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This study aims to propose a research model integrating technology acceptance model 3 (TAM3) constructs and human aspects of humanoid service robots (HSRs), measured by the Godspeed questionnaire series and tested across two hotel properties in Japan and the USA.

Potential participants were approached randomly by email invitation. A final sample size of 395 across two hotels, one in Japan and the other in the USA, was obtained, and the data were analysed using structural equation modelling.

The results confirm that perceived usefulness, driven by subjective norms and output quality, and perceived ease of use, driven by perceived enjoyment and absence of anxiety, are the immediate direct determinants of users’ re-patronage intentions for HSRs. Results also showed that users prefer anthropomorphism, perceived intelligence and the safety of an HSR for reusing it.

The findings have practical implications for the hospitality industry, suggesting multiple attributes of an HSRs that managers need to consider before deploying them in their properties.

The current study proposes an integrated model determining factors that affect the re-patronage of HSRs in hotels.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the sources of noise generation in a library and suggest the implementation of a sound masking system to provide acoustic comfort, maintain speech privacy and create an environment more engaging for the users.

Analyzing the existing literature and exploring the existing practices as observed in different libraries, the study gives an overview of the sound masking initiatives in libraries.

With practical examples of libraries, the study demonstrates how a sound masking system has been implemented to invoke better acoustic design in the library. The expansion of various activities in the library and a gradual shift from individual attention to a collaborative approach necessitates a strong focus on the acoustic design architecture of the library. The study showcases how the libraries adopt sound masking with the introduction of acoustic panels, dual panel partitions, sound-absorbent false ceilings, sound insulation, sound isolation and noise-dampening measures, installing furniture with sound containment features, adopting vibration control mechanism, mounting of white noise machines, etc., keeping the aesthetic quotient of the library alive.

The study attempts to show the current practices of the adoption of the sound masking system in libraries and promotes collaborative reading with the creation of an acoustic design-influenced library environment to control noise and reverberation and provide a comfortable reading environment.

This paper aims to provide a critical reflection on the management of experiences in hospitality and tourism (H&T). The paper investigates the evolution of experience research, while discussing the emerging challenges and opportunities for management.

The study adopts a critical and reflective approach for providing future directions of experience research. Three major fields are identified to discuss advances, challenges and opportunities in experience research: conceptualization and dimensions of experiences; relational network for experience management; and theoretical and methodological approaches.

The paper proposes a mindset shift to guide experience research, but also to redirect and research thinking and managerial practices about the role of experiences in the economy and society. This proposed humanized perspective to experience research and management is deemed important given the contemporary socio-economic, environmental and technological challenges of the environment.

This paper identifies a set of theoretical and managerial implications to help scholars and professionals alike to implement the humanized perspective to experience research. Implications relate to conceptualization, relational network and theoretical and methodological approaches in experience research.

This study critically assesses research challenges and opportunities around customer experience management (CEM) in H&T contexts. This reflective and critical look at customer experiences not only informs future research for advancing knowledge and practice but also proposes a mindset shift about the role and nature of CEM in the society and economy.

Workforce insufficiencies can impair firms' competitiveness in the hospitality industry. The problem of finding suitably trained employees has been aggravated by changes in consumer preferences, and the development of advanced technologies has led to the ‘smartization’ of upscale hotels. The consequent updating of business models means that decisive indicators of worker competence and employability are different from those applied previously. Thus, the aim of this study is to develop an indicator framework for assessing workforce employability with consideration of competence with artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

The initial indicators for the framework are obtained based on an intensive review of the relevant literature and roundtable meetings with academics and practitioners. The Delphi method is used to collect the data, and a hybrid fuzzy approach, which combines the modified Z-number and modified trapezoidal fuzzy number set techniques, is applied to quantify the information originating from the experts’ judgments. The interquartile range approach is applied to optimize the validity of the indicators.

The assessment framework is applied to evaluate workforce employability at an upscale hotel from the perspective of hotel executives. The capability of the workforce for the adoption of advanced technologies, including familiarity with AI, are considered.

The contributions of this research involve the identification of an updated list of determinants for the evaluation of workforce employability for hotels in today’s world, highlighting the value of AI applications to help ameliorate labor shortage problems. The results should benefit practitioners, allowing them to improve the efficiency of their operations, services and management practices, leading to sustainability and competitiveness in the upscale hotel industry.

