Search results

Information and communications technology (ICT) offers enormous opportunities for individuals, businesses and society. The application of ICT is equally important to economic and non-economic activities. Researchers have increasingly focused on the adoption and use of ICT by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as the economic development of a country is largely dependent on them. Following the success of ICT utilisation in SMEs in developed countries, many developing countries are looking to utilise the potential of the technology to develop SMEs. Past studies have shown that the contribution of ICT to the performance of SMEs is not clear and certain. Thus, it is crucial to determine the effectiveness of ICT in generating firm performance since this has implications for SMEs’ expenditure on the technology. This research examines the diffusion of ICT among SMEs with respect to the typical stages from innovation adoption to post-adoption, by analysing the actual usage of ICT and value creation. The mediating effects of integration and utilisation on SME performance are also studied. Grounded in the innovation diffusion literature, institutional theory and resource-based theory, this study has developed a comprehensive integrated research model focused on the research objectives. Following a positivist research paradigm, this study employs a mixed-method research approach. A preliminary conceptual framework is developed through an extensive literature review and is refined by results from an in-depth field study. During the field study, a total of 11 SME owners or decision-makers were interviewed. The recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using NVivo 10 to refine the model to develop the research hypotheses. The final research model is composed of 30 first-order and five higher-order constructs which involve both reflective and formative measures. Partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is employed to test the theoretical model with a cross-sectional data set of 282 SMEs in Bangladesh. Survey data were collected using a structured questionnaire issued to SMEs selected by applying a stratified random sampling technique. The structural equation modelling utilises a two-step procedure of data analysis. Prior to estimating the structural model, the measurement model is examined for construct validity of the study variables (i.e. convergent and discriminant validity).

The estimates show cognitive evaluation as an important antecedent for expectation which is shaped primarily by the entrepreneurs’ beliefs (perception) and also influenced by the owners’ innovativeness and culture. Culture further influences expectation. The study finds that facilitating condition, environmental pressure and country readiness are important antecedents of expectation and ICT use. The results also reveal that integration and the degree of ICT utilisation significantly affect SMEs’ performance. Surprisingly, the findings do not reveal any significant impact of ICT usage on performance which apparently suggests the possibility of the ICT productivity paradox. However, the analysis finally proves the non-existence of the paradox by demonstrating the mediating role of ICT integration and degree of utilisation explain the influence of information technology (IT) usage on firm performance which is consistent with the resource-based theory. The results suggest that the use of ICT can enhance SMEs’ performance if the technology is integrated and properly utilised. SME owners or managers, interested stakeholders and policy makers may follow the study’s outcomes and focus on ICT integration and degree of utilisation with a view to attaining superior organisational performance.

This study urges concerned business enterprises and government to look at the environmental and cultural factors with a view to achieving ICT usage success in terms of enhanced firm performance. In particular, improving organisational practices and procedures by eliminating the traditional power distance inside organisations and implementing necessary rules and regulations are important actions for managing environmental and cultural uncertainties. The application of a Bengali user interface may help to ensure the productivity of ICT use by SMEs in Bangladesh. Establishing a favourable national technology infrastructure and legal environment may contribute positively to improving the overall situation. This study also suggests some changes and modifications in the country’s existing policies and strategies. The government and policy makers should undertake mass promotional programs to disseminate information about the various uses of computers and their contribution in developing better organisational performance. Organising specialised training programs for SME capacity building may succeed in attaining the motivation for SMEs to use ICT. Ensuring easy access to the technology by providing loans, grants and subsidies is important. Various stakeholders, partners and related organisations should come forward to support government policies and priorities in order to ensure the productive use of ICT among SMEs which finally will help to foster Bangladesh’s economic development.

Drawing on social exchange theory, this study aims to investigate the relation of customer sexual harassment (CSH) and customer-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors (customer-oriented OCB), as well as the mediation of customer–employee exchange (CEX) and the moderation of hostile attribution bias.

The hypotheses were examined through a field study performed in six hotels in three Chinese cities and an experimental study.

The results revealed that CSH undermined the quality of CEX, leading employees to withdraw from customer-oriented OCB. Additionally, the hostile attribution bias of service employees reinforced the direct relationship between CSH and CEX and its indirect relationship with customer-oriented OCB via CEX.

The findings suggest that hospitality organizations should endeavor to reduce the occurrence of CSH, and that by valuing and encouraging the development of high-quality CEX, they can mitigate its detrimental effects. Special attention should also be paid to hospitality employees holding strong hostile attribution bias.

First, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to explore the influence of CSH on customer-oriented OCB among hotel employees. In addition, examining the effect of CSH from the social exchange perspective represents a new theoretical approach. The finding also contributes to the literature on CEX by identifying an important antecedent. Finally, by investigating hostile attribution bias as a moderator, this research provides insights into how individual differences moderate the destructive influence of CSH.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the effect of online cross-recommendation of products from e-retailers on consumers’ instant cross-buying intention, and compare the effect between the contexts that the decision making on focal product is difficult and easy.

Based on the information adoption model, this paper develops a theoretical model to investigate how online cross-recommendation of products from e-retailers influence consumers’ instant cross-buying intention. Empirical data were collected from 224 online shoppers. The Partial Least Squares technique was used to test the proposed research model.

Choice confidence on focal product and perceived usefulness of cross-buying is the antecedents of instant cross-buying intention. Brand awareness of recommended product, one-stop shopping convenience, and perceived price advantage are the antecedents of perceived usefulness of cross-buying and choice confidence on focal product when the decision making on focal product is difficult, whereas brand awareness is not when it is easy to make focal product decision. Choice confidence on focal product positively affects perceived usefulness of cross-buying when it is easy to make focal product decision, whereas the effect is not significant when the decision making on focal product is difficult.

Knowledge about the effect of online cross-recommendation of products on instant cross-buying intention is scarce. This study reveals the psychological mechanism of the effect of online cross-recommendation of products on consumers’ instant cross-buying intention and finds that decision-making difficulty on focal product is an important moderator.

The rapid innovation of artificial intelligence (AI) technology promotes the prosperity of the AI product market. However, consumers seem to have negative attitudes (e.g. prejudice, aversion) toward AI products and services. Those negative attitudes are rooted in the fear that AI might replace humans. The authors thus propose that turning the image of AI from substitutes to facilitators can alleviate identity threat perception. This paper aims to examine how the image of AI products (facilitators vs substitutes) influences consumer evaluation and explores the underlying mechanism and boundary conditions.

This study uses four experiments with between-subjects designs to investigate whether the image of AI products (facilitators vs substitutes) will affect consumer evaluation in specific consumption and service scenarios. The same products (or services) were manipulated as “substitute” or “facilitator” through advertisement slogans. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition and read the advertisement, then they reported their evaluation. The mediator perceived identity threat and the moderator preconceived perceptions of AI risks were measured by scales. The moderator, self-affirmation, was manipulated through the instruction of the experiment.

This study demonstrates that consumers give higher evaluation of AI products in the image of the facilitator than in the image of the substitute (Study 1). The underlying mechanism is that the perceived identity threat caused by “facilitator” products is lower than “substitute” products (Study 2). The effect of AI image is moderated by consumers’ preconceived perceptions of AI risks (Study 3) and self-affirmation (Study 4). Specifically, for consumers who have a strong AI risk-perception, this effect exists, but it disappears for consumers who have a weak AI risk perception. When consumers are given a strong self-affirmation, the negative impact of the “substitute” image disappears.

This paper analyzes the psychological root of consumers’ negative evaluation of AI technology from the perspective of AI’s image. The proposed typology of “substitutes” and “facilitators” helps expand the vision on brand/product image and enriches the research on consumer self-identity in today’s highly informatized market. The findings shed light on how to choose appropriate image for AI products, which will be crucial for increasing consumers’ acceptance of AI products.

This paper aims to explore the mechanism underlying the relationship between abusive supervision differentiation (ASD) and team performance. The moderating roles of inter-team and intra-team competitive climate are also examined.

This research collects data from 419 employees and 71 supervisors from hospitals and financial companies in China. Techniques include descriptive statistics and hierarchical multiple regression are applied to analyze the data.

This research finds that (1) team relationship conflict mediated the relationship between ASD and team performance and (2) intra-team competitive climate strengthened the indirect relationship between ASD and team performance through team relationship conflict.

The results indicate that organizations should take measures to minimize the occurrence of abusive supervision. Team leaders should increase self-control and avoid abusing employees. Furthermore, organizations should establish an open and fair reward and punishment system to avoid cutthroat competition.

This study advances our knowledge of how ASD results in poor team effectiveness. This contributes to the literature by identifying team relationship conflict as a mediating mechanism linking the negative association of ASD with team performance. Additionally, competitive climate enriches the individual-focused team-level model of abusive supervision.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a research model in which coworker service sabotage influences hospitality employees’ service creativity via work engagement. It also aims to test the moderating effect of sensitivity to the interpersonal mistreatment of others (SIMO).

A time-lagged questionnaire study was performed in hotels in China. The hypotheses were tested via hierarchical multiple regression.

Coworker service sabotage is indirectly associated with hospitality employees’ service creativity via work engagement. The trait of SIMO buffers the harmful effect of coworker service sabotage.

Although our research design helps mitigate common method bias, it could still exist. Other coworker behaviors that might influence employees were not included in this research. The findings may also be biased due to the restricted sample from China.

