Search results
1 – 10 of 20Sarah Mutonyi, Karin Beukel, Amos Gyau and Carsten Nico Hjortsø
The purpose of this paper is to investigate which dimensions of price satisfaction influence producers’ trust in buyers and assess the mediating role of such trust in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate which dimensions of price satisfaction influence producers’ trust in buyers and assess the mediating role of such trust in the relationship between price satisfaction and producer loyalty in fresh fruit supply chains.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional study design using both semi-structured interviews and structured questionnaires was used. The study was conducted in the eastern part of Kenya and included 600 smallholders. Data was analysed using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results show that price fairness, price reliability, and relative price are dimensions of price satisfaction that affect producers’ trust in the buyer. Moreover, trust between the producer and the buyer is found to be a strong mediator between price satisfaction and producer loyalty. The findings support recent studies about trust and its mediating role.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is based on a cross-sectional study design, limiting the causal inferences which can be drawn. Producers’ preferences change with time and future studies should be based on longitudinal designs.
Originality/value
This paper shows the relationship between the multidimensional nature of price satisfaction and producer loyalty with trust as a mediating variable in the business-to-business (B2B) context. Although B2B relationships have been shown to be of great importance for smallholders in enhancing business performance with their buyers, little attention has been given to the role of trust as a mediator. This study offers interesting insights into the how trust plays a mediating role between price satisfaction and loyalty in a developing country context.
Karin Alm, Thomas H. Beery, David Eiblmeier and Tarek Fahmy
This study aims to understand better the student awareness and knowledge on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are used in higher education institutions (HEIs) to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to understand better the student awareness and knowledge on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are used in higher education institutions (HEIs) to motivate students’ learning on sustainability. It is essential to consider students’ understanding of sustainability at the end of their studies to assess whether they feel prepared to apply sustainability in their daily work life.
Design/methodology/approach
The study has a quantitative case study design, and the specific method used is an online survey with masters’ students using the university student platform EvaSys. The study assesses approaching how students perceive the overall education integrating sustainability into programs and curricula.
Findings
The results showed that work-integrated learning (WIL) projects learning and real-life experiences as part of their studies enhanced the students’ understanding of sustainability. Moreover, the study showed that integrating an understanding of the SDGs in teaching offers universities a way to frame students’ key competencies in ways that allow them to develop their interpersonal competencies as ambassadors for sustainability in their future work life.
Practical implications
This study supports the argument that WIL and real-life university experiences enhance students’ key competencies critical for sustainability.
Originality/value
The pedagogical approach advanced in this paper addresses how WIL and real-life experiences might develop students’ key competencies on sustainability. This approach indicates that working with SDGs in teaching encourages students to promote their interpersonal competencies for sustainability.
Details
Keywords
Xin Jin and Karin Weber
The purpose of this study was to provide a holistic view of exhibition destination attractiveness by examining perceptions of two of the three key stakeholders (exhibition…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to provide a holistic view of exhibition destination attractiveness by examining perceptions of two of the three key stakeholders (exhibition organizers and visitors) and contrasting them with those of exhibitors.
Design/methodology/approach
This research used a mixed method approach, collecting 535 responses from visitors attending nine business-to-business exhibitions in four major cities in China via structured surveys. In addition, eight in-depth interviews with CEOs/owners of leading global and Chinese exhibition companies were conducted.
Findings
The findings revealed that exhibitors may go almost anywhere where there is potential for successful business. In contrast, visitors prefer exhibition destinations with good accessibility to minimize travel time and an attractive leisure environment that offers a degree of enjoyment in addition to taking care of business. A destination’s “economic environment” and “cluster effects” were comparatively less important to them. Organizers were cognizant of these differences, contributing to their reluctance in taking large-scale, branded exhibitions to second-tier destinations, despite considerable efforts by these cities to improve their infrastructure.
Practical implications
This study offers practical guidelines for destination administrators and exhibition organizers with regard to evaluating destination resources for long-term exhibition development.
Originality/value
In contrast to prior studies, this research identifies significant differences in perceptions of exhibition destination attractiveness among all three key industry stakeholders. It also presents a persuasive case for the need to clearly differentiate between the attractiveness of a destination for attracting/hosting exhibitions versus conventions, rather than approaching the subject from a more generic meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) segment/business events perspective.
