Investigating the Relationship between Users' Behavioral Intentions and Learning Effects of VR System for Sustainable Tourism Development

Macao is a tourist city. It is home to the Ruins of Saint Paul's, a unique 100-year-old landmark, which is still standing with manual maintenance, even after three fires and reconstruction events. Therefore, the continuous preservation of its culture, heritage education, and construction are important issues for Macao. With the development of digital technology in recent years, users can quickly search historical sites and save two-dimensional and three-dimensional images and videos through smartphones. These methods also enhance the communication power of culture. Virtual browsing on a smartphone requires computing power and storage space;yet, virtual reality devices are not widely used. Therefore, augmented reality and virtual reality are rarely used simultaneously for three-dimensional interactive guided tours and operation experiences on the same theme. However, by quickly creating virtual reality scenarios and preserving historical sites on mobile devices, 4DAGE's 4DKanKan technology can provide augmented reality and metaverse virtual reality experiences. 4DKanKan can also integrate mobile guides and navigation software to connect mobile devices and assist in cultural inheritance and conduct sustainable education. This research linked this technology to the web by incorporating augmented reality and virtual reality technology to make designs and discussed the influences among service design, behavioral intentions, and learning effects. We collated and analyzed relevant data and text materials through systematic testing, observation, operation processes, and semi-structured interviews. The PLS multigroup structural model was used to explore and analyze the degree of influence and explanatory power of system quality, information quality, behavioral intention, and learning effects among themselves. The results of this study show that most users accepted the proposed innovative mode of operation and found it to be interesting and fun. Augmented reality is not limited by space or time;however, virtual reality devices taking too long to operate, switching too frequently, and having too many functional interfaces can cause operational problems. This study identified and modified the influencing factors and problems of the proposed system, with the aim of continuing to expand the applications of 4DKanKan to other cultural attractions or museums in the future. In addition, the research results can provide a reference for the sustainable development of related cultural sites.

Suboptimal health status, COVID-19 psychology, and cultural value impact on post-pandemic outbound travel

Suboptimal health has become a core public health challenge, especially during the pandemic. This study adopts an interdisciplinary perspective to examine the relationships between suboptimal health status, COVID-19 fear and stress, cultural values, and outbound travel. A theoretical model was evaluated using data from 800 Beijing residents, 439 of whom were in suboptimal health. Four dimensions of suboptimal health (fatigue, mental status, immune system, and cardiovascular system) significantly affected COVID-19 stress and fear. Post-pandemic travel intention was positively related to fatigue symptoms and leisure and life enjoyment but negatively associated with COVID-19 stress. Suggestions for highlighting travellers' health status and promoting holistic health through post-pandemic travel are provided. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Consumers' Continued Intention to Use Online-to-Offline (O2O) Services in Omnichannel Retail: Differences between To-Shop and To-Home Models

Online-to-offline (O2O) commerce is a specific form of omnichannel retailing, wherein consumers search and purchase online and then consume offline. There are many different O2O models, and new O2O businesses are emerging during the COVID-19 pandemic;they can be cate-gorized into two types of O2O services: to-shop and to-home. However, few studies have focused on consumer behavior in a comprehensive O2O scenario, and no study has attempted to compare the differences between to-shop and to-home consumers. Therefore, this study aimed to propose a universal model to predict consumers' continued intention to use O2O services and to compare the differences between to-shop and to-home O2O in terms of factors influencing consumer behavior. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, and the PLS-SEM was used for data analysis. The basic SEM results indicated that habit, performance expectancy, confirmation, and offline facilitating conditions are the main predictors. The multigroup analysis showed differences between to-shop and to-home consumers regarding hedonic motivation, price value, and perceived risk. The study suggests that marketers and designers in various O2O scenarios can use the framework to build their business plans and develop different marketing strategies or sub-platforms for to-shop and to-home consumers. © 2023 by the authors.

Airline brand image, passenger perceived value and loyalty towards full-service and low-cost carriers

Purpose: This study aims to examine the mediating and moderating processes that link airline brand image to passenger loyalty through perceived value. Design/methodology/approach: The research participants were Taiwanese passengers with experience travelling abroad by air. Structural equation modelling and multigroup analysis were used to investigate the effect of airline brand image and perceived value on the loyalty of passengers using full-service and low-cost carriers. Findings: For both airline types, airline brand image had a significant and positive effect on passenger perceived value. Perceived value had a significant and positive effect on passenger loyalty, perceived value was a crucial mediator and airline type was not a key moderator in the model. Originality/value: In this study, focusing on the perspective of Taiwanese passengers, a conceptual model of the factors that lead to passenger loyalty, with a focus on brand image, was developed. This paper contributes to the literature and application field by examining the mediating effect of perceived value and the moderating role of airline type in the aviation industry;on the basis of the results, potential recovery strategies for airlines in the post-COVID-19 era are provided. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Influencing factors of urban residents' willingness to classify waste during COVID-19: The case of Hangzhou.

