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11 – 20 of over 25000
Article
Publication date: 23 April 2018

Naveed Ul Haq, Ammar Aftab Raja, Safia Nosheen and Muhammad Faisal Sajjad

The purpose of this paper is to identify the major factors of client satisfaction (CS) that are critical for web development projects in freelance marketplaces. This quantitative…

1821

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the major factors of client satisfaction (CS) that are critical for web development projects in freelance marketplaces. This quantitative study is done from the point of view of the web development services clients. Five major dimensions were proposed as determinants of CS from the literature review: ease of use, user interface, information, security and privacy.

Design/methodology/approach

A web-based survey methodology is used as the main data collection instrument. Statistical techniques such as confirmatory factor analysis and multiple linear regressions are used to analyze 162 responses of questionnaires.

Findings

The findings suggest that all factors do influence CS. In terms of strength, security had the highest level of impact on CS, so it is the strongest determinant among all factors. After security, ease of use and information are considered as strong determinants. So, this study concludes that the five major determinates do affect CS in web development projects from freelance marketplaces.

Research limitations/implications

This research is limited only to the top freelance marketplaces, such as Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, Guru, Envato Studio, etc. The sample size is relatively small and this study is focused on web development projects only. Moreover, this research is focused only on the characteristics or attributes of the projects final outcome, i.e. website.

Practical implications

This study attempts to identify the important factors that have a relation with CS, thus giving freelancers an indication of what to look for when working on any web development project posted by any client in a freelance marketplace. Understanding the determinants of CS will also help Pakistani information technology freelancers involved in web development projects and services to increase their project performance, improve their CS rate and increment client following.

Originality/value

This presents the first study on the determinants of CS in web development projects from freelance marketplaces.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 December 2022

Leila Nasrolahi Vosta and Mohammad Reza Jalilvand

This study aims to contribute to the context of electronic trust (e-trust) research with an emphasis on the determination of tourists’ e-trust in hotel websites. This research…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to contribute to the context of electronic trust (e-trust) research with an emphasis on the determination of tourists’ e-trust in hotel websites. This research used social exchange theory to elaborate how perceived attributes of a hotel website influence purchase behaviour of tourists. This area is often neglected because most studies focus on website users’ adoption or acceptance of other service industries. It is expected that trust-generating mechanisms have different impacts on the e-trust level in the hospitality services.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive literature review identified the major antecedents and outcomes of e-trust. Data was collected from an online survey and 586 usable questionnaires were achieved. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the hypothesized model.

Findings

The results of this study demonstrated that the more tourists perceive influences positively, the more they are possibly to trust in hotel website. Findings revealed that perceptions about the attributes of hotel website, including security, privacy, usefulness, ease of use and compatibility are the main antecedents of trust in hotel website, which, in turn, lead to actual usage of the website for booking online.

Originality/value

This study is based on a large sample of tourists and broadens the understanding of e-trust in hotel websites by considering factors rarely discussed in prior tourism and hospitality literature.

Details

Journal of Islamic Marketing, vol. 14 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-0833

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 July 2022

Karol Król and Dariusz Zdonek

Rural tourism facilities in Poland were very keen on amateur websites to promote their hospitality services from 2000 to 2018. In most cases, the websites were nonprofessional…

Abstract

Purpose

Rural tourism facilities in Poland were very keen on amateur websites to promote their hospitality services from 2000 to 2018. In most cases, the websites were nonprofessional, hosted on free servers and made by family members or friends of the holding. After search engine algorithms changed in 2015–2019, the websites started to go extinct on a large scale; they were deleted and often replaced with a more modern design and a commercial domain. These resources offered a rare opportunity to gain insight into rural tourism, rural changes and socioeconomic and cultural phenomena.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper’s objective is to demonstrate with an analysis of archived Polish rural tourism websites that digital cultural artefacts are generated in rural areas. The study was an analysis of selected development attributes of rural tourism websites found in the Internet Archive. The analysis involved those attributes that are important for determining whether a website or content can be considered digital cultural heritage assets.

Findings

The conclusions demonstrate that rural digital cultural heritage is a set of digital artefacts created in rural areas with their characteristics. Rural digital artefacts are records of ICT, infrastructure, environmental, cultural and socioeconomic changes.

