How do dynamic capabilities explain hotel performance?

This research study explores the relationship between three dynamic capabilities and their impact on hotel performance. Specifically, we examine the relationship between human resource management (HRM), quality management (QM) and sustainability. In addition, we analyse how QM and sustainability explain hotel performance measured by occupancy rate, average daily rate (ADR) and revenues per available room (RevPAR). These capabilities can generate income, enabling hotels to adapt as quickly as possible to the changing environment. Findings show a significant relationship between HRM, QM and sustainability. The relationship between QM and hotel performance and between sustainability and hotel performance is fully mediated by the differentiation competitive advantage. Our results represent an advance in hotel theory and management because they integrate HRM, QM and sustainability, and show their ability to be a source of competitive advantage and profitability.     

Role of positive emotions in the constraint process: the case of Taiwanese college students

This study adopts the partial least squares (PLS) method to analyse the relationships among positive emotions, leisure constraints, leisure negotiation strategy, and participation frequency in outdoor recreational activities using stratified proportional sampling of Taiwanese students (N = 569) and SmartPLS 2.0 statistical software to perform statistical analyses. This study determined that positive emotions not only directly affected the level of involvement in outdoor recreational activities but also indirectly increased involvement by improving negotiation ability. While leisure constraints have a direct, positive and significant impact on the leisure negotiation strategy, they do not significantly influence the level of participation in outdoor recreational activities. This article observed that the level of participation did not depend on constraints but instead depended on the process of ‘leisure negotiation’ based on the constraints. In the future, different samples can be used to test the stability and adaptability of this model; alternatively, other variables can be added to better understand college students’ participation in outdoor recreational activities.     

Influence of cost accounting change on performance of manufacturing firms

The purpose is to analyze the influence of cost accounting change (CAC) on the financial performance of Finnish firms. Empirical data are based on a survey responded by 121 manufacturing firms. PLS is used to extract the influence of CAC on performance. The general expectation is that CAC should have a positive lagged effect of performance. However, prior empirical evidence is mixed and usually only a weak influence is found, if any. This study shows that CAC is closely associated with a simultaneous pricing system change (PSC). CAC and PSC are interrelated because product cost usually plays an important role in pricing. PLS shows that CAC has a weak positive lagged main effect on performance whereas PSC has a strong negative effect. The total effect of CAC is insignificant because the positive direct effect is offset by the negative mediation indirect effect through PSC. The result indicates that when assessing the influence of CAC on performance it is important also to take account of the corresponding indirect influence through PSC. The study also shows that perceived environmental uncertainty (PEU) has a strong negative moderating effect on the influence of PSC on performance. Thus, the influence of PSC on performance is more negative when PEU is high.     

The role of knowledge management practices in supporting employee capacity for improvisation

This study examines the role of knowledge management (KM) practices in fostering the improvisational capacities of employees. A survey data-set of 593 responses of employees in a city organisation was tested with partial least squares modelling. The results indicated that KM practices positively affect employee improvisation. The study suggests that organisations should pay conscious attention to KM practices that foster the utilisation of employee creativity for organisational success.     

Market orientation,organizational performance,and the mediating role of crowdsourcing in knowledge‐based firms

This paper establishes the relationships between market orientation and crowdsourcing in knowledge‐based firms for improving their organizational performance. By understanding the relationships among these variables, firms are in a better position to tackle complex business and innovation problems faster and at a lower cost. Results from the Spanish biotechnology and telecommunications sectors show the relevance of social networks for a better adaptation to rapidly changing markets and increasing competitiveness.     

