An exploratory study of using 3D avatars as online salespeople

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Mull ◽  
Jamie Wyss ◽  
Eunjung Moon ◽  
Seung-Eun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Significant Influence ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Online Retailer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Retailers ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Animated Avatars

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine consumers’ perceptions of using different types of 3D animated avatars as salespeople based on credibility, homophily, attractiveness and intention to interact. Design/methodology/approach – Using a survey method, participants (n=120) evaluated four types of 3D animated avatars (i.e. human, fantasy, animal and humanoid) based on the supposition the avatars would represent a salesperson for an online retailer. Findings – The results show that avatar type has a significant influence on the perception of credibility, homophily, and attractiveness. Furthermore, credibility, homophily, and attractiveness significantly influence the intention to interact with the avatar. Overall, the human avatar was found to be perceived as the most credible, homophilous, attractive and was regarded as the highest in relation to intention to interact. Originality/value – The practical and theoretical implications are discussed to offer guidance to online retailers, graphic designers, and researchers in the benefits and pitfalls of utilizing 3D animated avatars as salespeople.

Hometown advantage? Exploring the relationship between location, CSR/CSI and stakeholders’ behavioral intentions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy O'Connor ◽  
Renee Mitson ◽  
Cory Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Outcomes ◽  
Community Stakeholders ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate the relationship between location (hometown or elsewhere), evaluation of corporations, expectations for corporations in their communities and likelihood to engage in pro-corporate behaviors in corporate social responsibility (CSR) scenarios or anti-corporate behaviors in corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) scenarios. The purpose of our exploratory study is to examine if the location of CSR or CSI activities influence pro and anti-corporation behavioral intentions.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative survey method is utilized (N = 1,450). Participants were Minnesota residents who volunteered to take the survey. Surveys were administered at the 2018 Minnesota State Fair.FindingsParticipants described corporations in their community more favorably than corporations located elsewhere and indicated a desire to have more corporations headquartered in their community. In instances of CSR, participants were more likely to engage in pro-corporate behaviors than if the corporation was located elsewhere. However, participants indicated a stronger likelihood of engaging in anti-corporate behaviors when CSI was enacted in their community than if the company was located elsewhere.Originality/valueThis study examines CSR and CSI concurrently, surveys community stakeholders rather than relying on existing databases (e.g. KLD Stats) that measure a limited set of CSR metrics, moves beyond descriptive accounts of CSR behaviors and financial outcomes associated with geography and extends stakeholder-organization relationship theorizing into the CSR/CSI context to interrogate the mutual interdependence between stakeholders and organizations.

scholarly journals Explaining inconsistencies in implicit and explicit attitudes towards domestic and foreign products

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Hsiang Tseng ◽  
George Balabanis ◽  
Matthew Tingchi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Implicit Attitudes ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Explicit Attitudes ◽  
Foreign Products ◽  
Intercept Survey ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Implicit And Explicit Attitudes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the inconsistency of explicit and implicit domestic country bias (DCB) across different types of products and in the context of two countries. Design/methodology/approach Two studies in two countries are conducted to examine the inconsistencies in implicit and explicit DCB. The first study collected data through mall intercept survey method in Taiwan and identified 189 valid respondents. The second study applied a mixed (within and between subjects) factorial experiment in China using 200 subjects. Findings Results show that explicit and implicit attitudes are moderately related to each other. The results also confirm that ethnic product typicality can explain inconsistencies in both explicit and implicit DCB. For ethnically typical products, DCB is more pronounced in consumers’ explicit attitudes than in consumers’ implicit attitudes. On the contrary, for ethnically atypical goods, DCB makes itself present in both explicit and implicit attitudes. Originality/value The results shed new light on DCB and confirm that the bias could divaricate between explicit and implicit attitudes in the case of ethnically typical products.

scholarly journals Advantages and potential challenges of data management in e-maintenance