Hospitality organizations should take measures to curb service sabotage. Organizations could also provide supportive resources to suppress the negative impacts of coworker service sabotage. Moreover, organizations should motivate those low in SIMO to care more about customers.

The research takes the lead in investigating the outcomes of service sabotage from a third-party perspective. Work engagement is identified as the mechanism for transmitting the impact of coworker service sabotage to employees. Moreover, a new moderator that attenuates the negative effects of coworker service sabotage is found.

With the development of location-based services and mobile phones, local retailing stores have the opportunity to send location-based advertisings (LBAs) to consumers at a right time and right place. However, knowledge about the influence of LBAs on consumers’ store patronage is limited. The purpose of this paper is to understand how the content of LBAs influences consumers’ store patronage intention. In particular, the paper investigates the influence of perceived accuracy and transaction cost reduction from the content of LBAs on consumers’ store patronage intention through the emotional reactions of pleasure and arousal.

This study developed a theoretical model to examine how the content of LBAs influences the store patronage intention of consumers. Empirical data were collected from 351 undergraduate and graduate students. The partial least squares technique was used to test the research model.

Perceived accuracy and transaction cost reduction from the content of LBAs have a significant influence on the store patronage intention of consumers through pleasure and arousal. Brand image and purchase plan are control variables.

Knowledge about the influence of LBAs on consumer store patronage is limited. This study provides empirical evidence about how perceived accuracy and transaction cost reduction from the content of LBAs affect the emotional reactions of consumers and then determine their store patronage intention.

Robotic chefs are starting to replace human chefs in restaurant industry. Whether customers have a good food quality prediction may have an important effect on their patronage decision. Based on the stereotype content model, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of robotic chef anthropomorphism on food quality prediction through warmth and competence.

An empirical analysis was done to test the theoretical model by using the SmartPLS software. A nonhuman-like robotic chef and a robotic chef with humanoid hands were used as background materials in the questionnaire. The effective sample was 221.

Robotic chef anthropomorphism affects food quality prediction through the sequential mediators of warmth and competence. Age is a significant control variable.

Robotic chef anthropomorphism positively affects food quality prediction. The halo effect of warmth perception on competence perception should be considered in the context of robot anthropomorphism.

Restaurants which feature robotic chefs should use robotic chefs with anthropomorphic designs and promote the anthropomorphic elements of robotic chefs in advertisements.

The anthropomorphic design of robot chefs will facilitate the development of artificial intelligence in restaurants in the future.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first to focus on how robotic chef anthropomorphism affects food quality prediction and reveals the roles of warmth and competence in the influence of robotic chef anthropomorphism on food quality prediction.

This paper aims to describe the results of four studies that examine the interaction effects between locus of causality and social presence on consumers’ emotional response to a service failure and how they subsequently cope with the negative emotional experiences through support-seeking or vindictive negative word-of-mouth (NWOM).

To evaluate the research hypotheses, one online content analysis study and three experiments were conducted.

The results of the four studies show that when locus of causality information is not available (Studies 1 and 2), consumers are more likely to engage in support-seeking NWOM when there is social presence (versus no social presence). When a service failure is externally/internally attributed, social presence leads to less/more vindictive NWOM (Studies 3 and 4). The results clarify the underlying affective processes (frustration, anger and embarrassment) that account for the unique interaction effects involving locus of causality and social presence on NWOM.

Despite promising progress in both social presence and service failure research, scholarly attempts aiming to draw the theoretical linkages between these two streams are relatively scarce, and it remains unknown regarding whether and how social presence influences NWOM in the event of service failure. Against this backdrop, this research examines the effects of social presence on consumer NWOM in service failure. The authors further contribute to both research streams by testing the effects of an important set of emotions as mediators, as well by exploring the conditions under which a particular emotion is more predictive of its corresponding outcomes. These findings offer important insights that help service managers effectively mitigate customer NWOM at the point of service delivery.

This study aims to examine the effect of workplace sexual harassment (WSH) on hospitality employees’ workplace deviance and family undermining behaviors by focusing on the mediating effect of depression.

This research uses a three-phase field survey to collect data from hotels in China with a final sample of 266 hospitality employees. Data analysis techniques include descriptive statistics, confirmative factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression.

This research finds that WSH is positively related to workplace deviance; WSH positively affects family undermining; depression is a mediator in the relationship between WSH and workplace deviance; and depression mediates the relationship between WSH and family undermining.

First, this research goes beyond the existing WSH literature by extending outcome variables to workplace deviance. Second, it is among the first to investigate the relationship between WSH and hospitality employees’ family life. Third, the examination of depression as a mediator advances the literature by unraveling the mediating mechanism underlying the effects of WSH on hospitality employees.