Searching online and buying offline: Understanding the role of channel-, consumer-, and product-related factors in determining webrooming intention

In recent times, the increasing accessibility of mobile technology has led to changes in consumers’ purchasing behavior. Despite the gloom and doom hearsay about how electronic commerce is threatening the existence of brick-and-mortar stores, by some indications, however, webrooming (i.e., the practice of researching items online, and then buying them offline) may be an even more common practice among shoppers. Against this background, this study proposes and empirically validates a comprehensive research model which incorporates consumer traits (i.e., need for touch, need for interaction, and price-comparison orientation), channel-related factors (i.e., online search convenience, perceived usefulness of online reviews, perceived helpfulness of in-store salespeople, and perceived risk of buying online), and smart shopping perception as antecedents of webrooming intention. Moreover, this study examines the moderating role of product category in predicting webrooming intention. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted. A total of 280 useable responses was collected and data was analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling. The findings revealed significant direct and/or indirect effects (through smart shopping perception) of consumer traits and channel-related factors on webrooming intention. In addition, product category was found to moderate the relationship between price-comparison orientation, online search convenience, perceived risk, and webrooming intention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Optimal pricing when rational consumers anticipate monitoring cost

This article considers a monopolistic firm’s optimal pricing decision over two periods among dynamic pricing, preannounced pricing and single pricing. In the models, consumers rationally determine whether to exhibit strategic waiting by weighing their costs against prospectively lower price. Our analysis yields three main results. First, single pricing that completely eliminates strategic waiting surely would be dominated by intertemporal pricing when facing rational consumers. Second, preannounced pricing may actually yield lower revenue than dynamic pricing when considering its effect on the reduction of consumer monitoring cost. Only when monitoring costs under dynamic pricing and under preannounced pricing are equal, is firm revenue weakly greater under preannounced pricing than under dynamic pricing. Third, in dynamic pricing equilibrium, increasing monitoring cost may increase firm revenue, consumer surplus and social welfare simultaneously.     

我国非营利组织政治参与的特征及途径分析

非营利组织政治参与指非营利组织试图影响政府政策过程的活动。非营利组织政治参与具有参与议题广泛性、参与目标非营利性、参与行为公开和主动性、参与客体多元且与知识分子关系密切等特征。非营利组织政治参与的途径有滞￡供相关信息和政策建议；私人接触；直接代表；提起行政复议和诉讼；参加听证会；举办学术会议、座谈会、论坛；出版期刊、杂志、报纸；联盟游说；组织连署活动；借助新闻媒介；借助国际力量；抗议和暴力对抗活动等。     

管理者特征如何影响企业内部审计外包？——基于中国A股市场调查数据的研究

基于全部A股上市公司的问卷调查数据,探讨管理者特征与企业内部审计外包的关系,结果发现董事长越规避风险、内审负责人的组织认同度越高,企业越可能选择内部审计外包,而总经理的风险偏好、内审负责人年龄对内部审计外包决策影响较弱。进一步的研究表明,董事长风险偏好、内审负责人的组织认同与内部审计外包之间的作用关系主要存在于非国有企业或重视内审职能的企业,仅当企业内部控制较差时,董事长越规避风险,企业越可能外包内部审计,而企业内部控制较好时内审负责人年龄和组织认同更能显著影响外包决策。     

旅游者人格特质与漂流体验偏好关系研究

以人格特质理论为依据研究漂流旅游者人格特质与漂流体验偏好之间的关系。对长沙市宁乡县沩山漂流和峡溪漂流游客进行抽样调查,经过实证分析证实：神经质、外向性、开放性及严谨性人格特质与漂流体验偏好均显著正相关;宜人性人格特质仅与舒心轻松漂流体验偏好显著正相关,与其他漂流体验偏好则没有相关关系。     

图书馆应成立儿童成长阅览室

根据当今一般儿童心理特点、单亲儿童心理特点、父亲缺失儿童心理特点、留守儿童心理特点,分析儿童犯罪的成因及家庭教育的重要性,因此提议图书馆成立儿童家长阅览室。     

Influence of the ‘slow city’ brand association on the behavioural intention of potential tourists

