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1 – 10 of 539Jing Li and Philip Pearce
The purpose of this paper is to identify dominant scams against domestic tourists in popular tourism cities in China. There are two questions of concern: what types of scams do…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify dominant scams against domestic tourists in popular tourism cities in China. There are two questions of concern: what types of scams do domestic tourists experience and are the patterns of scams different between the capital and regional cities? The social situation framework was employed to interpret the outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
A content analysis facilitated by Leximancer software was applied to 102 Chinese travel blogs reporting experiences of being scammed in Beijing, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Sanya and Guilin. Clear themes and concepts emerged from the analysis of these travel reviews and differences in scamming patterns between Beijing and regional cities were identified.
Findings
The most frequently reported scams in the capital Beijing were linked to the chaotic environment at tourist attractions and the misbehaviours of tour agents. By way of contrast scams involving manipulating the weight and quality of products purchased were more common in regional cities. The differences between Beijing and other locations may lie in the greater monitoring of fraudulent practices in the capital. Additionally, the role of shills (confederates of the scammer) was highlighted in many of the scams studied.
Originality/value
Scams include a slightly less serious but still troublesome set of problems accompanying major crimes and assaults. Rare research specifically focussed on tourist scams despite substantive work discussing crimes against tourists as general. Implications of the present study lie in enriching the literature on scams against tourists. The analysis of scams as a special type of social situation proved to be insightful in directing attention to facets of the interaction thus providing connections to previous work and directions for further study. It is also promising to be developed to inform strategic approaches to creating a safer tourism environment in cities.
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Daniel Sersland and Rajan Nataraajan
The purpose of this paper is to investigate and contribute to the understanding of the critical issue of “driver turnover” in the USA long-haul trucking environment which is…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate and contribute to the understanding of the critical issue of “driver turnover” in the USA long-haul trucking environment which is becoming a malaise in the transportation sector not only in the USA but also worldwide. Most importantly, it accomplishes this through an exploration of the perceptions of the “drivers” themselves regarding the external customer-base in the trucking industry. This, to the best knowledge of the authors, has not yet been done and so becomes the missing angle in focus on driver turnover research.
Design/methodology/approach
This exploratory study employs a qualitative research methodology via in-depth interviews of a select sample of drivers in a field setting followed by content analysis of the responses. This methodology, by and large, is the most suitable for this type of exploration.
Findings
A content analysis of the perceptions of drivers reveals several important reasons (or causes) for driver turnover. This paper elaborates on those and offers customer-centric solutions to alleviate the plight of the driver and improve overall performance in the trucking sector.
Research limitations/implications
Needless to say, this exploratory research should be replicated in several other locations within the USA, other settings (e.g. trucking in extreme conditions), and other countries in order to enhance the external validity of the findings and recommendations.
Practical implications
All implications of this research are practical as they have direct managerial significance.
Originality/value
The value of this research lies in the fact that, to the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first study that explores the perceptions of long-haul drivers regarding the external customer-base of the trucking industry. The findings have direct implications for management in the trucking sector.
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Geeta Singh, Rishi Dwesar and Satish Kumar
The purpose of this paper is to explore all the strategies adopted by Uber China to gain more and more market shares of Chinese markets. It included localization of its core…
Abstract
Theoretical basis
The purpose of this paper is to explore all the strategies adopted by Uber China to gain more and more market shares of Chinese markets. It included localization of its core product, adaptation to Chinese demands and tying up with different Chinese companies.
Research methodology
The case study has been prepared after thoroughly studying Uber’s business in China. Secondary data is collected from credible sources such as the Uber website, newspapers, interviews and journal publications. This data helped in arriving at a basic understanding of the company, its objectives, strategies and the business model. The strategies formulated by Uber and the challenges it faced while operating in China are studied and explained based on this secondary data. Various published papers, reports released by reputed organizations and universities, interviews of managers and experts and research papers were also used to develop this case.
Case overview/synopsis
This case is developed considering the bent of today’s consumers toward sharing economy. The scope of businesses based on the concept of sharing economy is very wide and is increasing. China’s sharing economy sector was one of the fastest economies in the world. The case chronicles ride of Uber in China: from its entry in the country, strategies adopted, challenges faced and to the exit from China.