Details
Keywords
Delphine Le Serre, Karin Weber, Patrick Legohérel and Karim Errajaa
This study contributes to greater understanding of the senior market and the cultural differences regarding aging in Western and Asian cultures. The review of the literature…
Abstract
Purpose
This study contributes to greater understanding of the senior market and the cultural differences regarding aging in Western and Asian cultures. The review of the literature highlights the cultural differences toward the concept of aging in Asian and Western countries and describes a useful age concept for investigating senior consumers, namely, that of subjective age. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of subjective age dimensions on seniors’ behavior and to assess the role of culture as a moderator of this influence.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected in France and Mainland China and consisted of answers to 300 questionnaires for the French seniors and 264 questionnaires for the Chinese seniors. Two dimensions of subjective age were measured: cognitive age and ideal age, along with travel motivations and travel perceived risk.
Findings
The study provides valuable information regarding the Western and Asian senior markets. Subjective age dimensions prove to be related with seniors’ behaviors (perceived travel risks). The present study also demonstrates that nationality has a moderating role on this relation. This theoretical contribution will have to be confirmed by other studies in Asian and Western countries; it opens the door to new research on Chinese/Asian seniors involving these age variables.
Originality/value
The study gives academics and managers insights on the influence of subjective age on seniors’ behaviors in European and Asian cultural contexts.
Details
Keywords
Karin A. Spenser, Ray Bull, Lucy Betts and Belinda Winder
Prosociality is considered important in the study of offenders and associated cognitive skills: theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning, are said to enable…
Abstract
Purpose
Prosociality is considered important in the study of offenders and associated cognitive skills: theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning, are said to enable self-control and reduce the risk of offending behaviours. Previous research has made associations between these skills and executive functioning; however, research into a link between them, in an offending population, is limited. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
To further understand the practicalities of this, the present study considered the predictive abilities of the constructs believed to underpin executive functioning: working memory, cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control, in relation to theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning. In total, 200 male and female offenders completed measures in all six constructs.
Findings
Using path analysis working memory was demonstrated to be predictive of theory of mind and empathic understanding, cognitive flexibility was found to be predictive of theory of mind, and inhibitory control was found to be predictive of theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning.
Research limitations/implications
The study focussed on offenders serving a custodial sentence of six months or less and did not differentiate between crime categories or take into consideration the socio-environmental backgrounds or ethnicity. Therefore, considering these things could further establish the generalisability of the current findings. It is noted that the more focussed the intervention is to the specific needs of an offender, the greater the impact will be. Therefore, pre-screening tests for the constructs discussed may be able to more accurately assess an offenders’ suitability for a programme, or indeed tailor it to meet the specific needs of that person.
Practical implications
These findings may enable practitioners to more accurately assess offenders’ suitability for interventions aimed at reducing offending behaviours by improving levels of prosociality and develop more focussed programmes to meet the specific needs of individual offenders to reduce re-offending.
Social implications
As recommended in the study, a more tailored approach to offender rehabilitation may be a potential aid to reducing levels of recidivism.
Originality/value
The present study adds to the literature as it is the first to consider whether the constructs of executive functioning can predict levels of theory of mind, empathic understanding and moral reasoning and so provide a more accurate method in assessing the cognitive abilities of offenders prior to participation in rehabilitative interventions.
Details
Keywords
Karin Weber, Graham L. Bradley and Beverley Sparks
Owners, managers and employees may be criticized personally and professionally by consumers in online reviews, and may suffer emotional and burnout consequences. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Owners, managers and employees may be criticized personally and professionally by consumers in online reviews, and may suffer emotional and burnout consequences. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of customer-generated negative online reviews on hospitality employees.
Design/methodology/approach
This research analyzed the effects of traditional face-to-face customer-related social stressors, as well as a newly added negative online review (NOR) stressor, on anger and burnout in a sample of 418 US hospitality workers.
Findings
Structural equation modeling revealed that, after taking into account the contribution of customer-related social stressors, receipt of NORs predicts anger and anger mediates the relationships between NOR-receipt and two indices of burnout.
