bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differences in service quality perceptions of stakeholders in the hotel industry
Authors: Dedeoğlu Bekir Bora , Demirer Halil 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– Studies in the service quality evaluation literature have generally attempted to determine the service quality perception level of customers by mainly focusing on customers’ quality evaluations. However, the nature and characteristics of differences in service quality perceptions among customers, managers and employees are not sufficiently researched. In this study, the differences in service quality perceptions among the aforementioned stakeholders are examined.Design/methodology/approach– Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test the significant differences between stakeholder’s perceptions of service quality, using a sample of 845 hotel stakeholders (customers, employees and managers).Findings– The findings showed that employees perceived service performance to be at a high level, while customers perceived it to be at a low level. According to thepost-hoctest, even though managers’ perception of service quality performance was lower than that of employees, no significant difference was found between them. In addition, it was determined by second-order confirmatory factor analysis that the lowest explanation ratio was the tangible dimension in SERVQUAL.Originality/value– One major shortcoming in the concept of service quality is that stakeholders perceive service quality differently. In particular, a hotel business that lacks service quality may face issues such as negative customer satisfaction, lack of customer loyalty and lower competitive advantage. However, while most of the studies on the hotel sector in the literature focus mainly on the evaluation of customers for service quality, other stakeholders’ (employees’ and managers’) perceptions have been ignored. Therefore, the current study’s contribution to the literature explores the differences in stakeholders’ perceptions of the hotel industry.
Does the adoption of customer and competitor orientations make small hospitality businesses more entrepreneurial?
Authors: Seilov Galimzhan Aidarkulovich 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to investigate the influence of customer and competitor orientations on the entrepreneurial orientation of small hospitality enterprises in Kazakhstan.Design/methodology/approach– The research uses quantitative data collected through a self-administered questionnaire from 318 entrepreneurs who participated in the survey.Findings– The findings of the study demonstrated that there is a positive relationship between customer and competitor orientations and the entrepreneurial orientation of small hospitality businesses in Kazakhstan.Research limitations/implications– Future studies should also consider additional contingencies such as organizational learning capability and environmental dynamism. In addition, it is recommended that future studies look into the effect of customer and market orientations on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) performance.Practical implications– The findings of the study showed that hospitality in small businesses needs to embrace a new way of thinking and adopt a more strategic approach to their entrepreneurial activities through proactively responding to constantly changing customer needs and competitors’ moves.Originality/value– This study offers insights into the relationship between strategy and entrepreneurship in the context of small hospitality businesses. In particular, it develops an understanding about the factors that stimulate small hospitality businesses’ entrepreneurial orientations in a dynamic and competitive environment marked by the growing pressure of continuously changing consumer habits and direct competition both from SME counterparts and large enterprises.
CBDRM in Nepal: a matter of risk perceptions
Authors: Laursen Maria Risom 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to explore how different risk perceptions of experts, institutions and laymen have to be taken into consideration if non-governmental organizations and donors want to include the community in disaster risk reduction. Otherwise, community-based disaster risk management will not be community-based.Design/methodology/approach– This research is based on an intensive literature review, as well as a four-month felt study in Kathmandu (November 2011-February 2012). This study explores, from a social constructive point of view, the relationship among international, national and local actors in the effort to conduct disaster risk reduction in Nepal through a community-based approach.Findings– The Kathmandu Valley is at risk of being hit by an earthquake at anytime. If an earthquake hits, it will cause total devastation. Although the Nepalese are aware of the risks of a potential earthquake, very few have begun preparations. The author finds that the lack of preparation is partly caused by different risk perceptions among experts, institutions and laymen.Originality/value– Involving the community in disaster risk reduction today is widely accepted as the right way to work with disaster risk reduction. But, rarely the question is made: are we really involving the community by taking their risk perception serious, and not just accepting the risk perceptions from experts and institutions of science as being the right way to perceive disaster risk. The author finds that there is a tendency to ignore the community in community-based earthquake preparedness in Nepal.
Urban transformations and changing patterns of local risk: lessons from the Mekong Region
Authors: Friend Richard M. , Thinphanga Pakamas , MacClune Kenneth , Henceroth Justin , Tran Phong Van Gai , Nghiem Tuyen Phuong 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to fill a conceptual gap in the understanding of rapidly changing characteristics of local risk, addressing how the notion of the local might be reframed, and how opportunities for multi-scale interventions for disaster risk reduction might be identified.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper illustrates the significance of the systems and services on which urbanization depends – water, food, energy, transport and communications – to consider the cascading impacts at multiple scales often beyond the administrative boundaries of cities, and how vulnerabilities and risks are distributed unevenly across different groups of people.

