Factors Affecting Consideration to Switching from Condominium to Townhome for High Class Market in Bangkok Area During COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: Housing estates such as detached houses, townhouses and townhomes. have become more and more marketable lately, and the popularity of condominiums has declined from COVID-19 pandemic. The keys to success of both townhomes and condominiums in this situation are attracting new consumers and retaining the existing ones. The main purpose of this study is to inspect three categories of antecedents for condominiums consumers’ switching intention: push (i.e. satiation), pull (i.e. perceived value) and mooring (i.e. subjective environmental characteristics) factors using push–pull–mooring (PPM) model. Design/Methodology/Approach: High class townhomes has been selected as the research context. An online survey was proceeded to inspect the proposed research model and hypotheses. The data were collected from 478 respondents living and/or working in Bangkok, who have monthly family income at 150,000 Thai Baht and above by using convenience sampling and snowball sampling method. This study applied the Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to certify the goodness-of-fit of the model and hypothesis testing. Findings: The outcomes revealed that among the push factors satiation with amenity has the highest significant impact on subjective environmental characteristics, followed by satiation with decoration. While among pull factors hedonic value has the highest significant impact on subjective environmental characteristics, followed by perceived privacy and security. As well as subjective environmental characteristics has significantly impact on switching intention. Originality/Value: To contribute a comprehensive understanding of consumers’ switching intention, the researcher used PPM model to construct the research framework. This study enhances the understanding of consumer’s switching intention by locating the push and pull factors based on the differences elements between condominiums and townhomes in correspondence to subjective environmental characteristics

Effect of retail service quality on switching intentions among hypermarket customers

Retail service quality is a vital driver in determining customer satisfaction, which in turn promotes customer loyalty and reduces switching intentions. Based on disconfirmation theory, the difference between expectations and delivered service quality, determines the level of a customer satisfaction. Service quality is a solution to build customer satisfaction which could lead to customer loyalty hence reducing switching intentions. The concept of switching intentions has received significant attention in the field of marketing, however, little is known about the application of this concept in the context of retail business. Consumer research has neither verified the relationships among constructs like retail service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and switching intentions, in a single framework, nor explored the possible influence of store ethnicity and price discounts on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty to switching intention. The current study has investigated the interrelationship among service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty with switching intentions, and the moderating role of price discounts and store ethnicity, in a single framework. Random sampling was used by administering standardized questionnaires personally to 450 hypermarket customers located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The quantitative data was analyzed by the structural equation modeling technique using AMOS 20 software. The study extended the existing body of knowledge by introducing new moderators of price discounts and ethnic store on the relationships between satisfaction and switching intentions, and loyalty and switching intentions. The results confirmed that retail service quality has significant positive influence on customer satisfaction, and the positive effect of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty. Besides that, the study verified in marketing literature that store ethnicity and price discounts acted as moderating mechanism for explaining the switching intentions of satisfied and loyal customers. The results of the study may serve as a guideline for top managers of the hypermarkets to design appropriate policies and strategies in terms of retail service quality, price discounts and needs of ethnic groups in a particular region. This will help to enhance customer satisfaction and customer loyalty hence reducing switching intentions of customers

ARE YOU AFRAID OF TRANSITING FROM WEB TO MOBILE PAYMENT? THE BIAS AND MODERATING ROLE OF INERTIA

The web-mobile payment transition has recently become a trend of business extension in the online payment marketplace. However, channel conflicts always exist in a multichannel environment which harms users’ willingness to try out new entrants. Using the status quo bias theory and the coping theory as theoretical lenses, we develop a model to investigate the role of traditional web payment inertia on mobile payment (MP) adoption. Our model posits that consumers’ intention to use MP, a form of coping intention, is a combination consequence of primary and secondary appraisal. Web payment inertia in turn demonstrates its effects on MP adoption via the primary and secondary appraisal process. Specifically, we hypothesize that inertia leads to decreased perceived value and increased perceived risk (i.e. primary appraisal factors) of the newly introduced MP. In addition, we hypothesize that inertia moderates the relationship between perceived controllability (i.e. secondary appraisal factor) and intention to use MP, such that perceived controllability becomes more important in the presence of inertia. We intend to conduct a field survey to test the research model and hypotheses

Research in multi-cultural relationship building

This study aims to explore the ‘missing gap' between the values of an Accounting firm and the preference shown by Maaori on how they would like to be approached when wanting to build a trusted relationship within a business sense. This study makes use of qualitative approaches in which data is collected primarily through interviews and analysed to produce results and recommendations. The study found that Maaori would like to be approached in a way that makes sense to them and also identifies with their cultural proceedings. It also provides insight into how important trust is when establishing a relationship with Maaori. The study recommends that further studies conducted should interview a wider variety of focus groups to add different elements to this research and that FIRM A's small business department's offerings do not align with what Maaori want so need to be rethought to adapt to Maaor expectations

Expanding the education role to narrow the audit expectation gap: exploring the expectation gap’s existence among accounting students

