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This empirical paper is an endeavor to explore the relationship between social media advertising (SMA) and customers' purchase intention (CPI) in three South Asian countries. SMA was further divided into three relevant dimensions: perceived relevance (PR), perceived informativeness (PI) and perceived credibility (PC). Furthermore, the authors incorporated a single mediator: customers' brand consciousness (CBC) to test the mediating effects on the direct relationships.

The authors purposively selected 1937 fashion-conscious individuals based on a cross-sectional survey design. The authors applied SPSS 25 for explanatory statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) (through AMOS 25) for testing the hypothesized relationships.

Based on the responses and the application of statistical measures, the authors revealed that all of the three dimensions of SMA have significant positive relationships with CPI. CBC is also significantly and positively related to CPI. Regarding the mediating effects, CBC was identified to have full mediation effects on the relationships between PR and CPI and PI and CPI. On the contrary, the same variable was found to have partial mediation on the relationship between PC and CPI.

South Asia is a growing business hub and the largest consumer market in terms of population. This empirical study was undertaken to reveal the role of SMA on CPI in the three highly populated South Asian countries, which is rare in academia. The outcomes of this empirical study are expected to be useful for further research attempts regarding SMA and consumer behavior. Businesses and policymakers are also expected to benefit from formulating SMA-related strategies to retain present buyers as well as attract the prospective ones.

The earth is facing challenges to work for the survival of human life during domino effect disasters. The emergency resource storage locations should be selected considering the probability of domino effect disasters. The first purpose of this study is to select the storage locations where domino effect probability is less. And second, facility development cost and transportation costs and costs for unutilized capacity have been optimized.

The work is a multiobjective optimization problem and solved with weighted sum approach. At first, the probabilities of domino effect due to natural disasters are calculated based on the earthquake zones. Then with that result along with other necessary data, the location to set up storage facilities and the quantities of resources that need to be transported has been determined.

The work targeted a country, Bangladesh for example. The authors have noticed that Bangladesh is currently storing relief items at warehouse which is under the domino effect prone region. The authors are proposing to avoid this location and identified the optimized cost for setting up the facilities. In this work, the authors pointed out which location has high probability of domino effect and after avoiding this location whether cost can be optimized, and the result demonstrated that this decision can be economical.

Disaster response authorities should try to take necessary proactive steps during cascading disasters. The novelty of this work is determining the locations to select storage facilities if the authors consider the probability of the domino effect. Then a facility location optimization model has been developed to minimize the costs. This paper can support policymakers to assess the strategies for selecting the location of emergency resource facilities.

This paper aims to provide a systematic literature review of the state-of-the-art applications of climate information in humanitarian relief efforts, to further the knowledge of how climate science can be better integrated into the decision-making process of humanitarian supply chains.

A systematic literature review was conducted using a combination of key search terms developed from both climate science and humanitarian logistics literature. Articles from four major databases were retrieved, reduced and analyzed.

The study illustrates the status of application of climate information in humanitarian work, and identifies usability, collaboration and coordination as three key themes.

By delivering an overview of the current applications and challenges of climate information, this literature review proposes a three-phase conceptual framework.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the determinants affecting the adoption behavior of eCourier services and to establish a moderating role of resistance to change between behavioral intention and actual usage behavior.

Data were collected through a survey questionnaire that was distributed to the eCourier users. A total of 260 collected data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling.

The results of the study demonstrate that all the factors considered for the study have a significant impact on the adoption of eCourier except social influence and customer service. The results also confirm that there is no moderating effect of resistance to change in the relationship between behavioral intention and actual usage.

This research provides theoretical contribution by extending the practical knowledge focusing on the adoption intention of eCourier, and actual usage behavior using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model—a pertinent and unresearched topic in the existing literature that presents a number of potential avenues for further study.

This study provides a general understanding of consumers in underdeveloped nations and advances earlier research on the usage of e-commerce in the courier sector.

This study aims to increase the understanding of the drivers of mobile shopping, by analyzing when and how two personality traits – value consciousness and shopping enjoyment – impact mobile shopping intention through usefulness and ease-of-use perceptions.

To test the conditioned indirect effects, path analysis is used.

The results indicate that both consumers’ value consciousness and shopping enjoyment have a positive indirect effect on mobile shopping intention. However, shopping enjoyment is related only through usefulness, whereas value consciousness is related via both usefulness and ease of use. The results also suggest the need to consider boundary conditions when examining the impact of personality traits.

Mobile retailers need to conduct market segmentation based on users’ personalities when trying to increase their customer base.

