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Because new-age technologies are gaining a broader interest among service scholars and practitioners, it is critical to identify these technologies and examine the roles they play. The examination needs to be conducted to design engaging customer and service experiences in new phygital settings that connect physical and digital environments. This review article aims to provide researchers with a new comprehensive and integrative extended reality technology (ERT) framework. The framework serves as the basis for an all-inclusive view of ERT types in order to explore the different types of technology used to design phygital customer and service experiences.

This article reviews prior works on the role technology plays in terms of customer experiences across various fields of research, including consumer, marketing and service literature. Adopting an experiential and phygital perspective as well as considering a consumer standpoint, this article defines the scope of the ERT framework by identifying categories of new-age technologies and their effects related to the design of phygital customer and service experiences.

The ERT framework proposed in this article offers directions for future research by adopting an experiential approach to technologies in order to categorize additional technological devices, platforms and tools that can be considered in the design of phygital experiences following several extension processes. These processes can enhance the cognitive, social, sensory and contextual dimensions of the phygital experience and thus create a continuum in terms of customer value from physical to digital settings and vice versa.

Companies and service providers may benefit from a new, comprehensive, focused framework that assembles different types of technology. The technologies can be utilized to design engaging customer and service experiences that deliver customer value from physical to digital spaces and inversely.

No prior works have proposed a comprehensive ERT framework for service research following an experiential perspective and a consumer view of the experience occurring in a new setting: phygital. By embracing the ERT framework provided in this article, future service scholars can examine the dynamics and types of technologies that can positively or negatively affect the design of consumption and service experiences in phygital settings.

The purpose of this paper is, through an exploratory analysis, to identify good practices implemented by international museums in the phygital context and their classification in terms of customer experiences, in order to identify innovative cultural value creation and co-creation practices.

The authors adopt a qualitative approach of multiple case studies. The analysis conducted formed the information base through which to proceed with the classification of phygital customer experiences through the extended reality technologies framework

The analysis conducted on the selected international museums shows that the phygital formula can take on different characteristics depending on the technologies used and the purpose to be achieved and can be a useful tool for the co-creation of cultural value.

The originality of this contribution lies in the comparative analysis proposed among the case studies to intercept best practices in the phygital field, in the classification of phygital experiences through a novel frame of reference and in the identification of prospects for improvement of an emerging phenomenon in the literature on cultural sector management.

This study aims to explore the conversion of metaverse marketing (MVM) into strategic agility among SMEs based on dynamic capabilities (DC) and dynamic management capabilities (DMC) theories. This paper discusses how constructs such as immersive marketing technologies (IMT), customer immersion (CI) and managerial capabilities (MC) play critical role in the transformation of MVM into strategic agility (SA).

A theoretical framework based on DC and DMC theories, and a comprehensive review of the literature on MVM, IMT, CI, MC and SA, was developed in order to theoretically investigate the relationships between MVM and SA. In this theoretical framework, MVM is the independent variable, while the dependent variable is SA. Also, IMT and CI both mediate the association between MVM and SA, while MC moderate the association between MVM and SA in one stream; and CI and SA in another stream.

This research study develops a theoretical framework that recommends nine set of important research propositions in MVM. An extensive literature review was conducted to examine the theoretical framework on the effect of MVM on SA. The proposed theoretical framework suggests that brand community development and communication, experiential marketing and personalisation in MVM, once accessed through IMT (i.e. VR, AR, MR) and CI (i.e. customer engagement, customer absorption-customer acquisition and assimilation of knowledge, presence) can produce significant SA through customer experience management, value co-creation and process innovation.

This current study develops a theoretical framework that theorise the relationship between MVM and SA rooted in literature on MVM and SA, and also based on DC and DMC perspective. The moderating effect of MC on the relationship between IMT and SA on one hand, and CI and SA on the other, provides support to IMT and CI as mediators in the transformation of MVM into SA. This study also provides insight into SME adoption of MVM and how it generates SA. Lastly, the current study contributes to the body of knowledge on MVM, IMT, CI, MC and SA.

The study directs attention to the psychological conditions experienced and knowledge management practices leveraged by faculty in higher education institutes (HEIs) to cope with the shift to emergency remote teaching caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. By focusing attention on faculty experiences during this transition, this study aims to examine an under-investigated effect of the pandemic in the Indian context.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis is used to analyze the data gathered in two waves through 40 in-depth interviews with 20 faculty members based in India over a year. The data were analyzed deductively using Kahn’s framework of engagement and robust coding protocols.

Eight subthemes across three psychological conditions (meaningfulness, availability and safety) were developed to discourse faculty experiences and challenges with emergency remote teaching related to their learning, identity, leveraged resources and support received from their employing educational institutes. The findings also present the coping strategies and knowledge management-related practices that the faculty used to adjust to each discussed challenge.

The study uses a longitudinal design and phenomenology as the analytical method, which offers a significant methodological contribution to the extant literature. Further, the study’s use of Kahn’s model to examine the faculty members’ transitions to emergency remote teaching in India offers novel insights into the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on educational institutes in an under-investigated context.

