Exploring the advantages of using social network sites (SNSs) in dental medicine organisations

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mário Franco ◽  
Leonor Pais
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Internet Research ◽  
Quality Of Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to deepen and contribute to knowledge of the use of social network sites (SNSs) in organisations, and more precisely, identify the advantages. Design/methodology/approach To reach this objective, a cross-section study was adopted based on application of a questionnaire, the final sample consisting of 78 dental medicine organisations in Portugal. Findings The results obtained lead to the conclusion that a great number of the organisations studied are connected to SNSs, particularly Facebook. The advantages associated with marketing tools and breaking down barriers between the organisation and the world are those highlighted most in this study. Practical implications According to the empirical evidence obtained, organisations are found to use these sites for other purposes, such as communicating with clients/patients and receiving feedback on the service provided to increase satisfaction and improve the quality of services. Originality/value The study contributes to advancing theory in the field of internet research strategic. More precisely, this study is associated with the creation of a theoretical framework that shows the advantages of using SNSs in an innovative context: dental medicine organisations. A categorisation of these advantages and some implications for theory and practice are also some contributions of this study.

How social influence and personality affect users’ social network fatigue and discontinuance behavior

2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajad Shokouhyar ◽  
Seyed Hossein Siadat ◽  
Mojde Khazeni Razavi
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Influence ◽  
Least Squares ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Least Squares Method ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Partial Least Squares Method ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on understanding how social influence and personality of individuals differentiate between users’ social network fatigue and discontinuance behavior. Furthermore, the most common discontinuance behavior among users was investigated. Design/methodology/approach The research model was tested with the data from 163 Instagram users based on online and offline surveys. The partial least squares method was used to test the proposed hypotheses of this study. Findings The results indicate that social influence affects users’ discontinuance behavior and social network fatigue. Social network fatigue is greater in users with higher reported social influence compared to those with a lower one. Moreover, in response to social network fatigue, users prefer to keep their activities under control instead of switching to alternative social network sites (SNSs) or a short break in social network activities. Practical implications By achieving a better understanding of users’ feeling and behaviors, social network providers may codify their strategies more efficiently. Originality/value The study is novel in exploring users’ SNS fatigue and their discontinuance behavior by integrating social influence and personality. The authors defined a new concept of effect of social influence on social network fatigue. Additionally, the authors examined which discontinuance behaviors in individuals were more prevalent.

Towards a hierarchy of hotel guests’ in-room needs

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 4401-4418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Ineson ◽  
Djordje Čomić ◽  
Lazar Kalmić
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Valuable Contribution ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hotel Room ◽  
And Control ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to examine, discuss and intertwine theory and practice related to hotel guests’ home and lodging environments to identify their in-room psychological and physical needs. Design/methodology/approach The research design is qualitative, with a focus on understanding social phenomena through direct observation, communication and textual analysis; contextual subjective accuracy is stressed over generality. Using interpretative phenomenology, the psychological and sociological aspects of the individual’s journey are deliberated including: travelling through one’s own room; virtual travels from the room via electronic media; the hotel room as a reconstruction of the intimate sphere; the return to, and transformation of, one’s own room; and the accumulation of souvenirs. The tabulated findings are linked to hotel guests’ in-room needs using inductive thematic coding and content analysis. Findings The psychological and physical in-room needs of individual hotel guests are identified; safety, security and control emerge as paramount. Practical suggestions to complement, expand and enrich guests’ in-room experiences are offered. Research limitations/implications As the focus is limited predominantly to the debate and rationalisation of concepts and the methodology is exploratory as opposed to scientific, the validity of the findings may be questioned; primary data triangulation modifies this criticism. Future researchers are advised to consider the evidence when developing hypotheses to establish a theory of lodging. Research on improving the quality of facilities and services should centre on an analysis of the concept of “being in one’s own room”, followed by an analysis of the transposition to “being in a hotel room” from both physiological and psychological perspectives. Practical implications Referring to the developed hierarchy, accommodation/lodging providers are recommended to increase their efforts to exceed the expectations of individual guests. Guest profiling should focus on individual needs and preferences, ideally at the booking stage. Social implications Accommodation/lodging providers are encouraged to demonstrate social awareness and empathy through individual social responsibility efforts to enhance the experiences and quality of life of their guests. Originality/value The paper makes a valuable contribution by debating and connecting philosophical and psychological literature to the practical needs of hotel guests. It recognises and concludes that, as they are merely temporary residents, hotel guests’ experiences embrace a series of journeys through different, individual interiors. Based on this premise, an innovative hierarchy of hotel guests’ in-room needs is developed.