Various scholars suggest that there is a lack of research on the recruitment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and also a scarcity of theoretical basis for the recruitment procedures used by these companies. As the vast majority of studies concentrate on larger organizations, they may not accurately reflect the challenges faced by smaller-sized entities to profoundly and accurately comprehend their recruitment procedures. In addition, the use of technology in recruitment has grown in importance in today’s quickly evolving business environment, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic footprint. This study aims to examine the recruitment procedures used by SMEs and how they have been compelled to adjust to different extents to these technological improvements by the effects of the aforementioned epidemic.

With the aim to investigate the current recruitment practices in SMEs and the extent to which digital technologies are embraced by these companies within human resources (HR) procedures, this research relied on interviews with SMEs representatives. The qualitative methods used provided access to relevant data and insights, as they allowed close interactions with top managers and CEOs of ten companies from various sectors. Thus, the research results draw a vivid and reliable image of the procedures and practices used by small and medium-sized companies to attract, select and retain their staff.

This study’s findings are of increased interest to HR professionals, recruiters and managers in SMEs, who aim to attract and retain the best talent and optimize their recruitment strategies in a rapidly changing business environment, enabled by technological advancements. Effective HR recruitment procedures adapted to the specific needs of small and medium-sized companies can lead to several benefits for the organization, including improved employee selection, reduced turnover and increased organizational productivity.

Although the interviews examined here encompass recruitment techniques from SMEs in a variety of industries, the results’ generalizability is limited by the sample size and geography. Furthermore, the findings’ dependability is dependent on the accuracy of the data provided by the respondents.

This investigation confirms some of the theoretical underpinnings which point to the lack of formalized structures and procedures in the recruitment process in SMEs, which enjoy more flexibility in managing HR processes. In addition, the results reinforce the arguments indicating an adjustment between HR strategies or policies and organizational goals in smaller enterprises which adapt faster to changes in the market. Moreover, it becomes apparent that there is a relationship between the quality of job descriptions and the successful fit in attracting the right candidates for the open positions. Furthermore, digital technologies offer opportunities for expanding the recruiters’ reach to a wider audience and also support the selection stage, thus increasing the chances of finding suitable staff. As the need to shift from traditional recruitment to e-recruitment in SMEs has been highlighted in the literature, the qualitative research revealed that this need was driven on the one hand by the COVID-19 pandemic when these companies successfully adapted and implemented new online methods of recruiting, but also by the lack of skilled labor, leading to the expansion of recruitment to other parts of the country or even to other countries.

With regard to the proportion of men and women used in small and medium-sized companies, there is a clear need to involve and train more women in the predominantly male-dominated industrial and IT sectors. From this point of view, companies tend to devote more interest to integrating communities of women in these industries, as well as in key management positions. Another point of interest that the study highlights is the fact that SMEs have started to get creative with the benefits package they propose to candidates and focus on remote work, hybrid office–home working, or seasonal work to offer future employees a better work–life balance.

The added value of this investigation is filling the gaps in the current literature concerning recruitment procedures currently used by SMEs, the challenges they face and the solutions they advanced to solve them. Furthermore, SMEs often drive innovation and competition in the market and play a crucial role in the supply chain of larger companies, providing them with the goods and services they need to operate and supporting the availability and reliability of products from larger companies. They are often the driving force behind revitalizing local economies and creating new employment opportunities. Consequently, the underlying significance of this study is rooted in the need to modernize and simultaneously improve HR recruitment procedures through the integration of technology and a focus on innovation.

In recent years, there has been significant interest in adopting XR (extended reality) technologies such as VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality), particularly in retail. However, extending activities through reality-mediation is still mostly believed to offer an inferior experience due to their shortcomings in usability, wearability, graphical fidelity, etc. This study aims to address the research gap by experimentally examining the acceptance of metaverse shopping.

This study conducts a 2 (VR: with vs. without) × 2 (AR: with vs. without) between-subjects laboratory experiment involving 157 participants in simulated daily shopping environments. This study builds a physical brick-and-mortar store at the campus and stocked it with approximately 600 products with accompanying product information and pricing. The XR devices and a 3D laser scanner were used in constructing the three XR shopping conditions.

Results indicate that XR can offer an experience comparable to, or even surpassing, traditional shopping in terms of its instrumental and hedonic aspects, regardless of a slightly reduced perception of usability. AR negatively affected perceived ease of use, while VR significantly increased perceived enjoyment. It is surprising that the lower perceived ease of use appeared to be disconnected from the attitude toward metaverse shopping.

This study provides important experimental evidence on the acceptance of XR shopping, and the finding that low perceived ease of use may not always be detrimental adds to the theory of technology adoption as a whole. Additionally, it provides an important reference point for future randomized controlled studies exploring the effects of technology on adoption.

