The relationship between mass customization and sustainable performance: The role of firm size and global E-commerce.

The formation of mass customization competencies is crucial for the increasing number of manufacturing companies in modern times. This study assessed the relationship between mass customization capability and its determinants on sustainable performance. Additionally, it explores the mediating role of mass customization capability and sustainable performance, while also examining the moderating effects of firm size and cross-border eCommerce in these associations. The study used online survey data from 339 manufacturing small-to-medium-sized enterprises in China to test the hypothesized relationships. The collected data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling and necessary condition analysis. The results indicated that flexible manufacturing competencies, modular product architecture, and customer relationship management are significantly and positively connected to mass customization capability. Moreover, the study observed that mass customization capability and competitive pressure have a significant positive influence on the sustainable performance of Chinese manufacturing SMEs. The findings also revealed that firm size and cross-border e-commerce engagement have a negative and positive moderating effect, respectively, between mass customization capability on sustainable performance, which confirms a relatively higher effect of customization capability on sustainable performance among smaller firms and firms engaged in cross-border eCommerce. Fundamentally, these findings can lead to the development of a comprehensive framework to promote mass customization capability, cross-border e-commerce, and sustainable development of manufacturing small-to-medium-sized enterprises China.

The Mediating Role of Brand Trust and Brand Love between Brand Experience and Loyalty: A Study on Smartphones in China.

Smartphones have become increasingly essential in people's daily lives. Studying the enablers that influence students' smartphone buying intentions can inform technology-enhanced learning development, whereas research on brand loyalty and experience is important for marketing strategies. While prior research has acknowledged the importance of brand experience and customer loyalty, little literature has investigated the specific dimensions of brand loyalty and their connection to brand love and trust. This study investigates the effects of brand attributes on loyalty and word-of-mouth engagement in choosing smartphones in China, including the mediating role of brand trust and brand love between brand experience and loyalty. The study adopted a research framework based on the previous literature and tested it empirically. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey method, collecting 369 questionnaires from Chinese students in mainland China. The collected data were analyzed with the help of structural equation modelling by applying AMOS software version 26. The results showed that brand experience had a significant influence on brand trust, brand love, attitudinal loyalty, and word-of-mouth, except for behavioral loyalty. Likewise, the link between brand trust and attitudinal loyalty, behavioral loyalty, and brand love was found to be significant. The effect of brand love on attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty became significant. Additionally, the study confirmed that behavioral trust and brand love significantly mediates the relationship between brand experience-attitudinal loyalty, and brand experience-behavioral loyalty, respectively. The study results provide numerous theoretical and managerial implications to help academicians and practitioners provide better customer and brand relationship management.

Modelling the significance of celebrity endorsement and consumer interest on attitude, purchase intention, and willingness to pay a premium price for green skincare products.

Due to the major shift in online purchasing during the COVID-19 lockdown, celebrity endorsement marketing has gained traction. Concurrently, COVID-19 has also transformed consumers' attitudes toward using eco-friendly products, such as green skincare products, to ensure a healthier lifestyle. This study developed a comprehensive framework based on the stimuli-organism-response theory and the parasocial interaction theory to empirically evaluate the impact of celebrities' credibility attributes and consumers' interests in celebrities on their attitudes towards advertisements for endorsed green skincare products, their intentions to make a purchase, and their willingness to pay a premium price for these products. 778 Malaysian consumers participated in the online survey, and their responses were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results showed the positive effects of credibility traits (trustworthiness - ß = 0.100, p-value = 0.026; exquisite personality - ß = 0.075, p-value = 0.028; dignified image - ß = 0.152, p-value = 0.001; expertise - ß = 0.221, p-value <0.001), and customer attention to celebrities (ß = 0.184, p-value <0.001) on their attitudes toward endorsed advertisements. Likewise, credibility features (exquisite personality - ß = 0.116, p-value = 0.002; dignified image - ß = 0.112, p-value = 0.017; expertise - ß = 0.207, p-value <0.001) and customers' companionship with celebrities (ß = 0.142, p-value = 0.001) also have a significant positive impact on attitudes towards brands. Finally, consumers' purchasing intentions and willingness to pay premium prices for green skincare products were strongly influenced by their attitude toward advertising (ß = 0.484, p-value <0.001) and brands (ß = 0.326, p-value <0.001). Evidently, the findings of this study may help players in the cosmetics industry enhance their marketing and promotion tactics for eco-friendly beauty and personal care products.

Developing a hierarchical framework for assessing the strategic effectiveness of sustainable waste management in the Somaliland construction industry.

