The results of this research suggest a new mandate for discriminant validity testing in marketing. Specifically, the authors demonstrate that the AVE-SV comparison (Fornell and Larcker 1981) and HTMT ...ratio (Henseler et al. 2015) with 0.85 cutoff provide the best assessment of discriminant validity and should be the standard for publication in marketing. These conclusions are based on a thorough assessment of the literature and the results of a Monte Carlo simulation. First, based on a content analysis of articles published in seven leading marketing journals from 1996 to 2012, the authors demonstrate that three tests—the constrained phi (Jöreskog 1971), AVE-SV (Fornell and Larcker 1981), and overlapping confidence intervals (Anderson and Gerbing 1988)—are by far most common. Further review reveals that (1) more than 20% of survey-based and over 80% of non-survey-based marketing studies fail to document tests for discriminant validity, (2) there is wide variance across journals and research streams in terms of whether discriminant validity tests are performed, (3) conclusions have already been drawn about the relative stringency of the three most common methods, and (4) the method that is generally perceived to be most generous is being consistently misapplied in a way that erodes its stringency. Second, a Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to assess the relative rigor of the three most common tests, as well as an emerging technique (HTMT). Results reveal that (1) on average, the four discriminant validity testing methods detect violations approximately 50% of the time, (2) the constrained phi and overlapping confidence interval approaches perform very poorly in detecting violations whereas the AVE-SV test and HTMT (with a ratio cutoff of 0.85) methods perform well, and (3) the HTMT
.85
method offers the best balance between high detection and low arbitrary violation (i.e., false positive) rates.
Display omitted
•Scattering using resonant soft X-rays probes nano- to meso-scale structures.•Tunable contrast provides chemical sensitivity for complex structural information.•Resonant polarized ...X-rays elucidate molecular orientation.•In-Situ RSoXS probes morphology, chemistry and dynamics of broad range of materials.
Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering (RSoXS) was developed over the last a few years, and the first dedicated resonant soft X-ray scattering beamline for soft materials was constructed at the Advanced Light Source, LBNL. RSoXS combines soft X-ray spectroscopy with X-ray scattering and thus offers statistical information for 3D chemical morphology over a large length scale range from nanometers to micrometers. Using RSoXS to characterize multi-length scale soft materials with heterogeneous chemical structures, we have demonstrated that soft X-ray scattering is a unique complementary technique to conventional hard X-ray and neutron scattering. Its unique chemical sensitivity, large accessible size scale, molecular bond orientation sensitivity with polarized X-rays, and high coherence have shown great potential for chemically specific structural characterization for many classes of materials.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to spawn revolutionary transformational effects on service organizations, including by impacting the ways in which firms engage with their customers. In ...parallel, customer engagement (CE), which reflects customer interactions with brands, offerings, or firms, has risen to the top of many managers’ strategic wish lists in the last decade. However, despite literature-based advances made in both areas, AI and CE are largely investigated in isolation to date, yielding a paucity of insight into their interface. In response to this gap, this Special Issue offers a pioneering exploration of CE in automated or AI-based service interactions. Our editorial first reviews AI’s Industry 4.0 underpinnings, followed by an important AI typology that comprises robotic process automation (RPA), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL) applications. We then offer a high-level synopsis of existing CE research, followed by the development of a set of integrative propositions of CE in automated service interactions. Next, we introduce the Special Issue papers, which feature particular RPA, ML, or DL applications. We conclude with an overview of further research avenues in this growing area, which has the potential to develop into a powerful service research substream in the coming years.
Touch Versus Tech Giebelhausen, Michael; Robinson, Stacey G.; Sirianni, Nancy J. ...
Journal of marketing,
07/2014, Volume:
78, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Interpersonal exchanges between customers and frontline service employees increasingly involve the use of technology, such as point-of-sale terminals, tablets, and kiosks. The present research draws ...on role and script theories to demonstrate that customer reactions to technology-infused service exchanges depend on the presence of employee rapport. When rapport is present during the exchange, the use of technology functions as an interpersonal barrier preventing the customer from responding in kind to employee rapport-building efforts, thereby decreasing service encounter evaluations. However, during service encounters in which employees are not engaging in rapport building, technology functions as an interpersonal barrier, enabling customers to retreat from the relatively unpleasant service interaction, thereby increasing service encounter evaluations. Two analyses using J.D. Power Guest Satisfaction Index data support the barrier and beneficial effects of technology use during service encounters with and without rapport, respectively. A follow-up experiment replicates this data pattern and identifies psychological discomfort as a key process that governs the effect. For managers, the results demonstrate the inherent incompatibility of initiatives designed to encourage employee–customer rapport with those that introduce technology into frontline service exchanges.
The thermoelectric properties of a highperformance electron‐conducting polymer, (P(NDIOD‐T2), extrinsically doped with dihydro‐1H‐benzoimidazol‐2‐yl (NDBI) derivatives, are reported. The highest ...thermoelectric power factor that has been reported for a solution‐processed n‐type polymer is achieved; and it is concluded that engineering polymerdopant miscibility is essential for the development of organic thermoelectrics.
Developing a better understanding of the evolution of morphology in plastic solar cells is the key to designing new materials and structures that achieve photoconversion efficiencies greater than ...10%. In the most extensively characterized system, the poly(3‐hexyl thiophene) (P3HT):6,6‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric‐acid‐methyl‐ester (PCBM) bulk heterojunction, the origins and evolution of the blend morphology during processes such as thermal annealing are not well understood. In this work, we use a model system, a bilayer of P3HT and PCBM, to develop a more complete understanding of the miscibility and diffusion of PCBM within P3HT during thermal annealing. We find that PCBM aggregates and/or molecular species are miscible and mobile in disordered P3HT, without disrupting the ordered lamellar stacking of P3HT chains. The fast diffusion of PCBM into the amorphous regions of P3HT suggests the favorability of mixing in this system, opposing the belief that phase‐pure domains form in BHJs due to immiscibility of these two components.
Polymer/fullerene blends: Bilayers of poly(3‐hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) and 6,6‐phenyl‐C61‐butyric‐acid‐methyl‐ester (PCBM) were fabricated to investigate the miscibility and mobility of the two components during thermal annealing. It is found that aggregates and/or molecular species of PCBM are miscible and mobile in disordered P3HT without disrupting the P3HT crystallite orientation or size.
Brady focuses on the strength and clarity of vaccine recommendations that influence providers' practice. He cites the results from a survey of pediatricians and family physicians which provides ...insight as to how providers might discuss and recommend MenB vaccines. Awareness of meningococcal B college outbreaks increased the likelihood of discussing and recommending the MenB vaccine.
Despite the importance of customer value, considerable divergence of opinion exists on how to adequately conceptualize and measure this construct. In this study, four commonly used methods for ...measuring customer value (i.e., the methods proposed by Dodds et al. (
1991
), Gale (
1994
), Holbrook (
1999
) and Woodruff and Gardial (
1996
)) are compared. First and foremost, the psychometric properties of the different methods are evaluated. Next, the authors compare the predictive ability of the different methods with respect to key outcome variables (i.e., satisfaction, word of mouth, repurchase intention). Finally, the methods are compared based on their relative practicality and actionability. The authors’ findings show that each method has its own benefits and costs and should be used based on its suitability for a particular application. The paper culminates with a prescriptive flowchart that summarizes the main findings and provides direction for choosing the optimal value measurement method.
It is widely accepted, and demonstrated in the marketing literature, that negative online word of mouth (NOWOM) has a negative impact on brands. The present research, however, finds the opposite ...effect among individuals who feel a close personal connection to the brand—a group that often contains the brand’s best customers. A series of three studies show that, when self–brand connection (SBC) is high, consumers process NOWOM defensively—a process that actually
increases
their behavioral intentions toward the brand. Study 1 demonstrates this effect using an experimental manipulation of SBC related to clothing brands, and provides process evidence by analyzing coded thought listings. Study 2 provides convergent evidence by measuring SBC associated with smartphones, and followup analyses show that as SBC increases, the otherwise negative effect of NOWOM steadily transforms to become significantly positive. Study 3 replicates these results using a combination of a national survey conducted by J.D. Power investigating hotel stays and data drawn from TripAdvisor. Results of all three studies, set in product categories with varying levels of identity relevance, support the positive effects of NOWOM for high-SBC customers and have implications for both managers and researchers.
The heterogeneous microstructure of semicrystalline polymers complicates the relationship between their electrical conductivity and carrier concentration. Charge transport models typically describe ...conductivity with an assumption of uniform doping throughout the material. Here, the evolution in morphology and optoelectronic properties of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is reported as a function of carrier concentration in an organic electrochemical transistor using a polymeric ionic liquid (PIL) as the gate insulator. Operando grazing incidence X‐ray scattering reveals that negatively charged ions from the dielectric first infiltrate the amorphous regions of the semiconductor, and then penetrate the crystalline regions at a critical carrier density of 4 × 1020 cm−3. Upon infiltration, the crystallites expand by 12% in the alkyl stacking direction and compress by 4% in the π–π stacking direction. The change in crystal structure of P3HT correlates with a sharply increasing effective carrier mobility. UV–visible spectroscopy reveals that holes induced in P3HT first reside in the crystalline regions of the polymer, which verifies that a charge carrier need not be in the same physical domain as its associated counterion. The dopant‐induced morphological changes of P3HT rationalize the dependence of mobility on carrier concentration, suggesting a phase transition of crystalline regions at high carrier concentration.
Operando grazing incidence X‐ray scattering reveals structural changes during electrochemical gating of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) transistors using a polymeric ionic liquid gate dielectric.
PDF
