The role of loyalty programs in boosting hotel guest loyalty: Impact of switching barriers

This study examines the relationships among the perceived value of a loyalty program, customer satisfaction with a loyalty program, affective commitment, switching barriers, and customer brand loyalty in the hotel context. An online survey method with a quantitative approach was used. Our results from a structural equation model revealed that the perceived value of a loyalty program is essential in the formation of customer brand loyalty. Lastly, findings from an indirect analysis showed that affective commitment and switching barriers mediated the relationship between the perceived value of a loyalty program and customer brand loyalty. Overall, our research will help researchers and practitioners demonstrate to the industry that the loyalty program is a crucial strategy for customer loyalty and helps develop competitive loyalty programs for success.     

全球电子商务：发展现状与趋势

随着技术的成熟,全球电子商务正在经历着强劲增长。通过对全球互联网覆盖现状和全球电子商务发展的研究,分析了全球电子商务发展的基本情况。并对新兴国家电子商务市场和部分典型国家的电商发展状况与趋势进行研究,以供广大读者借鉴。     

The effect of specific discount pattern in terms of price promotions on perceived price attractiveness and purchase intention: An experimental research

This study aims to investigate consumer perceptions and reactions in terms of specific discount patterns (fixed price, 40% discount, discount from 500 TL to 300 TL and 20% + 25% discount) in price promotion. According to the results, specific discount patterns in price promotion have a significant effect on perceived price attractiveness and purchase intention. When the specific discount patterns in price promotion and gender interaction were analyzed in terms of perceived price attractiveness, the scenario of the “discount from TL 500 to TL 300” significantly differentiated from both the control scenario (fixed price) and experimental scenarios for female. For males, no significant difference was found between the control and experimental scenarios. In terms of purchase intention, a significant difference was found between the fixed price scenario and the discount scenario from 500 TL to 300 TL and between the fixed price and 20% + 25% discount scenario. The theoretical managerial implications of the study were discussed, and future research suggestions were presented.     

Shopping intention at AI-powered automated retail stores (AIPARS)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way retail stores operate. AI-Powered Automated Retail Stores are the next revolution in physical retail. Consumers are facing fully automated technology in these retail stores. Therefore, it is necessary to scrutinize the antecedents of consumers' intention to shop at AI-Powered Automated Retail Stores. This study delves into this area to find the predictors of consumers’ intention to shop at AI-Powered Automated Retail Stores. It extends the technology readiness and acceptance model by the addition of AI context-specific constructs such as Perceived Enjoyment, Customization and Interactivity from the present literature. The proposed model is tested by surveying 1250 consumers & the data is analyzed using the PLS-SEM technique and empirically validated. The outcome of the study reveals that Innovativeness and Optimism of consumers affect the perceived ease and perceived usefulness. Insecurity negatively affects the perceived usefulness of AI-powered automated retail stores. Perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, customization and interactivity are significant predictors of shopping intention of consumers in AI-powered automated stores. This research presents insightful academic and managerial implications in the domain of retailing and technology in retail.     

Consumer avoidance of specially priced items during social coupon redemption

Social coupons (SCs) (e.g., Groupon) differ from traditional or regular coupons (RCs) in that they require consumers to make a prepayment to receive substantive discounts. As the general rule of SCs prohibits double-promotion, SC consumers tend to engage in certain avoidance behaviors when experiencing another promotion (i.e., specially priced for selected items). The results across two scenario-based experiments reveal that SC consumers (vs. RC consumers) have a greater tendency to avoid specially priced items when redeeming a coupon for hedonic consumptions, but not for utilitarian consumptions. Such avoidance is due to one’s motivation to minimize the perception of deal waste.     

After work shopping? Employment effects of a deregulation of shop opening hours in the German retail sector

This study investigates the impact of a deregulation of shop opening laws on employment in the German retail sector. Exploiting the gradual change in the opening times of shops across states and using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, difference-in-differences estimates indicate an average increase in the employment probability, driven by a rise in the likelihood of working marginal part-time hours. Workers in small firms are likely to experience a reduction of their propensity to work. For individuals facing high family-related, supply-side constraints, the change in shop opening hours has opposing effects on employment — positive on lower and negative on upper parts of the hours distribution. Overall, the deregulation is estimated to have raised the likelihood of working fewer hours than desired by the workers.     

Communicating a company's positive impact on society—Can plausible explanations secure authenticity?

Organizations could prosper by delivering products and services that make society a better place. However, they face the challenge of successfully communicating what they contribute to society, especially if their contributions are closely related to their core business activities. The thin line between genuine societal engagement and the pursuit of profitability may feed society's increasing skepticism about the genuineness of organizations' care for societal issues. This study addresses the question of how a for-profit organization can successfully communicate what it intends to contribute to society while still coming across as authentic. If customers can explain the organization's envisaged societal contributions in terms of characteristics of the organization, they can see more clearly how its contributions fit the organization and will perceive the organization as more authentic. Perceived authenticity, in turn, increases customer loyalty and perceived fit enhances stakeholders' attitudes toward the organization's societal engagement.     

Leader Apology in the Employee–Organization Relationship: The Roles of Subordinate Power Distance Belief and Leader Competence

According to the organizational support theory, leaders' words and deeds are not only the products of their own will but also a reflection of organizations' standpoints. We thus focus on leader apology in the case of organizational transgressions and predict that leaders' apologetic acts are likely to influence employees' organization-oriented attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, leader apology is hypothesized to positively influence employees' perception of organizational support, which in turn, is positively associated with employees' helping and risk taking behavior. Furthermore, drawing upon the organizational support theory that delineates the discretion and value perceived in the employee-organization relationship, we further propose that employees' perceived leader competence and power distance belief serve as two contingencies that influence the relationship between leader apology and employees' perceived organizational support. In particular, this relationship is stronger when employees perceive higher leader competence or hold stronger power distance beliefs. Two multi-wave data collected from hospitality employees support these hypotheses. The findings provide a new perspective to comprehending leader apology within the employee-organization relationship wherein leaders are considered as organizational agents. This research extends the existing literature on leader apology that largely focuses on leader apology following leaders’ transgressions and leader-oriented outcomes.     

技能型紧缺人才培养现状及对策研究

基于技能型紧缺人才培养,本文先分析了技能型紧缺人才的内涵和人才队伍的现状,接着分析了目前高职院校技能型紧缺人才培养现状和存在问题,最后提出了相应的对策和建议。