Search results

This paper aims to propose an online local trajectory planner for safe and fast trajectory generation that combines the jerk-limited trajectory (JLT) generation algorithm and the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. A trajectory switching algorithm is proposed to improve the trajectory tracking performance. The proposed system generates smooth and safe flight trajectories online for quadrotors.

First, the PSO algorithm method can obtain the optimal set of target points near the path points obtained by the global path searching. The JLT generation algorithm generates multiple trajectories from the current position to the target points that conform to the kinetic constraints. Then, the generated multiple trajectories are evaluated to pick the obstacle-free trajectory with the least cost. A trajectory switching strategy is proposed to switch the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a new trajectory before the UAV reaches the last hovering state of the current trajectory, so that the UAV can fly smoothly and quickly.

The feasibility of the designed system is validated through online flight experiments in indoor environments with obstacles.

The proposed trajectory planning system is integrated into a quadrotor platform. It is easily implementable onboard and computationally efficient.

The proposed local planner for trajectory generation and evaluation combines PSO and JLT generation algorithms. The proposed method can provide a collision-free and continuous trajectory, significantly reducing the required computing resources. The PSO algorithm locally searches for feasible target points near the global waypoint obtained by the global path search. The JLT generation algorithm generates trajectories from the current state toward each point contained by the target point set. The proposed trajectory switching strategy can avoid unnecessary hovering states in flight and ensure a continuous and safe flight trajectory. It is especially suitable for micro quadrotors with a small payload and limited onboard computing power.

This paper aims to propose an environmentally adaptive trajectory planning system considering the dynamic characteristics of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the distance between obstacles and the UAV. The system generates a smooth and safe flight trajectory online.

First, the hybrid A* search method considering the dynamic characteristics of the quadrotor is used to find the collision-free initial trajectory. Then, environmentally adaptive velocity cost is designed for environment-adaptive trajectory optimization using environmental gradient data. The proposed method adaptively adjusts the autonomous flight speed of the UAV. Finally, the initial trajectory is applied to the multi-layered optimization framework to make it smooth and dynamically viable.

The feasibility of the designed system is validated by online flight experiments, which are in unknown, complex situations.

The proposed trajectory planning system is integrated into a vision-based quadrotor platform. It is easily implementable onboard and computationally efficient.

A hybrid A* path searching method is proposed to generate feasible motion primitives by dispersing the input space uniformly. The proposed method considers the control input of the UAV and the search time as the heuristic cost. Therefore, the proposed method can provide an initial path with the minimum flying time and energy loss that benefits trajectory optimization. The environmentally adaptive velocity cost is proposed to adaptively adjust the flight speed of the UAV using the distance between obstacles and the UAV. Furthermore, a multi-layered environmentally adaptive trajectory optimization framework is proposed to generate a smooth and safe trajectory.

This study aims to develop a framework to explain the reciprocity of the value co-creation process in mobile hotel booking context and to clarify values for customer and supplier.

A research framework was developed based on the previous literature to derive insights on value co-creation process. Online surveys were conducted among mobile hotel bookers in China. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test the proposed framework.

The findings suggested that suppliers should improve the values for customers (functionality, usability and perceived value) to achieve values for themselves [customer lifetime value (CLV), customer knowledge value (CKV), customer referral value (CRV) and customer influencer value (CIV)]. The relation between satisfaction and CLV was moderated by the CIV from other customers.

Suppliers should enhance customer value from the aspects of functionality, usability and perceived value to earn a competitive advantage. Moreover, for suppliers, non-transactional values such as other CIV play an increasingly critical role apart from economic value for development.

This study not only added empirical analysis on value co-creation in m-Tourism but also extended the current literature by validating a research model which integrates website evaluation research with Kumar et al. (2010)’s customer engagement value framework. Instead of serving as a mediator, mobile app was regarded as one of the indispensable actors involved in value co-creation.

This research clarifies the connotations and dimensions of artificial intelligence (AI) technology stimulation and establishes a stimulus scale to explain the relationship between AI technology stimuli and smart customer experience.

This is an empirical study that uses SPSS 24.0 software to perform hypothesis testing on the path relationships between model elements.

Two dimensions of AI technology stimuli (i.e. passion and usability) have a significant, positive impact on smart customer experience; the moderating effects of contrasting dimensions of technology readiness (i.e. optimism and discomfort) are significantly different; smart customer experience has a significant, positive impact on the word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions of consumers.

There are several limitations. Most importantly, the data collected in this study are only from consumers who use intelligent customer service robots in the catering industry. Future research can consider exploring relevant AI technologies in other sectors.

This study has several implications that guide catering companies to develop various positioning and strategies for remaining competitive effectively.

Based on arousal theory, customer experience theory and WOM marketing theory, this is the first novel research project that empirically discusses the dimensions of AI technology stimuli, smart customer experience and WOM intentions with regard to the moderating effect of the technology readiness of consumers toward AI technology.

This study aims to empirically testify an integrated model, including the attributes of smart tourism technologies (STTs) (user interface [UI] design, informativeness, accessibility, personalization and interactivity), satisfaction, loyalty and word of mouth (WOM), and further investigate the potential moderating effect of switching costs (SCs) on the satisfaction–loyalty/WOM relationships.

Systematic sampling was used to collect data in Macau. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze valid data collected from 332 tourists who have recently used STTs.

