Credibility of online reviews and initial online trust in hotel services: the roles of similarity and review quality

As a new type of word-of-mouth media, online hotel review sites have a significant role in travelers’ decision making. Despite of growing popularity and adoption among travelers, online reviews are often questioned for their credibility. The purpose of this study is to investigate how review quality and perceived similarity affect travelers’ perception of credibility of the reviews and their initial trust in the hotel being reviewed. A survey involving 430 real travelers from 16 countries was conducted in popular tourist destination. Results confirm that (1) review quality affects credibility and initial trust in hotel services; (2) similarity affects credibility and initial trust in hotel services; (3) credibility of online reviews affects initial trust in hotel services

Content Modelling for unbiased Information Analysis

Content is the form through which the information is conveyed as per the requirement of user. A volume of content is huge and expected to grow exponentially hence classification of useful data and not useful data is a very tedious task. Interface between content and user is Search engine. Therefore, the contents are designed considering search engine\u27s perspective. Content designed by the organization, utilizes user’s data for promoting their products and services. This is done mostly using inorganic ways utilized to influence the quality measures of a content, this may mislead the information. There is no correct mechanism available to analyse and disseminate the data. The gap between Actual results displayed to the user and results expected by the user can be minimized by introducing the quality check for the parameter to assess the quality of content. This may help to ensure the quality of content and popularity will not be allowed to precede quality of content. Social networking sites will help in doing the user modelling so that the qualitative dissemination of content can be validated

Content Modelling for unbiased Information Analysis

Content is the form through which the information is conveyed as per the requirement of user. A volume of content is huge and expected to grow exponentially hence classification of useful data and not useful data is a very tedious task. Interface between content and user is Search engine. Therefore, the contents are designed considering search engine\u27s perspective. Content designed by the organization, utilizes user’s data for promoting their products and services. This is done mostly using inorganic ways utilized to influence the quality measures of a content, this may mislead the information. There is no correct mechanism available to analyse and disseminate the data. The gap between Actual results displayed to the user and results expected by the user can be minimized by introducing the quality check for the parameter to assess the quality of content. This may help to ensure the quality of content and popularity will not be allowed to precede quality of content. Social networking sites will help in doing the user modelling so that the qualitative dissemination of content can be validated

Public Transport, Ridership and Safe Travelling Environment during COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a dramatic decrease in public transport demand. Even though public transport in Malaysia is allowed to reboot and run with total capacity after the end of a movement control order, many public transport users still worry and refuse to take public transport as their movement tools. Therefore, government and public transport service providers must pay attention to improving preventive steps to keep public transport users feeling secure. Thus, the present study proposes a research model encompassing perceived risk, standard operating procedure, and information credibility in understanding the feeling of safety among Malaysian public transport users. Keywords: Public transport; Safety; Travelling Environment; Covid-19.   eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i19.321

The Influence of eWOM Credibility on Visit Intention: An Integrative Moderated Mediation Model

Purpose: This study examines the process by which eWOM susceptibility moderates the strength of indirect links between the perceived credibility of eWOM messages and the intention to visit a destination via the destination image and the perceived usefulness of these messages. Methods: The research hypotheses were tested according to structural equations modelling and Hayes procedure, which made it possible to study simultaneously and rigorously the mediating and moderating effects, and to have a clear view on the model fittness. Results: The results indicate that the mediation links of the destination image on the relationship between perceived credibility and intention to visit a destination, are moderated by the susceptibility of the eWOM (the comments generated by Internet users or the sharing of tourists' experiences on Facebook). This study also indicates that the relationship between the perceived credibility of the eWOM and the intentions to visit a destination is mediated by the usefulness of the eWOM messages and the destination image. Implications: Tourism practitioners seeking to attract tourists can use the eWOM as a communication technique for product and/or service recommendations. Given the powerful influence of the eWOM, it should not be ignored or misused, but managed to improve the effectiveness of marketing strategies in hospitality, tourism and travel

Serial mediation of perceived usefulness and EWOM adoption in virtual communities and the moderating effect of gender

