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The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact indicators of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition from the perspective of residents and to investigate the effects of these impacts on the urban sustainability through the perceptions of Taipei residents after the exposition.

The authors conducted a literature review and consulted experts to identify the impact indicators of the exposition. This process resulted in 17 indicators of economic impact, 12 indicators of environmental impact, and 13 indicators of social impact, and the authors developed a 12-dimension/42-indicator mega-event impact measurement scale. Using a survey of 1,628 host residents after the exposition, the authors performed regression analysis to investigate the effects of these impacts on the urban sustainability.

The results indicated that economic, environmental, and social impacts exerted significant positive effects on urban sustainability. All positive dimensions of economic, environmental, and social impact exerted significant positive effects on urban sustainability, and all negative dimensions exerted nonsignificant effects on urban sustainability.

This study identified the impact indicators of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition and investigated the effects of these impacts on the urban sustainability. The findings of this study indicated that economic, environmental, and social impacts of the exposition exerted significant positive effects on urban sustainability.

Customization allows brands to provide goods that match customers’ preferences, but its impact on consumer–brand relationships is unclear. This study aims to examine the impact of two key moderators on the effectiveness of customization to enhance brand’s perceived partner quality, which mediates the relationship between customization and brand attitude.

Study 1 (n = 219) tests the moderated–mediation relationship, the effect of customization (IV) on perceived partner quality (mediator), and its indirect effect on brand attitude (DV), which is moderated by consumers’ self-construal orientation (Moderator 1). Study 2 (n = 416) extends the model tested in Study 1 by including an additional moderator, shopping task context (Moderator 2).

Results empirically demonstrate the impact of self-construal and shopping task context on the effectiveness of customization in improved customer–brand partner quality and eventual brand attitude.

Customization may not appeal to every customer for the same reason. Marketers must target customers’ individual traits (independents vs interdependents) and understand the context of the shopping task context (self-purchase vs gift-giving).

The work reveals how brands can enhance consumers’ perceptions of the brand by allowing them to customize the product. It is novel in demonstrating that customization is not just a fine-grained segmentation strategy but a brand building tool. It highlights contextual factors affecting the outcome of customization by demonstrating the conditions under which it is most effective.

Since a significant source of food waste on the consumer end is the reluctance to purchase or consume imperfect products, it is vital for businesses to learn how to affiliate their products with social and ecological causes. This study explores whether firms' communication of suboptimal food information to reduce food waste affects consumer perceptions and behaviors based on social exchange theory.

A factorial between-subjects experiment designed with 4 (environmental claims) × 3 (suboptimal food) is used to design 12 scenarios. The measurement scales of variables are adapted from the literature. ANCOVA and structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses were performed to test study hypotheses using a total of 745 valid samples collected via a web-based questionnaire after testing manipulation checks, reliability and validity.

Among the four types of environmental claims, product orientation and environmental fact claims improve consumers' attitudes, ethical judgments and purchase intentions toward suboptimal food. The effect of ethical judgments on purchase intention is higher than that of attitudes. Additionally, purchase intention is a vital predictor of sustainable consumption and plays a significant mediating role between the variables.

The findings of this study address gaps in the literature, which lacks investigations into the effects of communication information about suboptimal food on consumer attitudes and behaviors. Unlike traditional questionnaires using scale items to measure independent variables, the quasi-experimental design with stimulus materials used in this study can reveal the varied effects of different environmental claims.

This paper aims to explore the role of international quality assurance and accreditation on higher education quality improvement and competitiveness, as well as assessing the associated benefits and challenges in the Asian context with reference to Taiwan.

The paper used a qualitative approach to examine the case study of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (STUST) accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The paper collected survey responses from service providers (i.e. STUST faculty and AACSB) and focus group discussions with students to bridge the perception-expectation gap.

The qualitative results highlighted 10 key success factors and performance indicators which were later used to build a balanced scorecard (BSC) strategy for STUST quality improvement and competitiveness. Findings show that education quality assurance (via AACSB process) can directly influence the competitive advantage (i.e. for AACSB, STUST and Students) or indirectly via education quality enhancement. The results from faculty and students are consistent with the value co-creation trend to achieve continuous quality improvement more effectively and efficiently.

This research paper is unique as the first qualitative in-depth study to discuss assurance related factors that positively or negatively affect competitiveness and quality improvement for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Asia and Taiwan. The paper also contributed by designing a BSC framework and strategy-map applicable to HEIs.

This study aims to provide a practical strategy for customer service and salesforce from the basis of behavioral economics. When customers thought they missed a discount but eventually could get the deal, they perceived that they had obtained more value. This research defines such a conversion effect between gain and loss accounts, demonstrates its impact in marketing settings and provides the salesforce a tactic to increase sales and quality of customer service to improve the consumer experience in the social customer journey.