Findings
– The process of rapid urbanization in the Mekong Region represents a fundamental transformation of ecological landscapes, resource flows, livelihoods and demographics. In addition to the location of urbanization, it is these transformative processes and the critical dependence on inter-linked systems that shape the overall picture of urban disaster and climate vulnerability.

Research limitations/implications
– By drawing on research and practical experience in two of the most rapidly urbanizing countries in the world, Thailand and Vietnam, the approach and findings have implications for understanding global patterns of urbanization.

Practical implications
– The paper contributes to considering practical actions whether in terms of policy or project implementation for both the assessment of disaster and climate risk, and for actions to reduce vulnerability and promote resilience.

Social implications
– The paper draws largely from social science perspectives, highlighting the dynamism of social organization in urbanizing contexts, and the implications for risk and vulnerability.

Originality/value
– The paper draws on original research in Thailand and Vietnam that takes urbanization as the starting point for assessing vulnerability and risk.
Improving the social performance of flash flood early warnings using mobile services
Authors: Cumiskey Lydia , Werner Micha , Meijer Karen , Fakhruddin S.H.M. , Hassan Ahmadul 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this study is to provide recommendations for improving the social performance of warnings using mobile services in flash flood prone communities. A warning cannot be considered effective until it is received, understood and responded to by those at risk. This is defined as the social performance of warning communication techniques. Mobile services offer opportunities for improving this, particularly in Bangladesh, but have been underutilised. In this research, characteristics of the warning, mobile services and community are found to influence the social performance.Design/methodology/approach– A framework on the factors affecting the social performance was developed and applied using data collected through interviews at the national and regional level along with focus-group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews at the local level in the Sunamganj District, Bangladesh.Findings– The study demonstrated that mobile services are the preferred means of warning communication. Communities strongly preferred voice short messaging service (SMS) and interactive voice response (IVR) because of easier accessibility and understanding of the message. Text-based services [SMS and cell broadcasting service (CBS)] were still found to be acceptable. These should be simple, use symbols and refer to additional sources of information. Further recommendations include mixing push (e.g. SMS and CBS) and pull-based (e.g. IVR) mobile services, utilising local social networks, decentralising the dissemination process and raising awareness.Research limitations/implications– A limited sample of interviews and FGDs were used.Practical implications– Concrete recommendations are made for overcoming obstacles related to the effective use of mobiles services.Social implications– The suggestions made can contribute to improving the social performance of flood early warning communication.Originality/value– The conceptualisation of mobile services’ contribution to social performance of flood warning and field-level application.
The role of individual adaptive practices for sustainable adaptation
Authors: Wamsler Christine , Brink Ebba 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to investigate the strategies used by Swedish citizens to adapt to changing climate variability and extremes. There is an increasing consensus that individual adaptive capacities are critical to successfully adapt to climate change and achieve sustainable development. However, little is known about individual adaptive practices, particularly in developed countries.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study covered a variety of geographical areas and included single-case studies of specific locations, cross-case studies and country-wide studies. Data were collected through literature review, interviews with at-risk people, observation and group discussions with municipal staff.

Findings
– The paper provides an overview of Swedish citizens’ adaptive practices and highlights how institutional development efforts affect individuals and their activities, including the equitable distribution of adaptation needs and resources. The paper concludes that individual adaptive capacities do not necessarily translate into adaptation.

Practical implications
– The results show that planned interventions are required. They emphasise the importance of more people-oriented adaptation planning that fosters the sustainable transformation of cities, together with the role that South-North knowledge transfer can play in this context.

