Examining the impact of customer-to-customer interaction on service experiences: A pilot study

This research focuses on how the design of backpacker hostels influences social interaction among guests and how this could enhance or spoil their service experience. There are opposing views on how different aspects of hostel design and services contribute towards guests’ evaluation of their hostel stay.On one hand, it is suggested that a hostel environment which encourages social interaction adds value to the service experience while on the other hand, an environment that offers extra privacy, such as en-suite bedrooms, is more valued.The present research therefore argues that some aspects of the hostel’s current design and core services may now be redundant for certain market segments of the hostel guest. Empirical evidence is needed to illustrate the extent to which hostels are providing the right design and services to meet the current requirements of their target market. At this stage of the research, a pilot study has been carried out using semi-structured interviews with individuals who have stayed in backpacker hostels. Using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), respondents were asked to recall a specific incident where they had interacted with other hostel guests.Details about the environment in which the interaction took place, as well as how the respondents felt about the interaction, were asked during the interview.It is expected that the findings of this research will shed light on which aspects of a hostel’s design and guests’ interaction would contribute towards enhancing the service experience

The influence of guests’ social interaction on the hostel experience: a conceptual framework

Social interaction among fellow travellers forms a significant component of the authentic backpacking experience. Hostel accommodation have been purposely designed to provide the kind of environment that fosters communication and interaction between backpackers. Hostel guests have typically been provided with dormitory-type rooms, shared washrooms, kitchen and living areas, thus offering less privacy but more opportunity for social interaction.Few studies to date have fully investigated how social interaction among customers actually enhance or damage the service experience.Therefore, building on previous studies on servicescapes, co-creation and backpacker tourism, a conceptual framework is developed to examine how the hostel environment could be manipulated to influence guests’ social interaction, and consequently their evaluation of the hostel service experience

Understanding friendship and learning networks of international and host students using longitudinal Social Network Analysis

While the number of international students travelling abroad for higher education constantly increases, it has been recognised among educators that international students have difficulty adjusting to their host educational environment. Past research indicates that international students’ personal ties with other international, home and host students can influence their cross-cultural adjustment to their new environment. Drawing from cross-cultural, educational science and social network research, we conducted a longitudinal study using dynamic social network analyses into how 485 international and 107 host students build learning and work relationships at both bachelor and post-graduate level. Results indicate that students from different cultural backgrounds develop dissimilar co-national and international friendships and learning relationships over time. Additionally, in contrast to previous findings our MRQAP and multiple regression analyses indicate that social interactions among international and host students did not become more intertwined over time. However, active (mixed) group activities (temporarily) increase cross-cultural interaction, indicating that institutions can play an active role in improving cross-cultural adjustment

A path analysis of the relationship between cross-cultural adjustment, person-environment fit and work-related outcomes

Understanding how expatriates adjust to the various aspects of the host environment has been a focal point of research within international human resource management literature for several decades. Person-environment (PE) fit investigates the degree of „fit‟ an employee has with the various dimensions of their working environment. Several researchers have suggested that successful PE fit positively influences work outcomes such as adjustment, job satisfaction and task performance. However, to the author‟s knowledge, no empirical research has been conducted on the relationship between PE fit, cross-cultural adjustment and work-related outcomes. The main aims of this study were to 1) investigate the overall relationship between PE fit and cross-cultural adjustment and 2) investigate the overall relationship between PE fit, cross-cultural adjustment and work-related outcomes. Three hundred and sixty-nine nonconsultant hospital doctors (NCHDs) working in Ireland filled out the questionnaire. Backward multiple regression and path analyses were the statistical approaches used to determine the relationship between PE fit, crosscultural adjustment and work-related outcomes. The results revealed both direct and indirect relationships between the three models suggesting that good overall PE fit on an international assignment can positively influence an expatriate‟s overall cross-cultural adjustment and overall work-related outcomes. The results indicate that Human Resources (HR) should focus on maininting expatriates‟ overall PE fit while on an international assignment as higher levels of overall PE fit can positively influence successful cross-cultural adjustment and work-related outcomes