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arian Razmi-Farooji ◽  
Hanna Kropsu-Vehkaperä ◽  
Janne Härkönen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo
Keyword(s):  
Data Management ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Maintenance Systems ◽  
Industry Leader ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand data management challenges in e-maintenance systems from a holistically viewpoint through summarizing the earlier scattered research in the field, and second, to present a conceptual approach for addressing these challenges in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study is realized as a combination of a literature review and by the means of analyzing the practices on an industry leader in manufacturing and maintenance services. Findings This research provides a general understanding over data management challenges in e-maintenance and summarizes their associated proposed solutions. In addition, this paper lists and exemplifies different types and sources of data which can be collected in e-maintenance, across different organizational levels. Analyzing the data management practices of an e-maintenance industry leader provides a conceptual approach to address identified challenges in practice. Research limitations/implications Since this paper is based on studying the practices of a single company, it might be limited to generalize the results. Future research topics can focus on each of mentioned data management challenges and also validate the applicability of presented model in other companies and industries. Practical implications Understanding the e-maintenance-related challenges helps maintenance managers and other involved stakeholders in e-maintenance systems to better solve the challenges. Originality/value The so-far literature on e-maintenance has been studied with narrow focus to data and data management in e-maintenance appears as one of the less studied topics in the literature. This research paper contributes to e-maintenance by highlighting the deficiencies of the discussion surrounding the perspectives of data management in e-maintenance by studying all common data management challenges and listing different types of data which need to be acquired in e-maintenance systems.

When social media met commerce: a model of perceived customer value in group-buying

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Ki Lee ◽  
Sally Y. Kim ◽  
Namho Chung ◽  
Kwanghoon Ahn ◽  
Jong-Won Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Least Squares ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Customer Value ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Commerce ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Group Buying ◽  
Perceived Customer Value

Purpose Social commerce using social media has been on the rapid increase. Among various social commerce models, group-buying has become the mainstream. There is a paucity of research related to how customers perceive value in group-buying situations. This paper aims to examine and analyze various factors that influence perceived customer value in group-buying. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a survey on customers who had purchased a restaurant service deal on a group-buying site. A partial least squares technique was used to estimate the model. Findings Results show that perceived customer value affects customers’ group buying intentions and that all four antecedents of perceived value (low price, valence of experience, trust in social media and reputation of the group-buying site) have a significant influence. Implications and further research directions are discussed at the end of the paper. Originality/value This study provides valuable strategic implications for social commerce firms.

Online brand communities as heterogeneous gatherings: a netnographic exploration of Apple users

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuğba Özbölük ◽  
Yunus Dursun
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Opinion Leader ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Online Brand Community

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the different types of members based on their roles within an online brand community dedicated to Apple. Design/methodology/approach Design/methodology/approach Data are drawn from an 18-month netnographic study, including participant and non-participant observation. Findings Findings reveal that members of the online brand community share a common goal but they are heterogeneous in many respects. In this research, five different types of brand community members are identified: learner, pragmatist, activist, opinion leader and evangelist. These findings emphasize the heterogeneity of the brand community or the differences of members and subgroups they form in the community. Practical implications This paper offers some insights for brand managers. There are different sub-tribes in online brand communities and these sub-tribes develop their own meanings of the brand. This means that online brand communities do not form one single homogenous target group and can be segmented into subgroups. Findings also offer a deeper understanding of negative characteristics of online brand community members. The role “activist” found in this study may be crucial for marketers, as activists can represent the negative side of online brand communities. Originality/value The literature on brand communities has focused predominantly on the homogeneity of these communities. This paper extends the literature by demonstrating the heterogeneity in an online brand community. The paper contributes to the brand community literature by substantiating that online brand community members can be segmented into subgroups based on their roles within the community. In addition, the paper extends the existing literature on brand communities that has overlooked the destructive consumer roles.

Design and topological optimization of rear pressure bulkhead for a typical aircraft

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshal Thakran ◽  
Meenakshi ◽  
Jitender Sharma ◽  
Charles Gilbert Martin
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Analysis ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Topological Optimization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Iterative Design ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the model of a rear pressure bulkhead with different design optimizations to meet the pressurized cabin requirements of an aircraft. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the results of the static analysis of a dome-shaped rear pressure bulkhead model designed in Catia-v5. Numerical analysis of model meshed in hyper-mesh and solved using Opti-Struct for iterative design optimizations. Findings All the iterative models are analyzed at 9 Psi. Rear pressure bulkhead designed with L-section stringer shows better results than the model optimized with T-section stringer for the same thickness. The model optimized with L-shaped stinger also reduces the weight of the bulkhead without affecting the structural integrity. Practical implications It has been concluded in this paper that the selection of specific shapes of the stringers shows a significant influence on weight reduction. Originality/value This paper provides a topical, technical insight into the design and development of a rear pressure bulkhead. It also outlines the future development of dome-shaped rear pressure bulkhead.

