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Research serves to elucidate and tackle real-world issues (e.g. capitalizing opportunities and solving problems). Critical to research is the concept of validity, which gauges the extent to which research is adequate and appropriate in representing what it intends to measure and test. In this vein, this article aims to present a typology of validity to aid researchers in this endeavor.

Employing a synthesis approach informed by the 3Es of expertise, experience, and exposure, this article maintains a sharp focus on delineating the concept of validity and presenting its typology.

This article emphasizes the importance of validity and explains how and when different types of validity can be established. First and foremost, content validity and face validity are prerequisites assessed before data collection, whereas convergent validity and discriminant validity come into play during the evaluation of the measurement model post-data collection, while nomological validity and predictive validity are crucial in the evaluation of the structural model following the evaluation of the measurement model. Additionally, content, face, convergent and discriminant validity contribute to construct validity as they pertain to concept(s), while nomological and predictive validity contribute to criterion validity as they relate to relationship(s). Last but not least, content and face validity are established by humans, thereby contributing to the assessment of substantive significance, whereas convergent, discriminant, nomological and predictive validity are established by statistics, thereby contributing to the assessment of statistical significance.

This article contributes to a deeper understanding of validity’s multifaceted nature in research, providing a practical guide for its application across various research stages.

This article focusses on the hybrid strategy, a simultaneous combination of cost leadership and differentiation strategy. The study aims to examine the impact of hybrid strategy on firm performance through its anticipated positive effects on process and product innovation. In addition, we study the moderating role of adaptive capacity in the direct relationships of hybrid strategy with process and product innovation.

Structural equation modelling was used to analyse 1,842 Spanish firms with fewer than 250 employees. We randomly selected small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in Spain from the Spanish Central Business Directory (2021) database. The overall sample design was based on stratified sampling.

We found that hybrid strategy is positively related to firm performance and to process and product innovation. Additionally, in firms implementing hybrid strategies, process innovation fostered firm performance. Finally, adaptive capacity strengthened the relationships of hybrid strategy with process and product innovation. This sheds light on how and when hybrid strategy is most effective in fostering SME performance.

We highlight that SMEs need to establish strategies that use diverse resources and capabilities and not just generate competitive advantage using one strategy (cost leadership or differentiation strategy). This requires an agile and flexible systems and structures.

Our research provides novel results by proposing the adoption of hybrid strategies instead of pure strategies (cost leadership and differentiation strategy) as a way for SMEs to survive during crises. Unlike “stuck in the middle” strategies, our study demonstrates the importance of hybrid strategies in a comprehensive model that links them to innovation and firm performance, with adaptive capacity being a determining factor.

This paper aims to understand how the perceived usefulness of voice assistants (VAs) is affected by the perceived quality of the process (interaction) and the outcome (information). The authors also aim to determine the extent to which the perceived usefulness of VAs improves the perceived privacy associated with their use and increases users’ intention to continue using them. Consumer technology innovativeness is included as a personal trait moderator, to compare the results between tech and nontech innovators. For this purpose, the authors use the framework of the uses and gratifications theory (U&GT).

A survey of 467 VA users was conducted and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

The authors identify two main determinants of the perceived usefulness of VAs that influence users’ intention to continue using this technology, process quality and outcome quality. These two factors influence the continued use of VAs in different ways depending on the technology innovativeness of the consumers. The results show that tech innovators are oriented toward the interactive experience, and therefore, mainly value the process quality. In addition, nontech innovators are oriented toward a satisfactory response from VAs, and therefore, primarily value the outcome quality. In addition, the positive effect of perceived usefulness on perceived privacy is higher for tech innovators.

This study enhances the literature on the perceived usefulness of VAs within the framework of U&GT. It identifies two antecedents (process quality and outcome quality) of perceived usefulness and observes significant differences based on technological innovativeness.

