Search results

Self‐scanning technology is being tested by major supermarket chains as well as other types of retailers across the world, but the success of the new technology from the consumer’s perspective is not yet clear. This study investigates consumer reasons for both using and avoiding self‐scanning checkouts with a view to addressing these practitioner issues. In addition, the study advances theory on consumer motivation and behavior related to technology‐based self‐service in general. Factors driving preference or avoidance of self‐scanning checkouts include attributes of self‐scanners, consumer differences, and situational influences. Reasons for preference of other types of technology‐based self‐service over traditional service alternatives are also explored to determine motivational and behavioral patterns across service contexts. A combination of research methods is used to investigate these issues and offers richer findings than any one method used alone. Implications are discussed for managerial strategy as well as for future research.

This paper aims to report on an exploratory study investigating supply chain security orientation (SCSO), a firm‐level construct addressing companies' multiple approaches toward mitigation of supply chain security breaches and supply chain risk management.

Structured interviews were conducted with managers who were responsible for firms' supply chain security efforts. The resulting data were content analyzed and critical themes presented depicting SCSO.

Key antecedents, outcomes, and moderating conditions were identified based on the qualitative data. Four primary dimensions of the SCSO concept are revealed.

The major contribution of the paper is the delineation of the components of SCSO, which appear to be pervasive across firms. Additionally, several drivers of SCSO are identified, and SCSO is linked to positive financial and customer outcomes, as well as supply chain continuity.

Technology‐based self‐service is growing at a tremendous rate all over the world, but a strong unifying theory to understand this form of service is lacking. Proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework that incorporates several well‐known attitudinal theories to explain the pivotal role of attitudes in influencing intentions and behavior related to technology‐based self‐service. The framework makes it possible to understand and predict better consumer decisions related to using technology‐based self‐service by thoroughly examining underlying consumer attitudes. Uses the Internet to illustrate how our framework can be applied to study consumer behavior related to a specific technology‐based self‐service. Draws on insights from the extant literature on technology‐based self‐service and also incorporates the many unique characteristics of the Internet that have implications for theory. Discusses practical implications of our model for marketers and provides directions for future research on technology‐based self‐service in general and the Internet in particular. With its integrative approach to theory, also contributes to the attitudinal literature.

Despite the growing importance of logistics in corporate strategy and the global economy, the logistics literature reveals little effort to build a unified theory of logistics (i.e. a theory of the role of logistics in the firm). Thus, the purpose of this paper is to move toward a unified theory of logistics within the contexts of the strategic role and capabilities of logistics. Considering the importance of logistics in today's corporate strategy, various theories of the firm are adapted to explain the reasons for logistics activities within the firm. The proposed theory should serve as a conceptual reference point for future theory development and empirical research in logistics.

Conversational agents (chatbots, avatars and robots) are increasingly substituting human employees in service encounters. Their presence offers many potential benefits, but customers are reluctant to engage with them. A possible explanation is that conversational agents do not make optimal use of communicative behaviors that enhance relational outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to identify which human-like communicative behaviors used by conversational agents have positive effects on relational outcomes and which additional behaviors could be investigated in future research.

This paper presents a systematic review of 61 articles that investigated the effects of communicative behaviors used by conversational agents on relational outcomes. A taxonomy is created of all behaviors investigated in these studies, and a research agenda is constructed on the basis of an analysis of their effects and a comparison with the literature on human-to-human service encounters.

The communicative behaviors can be classified along two dimensions: modality (verbal, nonverbal, appearance) and footing (similarity, responsiveness). Regarding the research agenda, it is noteworthy that some categories of behaviors show mixed results and some behaviors that are effective in human-to-human interactions have not yet been investigated in conversational agents.

By identifying potentially effective communicative behaviors in conversational agents, this study assists managers in optimizing encounters between conversational agents and customers.

This is the first study that develops a taxonomy of communicative behaviors in conversational agents and uses it to identify avenues for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate empirically the impact of intrafirm resources, interfirm relationships, and logistics service capabilities on logistics performance (LP) in the context of container logistics.

Factor analysis was employed to identify the key intrafirm resources (i.e. tangible assets and intangible assets), interfirm relationships (i.e. communication (COM) and long-term relationships), logistics service capabilities (i.e. service efficiency, service reliability, service flexibility, and value-added service), and LP dimensions. Data were collected from a survey of container shipping service providers, and were analyzed by a structural equation model to test the research hypotheses.

The findings show that interfirm relationships and logistics service capabilities act as mediator variables between intrafirm resources and LP.

The results of this research support the application of the general theory on firm-level performance and the resource-based view (RBV) as a lens through which LP can be achieved via logistics service capabilities. In addition, the findings lend empirical support to the capability-building view, which asserts the importance of resource investment and relationship maintenance, and the development of distinctive capabilities to enhance performance.

Container logistics operators should not view their intrafirm resources (including logistics information technology and teamwork organizational culture) or interfirm relationships (including informal COM with key stakeholders and evergreen relationship with key stakeholders) separately; instead, a systems approach should be used.

This research updates the RBV theory by clearly indicating that the overall performance of shipping firms cannot be decided solely by the firm’s own resources. Interfirm relationships and logistics service capabilities are found to be powerful moderators which help shipping firms allocate their resources effectively and thus improve their LP.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the evaluation of desirability/feasibility and adoption intention for the self-service technology of “older” consumers. This study also aims to show that the evaluation of desirability/feasibility and adoption intention varies depending on the type of customer value provided by self-service technology. Moreover, the authors improve the understanding of “older” consumers by comparing the adoption behavior through three proxies that express consumer aging: chronological age, subjective age and future time perspective.