This study aims to examine how lecturers at a South African university navigated teaching and learning in the current educational landscape obscured by the global pandemic. The authors examine how lecturers employed a community of inquiry (CoI) in their online classrooms within the context of emergency remote teaching (ERT). The study further aims to ascertain students’ feedback concerning current ERT practices at the university toward cultivating a CoI. Doing this would offer more appropriate interventions and support for lecturers and students from, within and for an African context. If not, instructors might risk reproducing and perpetuating the same outdated pedagogies before the pandemic.

A mixed-method research design informed by a pragmatist paradigm was used. Primary data were collected from 40 lecturers at the university through online questionnaires of which 10 lecturers responded to e-mail interviews. The original CoI survey was distributed among 150 students in the Faculty of Education at the university.

The findings revealed that, despite the rushed and trial nature of the use of ERT, there were instances of a CoI among students. The findings further revealed that the majority of the lecturers were not adequately prepared for ERT as a result of limited experience with asynchronous and synchronous online teaching. There was evidence of an absence of a strong active teaching presence that was found to have negatively influenced the development of social and cognitive presences during ERT.

Only a single faculty at one university was selected in this single case.

The results of the study have significant implications for faculties and academic staff who are currently teaching online in response to the teaching challenges paused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings will assist lecturers in developing appropriate pedagogical intervention strategies to enhance strong and active teaching and social presences necessary for cultivating the cognitive presences among students during ERT.

This is one of the first empirical studies to explore the influence of ERT on the cognitive, social and teaching presences at a university in an African context. The findings and conclusion of the study are novel as they relate to the development of appropriate pedagogical practices and intervention strategies suitable for ERT in response to the current education crisis.

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has already had a significant disruptive impact on the society, posing challenges to the provision of education across the world. Due to this crises governments over the world have temporarily closed educational institutions to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Accordingly, educational institutions are deploying innovative emergency remote teaching (ERT) and virtual learning (VL) approaches for students to study at home. Digital technologies are being employed as a positive response to COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study draws on existing literature and theories of online learning and change management to provide evidence on the state of art of ERT and VL.

This current study employs a systemic review of 53 sources to provide descriptive analysis leveraging on secondary sources from the literature and document reports on theories of online learning and change management, COVID-19, pandemic, emergency remote teaching and virtual learning.

Findings from this study present the theories of online learning and change management and significance and challenges of adopting ERT and VL during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, our findings present application platforms that are being deployed for the adoption of ERT and VL during and after COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, the findings explore potential strategies as recommendations to be employed to improve current and future adoption of ERT and VL in educational institutions.

This study draws on existing literature and adds to existing body of knowledge by exploring the adoption of emergency remote teaching and virtual learning during and after COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides a timely guide on the potential of emergency remote teaching and virtual learning in higher education as a response to COVID-19 crises now and into the future. This study discusses the theories of online learning and change management and also offers recommendations to educationalists and policymakers in educational institutions on addressing the crisis.

This paper aims to explore the disclosure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by megacities. Three dimensions were considered. First, what communication channels are used by world megacities to disclose their emissions reduction target (ERT) and emissions reduction actions (ERA)? Second, the consistency of disclosed ERT and ERA across different channels. Third, the quality of the disclosed ERA in different channels.

Ten megacities selected for review were in Australia, Europe, the USA, the UK and South Africa. First, ERT and ERA information was searched in different disclosure media to identify the common communication channels used by the megacities. Second, the documentary analysis was undertaken to assess the consistency of reported ERT and ERA information across the identified channels. Third, a scoring system was developed and applied to evaluate the quality of the disclosed ERA information, based on the extent to which megacities provided descriptions of emission reduction actions and reported the impact of the actions and the cost to implement them.

Megacities primarily used third-party channels and their channels to disclose ERT- and ERA-related information. Social media use to provide climate change information is also growing. The study also finds that ERT information is consistent between third-party channels and megacities’ channels. However, around half of the disclosed ERA between third-party and megacities’ channels are not consistent. Quality assessment for the disclosed ERA in different channels shows that megacities have provided limited information regarding the impacts and the cost of their ERA, which raises a question about the usefulness of disclosure.

The findings are important for policymakers and city officials designing cities’ GHG reporting standards and developing policies for programs to reduce emissions. Also, for stakeholders’ understanding of cities’ commitment and actions to reduce emissions, as well as the impact of their actions, and for managers responsible for measuring, reporting and mitigating emissions from current and future actions.

Prior studies primarily focused on corporate greenhouse emissions disclosure to the carbon disclosure project, whereas this paper examines emissions disclosure at the geographic level. Moreover, prior studies of the public sector focused on the scope of climate change disclosure but did not evaluate the consistency and quality of the disclosure. However, this study explores three different disclosure channels and assesses consistency and quality. A further novel aspect of the study is its focus on the disclosure of emissions reduction targets and actions.

