基于文脉原则的品牌延伸战略研究

品牌延伸是充分发挥已有品牌资产作用和市场影响力的有效途径,但盲目进行品牌延伸会给企业造成严重的后果。文章以文脉原则为视角对品牌延伸战略进行分析,得出了通过符号学,运用文脉进行品牌延伸的一些方法,指出品牌延伸应以文脉原则进行品牌文化的延续与更新,使得延伸品牌与原品牌具有文化上的共通性,这对于提高延伸产品的市场成功率具有重大的现实意义。     

How to Improve E‐Satisfaction and E‐Loyalty and Strengthen the Links Between Them: Value From Regulatory Fit

This article aims to investigate how regulatory fit can improve e‐satisfaction and e‐loyalty and strengthen the links between e‐satisfaction and both its antecedents (two technology acceptance model factors and the perceived quality of e‐shopping) and consequence (e‐loyalty). The research model and hypotheses are constructed through a literature review. An empirical study is performed to test the proposed research model, using survey research. The data are gathered via a questionnaire, which is developed on the basis of prior empirical studies. Results from this study point to the following: first, the two technology acceptance model factors and the perceived quality of e‐shopping significantly affect e‐satisfaction, which in turn e‐loyalty. Second, regulatory fit not only improves e‐satisfaction and e‐loyalty but also strengthens the links between e‐satisfaction and both its antecedents and consequence. On the basis of these findings, the implications are discussed and directions for future research are highlighted.     

Empirical investigation of customers’ channel extension behavior: Perceptions shift toward the online channel

An increasing number of traditional (offline) firms are opening up their online sales channels. However, a number of them are finding it difficult to increase the utilization of their online channels from their existing customers. The purpose of the current study is to identify factors that influence customers channel extension from the offline to online channel and to understand how these factors influence customers’ behavior towards online channel extension. Drawing on the theory of entitativity formulated by Campbell, we propose a research model of customers channel extension by focusing on the shift of perception from offline to the online channel. The data for the study is collected from a large bank in China. The structural equation modeling analysis results indicate that perceived offline service quality influences perceived online service quality both directly as well as indirectly through perceived entitativity. Perceived online service quality, in turn influences customers’ behavior towards the online channel extension. The results also demonstrate that self-efficacy for change directly influences behavior towards the online channel extension, and it also has an important moderating influence on relationship between perceived offline service quality and perceived online service quality. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

The Effects of the Service Environment on Perceived Waiting Time and Emotions

Because customers’ experience of waiting for service may negatively affect their behavioral approach toward the service organization, improving the service environment may also improve their waiting experience. This study examined the different effects of environmental elements on the perceived waiting time route and the emotional route. We surveyed 326 customers of a leading fast‐food chain restaurant in Taiwan during rush hour. We found that the emotional route is a stronger predictor of customer approach behavior than the perceived waiting time route. Moreover, the explained wait and perceived crowding directly affect both the perceived waiting time route and the emotional route. The effect of the design factor on the customer behavior approach is significant in the emotional route, but it is not significant in the perceived waiting route. In addition, perceived crowding has the strongest effect on the perceived waiting time route, and the explained wait has the strongest effect on the emotional route.     

Trust and commitment within a virtual brand community: The mediating role of brand relationship quality

This study seeks to clarify the antecedents and consequences of trust and commitment within the brand fan page context on Facebook, examining a sample of 210 respondents using structural equation modeling. The results highlight the positive effect of economic and hedonic benefits on trust and commitment within the brand fan page. Mediation analysis reveals that trust and commitment developed within the brand fan page will be transformed into positive “word of mouth” for the respective brand if fans have a strong relationship quality with the brand. Further, we found that young and female fans with a high level of engagement, having a strong relationship with the brand, spread positive WOM. Our findings broaden ways for developing relational governance in a firm-initiated virtual brand community by providing new levers and guidance for marketers to build strong customer relationships.     

Reflecting on Connecting: Meta‐Analysis of Differences Between Computer‐Mediated and Face‐to‐Face Self‐Disclosure

Self‐disclosure is a key concept in computer‐mediated communication (CMC) theory and research, but disagreement exists about the impact of CMC, relative to face‐to‐face (FtF) communication, on self‐disclosure. We conducted a meta‐analysis of studies comparing self‐disclosure in CMC and FtF communication to summarize and clarify existing research. We also examined potential moderators of this difference—measure of self‐disclosure, study design (survey or experiment), interaction context (task or social), type of CMC (text‐based or video‐based), and interaction length. Overall, self‐disclosure was higher in FtF communication than in CMC. Measure of self‐disclosure, study design, and type of CMC moderated this difference. Findings suggest mixed support for predictions derived from key CMC theories and a need for CMC theory to more explicitly address self‐disclosure.     