The results indicate that informativeness has a stronger effect on satisfaction, loyalty and WOM than UI design, accessibility and personalization; interactivity shows no significant influence on satisfaction, loyalty and WOM; satisfaction positively influences loyalty and WOM. Furthermore, procedural SCs negatively moderate the effects of satisfaction on loyalty and WOM.

The present study extends the knowledge about information technology and tourism (ITT) by introducing a new attribute, UI design into STT structure and confirming that UI design is an effective predictor of user satisfaction. This paper is also a pioneer study that integrates customer satisfaction with STTs with SCs to explore the mechanism of how customer loyalty and WOM are generated. Practical recommendations are provided for STT designers and destination managers to improve the overall quality of STTs and to consider carefully setting procedural SCs as a retention strategy.

This study aims to address the gap in hospitality and tourism (H&T) research concerning green creativity (GC) and seeks to identify the ways in which the interaction between spiritual incentives (SI) and material incentives (MI) affects the relationships among green intrinsic motivation (GIM), green extrinsic motivation (GEM) and GC.

In accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, this paper examines studies related to GC in the H&T industry and analyses them using content analysis and critical analysis.

By integrating self-determination theory and the componential theory of creativity, this study enhances the understanding of the interactive moderating role played by SI and MI in the relationship between green motivation and GC. When the level of SI is high and the level of MI is low, GIM has the strongest positive impact on GC. When the levels of MI and SI are both high, GEM has the strongest positive effect on GC.

In practical terms, “high SI-low MI” is the optimal combination for achieving high GC and promoting sustainable long-term green-oriented incentives.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper represents the first investigation of the interactive moderating effects of SI and MI on the relationships among GIM, GEM and GC, thus enriching the research on the factors influencing green motivation and GC. In addition, this paper proposes a better decision-making basis for organizations facing a green-oriented incentive situation, according to which “high SI-low MI” can facilitate the achievement of high GC at a low cost.

Although the literature recognizes that coopetition plays a significant role in the success of international construction joint ventures (ICJVs), the impacts of coopetition on the performance outcomes of ICJVs remain largely unknown. This study extends this line of research by theorizing coopetition from three dimensions, i.e. coopetition intensity, coopetition balance and coopetition structure, and examining the relationships between coopetition and ICJV performance outcomes from both the contingency and configuration perspectives.

The hypotheses were tested using survey data from a sample of 188 ICJVs. Structural equation modelling was employed for the contingency approach to estimate the relationships between the three dimensions of coopetition and performance. For the configuration approach, cluster analysis was utilized to identify coopetition patterns. Subsequently, an analysis of variance was employed to analyse the relationships between these coopetition patterns and performance.

The contingency results indicate that while coopetition intensity is positively related to all types of performance, coopetition balance is only positively related to project performance and partner performance. Moreover, coopetition structure is only related to partner performance and socioenvironmental performance. The configuration approach identifies six patterns of coopetition, manifesting different levels of project, partner and socioenvironmental performance.

These findings, therefore, contribute to the ICJV literature by extending the understanding of how coopetition dimensions individually and jointly influence ICJV performance.

This paper proposes that if a political system is more like to facilitate a unified government, to establish a strong executive body and to respond to the needs of the majority, financial reforms are more likely to emerge from the policymaking process and produce positive results. On the contrary, political systems that discourage those governing features are less likely to produce reforms. This chapter compares financial reform processes in China, Taiwan and New Zealand. All of them performed low level of financial reforms in the early 1980s but resulted in different situations later. In the mid-2000s, New Zealand heralded the most efficient and stable financial system; while Taiwan lagged behind and China performed the worst. Evidence showed that China’s authoritarian system may be the most superior in forming a unified government with a strong executive, but the policy priority often responds more to the interests of a small group of power elites; therefore the result of financial reform can be limited. Taiwan’s presidential system can produce greater financial reform when the ruling party controls both executive and legislative bodies, but legislative obstructions may occur under a divided government. New Zealand's Westminster system produces the most effective and efficient financial reform due to its unified government and a strong executive branch with consistent and stable supports from the New Zealand Parliament.

No matter the fact that it represents significant tourist contingents, Generation Z (Gen Z) is still insufficiently known regarding the main habits, fears or behaviours in changed circumstances. The main objective of this research is to examine the differences in travel risks perception among clusters of young tourists (Gen Z) after one year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted during Serbia's primary tourism season in the first year of the pandemic (from June to October 2020), and just before Serbia's primary tourism season in the second year of the pandemic (May 2021). In 2020, responses of 206 participants were collected, while in 2021 there were 208 participants. Data were gathered from Tourism and Hospitality students at the University of Novi Sad (Serbia) by applying the questionnaire created for the specific purpose of this research. All respondents were representatives of Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2003. The main findings of the research are indicating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak on young tourists' travel plans. Results are also indicating that average scores on health and non-health risks dimensions were significantly higher in the year 2020 than in 2021, as well as that all participants were more concerned with non-health risks than with health risks in both years of the pandemic. Gen Z tourists' response to the COVID-19 pandemic was consistent concern about non-health risks, denying health risks and expecting even some financial benefits from the crisis. The research findings are contributing to building a knowledge base for various tourism stakeholders in terms of developing the guidelines for tourism recovery strategies during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.