Search

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded into service firms' operations. However, production systems and operations management scholars have not yet examined if AI-empowered service operations are positively judged by service customers. To bridge this gap, this study draws on the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction applied to online review data, to capture the effect of AI-empowered service operations on overall customer satisfaction, operationalised by means of online review ratings. Based on text analytics techniques applied to a sample of more than 50,000 TripAdvisor ORs covering 35 international hotels in Asia and America, we develop a penalty–reward contrast analysis. The findings reveal that the effects of customer interaction with mechanical AI on customer satisfaction with service operations are asymmetric: positive customer interaction with mechanical AI positively and significantly influences overall customer satisfaction with AI-empowered service operations, whereas negative customer interaction with mechanical AI does not significantly alter customer satisfaction. Taken together, these findings suggest that mechanical AI constitutes a key element of resilient AI-empowered service operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service scholars seem to have empirically overlooked the impact of service robots in the overall customer evaluation of tourism services. This study addresses this gap by leveraging three-factor theory and electronic Word-Of-Mouth data to assess human-robot interaction' influence on customer satisfaction. Text analytics are deployed alongside a penalty-reward contrast technique on almost 70,000 online reviews spanning 44 hotels worldwide that incorporated service robots into their operations. Customer satisfaction with hospitality services is significantly increased by positive service robots' performance, while no significant effect is associated with negative service robots' performance. The traveler type does not moderate the relationship between service robots' performance and customer satisfaction. These findings, confirmed through Propensity Score Matching, reveal that service robots constitute an "excitement factor" in hospitality service offerings, thus providing a strong incentive for their integration into the workforce. Policymakers are urged to proactively facilitate the transition to a more automated service economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well‐designed brand logos can be critical in effective marketing strategies. By adopting a consumer neuroscience approach and the interaction of person‐affect‐cognition‐execution model, this study analyzes the behavioral reaction and neural activation pattern during the perception of brand logos in relation to the compulsive buying tendencies of participants. Results suggest that women are more cue‐reactive toward brand logos and show activity changes in brain regions associated with cue‐reactivity in (behavioral) addictions. Conversely, men are less cue‐reactive but show increased activity changes in reward‐related regions. Women with compulsive buying tendencies may be more susceptible to brand logos, which can evoke neural activation similar to addictive patterns, while men are less cue‐reactive but show hidden neural activation associated with rewards. This study enhances understanding of (1) how marketing cues influence pre‐addictive behavior and (2) gender differences in brain activations related to cue‐reactivity in people with compulsive buying tendencies. We inform further research on implicit and neural processes on how brands are perceived by compulsive buyers, particularly among male consumers. We also emphasize the need to protect vulnerable consumer groups, such as compulsive buyers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a gradually more hypercompetitive global tourism arena, destination marketers are increasingly seeking effective ways to promote places through appealing place brand messages. Local residents can be valuable ambassadors for the place, as well as co-creators of place-related brand communication. However, research focusing on place advertising from the residents' perspective is scant. To address this gap, this work identifies three main antecedents of residents' intention to share a place brand message online: place attachment, place ad–brand congruity, and self-expressiveness. A model is developed and tested on a sample of current and former residents of a Swedish city. Structural equation model results support that these antecedents have a positive influence on current as well as former residents' intention to share a place brand ad online. Place attachment also has a significant indirect influence on intention to share, with place ad–brand congruity and self-expressiveness as partial mediators. Furthermore, place ad–brand congruity partially mediates the relationship between place attachment and self-expressiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of CSR in family firms has experienced remarkable growth recently. Therefore, a literature review on the topic is needed to provide an updated overview of extant research and draw guidelines for future research. Using bibliometric mapping, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in family business drawing on the Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus databases. The bibliographic coupling conducted suggests that family involvement, corporate governance, and sustainability are the most frequently studied topics. Furthermore, through our SLR, we systematized the studies into an interpretative framework, identifying the drivers and outcomes of CSR practices, processes, and strategies in family business. The study reveals and organizes the state-of-the-art of CSR research in family business, outlines important theoretical implications and develops a future research agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]