Purpose– This study analyzes the adoption behavior of eWOM information from the consumer\u27s perspective. In virtual communities, this study examines the serial mediation of perceived usefulness and adoption of eWOM between eWOM characteristics (credibility, quality, and vivacity) and the intention to visit a tourist destination and gender as a moderator. This study makes a significant theoretical and practical contribution by the purpose of an integrative model, according to the ELM model, and by examining the moderating effect of gender. Design/Methodology/Approach – This study tests the hypothesis using an experimental scenario simulation method. Signals embedded in various components of the eWOM (stimuli/scenarios) were used, such as interactivity with the message (Like number, comment, sharing) or the content of the message (Text, Visual, Video). The new model (based on the ELM model) was validated by PLS-SEM based on an online survey of 548 members of the virtual consumption communities where content shared is about tourism and hospitality, tourism experiences, and recommendations of Algerian tourist destinations. Findings – The results confirm that perceived usefulness and adoption are two serial mediators between the relationship between eWOM characteristics and visit intention. Finally, gender moderates the indirect effect between eWOM quality and the intention to visit. Originality of the research – This study proposes to develop an integrative model by testing the serial mediating effects of perceived usefulness and information adoption for the first time regarding the influence of the three eWOM characteristics on behavioral intention and investigates the role of gender as a moderator

Measuring the Effects of Interpretive Journalism on Trust and Credibility Perceptions in the Context of Political News Coverage

This study examines the effects of interpretive journalism on trust and credibility perceptions. Specifically, this study investigates interpretive journalism in the context of political news coverage and also examines the relationship between political ideology and the aforementioned variables. This study uses a 2 (interpretive journalism; fact-based journalism) x 2 (political ideology: conservative leaning; liberal leaning) between-subjects online experiment to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings illustrate the predictive value of credibility to trust within the context of political news coverage. Additionally, this study shows that individuals exhibit higher perceptions of trust and credibility towards fact-based political coverage as opposed to interpretive political coverage. Preliminary findings also indicate that conservatives exhibit lower perceptions of trust and credibility towards interpretive political news coverage than their liberal counterpart

Analisis Niat Pembelian Ulang E-Commerce Mobile Dengan Pendekatan Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

This research aims to test several antecedents as trust, risk, credibility, internet use, and those impact on intention for online transactions via e-commerce mobile platform and Technology Acceptance Model. The research integrated the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with four main constructs, namely internet use, trust, credibility, and risk, which is very important to predict individual acceptance of online transactions. Research methods were using structural equation model analysis (SEM), path analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of AMOS 24.0 to examine all the hypotheses, reliability, and validity for each indicator or measuring instrument. The research findings show that credibility and trust played an important role in online transaction acceptance in the e-commerce industry. Furthermore, the findings consistently supported previous studies of TAM where perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness played a role in both directly and indirectly on repurchase intention of mobile e-commerce platform. This study implied that e-commerce players must pay attention to simplifying the customer journey. Another implication was to communicate the credibility and trust aspects to the consumers. Thus the customers could understand and could be convinced that mobile e-commerce platforms are credible shopping market.Keywords: technology acceptance model, electronic transaction, intention, credibility, trustAbstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan menguji beberapa anteseden seperti kepercayaan, resiko, kredibilitas, internet use, dan pengaruhnya terhadap niat bertransaksi ulang secara online dalam e-commerce mobile platform dengan pengujian melalui model penerimaan teknologi. Penelitian ini mencoba mengintegrasikan model penerimaan teknologi (Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) dengan empat konstruk, yaitu internet use, kepercayaan, kredibilitas, dan risiko yang diduga sangat penting dalam memprediksi penerimaan individu atas transaksi online. Metode penelitian menggunakan teknik analisis structural equation model (SEM) dan analisa jalur serta confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) melalui AMOS 24.0 untuk menguji hipotesis, reliabilitas, dan validitas masing-masing indikator atau alat ukur yang digunakan. Temuan dalam penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa kepercayaan dan kredibilitas memainkan peran penting dalam penerimaan transaksi online pada industri e-commerce. Selain itu, hasil penelitian ini konsisten mendukung beberapa penelitian terdahulu terkait dengan TAM di mana kemudahan penggunaan (perceived ease of use) dan kegunaan (perceived usefulness) berperan baik secara langsung maupun tidak langsung terhadap niat pembelian ulang pada e-commerce mobile platform. Penelitian ini pun tentunya memiliki sejumlah implikasi manajerial di mana para praktisi e-commerce harus memberikan perhatian lebih pada penyederhanaan customer journey dan mampu mengkomunikasikan aspek kredibilitas dan kepercayaan dengan baik ke consumer market agar mampu dipahami dan dapat meyakinkan konsumen atau pelanggan bahwa e-commerce mobile platform merupakan tempat berbelanja yang kredibel (dapat dipercaya).Kata kunci: model penerimaan teknologi, transaksi elektronik, niat beli, kredibilitas, kepercayaa