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1 – 10 of 48Low Sui Pheng, Liu Jun Ying and Soh Shan Shan
There is little understanding of the pressure, loneliness and homesickness, the workers from Mainland China faced when working overseas in a foreign land like Singapore. The…
Abstract
Purpose
There is little understanding of the pressure, loneliness and homesickness, the workers from Mainland China faced when working overseas in a foreign land like Singapore. The families which the workers left behind in Mainland China when they work in Singapore were also neglected. The purpose of this paper is to examine the wider social aspects relating to Chinese foreign workers in the Singapore construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The research process was based on a questionnaire survey of Chinese construction workers in Singapore. A questionnaire with 45 questions was designed in which the information solicited included the socio‐demographic characteristics of the respondents, the reasons behind their trans‐national migration behaviour, the impact of this migratory behaviour on the workers and their families in Mainland China, and the workers' perceptions of and feelings towards working overseas. In total, 65 fully completed questionnaires were analyzed and reported in the study.
Findings
Supporting the family was the overarching reason for Chinese construction workers to work in Singapore. However, they were unhappy in Singapore owing to: feeling of homesickness, loneliness, long working hours, overtime work and a lack of understanding, empathy and appreciation from the locals.
Originality/value
This paper has taken the first step in exploring the neglected aspects of Chinese construction workers in Singapore. It provides a set of recommendations on how the relevant government authorities, employers and non‐governmental organizations can pay more attention to the emotional and psychological needs of these foreign workers. It also provides a better understanding of these workers to help raise public acceptance of them in society.
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Bao-Guang Chang and Kun-Shan Wu
The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of financial flexibility (FF) on enterprise performance (EP) within Taiwan’s hospitality industry during the COVID-19 shock and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of financial flexibility (FF) on enterprise performance (EP) within Taiwan’s hospitality industry during the COVID-19 shock and explore whether EP varies with hospitality industry characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
Secondary data of 39 Taiwan Stock Exchange-listed hospitality firms were collected from the Taiwan Economic Journal databases. Quantile regression analysis was applied to examine the FF-EP relationship
Findings
The results evidence that there is a U-shaped (convex) FF-EP relationship for hospitality firms in the 10th, 25th and 50th Tobin’s Q quantiles and in asset-heavy firms. For asset-light firms, FF has an inverted U-shaped (concave) effect on EP in the 90th Tobin’s Q quantile
Practical implications
The empirical results highlight the need for Taiwan’s hospitality industry as a whole to take rolling adjustment and optimization of FF and concentrate on liquidity risk management after the COVID-19 pandemic and for long-term sustainability.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to examine the nonlinear FF-EP relationship in the hospitality industry of Taiwan, particularly amid the COVID-19 shock. Moreover, this study extends current literature by revealing the hospitality industry’s FF-EP relationship and highlights the importance of the pandemic crisis context.
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Although India is home to the world’s largest millennial population, so far, hardly any studies exist that explain the key drivers leading to the luxury goods consumption among…
Abstract
Purpose
Although India is home to the world’s largest millennial population, so far, hardly any studies exist that explain the key drivers leading to the luxury goods consumption among this generational cohort. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to develop and empirically test the conceptual framework designed to measure the relationship between luxury value perceptions and purchase intentions among the young Indian luxury consumers, and, second, to examine the moderating effect of gender in the relationship between luxury value perceptions and purchase intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
A purposive sampling technique was employed to collect the data from young luxury fashion consumers. Statistical tests including confirmatory factor analysis, multi-group analysis and structural equation modeling were applied for data analysis.
Findings
The findings show that the conspicuous value is the most significant determinant of luxury purchase intention followed by the experiential value, susceptibility to normative influence and utilitarian value. The uniqueness value was found to have weak relationship with purchase intention. Furthermore, results revealed that the relationship between the luxury values and the luxury buying intentions does not vary significantly between male and female.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies that provides meaningful insights to the academicians and marketing practitioners about why millennials buy luxury fashion brands in emerging markets like India.