Three experiments were conducted in a behavioral lab and online setting. Participants were randomly assigned to 2 (gain vs loss) × 2 (converted vs simple) between-subjects designs in the first two experiments and 2 (gain vs loss) × 2 (converted vs simple) × 2 (high price vs low price) in the third experiment. Analysis of variance was conducted to analyze the data. Mediation and moderation analyses were also conducted to identify the mediator and moderator in the model.

The conversion between gain and loss mental accounts exists, and the converted gains are more likely to lead consumers to make purchases with a once-lost discount than simple gains. This conversion effect is mediated by consumers’ implemental mindset activated by the conversion and moderated by price.

This research shows that mental accounts of gains and losses can be dynamically converted to one another. It provides a managerial tactic for salesforces and customer service to lead consumers to make a purchase decision right away. This is especially important when they aim to enhance the consumer experience in the social customer journey.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic plunged global tourism into a huge crisis in 2020. China was confronted with a wave of cancellations by tourism consumers due to COVID-19 and tourist complaints rose dramatically during this period. Although tourism enterprises have quickly introduced measures in response, the effectiveness of targeted policies is expected to be evaluated. Concerned about this phenomenon, this study aims to provide insights into the dim prospects of the tourism industry and to bridge the gap between tourists and enterprises.

The current study adopts a two-step method that combines automatic and manual content analysis to contrastively analyse 647 complaints from the Sina platform and the measures of five online travel agencies (OTAs) taken to deal with COVID-19.

The results reveal that the COVID-19-related information and policies issued by official departments had a promoting effect on tourist complaints. OTAs were the main target of complainers, and three themes of complaints were identified, namely, cancellation barriers, refund barriers and customer relationship management. Although tourism enterprises’ policies covered most dimensions of the three themes, more detailed and mutually beneficial policies need to be formulated in the face of a new round of cancellations.

This research attempts to investigate tourism customer complaint behaviours in the case of COVID-19 and to provide tourism enterprises receiving different complaints with practical insights into crisis management. It contributes to simultaneously minimizing business losses and maintaining customer relationships in the service industry, improving the industry’s performance under potential crises in the future.

危机信息、沟通策略和客户投诉行为:以COVID-19为例

2020年, 新冠肺炎大流行的爆发使全球旅游业陷入巨大危机。由于新冠肺炎疫情, 中国面临了旅游消费者的退订浪潮, 期间游客投诉大幅上升。虽然旅游企业迅速采取了应对措施, 但预期将评估有针对性的政策的有效性。考虑到这一现象, 本研究旨在为旅游业的暗淡前景提供见解, 并弥合游客和企业之间的差距。

本研究采用自动内容分析和人工手动编码相结合的两步方法, 对来自新浪平台的647起游客投诉和5家在线旅行社应对COVID-19的措施进行对比分析。

结果显示, 官方部门发布的新冠肺炎相关信息和政策对旅游投诉的数量起到了刺激作用。在线旅行社是投诉者的主要目标, 并确定了游客投诉的三个主题:取消障碍、退款障碍和客户关系管理。虽然旅游企业政策涵盖了这三个主题的大部分层面, 但面对新一轮的取消, 还需要制定更详细和互利的政策。

本研究试图调查COVID-19情况下的旅游客户投诉行为, 为收到不同投诉的旅游企业提供危机管理的实用见解。它有助于在服务行业同时减少业务损失和维护客户关系, 提高行业在未来潜在危机下的绩效。

Información de crisis, estrategias de comunicación y medidas adoptadas ante las reclamaciones de los clientes: el caso de COVID-19

El presente estudio adopta un método en dos fases que combina el análisis de contenido automático y manual para analizar de forma contrastiva 647 reclamaciones de la plataforma Sina y las medidas de cinco agencias de viajes online (OTA) adoptadas para hacer frente a la COVID-19.

El estallido de la pandemia COVID-19 sumió al turismo mundial en una enorme crisis en 2020. China tuvo que hacer frente a una oleada de cancelaciones por parte de los consumidores turísticos debido a la COVID-19, y las quejas de los turistas aumentaron drásticamente durante este periodo. Aunque las empresas turísticas introdujeron rápidamente medidas de respuesta, se espera que se evalúe la eficacia de dichas políticas. Preocupado por este fenómeno, el presente estudio pretende aportar información sobre las sombrías perspectivas de la industria turística y tender un puente entre los turistas y las empresas.

Los resultados revelan que la información y las políticas relacionadas con el COVID-19 emitidas por los departamentos oficiales tuvieron un efecto promotor de las quejas de los turistas. Las OTAs fueron el principal objetivo de los reclamantes, y se identificaron tres temas de reclamaciones: barreras de cancelación, barreras de reembolso y gestión de la relación con el cliente. Aunque las políticas de las empresas turísticas cubrían la mayoría de las dimensiones de los tres temas, es necesario formular políticas más detalladas y mutuamente beneficiosas ante una nueva oleada de cancelaciones.

