Perceived Service Quality in HRI: Applying the SERVBOT Framework

Services are intangible in nature and as a result, it is often difficult to measure the quality of the service. In the service literature, the service is usually delivered by a human to a human customer and the quality of the service is often evaluated using the SERVQUAL dimensions. An extensive review of the literature shows there is a lack of an empirical model to assess the perceived service quality provided by a social robot. Furthermore, the social robot literature highlights key differences between human service and social robots. For example, scholars have highlighted the importance of entertainment value and engagement in the adoption of social robots in the service industry. However, it is unclear whether the SERVQUAL dimensions are appropriate to measure social robot’s service quality. The paper proposes the SERVBOT model to assess a social robot’s service quality. It identifies, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and entertainment as the five dimensions of SERVBOT. Further, the research will investigate how these five factors influence emotional engagement and future intentions to use the social robot in a concierge service setting. The model was tested using student sampling, and a total of 94 responses were collected for the study. The findings indicate empathy and entertainment value as key predictors of emotional engagement. Further, emotional engagement is a strong predictor of future intention to use a social robot in a service setting. This study is the first to propose the SERVBOT model to measure social robot’s service quality. The model provides a theoretical underpinning on the key service quality dimensions of a social robot and gives scholars and managers a method to track the service quality of a social robot. The study also extends on the literature by exploring the key factors that influence the use of social robots (i.e. emotional engagement).

A Case Study Exploring the Use of Virtual Reality in the Zoo Context

Virtual Reality (VR) is now a popular tool in education and for engagement with the natural world, but to date little research has investigated its potential in a zoo setting. We aimed to gauge the interest of the visiting public in using VR technology at Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo. A VR (n = 12) and a video condition (n = 12), both introducing the lives and conservation concerns of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus), were used to gain greater insight of the thoughts and perceptions of how individuals evaluated a purpose-built VR experience and to enable comparisons of learning outcomes for both technologies. We used semi-structured interviews; responses were evaluated through thematic analysis and descriptive analysis. Younger participants (aged 13-18 years) emphasized that VR allowed them close and personal access to the animals. Adult participants (aged 19 and above) pointed out the entertainment value of the VR experience while highlighting the potential of its educational aspect; that of enabling visitors to see animals in their natural habitat. While our results require further confirmation due to the limited sample size and restricted circumstances of data collection, we suggest that VR could be usefully introduced as a public education and visitor engagement tool that would benefit the visitors’ learning and overall experience at the zoo.

Unboxing the Black Box: Demystifying the Impact of Consumers’ Psychological Motivations on Their Perception of Online Advertising

In a quest to reap the potential of the internet as an advertising media, marketers are increasing the share of online advertising in their promotion mix. But very less is known about factors impacting the consumers’ perception of online advertising. Psychological factors play an important role in developing the consumers perception, the present study extends the concept in the domain of online advertising. For this, the present study has developed a hypothesized model containing two layers. Layer one consists of a conceptual framework based on the literature review and second layer comprised of testing the relationships between consumers psychological motivations and their perception of online advertising. For the purpose, information, convenience, entertainment and social interaction are considered as psychological motivations of using the internet. The consumers’ perception of online advertising has been measured in terms of information value, entertainment value, trustworthiness, offensiveness and incentives. A purposive survey was conducted in Delhi NCR and the data was analysed using SEM in SAS Proc Calis (9). The findings suggest that psychological motivations of using the internet significantly impact the consumers’ perception of online advertising.

The Globalization of Superheroes: Diffusion, Genre, and Cultural Adaptations

Superheroes are a global phenomenon. The superhero genre has been proliferated through modern industrial societies by way of movies, television, comics, and other forms of popular media. Although virtually every nation in the world has heroic myths, the modern superhero, as marked by the inception of recent American comics heroes in 1929, is a uniquely Western invention. Superheroes are “Western” insofar as they embody and exhibit Western civic values, such as democracy, humanism, and retributive justice. These characters have been communicatively incorporated into globalization processes by means of diffusion and thereby enact aspects of cultural imperialism. Even so, superhero figures have been in high demand across many populations for their entertainment value. As superheroes have diffused in non-Western cultures, they have not only been absorbed by new cultures but also refigured and adapted. These non-Western adaptations have had a recursive influence, such as the global popularity of Japanese manga. The recursive relationship between Western superheroes and their non-Western adaptations implies superheroes are an important aspect of cultural fusion in global popular culture.

An Empirical Investigation of Factors Determining Actual Usage of Entertainment Streaming Apps in India

Rise of internet and penetration of smartphones have made digital content accessible though Entertainment Streaming Apps (ESA). With the flexibility of time and place, ESA platforms are changing the dynamics of entertainment consumption. The current study explored the determinants of actual usage of ESA using the theory of planned behavior, flow theory and factors affecting entertainment related technology adoption including engagement, content, entertainment value, convenience value and monetary value. Data is collected through an online survey from 215 Indian ESA users and the proposed framework is empirically tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings of the study contribute to the growing body of literature on streaming apps adoption and usage by expanding the understanding of the factors that explain its usage behavior.

An Empirical Investigation of Factors Determining Actual Usage of Entertainment Streaming Apps in India

Rise of internet and penetration of smartphones have made digital content accessible though Entertainment Streaming Apps (ESA). With the flexibility of time and place, ESA platforms are changing the dynamics of entertainment consumption. The current study explored the determinants of actual usage of ESA using the theory of planned behavior, flow theory and factors affecting entertainment related technology adoption including engagement, content, entertainment value, convenience value and monetary value. Data is collected through an online survey from 215 Indian ESA users and the proposed framework is empirically tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings of the study contribute to the growing body of literature on streaming apps adoption and usage by expanding the understanding of the factors that explain its usage behavior.

Consumer Brand Engagement and Brand Communications on Destination Brand Equity Maritine Tourism in Indonesia

This study aimed to understand the influence of consumer-brand engagement and brand communication on destination brand equity, survey to maritime tourism of Ujung Kulon and Anak Krakatau, Banten. The population chosen in this study is the Instagram followers of Ujung Kulon and Krakatau Banten.The total of the samples are 96 respondents chosen using purposive sampling. This study used inferential statistic tests, which were divided into two: The correlation Test and Linear Regression Test. This study used a correlational survey method Approach. This research used a quantitative approach and a positivist paradigm. The results showed that the use of Instagram is successful in creating destination brand equity because the entertainment and interaction dimension provided a strong effect on the loyalty dimension of the destination brand equity variable. People who are online and following the Instagram account became loyal because the pictures posted gave entertainment value, joy, and relaxation effect. The interaction between the followers and admin of the account of Maritime Tourism of Ujung Kulon and Anak Krakatau, Banten also added the entertainment value. This study provides new contributions regarding the promotion of maritime tourism destinations through theories about brand engagement, brand equity, and brand communication.

Sharing is entertaining: the impact of consumer values on video sharing and brand equity

PurposeThe study aims to ascertain the impacts of entertainment, social and functional values on the likelihood of sharing commercial videos online and verify whether consumers' likelihood to share videos impacts brand attachment and brand equity.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted with 368 university students who watched videos of five companies on YouTube Brazil. The electronic form had 24 questions covering the constructs entertainment value, social value, functional value, likelihood to share, brand attachment and brand equity. The structural equation modeling (SEM) tested the survey´s hypothetical model.FindingsThe entertainment value and the social value had positive impacts on the likelihood to share commercial videos online. Moreover, the likelihood to share videos positively impacted brand attachment and brand equity. Finally, brand attachment had a positive effect on brand equity.Practical implicationsEntertainment and social values affect the likelihood to share commercial videos, stimulating consumer engagement with brands through interactive marketing on SNSs. Therefore, companies should produce fun videos that add social value to consumers to go viral, positively influencing brands. Finally, another contribution is the impact of video sharing on brand attachment. Previous studies have contemplated only the opposite relationship between these constructs.Originality/valueThis research adds value to interactive marketing by investigating consumers' behaviors, their interactivity in social networking sites (SNSs) and the impacts on brands. It is the only study that simultaneously contemplates the effects of entertainment, social and functional values on the likelihood to share commercial videos online and demonstrates its impact on brand attachment and brand equity.

Vessel: A Cultural Heritage Game for Entertainment

Museums are digitizing their collections of 3D objects. Video games provide the technology to interact with these objects, but the educational goals of a museum are often at odds with the creative forces in a traditional game for entertainment. Efforts to bridge this gap have either settled on serious games with diminished entertainment value or have relied on historical fictions that blur the line between reality and fantasy. The Vessel project is a 3D game designed around puzzle mechanics that remains a game for entertainment while realizing the benefits of incorporating digitized artifacts from a museum. We explore how the critical thinking present in solving puzzles can still encourage engagement of the story the artifacts have to tell without creating an historical fiction. Preliminary results show a preference for our in-game digital interaction over a traditional gallery and a desire to learn more about the artifacts after playing.