Search results
1 – 10 of over 8000Sajay Arthanat, Hong Chang and John Wilcox
Smart home (SH) internet of things can promote home safety, health monitoring and independence of older adults to age-in-place. Despite its commercial growth, low adoption rates…
Abstract
Purpose
Smart home (SH) internet of things can promote home safety, health monitoring and independence of older adults to age-in-place. Despite its commercial growth, low adoption rates of the technology among aging consumers remain a major barrier. The purpose of this study is to examine SH technology ownership of older adults and its causal pathways with demographics, health and functioning, home safety and information communication technology (ICT) use.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey on technology-mediated aging-in-place was completed by 447 respondents, 65 years and older. Structural equation modeling was used to underscore the causal pathways among demographics, health, independence and home safety, ICT and home automation technology adoption.
Findings
The study found that ICT usability, home security and independence have a significant direct effect on SH ownership. Demographics had no significant direct effect, but its influence was mediated through ICT usability. With home safety as mediator, physical impairment, falls and accidents and independence had a significant association with SH ownership. Similarly, increased social support (mediated through home security) decreased the probability of SH automation ownership.
Originality/value
The findings signify the perceived usefulness of SH automation as theorized in technology acceptance models.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to adopt the perspectives of cognition and emotions to investigate whether the interdependent self-construal of consumers in a Chinese collectivist culture, along…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to adopt the perspectives of cognition and emotions to investigate whether the interdependent self-construal of consumers in a Chinese collectivist culture, along with empathy and moral identity, evokes direct and indirect responses to corporate cause-related marketing (CRM).
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 901 valid questionnaires were retrieved, and PROCESS macro for SPSS was used to test the multiple mediation and serial mediation hypotheses. The structural equation modeling was also used to confirm the results.
Findings
The empirical results showed that consumer self-construal exerts a positive influence on consumer responses to corporate CRM through empathy. The results also suggest that CRM events provoke empathetic responses in consumers and trigger their moral identity, which in turn affects their evaluations on CRM corporations and their purchase intentions for CRM goods.
Research limitations/implications
The present study targeted the relatively affordable CRM events in convenience stores to investigate consumer responses; the results may not be applicable to CRM events in other industries. Besides that, as this study is focused on CRM activity, respondents may have more positive evaluation.
Practical implications
Corporations are advised to improve their corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication strategies. These should rely on factual, sincere, easy-to-understand and appropriate communication to trigger moral identity in consumers. Because empathy is regarded as the core of human moral and emotional systems, corporations are advised to associate their charitable events with social emotions to strengthen consumer perceptions, enhance moral identity and promote prosocial behaviors.
Originality/value
This study verified the serial multiple mediating effect of empathy and moral identity in the relationship between consumer self-construal and responses to corporate CRM. Corporations are advised to improve their CSR communication strategies and public expression of moral actions to raise consumer empathy and moral identity, so as to improve consumer responses to CRM.
Details
Keywords
Qu Xiao, John W. O'Neill and Anna S. Mattila
The purpose of this paper is to examine corporate strategic effects on hotel unit performance. Taking a hotel owner's perspective, the relationship between four types of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine corporate strategic effects on hotel unit performance. Taking a hotel owner's perspective, the relationship between four types of the owner's corporate level strategies and the hotel property financial performance are examined.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is built on a secondary data set provided by Smith Travel Research. A total of 2,012 hotels across the USA were analyzed for the period between 2003‐2005.
Findings
The findings support the existence of corporate effects in the US lodging industry. It is revealed that a hotel owner's corporate strategies do influence hotel property level financial performance. Specifically, a hotel owner's expertise in implementing superior strategies regarding segment, brand, operator, and location (i.e. state) are critical to hotel unit financial performance.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitations of this study include the limited number of years with available data, lack of knowledge on the names of hotel owners, brands and operators, and the performance measures focusing only operating but not value/return measures.