During COVID 19 pandemic emergency remote teaching (ERT) in higher education emerged and faculty members had to go through a transformation in teaching-learning without preparedness. The purpose of the study is to understand the instructional delivery experiences of faculty members, explore the challenges and how they overcame these challenges during the transition from traditional classroom teaching to ERT.

A qualitative research approach using phenomenology is adapted for the study. The study is conducted in selected renowned government and private universities offering professional education in India, Malaysia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Data analysis is using NVivo, data management software, based on Ricouer’s theory of interpretation.

The findings identify unique challenges and opportunities in faculty experiences during the implementation of ERT and universities require more preparedness in implementing a revised pedagogy. Addressing these unique challenges is, therefore, essential in effective change management and ensuring the effectiveness of instructional delivery.

The study comprises faculty experiences from only selected countries (the United Arab Emirates, Oman, India and Malaysia) and disciplines such as business studies, design and architecture, engineering, hospitality and tourism management, medicine and nursing. The research contributes towards change management and adaptability strategies during emergency transitions.

The study has implications in the field of education, administration, research and society at large. This is an era of change that has witnessed tremendous possibilities of digital technology in enhancing remote teaching and learning at all levels of education worldwide. The study enumerates the factors influencing the paradigm shift in the pedagogy for present and future higher education. The present study also highlights how challenging this transformation was to the lives of professional academics and emphasized how effectively the faculty need to be mentored for the future by the administration. Future research can envisage effective tools and techniques for strengthening professional education at universities. The social context and human experiences in ERT and their impact on the process of learning are also addressed in the study.

The study aims to understand the social context and human experiences in the process of ERT and their impact on the process of learning.

The findings of the study would throw light into the factors influencing the paradigm shift in the pedagogy for present and future higher education.

Designing an effective metaverse experience through a tourism digital-twin platform is crucial to the success of metaverse tourism. How such a digital-twin platform should appeal to target users, however, lacks exploration. The study aims to advance a conceptual contribution by successfully creating a metaverse experience through a well-designed digital-twin platform. It also aims to show how the design science approach in tourism can enrich our understanding of digital-twin platform design elements introduced in metaverse experience design.

Guided by the design science approach in tourism, this research conceptualizes the role of digital-twin elements in metaverse experience design and proposes a one-factor between-subject experimental design to examine the effect.

This research conceptualizes how eight unique configurations of digital-twin design, which are embellished in two or three dimensions, shape tourists’ metaverse experience and physical travel intention.

The results offer operators clear strategic guidance on designing an effective tourism digital-twin platform.

This study not only identifies the impact of digital-twin platform design elements but also clarifies how such elements affect customers’ metaverse experiences.

通过旅游数字孪生平台设计有效的元宇宙旅游体验, 对元宇宙旅游的成功至关重要。然而, 这样一个旅游数字孪生平台应该如何吸引目标用户,还缺乏探索。该研究旨在通过精心设计的数字孪生平台成功塑造旅游者的元宇宙体验, 从而在概念上做出贡献。它还旨在展示旅游设计科学方法如何丰富我们对元宇宙体验设计中引入的数字孪生平台设计要素的理解。

在旅游设计科学方法的指导下, 本研究将概念化数字孪生平台设计元素在元宇宙体验设计中的作用, 并提出了一个单因素的受试者间实验设计来检验效果。

本研究将数字孪生平台设计的九种独特配置概念化, 这些配置在三个维度上得到了点缀, 塑造了游客的元宇宙旅游体验和现实旅游意向。

研究结果为产业者设计有效的旅游数字孪生平台提供了明确的战略指导。

现有的研究是第一个研究数字孪生平台设计元素的影响, 阐明了这些元素如何影响旅游者的元宇宙体验。

Diseñar una experiencia efectiva en el metaverso a través de una plataforma digital gemela de turismo es crucial para el éxito del turismo en el metaverso. Sin embargo, la exploración de cómo debería atraer dicha plataforma digital gemela a los usuarios objetivo carece de exploración. El estudio tiene como objetivo avanzar en una contribución conceptual al crear con éxito una experiencia en el metaverso a través de una plataforma digital gemela bien diseñada. También tiene como objetivo mostrar cómo el enfoque de la ciencia del diseño en el turismo puede enriquecer nuestra comprensión de los elementos de diseño de la plataforma digital gemela introducidos en el diseño de experiencias en el metaverso.

Guiada por el enfoque de la ciencia del diseño en el turismo, esta investigación conceptualiza el papel de los elementos gemelos digitales en el diseño de experiencias metaversales y propone un diseño experimental de un factor entre sujetos para examinar su efecto.

Esta investigación conceptualiza cómo ocho configuraciones únicas de diseño gemelo-digital, enriquecidas en dos o tres dimensiones, conforman la experiencia metaversal de los turistas y su intención de viaje físico.

Los resultados ofrecen a los operadores una orientación estratégica clara para diseñar una plataforma gemelo-digital turística eficaz.

Este estudio no sólo identifica el impacto de los elementos de diseño de las plataformas gemelas digitales, sino que también aclara cómo afectan dichos elementos a las experiencias metaversales de los clientes.