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The purpose of this article is to evaluate empirically the impact of contact personnel and physical environment on the perception of corporate image by new clients by using the hierarchical multiple regression analysis capable of exploring the potential presence of higher order and interaction terms. With data collected in two service industries, namely 272 new clients of a life insurance company and 238 travellers in a hotel, a linear relationship with corporate image was statistically confirmed for contact personnel, while a potential curvilinear relationship was found for physical environment. The results reveal the significant effect of both contact personnel and physical environment, as well as their interactive effects on corporate image. The managerial and research implications of the reported study are discussed.

The objective of this research is to explore the relationship between brand experience and customer equity (value equity, brand equity, and relationship equity). We examine the impacts of different contact points’ experiences (media contact, physical environment contact, people contact, and product usage contact) and different dimensions of brand experience on customer equity. Further we investigate the possible moderating effects of different brand positioning and strategies – hedonic and utilitarian, on this relationship. The data which are collected via online survey includes 410 observations with brand experience and 83 without brand experience, 493 valid samples in total. We found that positive and strong brand experience is the key factor for building strong customer equity. Although the impacts of all four contact points’ brand experiences are significant, product usage contact has the most powerful influence on customer equity and its individual drivers. The results also indicate that the different brand positioning strategies do have moderating effects. For utilitarian brand, only brand experience at product usage contact point has significant impact on customer equity and its three drivers. For hedonic brand, all four contact points’ experiences have significant relationships with customer equity. Finally, the four experience dimensions (sensory, affective, intellectual, and behavioral) have different impacts on customer equity and its three drivers at different experience contact points.

This paper aims to explore how born global firms (BGs) in business to business (B2B) markets balance the mix of physical and virtual networking through social media to gain access to resources throughout their internationalization process. Further, the research seeks to understand these firms’ network dynamics in their continual adaptation to changing resource requirements throughout the internationalization process.

This research adopts a multiple case study approach based on in-depth interviews with founders and key informants in BGs in the software industry, supplemented with extensive secondary data.

Results reveal that networking through social media is efficient and can be used to access vital resources and to build trusting relationships in a B2B context, yet in combination with physical networking. This research found several boundary conditions related to the mix of physical and virtual networking, i.e. the relationship culture in the industry, strategic importance of partner/customer, type of product complexity and managers’ perceptions of the usefulness of social media in a B2B context. These conditions could evolve over time.

This research contributes to enhanced understanding of how resource-constrained BGs balance the mix of physical and virtual networking through social media in a B2B context, influenced by boundary conditions, achieving a network dynamic to advance internationalization.

The tensile test is one of the fundamental experiments used to evaluate material properties. Simulating a tensile test can be a replacement of experiments to determine mechanical parameters of a continuous material. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This research uses a new approach to model a tensile test of a high-carbon steel on the basis of discrete element method (DEM). In this research, the tensile test specimen was created by using a DEM packing theory. The particle-particle bond model was used to establish the internal forces of the tensile test specimen. The particle-particle bond model was first tested by performing two-particle tensile test, then was adopted to simulate tensile tests of the high-carbon steel by using 3,678 particles.

This research has successfully revealed the relationships between the DEM parameters and mechanical parameters by modelling a tensile test. The parametric study demonstrates that the particle physical radius, particle contact radius and bond disc radius can significantly influence ultimate stress and Young’s modulus of the specimen, whereas they slightly impact elongation at fracture. Increasing the normal and shear stiffness, the critical normal and shear stiffness can enable the increase of ultimate stress, however, up to maximum values.

To improve the particle-particle bond model to simulate a tensile test for high-carbon steel, the damping factors for compensating energy loss from transition of particle motions and failure of bonds are required.

This work reinforces the knowledge of applying DEM to model continuous materials.

This research illustrates a new approach to model a tensile test of a high-carbon steel on the basis of DEM.

One of the major concerns in the emerging phenomenon of collaborative consumption (CC) is the issue of contamination (i.e. feeling “grossed out” when sharing items with others). Guided by the law of contagion and the consumer contamination effect theory, this research investigated the ways in which companies can manipulate in order to reduce the negative contamination when renting or purchasing used fashion items from others. Specifically, this research examines this issue of contamination through the ownership type of the shared goods (e.g. corporate-ownership or B2C exchange, and consumer-ownership or C2C exchange) and its effect on consumers' CC intentions in two distinct sharing contexts (i.e. rental and secondhand purchase).