Practical implications
This research shows that a hotel owner can have significant influence on the operating performance of its hotel properties by implementing strategies regarding its properties' locations, segments, brand affiliations and operators. Specifically, brand affiliation has shown a consistently larger impact on both revenue and profit than other corporate strategies, and consequently should receive particular attention from the owner to carefully assess the brand's potential contribution before engaging in a franchise agreement.
Originality/value
This research expands the strategy research in the hospitality field by linking two key strategy constructs – corporate effects and corporate strategy – together and by revealing their collective influence on hotel performance.
Details
Keywords
Shufeng Tang, Yongsheng Kou, Guoqing Zhao, Huijie Zhang, Hong Chang, Xuewei Zhang and Yunhe Zou
The purpose of this paper is to design a climbing robot connected by a connecting rod mechanism to achieve multi-functional tasks such as obstacles crossing and climbing of power…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to design a climbing robot connected by a connecting rod mechanism to achieve multi-functional tasks such as obstacles crossing and climbing of power transmission towers.
Design/methodology/approach
A connecting rod type gripper has been designed to achieve stable grasping of angle steel. Before grasping, use coordination between structures to achieve stable docking and grasping. By using the alternating movements of two claws and the middle climbing mechanism, the climbing and obstacle crossing of the angle steel were achieved.
Findings
Through a simple linkage mechanism, a climbing robot has been designed, greatly reducing the overall mass of the robot. It can also carry a load of 1 kg, and the climbing mechanism can perform stable climbing. The maximum step distance of the climbing robot is 543 mm, which can achieve the crossing of angle steel obstacles.
Originality/value
A transmission tower climbing mechanism was proposed by analyzing the working environment. Through the locking ability of the screw nut, stable clamping of the angle steel is achieved, and a pitch mechanism is designed to adjust the posture of the hand claw.
Details
Keywords
Monika Singla and Shveta Singh
This paper aims to analyze the monitoring role of board and product market competition in relation to firm performance. Further, this paper analyzes the moderating role of product…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the monitoring role of board and product market competition in relation to firm performance. Further, this paper analyzes the moderating role of product market competition in influencing the board monitoring and firm value relationship in the context of an emerging economy, India.
Design/methodology/approach
A large sample of 3,854 firm-year observations has been used over a period of 10 years (2007-2016). Industry and year-fixed effect regression methodology has been used to test the hypothesized relationships.
Findings
The empirical findings indicate that board monitoring adds negatively to the firm value. The results also indicate that product market competition bears an insignificant moderating effect on the effectiveness of board monitoring in India. However, a more in-depth analysis reveals that product market competition complements the weak board monitoring of business-group firms. Further, the effectiveness of the board monitoring (which is relatively stronger in business-group firms) is weakened by the increased level of product market competition for stand-alone firms.
Research limitations/implications
A significant negative effect of board independence on the firm value raises the effectiveness of various policies advocating the board independence to strengthen the governance structure of the firms. The findings relating to the moderating role of product market competition for the business-group and stand-alone firms are helpful in understanding the governance behavior of the firms in relation to the external product market competition.
Originality/value
External governance mechanisms such as the market for corporate control and product market competition have been described as significant corporate governance mechanisms. However, the empirical efficacy of these governance mechanisms has not been explored in a greater detail in the context of the emerging markets. This study aims to address this research gap.
Details
Keywords
Attila Yaprak and Bahattin Karademir
The purpose of this paper is to review the extant literature on the institutional, market‐centered, and the resource‐based perspectives on the internationalization of BGs in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the extant literature on the institutional, market‐centered, and the resource‐based perspectives on the internationalization of BGs in emerging markets; to suggest that business group affiliation is an important ingredient in the internationalization of emerging market MNCs; and to offer examples of internationalization from one emerging market, Turkey.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a critical literature review integrating two strands of literature, the institutional, market‐centered and resource‐based theories of internationalization and the OLI and the LLL models of emerging market multinationals' international expansion.
