Waste crime in Italian Regions: A Structural Equation Approach

The main aim of this paper is to analyze the determinants of waste crime in Italy by employing a Structural Equation Approach estimated by the Partial Least Square algorithm (PLS-SEM). By treating waste crime as a latent variable that is directly related to its causes and effects, the PLS-SEM methodology allows us to derive a Waste Crime Index (WCI) at the regional level over the period from 2004 to 2016. This analysis decomposes the overall effects of each cause of WCI from the direct and indirect components. Accordingly, we provide some hints to design more effective policies to prevent waste crime.     

A critique on the Corruption Perceptions Index: An interdisciplinary approach

The purpose of this study is to test the assumptions of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and examine the causal relationships among its data sources for improvement priorities. In doing so, we use a novel interdisciplinary methodology including cluster analysis, classification analysis, partial least squares structural equation modeling and importance-performance map analysis. Our methodology enables policymakers to identify the critical data sources that a given country should focus on in order to improve its position in the CPI ranking relative to other countries. Based on corruption perceptions of 176 countries in the 2016 CPI, our results provide evidence against the CPI's assumptions, as individual data sources have unequal effects on the CPI and exhibit the causal interrelations among one another. Corruption perceptions are not homogeneous across countries, with developed countries showing lower levels of perceived corruption than emerging countries. The presence of synergistic effects among the CPI's data sources suggests that national policymakers consider multiple data sources of the CPI for decision-making process rather than simply focus on any single one of these data sources or their equally-weighted aggregation. Moreover, policymakers should allocate the country's resources – which are often limited – with the first priority to improving the data source score of the Economist Intelligence Unit Country Risk Ratings, the critical driver of the CPI. Interestingly, the modified CPI which removes insignificant data sources outperforms the non-modified CPI in terms of the goodness-of-fit assessment, the unbiasedness and the association with the World Bank's Control of Corruption.     

Validating a consumer-based service brand equity (CBSBE) model in the airline industry

Over time, scholars have argued that consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) models are less suitable for service-dominant brands, mainly because the role of customer experience with services is often disregarded. Also, the absence of two essential components, brand consistency and perceived value, signals a lack of depth in creating service brand equity. To address these gaps, we examine service-branding theory by conceptualizing and validating a consumer-based service brand equity (CBSBE) model in Sarker et al. (2019) in the context of airlines. Airline service direct experience and brand consistency are highly important aspects for strengthening brand equity components of services. Subsequently, maximizing perceived value, followed by creating favorable brand meaning are the nucleus of branding services. Using the most advanced PLS-SEM techniques, our CBSBE model is highly robust in explaining the theoretical notion of creating service brand equity. Thus, achieving a pleasant and desirable experience and maintaining consistency across direct service touchpoints would be an effective strategy for service organizations.     

The effects of service quality,perceived value and trust in home delivery service personnel on customer satisfaction: Evidence from a developing country

The rapid growth of online purchasing in recent years has emphasized the accompanying role of home delivery service provided by delivery personnel in ensuring customer satisfaction. On-time delivery, better service, generating positive customer perceived value, and trust towards service providers are influential factors that contribute to customer satisfaction. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of service quality of home delivery personnel and perceived value on customer satisfaction, with trust playing an intervening role. It was conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, a less developed country with a new but rapidly growing digital sector. Data was collected from 259 respondents who received home delivery service, using a structured questionnaire. The conceptual model was analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS tool. The findings revealed that service quality, customer perceived value, and trust influenced customer satisfaction. The relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction and the relationship between customer perceived value and satisfaction were both partially mediated by trust. The findings contribute to the development and validation of a trust-based satisfaction model by extending the SERVQUAL model to incorporate perceived value in the presence of trust, while complying with expectation disconfirmation theory This study provides insights for managers to develop reliability and build trust in their service delivery personnel.     

Brand Commitment Role in the Relationship between Brand Loyalty and Brand Satisfaction: Phone Industry in Malaysia

Abstract

To maintain a competitive advantage, the strategy of the creation and maintenance of brand loyalty plays a vital role. The main aim of this study is to examine the theoretical and empirical evidence on the causal relationships among different factors i.e., brand personality, image, experience, satisfaction, trust and commitment that have direct and indirect effects in the creation of brand loyalty. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Partial Least Squares (PLS) method was applied to test the relationships in this study. The findings indicate that brand personality, brand image and brand experience are key sources of brand satisfaction.     

