Applying the counseling-learning approach to a tourism-related massive open online course

ABSTRACT

This study discusses how to apply counseling-learning (CL) principles to a particular e-learning solution for teaching a tourism-related subject via a massive open online course (MOOC). Several effective caring patterns in achieving learning-related goals and being part of a community according to the CL principles are presented and discussed using the MOOC “eTourism: Communication Perspectives” as a case study. The study underlines how the MOOC platform can act as a place for contents enjoinment and active learning. Moreover, the active role of social media for increasing the engagement of learners in the proposed activities and for developing a sense of the community is identified. In particular, Facebook and Twitter can act as places for community building and informal social interactions among learners that last beyond the completion of the course, which in turn can be a valid aid for continuing the relationships among instructors/learners and learners/learners, and for reaching new ones.     

互联网视角下供应链金融的新发展

在这个网络社会愈发深化的时代,通过互联网科技完善和发展线上供应链金融成为必要的发展方向。本文首先梳理了传统供应链金融的基本模式,发现了其存在的不足;然后重点介绍了当前三种主要的线上供应链金融模式,总结了线上供应链金融的优势;最后,提出相关政策建议,认为金融机构应该不断升级线上供应链金融产品,逐步完善供应链金融线上操作系统,监管机构需要出台更加严格的监管规则对线上供应链金融进行有效监管。     

Self-Regulation for Online Behavioral Advertising (OBA): Analysis of OBA Notices

This study assessed how and to what extent self-regulation of online behavioral advertising (OBA) is executed on participating companies' websites. Based on the principles of OBA, as outlined by the Digital Advertising Alliance and Federal Trade Commission, we analyzed the format of OBA notices, explanation of OBA notices, opt-out options, transparency, and use of unacceptable notices. A series of content analyses was done in the years 2013 and 2015. Our results indicated slight improvements over the years, but the specific details of the implementation continued to fall short of the standards. In terms of accessibility and visibility, many websites demonstrated problematic presentations or lack of the components necessary to increase consumers' understanding and control over the practice of OBA.     

Examining the influencing factors of intention to share accommodations in online hospitality exchange networks

ABSTRACT

CouchSurfing is a free social-network-based online hospitality exchange network, aptly representing a new sharing economy phenomenon. Based on social capital theory and previous literature, this study attempts to answer why hosts help strangers without any expected economic benefit within online hospitality exchange networks. An empirical study based on a Web survey conducted with CouchSurfing hosts reveals that the most identified antecedents (enjoy helping, shared narratives, desire to make friends, and reciprocity) are significantly related to hosts’ intention to share accommodations. Interestingly, the overshadowing effect of trust in CouchSurfing on the intention to share accommodations is also found.     

Hotel Efficiency Analysis from the Customer’s Point of View in Romania: A Stochastic Production Frontier Approach

The purpose of this article is to measure the efficiency of hotel units in Romania from the customers’ point of view and to identify factors that explain the differences in efficiency between hotel units. A stochastic production frontier is estimated together with a technical inefficiency model using cross-sectional data from 622 hotel units in Romania. The results show that the average efficiency is high. However, there are significant differences between hotels in different regions and with different star ratings. The most influential factor affecting efficiency is the online visibility of a hotel unit on social media platforms and on travel planning sites. The study’s results offer insight for hotel decision-makers to be able to improve the perception of hotel efficiency by taking appropriate action to meet customer needs.     

基于改进指纹聚类的WLAN定位优化方法

将K-means聚类算法应用到无线局域网（WLAN）位置指纹定位中，虽然可以缩短定位时间，但是容易降低定位精度。为了解决此问题，提出了基于改进指纹聚类的WLAN定位优化方法。首先根据接收信号强度标准差来优化初始聚类中心的选取,然后对指纹数据进行聚类处理,最后进行在线定位。实验结果表明，与传统的WLAN位置指纹定位方法和K-means聚类定位方法相比，基于改进指纹聚类的定位优化方法不仅缩短了定位时间，还能有效提高定位精度。     