This study contributes to develop a hierarchical framework for assessing the strategic effectiveness of waste management in the construction industry. This study identifies a valid set of strategic effectiveness attributes of sustainable waste management (SWM) in construction. Prior studies have neglected to develop a strategic effectiveness assessment framework for SWM to identify reduce, reuse, and recycle policy initiatives that ensure waste minimization and resource recovery programs. This study utilizes the fuzzy Delphi method to screen out nonessential attributes in qualitative information. This study initially proposes a set of 75 criteria; after two rounds of assessment, consensus regarding 28 criteria is achieved among experts, and the 28 criteria are validated. Fuzzy interpretive structural modeling divides the attributes into various elements. The modeling constructs a six-level model that depicts the interrelationships among the 28 validated criteria as a hierarchical framework, and it finds and ranks the optimal drivers for practical improvement. This study integrates the best-worst method to measure the weights of different criteria in the hierarchical strategic effectiveness framework. The findings reveal that waste management operational strategy, construction site waste management performance, and the mutual coordination level are the top aspects for assessing strategic effectiveness in the hierarchical framework. In practice, the waste reduction rate, the recycling rate, water and land usage, the reuse rate, and noise and air pollution levels are identified to assist policymakers in evaluation. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Understanding barriers and motivations in solid waste management from Malaysian industries: a comparative analysis.

The objective of this study is to explore the similarities and differences in the barriers and motivations between the plastic and resins and food and beverages industries as these two industries are the major contributors of solid waste in Malaysia. Prior studies are lacking with regard to explaining the barriers and motivations in solid waste management from the Malaysian context. This study is focused on 10 firms from the plastics and resins industry and 9 from the food and beverages industry in Malaysia. Through Rasch measurement theory, the results indicate that the barriers of lack of skills and qualifications and lack of closed-loop control and the motivations of cost savings and a business model are performed differently. The findings further confirm that the lack of skills and qualifications is a more difficult barrier to overcome than the lack of closed-loop control, while the motivation factor of a business model is more difficult to achieve than cost savings. In terms of practical contribution, this study provides results that can help policy makers in Malaysia to close the gaps present regarding the adoption of solid waste management practices and to devise appropriate incentives. The study also supports managers of companies in regard to working on the most pressing hindering and promoting factors in the field of solid waste management.

Desire to stay shorter time at the shopping mall: insight from protection motivation (PMT), behavioral inhibition system (BIS), reactance, and expectancy theories.

After withdrawing the movement control order (MCO), new variant (Omicron) of COVID-19 returns as an outbreak again. Therefore, consumers are very much informed by various media to be more cautious in visiting shopping malls and spend less time in there. The purpose of this study was to identify the predictors influencing the desire to stay shorter at the shopping mall. This study was conducted in Malaysia, with the application of three psychological theories and one behavioural theory. This is quantitative research based on an online cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 296 respondents, by applying the online snowball sampling method through numerous media platforms i.e., Viber, WhatsApp, Messenger, and other apps in three severely affected cities in Malaysia i.e., Selangor state, Putrajaya, and Kuala Lumpur. SmartPLS was used to analyse the data. Using structural equation modelling, this study result shows risk, protection motivation, and fear have a significant effect on the desire to stay a shorter time at the shopping mall. Social norm moderates the association between fear and the desire to spend a shorter time at the shopping mall. These findings, highlight the need for a more empirical study to design more robust strategies, and a safer and risk-free shopping mall environment.

Modeling the adoption of medical wearable devices among the senior adults: Using hybrid SEM-neural network approach.

The world is witnessing an increasing number of senior adult residents who experience health issues. Healthcare innovation facilitates monitoring the health conditions of senior adults and reducing the burden on healthcare institutions. The study explored the effect of health improvement expectancy, effort expectancy, price value, perceived vulnerability, health consciousness, and perceived reliability on the intention and adoption of medical wearable devices (MWD) among senior adults in China. Furthermore, a cross-sectional design was adopted, while quantitative data was collected from 304 senior adults through an online survey. A hybrid approach of partial least square structural equational modeling and artificial neural network-based analysis technique was adopted. The findings demonstrated that health improvement expectancy, perceived vulnerability, price value, and perceived reliability significantly affected the intention to adopt MWDs. Moreover, the intention to adopt MWDs significantly positively affected the actual adoption of MWDs among senior adults. Although the moderating effect of the pre-existing conditions and income between the intention to use MWDs and actual adoption of MWDs was positive, it was not statistically significant. The artificial neural network analysis has proven that perceived reliability, price value, and vulnerability are the most critical factors contributing to the intention to use MWDs. The current study offered valuable insights into the factors affecting the intention and adoption of MWDs among senior adults. Following that, theoretical and practical contributions were documented to improve the ease of use and price value for the prospective users of MWDs. The correct healthcare policies could curtail the influx of senior adults into the hospital and empower these adults to track and manage their health issues at home.

Modelling the significance of website quality and online reviews to predict the intention and usage of online hotel booking platforms.