Segmenting consumer decision-making styles (CDMS) toward marketing practice: A partial least squares (PLS) path modeling approach

The way consumers make decisions across online and offline channels according to their perceptions of retailers׳ marketing practices is not well understood in the current literature. A few empirical studies have examined consumer decision-making styles (CDMS) and marketing practice among online and shopping mall consumers. This research endeavors to understand CDMS as market segments on the perception of marketing practice across retail channels. A total of 315 online and paper–pencil-questionnaires were collected to conduct the statistical analysis for the measurement and structural model using the partial least squares (PLS) path modeling approach, a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Six consumers׳ characteristics–perfectionist, brand consciousness, price conscious, fashion conscious, recreational and impulsive shoppers–were assessed in respect of retail products, price, advertising and retailing across-channels. The study contributes to retailing management by enabling it to implement effective retail segmentation and cross-channel strategy according to CDMS. The study limitations and implications are discussed.     

Technology acceptance modeling of augmented reality at the point of sale: Can surveys be replaced by an analysis of online reviews?

Online reviews by users have become an increasingly important source of information. This is true not only for new users of goods or services, but also for their producers. They extend the insight into the acceptance of new goods and services, e.g. at the point of sale, from a mere sales and usage quantity oriented point of view to a cause and effect oriented one. Since online reviews by consumers of many goods and services are nowadays widespread and easily available on the internet, the question arises whether their analysis can replace the more traditional approaches to measure technology acceptance, e.g., using questionnaires with TAM (Technology Acceptance Model) items. This paper tries to answer this question using IKEA׳s mobile catalogue app as an example. For comparisons reasons, data on the acceptance of the current version of this catalogue is collected in four different ways, (1) as answers to batteries of TAM items, (2) as assignments to pre-defined adjective pairs, (3) as textual likes and dislikes of users (simulating online reviews), and (4) as publicly available (real) reviews by users. The source for (1)–(3) is a survey with a sample of respondents, the source for (4) an online forum. The data is analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) for TAM modeling and text mining for pre-processing the textual data. The results are promising: it seems that data collection via surveys can be replaced – with some reservations – by the analysis of publicly available (real) online reviews.     

我国创业板上市公司综合成长性评价

现阶段创业板市场正处于一个全面规划和逐步推开的阶段,科学合理的评价创业板上市公司的综合成长性是创业板市场得以健康发展的前提。本文从构建企业综合成长性评价指标体系入手,并以2010年上市的117家公司为样本,选取其2011年和2012年财务数据,采用偏最小二乘法进行实证分析。结果表明：上市公司综合成长性存在差异,传播与文化业上市公司表现突出;其他行业上市公司成长性表现一般。形成这种差异的影响因素主要为成长能力、资金运营能力和企业规模。为此,本文认为应给予企业实适时帮扶政策,加强企业的内部管理,鼓励企业技术创新和成果转化,以提高创业板上市公司的综合成长能力。     

基于PLS-PP的延吉市土地利用变化趋势预测研究

利用延吉市1992年和2007年两期Landsat TM数据,在分析土地利用变化的基础上,应用偏最小二乘回归的投影寻踪耦合（PLS-PP）模型,对延吉市的土地利用变化进行了分析和定量预测。研究结果表明,偏最小二乘回归的投影寻踪耦合（PLS-PP）模型与传统的偏最小二乘回归（PLS）模型方法比较,预测值精度显著提高。根据PLS-PP模型的运算结果,按照目前的变化速度,延吉市林地、草地将逐渐减少,耕地、居民点工矿用地、未利用地、水域用地逐渐增加,其中未利用地、水域用地变化幅度较大。该方法可为土地利用变化预测研究提供一种新的思路,预测结果可为土地管理部门制定相应的对策提供依据,从而达到土地资源优化配置与合理利用的目的。     

融通仓模式下第四方物流企业的行为分析

融通仓的诞生可以有效缓解中小企业的融资问题,但是只有第三方物流企业参与的融通仓模式存在着诸多问题。因此,本文将第四方物流企业纳入融通仓服务模式,分析第四方物流企业在整个模式中的行为,包括选择合作伙伴、定价行为、风险控制以及激励监督行为,为第四方物流参与融通仓模式提供一定的理论依据。