RESEARCH NOTES Examining the Impact of Customer-To-Customer Interaction on Service Experiences: A Pilot Study

This research focuses on how the design of backpacker hostels influences social interaction among guests and how this could enhance or spoil their service experience. There are opposing views on how different aspects of hostel design and services contribute towards guests’ evaluation of their hostel stay. On one hand, it is suggested that a hostel environment which encourages social interaction adds value to the service experience while on the other hand, an environment that offers extra privacy, such as en-suite bedrooms, is more valued. The present research therefore argues that some aspects of the hostel’s current design and core services may now be redundant for certain market segments of the hostel guest. Empirical evidence is needed to illustrate the extent to which hostels are providing the right design and services to meet the current requirements of their target market. At this stage of the research, a pilot study has been carried out using semi-structured interviews with individuals who have stayed in backpacker hostels. Using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), respondents were asked to recall a specific incident where they had interacted with other hostel guests. Details about the environment in which the interaction took place, as well as how the respondents felt about the interaction, were asked during the interview. It is expected that the findings of this research will shed light on which aspects of a hostel’s design and guests’ interaction would contribute towards enhancing the service experience.

RESEARCH NOTES: Examining the Impact of Customer-To-Customer Interaction on Service Experiences: A Pilot Study

This research focuses on how the design of backpacker hostels influences social interaction among guests and how this could enhance or spoil their service experience. There are opposing views on how different aspects of hostel design and services contribute towards guests evaluation of their hostel stay. On one hand, it is suggested that a hostel environment which encourages social interaction adds value to the service experience while on the other hand, an environment that offers extra privacy, such as en-suite bedrooms, is more valued. The present research therefore argues that some aspects of the hostels current design and core services may now be redundant for certain market segments of the hostel guest. Empirical evidence is needed to illustrate the extent to which hostels are providing the right design and services to meet the current requirements of their target market. At this stage of the research, a pilot study has been carried out using semi-structured interviews with individuals who have stayed in backpacker hostels. Using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), respondents were asked to recall a specific incident where they had interacted with other hostel guests. Details about the environment in which the interaction took place, as well as how the respondents felt about the interaction, were asked during the interview. It is expected that the findings of this research will shed light on which aspects of a hostels design and guests interaction would contribute towards enhancing the service experience

Metal complexes of salicylhydroxamic acid (H2Sha), anthranilic hydroxamic acid and benzohydroxamic acid. Crystal and molecular structure of [Cu(phen)2(Cl)]Cl.H2Sha, a model for a peroxidase-inhibitor complex

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Metal complexes of cyclic hydroxamates. Synthesis and crystal structures of 3-hydroxy-2-methyl-3H-quinazolin-4-one (ChaH) and of its Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes

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Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Altres ajuts: Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); Illumina; LifeArc; Medical Research Council (MRC); UKRI; Sepsis Research (the Fiona Elizabeth Agnew Trust); the Intensive Care Society, Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship (223164/Z/21/Z); BBSRC Institute Program Support Grant to the Roslin Institute (BBS/E/D/20002172, BBS/E/D/10002070, BBS/E/D/30002275); UKRI grants (MC_PC_20004, MC_PC_19025, MC_PC_1905, MRNO2995X/1); UK Research and Innovation (MC_PC_20029); the Wellcome PhD training fellowship for clinicians (204979/Z/16/Z); the Edinburgh Clinical Academic Track (ECAT) programme; the National Institute for Health Research, the Wellcome Trust; the MRC; Cancer Research UK; the DHSC; NHS England; the Smilow family; the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (CTSA award number UL1TR001878); the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; National Institute on Aging (NIA U01AG009740); the National Institute on Aging (RC2 AG036495, RC4 AG039029); the Common Fund of the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health; NCI; NHGRI; NHLBI; NIDA; NIMH; NINDS.Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care or hospitalization after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes-including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)-in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease