Search results

1 – 10 of 15
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 23 March 2021

Lyndon Lim and Wenjin Vikki Bo

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate an English Proficiency (EP) programme and its efficacy with respect to students' academic performance in a university within a…

1797

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate an English Proficiency (EP) programme and its efficacy with respect to students' academic performance in a university within a multi-lingual context, as the programme had been in effect for some years.

Design/methodology/approach

A quasi-experimental approach was used to study the efficacy of an EP programme in a university within a multilingual context. Data across two academic years were used, along with regression discontinuity design.

Findings

Results suggest that the EP programme had a significant and positive intervention effect on students' initial semester grade point average. The programme effect size was found to be medium to large.

Research limitations/implications

It might be useful to extend the study for one more year for more concrete conclusions. As the study was anchored upon the structure of the 2016 EP programme, any major curricular/structural change to the programme warrants another study.

Practical implications

This study demonstrated that the implementation of EP programmes in higher education institutions is essential not only for international students who are foreign language speakers of English but also for domestic students in English-speaking countries, especially for bi/multilingual speakers.

Originality/value

Previous studies related to the efficacy of EP within higher education have focused on international students who speak English as an additional/foreign language. Further, most studies have focussed on students' self-reported experiences and have yielded disparate findings. This study contributes to scholarship as it addresses the under-researched area related to domestic students who speak English as the first language in a bi/multi-lingual context.

Details

Higher Education Evaluation and Development, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-5789

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 July 2020

Cristina Calvo-Porral and Luis-Miguel Otero-Prada

Mobile services are expanding rapidly, and in this tremendously dynamic environment, companies should provide value-added services to meet users’ demand. In this context, the…

1995

Abstract

Purpose

Mobile services are expanding rapidly, and in this tremendously dynamic environment, companies should provide value-added services to meet users’ demand. In this context, the study aims to determine whether different user groups exist in this market and profile them.

Methodology

Based on the information of 568 mobile service users, a research was developed in the context of a mature mobile services market – Spain. A behavior-based cluster analysis is developed by means of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), followed by two-step clustering. Then, an ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests are conducted to confirm differences among the obtained clusters.

Findings

The study findings show that mobile service users cannot be perceived as a homogenous group, as different users with different behaviors coexist in this market. More specifically, four behavior-based segments emerge in the mobile service sector: “service connoisseurs,” “uninvolved pragmatics,” “potential switchers” and “delighted loyal”; “potential switchers” being the most challenging segment for mobile service companies.

Value

This study reports mobile service users’ heterogeneity; and in turn, mobile service managers should consider customers as four different types, instead of considering them as one single customer.

Propósito

Los servicios móviles se están expandiendo rápidamente y en este entorno tremendamente dinámico, las compañías de servicios móviles deberían de proporcionar servicios de valor añadido para satisfacer la demanda de sus usuarios. En este contexto, esta investigación tiene como objetivo determinar si existen diferentes grupo de usuarios en este mercado y aportar su pefil.

Metodología

Sobre la base de información de 568 usuarios de servicios móviles se lleva a cabo una investigación en el contexto de un mercado de servicios móviles maduro –España-. Se lleva a cabo un análisis clúster basado en el comportamiento de los usuarios, mediante un análisis factorial confirmatorio (CFA), seguido de un análisis clúster bi-etápico. A continuación, se realizan un test Anova y un test pos hoc de Tuckey para confirmar las diferencias entre los grupos obtenidos.

Resultados

Los resultados de la investigación muestran que los usuarios de servicios móviles no pueden ser percibidos como un grupo homogéneo, ya que en este mercado coexisten diferentes usuarios con diferentes comportamientos. Más específicamente, cuatro segmentos de usuarios surgen en el sector de los servicios móviles basados en su comportamiento: “conocedores del servicio”, “pragmáticos no involucrados”, “potenciales cambiadores de servicio” y “leales encantados”, siendo “potenciales cambiadores de servicio” los que presentan un mayor desafío las empresas de servicios móviles.

Valor

Este estudio muestra la heterogeneidad de los usuarios de servicios móviles, y por tanto, los gestores de los servicios móviles deben considerar a sus clientes como cuatro tipos diferentes, en lugar de considerarlos como un único tipo de cliente.

