The development and validation of a scale to measure perceived value of mobile commerce (MVAL-SCALE)

Mobile commerce (m-commerce) has unique characteristics that differentiate it from in-store and electronic commerce (e-commerce) in several aspects. Therefore, existing customer perceived value (CPV) scales developed for conventional business contexts may not thoroughly capture the CPV of m-commerce (M-VAL). Although a significant and increasing body of literature examined the benefits and costs of mobile shopping, extant literature revealed that no studies had operationalised all of the essential facets to measuring M-VAL. In order to address this gap, this research reported on four studies and generated a scale to encapsulate the holistic approach of M-VAL. A 25 item M-VAL scale was developed through a rigorous scale construction and validation process. The findings showed that M-VAL is a multidimensional, second order, and reflective construct consisting of three primary dimensions and nine sub-dimensions. The M-VAL dimensions are specifically derived as utilitarian value (information value, economic value, and convenience value), interaction value (interface value, visual value, gamification value, and customisation value) and credibility value (system credibility value and social credibility value). The nine sub-dimensions can be concluded as distinct from the dimensions in earlier models in various aspects and are consistent with the unique nature of m-commerce. Notably, the study developed the CPV scale especially for m-commerce, taking into account several elements that differentiated m-commerce from in-store and e-commerce.     

A mediation model between dimensions of social capital

Our paper contributes to the growing research by examining the interrelations between the dimensions of capital and their effects on the international market share of multinational companies in the global contractors industry. Previous works on social capital have failed to study the interrelationships between its dimensions or have proposed models with direct relationships. The current study proposes a multiple mediating model and tests the mediation. In particular, we posit that the relational and resource dimensions play a mediating role in the structural dimension-international market share relationship. A variance-based structural equation modeling (Partial Least Squares) has been applied to a sample made up of 225 global contractors. Our analysis lends support to the importance of the central positions of a firm and their influence on international market share. Moreover, mediation hypotheses posit how the relational and resource dimensions play a critical mediating role in the structural dimension – international market share relationship. Analysis of the data suggest that the dimensions of social capital are interrelated in such a way that the relational and resource dimensions: (a) fully mediate the effect of centrality (structural dimension) on the international share market and (b) exert significant influence on the international market share of each company.     

An independent assessment of the unidimensionality,reliability, validity and factor structure of the LibQUAL+™ scale

This empirical study provides a thorough measurement analysis of the LibQUAL+? scale for measuring library service quality. In particular, the study assesses the unidimensionality of the scale, the scale's psychometric properties and its factor structure. Data were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire distributed to a sample of university library users: 189 in Canada and 374 in Mexico. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the study confirms the assumption of unidimensionality in only two of the three current sub-dimensions of the scale. The results of this study also show that the LibQUAL+? scale consists of four dimensions. The remainder of the CFA results in the study provides strong support for the general reliability and validity of the four-dimensional structure.     

Grooming future hospitality leaders: A competencies model

Competency models can be useful tools for identifying and grooming future leaders. Rather than base leadership assessment on personality traits or other unrelated characteristics, competency models specify the actions and behavior needed for successful leaders. While some hotel companies have begun to identify leadership compentencies, the hotel industry does not have an overall competency model. Starting with competency models from other industries and the assessments from a pilot study, the authors complied a list of 99 competencies or skills (grouped into eight overarching factors comprising 28 dimensions) that might contribute to leadership success in the hospitality industry. Those compentencies were rated on a five-point scale, ranging from not at all important to extremely important, in a survey of 137 industry leaders. The competency labeled “self management” was the top dimension (of the 28)—composed of ethics and integrity, time management, flexibility and adaptability, and self development. Second in importance was competency in strategic positioning, comprising awareness of customer needs, commitment to quality, managing stakeholders, and concern for the community. (However, concern for the community was rated least important compared to the other three dimensions in that category). Industry knowledge, leadership, and interpersonal skill were factors that, while important, were ranked lower by the respondents.     

Intellectual capital and new product sale performance of the financial services industry in Taiwan

This research considers the financial services industry in Taiwan and investigates the effect of intellectual capital – namely human capital, organization capital and information capital – on new product sale performance based on cross-functional integration and co-production. The results indicate that intellectual capital, cross-functional integration and co-production have a positive effect on new product sale performance. Also, the results confirm the positive mediate effect of cross-functional integration and co-production on intellectual capital and new product sale performance.     

Taking stock of social capital research: its application in service-oriented firms

Abstract

Notwithstanding the substantial literature on social capital produced in recent years, there have been fewer attempts to examine social capital within the services industry. Our contribution highlights existing research on social capital particularly on the application and outcomes of social capital in the context of service-oriented firms in the Asia Pacific region. We structure our analysis of existing research around the different approaches of social capital studies – either egocentric or sociocentric approach and the focus on the creation and outcomes of social capital. The analysis on the different perspectives of social capital research contributes to our further understanding in the areas of social capital and services industry in the Asia Pacific. The implications for theory and management practice are noted.     

Hotel guest satisfaction among business travelers: What are the important factors?