Practical implications
This research extends our understanding of social stressors that apply to workers in the hospitality industry. It offers strategies for managing the threats and optimizing the opportunities, provided by negative online reviews.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first studies that provide evidence of the personal impact of NORs on hospitality industry employees, thereby extending our understanding of social stressors that apply to workers in this industry.
Details
Keywords
Mary Nassimbeni and Karin de Jager
Contributes to the Global Information Virtual Conference by examining training needs in the higher education sector which will be engendered by the information revolution in the…
Abstract
Contributes to the Global Information Virtual Conference by examining training needs in the higher education sector which will be engendered by the information revolution in the developing world. Focuses on the situation in South Africa, and considers a number of social processes that are driving developments in higher education.
Details
Keywords
Razia Shaukat, Amna Yousaf and Karin Sanders
The purpose of this paper is to offer insights regarding the consequences of relationship conflict among employees in terms of their task performance, contextual performance and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to offer insights regarding the consequences of relationship conflict among employees in terms of their task performance, contextual performance and turnover intentions. Utilizing a resource depletion approach in the backdrop of Conservation of Resources theory, it is hypothesized that the three-dimension burnout (exhaustion, cynicism and interpersonal strain) play a mediating role in influencing the linkages between relationship conflict and outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 306 telecom engineers and their supervisors and analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the interrelationships among the study constructs.
Findings
Results indicated that relationship conflict is negatively related to task performance and contextual performance and positively relates to turnover intentions, and that the three dimensions of job burnout, i.e. exhaustion, cynicism and interpersonal strain at work, distinctively mediate the linkages between relationship conflict, task and contextual performance and turnover intentions.
Originality/value
This study explores how relationship conflict transmits its effect to job performance and turnover intentions through mediation of burnout. All in all, the findings have important practical as well as theoretical implications for managers and academicians alike.
Details
Keywords
Reto Felix and Karin Braunsberger
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of intrinsic religious orientation (IRO) on environmental attitudes (EA) and green product purchases (GPP) in Mexico.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of intrinsic religious orientation (IRO) on environmental attitudes (EA) and green product purchases (GPP) in Mexico.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses structural equation modeling to analyze the survey results of 242 consumers from Northern Mexico.
Findings
The results of the study show a significant influence of EA on purchasing green products. In addition, the findings suggest that consumers with higher levels of IRO have a higher propensity to buy environmentally-friendly products, but do not show more favorable attitudes toward the environment than less-religious consumers.
Research limitations/implications
The study relies on a convenience sample from Northern Mexico. Further, the study relies on self-reported measures of green product purchase (GPP) and future research should incorporate real purchases of green products in addition to self-reported measures.
Practical implications
The findings of the study imply that marketers and policy makers striving to increase the purchasing of green products should try to induce positive attitude changes concerning the protection of the natural environment and the effectiveness of buying green products.
Social implications
Since religiosity in Mexico influences the purchasing of green products positively, policy makers may reflect on what parts of current Catholic social norms could be leveraged to promote green behaviors among the general Mexican population. Social institutions and change agents, such as the Church and its representatives, may be central to achieving behavioral compliance to environmentally-friendly doctrines.
Originality/value
Investigating the factors that influence consumers’ environmentally-friendly attitudes and behaviors in emerging economies is imperative for attenuating the negative environmental consequences of economic growth and consumption.
Details
Keywords
Spiros P. Gounaris and Karin Venetis
Building on previous studies which suggested that trust is a critical factor in facilitating exchange relationships, the authors investigate with empirically derived data the role…
Abstract
Building on previous studies which suggested that trust is a critical factor in facilitating exchange relationships, the authors investigate with empirically derived data the role of service quality and customer bonding as antecedents of trust in relatively newer vis‐à‐vis a relatively mature relationship between the provider of business‐to‐business services and the client. The findings presented here show that the time element is critical to the effect that both service quality and successful customer bonding bear in trust development. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest that not all dimensions of the quality of the service offered by the provider contribute equally in the provider’s trustworthiness. Similarly, specific customer bonding techniques foster the extent to which the client trusts the service provider while others do not have an impact on the trustworthiness of the provider.
Details