Search results

1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 25 June 2021

Yu Mu, Bart Bossink, Tsvi Vinig and Suchuan You

Research on service innovation management of online travel agencies (OTAs) remains relatively scarce. This study aims to illuminate the detailed components of managing service…

Abstract

Purpose

Research on service innovation management of online travel agencies (OTAs) remains relatively scarce. This study aims to illuminate the detailed components of managing service innovations at OTAs.

Design/methodology/approach

An in-depth case study is conducted at Trip, the largest OTA in China. A coherent framework of managing service innovations at OTAs is proposed through refining an existing framework from new service development (NSD), and concerning the success factors of service innovation. Based on theoretical synthesis and empirical analysis, the NSD framework is adapted, restructured and refined for service innovation management at OTAs.

Findings

The proposed framework contains three facets and associated managerial elements: (1) resources, including stakeholders, technologies and systems; (2) contexts, including innovation strategy, structure and culture; and (3) ideation, including idea generation and idea application. Different success factors are attached to the managerial elements. The facets, managerial elements and success factors serve as the components in the framework.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides academia with an analytical framework to understand and interpret service innovation management at OTAs, which can be used as a point of departure for future research.

Practical implications

The analytical framework inspires OTA managers to adopt a structured approach in service innovation management, and policymakers to design related interventions.

Originality/value

This study offers a first step toward the investigation of service innovation management at OTAs, specifically in China. The proposed framework is potentially applicable to other industries.

研究目的

目前关于在线旅行社(OTA) 的服务创新管理的研究相对贫乏。本研究旨在阐明OTA的服务创新管理的具体元素。

研究设计/方法/途径:

本研究以携程网(中国最大的在线旅行社)为对象进行深入案例分析。通过改善已有的基于新服务开发;理论(NSD), 以及综合服务创新成功要素的理论框架从而提出一项连贯的服务创新管理理论框架。基于理论综合以及实证分析,本研究改编,整合和改善了NSD理论框架从而为在线旅行社的服务创新管理框架所适用。

研究结果:

被提议的理论框架包括三个层面以及相关管理元素:1) 资源,包括利益相关者,科技和系统;2)应用环境,包括创新战略,结构和文化;以及3)构思能力,包括概念生成,概念应用。管理元素与不同的成功要素相结合。这些层面,管理元素和成功因素作为提出框架的组成部分。

研究理论限制/启示:

本研究为学术领域提供了分析框架,从而进一步了解和诠释了在线旅行社的服务创新,从而作为今后研究的起点。

研究实践启示:

本分析框架促使在线旅社管理者在服务创新中借用更加结构化的方法,并且鼓励政策制定者来设计相关的干预措施

研究原创性/价值:

本研究提供了在中国的环境下迈向在线旅社服务创新的第一步。提议的框架对其他产业也存在潜在贡献。

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9880

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2022

Hao Liu, Yu Mu, Xinhong Fu and Yuying Liu

Fresh products' homogeneity makes it difficult for grocery stores to differentiate themselves by improving product or service quality. This study analysed grocery store loyalty…

Abstract

Purpose

Fresh products' homogeneity makes it difficult for grocery stores to differentiate themselves by improving product or service quality. This study analysed grocery store loyalty from the perspective of self-congruence and compared the relative importance of affective attachment and lifestyle matching, which acts as a mediating mechanism in influencing customer loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

Individuals in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Beijing and Xi'an; representative cities of China's east, south, west, north and central regions, responded to questionnaires. Altogether, 282 valid responses were obtained; structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings show that lifestyle congruence has a greater mediating effect than emotional attachment in the relationship between store-self congruence and grocery store loyalty. Furthermore, social self-congruence was the dominant dimension of store-self congruence that affects grocery store loyalty.

Research limitations/implications

The first important academic contribution of this study is the provision of knowledge on the issue of whether to focus on generating grocery store loyalty via the mediating effect of emotional attachment or lifestyle congruence. Furthermore, the empirical findings further clarify the boundary of brand attachment theory, demonstrating the limitation of this theory in explaining the mediating mechanism for self-congruence on loyalty in a context that sells low-involvement products in a collectivistic culture. Another academic contribution focuses on the examination of dominant dimensions of self-congruence.

Practical implications

This study provides a new strategy for grocery store managers to avoid the trap of homogeneous competition, namely, to clearly define consumers' social rather than personal identity. Additionally, grocery stores should focus on matching their image with target customers' lifestyles when building customer loyalty.

Social implications

This study's findings also shed light on public policy. Some implications could be increasing the layout rationality of retail commercial outlets to facilitate the interaction between grocery stores and community consumers and promoting the matching of grocery stores and consumer lifestyles. Such policies may boost grocery sales, which in turn would boost farmers' incomes.