Originality/value
– The paper offers critical insights into the positive and negative effects of citizens’ adaptation strategies (based on criteria such as effectiveness, sustainability and equity), and it discusses their relevance in the formulation of development policies and programmes.
Transportation sustainability on a university campus
Authors: Kaplan David H. 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to show the present level of sustainable transportation, mainly walking and bicycling, on a large campus in the US Midwest and then analyzes some of the opportunities and impediments in increasing the modal share.Design/methodology/approach– Three types of analysis are used. First, current level of walking and bicycling around the campus are measured during select mornings and afternoons. Second, a survey questionnaire completed by 668 students is tabulated and reported. Third, the campus and environs are inventoried to note those aspects of infrastructure which either facilitate or block walking or cycling.Findings– This paper records generally low existing levels of sustainable transportation among students around a campus. There is a particularly low level of bicycling activity. Reasons have to do with time and convenience (especially among students who work), but also that many students do not enjoy bicycle access. Finally, student attitudes and an inventory of campus indicate that existing infrastructure discourages sustainable transportation activity around campus.Research limitations/implications– This may be biased towards specific circumstances in the one institution we studied. However, there are several important implications on the factors spurring or impeding walking and bicycling which may be applied to other campus communities.Practical implications– Understanding the campus impediments to walking and bicycling may help universities design more attractive and useful facilities.Social implications– Great attention to bicycling and walking can improve the social environment on campus, as well as spur greater health among students and staff.Originality/value– Several methods of measuring existing transportation patterns are applied, canvassing student attitudes towards sustainable transportation and then inventorying and mapping those campus features which could affect walking and bicycling activity.
An exploratory study of sustainable development at Italian universities
Authors: Vagnoni Emidia , Cavicchi Caterina 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to outline the current status of the implementation of sustainability practices in the context of Italian public universities, highlighting the strengths and gaps.Design/methodology/approach– Based on a qualitative approach, an exploratory study design has been outlined using the model of Glavič and Lukman (2007) focusing on the Deming Cycle. The Plan–Do–Check–Act components of the model were used as a framework for collecting and analyzing data from the official Web sites and other related Web pages of Italian universities.Findings– The results of this exploratory study allow one to depict a university system addressing the challenge posed by international agendas in a fragmented way, even if many universities are showing a strong commitment to the sustainability challenge. Sustainability is mainly detected at the “Do” dimension, when referring to training programs and research projects associated to the sustainability issue.Research limitations/implications– Limitations of the data collection method are addressed when the timeliness of update of Web sources and the different emphases that universities can put on Internet disclosure are considered. However, the study contributes to the debate on sustainability by providing findings at a national level, which were derived from the official Web sites of Italian public universities. Furthermore, the study could have implications for policy makers and universities’ decision makers.Practical implications– The study points out the importance of managing the sustainability process in all its phases (planning, activities, monitoring, further actions), and highlights the elements that are relevant for measuring and monitoring the process of implementation of sustainability in the specific context of higher education.Social implications– The paper can contribute to increase the academics’ awareness of the sustainability actions, and stimulate them to fill the gaps.Originality/value– This study explores sustainability issue in the Italian university system, and it is based on a Web-based method of data collection, whereas other contributions are based on case studies.
Assessing students’ motivation to engage in sustainable engineering
Authors: McCormick Mary , Bielefeldt Angela R. , Swan Christopher W. , Paterson Kurtis G. 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this study was to design an assessment instrument to evaluate students’ attitudes toward sustainable engineering (SE). Factors that impact SE beliefs could then be explored.

Design/methodology/approach
– Using the definition of sustainability from the Brundtland report and expectancy value theory, students’ sentiment toward SE was evaluated using items to assess SE self-efficacy, SE value and SE affect. The survey was distributed at three diverse universities with 515 responses from students ranging from first year through graduate studies in a variety of engineering majors. The survey instrument was validated using principal components analysis, and internal reliability was established via high Cronbach’s alpha for each construct.

