Effects of risks on the performance of business process outsourcing projects: The moderating roles of knowledge management capabilities

Although business process outsourcing (BPO) can reduce cost and enhance the competitiveness of firms, the implementation of BPO projects is unsatisfactory. By integrating knowledge management capability theory and risk-based view, we develop a model of how different types of BPO risks affect project satisfaction and how knowledge management capability changes the influences of BPO risks. A survey of 121 BPO projects was conducted among BPO client department manager and project manager through a pairwise design. Empirical evidence reveals that social system, technical system, and project management risks negatively affect BPO project satisfaction. However, cultural, technological, and structural levels of knowledge management capabilities weaken the negative risk effects of social system, technical system, and project management, respectively. Different types of risks and knowledge management capabilities should be matched to achieve effective risk management.     

消费者对烟台葡萄酒文化酒庄旅游满意度及参与行为研究

为了促进烟台葡萄酒文化旅游的发展,采用问卷调查与评分法,研究了消费者对烟台葡萄酒庄园文化旅游满意度和参与行为。结果表明,消费者对烟台葡萄酒庄园文化旅游满意度综合评分为39.31分,属极高水平;消费者对烟台葡萄酒庄园文化旅游5个评价指标满意度评分都超过4分,属于高满意度;消费者年龄与烟台葡萄酒庄园文化旅游满意度评分相关性并不显著;消费者学历与烟台葡萄酒庄园文化旅游满意度评分的相关性不显著。消费者获取葡萄酒文化旅游信息的渠道主要是网络、朋友介绍;消费者参与方式主要为家庭自驾,主要目的为观光、休息放松和科普教育。     

Factors impacting university students' online learning experiences during the COVID-19 epidemic

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic crisis, students from higher education institutions around the world are forced to participate in comprehensive online curriculums. In such a scenario, it is worth investigating how students perceived their learning outcomes and satisfaction based on this method of teaching and learning online. This study aims to explore the role of six factors, namely, system quality, course design, learner-learner interaction, learner-instructor interaction, learner-content interaction, and self-discipline, on university students' perceived learning outcomes and their effect on student satisfaction with online curricula during the COVID-19 epidemic. A structural equation modelling technique was used to assess survey questionnaires obtained from 457 validated students at a Public University in China. The results demonstrated that these determinants had a positive effect on satisfaction and learning outcomes, whereas learner-instructor interaction had no significant effect. Furthermore, the strongest determinant that affected not only students' satisfaction but also their learning outcomes was the learner-content interaction.     

Design for comfort and social interaction in future vehicles: A study on the leg space between facing-seats configuration

With the advent of future vehicles, passengers expect to travel in comfort, and the free leg space between facing-seats could be an issue due to the unsuitability for all people, according to their anthropometric variability. A previous investigation survey showed the need to increase the leg-space between facing seats and, if installed, to improve the surface of the table placed in between. So, four different distances between seat-pans front edges of facing seats have been set-up and tested (44 cm, 51 cm, 58 cm, 65 cm) with a table in between. 13 couples of participants with different heights took part to experiments. The aim was to investigate the relationship between facing-seat distances and passenger wellbeing in terms of postural comfort and social interaction. Postural comfort has been analysed through optical tracking (for postural angles overtime) and questionnaires (perceived comfort). Social interaction feelings have been investigated with questionnaires. Experiment results showed the suitable distance could be 51 cm keeping the same table surface; otherwise, the 65 cm one could be ideal changing the table surface.Relevance to industryWith the advent of autonomous driving, vehicle manufacturers and designers are working hard to define new paradigms of public transportation in terms of seat layout, passenger wellbeing and interiors’ design. This paper contributes to increasing the general knowledge on the effects of distance between facing seats on postural comfort and social interaction.     

西部山地旅游公共服务游客满意度评价研究——以318国道川藏线为例

文章在对相关研究进行文献综述的基础上,以318国道川藏线为例,提出西部山地旅游公共服务5个维度的游客感知假设,选用偏最小二乘结构方程模型(PLS-SEM)对游客满意度组合模型进行因子分析与假设检验。根据模型拟合结果分析,旅游信息类公共服务在西部山地旅游公共服务中供需矛盾最为突出,其次为旅游交通类公共服务和旅游安全保障管理类公共服务,相对而言,旅游基础设施类公共服务和休闲空间与旅游便民惠民类公共服务供需矛盾较小。该结果为西部山地旅游公共服务体系构建明确了发展方向。     

Customer satisfaction and loyalty analysis with classification algorithms and Structural Equation Modeling

Businesses can maintain their effectiveness as long as they have satisfied and loyal customers. Customer relationship management provides significant advantages for companies especially in gaining competitiveness. In order to reach these objectives primarily companies need to identify and analyze their customers. In this respect, effective communication and commitment to customers and changing market conditions is of great importance to increase the level of satisfaction and loyalty. To evaluate this situation, level of customer satisfaction and loyalty should be measured correctly with a comprehensive approach. In this study, customers are investigated in 4 main groups according to their level of satisfaction and loyalty with a criteria and group based analysis with a new method. We use classification algorithms in WEKA programming software and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with LISREL tools together to analyze the effect of each satisfaction and loyalty criteria in a satisfaction–loyalty matrix and extend the customer satisfaction and loyalty post-analysis research bridging the gap in this field of research. To convert developed conceptual thought to experimental study, white goods industry is exemplified. 15 criteria are used for evaluation in 4 customer groups and a satisfaction–loyalty survey developed by experts is applied to 200 customers with face-to-face interviews. As a result of the study, a customer and criteria grouping method is created with high performance classification methods and good fit structural models. In addition, results are evaluated for developing a customer strategy improvement tool considering method outcomes.     

