A 2020 perspective on “Service quality management of online car-hailing based on PCN in the sharing economy"

Current studies reveal that the sharing economy has faced new barriers and issues in its development context, such as trust and privacy issues. By integrating theories of sharing economy and service science, in our past work, we explored how to deal with the service issues of online car-hailing based on process chain network (PCN). We also explored services in the sharing economy on three different levels: personal behavior, platform service and government regulation. With service-dominant logic replacing product-dominant logic, we suggest that research in the sharing economy and e-commerce calls for further systematical application of important service science theories and should make use of emerging technologies to develop new research methods

Improving peer-to-peer accommodation service based on text analytics

Purpose This paper aims to identify key service attributes in peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation from online reviews and formulate service improvement strategies based on the unsatisfactory service encounters mined from the reviews. Design/methodology/approach The methodology involves topic modelling using latent Dirichlet allocation, sentiment analysis and process analysis based on process chain network (PCN). Findings The text analytics results showed that negative P2P accommodation experiences are caused by the lack of hot water for shower, poor sleep quality and unpleasant check-in. Research limitations/implications The PCN analysis shows that the surrogate interactions of the P2P accommodation platform with both the guest and the host impact consumer experiences. This highlights that the key to managing consumer experiences lies in the non-human resources such as information, rather than direct interactions between process entities. Practical implications The information on the P2P accommodation platform should be in a more interactive format such as video and 360 degrees camera. Hosts should ensure a good condition of the physical products such as water heaters and beds before guests' arrival. Professional videography and handyperson services should be provided by the platform to help hosts deliver a preferred consumer experience. Flexible and strict check-in polices should also be introduced to smoothen the check-in process. Originality/value This study is built on multi-attribute utility theory. It is also one of the first to study P2P accommodation services from an operations management perspective. It demonstrates how text analytics serves as an additional supplement for service improvement

Consumer attitude and intention toward ridesharing

This paper aims to examine the factors affecting consumer’s intention to participate in the sharing economy in particular toward ridesharing services. Data were collected from UberX users in Australia (n = 278) and New Zealand (n = 295) using online survey and analysed through Structural Equation Modelling in AMOS 25. The research model is tested and compared across three studies. The results show that perceived usefulness and word-of-mouth significantly influence the consumers’ attitude toward ridesharing. The results across two samples show that the positive relationship between perceived usefulness as well as word of mouth and attitude toward service innovation is moderated by the consumers’ attitude toward the advertising. In addition, currently the ridesharing application ridesharing requires more effort from the users, especially those who have a lower self-efficacy or are risk adverse towards using this type of service innovation. This paper suggests ridesharing services utilise the power of the word of mouth and peer recommendations in the brand’s promotional strategies. Furthermore, personalised e-guides and instructions can form part of the service user interface which would help curb the negative perception around app usage and complexity, and thus increase consumer confidence

Strategies Uber Drivers Use to Enhance Competitive Advantage for Increased Profits and Incomes

AbstractUber drivers are usually from economically disadvantaged groups, with most drivers reporting lower incomes than typical workers. Uber drivers who fail to improve their profits and incomes lower their families’ standard of living. Grounded in transaction cost theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies that Uber drivers use to enhance competitive advantage for increasing their profits and incomes. The participants were six Uber drivers in Lagos, Nigeria who successfully used strategies to enhance competitive advantage and increase their profits and incomes. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, financial transactions with Uber, transactions from car rental companies, and transactions from offline trips with customers. Thematic analysis of the data revealed four themes: technologies, surge pricing and profitable trips, flexible work hours, and customer service and relationships. A key recommendation for Uber drivers is to familiarize themselves with the available technologies and engage in surge pricing. The implications for positive social change include the potential for Uber drivers to achieve long-term sustainable growth, generate employment, reduce poverty, and enhance local communities’ economic well-being

Digital platforms: customer satisfaction, eWOM and the moderating role of perceived technological innovativeness

Purpose The paper aims to investigate how customer satisfaction can be achieved in the context of digital platform services, its influence on electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and how such relationships can be moderated by perceived technological innovativeness (PTI). Design/methodology/approach The research framework was developed and empirically tested using an online survey and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). Data were gathered from 501 Uber customers in London, UK. Findings The study recognises and confirms that trust and cost saving enhanced customer satisfaction in Uber mobility services, which has a positive impact on eWOM. There are other findings regarding users who share rides vs those who do not share. Furthermore, it has been found that PTI moderates the relationship between customer satisfaction and eWOM. Originality/value The research draws on collaborative consumption literature and contributes to the antecedents of customer satisfaction in digital economy literature: trust, environmental impact, cost saving and utility. The study offers an empirical validation of the role of PTI in enhancing eWOM. The paper breaks new ground for a better understanding of how PTI can moderate the influence of customer satisfaction and eWOM in digital platforms