Society perceives and expects more from auditor’s than what auditors can actually achieve. Society has been found to misperceive the role of an auditor, in particular, in regards to fraud, internal controls and going concern issues. Society’s differing perceptions and expectations of the auditing profession is known as the audit expectation gap. This study aims to explore the audit expectation gap’s existence among Wintec accounting students and the effect that education has on the audit expectation gap. This research intends to answer two research questions. First, does an audit expectation gap exist among Wintec accounting students? Second, what is the effect of education on the audit expectation gap? To answer these research questions, 20 Wintec accounting students have been interviewed. Ten students who have received an audit education, and ten students who have not received audit education. Qualitative data was collected from these interviews and analysed using a mixed methods approach. This study found that an audit education exists among Wintec accounting students. This study also found that education reduced the audit expectation gap, in particular, the deficient performance gap and the communication gap. However, while education did reduce the audit expectations gap, it was not eliminated. This study recommends that Wintec provides a more basic auditing education during introductory accounting papers, educating students on the role of an auditor. This study also recommends that education focuses on the practical use of an audit report, to increase student’s understandings of the information in the audit report, and how this information is communicated. Thus, the researcher believes that these recommendations will help to further reduce the audit expectation

Analysis and optimization of distribution logistics for Just Water Company

This report details the various factors that affect the operational efficiency of distribution logistics. The research aimed at studying the existing components involved in the distribution logistics of Just Water. Distribution logistics begins at the end of the production line where the finished product is emerged until it reaches the customers. The literature review explains the key components of distribution logistics in an organisation. This research analyses the existing components of the distribution logistics of Just Water and discusses possible improvements that can be adapted to increase the overall efficiency of the distribution logistics operation. The background of the research is that Just Water faces difficulty with delivering its products on time during peak seasons. The research tries to unveil the reason for this delay and finds that the demands for extra water-out deliveries are interfering with the normal runs of the trucks, therein delaying their regular schedule. One another cause was found to be the shortage of supplies due to slow or less return logistics. The research suggests a change in the existing drop shipping distribution model and recommends the adaptation of intermediary or multi-stage distribution networks, possibly the ‘Last Mile Delivery’ configuration in order to reduce delivery lead-time, reduce transportation costs and improve customer satisfaction

Determinants of destination branding for revisiting : with special reference to tourism in Sri Lanka

The study was designed to explain the relationship between customer brand equity towards Sri Lanka as a tourism destination and customer revisit intention. The relationship between dimensions of Customer Based Brand Equity for Tourism Destination; brand awareness, perceived quality, brand image and brand loyalty, with revisit intention are examined through a survey method. The results show that the customer brand equity has a significant positive relationship with the intention to revisit, bring up several policy implications for the tourism strateg

Sustainable consumption: towards action and impact. : International scientific conference November 6th-8th 2011, Hamburg - European Green Capital 2011, Germany: abstract volume

This volume contains the abstracts of all oral and poster presentations of the international scientific conference „Sustainable Consumption – Towards Action and Impact“ held in Hamburg (Germany) on November 6th-8th 2011. This unique conference aims to promote a comprehensive academic discourse on issues concerning sustainable consumption and brings together scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines. In modern societies, private consumption is a multifaceted and ambivalent phenomenon: it is a ubiquitous social practice and an economic driving force, yet at the same time, its consequences are in conflict with important social and environmental sustainability goals. Finding paths towards “sustainable consumption” has therefore become a major political issue. In order to properly understand the challenge of “sustainable consumption”, identify unsustainable patterns of consumption and bring forward the necessary innovations, a collaborative effort of researchers from different disciplines is needed

The 3G standard setting strategy and indigenous innovation policy in China is TD-SCDMA a flagship?

In the time of “network economy”, industries and the public have stressed several “battles for dominance” between two or more rival technologies, often involving well-known firms operating in highly visible industries. In this paper, we are going to focus on the Chinese self-developed standard TD-SCDMA to perceive the implication and target of the nation’s policy and strategy. The motivation of the research starts from the interesting fact we observed: TD-SCDMA is named as the Chinese made standard, however the Chinese hold core patent technology is still about 7%, while most of the rest part is still taken by other foreign companies. The “faultage” between the small share reality and a self made standard sweet dream implies a well plotted strategy. In order to understand it, we firstly raise the question of why the Chinese government postpones the 3G decision again and again. Then we go further to probe why the standard-setting of TD-SCDMA has aroused wide attention as a strategic tool to fulfill “indigenous innovation”, and finally becomes part of national science and technology policy to increase international competitiveness? We are going to use economics theories to understand the essence of the creation of TD-SCDMA, and its relation to China’s interests.3G, standard, innovation, China

The Role of Habit in Post-Adoption Switching of Personal Information Technologies: An Empirical Investigation

Unlike technology users in business organizations, users of personal information technologies are usually not bound to specific products and have the freedom to switch from one product to a substitute. As a unique and widespread product level post-adoption behavior, IT user switching has not garnered sufficient attention in the current literature. Prior research has suggested that a consumer’s decision to switch follows careful reasoning on three distinct groups of factors: push, pull, and mooring. Given the highly routinized nature of post-adoption IT use, we draw from research on habit in social psychology and post-adoption user behavior literatures, and argue that users’ habit plays a critical role in post-adoption IT switching. Specifically, we posit that the habit of using the incumbent product both contributes to the mooring effects during the formation of intention to switch, and moderates the relationship between intention and switching. We tested our hypotheses on a sample of 414 users presented with a choice of switching their Web browsers. Our findings confirm the direct influence of potential switchers’ habit on switching intention, and the interaction between habit and switching intention on switching. Our overall model explains 55 percent of total variance in users’ intention to switch and 23 percent of total variance in user switching. This study advances the theoretical and empirical understanding of post-adoption technology switching, valuable to both researchers and practitioners