研究目的

移动服务正在迅速扩张,在这个巨大的动态环境中,企业应该提供增值服务来满足用户的需求。在此背景下,本研究旨在确定该市场是否存在不同的用户群体,并对其进行分析。

研究方法

基于568名移动服务用户的信息,在一个成熟的移动服务市场(西班牙)的背景下开展了本次研究。通过确认性因子分析(CFA)进行基于行为的聚类分析,然后进行两步聚类。最后,方差分析和事后Tukey检验被用于确认获得的聚类之间的差异。

研究结果

研究结果表明,移动服务用户不能被看作是一个同质的群体,因为在这个市场上共存着不同的用户,他们具有不同的行为。具体来说,移动服务领域可以划分为基于用户行为的四个细分市场:"服务行家"、"不参与的实用主义者"、"潜在的转换者 "和 "愉悦的忠诚者";其中,"潜在的转换者 "是对移动服务企业来说最具挑战性的细分市场。

研究价值

本研究报告了移动服务用户的异质性;反过来,移动服务管理者应该考虑把客户划分为四种不同的类型,而不是将他们视为一个单一的整体。

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 February 2024

Santiago Gutiérrez-Broncano, Jorge Linuesa-Langreo, Mercedes Rubio-Andrés and Miguel Ángel Sastre-Castillo

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…

Abstract

Purpose

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.

Design/methodology/approach

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.

Findings

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.

Practical implications

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.

Originality/value

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.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 February 2019

Isabel Sánchez García and Rafael Curras-Perez

The purpose of this paper is to study the drivers of service provider switching intention other than satisfaction and, additionally, analyse the moderating role of the type of…

5816

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the drivers of service provider switching intention other than satisfaction and, additionally, analyse the moderating role of the type of service (utilitarian vs hedonic). Specifically, the authors study the effects of alternative attractiveness, post-purchase regret, anticipated regret and past switching behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

A representative survey with 800 consumers of mobile phone services (utilitarian) and holiday destinations (hedonic) was carried out.

Findings

Satisfaction is not a significant antecedent of switching intention in the hedonic service and its effect is marginal in the utilitarian service. In the utilitarian service, the main predictor of switching intention is post-purchase regret, whereas in the hedonic service, the main determinants of switching intention are past switching behaviour and anticipated regret.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this study is the analysis of the determinants of provider switching behaviour that may explain abandonment by satisfied customers, to see if their influence is greater or smaller than that of satisfaction itself, which has been the most analysed variable. Furthermore, there are expected to be differences between utilitarian and hedonic services, an aspect which is also studied in this work.

Details

European Journal of Management and Business Economics, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2444-8494

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 August 2021

Lukas Zenk, Dirk J. Primus and Stephan Sonnenburg

Do LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) workshops result in improved experience of flow components as well as higher levels of creative output than traditional meetings (MEET)? This research…

2911

Abstract

Purpose

Do LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) workshops result in improved experience of flow components as well as higher levels of creative output than traditional meetings (MEET)? This research studies the extent to which LSP, as a specialized material-mediated and process-oriented cocreative workshop setting, differs from MEET, a traditional workshop setting. Hypotheses for differences in individual flow components (autotelic behavior, happiness, balance), group flow components (equal participation, continuous communication) and creative output were developed and tested in a quasi-experimental comparison between LSP and MEET.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted with 39 practitioners in six teams from various industries. In total, 164 observations were collected during two workshops using the Experience Sampling Method. The creative output was assessed by peer evaluations of all participants, followed by structural analysis and quantitative group comparisons.

Findings

The results show that two components of individual flow experience (autotelic behavior, happiness) were significantly higher in LSP, and one of the components of group flow experience (continuous communication) was, as expected, significantly lower. Regarding creative output, the LSP teams outperformed the MEET teams. The study suggests that a process-oriented setting that includes time for individuals to independently explore their ideas using a different kind of material in the presence of other participants has a significant influence on the team result.

Practical implications

LSP can improve the components of participants' flow experience to have an impact on the creative output of teams. In cocreative settings like LSP, teams benefit from a combination of alone time and high-quality collaborative activities using boundary objects and a clear process to share their ideas.