Este artículo tiene como objetivo entender cómo la utilidad percibida de los Asistentes de Voz (AV) se ve afectada por la calidad percibida del proceso (interacción) y el resultado (información). Asimismo, busca determinar hasta qué punto la utilidad percibida de los AVs mejora la privacidad percibida asociada con su uso y, consecuentemente, la intención de los usuarios de seguir utilizándolos. La innovación tecnológica se incluye como moderador personal para comparar los resultados entre innovadores tecnológicos y no tecnológicos. Para este propósito, utilizamos la Teoría de Usos y Gratificaciones (U&GT).

Se realizó una encuesta a 467 usuarios de AVs, y se utilizó la modelización de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM) para analizar los datos.

La calidad del proceso y la calidad del resultado son antecedentes claros de la utilidad percibida de los AVs, que afecta a la intención de los usuarios de seguir usándolos. La influencia de ambos factores difiere entre usuarios según su nivel de innovación tecnológica. Los resultados muestran que los innovadores tecnológicos valoran más la experiencia interactiva y la calidad del proceso, mientras que los no innovadores tecnológicos se enfocan en obtener respuestas satisfactorias de los AVs. Además, la influencia positiva de la utilidad percibida en la privacidad percibida es más pronunciada en los innovadores tecnológicos.

Este estudio enriquece la literatura sobre la utilidad percibida de los AVs dentro del marco de la U&GT. Identifica dos factores previos (calidad del proceso y calidad del resultado) de la utilidad percibida y observa diferencias significativas basadas en la innovación tecnológica.

本文旨在了解语音助手（VAs）的感知有用性如何受到过程（交互）和结果（信息）的感知质量的影响。我们还旨在确定语音助手的感知有用性在多大程度上改善了与使用语音助手相关的感知隐私, 并提高了用户继续使用语音助手的意愿。我们将消费者的技术创新性作为个人特质调节因素, 以比较技术创新者和非技术创新者的结果。为此, 我们使用了 “使用与满足理论"（U&GT）框架。

我们对 467 名增值服务用户进行了调查, 并使用结构方程模型（SEM）对数据进行了分析。

我们确定了影响用户继续使用该技术意向的虚拟机构感知有用性的两个主要决定因素：（1）过程质量和（2）结果质量。根据消费者的技术创新能力, 这两个因素以不同的方式影响着虚拟现实技术的持续使用。结果显示, 技术创新者以互动体验为导向, 因此主要看重过程质量。此外, 非技术创新者倾向于从虚拟机构获得令人满意的回应, 因此主要看重结果质量。此外, 对于科技创新者来说, 感知有用性对感知隐私的积极影响更大。

本研究在 U&GT 框架内加强了有关虚拟机构感知有用性的文献。它确定了感知有用性的两个前因（过程质量和结果质量）, 并观察到了基于技术创新性的显著差异。

Large supermarket chains are adopting customer-service robots to improve service delivery in physical stores. Successful deployment of these robots depends on shoppers' willingness to interact with them, requiring an understanding of influencing factors. This study, grounded in the Cognitive-Affective-Normative (CAN) theory, seeks to systematically explore the factors influencing Gen Z shoppers' willingness to interact with customer-service robots.

A hybrid approach combining Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) was employed to analyze survey data collected from 945 Gen Zs in the Czech Republic.

The results from SEM highlight significant cognitive, normative, and affective factors that influence the intention of Gen Z shoppers to interact with a customer-service robot. Specifically, cognitive factors such as effort and performance expectancy, along with normative factors like subjective norms, emerged as critical determinants. Furthermore, affective factors such as technology anxiety and positive emotions significantly influence users' readiness to use customer-service robots for service requests. The study also underscores that positive emotions, effort expectancy, performance expectancy, and subjective norms are vital prerequisites for interacting with customer-service robots.

The originality of this work lies in its two significant contributions to the burgeoning field of SRs in retail literature. First, it extends the CAN theory to the context of SRs among Gen Z shoppers in Czechia, thereby enriching the existing literature on SRs in retail. Second, by employing a hybrid analytical approach, our research offers both empirical and methodological advancements, providing rigorous insights crucial for enhancing the understanding of the pivotal factors influencing shoppers' interactions with SRs in physical store environments.