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Previous research into online reviews in the hospitality industry has focused mainly on big companies; thus, it is not yet known whether its findings apply also to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the most abundant in the sector. Focusing on online reviews in the hospitality sector, this study aims to analyse whether firm size moderates the relationship between online review valence and customer responses.

This study uses a 2 (positive vs negative online review) × 2 (SME vs big company) experimental research design conducted in two hospitality settings, hotels and restaurants.

The impact of online reviews on customer responses is less intense for smaller hospitality companies.

This study incorporates firm size as a moderator of the relationship between online review valence and customer responses in two hospitality settings, restaurants and hotels.

以往针对酒店业的在线评论研究主要集中在大型企业上, 因此这些研究结果是否也适用于中小企业尚不清楚, 而中小企业在该行业中最为普遍。本研究重点研究了酒店业中的在线评论, 分析了企业规模是否在在线评论极性与客户反应之间的关系中起到调节作用。

本研究采用2（正面与负面在线评论）×2（中小企业与大型企业）的实验研究设计, 并在两个实验环境下（酒店和餐饮）进行研究。

对规模较小的酒店企业来说, 在线评论对客户反应的影响并不强烈。

本研究将企业规模作为餐厅和酒店行业中在线评论极性和客户反应关系的调节变量。

The usage of robot waiters in the hospitality industry is growing, thus increasing the number of human–robot interactions in frontline services. Focusing on robot waiters in restaurants, this study aims to propose the social cognition (SC)–psychological ownership (PO)–customer responses (CR) model, while examining the association between SC, PO, robot anthropomorphism and CR.

The hypotheses of this study are tested using a three-step mixed-method approach that includes partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), necessary condition analysis (NCA) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).

PLS-SEM demonstrates the mediating role of psychological ownership on the relationship between SC, customer attitudes regarding being attended by a robot and revisiting intentions. Robot anthropomorphism enhances the relationship between SC and psychological ownership. NCA indicates that SC and psychological ownership are necessary conditions for the presence of favorable attitudes and revisiting intentions. FsQCA suggests that different configurations of the antecedent conditions lead to better attitudes and revisiting intentions.

Frontline hospitality robots need to be perceived as warm, competent, responsive and adaptable to customer requests to elicit positive responses. Managers should employ attractive robots displaying anthropomorphic features. Managers need to ensure that customers have some knowledge about robots before interacting with them. Managers should also consider customer heterogeneity and the context in which the robots will be deployed.

Based on the psychological ownership theory, this paper analyzes the relationship between SC, psychological ownership and CR. Anthropomorphism moderates the relationship between SC and psychological ownership.

Polyurethane (PUR) foam parts are traditionally manufactured using metallic molds, an unsuitable approach for prototyping purposes. Thus, rapid tooling of disposable molds using fused filament fabrication (FFF) with polylactic acid (PLA) and glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG) is proposed as an economical, simpler and faster solution compared to traditional metallic molds or three-dimensional (3D) printing with other difficult-to-print thermoplastics, which are prone to shrinkage and delamination (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polypropilene-PP) or high-cost due to both material and printing equipment expenses (PEEK, polyamides or polycarbonate-PC). The purpose of this study has been to evaluate the ease of release of PUR foam on these materials in combination with release agents to facilitate the mulding/demoulding process.

PETG, PLA and hardenable polylactic acid (PLA 3D870) have been evaluated as mold materials in combination with aqueous and solvent-based release agents within a full design of experiments by three consecutive molding/demolding cycles.

PLA 3D870 has shown the best demoldability. A mold expressly designed to manufacture a foam cushion has been printed and the prototyping has been successfully achieved. The demolding of the part has been easier using a solvent-based release agent, meanwhile the quality has been better when using a water-based one.

The combination of PLA 3D870 and FFF, along with solvent-free water-based release agents, presents a compelling low-cost and eco-friendly alternative to traditional metallic molds and other 3D printing thermoplastics. This innovative approach serves as a viable option for rapid tooling in PUR foam molding.

The authors analysed the operations of two synchronised channels by focusing on “buy online and return in store” (BORS) strategies in fast-fashion retail by investigating internal and external factors affecting this omnichannel strategy.

The authors apply a combination of techniques to identify the BORS factors. Firstly, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis was used to define the operational factors of BORS adoption. The authors then apply analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate the factors under four SWOT categories for kids, male and female consumer groups. The factors of BORS were then ranked using the fuzzy VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (fuzzy VIKOR) approach.

Combining the SWOT, AHP and fuzzy VIKOR techniques, the authors identified 21 factors in this study. The opportunity that BORS provides for trying in the fitting room for a better convenient shopping experience was ranked as the most important factor, followed by the opportunity to create a loyal customer profile with an easy and well-organised return process. Furthermore, the results reveal that the child consumer group is the most critical of the stated operations factors, followed by male and female consumers.

The authors described the operational factors and supported the decision-making system of BORS for each consumer group with a priority ranking to realise effective managerial management for fast-fashion retailers and practitioners.

The study contributes to the growing literature on the BORS omnichannel strategy, specifically for fast-fashion retail based on consumer needs.