Originality/value

Compared to previous studies, this study analysed the customer loyalty of grocery stores from the perspective of self-congruence, analysed the mechanisms by which self-congruence influences customer loyalty via the mediating effects of emotional attachment and lifestyle congruence and compared the relative significance of these two paths. Furthermore, this study clarified the relative importance of self-congruence dimensions in influencing grocery store loyalty.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 124 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2018

Yongzhuo Gao, Zhijiang Du, Xueshan Gao, Yanyu Su, Yu Mu, Li Ning Sun and Wei Dong

This paper aims to present an open-architecture kinematic controller, which was developed for articulated robots, facing the demands of various applications and low cost on robot…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present an open-architecture kinematic controller, which was developed for articulated robots, facing the demands of various applications and low cost on robot system.

Design/methodology/approach

A general approach to develop this controller is described in hardware and software design. The hardware consists of embedded boards and programable multi-axes controller (PMAC), connected with ethernet, and the software is implemented on a robot operating system with MoveIt!. The authors also developed a teach pendant running as a LAN node to provide a human–machine interface (HMI).

Findings

The proposed approach was applied to several real articulated robot systems and was proved to be effective and portable. The proposed controller was compared with several similar systems to verify its integrality and flexibility. The openness of this controller was discussed and is summarized at the end of this paper.

Practical implications

The proposed approach provided an open and low-complex solution for experimental studies in the lab and short-run production in small workshops.

Originality/value

Several contributions are made by the research. The actuation model and communication were implemented to integrate the trajectory planning module and PMAC for setting up the physical interface. Method and program interface based on kinematics was provided to generate various interpolations for trajectory planning. A teach pedant with HMI was developed for controlling and programing the robot.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 45 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2016

Xueshan Gao, Yu Mu and Yongzhuo Gao

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method of optimal trajectory planning for robotic manipulators that applies an improved teaching-learning-based optimization (ITLBO…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method of optimal trajectory planning for robotic manipulators that applies an improved teaching-learning-based optimization (ITLBO) algorithm.

Design/methodology/approach

The ITLBO algorithm possesses better ability to escape from the local optimum by integrating the original TLBO with variable neighborhood search. The trajectory of robotic manipulators complying with the kinematical constraints is constructed by fifth-order B-spline curves. The objective function to be minimized is execution time of the trajectory.

Findings

Experimental results with a 6-DOF robotic manipulator applied to surface polishing of metallic workpiece verify the effectiveness of the method.

Originality/value

The presented ITLBO algorithm is more efficient than the original TLBO algorithm and its variants. It can be applied to any robotic manipulators to generate time-optimal trajectories.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 43 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 November 2020

Naoko Araki

Japanese school teachers are facing challenges under the new curricula reform, and there is still a lack of preparation to guide them to a successful implementation. Dilemmas…

Abstract

Purpose

Japanese school teachers are facing challenges under the new curricula reform, and there is still a lack of preparation to guide them to a successful implementation. Dilemmas related to teaching English language in primary schools were seen among participant teachers in a program of professional learning. This study aims (1) to identify a feeling of anxiety and readiness to the new EFL curricula and (2) to offer a professional learning program for shifting their concerns to regain their confidence and agency as educators.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted based on qualitative research. Qualitative data was collected from 40 participating teachers in the professional learning program, and later was critically analysed.

Findings

Initial findings revealed that the majority of participants felt concerned towards teaching EFL in their school, as they are homeroom teachers, not specialist teachers in EFL. Drama pedagogy helped shifting their language anxiety and repositioning themselves within the new EFL curricular implementation, as it became evident through the reflections of the professional development workshop.

Originality/value

The study highlights current educational issues that Japanese primary school teachers are facing. Failure to fully address their feeling of anxiety underlies the Japanese school culture. Drama pedagogy, despite being quite new to educational pedagogy in Japan, was effective in allowing the participants to freely express their voices.

Details

Qualitative Research Journal, vol. 21 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1443-9883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 March 2019

Shiquan Wang, Guoyin Shang and Shuang Zhang

Concerning that limited explanation exists examining the function of corporate governance in trust processing within entrepreneurial network development, the purpose of this paper…

Abstract

Purpose

Concerning that limited explanation exists examining the function of corporate governance in trust processing within entrepreneurial network development, the purpose of this paper is to explore trust evolution and the role of corporate governance in an entrepreneurial network.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper makes an innovative exploration based on the case study of NVC Lighting Holding Limited.

Findings

It proposes that in the initial period of network relationship which is based on entrepreneur’s individual social network and embodies sole social network embeddness, entrepreneurial network relies more on affective trust than contractual trust. When stepping into extending period of network relationship which reflects separate embeddedness of social and market network, however, entrepreneurial network has an equal reliance on both affective trust and contractual trust. With further development, when ushering in the phase of maturity which undergoes superimposing embeddedness of both social and market network, entrepreneur network inclines to rely more heavily on affective trust than contractual trust. During the whole process, it can be found that the reliance of entrepreneurial network on trust has the tendency to transfer from affective trust to contractual trust. Furthermore, decreasing of equity ratio of founders and strengthening of controlling right heterogeneity in the corporate governance have facilitated the transfer process and the entrepreneurs’ authority has restraining effect on the evolution of the process.

