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1 – 10 of 47Theodoros Millidonis, Petros Lois, Ifigenia Georgiou and Evangelos Tsoukatos
In this paper, the authors review the extant literature on e-learning effectiveness in higher education (HE) to investigate how teachers are affected by the actions that the…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, the authors review the extant literature on e-learning effectiveness in higher education (HE) to investigate how teachers are affected by the actions that the management of higher education institutions (HEIs) need to take to address the success factors that are critical for e-learning effectiveness. E-learning, in the context of this study, encompasses the delivery of and access to a coordinated collection of learning materials and instructions over an electronic medium using a web server to provide the materials and a web browser to access them.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the study's aims the authors employ a narrative literature review methodology. Since the area under review is comprehensive and it entails the examination of several topics, the authors have selected this methodology to ensure thorough coverage, and a narrative literature review approach can provide the required degree of thoroughness as it covers a wide range of topics within the thematic area under review. The authors focus on contemporary scientific studies published between January 2017 and May 2022 on how teachers involved in e-learning are affected by management actions taken to achieve success factors for e-learning effectiveness within the HE sector, after identifying and grouping the success factors identified in prior literature into dimensions that reinforce effectiveness.
Findings
The authors of the present study have identified and outlined the most prevalent success factor dimensions by performing a narrative review of the extant literature on the topics of e-learning effectiveness and success factors, and by grouping the various success factors identified into the overarching dimensions presented. These dimensions must also be examined in terms of their relevant importance to the most significant e-learning stakeholder groups. Prior studies have made attempts to obtain relevant stakeholder views on success factors for e-learning, with the student perspective naturally being the most widely covered point of view in terms of e-learning success factors prioritization. More studies are needed that tackle the teachers' perspective as well, since this would enable researchers to determine how teachers view e-learning effectiveness success factors.
Originality/value
The authors also discover that the main success factors in literature are not discussed nearly enough from teachers' perspectives. The authors, therefore, highlight the importance of addressing teachers' perspectives, mainly because this will reinforce teacher acceptance of the e-learning system adopted by an HEI, and the authors also outline future research avenues through which the perception of teachers could be obtained. The authors have identified the technique of knowledge management as a potential method to involve teachers in the decision-making process concerning the management of e-learning more, by taking their views into account and documenting them. The authors have discerned that teachers' acceptance of e-learning would be reinforced by supportive management actions since as a result, teachers see improvements in their technological literacy and pedagogical skills, and this would bring about increased motivation, satisfaction and acceptance of e-learning systems.
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Mariantonietta Fiore, Crescenzio Gallo, Evangelos Tsoukatos and Piermichele La Sala
Healthy and safety food issues are more and more becoming the purchasing process core of conscious consumer. “Type 1” wheat flour means higher protein and ash content. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
Healthy and safety food issues are more and more becoming the purchasing process core of conscious consumer. “Type 1” wheat flour means higher protein and ash content. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attributes usually referred to the characteristics of wheat flour known to consumers and at implementing a predictive model of purchasing that allows to make correct decisions without the necessary experience of a real human expert.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to investigate the research aims of the paper, an online survey was carried out and conducted by means of the Google Forms in the detection time January-April 2016. The online survey collected responses from 467 Italian respondents asked to give feedback about their buying habits of various types of flour. The responses were analyzed through a data mining approach. This paper implements predictive analytics to create a statistical model of future behavior by means of a machine learning algorithms.
Findings
In line with recent healthy and dynamic trends in the food industry, conscious consumer seems to be willing to pay a price for “type 1” wheat flour that is four times higher than the price related to the basic types of wheat flour.
Social implications
Consumer seems not to know well the “type 1” wheat flour and its healthy characteristics; then, it should be crucial to implement promotional strategies and marketing hand in hand. Promotion can be a key element in putting across the health benefits of special kinds of wheat flour.
Originality/value
Highlighting health issues about the “type 1” wheat flour gives insights and sheds some light on the crucial need of changing eating and purchasing behavior. Then, originality of this paper can be found in the used predictive algorithm of the artificial intelligence.
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Shosh Shahrabani, Sharon Teitler-Regev, Helena Desivilya Syna, Evangelos Tsoukatos, Vitor Ambrosio, Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro and Fotini Voulgaris
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of tourists’ perceptions of political and economic instability and risks of terrorism on their intentions to travel to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of tourists’ perceptions of political and economic instability and risks of terrorism on their intentions to travel to countries associated with various risks.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 648 Greek, Israeli and Portuguese students completed a questionnaire focusing on their perceptions concerning factors that shape their travel decisions.
Findings
The findings showed that among tourists from Greece and Portugal, the experience of economic crisis and the salience of economic and political hardships mitigated their intentions to travel to destinations with similar problems. These factors had no effect on Israelis, who have not experienced such problems in their country. Frequent terrorist incidents diminished the intentions of Greek tourists to travel to destinations marked by terrorism, such as Israel. Thus, different factors affect tourists’ travel-related decisions in each of the three countries.