In their quest for improved quality, hospitality industry managers often face two major obstacles: (1) They do not know what aspects the guest considers to be important when evaluating the hotel experience, and (2) they do not have reliable and valid instruments for measuring quality perceptions. The objective of this study was to examine both of these obstacles. By employing LISREL analysis to two alternative models of hotel guest satisfaction, we found that the majority of variation in overall satisfaction can be explained by the intangible and tangible dimensions of three departments of the hotel: reception, the housekeeping department, and the food and beverage department. Further, tangible aspects of the housekeeping department and intangible aspects of reception were found to have the strongest effect on overall satisfaction. This calls for a more focused approach to service quality management than the total quality management literature generally recommends. Managers are advised to concentrate attention and resources on the aspects that have the highest importance for obtaining overall satisfaction. Because of the small amount of research in this area, the study must be regarded as preliminary and exploratory. Recommendations for further research are presented.     

Revisiting customer analytics capability for data-driven retailing

Customer analytics is one of the most dominant strategic weapons in today's competitive retail environment. In spite of its strategic importance, there is scant attention to investigating customer analytics capabilities in the retail context. Drawing on a systematic literature review and thematic analysis, this study proposes a multidimensional customer analytics capability model by identifying relevant dimensions and sub-dimensions in retail settings. The principal contribution of this study is that the model links a customer analytics perspective to a resource-based view (RBV)-capability of the retailers by proposing six customer analytics capability dimensions and twelve sub-dimensions in the spectrum of market orientation and technology orientation. The customer analytics capability dimensions depict three crucial themes of marketing, such as value creation (offering capability and personalization capability), value delivery (distribution capability and communication capability), and value management (data management capability and data protection capability). By incorporating this capability dimensions, practitioners will likely be able to engage customers and enhance customer equity.     

论国有饭店的民营化改造

我国饭店业目前呈现竞争加剧和利润下降的局面。资本运营作为一种有效的企业经营手段 ,有利于为饭店的发展找到新的契机。然而 ,国有饭店开展资本运营的条件先天不足 ,由产权制度导致的资本运营障碍使民营化成为国有饭店的必然选择     

Analyzing and Managing the Impact of Cultural Behavior Patterns on Social Capital in Multinational IT Project Teams

This paper contributes to a better understanding and to mitigate negative consequences of cultural diversity in multinational IT project teams. Our research explores how culture-specific behaviors impact social capital among team members and how firms can manage the strains. In the existing IS culture literature, culture-specific behaviors are – if at all – traced back to single culture dimensions. In contrast, the approach proposed in this article goes one step further suggesting that it is necessary to combine several culture dimensions to better understand a certain culture-specific behavior and consequently be able to better manage resulting relationship problems in multinational settings. Conducting exploratory case studies in six multinational IT projects, two exemplary cultural behavior patterns (face maintenance in India and post-communism in the Czech Republic) are identified, and management actions to avoid project performance problems are derived. The results contribute to a better understanding and management of the negative impact of culture-specific behaviors in IT project teams and corroborate that research based on culture dimensions, such as those conceptualized by Hofstede or House et al., is valuable for understanding multi-country IS projects. The findings in particular suggest that aggregating these dimensions to cultural behavior patterns improves their explanatory power and consequently the management’s capability to mitigate the negative consequences of cultural diversity.     

Configuration of innovation and performance in the service industry: evidence from the Taiwanese hotel industry

This study attempts to state some facts about the importance of innovation in the service economy, and especially the hotel industry by classifying the configurations of innovation in Taiwanese hotels, as well as considering the types of innovation configuration that will maximise performance. Technological innovation, organisational innovation, and human capital innovation may be key sources of innovation. This study classified the configurations of innovation based on several innovation activities with two-step cluster analysis. Numerous empirical findings facilitate improved understanding of the relationship between the configurations of innovation and firm performance in the Taiwanese hotel industry.     

我国经济型酒店发展研究

经济型酒店是以优惠房价和优质服务为主要卖点的酒店。特点具有清洁、舒适、实惠、方便、安全等。目前,我国经济型酒店呈现小、散、弱的局面,许多问题亟待解决。我国应从遵循三大原则上把握经济型酒店的发展方向,对酒店业的结构进行重新调整,强化资金运营改革;走加盟品牌连锁集团和集团化发展道路;推行全面服务质量管理;树立创新意识,谋求海外扩张;建立销售网络,提高销售覆盖率;慎重选址,突出酒店实用功能,以利于国内经济型饭店的长远和良性发展。     

酒店企业相对效率的定量评价方法

中国酒店业迅速增长的规模总量与其经营效益持续下滑形成鲜明的对比,随着外商投资政策壁垒的消除,国际饭店集团已经加快进入中国的步伐,以“网络化、国际化、品牌化”为主题的酒店业的竞争更加激烈。提高酒店的投入产出比,提高经营效益是实现酒店业可持续发展的根本途径。     

