A comparison between E-TailQ and ES-Qual for measuring e-service quality in the retail industry: an emerging economy case

Purpose: There is a growing trend in online shopping in developing and underdeveloped economies. Measuring web retail service quality is vital to enhance and retain online customers for higher profits. As a result, it is essential to understand e-service quality and its relationship with other e-commerce-related variables identified as customer satisfaction, word-of-mouth (WOM), loyalty and repurchase intention. The main objective of this research is to validate the psychometric properties of E-TailQ and ES-Qual scales to measure e-service quality in the context of an emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach: The study was administered by surveying online customers through a convenience sampling approach. The sample data consisted of 329 valid responses. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings: The results suggest that both the scales are valid, reliable and adequate and confirm the psychometric properties of E-TailQ and ES-Qual scales in an emerging economy context. There is a positive and significant relationship between latent variables (E-TailQ and ES-Qual) and customer outcome variables like satisfaction, loyalty, WOM and repurchase intention. Additionally, the coefficients of the E-TailQ scale have higher values than ES-Qual scales in all dimensions. The perceived quality proved to be a precedent of satisfaction to a lesser extent than other scales\u27 constructs, and it proved to be a superior predictor of WOM for the E-TailQ scale and loyalty for the ES-Qual scale. Overall, when measured by the ES-Qual scale, perceived quality could explain much of the sample\u27s satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intention compared to E-TailQ. Research limitations/implications: One of the significant limitations of this study is related to the data collection, as individual responses were collected at one particular point in time. Thus, it is impossible to verify the development of perceived service quality outcomes over a specific time. Another possible limitation is the selection of only two widely used scales, although other options are available in the literature. Finally, developing a new scale to address future challenges might be another alternative. Practical implications: The results obtained in the study will help managers assess customer satisfaction, the reputation of the business through WOM, and customer intentions for the repurchase that will lead to loyalty by emphasizing e-service quality. It will enable them to design strategies for improving business performance. The developed instrument will assist in identifying the gaps and describing how service quality can achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction. Originality/value: Several studies in the literature have used E-TailQ and ES-Qual scales to measure e-service quality in developed countries. Only a few studies addressed the validity of these widely used competing scales in an emerging economy like Pakistan. This study addresses the literature gap by addressing the reliability and validity of these scales and assesses the impact of e-commerce-related variables. Besides, the study reveals insights into the literature by addressing multiple dimensions of e-service quality and summarizes a deep understanding of each scale item that affects the perceived quality in a developing economy like Pakistan

Bioenergy supply chain optimization for addressing energy deficiency: A dynamic model for large-scale network designs

This study is motivated by the challenges faced by weak economies in addressing their energy deficiency. A gradual and strategic development of a sustainable bioenergy system is proposed as an opportunity to alleviate the connected energy and economy issues through a cleaner energy-mix. The optimization model presented in this study designs a bioenergy supply chain over multiple periods with the objective to minimize the energy gap under budget and biomass availability constraints. The dynamic elements of the model capture the interplay between population size, energy demand, biomass availability, energy consumption, and the Gross Domestic Product. A salient feature of the model is the consideration of an end-to-end bioenergy supply network from biomass reserves to the electricity demand zones. Besides facility setup and operating costs, the model considers biofuel transportation costs and transmission yield losses. The model is extensively analyzed through a case study. Practical insights about budget allocation and system expansion are discussed based on the case study. The analysis highlights that the cost for the optimum development of a bioenergy system can significantly vary over the planning horizon. The optimum setup starts as a highly centralized system and evolves into a largely decentralized system in which powerplants source biofuel and supply power locally

Investigating the impact of pandemic job stress and transformational leadership on innovative work behavior: The mediating and moderating role of knowledge sharing

