This article validates a proposed Customer Relationship Management conceptual framework for the Mauritian Hotel Industry based on identified critical success factors. The research provided insights ...on how different factors need to be considered to ensure a smooth implementation of a Customer Relationship Management strategy and to address the causes of Customer Relationship Management project failures. Extant reviews of the literature on Customer Relationship Management theoretical frameworks, Customer Relationship Management causes of failure, and critical success factors for Customer Relationship Management success were conducted and subsequently 33 items were identified. An exploratory factor analysis was done to validate the results of the survey followed by which a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to confirm the appropriateness of the proposed theoretical model, followed by a Structural Equation Model analysis conducted to validate the adequacy of the proposed model. The Structural Equation Model analysis confirmed the appropriateness of the proposed framework and confirmed the exactitude of each Customer Relationship Management success factor included in the framework. The design of the new proposed conceptual framework intends to provide a novel approach of in-depth knowledge on how to implement Customer Relationship Management in the Mauritian Hotel Industry and acts as a guideline for hotel managers to implement CRM successfully and to increase profitability.
PurposeThe implementation of Smart Manufacturing (SM) is deemed a key enabler in the enhancement of manufacturing competitiveness and performance. Nevertheless, SM's repercussion on consumer ...perceptions and the contextualization of SM's performance-enhancement effects remain undetermined and have yet to be clarified. This study analyzes the effect of SM on operational and customer performance. Moreover, this study explores how these relationships change depending on a firm's geography of production (i.e. national/local vs transnational operations) and the relational arrangement adopted (i.e. service-oriented vs transaction-oriented manufacturers).Design/methodology/approachThis research surveys 351 Spanish manufacturing firms operating in an SM environment. The theoretical framework comprises a Multiple-Indicators Multiple-Causes (MIMIC) model and is tested using a Generalized Structural Equations Model.FindingsThe results obtained substantiate the positive effect of SM implementation on both of the performance measures analyzed (i.e. operational and customer focused). Moreover, the study reveals that while geography of production moderates the effect on a firm's operational performance, relational arrangement also does so in terms of customer performance.Originality/valueThis research clearly differentiates the benefits of SM depending on business context. In this regard, transnational production firms tend to gain in operational performance while service-oriented manufacturers gain in customer performance.
Water utilities collect, store and manage vast data sets using many information systems (IS). For infrastructure asset management (IAM) planning those data need to be processed and transformed into ...information. However, information management efficiency often falls short of desired results. This happens particularly in municipalities where management is structured according to local government models. Along with the existing IS at the utilities' disposal, engineers and managers take their decisions based on information that is often incomplete, inaccurate or out-of-date. One of the main challenges faced by asset managers is integrating the several, often conflicting, sources of information available on the infrastructure, its condition and performance, and the various predictive analyses that can assist in prioritizing projects or interventions. This paper presents an overview of the IS used by Portuguese water utilities and discusses how data from different IS can be integrated in order to support IAM.
The widespread use of programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in critical infrastructures has given rise to escalating cybersecurity concerns regarding PLC attacks. As a proactive defense mechanism, ...PLC honeypots emulate genuine controllers to engage adversaries so as to observe their attack tactics and techniques. As part of the arms race between the offense and defense, multiple PLC honeypot identification tools have been developed. However, many existing tools cannot recognize high-fidelity honeypots, since they rely on identifying common network services and fingerprints. In this paper, we propose an innovative and practical honeypot identification framework called HoneyJudge, which goes beyond state-of-the-art (SOTA) network fingerprint-based identification tools like Nmap and the PLCScan tool. HoneyJudge tests the suspected target's special memory content and features. Specifically, HoneyJudge models the internal memory of a PLC in three categories, from system-level, user-level, to process-level categories, based on which it extracts six representative memory features. All characteristics are acquired through automated network request messages. Then, we design a weighted voting algorithm to combine the test results over different memory features to reach the final conclusion. We validate the effectiveness of HoneyJudge in comparison with several SOTA honeypot identification tools, and the results indicate that the memory-related issues have not been well addressed in existing PLC honeypots and still need substantial research efforts.
PurposeThis study examines factors influencing viewers' impulse buying intention in live streaming. The authors draw upon the value theory to theorize how the product (i.e., local presence) and ...para-social interaction (PSI) in live-streaming shopping improve customers' shopping values and how these values subsequently influence their urge to buy impulsively. In addition, the authors examine value differences in live-streaming shopping through gender differences and previous shopping experiences.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted in this study. Members with browsing or shopping experience of live-streaming shopping sites were invited. The structural equation model was used to conduct confirmative factor analysis (CFA) to assess the convergent validity (item loadings), internal consistency (reliability), discriminant validity, causality hypotheses, and mediating effects.FindingsUtilitarian value appears more important than hedonic value in influencing consumers' urge to buy impulsively. Moreover, PSI with the co-viewers is more influential than PSI with the streamer on utilitarian and hedonic values. Finally, gender differences and prior live-streaming shopping experience moderate the relationship between shopping values and the urge to buy impulsively.Originality/valueThe authors extend the concept of PSI from a celebrity (the streamer) to co-viewers and find that PSI with co-viewers is crucial to impulse buying in live streaming. Additionally, the authors’ finding reveals that consumers with individual differences may react differently to the same set of perceived values in determining the level of their impulse shopping intention.