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Chih-Hsuan Huang, Chun-Ting Lai, Cheng-Feng Wu, Yii-Ching Lee, Chia-Hui Yu, Hsiu-Wen Hsueh and Hsin-Hung Wu
Gender difference exists in the perception of the patient safety culture in healthcare organizations. A case from a medical center in Taiwan is presented to examine how different…
Abstract
Purpose
Gender difference exists in the perception of the patient safety culture in healthcare organizations. A case from a medical center in Taiwan is presented to examine how different genders perceive the patient safety culture in practice from 2014 to 2017.
Design/methodology/approach
A longitudinal study using the data from 2014 to 2017 is conducted quantitatively. Mann–Whitney U test and one-way analysis of variance are employed for analyses.
Findings
The results showed that female nurses had significantly higher emotional exhaustion than male nurses in 2015 and 2016 indicating male nurses had better fatigue recovery than their female counterparts. In addition, male nurses felt a higher degree of fatigue in 2016 and 2017 than those in 2015 statistically. In contrast, female nurses felt more stressful in 2016 and 2017 than those in 2014 statistically. Female nurses had higher emotional exhaustion in 2016 and 2017 than those in 2014 and 2015 statistically.
Practical implications
To sum up, female nurses were more stressful than before, and their recovery was also relatively poor particularly in 2016 and 2017. There is a need to reduce the degree of fatigue for female nurses in this medical center through employee assistance programs, mindfulness-based stress reduction programs, building up female nurses' positive currency and setting up their appreciative inquiry. In contrast to female nurses, male nurses recovered better from fatigue. This might encourage hospital management to deploy male nurses more effectively in this medical center.
Originality/value
The results enable the hospital management to know there is a gender difference in this case hospital. More attention on female nurses is required.
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The purpose of this article is to aid in the understanding of the influence of social integration (SI) in enterprise information systems (EIS) use.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to aid in the understanding of the influence of social integration (SI) in enterprise information systems (EIS) use.
Design/methodology/approach
An in‐depth case study was carried out, where 40 interviews were collected along with eight informal conversations, five observations, and secondary data from a company with ten years of experience in the management and application of EIS. Informants were EIS users from top management to middle management, different‐user departments, the IT department, as well as the IT vendor.
Findings
A total of six social integration processes and three social integration mechanisms were identified that help to explain the influences of social integration in EIS use.
Research limitations/implications
This research could be further extended to explore other possible social integration processes, enablers or inhibitors which could provide a more comprehensive understanding of EIS usage.
Practical implications
By understanding the concept of SI, practitioners should be able to provide appropriate effort, attention and action which could evolve in the process to optimize productivity and efficiency of EIS use.
Originality/value
The theoretical contribution of this paper is the development of a coherent conceptual social integration (SI) framework to connect the interrelationships among the three social capital dimensions proposed by Nahapiet and Ghoshal.
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Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the…
Abstract
Gives a bibliographical review of the finite element methods (FEMs) applied for the linear and nonlinear, static and dynamic analyses of basic structural elements from the theoretical as well as practical points of view. The range of applications of FEMs in this area is wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore aims to give the reader an encyclopaedic view on the subject. The bibliography at the end of the paper contains 2,025 references to papers, conference proceedings and theses/dissertations dealing with the analysis of beams, columns, rods, bars, cables, discs, blades, shafts, membranes, plates and shells that were published in 1992‐1995.
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Kian Yeik Koay, Weng Marc Lim, Simran Kaur, Kimberly Soh and Wai Ching Poon
This study aims to explore the impact of social media influencers' (SMIs) intimate self-disclosure on consumers' purchase intentions, with a focus on the role of parasocial…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the impact of social media influencers' (SMIs) intimate self-disclosure on consumers' purchase intentions, with a focus on the role of parasocial relationships and congruence among the influencer, product and consumer. The study finds its theoretical foundation in parasocial theory and self-congruency theory.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a quantitative approach, utilizing a sample of 232 collected survey responses. The proposed hypotheses are evaluated using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
Contrary to initial assumptions, the study reveals that parasocial relationships do not mediate the link between SMIs' intimate self-disclosure and purchase intentions. However, an interesting moderating effect was discovered: the congruence between the consumer and the influencer influences the relationship between SMIs' intimate self-disclosure and parasocial relationships, and subsequently, between parasocial relationships and purchase intentions.