Only a few studies have been conducted on job stress and transformational leadership (TL), particularly in the environment of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to overcome this gap and attempts to explore the impact of pandemic job stress (PJS) and TL on employees’ innovative work behavior (IWB) through knowledge sharing (KNS), while focusing on the importance of innovations for organizational survival and growth. The data were collected from 357 faculty members of higher education institutions in Pakistan and analyzed using the partial least squares estimation, a structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results demonstrate that PJS positively impacts employees’ IWB, negating the negative relationship between job stress and IWB found in previous studies. Moreover, this study found a positive impact of TL and KNS on IWB. KNS also moderates the relationship between PJS and IWB while partially mediating the relationship between TL and IWB. Lastly, the theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Proposing and Empirically Investigating a Mobile-Based Outpatient Healthcare Service Delivery Framework Using Stimulus–Organism–Response Theory

The emergency departments (EDs) of tertiary hospitals (THs) are significantly overcrowded, while primary healthcare centers (PHCCs) are underutilized. Therefore, the Chinese government is attempting to reduce outpatient flow from THs and establish a referral system between the EDs of THs and PHCCs. First, in this article, we propose a mobile-based outpatient healthcare service delivery framework (MOHSDF), which can help divert the flow of outpatients toward the PHCCs before they visit the EDs of THs. Second, this article examines that the MOHSDF-specific characteristics, including performance attributes (e.g., effort expectancy and performance expectancy), communicative power (e.g., interactivity), and perceived government support, are the stimuli that can help build an organism (e.g., initial trust and internal satisfaction). This organism will result in the behavioral intent to prescribe treatment using the MOHSDF. The data are collected from 292 TH physicians in Hefei, China, and analyze using Smart-PLS. All the proposed hypotheses are accepted, excluding two direct and one mediating relationship. These insignificant direct relationships are between performance attributes and internal satisfaction. Moreover, internal satisfaction does not mediate the relationship between effort expectancy and behavioral intent to prescribe treatment using the MOHSDF. This article has significant implications for researchers, government healthcare authorities, policymakers, and m-health service providers

M-health services equipped with public sector community health centers (MH-PS-CHCs), an emerging public-private joint venture in China: adoption from M-health Users’ Perspective

People with minor medical conditions in China tend to prefer healthcare consultation in the emergency department of tertiary hospitals and avoid public sector community health centers (PS-CHC). The reason behind this is the trust deficit in the quality of medical care at PS-CHC. On the other hand, Chinese m-health companies have a surprising number of registered users and daily healthcare queries. However, the lack of physical check-ups causes a lack of trust in the quality of prescribed treatments for m-health users. One such m-health company entered into a joint venture with a local government body. In this joint venture, the doctors from tertiary hospitals can provide healthcare consultation to m-health users at PS-CHC. This study investigates m-health users’ intention to use m-health services equipped with PS-CHC, an emerging public-private joint venture in China. We extended the technology acceptance model with government support and trust to predict the adoption of such technology-based public-private joint ventures in a better way. The data were collected from 432 m-health users in Hefei and analyzed using Smart-PLS. All eight direct, but only three mediating relationships were to be found significant. This study has implications for researchers, government healthcare authorities, and m-health service providers

Using cloud-based virtual learning environments to mitigate increasing disparity in urban-rural academic competence

The unequal distribution of educational opportunities between urban and rural areas is still a significant challenge in China. As a result, students from urban areas can benefit from highly qualified teachers and enjoy state-of-the-art facilities in contrast with their rural counterparts. Consequently, students from urban areas are more likely to join higher education institutes in comparison with their rural counterparts. In such a scenario, a cloud-based virtual learning environment (C-VLE) is of great importance to provide quality education in rural areas. This study aims to predict C-VLE usage\u27s impact on academic performance and gender differences in rural China. The respondents belonged to rural areas and experienced varying levels of such difficulties. This study extended the task-technology fit theory with the channel expansion theory. The study revealed that task-technology fit, individual-technology fit, perceived media richness, omnipresence, and interactivity positively influence C-VLE usage that leads elevating academic performance. As a result, the students from rural areas have a better competitive position than their urban counterparts. Surprisingly, gender did not play any moderating role. The study provides significant theoretical and practical implications for scholars, educational authorities, and policymakers