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to map the development of articles published, citations, and themes of Marketing Intelligence and Planning (MIP) over the 37-year period of ...1983–2019.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the Scopus database to identify the most-cited MIP articles and most-included authors, institutions and countries in MIP. The study uses bibliometric indicators, as well as tools such as bibliographic coupling, performance analysis and science mapping, to analyze the publication and citation structure of MIP. The study provides a temporal analysis of MIP publishing across different time periods.FindingsMIP has an average publication of 43 articles each year, and the number of citations has grown substantially since it started publication. Although contributors to the journal come from around the globe, they most often are affiliated with the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Bibliographic coupling of documents reveals that the journal's primary focus has been on issues such as marketing planning, marketing theory, consumer behavior, global marketing, customer relationship management, customer service and branding. Co-authorship analysis reveals that the journal's collaborative network has grown.Research limitations/implicationsThis study uses data from the Scopus database, and any limitations of the database have implications for the findings.Originality/valueFirst analysis of this kind of papers published in MIP
Despite roadblocks in battery energy density, the future of urban air mobility via electrified propulsion may not be so distant after all. Using VerdeGo Aero's third generation VH-3-185 (VH-3) diesel ...piston hybrid powerplant, the long-awaited VTOL revolution shows more promise today than ever before using hybrid-electric propulsion. This paper details a design study comparing a modified fully electric Uber eCRM-001 aircraft to a weight and airframe equivalent VH-3 hybrid configuration, as well as to two other configurations with conventional propulsion. Through an in-depth weight buildup, aerodynamic analysis, mission performance, and range evaluation study, this paper reveals how a hybrid powerplant unlocks a longer range while meeting the safety measures and reserve fuel regulations set forth by the FAA.
Customer relationship management is of high importance as it strengthens customer satisfaction. Providing consistent customer service cultivates customer retention and brand loyalty. This paper ...examines a new customer-oriented routing problem, the Consistent Vehicle Routing Problem with heterogeneous fleet. The objective is to create cost-efficient routing plans, utilising a fixed fleet of vehicles with heterogeneous operational characteristics, variable and fixed costs, while providing consistent customer service over multiple periods. Service consistency consists in person and visiting time consistency. A mathematical model capturing all the attributes of the problem is developed and utilised to solve small-scale instances to optimality. To address larger instances, a hierarchical Tabu Search framework is proposed. The proposed metaheuristic utilises an upper-level Tabu Search and an underlying Variable Neighbourhood Descent algorithm. Computational experiments conducted on existing and new benchmark instances show the flexibility, effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed framework. Various managerial insights are derived by examining the cost of imposing customer service consistency as well as customer–vehicle incompatibility constraints.
•The Consistent Vehicle Routing Problem with heterogeneous fleet is introduced.•A mathematical model and an efficient solution method are presented.•The proposed algorithm performs well on new and existing benchmark instances.•Service consistency can be offered with a modest increase in transportation costs.•Customer–vehicle incompatibility increases marginally the transportation costs.
This article considered factors connected with the implementation and unification of an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, and their influence on the sustainable development of global ...companies. It showed a cognitive model on such impact and gave an example in the form of a case study of a global company listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. The basic strategic objectives of each organization include long-term growth and sustainability. In a growing competitive environment, it is essential to manage the company effectively. This can be achieved provided that the company’s organizational structure and operations are properly set from the point of view of the ERP system. The research results were aimed at creating the generalized process of the ERP system’s gradual implementation, to make the development of an organization progressive. The paper was focused on describing the implementation and unification of the Enterprise Resource Planning System, in a global company listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. The aim of the paper was to monitor and evaluate, the links between Enterprise Resource Planning and Customer Relationship Management. This process is time consuming and costly. To achieve the aim, the case study was carried out in the form of an expert survey aimed at assessing the impact of the unification and implementation of the ERP system in a global company. The study included methods of systemic analysis, methods of sociological expert survey, a method of qualitative peer review, and a method for a cognitive model. It leads not only to effective management of global companies but enables the monitoring and comparison of Key Performance Indicators and the Net Promoter Score in each country, using the same parameters. The implementation of a unified Enterprise Resource Planning system leads to a significant cost reduction and has a positive impact on the financial indicators reported on the stock exchange. This study highlighted the importance of the implementation of an effective ERP system, to make the development of organizations sustainable.
Drawing on the logic behind customer-brand relationships, this study presents a model outlining the role of brand authenticity in the context of green hospitality brands. A cross-sectional survey was ...administered to 352 Korean consumers who visited green hospitality premises. The results indicated that functional qualities and stakeholder involvement are essential to building perceived green brand authenticity. The study supported that an authentic green brand is instrumental in increasing customer beliefs about its warmth and competence. Surprisingly, the results showed that evaluating a green brand as warm is the key to building green brand trust, while found a non-significant influence of green brand competence on green brand trust. This study also provided evidence that when green brand trust is formed, its effect on both green brand love and green brand identification is noticeable, which then translates into green brand choice. Overall, this study enriches the significance of the perception of green brand authenticity in fostering a favorable relationship between customers and green brands. In green brand management, brand stereotypes play a dual role in the brand choice formation. Furthermore, contextually induced green stimuli, which include operations, employee behavior, and customer engagement, are required to influence customer perception of green brand authenticity.
PDF