A total of 181 American female consumers were assigned to an experimental CC scenario, and their rental/secondhand purchase intentions were compared through ANCOVA analysis.

In both rental and secondhand purchase contexts, consumers displayed greater intentions to shop in B2C setting (i.e. corporate-ownership) with no direct contact with the previous owner, than in C2C setting (i.e. consumer-ownership) with a greater association with the previous owner and the shared items. Such inclination was more prevalent when purchasing a shirt than a handbag, suggesting that consumers feel more grossed out when there is greater physical contact with the shared item.

The findings of the study suggest a possible solution to alleviate the contamination effect, and the discovery of the degree of contact as a moderator provides new insight into contamination research.

This paper aims to concentrate on recent innovations in flexible wearable sensor technology tailored for monitoring vital signals within the contexts of wearable sensors and systems developed specifically for monitoring health and fitness metrics.

In recent decades, wearable sensors for monitoring vital signals in sports and health have advanced greatly. Vital signals include electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, electromyography, inertial data, body motions, cardiac rate and bodily fluids like blood and sweating, making them a good choice for sensing devices.

This report reviewed reputable journal articles on wearable sensors for vital signal monitoring, focusing on multimode and integrated multi-dimensional capabilities like structure, accuracy and nature of the devices, which may offer a more versatile and comprehensive solution.

The paper provides essential information on the present obstacles and challenges in this domain and provide a glimpse into the future directions of wearable sensors for the detection of these crucial signals. Importantly, it is evident that the integration of modern fabricating techniques, stretchable electronic devices, the Internet of Things and the application of artificial intelligence algorithms has significantly improved the capacity to efficiently monitor and leverage these signals for human health monitoring, including disease prediction.

Using a quantitative research method, health-care workers’ (HWs) well-being was taken as the dependent variable while the two independent variables were physical quality and service environment. This study aims to focus on the well-being of HWs in their physical environment.

This study used a hybrid method that is a combination of literature review and questionnaire survey. This study used quantitative research design which is a systematic study of phenomenon by collecting quantifiable data and performing statistical, mathematical or computational techniques. This study is conducted among HWs, with doctors and nurses at four Chinese government hospitals in the southern city of Changzhou (near Shanghai) as participants.

A total of 222 responses were obtained from a random sample of HWs from four hospitals in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Three-fifth of the participants (n = 133, 60%) are satisfied with hospital equipment and half (n = 111.50%) of them are satisfied with the modern technology in place. About one-third (n = 67, 30%) are satisfied with ventilation and only one-fifth (n = 44, 20%) are satisfied with hygiene. Most HWs think it was necessary to provide tests for frontline workers.

In the wake of COVID-19 in 2020, HWs are working long hours every day facing high risk of infection and stress. This research investigates the satisfaction level and the difficulties experienced by HWs based on the current physical environment setting during COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose – The purpose of this exploratory research study was to bring the experiences of women in contact sport to the forefront of the discussion of gender and sport. The findings that I present here focus on the unique group of six female martial artists between the ages of 40 and 44 and the similarities and differences that emerged in comparison with the younger group of female rugby players and martial artists.

Methodology – A Standpoint Feminist approach was used through in-depth interviewing in a nonprobability purposive sample. The sample consisted of 15 female rugby players and 15 female martial artists.

Findings – In many ways, women in the younger and older groups have similar perceptions about the body and femininity. However, age may produce different perceptions about femininity in terms of gendered life stages. Age also appears to influence women's perceptions about femininity being an issue for athletes. In terms of the body, several of the women in the older group did begin comparing their older body to their younger body, although all mentioned weight.

Limitations – The research concentrated on only two contact sports, future research should be expanded. In addition, only 30 participants were interviewed in Canada. Future research should include a larger number of participants in an international sporting environment. This would increase generalizability.

Originality – This research presents an opportunity to explore age differences in sporting experiences, a topic whose coverage is limited in the literature.