The future of the urban street in the united states: visions of alternative mobilities in the twenty-first century

This dissertation is concerned with the present and future of urban streets in the United States. The goal is to document and analyze current visions, policies, and strategies related to the form and use of American urban streets. The dissertation examines current mobility trends and offers a framework for organizing visions of the future of urban streets, evaluating them through three lenses: safety, comfort, and delight: assessing physical conditions in accordance with livability standards toward sustainable development. At the same time, it demonstrates the way 12 scenarios (NACTO Blueprint for Autonomous Urbanism, Sidewalk Labs: Quayside Project, Public Square by FXCollaborative, AIANY Future Street, The National Complete Street Coalition, Vision Zero, Smart Columbus, Waymo by Alphabet, The Hyperloop, Tesla “Autopilot,” Ford City of Tomorrow, SOM City of Tomorrow) have intentionally or unintentionally influenced contemporary use of American urban streets. Ultimately, the study shows that while sustainable alternative mobilities continue to emerge, the dominance of the automobility system has led to a stagnation of sustainable urban street development in the United States

Service quality management of online car-hailing based on PCN in the sharing economy

Online car-hailing has successfully integrated the sharing economy into the transportation industry. However, with its rapid development, service issues remain a challenge, and continuously improving service quality is a key factor for the sustainable growth of online car-hailing and the sharing economy. In this study, we implement LSTM text classification, sentiment analysis and frequent itemset mining of the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) of the online car-hailing platform, Didi Chuxing (DiDi), to identify existing service issues. Then, we depict the service process network of online car-hailing by using process chain network (PCN) to analyze and locate service issues. Finally, we analyze service optimization and innovation for online car-hailing by proposing corresponding service quality optimization suggestions based on the optimization principles of PCN. By constructing a service quality management research framework of online car-hailing in the sharing economy, we contribute to the literature on service science and the sharing economy and provide practical implications for sharing economy platforms to establish data-driven strategies of operation management

Is the future of urban mobility shared? : modeling ride-hailing adoption and preferences for ownership and sharing of autonomous vehicles

Society is experiencing the initial stages of a technological revolution that promises to disrupt urban transportation as known today and induce behavioral and social changes. The main factors guiding the transformation of urban mobility are the growth of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-enabled transportation services and the development of autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies. While the use of ICTs and vehicular automation are expected to provide direct road capacity improvements due to the real-time provision of traffic information, crash reductions, and platooning capabilities, these gains may be offset by latent demand effects. That is, the increase in level of service may actually result in the generation of more trips and escalation of vehicle miles traveled. In this sense, proactive planning and policy guided towards promoting the use of shared vehicles and pooled rides are important to minimize possible negative externalities of automation. The current dissertation provides initial guidance to such planning by examining individuals’ preferences toward the adoption of current and future mobility services and technologies. A research framework containing four independent but related analysis components is developed to allow a comprehensive investigation of travelers’ characteristics and behaviors associated with ride-hailing use and preferences regarding AVs. Empirical analyses are conducted using advanced econometric techniques applied to different types of data from three different cities. The results of the empirical analyses are compared and implications to transportation planning and policy are discussed. The results from the analyses undertaken in the dissertation show that, from a behavioral perspective, a service-based transportation future where people predominantly travel using shared vehicles and pooled rides instead of their own vehicles is on its way but still distant. A complex combination of actions is required to promote the use of shared services both today and in an AV future. Among these actions, we identify the need for campaigns to (a) increase technology awareness among older individuals and individuals from lower income households, and (b) reduce privacy-sensitivity among non-Hispanic Whites and millennials. Such efforts should also be complemented by a decrease in service fares and urban densification. The results also suggest the need to promote policies and integrated multi-modal systems that discourage individuals from substituting the use of active and public transit modes by ride-hailing and AV-based services. Finally, we observe that individuals seem to be less sensitive to the presence of strangers in a commute trip than in a leisure trip, but the sensitivity to time is the opposite. The implications of these results are that pooled services may have a large market penetration potential for commute trips as long as operated efficiently with minimal detour and pick-up/drop-off delays.Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin

Message Framing in P2P Lending Relationships

This paper investigates whether language and associated message framing (low-cost signal) can provide a solution to the risks generated by asymmetric information in P2P lending, drawing on the signalling and message-framing theories. First, it examines the extent to which message framing is associated with funding outcomes in the context of P2P lending; second, it investigates whether positive message framing reinforces the positive impact of credit ratings (high-cost signal) on funding outcomes. Our analysis is conducted on a dataset of 33028 listings of potential borrowers from a Chinese P2P lending platform using the Heckman selection models. We find that the use of positively framed messages is positively associated with positive funding outcomes and enhances the positive impact of the credit ratings on funding outcomes. Our results contribute to the literature on the effectiveness of low-cost signals in of Internet-based interactions while highlighting complementarities between different types of signals in P2P lending