Originality/value

The “digital assets” of rural areas are yet to be discussed in the context of rural cultural heritage, as a set of artefacts created in these areas and characteristic of them.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. 73 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 August 2016

Catherine Demangeot and Amanda J. Broderick

A customer’s visit to a retail website is a critical “moment of truth” during which contemporary retailers attempt to simultaneously, during a single web navigation, capture…

10376

Abstract

Purpose

A customer’s visit to a retail website is a critical “moment of truth” during which contemporary retailers attempt to simultaneously, during a single web navigation, capture customers’ attention, build rapport, and prompt them to act. By showing how to capture customer commitment over the course of a single website visit, the concept of customer website engagement, defined as “the process of developing cognitive, affective and behavioural commitment to an active relationship with the website”, addresses strategic concerns. Drawing from literature on engagement, the purpose of this paper is to consider how retail websites can engage customers during the course of a website navigation. A conceptual model of website customer engagement underpinned by relationship marketing and communication knowledge, shows how perceptions of the website’s exploration and sense-making potential can activate consumer engagement, and is then empirically tested.

Design/methodology/approach

Using survey data, measures of the four dimensions of engagement (interaction engagement, activity engagement, behavioural engagement, and communication engagement) and of three drivers are developed and validated. The model is tested empirically (n=301) using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The results support the process conceptualisation of engagement, which identifies organismic as well as conative stages, and show the distinct roles played by perceptions of informational exploration, experiential exploration and sense-making in activating engagement.

Practical implications

The study provides online retailing practice with an organising framework enabling online retailing managers to consider how, depending on their product category and their size, they might (re)design their website to optimally produce customer engagement.

Originality/value

The study contributes to online marketing and retailing knowledge by showing the relevance of the concept of engagement as it pertains to customers’ single navigations on retail websites, and by empirically showing, through a parsimonious model, how engagement can be activated and unfold.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 44 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Urvashi Tandon, Ravi Kiran and Ash Sah

This study aims to identify and analyse the key determinants influencing customer satisfaction towards online shopping in India.

12695

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify and analyse the key determinants influencing customer satisfaction towards online shopping in India.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature concerning major attributes of website functionality, perceived usability, perceived usefulness and customer satisfaction in online retailing were reviewed. Data were collected from 365 respondents active in online shopping for examining the constructs. The model was empirically tested using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The findings of the study reveal that perceived usefulness and website functionality have a positive impact on customer satisfaction, whereas perceived usability had a significant but negative impact on customer satisfaction.

Practical implications

This research will help online retailers to attract and motivate new customers for online shopping and existing customers to extend it in their daily purchase. Online retailers can improve post purchase satisfaction and eventually increase online customers.

Originality/value

This is one of the preliminary study dealing with customer satisfaction towards online retailing in India. The scale has been extended to include items like satisfaction with cash on delivery mode of payment not included in previous scales. The scale of perceived usefulness has also been deepened by adding time performance, product performance and promotional performance.

Details

Nankai Business Review International, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8749

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 March 2024

Khan Md. Raziuddin Taufique, Md. Mahiuddin Sabbir, Sarah Quinton and Syed Saad Andaleeb

Acknowledging previous scholarly focus on functional attributes in understanding technology acceptance behaviour, the current study aims to offer a novel perspective by…

Abstract

Purpose

Acknowledging previous scholarly focus on functional attributes in understanding technology acceptance behaviour, the current study aims to offer a novel perspective by integrating eight different dimensions of utilitarian and hedonic attributes to examine their influence in delivering a holistic web-based retail shopping experience.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model was tested and validated through data collected from 370 online shoppers across both hedonic and utilitarian product ranges. Hypotheses were tested using covariance-based structural equation modelling with multi-group analysis to examine the moderation effect.

Findings

The findings strongly support the model confirming eight new utilitarian and hedonic dimensions that influence web-based retail shopping behaviour. The findings also confirm that hedonic attributes remain important even for utilitarian product purchasing.

Practical implications

The key managerial implication is the demonstrated need to balance utilitarian and hedonic attributes in web-based retail platforms, where previously, there has been an overemphasis on functional features. Web-based retailers should consider the optimal blend of utilitarian (e.g. information quality) and hedonic (e.g. aesthetic) attributes in the design of a retail shopping site, irrespective of the product category.

Originality/value

This study integrates multiple dimensions of utilitarian and hedonic attributes into a single model and highlights the interplay of these attributes, thus extending the technology acceptance model. This paper also advances scholarship through its identification of attribute impact across different product categories.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 January 2018

Soraia Maduro, Paula O. Fernandes and Albano Alves

The purpose of this paper is to aid the convergence of design and management as a strategic lever and innovative tool to improve corporate reputation in higher education…

1099

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to aid the convergence of design and management as a strategic lever and innovative tool to improve corporate reputation in higher education institutions (HEIs), particularly in the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal (IPB).

Design/methodology/approach

SWOT analysis is used to identify strengths and weaknesses in the context of an organization’s internal competencies (identity) and opportunities and threats in an analysis of the organization’s external competitive context (image). Quantitative analysis was used based on questionnaires conducted with IPB community to analyse if differences exist between identity (staff) and image (students) and where there are design structures (website, visual identity, advertising and environment. Corporate character scale developed by Davies et al. (2003, 2004) was used.

