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Drawing on the literature on brand–consumer relations in an attempt to apply the concept of brand love to a city tourism destination, this paper aims to explore the antecedents and consequences of city brand love.

Based on quantitative research and cluster sampling, study data was collected from 330 international tourists who visited six Iran cities. The research model is tested using partial least square structural equation modeling.

According to the results, city brand attractiveness, city brand identification and memorable city brand experience are the antecedents of city brand love. Moreover, the city brand attractiveness, both directly and indirectly through memorable experiences and identification with the city brand, is one of the antecedents of city brand love. Finally, the results suggest that word of mouth and revisit intention are major behavioral outcomes of city brand love.

By providing a validated conceptual model that traces the antecedents and consequences of city brand love, this study attempts to answer prior calls for examination from the viewpoint of city tourism scholars.

本研究基于定量研究和整群抽样, 研究数据来自访问伊朗六个城市的330名国际游客。研究采用偏最小二乘结构方程模型对研究模型进行了检验。

借鉴品牌-消费者关系的相关文献, 本研究试图将品牌爱的概念应用于一个城市旅游目的地, 探讨城市品牌喜爱的前因和后果。

结果表明, 城市品牌吸引力、城市品牌辨识度和令人难忘的城市品牌体验是城市品牌喜爱的前因。城市品牌吸引力通过城市品牌直接或间接通过难忘体验和认同产生, 是城市喜爱的前因。最后, 研究结果表明, 口碑和重访意愿是城市品牌喜爱的主要行为结果。

通过提供一个经过验证的概念模型, 追溯城市品牌喜爱的前因后果, 本研究试图从城市旅游学者的角度回答先前检验的呼吁。

A partir de una investigación cuantitativa y muestreo por conglomerados, los datos del estudio se recogieron de 330 turistas internacionales que visitaron seis ciudades iraníes. El modelo conceptual se analizó mediante un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales de mínimos cuadrados parciales (PLS).

Basándose en la literatura sobre las relaciones entre marca y consumidor para aplicar el concepto de amor de marca a una ciudad como destino turístico, la presente investigación analiza los antecedentes y las consecuencias del amor de marca de ciudad.

Conforme a los resultados, el atractivo de la marca ciudad, la identificación con la marca ciudad y la experiencia memorable con la marca ciudad son los antecedentes del amor a la marca ciudad. Adicionalmente, el atractivo de la marca ciudad, tanto directa como indirectamente a través de las experiencias memorables y la identificación con la marca ciudad, es uno de los antecedentes del amor por la marca ciudad. Finalmente, los resultados sugieren que la comunicación boca-oído y la intención de volver a visitar la ciudad son los principales resultados comportamentales del amor de marca de ciudad.

Al proporcionar un modelo conceptual validado que analiza los antecedentes y las consecuencias del amor de marca de ciudad, este estudio trata de responder a las llamadas para su estudio desde la óptica del turismo urbano.

This study explores the effect of organizational identification (OID) on organizational innovativeness (OINN) in universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) of Iran, mediated by organizational risk-taking capability (ORTC).

A questionnaire was designed and distributed in universities and HEIs in three geographical regions of Iran. The sample includes deans of faculties, their assistants, and heads of departments, and heads, assistants, and employees of research and education offices. The authors determined the reliability and validity of the scales and used structural equation modeling to develop the conceptual model and to test hypothesized relationships.

The results show that the OID has a positive impact on the ORTC and OINN in universities and HEIs of Iran. Furthermore, the ORTC played a partially mediating role between the OID and OINN.

This study can lead to a theory of the effect of the OID on the OINN in higher education (HE) system, mediated by the ORTC. It can support practitioners working in the HE system as they create a climate that welcomes uncertainties, ambiguities, failures and mistakes in a risk-taking spirit and develop an innovation culture open to new things and generate ideas. Such a culture is rooted in a distinct organizational identity. The researchers recommend that the promising results of this study be pursued in a larger sample and also in universities and HEIs of other countries.

This study develops an understanding of the role of the OID with the university in fostering, enhancing and embedding the ORTC into university, and as a result, promoting its innovativeness culture.

Because the success of m-payment services depends on the enablers and barriers that affect user satisfaction, the present research explores the effects of perceived value and sacrifices on users' satisfaction with m-payment services. The predicted relationships among perceived value, perceived sacrifices, users' satisfaction, continuance intention, word-of-mouth (WOM), shopping effectiveness, quality of life (QOL) and stickiness were established based on the mobile technology acceptance model (MTAM) and the value-based adoption model (VAM).