Innovative technologies are paving the way for the online purchase of products and services. The COVID-19 also harness online shopping and hotel booking in the post-COVID-19 era. Online hotel booking is becoming the norm among young consumers. The six determinants of the intention to use online hotel booking platforms (OHBPs) are information quality, integrity, perceived risks, perceived benefits, system quality, and service quality was utilized in the study. Cross-sectional data were collected through the online survey, and 884 valid responses were utilised for the data analysis. The analysis results showed that the perceived benefits, system quality, and service quality significantly predicted the intention to use the OHBPs. Meanwhile, the usefulness and quantity of online reviews and the intention to use OHBPs have a positive and significant effect on the usage of the OHBPs. The study results confirmed the insignificant moderating role of the usefulness and quantity of online hotel booking reviews in the relationship between the intention to use and the usage of OHBPs. The intention to use OHBPs had low predictive power, while the usage of OHBPs had high predictive power. This study's findings have offered valuable theoretical and managerial contributions. The management of OHBPs needs to concentrate on information quality and integrity to help manage the associated risks of online hotel booking. Previous customers' reviews are vital to encourage the usage of OHBPs. Finally, social media usage and promoting the OHBPs by sharing satisfied users' experiences improve the intention and usage of the OHBPs.

Exploring the smart wearable payment device adoption intention: Using the symmetrical and asymmetrical analysis methods.

The smart wearable device is a new breed of mobile device that offers diversified utilities for health, sport, and finance for consumers worldwide. The current study aims to investigate the provocation of the intention to use smart wearable payment devices among Malaysian consumers. The unified theory of technology acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) was employed with the cross-sectional survey-based data to explain the adoption of the smart wearable payment device. Furthermore, the UTAUT model was extended with trust and lifestyle compatibility factors to investigate smart wearable payment device adoption. The survey-based data were collected through the online survey and analyzed through the symmetrical modeling approach of partial least squares structural education modeling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate theoretical associations between the study constructs. The fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was employed as an asymmetrical approach. As a result, it was found that the ease of use, lifestyle compatibility, and trust significantly impacted the intention to adopt smart wearable payment devices. However, social influence and facilitating conditions did not support the intention of adopting smart wearable payment devices. Adopting these devices requires policy and infrastructure development to harness the adoption of smart wearable payment devices. This paper is concluded with study limitations and future research suggestions.

Celebrity Endorsement, Brand Equity, and Green Cosmetics Purchase Intention Among Chinese Youth.

The study examined the effect of celebrity attractiveness, celebrity trustworthiness, and celebrity cause fit on the attitude toward green cosmetics. This was followed by the effect of brand awareness, brand associations, brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand credibility on brand equity, including the impact of attitude toward green cosmetics and brand equity on the willingness to purchase green cosmetics among of young Chinese consumers. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and collected quantitative data from 301 respondents using a structured questionnaire, which was distributed online using various social media platforms. It was found that celebrity attractiveness, celebrity trustworthiness, and celebrity cause-fit had a significant impact on the attitudes toward green cosmetic, while brand loyalty, perceived quality, and brand credibility substantially affected brand equity. Moreover, the attitudes toward green cosmetics and brand equity had a strong impact on the willingness to purchase green cosmetics. To increase the sales for green cosmetics, the advertisements for it should have appeal, trustworthiness, and cause-fit celebrities to improve consumers' attitudes and willingness to purchase green cosmetics. Finding of this study provide a guideline for green cosmetic manufacturers, to direct their resources to enhance brand loyalty, credibility, and perceived quality of the product they produce by highlighting the difference between conventional and green cosmetics.

Supply chain resilience reactive strategies for food SMEs in coping to COVID-19 crisis.

BACKGROUND: The ability of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the food industry (FSMEs) in cultivating resilience against the COVID-19 pandemic is vital food security. However, there is limited supply chain resilience literature to guide FSMEs in overcoming disruptions caused by pandemic. SCOPE AND APPROACH: This review aims to provide a broad view of SCRes reactive strategies for FSMEs in dealing with crises in the context of COVID-19. Attention is given to the literature on resilience in other types of supply chain and situated in the context of food settings. The factors are monitored or controlled to contribute to FSME resiliency.Key findings and conclusion: Four quadrants, i.e., (1) rapid with low cost, (2) rapid with high cost, (3) slow with low cost and (4) slow with high cost, are offered based on the limitations and the time needed to react, and the strategies of each quadrant are explained in depth. This review also provides a better understanding of and guidance on reactive strategies for SCRes as options for FSMEs in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This review suggests future directions as extensions based on the logical flow of this review.

Exploring food waste during the COVID-19 pandemic among Malaysian consumers: The effect of social media, neuroticism, and impulse buying on food waste.

The amount of food being thrown away despite being in an edible condition has become alarming in countries with populations with medium and high incomes. Changes in consumer behaviour, such as overbuying, are some of the major impetuses of food waste. This study aimed to examine the relationship between food waste and social media usage, neuroticism, and impulse buying. The mediating role of impulse buying and the moderating role of neuroticism on food waste during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic were also uncovered in this study. A self-administered online survey was distributed to a total of 274 consumers who had experienced a lockdown during the COVID-19 outbreak and were also regular buyers of food. Empirical findings supported the fact that social media usage, neuroticism, and impulse buying were positively related to food waste. Impulse buying mediates the relationship between social media usage and food waste, as well as between neuroticism and food waste. The study results also revealed that neuroticism positively moderates the relationship between social media usage and food waste. This paper offers new insights into efforts for sustainable food consumption to tackle the issue of food waste.