This paper aims to elucidate how humorous prompts affect tourists’ heritage responsible behaviors (THRBs).

Three scenario-based experiments were conducted through Credamo (an online survey platform). Studies 1 and 2 used a single-factor (language style: humorous vs serious) between-subject design to test the direct and indirect effects of humorous prompts. Study 3 used a 2 (environmental quality: high vs low) × 2 (language style: humorous vs serious) between-subject design to further reveal the boundary condition (environmental quality) of the humor effect.

The results revealed that humorous (vs serious) prompts better persuade tourists to engage in heritage responsible behaviors (HRBs). Content liking mediates the relationship between humorous prompts and THRBs. Moreover, environmental quality significantly moderates the effect of humorous prompts on THRBs, whereby the persuasive effect of humorous prompts is greater in high environmental quality conditions than in low environmental quality conditions.

Destination management organizations can use humor to reduce tourists’ reactance against prompts for behavioral persuasion. Moreover, it is also important to adapt humorous prompts to changes in environmental quality in a timely manner.

Based on psychological reactance theory, the research confirmed the dominant effect of humorous prompts by using content liking as a mediating variable, providing a new research perspective for research on the regulation of THRBs. Moreover, the authors clarified a boundary condition for the persuasiveness of humorous prompts, which helps reinforce the comprehension of humor persuasion.

本研究旨在厘清幽默提示语如何影响游客遗产责任行为的差异效应与过程机制。

本研究利用见数平台开展了三个情景实验。实验1与实验2采用单因素（语言风格：幽默 vs. 严肃）组间实验设计, 验证了幽默提示语对遗产责任行为的直接与间接效应。实验3采用2（语言风格：幽默 vs. 严肃）×2（环境质量：高 vs. 低）组间实验设计进一步揭示环境质量对幽默提示语效果的调节效应。

相较于严肃提示语, 幽默提示语可更好地说服游客产生遗产责任行为。内容喜爱在幽默提示语与遗产责任行为过程中发挥完全中介作用。此外, 环境质量调节了幽默提示语对遗产责任行为的影响, 即幽默提示语（较严肃提示语）仅在环境质量较高的遗产地中具备优势。

遗产地管理组织可使用幽默来降低游客对提示语的心理逆反程度, 从而达到行为说服的目的。与此同时, 管理者也要根据目的地环境质量及时调整幽默提示语的使用策略。

基于心理逆反理论, 本研究以内容喜爱为中介变量, 证实了幽默提示语的优势说服作用, 为游客遗产责任行为管理的相关研究提供了一个新的理论视角。同时, 本研究厘清了幽默提示语在遗产旅游地中的应用边界, 并强化了对幽默说服的理解。

Esta investigación pretende aclarar cómo afecta el humor al efecto persuasivo de la señalización sobre el comportamiento responsable de los turistas respecto al patrimonio.

Se realizaron tres experimentos basados en escenarios a través de Credamo (una plataforma de encuestas en línea). En los estudios 1 y 2 se utilizó un diseño entre sujetos de un solo factor (estilo de lenguaje: humorístico frente a serio) para comprobar los efectos directos e indirectos de los señalización humorísticos. El estudio 3 utilizó un diseño entre sujetos de 2 (calidad del entorno: alta frente a baja) × 2 (estilo lingüístico: humorístico frente a serio) para revelar con más detalle la condición límite (calidad del entorno) del efecto del humor.

Los resultados revelaron que las señalización humorísticas (frente a las serias) persuaden mejor a los turistas a participar en las HRB. El gusto por el contenido influye en la relación entre los señalización humorísticos y las HRB. Además, la calidad del entorno modera de forma significativa el efecto de los señalización humorísticos sobre los THRB, de modo que el efecto persuasivo de los señalización humorísticos es mayor en condiciones de alta calidad del entorno que en condiciones de baja calidad del entorno.

Las organizaciones de gestión de destinos pueden utilizar el humor para reducir la reacción de los turistas ante las señalización a la persuasión conductual. Además, también es importante adaptar oportunamente las señalización humorísticas a los cambios en la calidad del entorno.

Basándonos en la teoría de la reactancia psicológica, nuestra investigación confirmó el efecto dominante de las señalización humorísticas empleando el gusto por el contenido como variable mediadora, proporcionando una nueva perspectiva para la investigación sobre la regulación de las THRB. Además, aclaramos una condición límite para la persuasión de los señalización humorísticos, lo que ayuda a reforzar la comprensión de la persuasión humorística.