From campfire to coliseum: motivations for using social networks

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Castro Pires de Souza Chimenti ◽  
Marco Aurelio de Souza Rodrigues ◽  
Marcelo Guedes Carneiro ◽  
Roberta Dias Campos
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Collective Narrative

Purpose Through a literature review, a gap has been identified regarding the role of competition as a driver of social network (SN) usage. This study aims to design to address this gap, seeking motivators for SN usage based on how SN consumption may be related to users’ experience of competition. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of competition in social media usage. Design/methodology/approach The authors used an exploratory qualitative approach, conducting a set of focus groups with young social media users. Data was analyzed with software. Findings Two new drivers for SN use are proposed, namely, competition and collective narrative. Research limitations/implications This is an exploratory study, and it does not seek to generalize results or quantify causal relationships among variables. Practical implications This paper offers SN managers a deeper understanding of key growth drivers for these media. Social implications This research can help society understand and debate the impacts of SNs on users’ lives, providing insights into drivers of excessive usage. Originality/value This paper proposes the following two SN usage drivers yet to be described in the literature: competition and collective narrative.

Performance assessment of the complex repairable system with n-identical units under (k-out-of-n: G) scheme and copula linguistic repair approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. V. Singh ◽  
Abubakkar Idris Mohhammad ◽  
Kabiru Hamisu Ibrahim ◽  
Ibrahim Yusuf
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
New Method ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Repairable System ◽  
Variable Technique ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Theoretical Assessment ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper analyzed a complex system consisting n-identical units under a k-out-of-n: G; configuration via a new method which has not been studied by previous researchers. The computed results are more supportable for repairable system performability analysis.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors have analyzed a complex system consisting n-identical units under a k-out-of-n: G; configuration via a new method which has not been studied by previous researchers. The supplementary variable technique has employed for analyzing the performance of the system.FindingsReliability measures have been computed for different types of configuration. It generalized the results for purely series and purely parallel configurations.Research limitations/implicationsThis research may be beneficial for industrial system performances whereas a k-out-of-n-type configuration exists.Practical implicationsNot sure as it is a theoretical assessment.Social implicationsThis research may not have social implications.Originality/valueThis work is the sole work of authors that have not been communicated to any other journal before.

So you want to work in sports? An exploratory study of sport business employability

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Finch ◽  
Norm O'Reilly ◽  
David Legg ◽  
Nadège Levallet ◽  
Emma Fody
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sport Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Analytical Thinking

PurposeAs an industry, sport business (SB) has seen significant growth since the early 2000s. Concurrently, the number of postsecondary sport management programs has also expanded dramatically. However, there remain concerns about whether these programs are meeting the demands of both employers and graduates. To address these concerns, this study examines the credential and competency demands of the SB labor market in the United States.Design/methodology/approachResearchers conducted an analysis using a broad sample of employment postings (N = 613) for SB positions from two different years, 2008 and 2018.FindingsResults support that a complex set of SB qualifications exist, and the credentials and competencies included in SB employment postings have evolved over the past decade.Originality/valueA noteworthy finding is that meta-skills are found to be particularly important for employability, including items such as communication, emotional intelligence and analytical thinking and adaptability.

Career satisfaction antecedents of professional accounting returnees in international workplaces: an employee experience perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nga Thi Thuy Ho ◽  
Hung Trong Hoang ◽  
Pi-Shen Seet ◽  
Janice Jones ◽  
Nhat Tan Pham
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Career Satisfaction ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Cultural Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Employee Experience ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of career satisfaction of professional accounting returnees who have studied and/or worked abroad and then returned to work in different types of international workplaces in their home country.Design/methodology/approachA survey of professional accounting returnees in Vietnam was undertaken and multiple regression analysis was applied to test the proposed relationships.FindingsThis study finds that career satisfaction is affected by career fit, career sacrifice, types of international workplaces (domestically headquartered firms versus globally headquartered firms) and cross-cultural work readjustment. Further, cross-cultural work readjustment partially mediates the effect of career fit and career sacrifice on career satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe research provides the basis for designing career-related employee experiences to support career satisfaction of professional accounting returnees.Originality/valueThis study integrates dimensions of career embeddedness with cross-cultural work readjustment and employee experiences, which are normally studied separately, in different types of international workplaces. It contributes to the limited research on contributors to well-being in the form of career satisfaction among professional returnees in an emerging economy.

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