A representative data sample of 430 Egyptian banking clients was analyzed to test the hypotheses using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The findings revealed that all perceived value constructs significantly positively affect users' satisfaction. Moreover, all perceived sacrifice constructs significantly negatively affect users' satisfaction. Users' satisfaction, in turn, has a significant positive effect on continuance intention, WOM, shopping effectiveness, QOL and stickiness with m-payment services.

This is the first study to examine several levels of m-payment outcomes, including m-payment, consumer and bank outcomes, based on the integration of MTAM and VAM models.

In the era of digital disruption and customer loyalty loss, it has become even more important to shape the experience journey of a firm’s stakeholders. The benefits of experience data (XD) analysis for a competitive advantage and firm performance are well proven in the business-to-customer context. Therefore, this study aims to explore the limited exploitation of XD in the business-to-business (B2B) context.

The data of 338 B2B firms is generated through computer-assisted telephone interviewing using a structured interview guideline. A Mann–Whitney U test and binary linear regression are applied to test hypotheses derived from literature.

The results suggest that XD non-collectors see XD increase efficiency, whereas XD collectors view XD strategically beyond customer data. Additionally, the successful application of XD in firms can be fostered by connecting XD with operational data through digitalised processes, strategic usage and data collection at certain defined points of time.

This study contributes to the understanding of XD perception between collectors and non-collectors and develops determinants for the successful application of XD management. Based on the results, B2B marketing executives from academics and practice can foster the implementation of XD management to improve all firm’s stakeholders’ experiences. In this way, this study contributes to the understanding of managing not only customers’ but other stakeholders’ experiences.

The state of interactive digital technology is evolving rapidly and has shifted the ways in which customers shop dramatically. This trend heightens the need for research that examines the latest interactive digital technology tools adopted in fashion retailing. In response, the purpose of this paper was to examine fashion retailers’ incorporation of new interactive digital technology – in both online and offline retailing formats, and including new hybrid contexts – and its results in providing new experiential quality that contributes strongly to engage with customers.

The paper first reviews the literature and then proposes the research questions. This is followed by exploratory substantiation of those propositions with the findings from case studies that examined the new interactive digital technology implemented by six leading fashion retailers.

Various digital technology tools implemented in brick-to-click, click-to-brick and brick-and-mortar retailing offer customers a variety of experiential qualities that allow them to co-create products, engage in emotion-driven sensational and personalized shopping experiences and seamless shopping virtually, all of which derive from interactive digital technology implemented to enhance customer engagement.

This research examined the implementation of interactive digital technologies across the full spectrum of the fashion retail settings above. This paper makes an original contribution by adopting a customer-centric perspective and assessing the advantages technology provides to customer’s engagement quality in shopping, which differs from the traditional firm-centric perspective that views technology as a way to innovate retailers’ operations.

The purpose of this paper is to offer a discussion, definition and comprehensive conceptualization of the smart service experience, i.e. the way guests and customers in hospitality and tourism experience and value the use of personalized and pro-active services that the intelligent use of data and technology enable.

Based on prior research on service experience, smart services and the differences between regular and smart services, this paper develops a conceptual framework in which the smart service experience is the central construct.

The characteristics of smart services (the intelligent, anticipatory, and adaptable use of data and technology) permit customers to experience services that previous conceptualizations of the service experience could not capture. The smart service experience provides empowerment, a seamless experience, enjoyment, privacy and security, and accurate service delivery. The paper also discusses challenges that service firms face in employing smart services, and proposes a future research agenda.

Both academics and practitioners expect smart services to revolutionize many industries such as tourism and hospitality. Therefore, research is needed to help understand the way customers experience smart services, what values they derive from them and the way service firms can employ them sensibly to enhance customers’ experiences.

This paper synthesizes insights from the literature on customer experience, smart services and co-creation into a conceptualization of the smart service experience, and distinguishes it from previous conceptualizations of regular services.

This study empirically investigates the influence of students' brand attitudes and perceptions of brand fit on their study intention vis-à-vis international brand alliances and individual brands after alliance.

Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used in data analysis, and a questionnaire was administered to a sample of sub-degree business management students recruited from a self-financing higher education institution in Hong Kong.

