step approach, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), is implemented to prove the hypotheses and generate the results.

1) Social media addiction is a positive predictor of AI color cosmetics usage, (2) AI color cosmetics usage is a positive predictor of actual purchase, (3) actual purchase is a positive predictor of e-WOM intention and lastly, (4) there is a full mediation effect of actual purchase.

This research draws on the uses and gratification (U&G) theory to investigate how specific user characteristics affect Chinese social media influencers' adoption of AI color cosmetics, as well as how this may affect their decision to purchase branded color cosmetics and their e-WOM.

Chatbots have been explored as a novel approach to enhancing consumer engagement by delivering more enjoyable, personalized services. This research aims to investigate the mechanism through which anthropomorphic elements of chatbots influence consumers' intentions to use the technology.

This research introduces five key concepts framed through the “computers-are-social-actors” (CASA) paradigm: form realism (FR), behavioral realism (BR), cognitive trust (CT), entertainment (EM) and chatbot usage intention (CUI). An online questionnaire garnered 280 responses from China and 207 responses from Indonesia. Data collection employed a combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques. This research utilized structural equation modeling through the analysis of moment structures (AMOS) 27 software to test the hypotheses.

(1) FR positively predicts CT and EM, (2) FR negatively predicts CUI, (3) BR positively predicts CT and EM, (4) BR positively predicts CUI and (5) Both CT and EM mediate the relationship between FR and CUI, as well as between BR and CUI.

This research enriches the current literature on interactive marketing by exploring how the anthropomorphic features of chatbots enhance consumers' intentions to use such technology. It pioneers the exploration of CT and EM as mediating factors in the relationship between chatbot anthropomorphism and consumer behavioral intention. Moreover, this research makes a methodological contribution by developing and validating new measurement scales for measuring chatbot anthropomorphic elements.

The purpose of this paper is to develop an appropriate machine learning model for predicting soil compaction degree while also examining the contribution rates of three influential factors: moisture content, electrical conductivity and temperature, towards the prediction of soil compaction degree.

Taking fine-grained soil A and B as the research object, this paper utilized the laboratory test data, including compaction parameter (moisture content), electrical parameter (electrical conductivity) and temperature, to predict soil degree of compaction based on five types of commonly used machine learning models (19 models in total). According to the prediction results, these models were preliminarily compared and further evaluated.

The Gaussian process regression model has a good effect on the prediction of degree of compaction of the two kinds of soils: the error rates of the prediction of degree of compaction for fine-grained soil A and B are within 6 and 8%, respectively. As per the order, the contribution rates manifest as: moisture content > electrical conductivity >> temperature.

By using moisture content, electrical conductivity, temperature to predict the compaction degree directly, the predicted value of the compaction degree can be obtained with higher accuracy and the detection efficiency of the compaction degree can be improved.

This study aims to investigate the electrochemical corrosion performance of high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) sprayed WC–12Co coating in 3.5 Wt.% NaCl solution, which provided a guiding significance on the corrosion resistance of H13 hot work mould steel.

A WC–12Co coating was fabricated on H13 hot work mould steel using a HVOF, and the electrochemical corrosion behaviors of WC–12Co coating and substrate in 3.5 Wt.% NaCl solution was measured using open circuit potential (OCP), potentiodynamic polarization curve (PPC) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests.

The OCP and PPC of WC–12Co coating positively shift than those of substrate, its corrosion tendency and corrosion rate decrease to enhance its corrosion resistance. The curvature radius of capacitance curve on the WC–12Co coating is larger than that on the substrate, and the impedance and polarization resistance of WC–12Co coating increase faster than those of substrate, which reduces the corrosion process.

The electrochemical corrosion behaviors of WC–12Co coating and substrate in 3.5 Wt.% NaCl solution is first measured using OCP, PPC and EIS tests, which improve the electrochemical corrosion resistance of H13 hot work mould steel.

A novel asynchronous network-based model is proposed in this paper for the sentiment analysis of online public opinions. This new model provides a new approach to analyze the evolution characteristics of online public opinion sentiments in complex environment.

Firstly, a new sentiment analysis model is proposed based on the asynchronous network theory. Then the graphical evaluation and review technique is employed and extended to design the model-based sentiment analysis algorithms. Finally, simulations and real-world case studies are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed model.

The dynamics of online public opinion sentiments are determined by both personal preferences to certain topics and the complex interactive influences of environmental factors. The application of appropriate quantitative models can improve the prediction of public opinion sentiment.

The proposed model-based algorithms provide simple but effective ways to explore the complex dynamics of online public opinions. Case studies highlight the role of government agencies in shaping sentiments of public opinions on social topics.

This paper proposes a new asynchronous network model for the dynamic sentiment analysis of online public opinions. It extends the previous static models and provides a new way to extract opinion evolution patterns in complex environment. Applications of the proposed model provide some new insights into the online public opinion management.

This study aims to analyze the changes in the ecosystem service value (ESV) in response to land use and contribute significantly to ecological construction and sustainable development.

The present study was conducted in the upper Zhanghe River region based on the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer Land Cover Type product MCD12Q1 by using geographic information system (GIS) methods to process and re-classify the land-use data and using the Chinese ESV equivalent weight factors to investigate changes in land use and resulting changes in ESV between 2001 and 2013.