An exploratory study of buyers’ participation intentions in reputation systems: The relationship quality perspective

Drawing upon a relationship quality framework, this study identifies how satisfaction, trust and different styles of handling conflict influence online buyers’ participation intentions in reputation systems associated with a C2C online shopping platform. Furthermore, we investigate how these effects are moderated by social conformity and the perceived value of knowledge. The results of a survey of 269 online buyers indicate that satisfaction, trust and an accommodating conflict handling style positively impact the intention to submit positive ratings, whereas an avoiding conflict handling style negatively affects the intention to submit positive ratings. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.     

Investigating an application of speech‐to‐text recognition: a study on visual attention and learning behaviour

One major drawback of previous research on speech‐to‐text recognition (STR) is that most findings showing the effectiveness of STR for learning were based upon subjective evidence. Very few studies have used eye‐tracking techniques to investigate visual attention of students on STR‐generated text. Furthermore, not much attention was paid to learning differences, such as learning ability, learning style preferences and gender, to use STR texts. Therefore, this study carried out one experiment. Firstly, participants' visual attention on STR‐generated text was investigated by employing eye‐tracking technique. Secondly, how differently effective STR‐generated texts can be to influence participants' learning achievement was tested. Thirdly, this study compared visual attention and learning behaviour with the different characteristics of participants, such as learning ability, learning style preferences and gender, to use STR‐generated texts. Finally, this study explored students' perceptions regarding usefulness of STR‐generated texts for learning. This paper discusses results, research findings and implications along with conclusions and several suggestions for future development and research.     

The effect of e‐commerce on the integration of IT structure and brand architecture

Abstract. A company's information technology (IT) structure and its brand architecture are intended to minimize transaction costs both within the organization and between the organization and its customers. Business‐to‐Consumer (B2C) e‐commerce fundamentally alters the structure of those transaction costs relevant to the IT structure and the brand architecture. We conducted a survey among 102 chief information officers and chief marketing officers in 67 of the 100 most important B2C enterprises in Austria. The results show that companies typically implement a certain set of changes in the IT structure and the brand architecture if B2C e‐commerce is highly important to them and that these changes result in a stronger integration within and between the IT structure and the brand architecture. B2C e‐commerce projects thus require closely aligned conceptual, organizational and financial measures in both areas.     

The pragmatic quality of Resources‐ Events‐Agents diagrams: an experimental evaluation

The Resources‐Events‐Agents (REA) model is a semantic data model for the development of enterprise information systems. Although this model has been proposed as a benchmark for enterprise information modelling, only few studies have attempted to empirically validate the claimed benefits of REA modelling. Moreover, these studies focused on the evaluation of REA‐based system implementations rather than directly assessing the REA‐modelled conceptual schemas that these systems are based on. This paper presents a laboratory experiment that measured the user understanding of diagrammatic conceptual schemas developed using the REA model. The theoretical foundation for the hypotheses are cognitive theories that explain pattern recognition phenomena and the resulting reduction in cognitive effort for understanding conceptual schemas. The results of the experiment indicate a more accurate understanding of the business processes and policies modelled when users recognize the REA model’s core pattern of enterprise information in the diagram. The implication for modelling practice is that the use of the REA model improves the requirements engineering process by facilitating the user validation of conceptual schemas produced by analysts, and thus helps ensuring the quality of the enterprise information system that is developed or implemented.     

Investigation into waiting time,self‐service technology,and customer loyalty: The mediating role of waiting time in satisfaction

This study examines customer satisfaction with waiting time (WT) and customer loyalty (CL) relationships in the airline industry. The mediating influence of waiting time satisfaction (WTS) in the self‐service technology (SST) and CL relationship was also examined. Seven hundred fifty structured questionnaires were administered at Sabiha Gökçen, and Instabul international airports in Turkey and partial least square–structural equation modeling were employed for the model analysis. The findings reveal that SST, perceived, retrospective, and prospective WTs are major determinants of WTS. Furthermore, SST and WTS were found to have a linear and significant positive influence on CL. Therefore, this study suggests that the airport management should identify the causes of WT, make the waiting environment conducive for the customers, make the WT inconsequential to the customers, and enhance their loyalty to the airport.     