Originality/value

This is the first quasi-experimental study with management practitioners as participants to compare LSP with a traditional and widespread workshop approach in the context of flow experience and creative output.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 25 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 January 2021

Minh T.H. Le

The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it aims to clarify the moderating role of self-esteem (SE) and susceptibility to normative influence (SNI) in the relationship…

23084

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it aims to clarify the moderating role of self-esteem (SE) and susceptibility to normative influence (SNI) in the relationship between brand love and brand loyalty. Second, the study proposes modeling the mediation role of brand love and outlining how SE and SNI affect the consumer-brand relationship. Finally, the study explores the impact of brand love on brand loyalty: the moderating role of self-esteem and social influences, as the literature regarding this is still lacking.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via an online survey, which yielded 218 responses. Structural equation modeling was used to predict the research model.

Findings

The findings indicate that both SE and SNI mediate the relationship between brand love and brand loyalty. Additionally, consumers love the focal brands positively relates to SE and SNI. In return, SE and SNI lead to brand loyalty. The tight relationship of SE and SNI affects the connection between brand love and brand loyalty.

Research limitations/implications

The data has been collected in Vietnam, which creates a limitation regarding the study’s cross-cultural nature and the economic context. Thus, the study should be conducted in different cultures and economies (both developing and developed countries) to enhance the generalizability in consumer-brand relationships.

Practical implications

Brand managers should conduct more advertising in brand communities to enhance the influence of SNI and emphasize unique features of the brands, to attract consumers through the overlap of SE.

Social implications

The findings can contribute to enhancing unique brand identity and self-motivation will increase consumer loyalty, increasing the revenue of a specific brand. Moreover, as acceptable peers contribute to making purchase decisions, boosting the brand community will maintain current consumers and attract additional potential consumers from the current consumer relationships.

Originality/value

This study contributes to consumer psychology by indicating both SNI and SE as the mediators in the relationship between brand love and brand loyalty and how the consumer-brand relationship can be enabled.

Propósito

El propósito de este trabajo es triple. En primer lugar, pretende aclarar el papel moderador de la autoestima (SE) y la susceptibilidad a la influencia normativa (SNI) en la relación entre el amor y la lealtad a la marca. En segundo lugar, el estudio propone modelar el papel mediador del amor a la marca y esbozar cómo la autoestima y la SNI afectan a la relación consumidor-marca. Por último, el estudio explora los factores que afectan a la relación entre el amor a la marca y la lealtad a la misma, ya que aún no existe literatura al respecto.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Los datos se recogieron mediante una encuesta en línea, que arrojó 218 respuestas. Se utilizó el modelo de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM) para predecir el modelo de investigación.

Hallazgos

Los hallazgos indican que tanto la autoestima como la SNI median la relación entre el amor y la lealtad a la marca. Además, el amor de los consumidores por las marcas focales se relaciona positivamente con la autoestima y la SNI. En cambio, la autoestima y la SNI conducen a la lealtad a la marca. La estrecha relación de la autoestima y la SNI afecta la conexión entre el amor a la marca y la lealtad a la misma.

Limitaciones de la investigación

Los datos se han recogido en Vietnam, lo que crea una limitación en cuanto a la naturaleza transcultural del estudio y el contexto económico. Así pues, el estudio debería realizarse en diferentes culturas y economías (tanto de países en desarrollo como desarrollados) para aumentar la posibilidad de generalización en las relaciones entre consumidores y marcas.

Implicaciones prácticas

Los gerentes de marca deberían hacer más publicidad en las comunidades de marcas para aumentar la influencia de la SNI y hacer hincapié en las características singulares de las marcas, a fin de atraer a los consumidores mediante la superposición de la autoestima.

Implicaciones sociales

Las conclusiones pueden contribuir a mejorar la identidad de una marca única, y la automotivación aumentará la lealtad de los consumidores, incrementando los ingresos de una marca específica. Además, como los pares aceptables contribuyen a la toma de decisiones de compra, el impulso de la comunidad de marcas mantendrá a los consumidores actuales y atraerá a otros consumidores potenciales de las relaciones de consumo actuales.