Findings
The theorizing indicates that an integrated theoretical approach should lead to a better understanding of emerging market business group affiliates' internationalization.
Research limitations/implications
As a literature integration paper, the paper is limited in its practical implications.
Originality/value
The paper is a critical literature review and is likely to lead to testable hypotheses about the internationalization of business group affiliates from emerging markets.
Details
Keywords
Since the launch of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) in 2003, Hong Kong cinema is believed to have confronted drastic changes. Hong Kong…
Abstract
Purpose
Since the launch of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) in 2003, Hong Kong cinema is believed to have confronted drastic changes. Hong Kong cinema is described to be dying, lacking creative space and losing local distinctiveness. A decade later, the rise of Hong Kong – China coproduction cinema under CEPA has been normalized and changed the once pessimism in the industry. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Hong Kong cinema adjusted its production and creation in the first 10 years of CEPA.
Design/methodology/approach
Beginning with a review of the overall development, three paradigmatic cases are examined for reflecting upon what the major industrial and commercial concerns on the Hong Kong – China coproduction model are, and how such a coproduction model is not developed as smooth as what the Hong Kong filmmakers expected.
Findings
Collectively, this paper singles out the difficulties in operation and the limit of transnationality that occur in the Chinese context for the development of Hong Kong cinema under the Hong Kong – China coproduction model.
Originality/value
This is the author’s research in his five-year study of Hong Kong cinema and it contributes a lot to the field of cinema studies with relevant industrial and policy concern.
Details
Keywords
This paper reviews the strategic responses of successful local Chinese banks (LCBs) in the changeable Hong Kong banking sector over the past decades. Given the mixed outlook of…
Abstract
This paper reviews the strategic responses of successful local Chinese banks (LCBs) in the changeable Hong Kong banking sector over the past decades. Given the mixed outlook of the industry resulting from the handover of sovereignty, financial internationalization, and regional and domestic economic developments, this paper also discusses the benefits of using strategic alliance as a means for LCBs to meet current and future challenges. Based on case reviews, the paper demonstrates the values of strategic management concepts for small banks to cope with an externally oriented and politically uncertain operating environment.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that influence internationally mobile students’ decision making regarding their choice to study in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that influence internationally mobile students’ decision making regarding their choice to study in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
The existing literature on student motivation was examined, particularly factors relevant to the two key jurisdictions. Subsequently, a qualitative study was conducted to verify and expand upon these factors.
Findings
This study found a high degree of overlap between the two jurisdictions. However, Taiwan-based students emphasised elements such as the political climate, and the opinion of family, friends and peers, whereas academic quality and the perception of authority figures featured more for Hong Kong-based respondents.
Practical implications
The similarities and disparities between the two jurisdictions provide insights for decision makers, as well as avenues for further research.
Originality/value
This paper builds upon prior research into international student destination choice by exploring students’ decision-making process through qualitative research; thus, highlighting previously unexplored factors.
Details
Keywords
Shu‐Hao Chuang and Zuu‐Chang Hong
Solutions of the twin plane jets HF chemical laser flow based on aturbulent kinetic theory, due to a modified Green’s function method, arepresented. The calculated results of…
Abstract
Solutions of the twin plane jets HF chemical laser flow based on a turbulent kinetic theory, due to a modified Green’s function method, are presented. The calculated results of probability density function (PDF) of various chemical species in velocity space, and mass fraction concentration distributions of various reactants and products in the flow field, are revealed and discussed in this analysis. The transport phenomena of different pumping rate, collisional deactivation rate, and radiative deactivation rate in the interaction between the twin plane jets HF chemical laser show that the properties of species mass fraction concentrations, collisional reaction rate, and radiative incident intensity are the dominant factors. The present study provides the fundamentals for theoretical understanding of twin plane jets HF chemical laser and further application to multiple‐jet HF chemical laser analysis.
Details