Customer satisfaction management: Exploring temporal changes in nonlinearities in satisfaction formation of skiers

Customer satisfaction is one of the most important success drivers. Managers need to understand how satisfaction is formed, which factors to focus on, and how to increase the performance. The Kano model offers useful guidance for managers to increase customer satisfaction. It assumes that there are three different factors, which influence overall satisfaction, and that the weight of these factors changes over time. This study adds to limited empirical evidence on temporal changes of nonlinear relationships between attribute performance and customer satisfaction. The data comprise two waves of a large-scale sample of more than 40,000 skiers in 55 Alpine ski resorts in 2012 and 2016. Applying nonlinear structural equation modeling, Ski Core and Value-for-Money were identified as basic factors (dissatisfiers) and Ski Peripherals as a performance factor. Change in skiers’ satisfaction levels operates at a slow pace and, besides general industry trends, time-related segmentation criteria like loyalty and skier skills play a salient role. Especially, the attribute Value-for-Money is prone to temporal changes. AcknowledgmentsWe thank Michael Partel from Mountain-Management C. Est for granting access to the data.

NONLINEAR STRUCTURAL ESTIMATION OF LOCALIZED NETWORK USING HOMOTOPHIC TOPOLOGICAL (2(N)+1) DIMENSIONAL FOR DISTANCE THEORY (HTD-DT)

A Nonlinear Structural Equation Model (NLSEM) is formed on the basis of various dimension in normal mutual estimation depending on Distance Estimation Theory (DET) and its complex networks structure. The homotophy linear topography analyze the dimension of formal network in hidden paths to consider the linear structure. However, dimension theory is a linear dependence between the variables for observation is problem in nature of distance estimation along the node and these approaches have limitations to form shortest communication. This paper proposes the Nonlinear structural estimation of localized network using homotphic topological (2 (n)+1) dimensional for distance theory Structure equation model based on the Probability distribution theory of evaluation model (PDTE) that compensates for the potential innumerable dependencies between network points. For this unstructural reason, network densities are provided to take advantage of the lower specific margins of density that are present in most real-world networks. The Gambier IV order $(y \frac{d^2 y}{dt^2} (\alpha, \beta)$, complex constant) is used to optimize the Painleve I order $(X’=X’^{(dy/dt)}y^2 + t)$ equation to derive the neighborhood singularities to estimate the distance. This computational provides an efficient integration to the diagonal gradient algorithm has been developed to estimate the SEM coefficients of polymorphic formation and therefore infer the edge structures on distance estimation. Preliminary testing of simulated data demonstrates the effectiveness of the new approach produce high estimation with lower redundancy steps of mathematical solvation.

The use of items and item parcels in nonlinear structural equation models

Nonlinear structural equation models within the frequentist framework were developed to work with continuous items. Applied researchers who usually work with Likert-type items choose between two strategies to estimate such models: treat items as continuous variables or create item parcels. Two Monte Carlo studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of each strategy on estimates and Type I errors for models with interaction and quadratic effects estimated using LMS. The first study evaluated the effect of asymmetry type and item quantity. The second assessed the use of item parcels and parcel configuration under equivalent conditions. Results reveal that treating items as continuous variables is not problematic when item categories are symmetrical or have opposite-direction asymmetries; however, meaningful parameter bias and increased Type I errors are produced in the case of same-direction asymmetry. Use of parcels does not overcome these problems. The results are discussed to provide recommendations for applied researchers.