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1 – 10 of 10R. Venkatesakumar, Sudhakar Vijayakumar, S. Riasudeen, S. Madhavan and B. Rajeswari
The star rating summarises the review content and conveys the message faster than other review components. Star ratings influence helpfulness of the reviews, and extreme reviews…
Abstract
Purpose
The star rating summarises the review content and conveys the message faster than other review components. Star ratings influence helpfulness of the reviews, and extreme reviews are considered as less helpful in the decision process. However, literature has rarely addressed variations in star ratings across product categories and variations between two online retailers. In this paper, the authors have compared the distribution of star ratings across 11 products and among the retailers.
Design/methodology/approach
Online reviews for 11 product categories have collected, and the authors compared the distribution of star ratings across 11 products and retailers. Correspondence analysis has been applied to show the association between star ratings and product categories for the e-retail firms.
Findings
The Amazon site contains proportionately more number of 1-star rated reviews than Flipkart. In Amazon reviews, few product categories are closely associated with 1-star and 2-star reviews, whereas no product categories are closely associated with 1-star and 2-star reviews in Flipkart reviews. The results indicate two distinct communication strategies followed by the firms in managing online consumer reviews.
Research limitations/implications
The authors did not analyse data across demographic details because of access restriction policies of the websites.
Practical implications
Understanding the distribution of review characteristics will improve the consumer’s decision-making ability and using online review content judiciously.
Social implications
This study’s results show significant insights on online retailing by providing cues in using shopping sites and online review characteristics of two prominent retailers.
Originality/value
This paper has brought out a distinct distribution pattern of online review between Amazon and Flipkart. Amazon allows a higher degree of negative contents, whereas Flipkart allows more number of positive reviews.
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B. Rajeswari, S. Madhavan, Ramakrishnan Venkatesakumar and S. Riasudeen
This study aims to compare online review characteristics, review length and review sentiment score between “organic” and “regular” food products. In addition, variations in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to compare online review characteristics, review length and review sentiment score between “organic” and “regular” food products. In addition, variations in the consumer sentiment scores across the review lengths are studied.
Design/methodology/approach
This study fits into the descriptive research design. From Amazon’s website, the consumer product reviews are scrapped. Using the text analytical package “sentiment” in R-Studio, we computed the sentiment scores and counted the number of words in each review. The mean sentiment scores and mean review length are compared for regular and organic products using one-way ANOVA. Sentiment score variation across review length and product class is studied through factorial ANOVA. Sample reviews of ghee and honey are used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The review length shows a significant difference between the regular and organic products. The mean number of words in the regular products reviews is significantly lower than the mean number of words in the organic product reviews. The regular products’ mean sentiment score is significantly lower than the mean sentiment score of organic products. The mean sentiment scores are not consistent between ghee and honey. Sentiment scores are better for organic honey and regular ghee products. For regular ghee products, longer reviews result in lower sentiment scores. For regular and organic versions of honey, longer reviews are associated with better sentiment scores.
Research limitations/implications
This study did not include the helpfulness of a review and the demographic data of the reviewers.
Practical implications
Sentiment scores’ variations across the regular and organic and product categories such as ghee and honey give a comprehensive feedback to the firms. It also indirectly communicates a brand’s evaluation by the consumers and the performance feedback for an upward extension like the organic category.
Social implications
Studies on organic category give feedback for environment-friendly products and consumer attitude shift towards safer products.
Originality/value
Very limited studies have reported the upward line extensions. The authors study the upward line extension organic and associated sentiment scores variation. The role of review length and its systematic influence on the sentiment scores, variations in the review due to the product nature (organic/regular) are unique contributions of this study.
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Brighton Nyagadza, Gideon Mazuruse, Asphat Muposhi and Farai Chigora
This study aims to examine the influence of service quality, satisfaction, trust, value and commitment on hotel customers’ attitudinal and behavioural loyalty.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the influence of service quality, satisfaction, trust, value and commitment on hotel customers’ attitudinal and behavioural loyalty.
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Emil Lucian Crisan and Alin Mihaila
The purpose of this paper is to provide practitioners and researchers a more condensed and structured perspective on the adoption of information management systems by the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide practitioners and researchers a more condensed and structured perspective on the adoption of information management systems by the health-care industry, given the spread and the increased amount of research concerning the topic.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a literature review. A Technology (What?) – Context and before adoption Analysis (When and Why?) – Implementation (How?) – Outcomes (What for?) framework is used to present the trends concerning information technology adoption in an accessible manner.
Findings
The main finding is that small or large health-care organizations should no longer focus on information systems’ adoption but should adopt a digital transformation paradigm. By considering this paradigm, management practices related to information technologies’ adoption projects should be complemented by practices related to the continuous organizational changes and readaptation of the organizational strategy, to benefit the advantages information systems can offer.
Practical implications
The main recommendation for health-care industry managers is to adopt specific practices to manage the digital transformation process of their organizations, as they should understand that it is no longer about adopting information technologies, but about managing the associated organizational change.
Originality/value
Instead of focusing on specific information systems’ adoption as other papers do, this paper provides a holistic understanding of the information technologies and management practices which are used in the field.
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Muhammad Sholihin, Nurus Shalihin and Apria Putra
The article examines Sheikh Ahmad Khatib Al-Minangkabauwi's initial concept of paper money, which in the early 20th century wrote Risala Raf'u Al-Iltibas.
Abstract
Purpose
The article examines Sheikh Ahmad Khatib Al-Minangkabauwi's initial concept of paper money, which in the early 20th century wrote Risala Raf'u Al-Iltibas.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a qualitative approach based on the critical extraction analysis that can reveal a set of concepts related to the thoughts of Sheikh Ahmad Khatib Al-Minangkabauwi on paper money.
Findings
Through an attentive reading of Sheikh Ahmad Khatib Al-Minangkabawi, the authors can formulate several significant results: First, Ahmad Khatib Al-Minangkabawi applies two methods in studying critically on paper money, namely, the comparative law method and qiyas. Second, Ahmad Khatib believes that paper money has similarities with dinars and dirhams, namely its nominal value function. It is just that the existence of these values is different. Briefly, there are set law consequences for those who used paper money in economic activities, i.e. payment of zakāt on paper money applies when used as business capital.
Research limitations/implications
Sheikh Ahmad Khatib Al-Minangkabawi's work related to paper money is written heavily from the perspective of fiqh. Briefly, it is challenging to describe legal reasoning from work. As a result, articles are also thicker with fiqh analysis.
Practical implications
Sheikh Ahmad Khatib Al-Minangkabawi's view regarding paper money becomes the foundation for the theory of the value of money in Islam. However, it is rarely disclosed. In this regard, this paper can serve as the foundation of the value for money offered by scholars from Indonesia in the early 20th century.
Social implications
Money is not a commodity. Still, it must be positioned as capital to be productive. It finally becomes why trade is compelling and becomes the most practical reason for paying out zakāt.
Originality/value
It is not easy finding out articles that attempt to reveal the concept of classical ulemas or clerics from Indonesia relating to paper money. This article manages to identify that, and at the same time, becomes a novelty.
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Nilanjan Banik and Khanindra Ch. Das
The notion that China is factory of the world is now changing. Factories in China are shifting their production base to neighboring Asia, primarily because of higher input costs…
Abstract
The notion that China is factory of the world is now changing. Factories in China are shifting their production base to neighboring Asia, primarily because of higher input costs in China, a volatile Chinese exchange rate, and protectionist measures targeted against Chinese exports. In this paper, we examine the location substitution effect for China: Chinese firms are exporting primary, intermediate and machinery items, meant for producing final output in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). Results suggest that GMS countries are exporting finished items to China, that are increasingly getting manufactured using primary and intermediate inputs imported from China.
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Prateek Kalia, Robin Kaushal, Meenu Singla and Jai Parkash
The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of service quality (SQ), trust and commitment to customer loyalty (CL) for telecom service users. Further, the moderating role…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of service quality (SQ), trust and commitment to customer loyalty (CL) for telecom service users. Further, the moderating role of gender, marital status and connection type within the model was tested.
Design/methodology/approach
A measurement model was created based on valid 615 responses from Indian TSUs for SQ, trust, commitment and loyalty with the help of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Multi-group analysis (MGA) was conducted to understand the moderating effect of marital status, gender and connection type within the model.
Findings
The results suggest that, out of five dimensions of SQ, only responsiveness, assurance and empathy have a significant positive relationship with both commitment and trust. Tangibility has a significant positive relationship with trust only. Both commitment and trust have a significant impact on loyalty. It was noticed that both commitment and trust act as mediators between three SQ dimensions (assurance, empathy and responsiveness) and CL. MGA revealed that empathy and responsiveness positively induce trust in telecom users who are single. Whereas, assurance increases commitment toward telecom service providers in married users. Assurance and empathy significantly contribute toward commitment and trust, respectively, in male users as compared to females. Empathy was found important for postpaid users for trust-building, whereas trust was found to be more important for prepaid users to stay loyal to the service provider.
Originality/value
This article contributes toward understanding the role of SQ, trust and commitment to CL moderated by marital status, gender and connection type in an integrated model concerning telecom service.
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Subir Bairagi, Matty Demont, Marie Claire Custodio and Jhoanne Ynion
The purpose of this paper is to analyze geographic heterogeneity of consumer preferences for intrinsic quality attributes of rice in South and Southeast Asia and the drivers of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze geographic heterogeneity of consumer preferences for intrinsic quality attributes of rice in South and Southeast Asia and the drivers of demand for these attributes, with a particular focus on rice fragrance and the role of gender.
Design/methodology/approach
Stated-preference surveys were conducted with 4,231 urban and rural consumers in 37 cities across seven countries (Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) during 2013–2014 and analyzed through a rank-ordered logistic regression with incomplete ranking choice data.
Findings
Preferences for rice attributes are found to be significantly heterogeneous among consumers in South and Southeast Asia. Urban Thai consumers tend to prioritize appearance and cooking characteristics over taste and nutritional benefits, relative to all other surveyed consumers. In contrast with South Asian consumers, Southeast Asian consumers have largely adopted Thai preferences for rice texture and fragrance, a trend that was earlier coined “Jasminization.” We find that demand for rice fragrance is mainly driven by women, educated consumers, large families, families spending a lower share of their food expenditures on rice, and consumers in Southeast Asia (particularly the Philippines and Cambodia).
Originality/value
Little is known about geographic heterogeneity, drivers, and the role of gender in demand for rice fragrance. This paper fills these knowledge gaps. Our findings suggest that the more women are empowered in grocery decision-making, the more demand for aromatic rice is expected to rise. These insights can assist market-driven and gender-responsive rice breeding programs in simultaneously enhancing rice farmers' livelihoods and gender equity.
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Bailey Peterson-Wilhelm, Lawton Nalley, Alvaro Durand-Morat, Aaron Shew, Francis Tsiboe and Willy Mulimbi
Weaknesses in the grades and standards system in low-income countries across Sub-Saharan Africa undermine the transparency of agricultural markets. In the Democratic Republic of…
Abstract
Purpose
Weaknesses in the grades and standards system in low-income countries across Sub-Saharan Africa undermine the transparency of agricultural markets. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana and Mozambique rice is predominately sold in open bags and if rice price does not reflect its quality, then inefficiencies may lead to consumer welfare losses. Importantly, it is possible that impoverished communities are priced out of the market due to inflated and inefficient prices. The objective of this study is to examine determinates of rice price by estimating the impact of selected rice quality attributes on rice prices in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana and Mozambique.
Design/methodology/approach
We collected 363 rice samples from open air markets in Bukavu (DRC), Nampula (Mozambique) and across Ghana in 2019. Each rice sample was analyzed in a food science lab for the quality attributes: percentage of chalk and brokens, chalk impact, length and length-to-width ratio. We used multiple regression analysis to estimate if and to what extent quality attributes were the drivers of price.
Findings
Findings suggest that there are irregularities in the Ghanaian market for broken rice and that regardless of quality, imported rice is priced higher than domestic rice. In the DRC and Mozambique, our results indicate price is driven by length and length-to-width ratio in the former and length-to-width ratio in the latter.
Research limitations/implications
Rice samples were purchased from market vendors and thus consumer preferences for attributes were not revealed.
Originality/value
These results provide valuable insight to policymakers regarding the need for proper labeling and regulation of open bag rice sales in an effort to increase consumer welfare and improve food security.
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