网购食品消费者选择行为的影响因素

利用1 790份网络调查问卷数据,采用相关分析、交叉分析等统计方法,研究网购食品消费者选择行为,分析网购食品市场渗透率不高、用户黏性不足的主要原因,结果表明,消费者个性特征差异会导致对网购食品的不同态度,进而影响消费者对网购食品的选择行为;良好的网购环境、物美价廉的食品、优质的网购服务,是促使消费者选择网购食品的主要因素,对网购食品安全的担忧、习惯于传统购物方式、网购维权难度大,是抑制消费者选择网购食品的主要因素,尤其是网购食品"难维权、维权难"可能会放大消费者对网购食品产生的消极态度。为此,应加强网购食品多主体协同监管,消除消费者怀疑心理和不放心态度;建立以消费者需求为中心的网购食品质量安全供应链管理体系,推动线上市场和线下实体店紧密结合、融合发展;完善网购食品维权制度,畅通维权渠道。     

体验型产品在线评论与消费意愿及销量的关系——以价格为调节变量

随着网络在线交易的迅猛发展,在线评论等网络口碑传播的重要性日益凸显。以体验型产品为研究对象,以信号理论和"刺激-反应"理论为指导,建立"在线评论-消费意愿-在线销量"模型分析三个要素之间的关系机理,并采用中介效应检验和调节效应检验进行验证,结果显示:在线评论作为一种信息刺激,其数量对体验型产品在线销量具有显著的正向影响,但在线评论质量效价评分对体验型产品在线销量的影响不显著,这与产品的类型有关;在线评论一是直接对在线销量产生影响,一是通过中介变量(即作为消费意愿替代变量的收藏量)传递影响,对在线销量产生作用;商品价格在在线评论和在线销量的直接和间接关系中都起到了正向调节作用,这与体验型产品交易过程中价格质量信号功能强于促销功能有关。实践中,企业可通过一些激励设计提高消费者在线评论参与度;进行更加科学化的网页设计,完善收藏功能,以方便消费者进行筛选和比较;注意防止盲目降价行为给消费者带来的负面影响,发挥好价格的信号作用。     

Consumers as legitimating agents: How consumer‐citizens challenge marketer legitimacy on social media

Previous research has shown that consumers increasingly challenge the legitimacy of marketers and unsolicited marketing communication in online contexts. Based on a qualitative study, this article examines how and for what reasons consumers challenge marketer legitimacy—the perceived appropriateness of marketers and their activities—in the empirical context of Reddit, a popular social news and community website. The study suggests that consumers challenge or accept marketer legitimacy in online communities based on particular, community and situation specific, legitimacy criteria that reflect and reproduce the values and norms of the community. In doing so, it is argued, consumers play a role as legitimating agents—consumer‐citizens that have the power to confer or deny legitimacy in the context of business‐society relations. Overall, the study advances knowledge in the field of consumer studies in two ways. First, it builds a symbolic interactionist perspective on consumer‐citizens as legitimating agents who enact their active citizenship role in the marketplace by assessing and constructing marketer legitimacy in online communities. Second, it offers an empirically grounded account of how and for what reasons consumer‐citizens challenge or accept the legitimacy of marketers and unsolicited marketing communication in online communities.     

Measuring ease of use of mobile applications in e-commerce retailing from the perspective of consumer online shopping behaviour patterns

Scientifically judging and comparing different mobile e-commerce retailing applications (apps) are essential to increase online shopping efficiency and enhance design for system improvement. In this research, the use of mobile apps in e-commerce retailing is viewed as an information operation process, and distance of information-state transition (DIT) theory is introduced to measure the “convenience” of mobile apps to obtain service information. Thus, a novel DIT-based evaluation method for the ease of use of mobile apps in e-commerce retailing from the perspective of consumer online shopping behaviour patterns is proposed. Three representative Chinese enterprises, namely, Tianmao Mall, Jingdong Mall and Suning Easy-to-buy, are chosen as study objects. Moreover, the corresponding ease-of-use indicators of three mobile apps under typical online shopping behaviour patterns are evaluated quantitatively. Results show that this research has important implications not only for online consumers but also for designers of online shopping systems.