The results indicate that students' prior attitudes towards the brands of foreign and local institutions and their perceptions of brand fit positively affect their study intention, providing evidence that post-attitudes towards individual brands fully mediate the relationship between attitudes towards international brand alliances and study intention towards individual institutions.

International brand alliances between higher education institutions are becoming increasingly important. In Hong Kong, despite the emerging trend of collaboration between foreign and local universities, an evaluation of the effect of international brand alliances on study intention has been seriously overlooked.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the lived experiences of the international students using their university’s social media, through a lens of customer engagement (CE) in the services marketing literature.

A case study was conducted in an Australian university. Three semi-structured focus groups with ten international students, along with a preliminary netnographic analysis of the university’s social media account, provided a rich description of the phenomenon in the real-world context.

The results suggest that these students are likely to engage in their university’s social media as part of their acculturation and social identity construction strategy. Their engagement was cognitive and emotional, being influenced by the instrumental value of the social media page, engagement with campus rituals and artefacts, social identity and bonds with other students and perceptions of the page administrator. Furthermore, these students’ engagement influenced their identification with the university and its student community, manifested in a sense of belonging and pride.

The paper contributes to the higher education literature by offering relationship implications of social media CE. Limitations include small sample size and the single institutional context.

The paper informs student communication practice, especially the design of university-initiated social media content and policy.

Universities and faculties today use social media to engage with students outside classrooms. However, little has been known about how international student sojourners view and respond to such initiatives. The paper addresses this gap by offering insight into how they engage with their university on social media and its relationship implications.

This research aims (i) to assess the level of customer satisfaction and loyalty to self-service technologies and Auchan Retail Portugal, (ii) to identify the determinants of customer satisfaction and loyalty to these technologies and also, (iii) to identify their influence on customer loyalty to this modern distribution retailer operating in Portugal.

A conceptual model was defined to meet the research objectives and to carry out the quantitative analysis applied to the random sample (n = 483) of customers. The data used where gathered via an online questionnaire survey, which covered all dimensions of the conceptual model, applied in 2021 in Portugal. To validate the hypotheses, Cronbach’s alpha and multiple linear regression models were used.

The results reveal that customer satisfaction with self-service technologies has a direct and positive effect on customer loyalty to Auchan Retail Portugal. Furthermore, results reveal that the technology utility factors significantly influence the customer technology experience which has an impact on perceived service quality and perceived risk. The findings of this research provide data on how to improve customer adoption and satisfaction with self-service technology and highlight that these technologies should be part of firm’s competitive strategy.

This study presents itself as a novelty for science, while granting important contributions to the retailer. It presents an innovative conceptual model that delivers to Auchan the basis for it to move toward smart retail technologies, aiming at the market trend of personalization. For future research, this study can be used as an instrument to evaluate the customer experience with self-service technology and to examine the determinants and effects of self-service technology separately.

Innovative restaurant service designs impart food wellbeing to diners. This research comprehends customer aspirations and concerns in a restaurant-dining experience to develop a service design that enhances the dining experience using the design thinking approach and evaluates its efficiency using the Taguchi method of robust design.

The sequential incidence technique defines diners' needs, which, followed by brainstorming sessions, helped create multiple service designs with important attributes. Prototype narration, as a scenario, acted as the stimulus for evaluators to respond to the WHO-5 wellbeing index scale. Scenario-based Taguchi experiment with nine foodservice attributes in two levels and the wellbeing score as the response variable helped identify levels of critical factors that develop better FWB.

The study identified the best combination of factors and their preferred levels to maximize FWB in a restaurant. Food serving hygiene, followed by information about cuisine specification, and food movement in the restaurant, were important to FWB. The experiment revealed that hygiene perceptions are critical to FWB, and service designs have a significant role in it. Consumers prefer detailed information about the ingredients and recipe of the food they eat; being confident that there will be no unacceptable ingredients added to the food inspires their FWB.

Theoretically, this study contributes to the growing body of literature on design thinking and transformative service research, especially in the food industry.

This paper details a simple method to identify and evaluate important factors that optimize FWB in a restaurant. The proposed methodology will help service designers and technology experts devise settings that consider customer priorities and contribute to their experience.

This study helps to understand the application of design thinking and the Taguchi approach for creating robust service designs that optimize FWB.