JD‐C Model to Explain Burnout in Frontline Workers: The Useful Contribution of Emotional Demands

Using the Job Demands‐Control (JD‐C) model as the theoretical framework, this study investigated the relationships among burnout, job demands, and autonomy. With a sample of 802 employees from a Portuguese bank, we demonstrated the importance of taking into account emotional job demands when studying the burnout of service providers. Thereby, the unique explanatory power of each emotional demand on burnout was tested with regression analysis, after controlling for the original demands and autonomy variables from the JD‐C model along with demographic variables. The results confirmed the relevance of the study model in explaining burnout and indicated that emotional dissonance was associated with employee burnout, beyond quantitative demands and autonomy. As expected, hierarchical regression analysis provided evidence for the main effects of quantitative demands, emotional dissonance, and autonomy on burnout. These findings have several implications for designing jobs involving interactions with clients. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Impact of Pre‐Analytical Conditions on Human Serum Peptidome Profiling

The successful use of proteomic technology for the discovery of clinically relevant, new candidate biomarkers, especially in the low molecular weight range (peptidome), calls for a careful consideration of standardized operating procedures (SOP) for pre‐analytical variables, including samples handling and storage. The current lack of standardization, widely considered a relevant source of random and systematic errors, underlies the uncertainty of analytical results and poor comparability, especially in multi‐centric or inter‐laboratory studies. In their recent study, Tsuchida et al. used the MALDI‐TOF/MS technique to investigate the effect of long‐term storage at −20 °C, −80 °C, and in liquid nitrogen on serum samples obtained for peptidomic analyses. The authors have also evaluated the effects of different sample thawing modalities. By including results from the same series as that reported on in a previous publication, they have effectively defined some important requirements for the peptidomic analysis of serum samples (e.g., maximum time intervals between venepuncture and serum separation [1 h], minimum temperature for long‐term sera storage temperature [−80 °C], ideal conditions for sample thawing).     

Mobile‐Based micro‐Learning and Assessment: Impact on learning performance and motivation of high school students

Mobile‐based micro‐learning has gained a lot of attention lately, especially for work‐based and corporate training. It combines features of mobile learning and micro‐learning to deliver small learning units and short‐term learning activities. The current study uses the lens of the Self‐Determination Theory of motivation and proposes a series of Mobile‐Based micro‐Learning and Assessment (MBmLA) homework activities to improve high school students' motivation and learning performance in science. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. One hundred and eight students of a senior‐level high school in Europe were randomly assigned into either a control condition (conventional paper‐based homework approach) or an experimental (MBmLA approach) condition. The study carried out for a period of 5 weeks. From the experimental results, it was found that, in comparison to the conventional paper‐based approach, the proposed MBmLA approach enhanced students' basic psychological needs of self‐perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness and improved students' exam performance in terms of factual knowledge. Moreover, students self‐reported greater learning satisfaction with the mobile‐based microassessment and micro‐learning homework tasks. Implications on educational practices as well as future research are discussed.     

The moderating role of just‐in‐time on sociotechnical practices' effect over quality and workers' health

Sociotechnical (ST) theory emphasizes the notion that the design and performance of new systems can be improved, and can only work satisfactorily within an organization if the social and the technical aspects are brought together and treated as interdependent aspects of a work system. The implementation of lean manufacturing (LM) principles and practices has become popular, despite increasing demand on the current and emerging workforce to achieve higher levels of quality and flexibility with lower costs. Exploratory studies that investigate how LM practices influence the effect of ST practices on performance are still scarce, and a holistic view of such a relationship is needed. In this context, this study aims at verifying the moderating effect of just‐in‐time (JIT) practices on the relationship between ST practices and the performance of quality and workers' health. We carried out a survey with 144 different companies from Southern Brazil that are undergoing a lean implementation. Results indicate that ST practices have a positive significant relationship with such performance, and the concurrent adoption of JIT does not undermine quality and workers' health.     