Findings
– Participation in more experiential, enriching learning experiences correlated to higher SE self-efficacy, value and affect. Extracurricular club involvement correlated with a lower self-efficacy but high SE value. Students who had participated in undergraduate research had a high SE self-efficacy, particularly in the environmental and social sub-scales. The students who participated in internships had high SE self-efficacy but lower SE affect. A greater number of volunteer hours correlated with increased SE affect. Female students possessed higher SE value and affect than male students, but self-efficacy was not significantly different. SE self-efficacy increased with academic rank.

Originality/value
– This is the first effort to measure engineering students’ attitudes toward SE using the three sub-scales of expectancy value theory and assessing correlations in these attributes with students’ participation in various learning experiences.
Reviewing the incidence and status of sustainability in degree programmes at Plymouth University
Authors: Wyness Lynne , Sterling Stephen 
Published: February 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to present an overview of the design and implementation of a curriculum review undertaken at Plymouth University, UK, to gauge the incidence and status of sustainability in degree programmes across the curriculum. The paper outlines the methodological approach taken, reviews findings and summarises the effects and limitations of the exercise.Design/methodology/approach– Rather than creating a criteria-based auditing tool, which might have been interpreted by academics as top-down evaluation of practice, emphasis was placed on self-evaluation of how the degree programmes were implementing sustainability in a number of broad areas, such as curriculum content, pedagogical approaches and student engagement. A review tool was created and distributed to all undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes in the four campus-based faculties in the university. In particular, the review was designed to contribute the institutional annual submissions to the Learning in Future Environments index.Findings– The paper discusses findings in some key areas relating to curriculum content, pedagogical approaches, partnerships and student engagement. Some of the obstacles and limitations identified by programme leaders in implementing education for sustainable development are discussed and areas of future consideration are included.Originality/value– The review contributes to the limited national and international examples available of institution-wide curriculum reviews in the arena of education for sustainable development. The discussion of the problems, benefits and implications will be of value to other higher education institutions considering undertaking their own curriculum review.
The role of the document delivery service at an evolving research library in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Vijayakumar J. K. , Al Barayyan Faten 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– This purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the document delivery service according to user perception, and a usage analysis was done to inform collection building and refining. This is especially important in a high-calibre research community, where the usage, interests and research groups and disciplines are still evolving.

Design/methodology/approach
– To collect the responses of document delivery service users, an online questionnaire was used with 12 multiple-choice questions and two open-ended questions. The questionnaires were sent only to the users of this service, and the responses were collected anonymously. Two surveys were conducted, in 2010 and 2013, with the same questions. The responses are displayed graphically prepared to compare the results. There were 71 responses in 2010 and 95 in 2013.

Findings
– In both surveys, the majority of users rated the service, staff behaviour, speed, quality, etc. with a high satisfaction level. Document delivery order statistics are a major decision-making tool, in addition to usage analysis, for developing a better, economical and highly utilized collection in brand new libraries.

Originality/value
– This is the first published study of user perception of document delivery in Saudi Arabia.
Standing strong in the winds of change: an analysis of a Document Delivery Service in South Korea
Authors: Oh Jung Sun , Lee Ji Won 
Published: February 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to review the evolution of a nation-wide Document Delivery Service in Korea over the past decade, focusing on how the service has been reconfigured to sustain and fortify its position as a central channel for accessing information in the era of abundant digital resources.

Design/methodology/approach
– The impacts of policy changes and technical improvements introduced incrementally over the years on the advance of the service are analyzed. The overall statistics over the period of 14 years are first presented to show the changing trends of the service, and the transaction log of the period of nine years is analyzed in detail to examine the impact of policy implementation and technical advancement on the quantity and quality of the service.

Findings
– The transaction log analysis has uncovered the two main themes or directions of changes that have contributed to its robustness. First, changes introduced to streamline the service process both on the request end (unmediated requests) and on the delivery end (electronic delivery) have brought a sizable improvement on the speed of the service. Second, efforts to incorporate various resource-sharing activities into a unified service framework have led to an enhanced efficiency of the service as well as an increase in volume.

Originality/value
– The empirical data demonstrating how managerial and technological changes have contributed to sustain the value of the service can be valuable benchmarking data for other services facing the same challenges.