Esta investigación trata de investigar el comportamiento de las reclamaciones de los clientes turísticos en el caso de COVID-19 y de proporcionar a las empresas turísticas que reciben diferentes reclamaciones una visión práctica de la gestión de crisis. Contribuye a minimizar simultáneamente las pérdidas comerciales y a mantener las relaciones con los clientes en el sector de los servicios, mejorando el rendimiento de la industria ante posibles crisis en el futuro.

The solitary consumption market has grown in the hospitality industry. However, research on the behavior of solitary consumers and differences between solitary consumers of different nationalities is rare. The relationships between solo dining motivations and customer satisfaction were investigated for consumers in Taiwan and the United States.

A survey was conducted among Taiwanese and American consumers; 628 valid questionnaires were retrieved. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypotheses.

Significant differences were observed between Taiwanese and American consumer motivations. Higher solo dining motivation was positively associated with customer satisfaction; in particular, “escape and relaxation” and “enjoyment” were both positively associated with customer satisfaction. American consumers had a stronger relationship between motivation for social interaction and customer satisfaction.

Only solo diners in Taiwan and the United States were investigated. The results might not be generalizable to solo diners in other regions.

The study's findings on the associations between solo dining motivations and consumption experience contribute to food consumption research. Furthermore, the results enable an understanding of differences in the motivations and behaviors of solitary consumers in different countries.

The friendliness of a destination is a key factor influencing tourists' destination selection. However, few studies have explored the construct of friendly tourism destinations. The purpose of this study was to establish a typological framework of friendly tourism destinations and compare older and younger adults' valuations of friendly destination attributes.

A mixed-method approach was used; in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 tourism stakeholders. Content analysis of the collected data was performed to construct a friendly tourism destination framework.

The framework consisted of 37 categories, which were classified into six themes: transportation and infrastructure, friendly tourism environments, government policies and tourism promotion measures, tourism products and activities, tourism information services and friendly residents. Furthermore, survey data from 1,153 respondents in Taiwan revealed that older adults valued friendly tourism environments and friendly residents more highly than younger adults did.

The participants were all from Taiwan; therefore, the results might not be applicable to tourists in other countries or regions. Furthermore, this study only compared the valuations of older and younger adults for the attributes of friendly tourism destinations.

Friendly tourism destination categories can provide a reference for tourists when making travel decisions. The framework provides destination marketers with a new tool for managing friendly tourism destinations. The findings can act as a reference for travel suppliers seeking to improve tourism-friendly services.

This study introduced a multifaceted framework for developing friendly tourism destinations from a holistic perspective. The results contribute to the tourism literature, revealing that younger and older adults have different valuations for the attributes of friendly tourism destinations.

This study aimed to examine the effects of curiosity on expatriates' innovative work behaviour and job satisfaction in a cross-cultural setting, with the sequential mediating effects of cultural intelligence (CQ) and knowledge-sharing behaviour.

Data were collected by distributing an online survey to 465 Taiwanese expatriates living and working abroad. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses via AMOS v.22.

The results indicate that curiosity is an antecedent of an individual's CQ and both CQ and knowledge-sharing behaviour are sequential mediators in the relationships between curiosity and innovative work behaviour and between curiosity and job satisfaction.

The study expands the existing body of research to analyse personal traits as meaningful factors that enhance CQ and the mechanisms of CQ and knowledge sharing behaviour in the relationship between curiosity and innovative work behaviour and between curiosity and job satisfaction. It offers novel empirical evidence for the important role of curiosity, CQ and knowledge-sharing behaviour in enhancing an individual's innovative work behaviour and job satisfaction in a cross-cultural setting.

Increasing industry interest in visual artists and commercial brand collaborations has heightened the need for research on exactly how visual art can add meaning to brands in ways that enhance brand value to existing consumers and potentially reach new consumers. Consumers are known to select brands on the basis of how well these brands reflect their own personalities. The purpose of this research is to understand whether brand alliances with artists exhibiting distinct personalities can make brands more attractive to consumers whose personalities do not currently match the brand.

Two experiments are used to examine the impact of artists’ personality (in)congruence on consumers’ perceptions of the brand and purchase intentions of the brand’s products.

The results show that consumers whose personalities do not match the brand’s current personality are likely to alter their view of a brand when the brand partners with an artist whose personality matches with that of the consumers’. This happens without negatively affecting the brand personality perceptions of current consumers who already identify with the brand.

When seeking to attract a new target segment, brands can ally with visual artists who convey a personality that matches that of the new target segment.

This paper adds to a nascent literature on the power of artist–brand alliances, and demonstrates that these partnerships need not only be between artists and brands with consistent personalities but can also effectively be used to target new consumers.