中国酒店业发展分析

目前,我国酒店业的发展呈现出数量规模迅速扩张、档次与规模结构基本成形、空间分布集中化、外资占据星级高端酒店绝对优势、国内品牌在经济型酒店领域迅速发展的态势。推动我国酒店业的可持续发展,应采取产品组合、产业链延伸等创新举措,开发出具有独特风格品味和文化特色的产品和服务;开展对树立企业声誉、塑造品牌起推波助澜作用的展示活动和广告宣传,充分运用网络联合和公共关系传播手段,使产品创新、服务创新、环境创新产生契合、叠加和溢出效应。     

Roles of Social Capital in Venture Creation: Key Dimensions and Research Implications*

This study was built upon Nahapiet and Ghoshal's three dimensions of social capital—structural, relational, and cognitive. It addresses three research questions: (1) Are there significant differences in social capital between nascent entrepreneurs and the general public (control group)? (2) Are there significant differences in social capital between technology and nontechnology nascent entrepreneurs? (3) How do the three dimensions of social capital interact among themselves across different sample groups? These questions were examined by using the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics data set. Results suggest that there are no significant differences in various dimensions of social capital between nascent entrepreneurs and the general public. What differentiates the two groups is not the amount of social capital but the patterns of association among its different dimensions. Additionally, the authors found that technology‐based nascent entrepreneurs tend to have a higher degree of relational capital than their nontechnology counterparts. Implications and future research directions are discussed.     

产权、竞争、中国饭店业绩效及改进路径研究

本文分析表明我国饭店业是国有饭店主导的竞争性行业,国有饭店主导和竞争性行业的不相容性是造成我国饭店业整体绩效水平较差的根本原因。根据这一分析结论,本文提出我国饭店业最终目标是建立为非国有饭店主导的垄断竞争性行业,改进我国饭店业整体绩效的具体路径是积极推进国有饭店退出和实施饭店集团化经营。     

洗钱对我国外商直接投资的影响--基于上市公司面板数据的实证研究

以2007－2012年我国外商持股上市公司为研究对象,以知识资本模型和知识资本—洗钱模型为基础,对比离岸国家（地区）与非离岸国家（地区）对我国的外商直接投资,研究洗钱对我国外商直接投资的影响。结果表明：洗钱对我国外商直接投资有显著影响,绝对市场规模对外商直接投资进入我国制造业、房地产及整体行业有抑制作用;相对市场规模对外商直接投资进入我国制造业、批发零售业、房地产及整体行业有促进作用;劳动力丰裕度严重抑制外商直接投资进入我国制造业、批发零售业、房地产及整个行业;贸易成本和距离均与我国外商直接投资量成反比。     

The role of intellectual capital and university technology transfer offices in university-based technology transfer

This study develops a theoretical model to explain the relationships among intellectual capital, research outcomes, and technology transfer (TT) performance, investigating the role of university TT offices (UTTOs) in the innovation process. The authors examined these relationships by sampling 49 Taiwanese universities within a 2-year period. It is concluded that universities with specialized UTTOs indeed promote TT performance (TTP) based on university–industry cooperation. Furthermore, the results indicate that human capital is positively associated with research outcomes and relational capital. The greater the amount of relational capital, which represents the degree of university–industry cooperation, the more significant is the positive effect on research outcomes and TTP. The more research outcomes are produced, the more academic research and patent technology will be transferred to industry.     

The financial impact of loyalty programs in the hotel industry: A social exchange theory perspective

With increased competition across the hotel industry for frequent travelers, who generate a disproportionate portion of revenue, loyalty programs appear to be a rational response to the competitive environment. The question remains, however, as to whether these programs are effective at increasing the profitability of hotel operators. This study analyzes the impact of customer loyalty programs on the industry specific performance metrics of occupancy rate, revenue, and operating margin. Utilizing a comprehensive database of 36 different hotel brands (e.g., Marriot, Hilton) encompassing 31 loyalty programs and 435 different hotel properties, we examine whether a loyalty program is indeed an effective tool to increase operating margin. In summary, empirical results suggest that investment in hotel loyalty programs has a positive impact on occupancy rates and profitability. And although the overall effect is modest, these results have several managerial implications for the hotel industry.     

Dimensions of Luxury Brand Personality: Scale Development and Validation

Both the marketing industry and academia have been paying more attention to the growth and potential of the luxury market. This research developed a theoretical framework for understanding the dimensions of luxury brand personality and a reliable and valid scale that measures these dimensions. When 30 luxury brands, ranging from fashion to automobile and retail, were assessed on a set of diverse personality attributes, six dimensions representing luxury brand personality were identified: Excitement, Sincerity, Sophistication, Professionalism, Attractiveness, and Materialism. Findings indicate that while three dimensions, Sincerity, Excitement, and Sophistication, share similar qualities with those identified in Aaker's (1997) scale for general brand personality, the other three dimensions, Professionalism, Attractiveness, and Materialism, reflect meanings unique and specific to luxury brands. Altogether, the results of this research hold the notion that luxury brands serving as consumption symbols provide both utilitarian benefits and symbolic meanings to contemporary consumers.