Originality/value
This study brings fresh insights by pinpointing a boundary condition that dictates the influence of SMIs' intimate self-disclosure on purchase intentions via parasocial relationships. In doing so, this study provides a novel perspective in understanding the dynamics between SMIs and consumers in the rapidly evolving marketing landscape.
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This study aims to create and deploy new configurations of resources via understanding issues concerning generative knowledge integration (KI) to create a customer‐centric…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to create and deploy new configurations of resources via understanding issues concerning generative knowledge integration (KI) to create a customer‐centric relationship management system.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study of a public‐listed housing developer was conducted to analyze its main issues and conceptualize the underlying generative knowledge integration process.
Findings
Issues concerning generating KI were identified from the case study. The conceptualization of generative KI encompasses three main generative KI mechanisms, knowledge conceptualization, knowledge convergence, and knowledge assimilation, that are connected by three generative KI processes: accessing and exchanging knowledge, articulating and exchanging knowledge, and combining and exchanging knowledge.
Practical implications
The importance of understanding the concept of generative knowledge integration for practitioners is emphasized, and suggestions are given to promote the deployment of knowledge integration generation throughout system development.
Originality/value
The research conducted is unique in that a new model of generative knowledge integration is proposed, contributing to the knowledge integration literature in terms of the uncovering the three new generative KI mechanisms and processes.
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Maha Al Balushi, Mirza Mohammad Didarul Alam and Adam Mohamed Ali Fadlalla
This study aims to assess both internal and external factors that impact consumer attitudes and intentions with regard to the purchase of non-deceptive counterfeits. More…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess both internal and external factors that impact consumer attitudes and intentions with regard to the purchase of non-deceptive counterfeits. More specifically, this study examines the impact of integrity, brand consciousness, performance risk and social risk on the attitude and in turn on the purchase intention of consumers towards non-deceptive counterfeits.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 679 valid responses from the university students in two different Gulf countries, namely, Oman (264) and Qatar (415) were gathered through a self-administered structured questionnaire and analysed through partial least square‐structural equation modeling.
Findings
All the predictors of consumer attitude appeared significant in both country samples except integrity. However, brand consciousness appeared insignificant in the sample of Oman. In addition, Purchase intention towards the non-deceptive counterfeits was significantly predicted by attitude and subjective norm in both samples.
Originality/value
In the domain of non-deceptive counterfeit literature, the findings of the study will substantially add value. Particularly, in the Gulf country context, the impact of internal psychological and external risk factors on the attitude and purchase intention of non-deceptive counterfeits will enhance the insights of existing literature and extend and proof the robustness of the theory of reasoned action.
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Hui Shan Loh, Jia Le Lee, Yimiao Gu, Helen Shanyin Chen and Huay Ling Tay
The introduction of digitalisation in the shipping industry has fundamentally transformed traditional business models. This necessitates an investigation of its impact on customer…
Abstract
Purpose
The introduction of digitalisation in the shipping industry has fundamentally transformed traditional business models. This necessitates an investigation of its impact on customer satisfaction. This study aims to adapt the technology acceptance model in its survey instrument design to understand and evaluate customer satisfaction of shipping lines’ digital platforms.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a mixed-methods approach, incorporating quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Primary data were collected through an online survey designed to measure customer satisfaction in relation to the digitalisation initiatives implemented by the shipping lines. Survey respondents comprised professionals who were online platform users, particularly in the instant spot quotation process and blockchain bill of lading.
Findings
The results for both instant spot quotation process and blockchain bill of lading revealed digital trust to be the most influential determinant of customer satisfaction, followed by perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. There was also a very strong correlation between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness as well as between digital trust and perceived ease of use. The managerial implications of digitalisation are also discussed.
Originality/value
The adoption of digital tools is gaining traction in the container shipping sector, and there exists a need to investigate the correlation between digitalisation and customer satisfaction. This study offers significant insights to stakeholders in the shipping industry, particularly in designing and implementing user-friendly digital platforms.
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