Despite the relevance of personality traits on individual behavior, studies on the effects that different aspects of personality have on the participation of individuals in mobile commerce are very scarce and show inconsistent results regarding their impact. Thus, this study tries to contribute to the mobile commerce research by analyzing the interplay between two customer characteristics and two mediating variables: ease-of-use and usefulness perceptions.

Esta investigación busca aumentar la comprensión de los antecedentes de las compras móviles, analizando cuándo y cómo dos rasgos de personalidad – conciencia de valor y disfrute por la compra – afectan a la intención de compra móvil a través de las percepciones de utilidad y facilidad de uso.

Para comprobar los efectos indirectos condicionados propuestos se emplea un análisis path.

Los resultados indican que tanto la conciencia de valor como el disfrute por la compra de los consumidores tienen un efecto indirecto positivo en la intención de compra móvil. Sin embargo, el disfrute por la compra se relaciona sólo a través de la utilidad, mientras que la conciencia de valor se relaciona tanto a través de la utilidad como de la facilidad de uso. Los resultados también sugieren la necesidad de considerar factores moderadores al examinar el impacto de los rasgos de personalidad.

Los minoristas a través del móvil que quieran aumentar su base de clientes necesitan segmentar el mercado en base a la personalidad de los usuarios.

A pesar de la relevancia que tienen los rasgos de personalidad en el comportamiento de los individuos, los estudios sobre los efectos de distintos aspectos de la personalidad sobre la participación de los individuos en el comercio móvil son muy escasos y muestran resultados inconsistentes. Así, este estudio intenta contribuir a la investigación sobre comercio móvil analizando la relación entre dos características del consumidor y dos variables mediadoras: las percepciones de facilidad de uso y utilidad.

This study was designed to specifically explore confirmation and perceived usefulness associated with mobile food ordering apps (MFOAs) in consideration of their impacts upon attitudes, satisfaction and intention to continuously use.

The research utilized the convenience sampling to gather data from 250 respondents having prior experience with MFOAs during COVID-19 pandemic period in Bangladesh. The Structural Equation Modeling technique was applied to analyze the data using SmartPLS 3 software.

This study's results showed that customers' perceived confirmation and usefulness were significant in determining their dinning attitudes. Besides, customers' dining attitudes were positively related to e-satisfaction. Finally, the customers’ continuance intention to use MFOAs was significantly influenced by their e-satisfaction.

Restaurants managers should focus on online sales through MFOAs during the pandemic period since social distancing is a key strategy to manage COVID-19. Customers should be assured that the safety measures are undertaken while delivering the food.

This study incorporated the expectation-confirmation theory and technology acceptance model and tested it in the context of MFOAs.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of corporate social responsibility, social media marketing, sales promotion, store environment and perceived value on a purchase decision in the retail sector.

A quantitative research methodology was used and the data were collected from 278 customers of retail stores in Malaysia. The collected data were analysed using SPSS 19 and structural equation modelling on AMOS.

The findings showed that corporate social responsibility has significant positive effects on a purchase decision, whereas sales promotion has a negative effect on purchase decision. The outcomes of this study also indicated that store environment has a significant positive effect on consumers’ purchase decisions. Contrary to expectations, the findings revealed that the effect of social media marketing on purchase decision is insignificant. Finally, the results showed that perceived value has a significant positive effect on a purchase decision.

The findings of this study contribute to an understanding of the importance of the selected factors in affecting a consumer’s purchase decision in the retail industry.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of perceived information and entertainment value, perceived credibility and perceived value on Generation Y consumers’ usage frequency of online consumer reviews.

The paper proposes and tests, with structural equation modelling analysis of moment structures, a research model using data from a large sample of Generation Y consumers.

The results confirm that Generation Y consumers perceive online reviews to be informative, entertaining, credible and valuable, and that they frequently consult such reviews. More specifically, the empirical analysis confirms that perceived information value, perceived entertainment value and perceived credibility significantly influenced the perceived value that Generation Y attach to online consumer reviews, which, in turn, was a significant predictor of their usage frequency of such reviews.

The results highlight the strategic importance of integrating online consumer reviews into the marketing communication mix when targeting Generation Y, together with the necessity of having filtering mechanisms to ensure that only authentic reviews are published and the need to implement tactics to ensure that such reviews are informative and entertaining and, consequently, of value.

This study contributes to marketers’ comprehension of strategically using online consumer reviews when targeting the Generation Y segment.

El objetivo de esta investigación es examinar la influencia del valor de la información, del valor del entretenimiento, la credibilidad y el valor percibido en la frecuencia de uso de las revisiones online de los consumidores por parte de los consumidores de la Generación Y.