The impact of trust,guanxi orientation and face on the intention of Chinese employees and managers to engage in peer‐to‐peer tacit and explicit knowledge sharing

Knowledge sharing is recognised as one of the most critical components of knowledge management. Successful and efficient knowledge sharing could directly facilitate knowledge creation and so help a firm to maintain its competitive advantage. Consequently, identifying which factors could encourage or inhibit people to share knowledge is potentially of great value. In this study, we explore the impact of selected socio‐cultural factors, viz. trust, guanxi orientation and face, on the intention to share explicit and tacit knowledge in Chinese firms. Two hundred and four employees from Chinese organisations were surveyed on their knowledge‐sharing practices. Our findings indicate that while cognition‐based trust has no significant effect on the intention to share either tacit or explicit knowledge, affect‐based trust has a significant effect on both. Meanwhile, face‐gaining behaviours have a positive effect, while face‐saving behaviours have a negative effect on the intention to share knowledge. Finally, guanxi orientation also has a strong impact on knowledge sharing. The implications of these findings for organisations and their knowledge management initiatives are discussed.     

Influence of image‐quality degradation on accommodation mechanism in human vision: Conditions necessary for objective image‐quality evaluation metrics

This paper clarifies the relationship between image quality and accommodation in human vision through two types of experiments. One examines how image‐quality degradation influences the accommodation mechanism, and the other examines which type of information of quality‐degraded images activates the accommodation mechanism. Actually, accommodative responses are measured using an infrared optometer while subjects are subjectively evaluating sharpness, noise, and pseudo‐contours and while they are observing sine, square, and missing fundamental (MF) square waves. The following results were derived: (1) the accommodation lag increases as the degree of sharpness is degraded regardless of the tone‐reproducing methods; (2) the accommodation lag decreases considerably in the existence of noise or pseudo‐contours, whereas it increases for uniform or gently curved planes; (3) the spatial features of presented images activate the accommodation mechanism. These results suggest that accommodative responses influence human subjective judgments as well as being a human factor related closely to image quality and that the spatial features of quality‐degraded images underlie human subjective judgments. In other words, they imply that objective image‐quality evaluation metrics should satisfy the following two conditions: the incorporation of the accommodation characteristics into such metrics and the formulation of such metrics in the spatial region.     

The effect of a metal PGS on the Q‐factor of spiral inductors for RF and mm‐wave applications in a 28‐nm CMOS technology

In this paper, the effect of a metal patterned ground shield (PGS) on the performance of monolithic inductors is investigated. To this aim, three spiral inductors integrated in a 28‐nm fully depleted (FD) silicon‐on‐insulator (SOI) CMOS technology are analyzed by means of a 3‐D FEM‐based commercial software. The inductors have been designed at different operating frequencies in the RF and mm‐wave ranges to better explore the effect of the PGS. Extensive analysis revealed that the shield is able to improve the quality factor (Q‐factor) only of the inductor operated at the lowest frequency (ie, K‐band). On the contrary, it has a detrimental effect on the Q‐factor of the inductors working at higher frequencies. This is mainly due to induced losses in the PGS itself, which are so high to frustrate the substrate loss reduction. This result gives a different perspective to the adoption of the PGS for CMOS integrated inductors, which is largely recommended to improve inductor performance in the current state of the art.     

Online Conversation and Corporate Reputation: A Two‐Wave Longitudinal Study on the Effects of Exposure to the Social Media Activities of a Highly Interactive Company

In this paper, we investigate whether and to what extent exposure to a company's social media activities over time is beneficial for corporate reputation, and whether conversational human voice mediates this relation. In a two‐wave longitudinal survey among 1969 respondents, we assessed consumers' exposure to an international airline's social media activities, perceived level of conversational human voice and perception of corporate reputation. The results show that consumers' level of exposure to company social media activities precedes perceptions of corporate reputation. Also, conversational human voice mediates the relation between consumers' level of exposure to company social media activities and perceptions of corporate reputation. We discuss the implications of the results for the presence of organizations in social media.     

The ‘Privacy Paradox’ in the Social Web: The Impact of Privacy Concerns,Individual Characteristics,and the Perceived Social Relevance on Different Forms of Self‐Disclosure

Given the diffusion of the Social Web and increased disclosure of personal information online, the ‘privacy paradox’ suggests that while Internet users are concerned about privacy, their behaviors do not mirror those concerns. This study investigates the potential influence of privacy concerns, psychological traits, attitudes to the Social Web and age on self‐disclosure. Using an online survey of a representative sample of German Internet users (n = 2, 739), the variety and quality of self‐disclosure as well as access were measured. The findings indicate that privacy concerns hardly impact self‐disclosure, but different variables moderate this relation. Perceived social relevance and the number of applications used proved important. Users' general willingness to disclose is most important when providing sensitive information.