Search results

Boosting productivity in the service sector is a key priority for promoting long-term growth. To have customers perform certain tasks normally undertaken by employees is an important means to improving productivity. Technological innovation has influenced business practices for several decades and many service firms, including sports service firms, are now utilising technology extensively to reduce the use of labour. This study investigates how the user's perception of technology-based self-service (TBSS)affects customer productivity and how the customer productivity evaluated by TBSS influences the customer's intentions to reuse in relation to a virtual golf simulator - a successful and seriously played game in Korea.

This study aims to investigate the effects of two types of expertise (self-service technology and service type) on the disconfirmation of customers’ expectations and the use-related outcomes of technology-based self-service (TBSS).

This empirical study pertains to the mandatory use of a national public transport chip card in The Netherlands based on a sample of 267 users of this TBSS.

The findings show that technology experts experienced a less positive disconfirmation of expectations and reported less positive evaluations of the new self-service than technology novices. Technology experts also showed lower intentions to engage in positive word-of-mouth than technology novices. The evaluation of the self-service by technology novices is more positive for those that are service experts as compared to service novices, while the evaluation by technology experts is more negative for those that are service experts as compared to service novices.

This study provides insight into how different types and levels of customer expertise affect individuals’ assessments of a TBSS upon its mandatory use.

For marketing managers and public policy-makers, understanding the multifaceted role of customer expertise enables more effective market segmentation and targeting, thus improving implementation of TBSS.

This research suggests that customers’ technology and service expertise have some counter-intuitive effects on TBSS use-related outcomes.

This study aims to employ the Model of Goal-Directed Behaviour (MGB) to examine the consumer acceptance of technology-based self-service (TBSS) for a credence service instrumental to a social goal. Credence services are increasingly delivered via self-service technology and in social marketing, the achievement of social goals can be contingent on consumer acceptance of these services. However, little is known about the determinants of acceptance and extant marketing literature fails to account for emotional and goal influences which are likely to be important.

The authors interviewed 30 young adults with self-reported stress, anxiety or depression as potential users of a self-help mental health service delivered via mobile phone. The data were analysed deductively and inductively with the assistance of NVivo.

The findings generally support using the MGB to enhance understanding of consumers' acceptance of TBSS. The paper also found evidence of the importance of maintenance self-efficacy, the self-evaluation of the ability to continue using the service, and a previously ignored element of consumer level competition that arises between alternatives that achieve the same goal.

This study is the first to examine factors that influence consumers' acceptance of TBSS for credence services aimed at achieving a social goal. It builds on understanding of consumer decision making in social marketing, particularly the influence of self-efficacy and competition. It also contributes to attitudinal research by providing initial evidence for deepening and broadening the MGB in the context of TBSSs.

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the role individual fantastical thinking (FT) plays in increasing the returns of value co-production by using technology-based services (TBSs).

This research combines 3 laboratory experimental studies with a survey, collecting data from 373 participants in total. An ad hoc customization Web-based tool – TBS - was created for the purpose of the studies.

FT increases the outcomes of value co-production via a chain reaction, as follows: FT increases the perceived ease of value-production; perceived ease of value coproduction increases enjoyment; enjoyment increases a broad range of key outcome variables of value co-production, namely, attitude and purchase intention toward the co-designed products; the number of interactions and time of interaction in the value co-production process, which measure its efficiency; expert perceived quality and novelty of the co-designed products; ordinary perceived quality and novelty, satisfaction and willingness to pay for the co-designed products.

The procedure to activate FT requires relatively long training for participants, which might reduce the applicability of the procedure in other settings.

This study suggests a way to prevent failures in value co-production at the design stage mediated by TBSs. The proposed framework supports a decrease in task complexity for the consumer, thus reducing the stress experienced by participants. As a side effect, this study presents a useful framework to better highlight the benefits and costs associated with value co-production, thus making the return on investment measurement easier to perform.

The relevance of the findings to existing marketing literature lies in the advancement of knowledge related to value co-production processes by introducing the role of FT, a cognitive process designed specifically for consumer research and marketing.

This paper aims to use the Model of Goal-Directed Behavior (MGB) to examine the factors affecting consumers’ continued use of emerging technology-based self-services (TBSSs) with credence qualities. Professional services, which traditionally require specialized knowledge and high levels of interpersonal interaction to produce owing to their credence qualities, are increasingly delivered via self-service technologies. Health services delivered via mobile devices, for example, facilitate self-care without direct involvement from health professionals.

A mental health service delivered via the Internet and mobile phone, myCompass, was selected as the research context. Twenty interviews were conducted with users of myCompass and the data were thematically analyzed.

The findings of the study showcase the unique determinants of consumers’ continued use of TBSSs with credence qualities relative to the more routine services which have been the focus of extant research. The findings further provide support for the utility of the MGB in explaining service continuance, although the importance of distinguishing between extrinsic and intrinsic motivational components of behavioral desire and capturing the impact of social influence beyond subjective norms is also highlighted.