How destination music affects tourists’ behaviors: travel with music in Lijiang,China

ABSTRACT

Recent music tourism researches are notable owing to growing socioeconomic significance of music. But the question about how music affects tourists’ behaviors in travel practice remains there. This study explores the effects of music on tourists’ behaviors by deploying a survey of tourists in Lijiang old town which is famous for abundant musical cultures. Results show that tourists’ behavioral intentions are influenced by music-induced emotions which are stimulated by music perception and music cognition. This paper provides a new insight into music characteristics in tourism and new ways for how tourism destinations engage with music.     

Interrelationships between influential factors and behavioral intention with regard to autonomous vehicles

Soon enough, autonomous driving systems may not need drivers at all. Ideally, a passenger can ride an autonomous vehicle (AUV) from one location to another without (either partial or complete) human intervention, inherently removing aberrant human driving behavior from the equation, requiring no or only a few parking spaces near a passenger’s destination, and possessing environmental advantages over traditional vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. The current study aims to investigate the interrelationships between influential factors and behavioral intention with regard to AUVs. The research was implemented with: (1) partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine path relationships, (2) partial least squares multi-group analysis (PLS-MGA) to elaborate observed heterogeneity, and (3) partial least squares prediction orientation segmentation (PLS-POS) to study unobserved heterogeneity. The empirical results showed significant direct effects for Hypotheses H1-a?～?H1-c (Attitude, Subjective norm, and Perceived Behavior Control on Behavior Intention) and for Hypothesis H3-a (Personal Innovativeness on Behavior Intention). Additionally, the results showed that observed heterogeneity does not exist by gender, and by city, and that unobserved heterogeneity can be best identified and divided into two segments by employing PLS-POS. A few final remarks concern the research findings and preparing for future AUV transportation.     

A holistic approach to evaluating the effect of safety barriers on the performance of safety reporting systems in aviation organisations

Safety reporting systems are a necessary component of any Safety Management System (SMS) in contemporary aviation organisations. Improving the performance of safety reporting systems can significantly enhance the reliability of safety information and allow the implementation of more effective risk assessment processes. Previous researchers have identified several barriers that influence the effectiveness of safety reporting systems, ranging from individual barriers to organisational issues. However, none of these studies has addressed the concomitant effect of the different barriers as a means of determining the overall effect on the performance of existing reporting systems. This paper proposes a holistic approach to this problem by developing a model that can help to determine the cumulative effect of organisational, working environment and individual barriers on the performance of a safety reporting system in an aviation organisation. The Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was used to examine the relationships amongst the different variables considered in our study. The model was constructed using a broad range of data collected from a survey conducted in a military aviation organisation, with the purpose of identifying the barriers to reporting in this particular context. Results show that the proposed model allows to accurately quantify the impact of the various concomitant barriers in the reporting system, providing a powerful resource to assist stakeholders in the decision-making process that is inherent to the implementation of tailored actions to improve the safety performance of aviation organisations.     

The link between customer satisfaction and loyalty: the moderating role of customer characteristics

This research examines whether trust and commitment mediate the extent to which satisfaction influences loyalty, and whether such mediation is conditional on certain demographic or situational customer characteristics. The findings suggest that assuming homogeneity supports the general notion that trust and commitment partially mediate the extent to which satisfaction influences loyalty. FIMIX-PLS and PLS-MGA analyses substantiate that this mediation differs between two distinct customer segments. The two segments reveal heterogeneity in how trust and commitment partially mediate the link between satisfaction and loyalty. That is, the effect of satisfaction on loyalty is fully mediated by trust and commitment in the segment of customers with high education, whereas satisfaction is partially mediated by trust, but not by commitment, in the other segment of customers with less education.     

组织文化对知识共享和创新绩效的中介关系研究--基于PLS －S EM模型

本文将高技术企业组织文化特性概括为开放性、自动性、集成性、一致性、目的性和适应性,搭建了知识共享、组织文化和创新绩效关系的概念模型。基于PLS－SEM模型,实证分析了知识共享对创新绩效的作用机制,诠释了组织文化的中介作用。结果显示：模型的拟合优度较高,具有一定的解释力,知识共享对创新绩效有显著性正向影响;组织文化特性的6个维度均对创新绩效产生显著正向影响;组织文化在知识共享与创新绩效之间起部分中介作用。