The results showed significant fluctuations in ESV between 2001 and 2013: there was a decline in ESV from 2001 to 2004, followed by a gradual rise after 2004, and the overall ESV exceeded 2001 levels by the end of 2013. However, the pattern of ESV change differed across geographic locations, and each administrative region contributed differently to the overall trend. The analysis confirmed that the land-use change was closely related to the change in its ESV, and the coefficients of sensitivity of ESV for all types of land use were less than one, indicating that the coefficient value of ESV lacked elasticity.

Therefore, to promote sustainable development in the upper Zhanghe River region, ESV should be taken into consideration when planning land use, especially for land types with high ESV, such as water bodies and forestlands.

The results can provide scientific support for the sustainable development of the ecological, economic and societal aspects of the upper Zhanghe River region. In addition, county-level administrative divisions were set as the basic research unit for the analysis and discussion of ESV changes in each unit within the research period and its impact on the overall ESV of the entire area to lay down a foundation for the analysis of the ESV spatial dynamic distribution in the entire research site.

The assumption that the family migrates as a unit downplays migrants’ circularity. This chapter focuses on China's rural–urban labor migrants that travel back and forth between the sites of work and home community and between places of work. I argue that migrants and their households pursue work flexibility in order to obtain the best of the urban and rural worlds, by gaining earnings from urban work and at the same time maintaining social and economic security in the countryside. Work flexibility demands flexibility in household organization, in the form of division of labor and collaboration between genders, generations, and households. Based on a study in Sichuan, I examine household biographies and narratives to identify migrants’ work and household strategies.

Migrants change jobs frequently, switch from one type of work to another and one location to another readily, and often return to the home village for months or even years before pursuing migrant work again. Not only are migrants ready to split the household between the city and the countryside, but also they frequently change from one form of division of labor to another. The inside–outside model, where the wife stays in the village and the husband does migrant work, used to be the dominant arrangement. Over time, the outside–outside model, where both the husband and wife migrate to work and leave behind other family members, is increasingly popular. This is facilitated by intergenerational and interhousehold division of labor in the form of assistance by the extended family. Intergenerational division of labor takes place when the second generation is replacing the parents in migrant work. This research's findings support the notion that rural–urban migrants are fast becoming a hybrid segment of Chinese society, playing dual roles of farmers and urban workers and straddling the peasant and urban worlds.

Despite their popularity among tourists, information about low-cost accommodation is limited. The study aims to focus on hostels as tourist accommodation. The purpose of this paper is to document the perceptions of hostel front-desk employees about customers and examine employees’ perceptions from a cultural perspective. As culture moderates behavior in general, in light of the cultural difference postulate which proposes that guests and hosts who are from similar or proximate cultures are more likely to experience positive service encounter and that encounter between guests and hosts from distant cultures may be more challenging to service providers, the study compares the perceptions of hostel Western front-desk employees with those of Eastern front-desk employees of their customers. Customers are categorized into four groups – Western customers, Eastern, Middle Eastern/Arab and African. Exploratory interviews paved the development of perception items, which were later on used in a questionnaire to serve the study’s purpose. The paper has managerial and theoretical implications and offers suggestions for further research to advance understanding about this neglected tourism environment.

Preliminary/exploratory short interviews with hostel employees in London paved the development of perception items, which were later on used in a questionnaire. There are about 190 hostels in the London area. The questionnaire was self-administered and successfully completed by 113 front-desk employees working in London hostels. t-test statistics was used to examine whether the two groups of employees hold different perceptions about their culturally different group of customers.

Results indicate that, generally, differences in perception exist among hostel employees about their customer groups. For example, Western customers are perceived as nicer and more tip-givers than Eastern customers, but they also complain more and are more demanding than their counterparts. Asian customers are perceived to be friendlier, least troublesome and least demanding than the other customer groups. African customers are the least positively perceived. As for Middle Eastern (Arab) customers, they are perceived rather somewhat positively and yet the least favorite. Furthermore, no statistical differences were observed between Western employees and Eastern employees’ perceptions about their customer groups, except that the latter perceives Asian customers to be more troublesome and more complaining.

Although researchers have compared Western people’s behaviors and attitudes with those of Eastern people, differences may also exist within cultural groups, especially between East Europeans and West Europeans, between Middle Eastern and North Africans or between Americans and Canadians, despite cultural proximity. Therefore, it is always reasonable to interpret cultural differences studies cautiously.

Hostel management is advised not to take cultural proximity/distance between employees and customers for granted and, thus, should not assume that Eastern employees are more likely to provide better service to Eastern customers than Western employees or that Western employees are more likely to do so to Western customers because they are culturally similar or proximate. In an increasingly globalized world and mobile and culturally diverse workforce in the hospitality sector, it becomes necessary to raise employees’ awareness about cultural differences and their probable effects on perceptions. This is especially true for hostels because of their social characteristic.

Despite the importance of hostels to the tourism and hospitality industry, not much is known about their customers or their employees. In addition to contributing to employee perception in general, which is also a neglected area of study, this paper used cultural distance/proximity to assess differences in perception between Eastern employees and Western employees about four culturally different groups of hostel customers. In light of the impacts of globalization on consumer behavior, this paper joins other research to challenge the cultural distance postulate in the service encounter context.