This study contributes to recent research examining differences in consumer responses across TBSSs and behavioral loyalty to these services. It also provides empirical evidence for broadening and deepening the MGB within this behavioral domain.

Customers' participation in co-creation is a prerequisite for co-creation success. To identify customer co-creators, research has shown a recent interest in the role of personality traits as predictors of customers' engagement in co-creation. However, the empirical results regarding the direction and significance of these relationships have been inconclusive. This study builds on the five-factor theory (FFT) of personality to enhance one's understanding of the nomological network that determines the relationship between personality traits and customers' willingness to co-create (WCC).

Based on a large-scale empirical study on technology-based services (TBSs) in healthcare (n = 563), the authors empirically investigate the role of the five-factor model (FFM), innate innovativeness (INI) and enduring involvement (EI) in predicting customers' WCC using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

The authors’ empirical findings show that depending on the configurational setting of the personality traits tied to the FFM, INI and EI evolve as mediators in determining customers' WCC.

This study is the first to introduce the FFT of personality into co-creation research. The results of this paper shed light on the relationships between personality traits, characteristic adaptations and customers' WCC.

To meet the requirement of establishing an effective schedule for the assembly process with overall detection and rework, this paper aims to address a new problem named resource-constrained multi-project scheduling problem based on detection and rework (RCMPSP-DR).

First, to satisfy both online and offline scheduling, a mixed integer programming model is established with a weighted bi-objective minimizing the expected makespan and the solution robustness. Second, an algorithm that combines a tabu search framework with a critical chain-based baseline generation scheme is designed. The tabu search framework focuses on searching for a reasonable resource flow representing the execution sequence of activities, while the critical chain-based baseline generation scheme establishes a buffered baseline schedule by estimating the tradeoff between two aspects of bi-objective.

The proposed algorithm can get solutions with gaps from −4.45% to 2.33% when compared with those obtained by the commercial MIP solver CPLEX. Moreover, the algorithm outperforms four other algorithms in terms of both objective performance and stability over instances with different weighting parameters, which reveals its effectiveness.

The represented RCMPSP-DR considering the overall detection and rework is an extension of the scheduling problem for large-scale equipment. An effective algorithm is proposed to establish the baseline schedule and determine the execution sequence of activities for the assembly process, which is significant for practical engineering applications.

This study aims to investigate the perceived benefits arising from tourist activities at natural disaster sites, to analyze the influence of perceived benefits on satisfaction and behavioral intentions and to identify origin region’s moderating role.

A research model containing dark tourism motivations (DTMs), tourist perceived benefits (TPBs), tourist satisfaction (TS), protection intention (PI) and loyalty intention (LIs) was developed, and visitor origin was introduced as a moderating variable. Taking the 5·12 Wenchuan Earthquake Memorial Museum as a case site, data were obtained by distributing questionnaires on-site, and the model was tested using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

DTMs had a significant effect on cognitive and affective benefits, and TPBs significantly affected TS, PI and LIs, with satisfaction playing a partial mediating role. The origins of tourists showed a moderating role in part of the influence relationship of perceived benefits.

This study explored the perceived benefits among dark tourists and built a research model of their influence on tourist satisfaction and behavior. This study not only provides suggestions for managers related to dark tourism development in natural disaster areas, but also offers the possibility of enhancing tourist dark tourism experiences by interpreting the psychology and behavior of dark tourists.

This research adopted a new perspective of the decision-making behavior of dark tourists. The perceived benefits arising from visiting natural disaster sites were analyzed and the relationships between TBSs and motivation, TS, PI and LIs were examined. Considering the specificity of dark tourism emotions, the research also analyzed the similarities and differences in the psychology and behavior of locals and non-locals in dark tourism. The research results enrich and deepen the theoretical study of dark tourism.

本文旨在探讨游客在自然灾难遗址地进行旅游活动时产生的感知收获, 分析感知收获对游客满意度和行为意向的影响, 并识别来源地在其中的调节效应。

构建了一个包含旅游动机、感知收获、满意度、保护意愿和忠诚意向等多个变量在内的研究模型, 并引入游客来源地作为调节变量。而后, 选取5·12汶川特大地震纪念馆作为案例地, 通过现场发放问卷的形式获取数据, 并采用PLS-SEM对模型进行了检验。

旅游动机对认知收获和情感收获均具有显著影响; 感知收获显著影响满意度、保护意愿和忠诚意向, 同时满意度在上述影响关系中呈现部分中介作用; 游客来源地在感知收获的部分影响关系中（旅游动机→感知收获、感知收获→保护意愿）呈现出一定的调节作用。

文章采用了一种新的视角来研究自然灾难遗址地游客的行为决策机制。通过实证数据分析了游客的感知收获, 并进一步考察了其与旅游动机、满意度、保护意愿和忠诚意向之间的影响关系。考虑到灾难遗址地旅游的独特情感特征, 文章还分析了不同来源地（本地—非本地）的游客在旅游过程中呈现出的心理与行为差异。本研究能在一定程度上丰富和深化黑色旅游的理论研究。

Este estudio persigue investigar los beneficios percibidos derivados de la actividad turística en lugares afectados por catástrofes naturales, para así analizar la influencia que dichos beneficios ejercen sobre la satisfacción y el comportamiento planificado, e identificar el papel moderador de la región de origen.