Findings

With the SWOT analysis, it is possible to outline IPB performance strategies that meet a positive reputation. A positive corporate reputation was found in IPB with the study of corporate character scale. It has been realized where there are differences from the point of view of identity and image, and thus, it is possible to indicate ideas of improvement to increase the competitiveness of HEIs.

Research limitations/implications

The study is restricted to five schools of IPB. It would also be pertinent to broaden the scope of the stakeholders, encompassing the external community of the IPB that is extending the study to the external public, such as parents, companies, suppliers and secondary students.

Practical implications

HEI competitiveness implies student recruitment and public policies. A positive reputation implies a positive brand image. Design competencies of the public higher education sector can go much further acting at the strategic level, establishing its directives of action in the markets where it operates to reflect its corporate reputation in a positive way in the mind of the consumer. Intangible assets such as identity, image and corporate reputation, appear as very valuable elements, presenting an increasing importance in the management of universities that entered a market context where sustainability requires the adoption of more entrepreneurial management guidelines.

Originality value

The paper is useful for the professionals and academics in perceiving the importance of use management and strategical tools to identify HEI communication and reputation difficulties for a thorough design thinking that delineates solutions that leverage the competitiveness of service organizations such as HEIs.

Details

Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, vol. 28 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1059-5422

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 October 2021

Mathupayas Thongmak

This paper aims to analyze the websites of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies in various industries in Thailand using an automated evaluation tool and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the websites of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies in various industries in Thailand using an automated evaluation tool and explores the association between website quality and business success.

Design/methodology/approach

The data of 357 listed companies, both SMEs and large firms, are collected from the Stock Exchange of Thailand and SEOptimer. Non-parametric statistics are used for data analysis owing to the nonnormality of data.

Findings

Company market values are associated with large companies’ website quality, especially usability, social, security and overall quality. There are differences in the website quality and company market values of large companies in several industries. SMEs generally have lower website quality and company market values than large companies.

Research limitations/implications

This study has fewer numbers of SMEs in each category, which could limit statistical power.

Originality/value

This work is one of few studies assessing internal attributes of websites and links them with the success of companies in various sizes and industries.

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2023

Susana C. Silva, Joana Carmo Dias and Beatriz Braga

E-commerce has become an essential and highly competitive channel for e-retailers, who have felt the need to invest in the experience delivered to customers. Therefore, it becomes…

Abstract

Purpose

E-commerce has become an essential and highly competitive channel for e-retailers, who have felt the need to invest in the experience delivered to customers. Therefore, it becomes necessary to unveil the online customer experience so that brands can improve their offerings. In this study, the authors proposed a model that explores customer experience on websites, namely, what concerns the use of the latest technological developments such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality.

Design/methodology/approach

The study offers a model to explore and compare the online consumer experience in e-commerce websites, considering eight dimensions that cover recent technological advances. A multiple case study that evaluated companies in the footwear industry was used to assess the model's applicability. The case study methodology considered two distinct segments, the high-price and low-price segments.

Findings

The data collected by the websites' examination enabled us to confirm part of the suggested propositions. However, propositions concerning new technologies were not proved. Opportunities for improvement were identified, especially for high-price segment companies, since the results showed that these companies provide a less pleasant consumer experience than those of the opposing segment.

Originality/value

This study extends the scope of the online consumer experience by introducing more contemporary dimensions. Additionally, the model allows an evaluation and comparison of the knowledge delivered by several online retailers, using the Portuguese footwear industry as a reference.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 51 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2016

Islam El Bayoumi Salem and Nevenka Čavlek

The purpose of this study is twofold: it aims to examine hotel website features by conducting a content analysis and it analyses customers’ viewpoints about the importance of the…

2649

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is twofold: it aims to examine hotel website features by conducting a content analysis and it analyses customers’ viewpoints about the importance of the contents of hotel websites. The study involves a quantitative method of measurement and evaluation of the information provided by hotel websites. It tries to evaluate the richness of definite and ample information dimensions, which as a whole constitutes the information services offered through the website.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on two pillars: all five-star hotel chains (113 hotels) in Egypt as the population frame to evaluate the contents of their websites; and a sample of 406 customers selected to examine the customers’ views on the importance of the contents of hotel websites. This study proposes a quantitative evaluation frame of all dimensions provided by hotel websites which is developed, tested and validated.

Findings

The study has revealed important findings that can help hotel managers to adjust the information on the websites to be more efficient and customer-oriented.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed frame again in further studies.

Practical implications

The study includes implications for the development of hotel website evaluation from the perspective of two sides, hotel managers and customers, by using a unique quantitative evaluation model.

Originality/value

This research has for the first time combined statements from the perspective of two sides – hotel managers and customers.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9880

Keywords

11 – 20 of over 25000