Este documento propone y contrasta, a través de los modelos de ecuaciones estructurales (AMOS), un modelo de investigación que utiliza datos de una gran muestra de consumidores de la Generación Y.

Los resultados ponen de relieve la importancia estratégica de integrar las reseñas de consumidores en línea en la combinación de comunicaciones de comercialización al dirigirse a la Generación Y, junto con la necesidad de disponer de mecanismos de filtrado para garantizar que sólo se publiquen reseñas auténticas y la necesidad de aplicar tácticas para asegurar que dichas reseñas sean informativas y entretenidas y, por consiguiente, de valor.

Los resultados destacan la importancia estratégica de integrar las revisiones de los consumidores en línea en el mix de comunicación de marketing cuando se dirigen a la Generación Y, junto con la necesidad de contar con mecanismos de filtrado para garantizar que solo se publiquen revisiones auténticas y también se implementen tácticas para garantizar que las reseñas sean informativas y entretenidas y, en consecuencia, de gran valor.

Este trabajo ayuda a los especialistas de marketing a comprender como pueden utilizar estratégicamente las opiniones de los consumidores online para dirigirse a los consumidores de la Generación Y.

This article introduces the key findings from investigating technology's role in mitigating the business slowdown enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated increased reliance on technological means among Saudi firms and citizens to facilitate business operations and other daily life routines, and the impact of this increase in technology adoption on the Saudi digital ecosystem and creating an inviting environment to digital entrepreneurship.

A qualitative interview methodology is undertaken to understand Saudi managers’ perceptions about the COVID-19 pandemic and digital entrepreneurship.

A significant finding is that now than ever before, the Saudi market is ready to accommodate more digital entrepreneurial ventures and digitalisation support services. Due to the pandemic's negative implications on the Saudi economy and the business slowdown associated with social distancing measures, a substantial increase in digital orientation and a need for technological solutions were noticed among Saudi firms. This means more attention needs to be placed on how Saudi firms can capitalise on the knowledge economy and digital revolution.

Saudi citizens have become more reliant on technology to manage daily activities and shop for their needs, creating opportunities for digital entrepreneurship to serve and fulfil firms' and people's increased demand for technology solutions.

Unforeseen events can disrupt the operational process and negatively impact emergency resources optimization and its supply chain. A limited number of studies have addressed risk management issues in the context of emergency supply chains, and this existing research lacks inbuilt and practical techniques that can significantly affect the reliability of risk management outcomes. Therefore, this paper aims to identify and practically analyze the specific risk factors that can most likely disrupt the normal functioning of the emergency supply chain in disaster relief operations.

This paper has used a three-step process to investigate and evaluate risk factors associated with the emergency supply chain. First, the study conducts a comprehensive literature review to identify the risk factors. Second, the research develops a questionnaire survey to validate and classify the identified risk factors. At the end of this step, the study develops a hierarchical structure. Finally, the research investigates the weighted priority of the validated risk factors using the fuzzy-analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) methodology. Experts were required to provide subjective judgments.

This paper identified and validated 28 specific risk factors prevalent in emergency supply chains. Based on their contextual meanings, the research classified these risk factors into two main categories: internal and external risk factors; four subcategories: demand, supply, infrastructural and environmental risk factors; and 11 risk types: forecast, inventory, procurement, supplier, quality, transportation, warehousing, systems, disruption, social and political risk factors. The most significant risk factors include war and terrorism, the absence of legislative rules that can influence and support disaster relief operations, the impact of cascading disasters, limited quality of relief supplies and sanctions and constraints that can hinder stakeholder collaboration. Therefore, emergency supply chain managers should adopt appropriate strategies to mitigate these risk factors.

This study will contribute to the general knowledge of risk management in emergency supply chains. The identified risk factors and structural hierarchy taxonomic diagram will provide a comprehensive risk database for emergency supply chains.

The research findings will provide comprehensive and systemic support for respective practitioners and policymakers to obtain a firm understanding of the different risk categories and specific risk factors that can impede the effective functioning of the emergency supply chain during immediate disaster relief operations. Therefore, this will inform the need for the improvement of practices in critical aspects of the emergency supply chain through the selection of logistics and supply chain strategies that can ensure the robustness and resilience of the system.

This research uses empirical data to identify, categorize and validate risk factors in emergency supply chains. This study contributes to the theory of supply chain risk management. The study also adopts the fuzzy-AHP technique to evaluate and prioritize these risk factors to inform practitioners and policymakers of the most significant risk factors. Furthermore, this study serves as the first phase of managing risk in emergency supply chains since it motivates future studies to empirically identify, evaluate and select effective strategies that can eliminate or minimize the effects of these risk factors.