During COVID-19, the urban environment has faced more challenges, and household waste classification has become increasingly important. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this paper studies the key influencing factors and influence paths of urban residents' willingness to perform waste classification using a structural equation model. Based on the timing of two questionnaires, one before and one after the COVID-19 outbreak, we apply multigroup analysis to test the moderating role of the pandemic. We find that 1) social norms are the primary factor that directly affects residents' willingness to classify waste, followed by perceived behavior costs and behavior attitude. All factors show a positive effect, except for perceived behavior costs. We also find that 2) the results of multigroup analysis indicate that before and after the epidemic there are significant differences in the effect from three influencing paths, which verifies that during the epidemic, the influence paths of behavior attitude and perceived behavior costs on waste classification willingness have been strengthened, but the influence from social norms is weakened. Finally, we suggest that the government should keep playing an important role in waste classification in terms of promotion, reward and penalty, as well as improvement in laws, rules and waste classification facilities.

Effects of Destination-Language Proficiency on Tourists' Behavioral Intentions: The Case of Young Chinese Travelers

Language barriers have always been considered as constraints on tourists' intentions to visit an overseas destination. However, little research has focused on how learning the destination language could affect tourists' behavioral intentions. This study attempts to fill this gap by analyzing the moderating effect of Spanish language proficiency on young Chinese travelers' intentions to visit Spain. A quantitative research method was adopted involving data collection through a structured questionnaire survey. A total of 642 Chinese university students were used as the sample in this study. The relationships between motivation, perceived cultural distance, destination image, and future behavioral intention were examined using the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis. The moderating effects of Spanish-language proficiency on these relationships were tested through MICOM and multi-group PLS-SEM analysis. The results show that Spanish-language proficiency could moderate four hypothesized relationships in the model. Hence, this study contributes to tourism literature by highlighting the role of potential tourists' destination-language proficiency on their future behavioral intentions. Additionally, practical implications are also provided for DMOs to attract more Chinese young travelers in the recovery process from COVID-19.

Dispositional Resilience as Mediator in Psychological Stress on Healthcare Workers: A Multi-Group Analysis of Frontline and Non-Frontline Workers.

The experiences of healthcare workers (HCWs) during COVID-19 have been characterized by psychological symptoms such as stress, anxiety and depression, compassion fatigue and post-traumatic stress, which are long-lasting. The general picture of HCWs, especially frontline workers, is that of a physically and psychologically exhausted group. The aim of the study was to examine the potential mediating role of dispositional resilience in the impact of depression, anxiety and stress on professional quality of life among HCWs during the pandemic period. We also investigated possible differences between the frontline and non-frontline HCWs. The study enrolled 487 participants from public Italian hospitals. The variables of stress and anxiety predicted all factors related to professional quality of life, against depression which positively predicted only burnout and secondary traumatic Stress. Resilience was an important mediator in all these paths and the multigroup analysis suggested statistically significant differences between frontline and non-frontline HCWs. Results emphasised the importance of caring and concern for frontline HCWs to improve their quality of life, satisfaction and have positive impacts on the quality of service and care provided. There is a need to reflect on the necessity to develop projects and protocols that address health emergencies in advance.

Social Axioms and Fear of COVID-19: a Multigroup Analysis of the Relationship among Student Youth of the three Countries

Objective. In our study we implemented analysis of the COVID-19 fear, the hierarchy of social axioms and the equivalence of the relationships between fear of COVID-19 and social axioms among students-millennials, citizens of post-Soviet States with different strategies for dealing with the pandemic. Background. The risk of being traumatized by fear of COVID-19 requires monitoring of this fear manifestation among different socio-demographic groups. It is additionally important to identify the psychological factors that reduce fear. Study design. Empirical data were collected through the online survey from January 2021 to April 2021. The data were processed using Mann-Whitney U-criterion as well as multigroup structural equation modeling (MGSEM). Participants. Russian-speaking university students aged 18 to 25 participated in the study. They were citizens of Belarus (208 respondents, 25% men), Kazakhstan (200 respondents, 26% men) and Russia (250 respondents, 25% men). Measurements. The online questionnaire included the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-195), tested on the Russian-language sample by A. Reznik with colleagues, and the "Social Axiom Questionnaire" (QSA-31), developed and tested by A.N. Tatarko and N.M. Lebedeva. Moreover, the online questionnaire included questions about socio-demographic characteristics. Results. The study showed that the fear of COVID-19 is higher among Kazakhstanians and Belarusians than among Russians. Students of these countries have the same hierarchical structure of social axioms. Additionally they have the positive relationship of the COVID-19 fear to the social axiom "fate control" and the negative relationship of the COVID-19 fear to the social axiom "social complexity". Conclusions. Fear of COVID -19 is more prevalent among young people in countries with the weakest and most severe restrictive measures during the pandemic. Students-millennials are more focused on the axioms "reward for application" and "social complexity" than on the axioms "social cynicism", "religiosity" and "fate control". The belief in the complexity of the social world and the denial of total fate control over human life can be psychological resources of COVID-19 fear preventing among youth.

Gender Role Concerning Trust of the Public Sector to Awareness of the Covid-19: A Multigroup Analysis

This study was based on good governance theory, which considers the importance of citizens' trust in government in multiple contexts, including the public health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Various studies have been conducted to determine the factors that influence people's behavior in times of contagion. This study looked at how citizens' risk perceptions of being infected and trust in government influenced their behavior. Additionally, gender role was assessed to see if it shaped behavioral changes. Data was collected from 505 respondents by a river sampling technique and analyzed using SmartPLS 3.0 software. The study found that the onset of coronavirus had a significant impact on citizens' risk perceptions of being infected, change of behaviors, and trust in government. Moreover, it was revealed that females were more conscious of the infection risks associated with the pandemic and, as such, behaved responsibly than their male counterparts. This study adds to the existing body of literature that government decisions in the best interests of citizens can help foster trust among citizens throughout a crisis.

For free or paid? A comparison of doctors' intention to offer consulting services in eHealth

Purpose Considering both online and offline service scenarios, this study aims to explore the factors affecting doctors' intention to offer consulting services in eHealth and compare the factors between the free- and paid-service doctors. The theory of reasoned action and social exchange theory are integrated to develop the research model that conceptualizes the role of extrinsic motivations, intrinsic motivations, costs, and attitudes in doctors' behavioral intentions. Design/methodology/approach Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was leveraged to analyze 326 valid sample data. To provide robust results, three non-parametric multigroup analysis (MGA) methods, including the PLS-MGA, confidence set, and permutation test approaches, were applied to detect the potential heterogeneity between the free- and paid-service doctors. Findings The results with overall samples reveal that anticipated rewards, anticipated associations, anticipated contribution, and perceived fee are all positively related to attitude, which in turn positively influences behavioral intention, and that perceived fee positively moderates the relationship between attitude and behavioral intention. Attitude's full mediation is also confirmed. However, results vary between the two groups of doctors. The three MGA approaches return relatively convergent results, indicating that the effects of anticipated associations and perceived fee on attitude are significantly larger for the paid-service doctors, while that of anticipated rewards is found to be significantly larger for the free-service doctors. Originality/value eHealth, as a potential contactless alternative to face-to-face diagnoses, has recently attracted widespread attention, especially during the continued spread of COVID-19. Most existing studies have neglected the underlying heterogeneity between free- and paid-service doctors regarding their motivations to engage in online healthcare activities. This study advances the understanding of doctors' participation in eHealth by emphasizing their motivations derived from both online and offline service scenarios and comparing the differences between free- and paid-service doctors. Besides, horizontally comparing the results by applying diverse MGA approaches enriches empirical evidence for the selection of MGA approaches in PLS-SEM.

Operating, financial and investment impacts of Covid-19 in SMEs: Public policy demands to sustainable recovery considering the economic sector moderating effect.

Currently, many institutions and academics are working to establish strategies of economic recovery with the aim of mitigating the short- and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. The main aim of this study is to analyze how this crisis has impacted Spanish SMEs, considering their operating, financial, and investment activities. We also analyze the initiatives or public policies that SME managers consider necessary in order to face the effects of COVID-19. To do this, an empirical study has been carried out based on information from 612 Spanish SMEs, estimating a PLS research model and multigroup analysis that considers the activity sector as a moderating variable. The results are useful to companies and different economic and social agents, providing information to facilitate decision-making to overcome pandemic crisis mainly in the economic and strategic spheres.

Global validation of the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS).

The five-item Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) was found to be a useful and valid mental health screener. Participants in the respective surveys were mostly from single countries such as the US, Turkey, Mexico, or Brazil. However, a cross-cultural re-examination is lacking. This study fills this gap. In several multigroup confirmatory factor analyses with 25 countries from five continents as groups, sex and age as groups, and different stages of concern with COVID-19 infection, CAS was found to be invariant across all groups; this indicates that CAS is appropriate for meaningfully comparing the results across different groups. On a global basis, Coronavirus anxiety did not differ between female and male participants. Regarding age, however, younger individuals suffered more from anxiety of the pandemic. Individualistic cultures and those with low power distance such as in the Western hemisphere had higher COVID-19 anxiety. CAS values were also higher for those individuals who had been infected by COVID-19, those whose relatives had been infected, and those who experienced COVID-19-related death in the family. Overall, CAS is a parsimonious, valid, and reliable mental health screener on a global basis.

The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21: Development and Validation of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 8-Item in Psychiatric Patients and the General Public for Easier Mental Health Measurement in a Post COVID-19 World.

Despite extensive investigations of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) since its development in 1995, its factor structure and other psychometric properties still need to be firmly established, with several calls for revising its item structure. Employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), this study examined the factor structure of the DASS-21 and five shortened versions of the DASS-21 among psychiatric patients (N = 168) and the general public (N = 992) during the COVID-19 confinement period in Saudi Arabia. Multigroup CFA, Mann Whitney W test, Spearman's correlation, and coefficient alpha were used to examine the shortened versions of the DASS-21 (DASS-13, DASS-12, DASS-9 (two versions), and DASS-8) for invariance across age and gender groups, discriminant validity, predictive validity, item coverage, and internal consistency, respectively. Compared with the DASS-21, all three-factor structures of the shortened versions expressed good fit, with the DASS-8 demonstrating the best fit and highest item loadings on the corresponding factors in both samples (χ2(16, 15) = 16.5, 67.0; p = 0.420, 0.001; CFI = 1.000, 0.998; TLI = 0.999, 0.997; RMSEA = 0.013, 0.059, SRMR = 0.0186, 0.0203). The DASS-8 expressed configural, metric, and scalar invariance across age and gender groups. Its internal consistency was comparable to other versions (α = 0.94). Strong positive correlations of the DASS-8 and its subscales with the DASS-21 and its subscales (r = 0.97 to 0.81) suggest adequate item coverage and good predictive validity of this version. The DASS-8 and its subscales distinguished the clinical sample from the general public at the same level of significance expressed by the DASS-21 and other shortened versions, supporting its discriminant validity. Neither the DASS-21 nor the shortened versions distinguished patients diagnosed with depression and anxiety from each other or from other psychiatric conditions. The DASS-8 represents a valid short version of the DASS-21, which may be useful in research and clinical practice for quick identification of individuals with potential psychopathologies. Diagnosing depression/anxiety disorders may be further confirmed in a next step by clinician-facilitated examinations. Brevity of the DASS-21 would save time and effort used for filling the questionnaire and support comprehensive assessments by allowing the inclusion of more measures on test batteries.

An Italian Adaptation of the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) and Attitudes During the Covid-19 Outbreak.

Resilience has attracted the interest of the scientific community during the Covid-19 outbreak, as a protective factor in mental health. As the migrant population arguably has one of the most vulnerable profiles in the current health crisis, the aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) across native and migrant residents in Italy, and to compare scores across these two populations. Other personal attitudes to the current restrictions were considered. Preliminary psychometrics were tested in a version of the translated instrument with an independent sample. A second independent sample was used to analyse the differences between migrant and native adults. The results showed no differences between the new version and the previous Spanish adaptation or the original instrument. Moreover, no differences were found between the migrant and non-migrant group. BRCS scores were predicted by attitudes toward Covid-19 but not by migrant or native group. These results suggest that the BRCS may be a useful tool to measure resilience in Italy at time of pandemic, irrespective of cultural differences.

A motivational standpoint of job insecurity effects on organizational citizenship behaviors: A generational study.

Our research reports an empirical analysis of a path model linking job insecurity to organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) via two mediators, that is, intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction. The aim is to evaluate the path model invariance across three generational cohorts, that is, generation X, generation Y, and generation Z. A sample of employees in service companies based in Canada was surveyed. We utilized a partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach, which included path analysis and multi-group analysis (MGA) to test proposed hypotheses. We found that job insecurity negatively predicted intrinsic motivation which positively related to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction influenced OCBs positively. Both intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction mediated the indirect effects of job insecurity onto OCBs. Generation X was more pronounced in their reaction to job insecurity than later generations given the strong negative effects on intrinsic motivation and hence on their job. However, generation Z employees followed their parents from generation X regarding engaging more in OCBs when they are satisfied with their job than generation Y. In general, therefore, it should come as no surprise that generation X employees' OCBs can be expected to plummet due to the elevated levels of job insecurity during pandemic times (e.g., COVID-19) more intensely than Generation Y. Clearly, with COVID-19 having led many organizations around the world to adopt virtual workplace environments, generational differences amongst employees have to be considered as a matter of crucial concern for these organizations.