The purpose of the study is to propose a framework for fleet management and make suitable distribution solution choices in the food industry.

This study reviews the literature to examine food distribution criteria. These criteria are used in the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) assessment and combined with discrete events simulation in a structured framework, which is validated through an empirical study.

The empirical case results demonstrate that both the AHP and discrete events simulation converge toward the same solution in most cases.

This study contributes to the literature on distribution management and develops a framework that can both guide future research and aid logistics practitioners in analysing distribution decision-making systems in dynamic environments.

Upon completion of the case study, the students will be able to analyze the brand equity construct through the associative neural network model for decision-making; identify prospective scenarios through the Delphi method for the construction of strategic plans in organizations; and propose the innovation of a product by applying creativity techniques to enter international markets.

Cafe Galavis was one of the leading family businesses in industrial development and had the highest business recognition, with a century of experience in producing and commercializing roasted and ground coffee in Cucuta, Colombia. In 2015, the diplomatic crisis between the governments of Colombia and Venezuela led to the indefinite closure of the Colombian–Venezuelan border, which caused an increase in income from smuggled coffee. In addition, the presence of different competitors and traditional brands negatively impacted the level of sales, which considerably affected financial stability. Likewise, internal difficulties of family nature and administrative management led to the change of senior management. By 2016, Juan Yáñez was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) and was in charge of avoiding the company’s closure. In January 2023, he received feedback from his consulting team, and upon evaluation of the new market challenges with his collaborators, he realized a great challenge that merited the search for a priority alternative solution. How to design a new product considering the loss of brand identity in the face of the generational change of its consumers? These were some of the challenges posed by the CEO that consequently required starting a strategic management process of innovation.

The teaching case is aimed at students of postgraduate academic programs in the areas of knowledge of innovation, product design, industrial design, marketing or MBA. In the modules of marketing, strategic management, brand management and strategic foresight, the case allowed for the orientation of the concepts of brand value or branding as well as the analysis of the value chain for the implementation of strategies that promote competitive advantages of companies. Similarly, in the modules of product or service design, creativity and innovation and complex thinking, the case allows one to approach a complex problem and apply creativity techniques for its solution.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS: 8 Marketing.

The study aims to explore the validity of the modern renewable energy-environmental Kuznets curve (REKC) while considering the relevance of financial development in the consumption of modern renewable energy in East Africa Community (EAC). Modern renewable energy in this study includes all other forms of renewable energy except traditional use of biomass. The authors controlled for the effects of urbanization, governance, foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade openness.

Panel data of the five EAC countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda for the period 1996–2019 were used. The analysis relied on the use of the autoregressive distributed lag–pooled mean group (ARDL-PMG) model, and the data were sourced from the World Development Indicators (WDI), World Governance Indicators (WGI) and International Energy Agency (IEA).

The REKC hypothesis is supported for modern renewable energy consumption in the EAC region. Financial development positively and significantly affects modern renewable energy consumption, whereas urbanization, FDI and trade openness reduce modern renewable energy consumption. Governance is insignificant.

The concept of the REKC, although explored in other contexts such as aggregate renewable energy and in other regions, has not been used to explain the consumption of modern renewable energy in the EAC.

The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of the studies in terms of country, participant profile and methodology, as well as to determine what the Internet of Things (IoT) is currently contributing to higher education.

The study was developed following the methodology supported by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement and the PICOS strategy, retrieving scientific literature from Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC and Google Scholar. Of the 237 studies that the search yielded, 11 were included.

The results showed that among the opportunities offered by IoT is that it not only brings the introduction of information and communication technology into the classroom, but also enhances student interest, thus, improving the quality of teaching in higher education. On the other hand, one of the challenges it faces is the attitude of teachers towards its adoption, as well as the level of digital competence of teachers.

This study presents how higher education institutions are including the IoT in their educational activities. The IoT refers to a network of digital interconnectivity between devices, people and the internet itself that enables the exchange of data between them, allowing key information about the use and performance of devices and objects to be captured to detect patterns, make recommendations, improve efficiency and create better user experiences.

The purpose of this study was to analyze importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and its emphasis on assessment and adversity quotient (AQ).

The study utilizes a systematic literature review of over 141 journal papers and psychometric tests to evaluate AQ. Thematic analysis of quantitative and qualitative studies explores domains of AI in education.

Results suggest that assessing the AQ of students with the help of AI techniques is necessary. Education is a vital tool to develop and improve natural intelligence, and this survey presents the discourse use of AI techniques and behavioral strategies in the education sector of the recent era. The study proposes a conceptual framework of AQ with the help of assessment style for higher education undergraduates.

Research on AQ evaluation in the Indian context is still emerging, presenting a potential avenue for future research. Investigating the relationship between AQ and academic performance among Indian students is a crucial area of research. This can provide insights into the role of AQ in academic motivation, persistence and success in different academic disciplines and levels of education. AQ evaluation offers valuable insights into how individuals deal with and overcome challenges. The findings of this study have implications for higher education institutions to prepare for future challenges and better equip students with necessary skills for success. The papers reviewed related to AI for education opens research opportunities in the field of psychometrics, educational assessment and the evaluation of AQ.