Hedonic experiences at heritage attractions: the visitor’s perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Carolina Bender ◽  
Manuela Guerreiro ◽  
Bernardete Dias Sequeira ◽  
Júlio Mendes
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
Hedonic Experience ◽  
Using Data

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the hedonic experience and its formation at heritage attractions. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative and exploratory approach was applied, using data from 21 semi-structured interviews and three in-situ focus groups. Findings Findings highlight that senses, imagery and emotions are stimulated by the physical landscape and by triggers of memorable experiences. Research limitations/implications To further explore this topic, a broader range of heritage attractions and perspectives from the diverse stakeholders involved in the management and consumption of these sites is needed. Originality/value Given the scarcity of research dedicated to the hedonic experience at heritage sites, this study provides a contribution by exploring the visitor’s perspective and points out relevant insights. As the hedonic feelings of pleasure, comfort and related affective responses impact the quality of memorable experiences, relevant implications for theory and practice are discussed.

scholarly journals Accounting for the messiness of the research process: the fieldpath approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perttu Salovaara
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Human Ethics ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
The Common ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose It has recently become more acknowledged that there is a quality of “messiness” to the qualitative research process. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the fieldpath approach—a hermeneutically inspired framework—to account for the non-linearity, uncertainty and ambiguity of the research process. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper reviews how the scope of hermeneutics has been partly misunderstood. The paper discusses how the scope of hermeneutics has lately been expanded by works such as Günter Figal’s (2010) Objectivity: The Hermeneutical and Philosophy. Findings The fieldpath approach proposes that a heightened relation to materiality enables the messiness of the process to be preserved, while at the same time offering a way to find one’s footing in the midst of ontologically incomplete phenomena that are still—in a processual fashion—forming and becoming. Research limitations/implications This is a conceptual paper. In addition to the research mentioned here, more studies would be needed to legitimise, test and refine the approach. Practical implications Objectivity provides an additional criterion for researchers to lean on when facing the non-linearity and unexpected turns inherent in the qualitative research process. Social implications The stress on materiality involves an ethical dimension. Post-human ethics are concerned with the future environmental consequences and sustainability of the material world. The way that matter matters in our methodologies is of primary importance. Originality/value First, the paper emphasises that hermeneutics, contrary to the common perception, does offer criteria for evaluating between interpretations. Second, it introduces the notion of hermeneutic objectivity, which stresses the importance of materiality for interpretations. Third, it introduces the fieldpath approach, which, based on the previous criterion of hermeneutic objectivity, allows for the messiness of the research process, while also preserving a tight grip on the hermeneutic imperative of “understanding in a new way”.

Why didn’t it work out? The effects of attributions on the efficacy of recovery strategies

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 700-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Víctor Iglesias ◽  
Concepción Varela-Neira ◽  
Rodolfo Vázquez-Casielles
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Retail Banking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Customer Defection ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of attributions on the efficacy of service recovery strategies in preventing customer defection following a service failure. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical investigation is carried out on the retail banking industry with a final sample of 448 real cases of customer retention or defection after a service failure. Findings – The results of the study not only highlight the relevance of intentionality as an additional factor in explaining customer defection, but also show the effects of some attributional dimensions (intentionality and controllability) on the efficacy of some recovery strategies (redress, apology and explanation) applied by companies to prevent post-complaint customer defection. Practical implications – The efficacy of the recovery strategies depends on the causal attributions that the customer makes about the service failure. Originality/value – This study analyzes not only the effects of traditional dimensions of attribution (stability and controllability), but also the additional effect that intentionality attributions may have on actual customer defection (not intentions). Moreover, it analyzes their effects on the effectiveness of recovery strategies in preventing customer defection. Most of these effects have never been empirically analyzed in the literature.