The title of this chapter was inspired by Martin, a prisoner the author met while conducting fieldwork. Martin remarked that, despite the common rhetoric around prisoners ‘maintaining’ their family ties, the reality was that during imprisonment it became more about trying to cling on to them. Imprisonment is perhaps one of the most brutal disruptions a family can undergo, leaving them little choice but to adapt to this enforced transition. Immediately, the spaces where family life can happen narrow severely and become dictated by the prison environment and the plethora of rules that regulate it. The immediate physical separation, onerous restrictions on physical contact and the heavily surveilled nature of family contact during imprisonment constricts space for emotional expression, often rendering romantic relationships clandestine and fatherhood attenuated. Further, the temporal space for family is reduced as limited opportunities for visits lead prisoners to eschew contact with wider family members and prioritise their ‘nuclear’ family. Drawing on empirical research conducted at two male prisons in England and Wales, this chapter then, will detail the complexities of how families navigate this transition and the limitations on what family can mean in the prison environment. The chapter will conclude with the implications of these restrictions for the ultimate transition when prisoners return ‘home’.

The all-inclusive system comprises a large share of supply and demand in the worldwide tourism market. All-inclusive system investments occupy a large place in the Mediterranean coastline, especially in Turkey. The risk that may arise for hotels operating with the all-inclusive system will affect the whole market in terms of supply and demand. The aim of this study is to determine the perceptions of the managers regarding the changes that may occur in demand and supply in the all-inclusive system after the COVID-19 pandemic and their consequences without disturbing the cost balance in an all-inclusive system.

The research was conducted by using an online interview method with a semi-structured interview form that includes questions on the effects of COVID-19 on all-inclusive systems. Obtained data were analyzed by using content analysis methods.

The findings suggest that COVID-19 directly or indirectly influences visitor expectations and behavior, use of physical space and services provided in all-inclusive system within the technology, hygiene and cost cycle. Because of the effect of COVID-19, there have been important alterations in the use of physical space and service contents. Related changes brought about the pressure to reduce costs. Ensuring the managerial balance for these costs, which cannot be subsidized with direct prices, will provide priority with regard to both competitive advantages and managing the risk perception.

There are limited studies on all-inclusive systems and operations. Additionally, there is a lack of studies based on managers’ perceptions of the future of all-inclusive. This study contributes toward a better understanding of perceptions about the future of high-demand all-inclusive systems within the effect of COVID-19 through the eyes of hotel managers. This study differs from existing literature by attempting to determine new ways to enrich service contents for risk management without changing cost structure and revealing strategies for effective sustainability of all-inclusive systems.

全包式系统在全球旅游市场的供需中占有很大份额。全包式系统投资在地中海海岸线, 尤其是在土耳其占据很大的位置。以全包制运营的酒店可能出现的风险将影响整个旅游市场的供求关系。本研究的目的是确定管理人员对 COVID-19 大流行后全包系统的供需变化, 以及在不干扰全包系统中的成本平衡的前提下对其后果的看法。

该研究是通过使用在线访谈方法和半结构化访谈形式进行的, 其中包括关于 COVID-19 对全包系统的影响的问题。使用内容分析方法对获得的数据进行分析。

结果显示了 COVID-19 对游客期望和行为、全包式系统设施中物理空间的使用以及全包式系统提供的在技术、卫生和成本周期内预测的在全包系统设施中提供的服务内容。由于 COVID-19 的影响, 物理空间的使用和服务内容发生了重要变化。相关变化带来了降低成本的压力。确保这些成本无法通过直接价格补贴的管理平衡会为竞争优势和管理风险认知提供优先权。

目前对全包系统和运营的研究比较有限。此外, 已有文献缺乏基于管理者角度对全包式未来的看法的研究。本研究通过酒店经理的视角能更好地理解在 COVID-19 影响下对高需求全包系统的未来的看法。本研究与现有文献的不同之处在于, 试图确定在不改变成本结构的情况下丰富风险管理服务内容的新方法, 并揭示全包系统有效可持续性的策略。

COVID-19, 全包系统, 技术, 卫生, 成本

文章类型： 研究型论文