The co-learning process in healthcare professionals: Assessing user satisfaction in virtual communities of practice

Communities of practice are nowadays an important concept in the healthcare sector. Particularly, the intensive use of ICT has allowed their creation into a virtual environment – Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) developing optimal conditions to make possible the collaborative learning process. The VCoPs antecedents can be situated on social network phenomenon, where individuals with different traits but a common interest/objective are linked, use ICT potency (especially social media) to interchange information, experiences and contents among them. And as a result, people create and share knowledge, and learn collaboratively. VCoP users have a higher satisfaction level in the collaborative learning process when they can: (1) Achieve benefits related to patient diagnosis and treatment (cost reductions, faster management, quality and accuracy of diagnosis, etc.); (2) Increase the share capital of participants and creating networks of trusted individuals. Given the interest in this topic, the objective of this work is to identify the factors that determine user satisfaction in relation to Community Practice (CoP) and the process of building shared knowledge. For this, a sample of 130 Spanish health professionals participating in an online community, and developed in a virtual community of practice, is discussed. The results obtained from an analysis of logistic regression show evidence of the perception of efficiency and effectiveness in collaboration with the members of the VCoP as positively influencing the perceived satisfaction with the CoP. Also, the degree of individual participation in the community affects the degree of perceived satisfaction. The conclusions provide interesting strategic recommendations in the management process of the CoP.     

Does thermal control improve visual satisfaction? Interactions between occupants’ self-perceived control,visual, thermal,and overall satisfaction

Occupants’ satisfaction had been researched independently related to thermal and visual stimuli for many decades showing among others the influence of self-perceived control. Few studies revealed interactions between thermal and visual stimuli affecting occupant satisfaction. In addition, studies including interactions between thermal and visual stimuli are lacking different control scenarios. This study focused on the effects of thermal and visual factors, their interaction, seasonal influences, and the degree of self-perceived control on overall, thermal, and visual satisfaction. A repeated-measures laboratory study with 61 participants running over two years and a total of 986 participant sessions was conducted. Mixed model analyses with overall satisfaction as outcome variable revealed that thermal satisfaction and visual satisfaction are the most important predictors for overall satisfaction with the indoor environment. Self-perceived thermal control served as moderator between thermal satisfaction and overall satisfaction. Season had slight influence on overall satisfaction. Random effects explained the highest amount of variance, indicating that intra- and interindividual differences in the ratings of satisfaction are more prevalent than study condition. Future building design and operation plans aiming at a high level of occupant satisfaction should consider personal control opportunities and take into account the moderating effect of control opportunities in multimodal interactions.     

Online-review analysis based large-scale group decision-making for determining passenger demands and evaluating passenger satisfaction: Case study of high-speed rail system in China

High-speed rail (HSR) has become an essential mode of public transportation in China and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. To promote the development of the HSR industry, a high level of passenger satisfaction must be ensured, which means that passenger satisfaction must be assured. Focusing on HSR in-cabin factors that affect the travel experience of HSR passengers, this study aims to determine passenger demands (PDs) and to evaluate passenger satisfaction by using a combination of online review analysis and large-scale group decision-making (LSGDM). By using web crawler technology, online reviews related to HSR were harvested from a microblogging platform to extract PD data and information. The six PDs that reflect the most frequent concerns of passengers were identified by analyzing the online reviews. The level of satisfaction of passengers with respect to these PDs was analyzed based on the online responses from 100 HSR passengers and by adopting the interval-valued two-tuple linguistic representation model. The final degrees of satisfaction and rankings of the PDs were then determined by using the LSGDM approach with the k-means clustering method and a consensus-reaching process. This research thus constructs an index system of HSR passenger satisfaction evaluation based on online-review analysis and evaluates the process by using LSGDM approaches. The conclusions provide insights into the improvements desired by HSR passengers for in-cabin services and to improve passenger satisfaction.     

Housing quality perceptions in Finland: the elderly population

Housing and health issues can vary over time and between populations. The elderly population is increasing worldwide. Yet only limited information exists about housing conditions: changes over time, and the relationships between health and safety among the elderly. Based on repeated surveys (2007 and 2011), housing and health issues in Finland were assessed, especially among the elderly (more than 65 years old). From various housing factors studied, the largest differences between surveys were in thermal comfort. From the six outcomes studied – satisfaction with the dwelling, maintenance, indoor air quality (IAQ), perceived safety, general health, and sleeping difficulties – only satisfaction with the dwelling had significant temporal variation. Modelling the outcomes led to a selection of variables that were significantly associated with the outcomes. The models’ sensitivity was 65–81% for perceived safety and satisfaction with the dwelling, maintenance, and IAQ, whereas it was only 5% for sleeping difficulties and 32% for general health status. Among the elderly, higher odds ratios (ORs) were found for the associations between housing satisfaction and non-elevated radon concentrations, accessibility, dwelling size, and stuffy odour, as compared with the total population sample. The results are useful for developing policies that increase wellbeing, and for building owners wishing to increase housing satisfaction among occupants.