Customer engagement and value co-creation/destruction: the internal fostering and hindering factors and actors in the tourist/hotel experience

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clement Nangpiire ◽  
Joaquim Silva ◽  
Helena Alves
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Analysis Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe customer as an active and engaged value co-creator raises new challenges for theory and practice, especially in the hospitality industry. However, the connection between engagement and co-creation is little studied in the hotel/tourism literature. This paper proposes a connection between customer engagement (CE) and value co-creation frameworks to ascertain and depict the internal actors' activities and factors that foster or hinder guests' co-creation and destruction of value.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers used qualitative methods (35 in-depth interviews, document analysis and four observation sessions) in seven regions of Ghana to explore the customer's perspective. Data were analyzed with NVivo11 within a thematic analysis framework.FindingsThe findings suggest that positive and negative engagement fosters or hinders guests' interactions, which lead to value co-creation or destruction. The research also discovered that negative interactions occasioned by any factor or actor trigger value destruction at multiple stages of the experience journey.Practical implicationsIndustry players can use the framework developed to assess their businesses, explore and reflect on the proposed value they aim to generate, and thus be more aware of how they can better facilitate value co-creation with their consumers and avoid value destruction.Originality/valueThis research proposes a novel connection between customer interactions, engagement and value co-creation to ascertain and depict the internal actors' activities and factors that foster or hinder customers' experience in the hotel/tourism industry.

Copa America: a resource-based theory of football talent

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 176-191
Author(s):  
Peter Omondi-Ochieng
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Football Team ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Resource Based Theory

Purpose Guided by the resource-based theory, the purpose of this study was to predict the role of football talent in the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) rankings of the men’s national football teams in the Copa America zone. Design/methodology/approach The study used archival data of Copa American national football teams. The dependent variable was FIFA rankings, and the independent variables were football talent (measured by the stocks of amateur footballers, professional footballers and football officials). Statistical analysis was performed using Kendall tau statistic and binary logistic regression. Findings The binary logistic regression results indicated that FIFA rankings were statistically and significantly associated with the stock of football officials and professional footballers – but not amateur footballers. The predictive model explained 80 per cent of the variance. Research limitations/implications The study focused exclusively on the stock of football talent in each nation, and not alternative determinants of national football team competitiveness as economic power and quality of professional football leagues, among others. Practical implications The stocks of professional footballers and football officials are valuable sources of competitive advantage (CA) in national football team rankings. Originality/value The study highlighted the uniqueness and distinctiveness of a nation possessing large stocks of professional footballers which can boost the CA and rankings of Copa American national football teams.

TIP TIG: new technology for welding

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 462-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Mig Welding ◽  
Typical Application ◽  
Good Opportunity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Welding Technology ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe paper aims to report on a new welding technology, TIP TIG.Design/methodology/approachThe principle of operation and benefits of the technology are described together with a typical application.FindingsThe study finds that the technology provides the quality of TIG welding at the speeds of MIG welding, providing significant cost savings to the user.Practical implicationsTIP TIG provides a good opportunity for all users of robotic MIG welding to improve the quality of their product and reduce their costs.Originality/valueThe paper introduces a new and useful technology to the robot industry.

TQM implementation in 3PL organisations vs organisations with in-house logistics department

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 749-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fotis Vouzas ◽  
Theano Katsogianni
Keyword(s):  
Quality Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Quality Of Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Practices ◽  
Quality Management Practices ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Similarities And Differences

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an exploratory literature review investigating the similarities and differences in TQM implementation between 3PL organisations and organisations with an in-house logistics function. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected all relevant papers covering both types of organisations implementing TQM worldwide in a time period from 1991 until today. The aim was to identify key papers and analyse its contents based on the quality of services provided by these two types of organisations. Findings The survey contains information about the forces that encourage managers to implement quality practices in the logistics function, the reasons that impeded the implementation of such a quality programme, the quality methods being used and also the level of their satisfaction with the current quality management in logistics. Research limitations/implications This paper only mentioned the principal papers that have been published globally from 1991 – today. Originality/value The present study is one of the few that reviewed literature from the year 1991 – today in order to provide a comparison of quality management practices between 3PLs and in-house Logistics organisations.

Organizational learning through informal ties

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-42
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Social Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Informal learning ties posses scope to play a substantial role in the development of professionals. Creating such ties with different key internal and external stakeholders provides a valuable source of learning opportunities. Different social mechanisms can influence network creation and enhance the quality of learning that emerges as a result. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

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