This study sees the ‘slow city’ idea as a brand, and used an empirical method to examine the influence of its brand association types on the behavioural intentions of potential tourists. The measurement of brand association types was limited to the following 13 variables: slow food, traditional culture, authentic local food, happiness, healthy, organic, peaceful, quality of life, beautiful scenery, comfortable, affectionate, compassion and well-being, elicited from a pre-test. The findings from 485 potential tourists in the 2 largest cities in South Korea show that eliciting positive feelings and brand associations are strong marketing strategies that increase the chance of tourist visits, and therefore could influence the choice of a destination and the chance for revisits in the future. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the marketing influence of the slow city brand on the behavioural intentions of potential tourists.     

Behavioural adaptation to climate change among winter alpine tourists: an analysis of tourist motivations and leisure substitutability

Understanding market responses to climate change impacts has important implications for the sustainability of Australia's winter tourism destinations. Utilising a framework incorporating push–pull tourist motivations and the theory of leisure substitutability, this study sought to explore how winter tourists in Australia will adapt to changes in snow cover in Australia's alpine regions under future climate change scenarios. The results of a questionnaire completed by 231 respondents indicated that tourist motivations were related to behavioural adaptation, and that there is a general preference among the current winter market for spatial substitution in the event of poor snow. Those motivated by recreation specialisation or snow-related attributes were likely to opt for spatial substitution, while tourists motivated by self-expression and après ski activities displayed resilience to poor snow conditions. The results demonstrate a clear division between leisure-driven tourists who valued participation in sport, and experience-driven tourists, who displayed higher resilience to reduced snow under projected climate change scenarios. These results have practical implications for winter tourism destinations, both in terms of targeting experience-driven tourists in the case of reduced snow as well as the longer term sustainability and viability of winter tourism destinations.     

Dimensions and Effects of Consumers' Travel–Transportation Involvement: The Case of the Mini Three Links

Since its implementation in 2001, the Mini Three Links (MTL) has become the most important transportation means for Taiwanese travelling to China. The MTL is connected to recreation/travel in Kinmen: service providers often include short local trips as part of the transit process. This study focuses on the concept of travel–transportation involvement in the MTL, exploring its effects on consumers’ travel–transportation dependence, identity, loyalty, price sensitivity, and product purchase intention. Travel–transportation involvement is divided into behavioural involvement and social–psychological involvement, which in turn considers attraction, self-expression, and centrality to lifestyle. Survey respondents are passengers using the MTL service at Kinmen Shangyi Airport and Shuitou Port. Structural equation modelling is used to analyse the 380 valid questionnaires; results show that different involvement dimensions have unique effects. Behavioural involvement positively affects price sensitivity. Attraction positively affects travel–transportation dependence, which further improves travel–transportation identity. Attraction also has indirect negative effects on loyalty and price sensitivity, which are mediated by its impact on travel–transportation dependence and identity. Further, centrality to lifestyle negatively affects product purchase intention during the travel process. Self-expression has a direct positive effect on travel–transportation dependence and loyalty, but a direct negative effect on price sensitivity. Finally, self-expression has indirect negative effects on loyalty and price sensitivity; the mediation process is identical to that for attraction. This study is valuable in terms of distinguishing between various effects among previously overlooked dimensions of travel–transportation involvement; it also provides practical implications for related travel–transportation-service practitioners and tourism development within Kinmen.     

The impact of a study abroad programme on learning abilities and personality traits: evidence from a randomization

Personality traits are increasingly considered as a powerful predictor of socio-economic success as academic achievement. In this article, we exploit the random assignment of applicants to a programme in order to retrieve unbiased estimates of the impact of studying abroad on both cognitive and noncognitive abilities. Our findings suggest that secondary school students, especially those considered ‘more able’, benefited from a 1-month experience abroad, as it enhanced both personality traits and language proficiency.