Complexity academic level
International business management at the undergraduate and postgraduate programs in management
This paper aims to clarify the complex path of negative externalities in the sharing economy and proposes corresponding policy recommendations.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to clarify the complex path of negative externalities in the sharing economy and proposes corresponding policy recommendations.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper aims to establish an analytical framework for the negative externalities of the sharing economy and to extract the main factors that produce negative externalities, and then, through qualitative comparative analysis method find out how these factors interact to form a negative externality.
Findings
Negative externalities in the sharing economy come from the joint effect of the sharing degree of the product or service and constraint mechanism, and the current main modes of the shared economy increase the possibility of negative externalities.
Originality/value
The paper proposes a complex path resulting from negative externalities in the shared economy.
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Bistra Nikiforova and Deborah W. Gregory
This paper aims to analyze Nigerian Letter scam emails in the context of processes of globalization in order to understand how and why they continue to defraud people despite the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze Nigerian Letter scam emails in the context of processes of globalization in order to understand how and why they continue to defraud people despite the increased public awareness.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyses over 500 emails received in an institutional email box over a nine-year period. Distinct rhetorical strategies for conveying trust and reputation were identified as indicators of the global connectedness of scammers and their victims.
Findings
Scammers from Third World countries and their First World victims share similar perceptions of trust and business reputation due to the global financial flows and transnational movement of people and labour, which is strengthened by the internet. They have transformed the rhetorical elements that establish trust and reputation within the Western rational context and imbued them with new value meanings intended to defraud their victims.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to interpret the success of Nigerian Letter scams as a product of processes that go beyond scammers' and their victims' social and political realities. It is valuable for crime-fighting organizations because it accounts not only for the rhetorical strategies used by the scammers but also for the underlying context that enables the spread and success of the online Confidence Letter scams.
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Maree Thyne, Kirsten Robertson, Leah Watkins and Olly Casey
Children are familiar with retail outlets (especially supermarkets) and the reality of shopping from an increasingly early age. In turn, retailers are actively engaging this young…
Abstract
Purpose
Children are familiar with retail outlets (especially supermarkets) and the reality of shopping from an increasingly early age. In turn, retailers are actively engaging this young market, targeting them through various promotional strategies. One popular strategy adopted by grocery retailers is giveaway collectible set items. The purpose of this paper is to question the ethicality of such campaigns, within the framework of vulnerable consumers by examining children’s opinions of the campaigns and the supermarkets who run them, and the drivers of children’s involvement in the campaigns.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative focus groups were employed with 67 children aged five to ten years. Focus groups were made up of children in similar age groups to cluster responses by age and allow for comparisons. Thematic analysis was undertaken and responses were coded into themes.
Findings
Children were initially driven to collect through promotional advertising or because a third party offered them a collectible. The drivers for subsequent collecting differed between age groups, with younger children more focussed on themes around play and older children (seven and above) collecting through habit, because it was a craze amongst their peers and therefore the collections became items of social currency. Children’s perceptions of the supermarkets motivations also differed by age. Younger children thought supermarkets gave the collectibles away as “gifts” for altruistic reasons. The older children articulated a clear understanding of the economic motives of the organisation including: to attract children to their stores, to encourage pester power and to increase revenue by encouraging customers to buy more. The older children questioned the ethics of the collectible campaigns, referring to them as scams.
Research limitations/implications
The findings extend the important discussion on the nature of children’s vulnerability to advertising by showing that the children’s vulnerability stretches beyond their ability to understand advertising intent. Despite older children in the present study being cognisant of retailers’ intentions they were still vulnerable to the scheme; the embeddedness of the scheme in the social lives of the children meant they lacked agency to opt out of it. Further, the finding that the scheme transcended boundaries in the children’s lives, for instance, being associated with social currency at school, highlights the potential negative impact such schemes can have on the well-being of children.
Originality/value
Until now, research has investigated the motivations that children have to collect, but previous studies have focussed on collections which have been determined by the children. This paper presents the opinions and perceptions of the children who are directly targeted by commercial organisations to collect and raises concerns around the ethicality of such schemes.
