This study focused on sensory marketing that appeals to the five senses of coffee shop customers (“sight,” “smell,” “sound,” “taste,” and “touch”) to provide a sustainable growth model for the saturated coffee shop market. The study identified the relationships among coffee shops’ sensory marketing factors, the “PAD” emotions (pleasure, arousal, and dominance), flow, and behavioral intentions. It employed an online survey of coffee shop customers aged 20 years and older. A total of 608 surveys were used for the final analysis. The results showed that there are statistically meaningful relationships between “sight” and dominance, “sound” and arousal, “taste” and dominance, “taste” and arousal, “touch” and dominance, and “touch” and arousal. In addition, it was confirmed that there are significant relationships among the PAD emotions; pleasure also has positive effects on flow and behavioral intentions. Finally, this study found significant moderating effects of hedonic and utilitarian usage motivations on the hypothesized relationships. Based on our findings, several important academic and business implications are provided, which can contribute to the sustainability of coffee shops.

This study focuses on the attributes of serving robots, which include “anthropomorphism,” “animacy,” “likeability,” “intelligence,” and “safety,” and their effect on restaurant customers. The study aims to provide a sustainable development model for the restaurant business, which is suffering from a shortage of manpower. The study identifies the relationships among serving robots’ attributes, perceived benefits, perceived risks, perceived value, satisfaction, and revisit intention of customers. An online survey was conducted with customers, aged eighteen years or older, of restaurants that use serving robots. A total of 294 surveys were used for the final analysis. The results indicate that there are statistically significant relationships between “likeability” and perceived benefits, “intelligence” and perceived benefits, “safety” and perceived benefits, and “safety” and perceived risks. It also confirms that perceived benefits have a positive effect on perceived value, and perceived value has a positive effect on satisfaction and revisit intention. Moreover, satisfaction has a positive effect on revisit intention. Based on these findings, several meaningful theoretical and practical implications that can lead to the sustainability of restaurants are presented.

According to the survey conducted by AIAG in 1999, significant effects of QS-9000 certification included average cost savings of over 6%, a 38% improvement in defect rate and a 23% increase in market share on OEM. However, few manufacturers in semiconductor related industries in Taiwan have been QS-9000 certified to date. The major reason is there is not a complete and efficient set of implementation procedures for introducing QS-9000 and the certifying process. Consequently, methods of performance evaluation based on multiple goals and principles must be applied to assess the performance of the process of introducing QS-9000 to the Taiwanese semiconductor industry. First, the performance index and the performance matrix presented by Hung, Huang, and Chen are applied to assess the certifying importance and ease of implementation of each directive item (goal). Next, related correlation and weighted values among directives (objectives to be improved) of low importance and high easiness, and also of high importance and low easiness, are established using fuzzy measures. Finally, the directives to be improved (goals to be improved) are transformed to an overall performance value during the implementation process (strategy) by fuzzy integrals to define the critical implementation process (strategy) when QS-9000 is introduced to the semiconductor industry, and also to increase the timeliness of system introduction and certification. Management is expected to find the objectives and strategies to be improved related to the introduction of the QS-9000 system, and to certify this process through the complete assessment model presented here. Subsequently, the performance of introducing QS-9000 and certification may be increased after taking into consideration cost and time factors.

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Purpose Blockchain technology has created possibilities for environmental supply chain sustainability and climate protection. However, because of its early development stage, users tend to resist the adoption of this new technology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of resistance on blockchain adoption intentions in the context of the foodservice industry. This study further explores if public pressures and climate change awareness could possibly weaken the negative relationships between blockchain resistance and adoption intentions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from managers and full-time employees in the foodservice industry, using an online research panel survey. A structural equation model was developed and tested to examine the hypothesized relationships. Additionally, a multi-group analysis was performed to test the moderating roles of public pressures and climate change awareness. Findings The findings from this study confirmed that foodservice employees’ characteristics, including traditional barriers, and blockchain technology factors, like perceived risk, are both significant in forming resistance to blockchain. This study also demonstrated the significant roles of internal and external stakeholders in weakening the negative associations between blockchain resistance and adoption intentions. Research limitations/implications This study recommends that foodservice companies address how to reduce their employees’ negative perceptions about changes imposed by blockchain adoption. This study also suggests the joint consideration of the pressures from internal and external stakeholders to provide continued insights into developing environmental practices for the foodservice industry. Originality/value This study extends the theoretical underpinning of the innovation resistance theory by incorporating the stakeholder theory as a strong foundation for understanding how external pressures and internal awareness may influence foodservice employees’ responses to the implementation of blockchain technology to mitigate climate change.

“Ugly food” refers to agricultural products that are discarded because their appearance is not attractive, even though their nutritional content is unaffected. In this study, protection motivation theory (PMT) was applied to analyze whether an individual’s awareness of food waste problems affects their “ugly food” purchase intention. Hence, the relationships between awareness of food waste problems, threat appraisal (severity and vulnerability), coping appraisal (response efficacy and self-efficacy), and ugly food purchase intention were analyzed. Additionally, a moderating effect analysis was conducted per consumer age. Descriptive statistical analysis, frequency, and SPSS reliability analysis were used, including confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and multi-group analysis of the Amos program. For the final analysis, 361 samples were used. Results showed that awareness of food waste problems positively affected severity and vulnerability, response efficacy, and self-efficacy. Moreover, severity positively affected ugly food purchase intention and vulnerability did not. Response and self-efficacy positively affected ugly food purchase intention. In the moderating effect analysis per consumer age, the difference between severity and ugly food purchase intention and vulnerability and ugly food purchase intention was significant. This study has various academic and practical implications, and presents several strategies to reduce food waste to contribute to a sustainable future environment. It is also the first study linking the food waste problem, PMT, and ugly food purchase behavior.

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