Complex Network of Aviation E-Services in the Belt and Road Initiative: A Heuristic Study of Small Data based on Block Modeling

ABSTRACT

The aviation e-service system is an important part of support for business communication in regions covered by Belt and Road initiative. In exploring the role of airline companies in this system, we examine the structure of the network, which consists of airlines interconnections based on small data of individual attributes of aviation companies in aviation e-services, and study these interconnections across different groups using block modeling. The heuristic solution of airline companies in development of international communication and cooperation is further discussed. Among our policy implications for global managers, we suggest the enhancement of cross-regional cooperation among airlines.     

Assessing the reversal of investor sentiment

Assessing the reversal of sentiment in stock markets is needed because, according to the social mood cycle, the change of social mood over time is an antecedent of price movements. The purpose of this study is to empirically assess reversal of investor sentiment, to show the phases of social mood cycle from increasing mood to decreasing mood, and to explain the dynamic change in market inefficiency from increasing to decreasing. Growth modeling, developed particularly for dealing with the change over time, is used in this study for assessing the reversal of investor sentiment. The autocovariance structure of errors and the variances/covariances of the random coefficients are all taken into account in the model. The results have indicated that the change in investor sentiment over time is inverted U-shaped for the entire market. Moreover, arbitrage constraint and stock characteristics exert a joint moderating effect on sentiment reversal. Less arbitrage constraint can strengthen sentiment reversal only when the market for individual stocks is dominated by noise traders. Based on the results obtained, we discuss asset pricing, liquidity management, and market intervention.     

Synchronizing relational benefits with customer commitment profiles

ABSTRACT

The literature no longer considers commitment to be a distinct variable. Instead, commitment represents a combination of affective, calculative, and normative dimensions for individual customers, resulting in the adoption of a person-centric view for its measurement. However, customer satisfaction as a result of confidence benefit, social benefit, and special treatment benefit may vary among customers with different commitment profiles which encourages variable-centric view. Considering both variable- and person-centric views, this study uses survey data to examine the impact of relational benefits on the satisfaction of customers with different commitment profiles. It also examines the moderation role of relationship age. With cluster analysis identifying three commitment profiles, findings from structural equation modeling confirmed that highly-committed customers expected excessive special treatment benefit; low-commitment customers preferred confidence benefit to reduce cognitive dissonance; while affective-dominance customers expected all three types of benefit proportionately. The study’s theoretical and practical contributions conclude the paper.     

Assessment of Consumer Behavior Towards Environmental Responsibility: A Structural Equations Modeling Approach

This paper analyses the factors impacting consumer environmental responsibility using a structural equation modeling approach. Consumer environmental responsibility is the intention of a person to act towards remediation of environmental problems not as an individual user with economic interests but as a responsible citizen having concerns about the social and environmental wellbeing of society. Therefore, awareness of environmental problems and knowledge of remedial alternatives will help individuals to pursue their chosen action and bolster a genuine desire to act and determine the measures for alleviation of environmental challenges. The four dimensions of an environmentally responsible consumer – opinion and beliefs, willingness, awareness, and an ability to act – are analysed. During the analysis, the dimension of ‘ability to move’ is found to be critical, because it has a direct influence on the capacity of the consumer to act. This research is intended to guide policy‐ and decision‐makers of regulatory bodies in understanding consumer behavior towards improving environmental performance index. It also helps organizational managers to make their supply chains green, and competitive, which in turn improves brand image and overall organizational performance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Exploring pilgrim satisfaction on facilities for religious events: a case of Ratha Yatra at Puri

This article relates to the annual Ratha Yatra festival at Puri, India, and aims at quantifying the pilgrim perception of the event on three major aspects of every facility – adequacy, quality, and signage – to measure their satisfaction. A questionnaire survey (N?=?680) was conducted, from which a five-factor structure was extracted using exploratory principal component analysis, further examined through partial least squares-path modeling. The final model was found to have significant positive effects on three factors that comprised adequacy and quality of physiological needs, quality of ancillary facilities, and signage. The outcome may be utilized in planning other pilgrim events for achieving a higher pilgrim satisfaction score.     

Examining the predictive validity of SUS-TAS with maximum parsimony in developing island countries

The Sustainable Tourism Attitude Scale (SUS-TAS) has been used as a tool to gauge the sentiment of local residents toward sustainable tourism development. This scale has been validated in cross-cultural settings by several scholars. In a like manner, in order to validate this scale, data were collected in the Cape Verde islands (off the coast of Africa) and the results showed (1) a parsimonious version of the 21-item SUS-TAS that facilitates the process of data collection without compromising its robustness and psychometric properties, (2) a validated second-order factor model, confirming that the seven factors of SUS-TAS can be loaded in two broader dimensions named “perceived tourism impacts” and “expected tourism sustainability”, (3) a SUS-TAS second-order factor model with validity in predicting residents’ support for sustainable tourism development, (4) that SUS-TAS can be interpreted by seven individual factors and/or as a global factor as indicated by the hierarchical measurement model and predictive validity. Methodological and theoretical interpretations are discussed and future refinement and applications are also offered.     

Longitudinal analysis versus cross-sectional analysis in assessing the factors influencing shoppers’ impulse purchase behavior – Do the store ambience and salesperson interactions really matter?

Numerous studies in the marketing literature focused on consumer behavior in general, but relatively few studies have examined Impulse purchase behavior (IPB). Although few studies examined IPB, the vast majority of the studies were conducted using the cross-sectional design. These studies suffer from certain limitations like random measurement error, common method bias, causality & validity-related issues that are inherently associated with the cross-sectional design. Despite these limitations, very few studies have examined the IPB using the longitudinal design. Multilevel structural equation modeling (ML-SEM) is conducted in the study to analyze the longitudinal data for examining the changes in the causal effects of the factors influencing the shoppers' IPB over a period of time. Additionally, structural equation modeling (SEM) is conducted to examine changes in the causal effects of the factors influencing IPB at each time point of data collection. Drawing upon the stern's model and stimulus-organism-response model, the study examines the causal effects of the factors influencing the IPB. The results of ML-SEM indicate significant fluctuations in the factors influencing IPB over time. Similarly, the results of SEM indicates that few factors (like store ambience and salesperson interactions) have shown a significant influence on IPB in the initial time points (i.e., during the initial store visits of shoppers), but became insignificant over a period of time in their subsequent store visits. The findings suggest that the store crowd, secondary customers influence, and in-store promotions show a significant influence on the IPB, compared to the store ambience and salesperson interactions.     

数字地面模型新进展：TIN2.0、3D表面 塑型线和自由形态建模工具

竖向设计是人类在景观中进行的基本活动。人类对 室外空间的任何干预都涉及对地表形态的设计。在过去的几十 年中，数字设计的发展不仅改变了表现的方法，而且改变了设 计的过程。就地形建模而言，该技术实现了三维可视化和任务 自动化，例如土方计算和自动产生横截面。但在重点考察最新 的建筑信息模型(BIM)如何应用和实施这项技术时，不难发现 地形建模过程并没有充分利用技术带来的潜在优势。实际上， 三维建模工具、基于组件的建模和分析、设计验证，以及协同 设计是可以集成到数字地面模型中的。识别了现有数字建模解 决方案中的主要缺陷并为其进一步发展提供机会，提出了一 项整合性的数字地面模型建模过程，该过程引入了TIN2.0曲 面，对现有的TIN曲面进行了升级，允许在同一曲面中同时存 在规则三角网和不规则三角网，并开发了一套基于三维线和自 由形态设计工具的建模工具，推动风景园林信息模型框架的发 展以满足风景园林师及其他专业人士，如建筑师和土木工程师 进行地形建模的需求。通过案例研究对提出的建模过程进行了 测试和验证。结果表明，生成的数字曲面具有较高精度，可以 具象地表现地形，允许设计过程在三维线或自由形态设计工具 的基础上进行。所有地形建模均在三维数字模型上进行     

基于三维激光扫描的钢板组合梁结构检测方法

针对钢结构桥梁的传统尺寸检测工作存在数据获取效率低、实地操作困难和检测精度不高等问题,结合三维激光扫描技术,给出一种基于三维激光点云数据的钢板组合梁构件多部位尺寸无损检测方法.主要步骤包括扫描设计、点云获取、点云预处理及配准、截面获取与尺寸检测.以某高速公路桥梁工程钢板组合梁结构检测为例,分别对比了传统尺寸检测方法和本文方法.实验表明该方法具有无接触测量、高可靠性和检测范围全面的优势.