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Tuan Phong Ly, Kim Quang Yi and Hilda Hio Fong Fok
In Vietnam, there is a phenomenon that domestic tourists return to some tourist destinations despite their reputation of tourists being scammed. This study aims to focusses on…
Abstract
Purpose
In Vietnam, there is a phenomenon that domestic tourists return to some tourist destinations despite their reputation of tourists being scammed. This study aims to focusses on Vung Tau City in Vietnam as a popular seaside destination to explain this interesting phenomenon.
Design/methodology/approach
Thereby, 22 domestic tourists who are repeated visitors and had experienced scams directly and/or indirectly in Vung Tau were interviewed and later took part in a self-evaluation.
Findings
The data shows that unreasonable charges, switching products, false reporting and dishonest middle-persons are the major dominant scams in the city. Furthermore, all visitors could be scammed regardless of gender, educational background or age. Even though scams may occur, the city remains to be a popular getaway destination for the Southern part of Vietnam due to its irreplaceable natural resources and visit intention of domestic tourists. The local authority has tried different ways to suppress issues related to tourist scams, however, due to their sociocultural and economic conditions, scams find ways to exist. Under this circumstance, domestic tourists tend to figure out how to handle scams by themselves whilst very few of them rely on the public sector to deal with them.
Practical implications
Finally, some practical strategies and recommendations are given as a reference for the local authority and businesses for long-term tourist business development.
Originality/value
This paper, respectively, investigates the common scams against domestic tourists in Vung Tau, reasons they still return to this destination, and finally, how these visitors attempt to avoid scams.
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The purpose of this study is to critically examine a prevalent online scam mechanism, with the aim of understanding its exploitation of behavioral finance principles and group…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to critically examine a prevalent online scam mechanism, with the aim of understanding its exploitation of behavioral finance principles and group dynamics and propose effective countermeasures.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a blend of case study and thematic analysis, drawing from behavioral finance, social psychology and criminology, using primary source testimonies of victims to provide a detailed exploration of the scam’s operations.
Findings
This research uncovers the strategic use of four key principles: loss aversion, overconfidence, scarcity bias and social proof, within the scam operation. These tendencies are manipulated to induce victims to progressively invest into the fraudulent scheme, even amid growing suspicions.
Research limitations/implications
While the research elucidates on the workings of one specific online scam, it is necessary to explore if and how these principles are used in various other online fraudulent schemes, to develop comprehensive countermeasures.
Practical implications
The findings underscore the urgent need for enhanced public awareness, stronger corporate responsibility and robust regulatory oversight. There is a call for concerted efforts encompassing public education campaigns, fortified security protocols and strong legal frameworks for preventing such scams.
Social implications
The research emphasizes the need for collective action in ensuring a safe online space. This involves the individual user’s prudence, businesses’ proactive education initiatives and stringent legal actions against fraudulent activities.
Originality/value
This research offers novel insights into the nuanced manipulation of behavioral finance principles within online scams, based on empirical data from victim testimonials. These findings contribute to the understanding of the psychological mechanisms at play in online scams and are instrumental in formulating effective preventive strategies.
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Irfan Ullah, Wiqar Ahmad and Arshad Ali
This paper aims to identify the key patronage factors that encouraged the public for investment in the Modaraba scam – a Ponzi scheme perpetrated in Pakistan with a whim of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify the key patronage factors that encouraged the public for investment in the Modaraba scam – a Ponzi scheme perpetrated in Pakistan with a whim of Sharīʿah-compliant business and intermediation of religious clerics.
Design/methodology/approach
In a qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the investors of the scam followed by thematic analysis to conclude on the subject matter.
Findings
The results reveal numerous stimuli, thematically categorized as the monetary stimulus, religiosity stimulus and lubricants, which mobilized investment towards the scam. In general, a lucrative rate of return on investment and personality of the agents, being religious clerics, were the two prominent reasons, which convinced unanimously all investors. In particular, the religiosity stimulus (agents’ personality and Sharīʿah-compliant business) was a novel and eye-catching slogan of the scheme.
Originality/value
Keeping in view the amount of scam and number of victims, this research is a robust attempt to conclude on the determinants of investment decision in the Modaraba scam.
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