Originality/value

Through case study, this paper presents the trust evolution process in different stages of entrepreneurial network. Another important theoretic contribution of this paper is that it reveals the function of corporate governance in trust processing within entrepreneurial network development.

Details

Chinese Management Studies, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-614X

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Chinese Social Media
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-136-0

Article
Publication date: 14 April 2023

Hanwen Chen, Siyi Liu, Daoguang Yang and Di Zhang

This study aims to investigate the role of regional environmental transparency on corporate environmental disclosure.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the role of regional environmental transparency on corporate environmental disclosure.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses the introduction of a nationwide automated air pollution monitoring network in China as a quasi-natural experiment and employs regression analysis. Robustness checks, including parallel trend test and placebo test, are performed to test the robustness of the results.

Findings

Sharing air pollution data with the public can improve corporate environmental disclosure. Firms with poorer environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance prefer to disclose less informative information after the automated network is implemented compared with firms with better ESG performance. The relationship between information sharing and corporate environmental transparency is more pronounced when local air pollution is severer, firms face stronger investor scrutiny and firms are from heavily polluting industries. The mechanism tests suggest the automated system can draw public environmental attention and improve governments’ aspiration for environmental governance. Finally, corporate environmental disclosure can reduce stock price crash risk and cost of equity.

Practical implications

Real-time pollution data reporting is an important solution to raising public environmental awareness and then enhancing the effectiveness of pollution control.

Social implications

This study has implications for policy-making regarding environmental governance and environmental disclosure.

Originality/value

This study confirms that pollution information transparency can motivate firms to increase environmental disclosure.

Details

Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, vol. 14 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8021

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 September 2020

Chung-En Yu and Xinyu Zhang

This study aims to quantify the underlying feelings of online reviews and discover the role of seasonality in customer dining experiences.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to quantify the underlying feelings of online reviews and discover the role of seasonality in customer dining experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied sentiment analysis to determine the polarity of a given comment. Furthermore, content analysis was conducted based on the core attributes of the customer dining experiences.

Findings

Positive feelings towards the food and the service do not show a linear relationship, while the overall dining experiences increase in line with the positive feelings on food quality. Moreover, feelings towards the atmosphere of the restaurants are the most positive in peak season.

Practical implications

This study provides guidelines for restaurateurs regarding the aspects that need more attention in different seasons.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the knowledge of customer feelings in local restaurants/gastronomy and the role seasonality plays in fostering such feelings. In addition, the novel methodological procedures provide insights for tourism research in discovering new dimensions in theories based on big data.

研究目的

本论文旨在量化在线评论中的情感导向以及发掘季节性对消费者用餐体验的作用。

研究设计/方法/途径

本论文采用情感分析法对既定评论做出情感判断。此外, 本文还依据消费者用餐体验中的核心价值采用了内容分析法。

研究结果

研究发现消费者对食物和服务的正向情感并不是线性关系。然而, 整体用餐体验与对食物质量的正向情感是线性正向的关系。此外, 消费者对饭店氛围的情感在旺季的时节是最为突出的。

研究实际意义

本论文对饭店从业者在不同季节的关注点上起到了指导作用。

研究原创性/价值

本论文对地方饭店/美食的消费者情感认知做出了贡献, 此外, 本论文还对季节性如何促进消费情感的作用做出了研究。本论文还采用了新型的研究方法, 这对于旅游研究来说, 做出了基于大数据的新理论研究方向。

Article
Publication date: 13 March 2024

Ziyuan Ma, Huajun Gong and Xinhua Wang

The purpose of this paper is to construct an event-triggered finite-time fault-tolerant formation tracking controller, which can achieve a time-varying formation control for…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to construct an event-triggered finite-time fault-tolerant formation tracking controller, which can achieve a time-varying formation control for multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during actuator failures and external perturbations.

Design/methodology/approach

First, this study developed the formation tracking protocol for each follower using UAV formation members, defining the tracking inaccuracy of the UAV followers’ location. Subsequently, this study designed the multilayer event-triggered controller based on the backstepping method framework within finite time. Then, considering the actuator failures, and added self-adaptive thought for fault-tolerant control within finite time, the event-triggered closed-loop system is subsequently shown to be a finite-time stable system. Furthermore, the Zeno behavior is analyzed to prevent infinite triggering instances within a finite time. Finally, simulations are conducted with external disturbances and actuator failure conditions to demonstrate formation tracking controller performance.

Findings

It achieves improved performance in the presence of external disturbances and system failures. Combining limited-time adaptive control and event triggering improves system stability, increase robustness to disturbances and calculation efficiency. In addition, the designed formation tracking controller can effectively control the time-varying formation of the leader and followers to complete the task, and by adding a fixed-time observer, it can effectively compensate for external disturbances and improve formation control accuracy.

Originality/value

A formation-following controller is designed, which can handle both external disturbances and internal actuator failures during formation flight, and the proposed method can be applied to a variety of formation control scenarios and does not rely on a specific type of UAV or communication network.

Details

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, vol. 96 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1748-8842

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 1000