Originality/value
The study sheds light on how potential tourists construe the risks of traveling to specific destination countries based on hazards in their home countries, a topic that to date has received little research attention.
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Nikolaos Grigorakis, Georgios Galyfianakis and Evangelos Tsoukatos
In this paper, the authors assess the responsiveness of OOP healthcare expenditure to macro-fiscal factors, as well as to tax-based, SHI, mixed systems and voluntary PHI…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, the authors assess the responsiveness of OOP healthcare expenditure to macro-fiscal factors, as well as to tax-based, SHI, mixed systems and voluntary PHI financing. Although the relationship between OOP expenditure, macroeconomy, aggregate public and PHI financing is well documented in the existing empirical literature, little is known for the impact of several macro-fiscal drivers and the existing health financing arrangements associated with voluntary PHI on OOP expenditure.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors gather panel data by applying three official organizations’ databases. They elaborate static and dynamic panel data methodology to a dataset of 49 European and OECD countries from 2000 to 2015.
Findings
The authors’ findings do not indicate a considerable impact of GDP growth and general government debt as a share of GDP on OOP payments. Unemployment rate presents as a positive driver of OOP payments in all three compulsory national health systems post to the 2008 economic crisis. OOP payments are significantly influenced by countries’ fiscal capacity to increase general government expenditure to GDP in SHI and mixed health systems. Additionally, study findings present that government health financing, irrespective of the different health systems structure characteristics, and OOP healthcare payments follow different directions. Voluntary PHI financing considerably counteracts OOP payments only in tax-based health systems.
Practical implications
In the backdrop of a new economic crisis associated to the COVID-19 epidemic, health policy planners have to deal with the emerging unprecedented challenges in financing of health systems, especially for these economies that have to face the fiscal capacity constraints owing to the 2008 financial crisis and its severe recession.
Originality/value
To the best of authors’ knowledge, there is no empirical consensus on the effects of macro-fiscal parameters, different compulsory health systems financing associated with the parallel voluntary PHI institution funding on OOP expenditure, for the majority of European and OECD settings.
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Yaakov Weber, Demetris Vrontis, Evangelos Tsoukatos and S. M. Riad Shams
Evangelos Tsoukatos and Evmorfia Mastrojianni
The purpose of this study is to build a retail‐banking specific quality scale and, through its examination and comparison with the SERVQUAL and BSQ metrics that are currently used…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to build a retail‐banking specific quality scale and, through its examination and comparison with the SERVQUAL and BSQ metrics that are currently used in banking, to deepen understanding of quality determinants in the industry. Furthermore, the study is set to provide additional input to the debate over generic against setting/industry/time‐specific quality metrics.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is implemented through a two‐stage process of literature review and empirical survey. Evidence drawn from Greek retail banking, through a specially designed research tool, is analyzed through reliability, factorial and regression analysis to determine the scale's item and factorial structure and assess its reliability and validity.
Findings
The BANQUAL‐R metric is introduced, with key elements assurance/empathy, effectiveness, reliability and confidence, a combination of SERVQUAL and BSQ dimensions. Findings back the setting‐specific approach of service quality and the notion that SERVQUAL provides the skeleton on which setting‐specific scales should be built.
Practical implications
Bank managers are provided with a reliable and valid metric of service quality in retail banking. Its dimensionality implies that under credit‐crunch conditions service delivery should be directed towards reinstating customers' trust and confidence that are put in danger. Banks should redirect resources from tangibles to the human contact‐related service elements.
Originality/value
Although the subject of “service quality measurement” is extensively researched, the continuously changing marketing environment calls for an ongoing assessment of quality factors. With respect to its academic value, the study accumulates knowledge that will eventually outgrow the boundaries of academia and pervade management.
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Evangelos Tsoukatos and Graham K. Rand
The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of culture on service quality and customer satisfaction.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of culture on service quality and customer satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
By extending GIQUAL, an instrument developed for measuring service quality in Greek Insurance, to measure the culture of individuals, hypotheses on all 25 possible relationships between the dimensions of culture and of service quality are determined and tested. The relationships between the dimensions of service quality and customer satisfaction, in the light of culture, are further examined.
Findings
Of the 25 hypothesized relationships between the dimensions of culture and of service quality, 23 are confirmed and the remaining two are directionally supported. The hypothesized importance of the service quality dimensions is also confirmed. However, the expected association between the importance of quality dimensions and the strength of their relationships with customer satisfaction is only directionally supported. Although the typology of Hofstede is used in the study, a culture different from the one specified for Greece by Hofstede's scores is exposed.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitations of this study are first, that it is based on a single service industry and secondly, that convenience sampling is used. However, its methodology and conclusions provide a solid basis for future research.
Practical implications
Insight on using culture for directing resources where quality investments are needed most is provided to managers. Although weak, the directional support for the hypothesized effect of the importance of quality dimensions on their relationships with customer satisfaction enhances the value of the findings. Different sub‐cultures that may be found in varying market segments can be used for determining quality investment priorities.
Originality/value
This study explores the effects of culture on service quality and customer satisfaction drawing evidence from Greek Insurance.
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