Customer experience: a systematic literature review and consumer culture theory-based conceptualisation

Management Review Quarterly - The study aims to summarise and classify the existing research and to better understand the past, present, and the future state of the theory of customer experience....     

The Coastal Community Perception on the Socio-Economic Impacts of Agro-Tourism Activities in Coastal Villages in Malaysia

This paper is concerned with the socio-economic impacts of agro-tourism activities in coastal villages listed as Desa Wawasan Nelayan (DWN) in Malaysia. The paper discussed the impacts of the two major components of socio-economics dynamics, namely social and economic activities. This account highlights a number of discussions with specific reference to DWN in Malaysia. It identifies the similarities and differences with regard to socio-economic impact, and it is expected that these points will be of practical use for other agro-tourism areas around the globe, and help to increase interest in agro-tourism activities.     

Knowledge acquisition using psychotherapy technique for critical factors influencing construction project layout planning

The positioning of equipment on a construction site may change in different construction phases, different environments, and different types of end products, which greatly influence the decision of the site planning engineer who seeks to maximize the construction efficiency by minimizing the friction from the site layout. This study aims to acquire and analyze site planning experts' knowledge on critical factors influencing the construction layout planning using a psychotherapy technique. Through an open‐structured interview survey and cluster analysis, 125 core factors influencing the site layout plan were analyzed and categorized into a database.     

Market orientation practices among small and medium hotels (SMHS) in tourist destination island of Langkawi

The purpose of the study is to investigate the underlying components of market orientation practices and their effect on the Small and Medium Hotels (SMHs) performances on tourist destination island of Langkawi. Fifty SMHs were randomly selected from a sampling frame of a list of SMHs registered with Malaysian Tourism Board. For data collection purposes, structured questionnaires were personally delivered and collected. Rotated component matrix factor analysis of the data extracted four underlying factors that explain seventy nine point four six percent of the total variances and alpha reliability coefficient of ninety eight percent. Those components were named as customer orientation, interfunctional orientation, service orientation, and competitor orientation. One sample Kolmogorov‐Smirnov Test indicates that SMHs in Langkawi practices market orientation in their operations and businesses. However, the finding of the study showed that their performances in 1998 was lower than 1997. We believe that this outcome is due to the effect of national and regional economic downturn in 1998.     

Designing corporate brand experience in an online context: A qualitative insight

This study explores the dimensions and components of corporate brand experience in an Internet setting. Corporate brand experience (CBE), which is a source of a company's added value, could be an effective way to position a corporate brand in relation to the overall corporate marketing strategy. However, the concept of CBE has attracted very little attention from previous research, thereby our understanding of what the concept is and how to operationalize it is limited. Previous brand experience research is mainly focused on the conceptual understanding of brand experience itself, and/or the product brand level (rather than at corporation level). Understanding CBE is important because corporate brand equity (e.g. corporate image, brand loyalty) is dependent not only on how one is satisfied with the product (mostly addressed by functional/performance values of product), but also through the values of the corporation (corporate brand values). This study thus contributes theoretically to the corporate and online branding literature by proposing underlying new dimensions and components of CBE in an online environment. A series of focus group discussions (FGDs) with 32 online banking respondents informs the study. We identify five main themes and 26 sub-themes of corporate brand experience — corporate visual identity, functionality, emotional, lifestyle and corporate/self-identity. Financial service providers can address these dimensionalities during the process of brand positioning and when designing their corporate marketing in an online setting.     

Triggering the internationalization of Malaysian quantity surveying firms

Although there is an increasing trend of services being traded across borders, quantity surveying (QS) firms in the construction sector remain under-researched. The triggers for the increasing globalization of QS firms are not clear, nor how these triggers are perceived by managers at different levels. A questionnaire was administered in over 84 QS consultancy firms, and the results were analyzed using the repertory grid technique, allowing a comparison between the general respondents and a focus group of senior managers. The findings show that senior managers with significant experience realize the importance of a strong internal capability of the QS firm and the capability to develop innovative offerings, coupled with an awareness of the target market and the ability to secure revenue through key contracts. Firm- and location-specific factors were more important than other competitive advantages or foreign markets’ characteristics when deciding to globalize.     

Exploring the Financial Leakages in the Classified Hotels in Jordan: A Managerial Perspective

The study aimed to provide a better understanding of financial leakages in a sample of classified hotels in Jordan in terms of its reasons, its channels, and potential ways to reduce it from hotel managers’ perspective. Eighteen semistructured interviews were conducted with hotel managers. The results showed a high level of awareness regarding financial leakages by hotel managers. Furthermore, the main reasons for financial leakages included: the high cost of energy, the need to import products not produced locally, and the lack of awareness of sustainability practices. The main channels of financial leakages were: importing furniture and electronics, human resources, and food and beverages not produced in Jordan. The study’s main suggestions are to reduce financial leakages, especially energy consumption, and to increase trust in local products.     

Reducing failures in software development projects: effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies

Risks as uncertain conditions with negative consequences on a software project could increase the failure rate of a project if it is ignored. To identify the effectiveness of risk management strategies, a questionnaire survey among over 1000 software professionals was conducted. Post Hoc Multiple Comparison Test and Kendal’s non-parametric test were employed to analyse risk mitigation strategies in terms of effectiveness in reducing time and cost overruns. Findings reveal risk mitigation strategies related to the technical part are not as efficient as that in the managerial part such as the users’ involvement and commitment in reducing time and cost overruns.     

Managing External Risks for International Architectural,Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Firms Operating in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States

International projects involve both uncertainties raised domestically and external risks in international transactions. Through a questionnaire survey and case studies among architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms operating in the Gulf, this study found 36.5% external risk factors that should be contemplated before the award of contracts and 53.9% afterward to ensure smooth running. An external risk breakdown structure (E‐RBS) and a framework for foreign AEC firms operating in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states were developed for users to identify and respond to external risks in a more systematic manner. International firms outside Malaysia are strongly advised to use the framework for risk forecasting and mitigation when operating in the Gulf.