Originalidad/valor

Este estudio contribuye a la psicología del consumidor al indicar que tanto la SNI como la autoestima son los mediadores en la relación entre el amor y la lealtad a la marca y la forma en que se puede habilitar la relación consumidor-marca.

研究目的

摘要

本文有三方面的研究目的。第一,明确自尊(SE)和易受规范影响(SNI)在品牌喜爱与品牌忠诚关系中的调节作用。第二,建立品牌喜爱的中介作用模型,并概述SE和SNI如何影响消费者与品牌的关系。最后,探讨品牌喜爱对品牌忠诚度的影响:自尊和社会影响因素的调节作用,目前有关这方面的文献还比较缺乏。

研究方法

通过在线调查收集数据,共收到218份答复。采用结构方程模型进行预测研究模型。

研究结果

研究结果表明,自尊和易受规范影响都对品牌喜爱和品牌忠诚度之间的关系起到了调节作用。此外,消费者对焦点品牌的喜爱与自尊和易受规范影响具有正相关关系。反过来,自尊和易受规范影响又会导致品牌忠诚。自尊和易受规范影响的紧密关系影响了品牌喜爱和品牌忠诚之间的联系。

研究局限性

由于本次研究数据是在越南收集的,造成了研究的跨文化性质和经济背景的局限性。因此,未来的研究可以在不同的文化和经济体(包括发展中国家和发达国家)进行,以提高关于消费者与品牌关系结论的普遍性。

实际意义

品牌管理者可以在品牌社区中增强广告宣传,提高易受规范影响的影响力,同时强调品牌的独特性,与自尊因素相结合来吸引消费者。

社会意义

本文研究结果有助于增强独特的品牌识别和自我激励,提高消费者的忠诚度,增加特定品牌的收入。此外,由于合适的同伴有助于消费者做出购买决策,提升品牌社区可以维持现有消费者,并通过现有消费者关系吸引更多的潜在消费者。

研究价值

本研究提出了自尊和易受规范影响是品牌喜爱和品牌忠诚关系的调节变量,并且进一步阐释了它们如何促成消费者与品牌的关系,从而为消费者心理学做出了贡献。

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 30 November 2023

Pedro Pineda

I historically compare changes in institutional frameworks creating academic positions linked to temporary employment by analyzing university employment statistics in Chile…

Abstract

I historically compare changes in institutional frameworks creating academic positions linked to temporary employment by analyzing university employment statistics in Chile, Colombia, Germany, and the USA. I find that temporary academic positions were institutionalized through the creation of previously inexistent academic categories called a contrata in Chile, de cátedra in Colombia, “junior professor” without tenure in Germany and “postdoc” in the USA; used in higher education and employment laws since 1989, 1992, 2002, and 1974, respectively. Under institutional frameworks demanding the maximization of students and research, universities have increasingly contracted academics through temporary contracts under rationales that differ between regions. In Colombia and Chile, public university leaders and owners of private universities contract such teaching positions to expand student numbers through lowering costs. In Germany and the USA, employment insecurity is mostly driven by temporary scientific positions under a main rationale of scientific expansion. The share of temporary positions has increased exponentially in Colombia and Germany in recent decades, whereas in the USA there has only been an increase since 2012. Moreover, in Chile, the share of permanent positions has decreased since 2012. The common trend is one of isomorphism of vertical academic structures sharing a pyramidal form, with a wide base of academics working under conditions of contractual insecurity. Such trends follow a rationale for maximization of student numbers as well as administration, and scientific production that is in tension with prioritizing wellbeing and improvement of academics’ working conditions. Yet, in these environments, the institution of tenure in the USA and recent Chilean regulations on accreditation represent mechanisms counteracting precarious employment.

Details

University Collegiality and the Erosion of Faculty Authority
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80455-814-0

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 July 2023

Moh. Wahyudin, Chih-Cheng Chen, Henry Yuliando, Najihatul Mujahidah and Kune-Muh Tsai

The food industry is continuously developing its online services called food delivery applications (FDAs). This study aims to evaluate FDA's importance–performance and identify…

1744

Abstract

Purpose

The food industry is continuously developing its online services called food delivery applications (FDAs). This study aims to evaluate FDA's importance–performance and identify strategies to maximize its potential gains from a business partner's perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected from 208 FDA partners in Indonesia. Importance–performance analysis (IPA) is applied to evaluate the FDA feature and extended the theory of potential gain in customer value (PGCV) to achieve potential gains from FDA business partners.