Se elaboró un modelo de investigación que contiene las variables de motivación por el turismo oscuro, beneficio percibido, satisfacción, protección e intenciones de lealtad, así como la variable moderadora origen. Tomando como área de investigación el Museo Conmemorativo del Terremoto de Wenchuan 5.12, los datos fueron obtenidos distribuyendo cuestionarios in situ. La técnica de análisis de datos aplicada fue el Modelado de Ecuaciones Estructurales de Mínimos Cuadrados Parciales (PLS-SEM)

La motivación por el turismo oscuro tuvo un efecto significativo en los beneficios cognitivos y afectivos, y los beneficios percibidos afectaron significativamente a la satisfacción, protección e intenciones de lealtad, siendo la satisfacción lo que desempeña un papel mediador parcial. El origen de los turistas mostró un papel moderador en cuanto a la relación de influencia de los beneficios percibidos.

Esta investigación adoptó una nueva perspectiva en el comportamiento de toma de decisiones en los turistas de turismo oscuro, analizó los beneficios percibidos del turismo de oscuro en los lugares donde se produjeron las catástrofes naturales, y examinó la relación entre los beneficios percibidos y la motivación, la satisfacción, la protección y la intención de lealtad. Teniendo en cuenta la especificidad de las emociones del turismo oscuro, la investigación también analizó las similitudes y diferencias entre la psicología y el comportamiento de los turistas locales y no locales en lo respectivo al turismo oscuro. Los resultados de la investigación enriquecen y ofrecen un acercamiento más profundo a los estudios teóricos del turismo oscuro.

Purpose: The development of service automation continues to underpin the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors providing benefits for both customers and service companies. The purpose of this chapter is to showcase the practice of self-service technology (SST) usage in the contemporary tourism and hospitality sectors and present a conceptual framework of customer SST adoption.

Design/Methodology/Approach: This chapter offers an examination of theory, research and practice in relation to SST usage in tourism, highlighting the benefits and drawbacks arising for both customers and service providers. Since the benefits are achieved only if SSTs gain effective adoption with customers, this chapter focuses on concepts underpinning the study of customer SST adoption. Drawing on SST adoption factors and SST customer roles, a conceptual framework of SST adoption is discussed.

Findings/Practical Implications: This chapter examines the principles and practice underpinning the usage of self-service technologies in the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors, with specific reference to customer SST roles in co-creation. The customer SST roles provide a more detailed and nuanced picture of the customer perspective on SST usage. These nuanced roles are captured in a conceptual framework which seeks to further refine the understanding of customer SST adoption.

Research Implications & Originality/Value: The framework provides a useful foundation for further research with a focus on customer empowerment in SSTs. The future development of service automation will require a balance between the delivery of a personalised and smarter customer experience and technology applications that are unobtrusive and which do not pose any ethical or privacy concerns.

The integration of relevant antecedents into TAM would lead to better understanding of the decision factors which act as enablers for the adoption of internet banking. The purpose of the paper is to determine the influence of the antecedents subjective norm, image, banks initiative, internet banking self-efficacy, internet usage efficacy, trust, perceived risk, trialability and government support on the existing constructs of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and to test measurement invariance and the moderating effect of the demographic variables on the relationship between the latent constructs used in this augmented TAM.

A survey questionnaire was administered on internet banking users and a total of 300 responses were collected. A two-step approach suggested by Hair et al. (2006) and Schumacker and Lomax (2004) was used in this study. The proposed model was assessed using the confirmatory factor analysis approach. The structural model was then tested in order to establish nomological validity. The data based on four demographic dimensions gender, age, income, education were divided into two groups for each of these demographic dimensions. The invariance test was first performed on the measurement model and then on the structural model. The measurement model and structural model were subjected to tests of equivalence of parameters across groups.

To a large extent the results of the study supports the proposed model and thereby contributes to understand the influence of subjective norm, image, banks initiative, internet banking self-efficacy, internet usage efficacy, trust, perceived risk and government support on internet banking adoption. The predictor variables in the augmented TAM were able to explain 29.9 per cent of the variance in the actual usage of internet banking as compared to the TAM which was able to explain only 26.5 per cent variance in the actual usage of internet banking. A significant difference in the relationship between the different constructs of the model was observed when the model was subjected to multi-group invariance testing.

The study suffers from the same limitations as most other studies involving TAM. In this study self-reported measures about the usage were taken as the actual usage. The findings of the study can be of use to marketers for target-specific marketing by customizing the marketing campaign focussing on the factors that were found to be strong influencers leading to the usage of internet banking for each target audience.

The main challenge in this study was to develop the conceptual model for the internet banking adoption by extending the TAM and to get a robust theoretical support from the extant literature for the relevant factors along with their relationship to uncover new insights about factors responsible for the internet banking adoption. The augmented model had an improved predictive capability and explanatory utility.