From Guanxi to customer relationship marketing: How the constructs of Guanxi can strengthen CRM in the hospitality industry

Abstract

Business today has recognized the cost advantages of customer retention. In reaction to decades of industrialization and mass production, the pendulum has slowly swung back toward more one‐to‐one customer relations and mass customization. One‐to‐one personal attention and relationship building is widely perceived as a desirable method for increasing customer loyalty. Such concepts, however, are not new. Over thousands of years, the Chinese have been practicing “Guanxi,” which Davies (1995) defines as the social interaction within a networked group where repeated favor exchanges ensure a measure of trust among the participants of this network. The constructs of Guanxi, namely bonding, trust, empathy, and reciprocity, can be combined with customer relationship marketing (CRM) and strengthen what a business can offer its customer. This paper, therefore, discusses the history and development of Guanxi in China and its similarities to customer relationship marketing that is practiced today in the Western world. It also presents how the constructs of Guanxi can be combined with CRM. Tips for good Guanxi and CRM to ensure success are also highlighted.     

Hospitality managers' importance perceptions of human resource practices related to employment of foreign workers in the United States

ABSTRACT

Cross-border labor mobility of hospitality employees has resulted in an increase in illegal immigrants in the workforce. The purpose of this study was to generate a list of top legal issues associated with the employment of foreign workers in the U.S. hospitality industry and to identify factors defined by the importance ratings of these issues. Snowball sampling was used to collect data from hospitality managers. Findings reveal that respondents perceive document verification to be important but may not perceive knowledge of various visa types and employment termination reporting procedures associated with employing foreign workers to be important. Managerial implications are discussed.     

行星表面有人探索高速无线网络体系架构及关键技术

针对行星表面有人探索任务对高速无线通信的需求，提出了一种基于异构组网思想的网络体系架构，并对关键技术进行了分析和设计。该架构采用“三网两体制”的设计思路，将整个网络分为高速传输网、多媒体接入网、覆盖扩展网三个组成部分，三层网络分别完成高速骨干传输、多节点多业务接入、覆盖范围灵活改变的功能。根据三个网络不同的节点处理能力和传输需要，设计了高速传输体制、灵活接入体制两种传输体制，及基于无线多跳的覆盖扩展技术、多子网通信切换技术、多体制融合技术等关键技术。该网络架构具有裁剪灵活、协议开销小、支持业务类型多等特点。     

Collaborative consumption in China: An empirical investigation of its antecedents and consequences

The aim is to clarify the impact of values on the general attitude towards collaborative consumption in a Chinese context, and the impact of the general attitude towards collaborative consumption on the intention to use and actual use of various specific collaborative consumption services. A total of 600 responses were collected in 2019. The results showed that non-ownership orientation, guanxi networking orientation, materialism, novelty orientation, and frugality orientation significantly influenced positively collaborative consumption attitude. It was also found that the impact of guanxi networking orientation on collaborative consumption attitude was mediated by non-ownership orientation. The results also showed that general collaborative consumption attitudes positively influence the intention to use all specific collaborative consumption, such as shared bicycles, shared cars, shared goods, carpooling services, and peer-to-peer accommodation. Moreover, the predictive power of the intention to use collaborative consumption on actual use is only strong in shared bicycle and carpooling services.     

Small & Medium Gold & Fashion Enterprises (SMEs) in Arezzo,Italy: Competitive Challenges and Strategic Implications

ABSTRACT

This paper provides some empirical evidence on organizational characteristics and strategies of firms in the Italian gold and fashion industries. The analysis is based on a data set of three SME clusters in Arezzo (a city and province in Tuscany, Italy, southeast of Florence) which led us to the identification of two main alternative strategies which can be implemented when facing the new global competition: a firm-centered brand strategy and an outsourcing strategy (a supply alliance with co-branding possibilities with one or more large Italian firms). We analyzed the resources and competencies of firms that adopted different export marketing strategies and further explored the relationship between strategic choices and performance of participating firms (measured in terms of growth, innovation, and export capabilities). The results show that the choice of a strategy is strongly influenced by the ability of SMEs to respond to changes in consumer behavior and competition, and that some variables significantly affect performance. Both strategies can be effective, and in some cases it is suggested to follow the middle of the road competitive approach: combining the two strategies, exporting own brand directly to the end markets and collaborating with a large firm in order to achieve a sustainable and significant competitive advantage.     

Electronic Word-of-Mouth in Social Networking Sites: A Cross-Cultural Study of the United States and China

ABSTRACT

Understanding electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites (SNSs) is crucial as consumers have potential to reach global audiences quickly and easily. This article presents the first cross-cultural study on eWOM in SNSs by examining social relationship variables between the United States and China. Specifically, social capital, tie strength, trust, and interpersonal influence were examined as potential predictors of eWOM communication in the emerging online social channels. The results suggest that national culture plays a significant factor that affects consumers’ engagement in eWOM in SNSs in the two countries. Theoretical and managerial implications for global Internet marketers were presented and discussed.     

探析“微信”应用对网络社交的深刻影响

随着“微信”的崛起,它已成为现代社交人际沟通中的新媒体和新方式,越来越多的现代人步入了这种“微时代”。微信的广泛应用给人际沟通带来了机遇与挑战。文章从心理学角度来深刻剖析微信功能对社交的影响,从而正确构建和谐的网络社交。     

Promote or Perish? A brief note on academic social networking sites and academic reputation

ABSTRACT

This commentary explores some of the reputational issues of using academic social networking sites (ASNS) such as ResearchGate, ResearcherID, ORCID, Academia.edu, Google Scholar, and Mendeley for academic self-promotion and considers whether the adage of ‘Publish or Perish’ has been recently overshadowed by the new imperative of ‘Promote or Perish’?     

Determining perceptions,attitudes and behaviour towards social network site advertising in a three-country context

ABSTRACT

Regardless of the growth in social media and social network advertising (SNA), little theoretical and empirical knowledge exists on the differences between countries, and the perceptions and attitudes towards social network advertising. The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationships between users’ perceptions (personal and societal), their attitudes and their behaviour towards Facebook advertising, across three countries, as well as the moderating role of privacy and general advertising attitudes. Online surveys were administered and a convenience sampling resulted in 1,166 respondents. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed model.

The research indicates that the social support theory shows promise for examining the perceptions and attitudes towards SNA. Furthermore, the validity of the conceptual model is confirmed in all three countries; however, the strength of these relationships differs. Additionally, it is evident that consumers’ culture influences the role of privacy and trust in SNA perceptions.     

内容中心网络中安全问题研究综述

内容中心网络（CCN）是一种革命性的网络架构,采用内容路由、网内缓存等技术来提高网络中的内容分发效率,但其自身的结构特点使之面临很多的安全问题。通过对CCN网络工作机制的研究,分析了CCN面临的非授权访问、隐私泄露、泛洪攻击等安全风险;然后,总结了每种安全风险的解决方案及各自优缺点;最后,展望了未来的研究方向。