Findings

This study provides a clear and measurable direction for future research to develop FDA performance. Owning customer data, revenue sharing and competitive advantage are the most potential gains from joining the FDA from the business partner perspective.

Research limitations/implications

The respondents are restaurants from the micro, small, and medium enterprises levels. Further research should involve middle to upper level restaurants to discover all business partners' perceptions. This will be very helpful for FDA providers interested in improving the best performance for all their partners.

Practical implications

FDA providers must focus on improving and maintaining the features of owning customer data, revenue sharing, competitive advantage, stable terms and conditions, customer interface, building customer loyalty, online presence, user credit rating, promotion and offers, delivery service and sales enhancement to increase consumer satisfaction and meet the expectations desired by business partners.

Originality/value

This research provides a meaningful theoretical foundation for future work. It extends the theory of PGCV using the value of a partner perspective as a substitute for customer value; hence, the authors call it a potential gain in partner value.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 9 December 2022

Sarah Marschlich and Diana Ingenhoff

For corporate communications, it is crucial to know how news media outlets report and frame the sociopolitical activities of multinational corporations (MNCs), including their…

1831

Abstract

Purpose

For corporate communications, it is crucial to know how news media outlets report and frame the sociopolitical activities of multinational corporations (MNCs), including their corporate diplomacy, that affect perceptions of their legitimacy. Therefore, this study aims to identify how local news media frame corporate diplomacy in a host country and, in turn, benefit the media legitimacy of MNCs.

Design/methodology/approach

To identify media frames in the host country, a quantitative content analysis involving factor and cluster analyses of 385 articles published in newspapers in the United Arab Emirates from 2014 to 2019 addressing the corporate diplomacy of large European MNCs operating in the country was conducted.

Findings

This study identified three media frames, two of which establish moral and pragmatic media legitimacy. Results suggest that media legitimacy grows when news media emphasise institutional relationships between MNCs and local, established organisations and corporate diplomacy's benefits for society.

Practical implications

Findings provide insights into how corporate communications can contribute to legitimacy building by emphasising corporations' relationships with institutional actors in host countries and the benefits of corporate activities for local communities.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study was the first in corporate communications to empirically investigate news media's role in corporate diplomacy and how media frames contribute to the media legitimacy of MNCs at the moral, pragmatic, regulative and cognitive levels.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 October 2021

Petar Gidaković and Vesna Zabkar

Longitudinal studies have shown that consumer satisfaction has increased over the last 15 years, whereas trust and loyalty have decreased during the same period. This finding…

3501

Abstract

Purpose

Longitudinal studies have shown that consumer satisfaction has increased over the last 15 years, whereas trust and loyalty have decreased during the same period. This finding contradicts the trust–value–loyalty model (TVLM), which posits that higher satisfaction increases consumers' trust, value and loyalty levels. To explain this counterintuitive trend, this study draws on models of trust formation to integrate the stereotype content model and the TVLM. It argues that consumers' occupational and industry stereotypes influence their trust, value and loyalty judgments through their trusting beliefs regarding frontline employees and management practices/policies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted among 476 consumers who were randomly assigned to one of five service industries (apparel retail, airlines, hotels, health insurance or telecommunications services) and asked to rate their current service provider from that industry.

Findings

The results suggest that both occupational and industry stereotypes influence consumers' trusting beliefs and trust judgments, although only the effects of industry stereotypes are transferred to consumers' loyalty judgments.

Research limitations/implications

The results of the study indicate that industry stereotypes have become increasingly negative over the last decades, which has a dampening effect on the positive effects of satisfaction.

Practical implications

This study provides guidelines for practitioners regarding the management of frontline employees and the development of consumer trust, value and loyalty.

Originality/value

This is the first study to propose and test an explanation for the counterintuitive trend concerning customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty. It is also the first to examine the roles of multiple stereotypes in the relationship between consumers and service providers.

Details

Journal of Service Management, vol. 32 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-5818

Keywords

1 – 10 of 15