This study was performed as an experimental design by manipulating advertisement messages of self-service technology for online grocery shopping according to customer values. There are two analytic methods applied in this study. First, the current study compares the effects of chronological age, subjective age and the future time perspective on the evaluation and adoption intention of self-service technology by using structural equation modeling. Second, this study examines the moderation effect of customer values by conducting a multi-group analysis.

The results of current research indicate that the future time perspective explains participants’ evaluation and adoption intention of self-service technology compared to chronological age and subjective age. Specifically, participants who perceive their future time to be limited, rather than expansive, negatively assess the expected desirability and feasibility of self-service technology. In addition, the results of the moderation test show that the future time perspective affects more significantly the evaluation and adoption intention of self-service technology when the functional value is emphasized rather than emotional or social value.

The results of this study showed that the effect of future time perspective on expected desirability and feasibility was almost significant in each sub-dimension, but there were relatively few factors influencing trial intention. In this respect, it is necessary to look into the impact of the details of desirability and feasibility along with other variables known to influence the adoption of self-service technology related to aging. It would be meaningful to find and operationalize items that are valid for older consumers, rather than the desirability and feasibility elements typically applied to self-service technology.

This study contributes to the extension of the socioemotional selectivity theory that has been suggested to interpret older consumers’ behaviors. This research applies the concept of future time perspective to the assessment of desirability and feasibility and adoption intention. At the same time, for the marketing managers, the comparison between proxies that represent aging proposes the ways to attract “older” consumers with appropriate emphasis on customer values.

Retailers are increasingly using self-service technologies to improve customer experience and reduce costs. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that could explain the level of continuance intention of mobile self-scanning applications in retail. Based on previous theoretical streams, the present study integrates technology readiness (TR) and service quality into the technology acceptance model.

Using data collected through an online survey of 217 users of a mobile self-scanning application of a large supermarket chain operating in Portugal, the study uses partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses.

The results indicate that the continuance usage of the self-scanning apps is directly driven by users' satisfaction and perceived usefulness. Findings also show that TR has a positive and significant impact on ease of use and perceived usefulness. Ease of use has a positive impact on users' satisfaction and perceived usefulness but has no direct effect on the continuance intention to use the application. Perceived quality has a positive direct effect on satisfaction and a positive indirect effect on continuance intention. Finally, need for interaction has a negative effect on TR.

This work contributes to a better understanding of the emerging market for mobile self-scanning applications in retail applications, particularly relevant in a digital transition context.

The spatial and psychological distance within agri-food chains provides both profit and risk for supply chain members. Grounded on the transaction cost economics (TCE) and institutional theory (IT), the purpose of this paper is to test whether the adoption of multiple supply chains (MSCs), which adopt both traditional and shortened supply chains, can be used to manage uncertainty and mitigate the risk associated with a supply chain.

In order to test the hypothesis, matched questionnaire surveys were developed to collect the data from farm managers and consumers. Completed questionnaires were received from 112 respondents. The hierarchical regression analysis was performed to test hypotheses.

The result shows the positive effects of environmental and behavioral uncertainties on MSC adoption and represents the diminished moderating effects of institutions (industrial and consumption tendency) on the relationship between uncertainties and MSA adoption.

This study only explored producers and their recommended consumers; future studies can undertake questionnaire designs (one producer-to-many consumers) and empirical analyses with analytic hierarchy process theory to reexamine the hypotheses proposed in this study.

MSC adoption is a way to manage uncertainties resulting from spatial and psychological distance in the supply chain. Producers and consumers show their risk preferences by SC adoption after considering pre-constructed societal norms. Therefore, the consumers’ and producers’ choice of a supply chain reflects a process of communicating risk. The adoption of a mixed governance mode (MSC adoption) and accessing information about common practices are two ways to decrease such uncertainties.

There are multiple goals (traceability, fairness, efficiency, well-being) in the food supply chain that may be satisfied by MSC adoption. Therefore, policymakers should understand the different values of various supply chains and facilitate the development of various supply chain modes.

This study integrated the undersocialized and oversocialized perspectives (TCE and IT) to understand how uncertainties of supply chains may be diminished. Based on these perspectives, it found that the adoption of the mixed governance mode and accessing of institutional information are two ways to decrease such uncertainties.

Logistics service quality and customer loyalty have recently become the topic of discussion in both developing and under-developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to understand the logistics service quality factors contributing to customer loyalty in a developing country context.

Data were collected from 250 respondents who were direct or indirect clients of logistics firms, through online questionnaire distribution. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling was used to examine the hypothesized relationships.

The findings of this research revealed that operational logistics service quality (OLSQ) and relational logistics service quality have a significant impact on customer loyalty. Moreover, for enhancing customer loyalty, relationship quality is the key factor.

Research reveals that even in a developing country like Pakistan, it is important for carriers to establish high-level relational and OLSQ to satisfy shipper. It will correspondingly add worth to the discussion in the literature and it shall also provide the basis for future research studies.

The novelty of this paper is logistics service quality and its effect on customer loyalty from the perspective of a developing country, specifically due to geographical importance in the context of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor.