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Unlocking online product return behaviour: the influence of product attributes on customer interaction styles
Get PDFPurpose – Despite growing research on online product return behaviour (OPRB), customer behaviour remains complex and unpredictable. Some customers return products assertively with clear complaints, while others exhibit hesitation and silent dissatisfaction. This study distinguishes between assertive and non-assertive returners and examines the intrinsic (e.g. performance and reliability) and extrinsic (e.g. warranty and product information mismatch) product attributes influencing their behaviours. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on a large, global dataset of Amazon customer reviews – a reliable source of customer perceived insights – we employ Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modelling and (semi)-unsupervised machine learning models (e.g. gradient boosting and self-training) to analyse these reviews. These methods allow us to uncover behavioural patterns and explore the key product characteristics influencing OPRB. Findings – We find that intrinsic attributes (performance and reliability), extrinsic attributes (warranty), high price and sales rank are key drivers of assertive OPRB. Durability has a heterogeneous effect, while low price and information mismatch are linked to non-assertive OPRB. Additionally, assertive OPRB can be triggered by joint effects between two product attributes. Practical implications – The findings provide manufacturers with insights to prioritise quality issues in design and production, while e-commerce managers and operations professionals can manage returns more strategically and better address customer dissatisfaction. Originality/value – This study contributes to attribution, prospect and planned behaviour theories by explaining how intrinsic and extrinsic attributes cause differences in assertive vs non-assertive OPRB, emphasising the role of customer feedback in product development and operational optimisation
Squeeze the pain away: using a wireless ball to measure efforts to reduce other’s pain expressions in VR
Get PDFVirtual reality has often been used as a tool to study empathy. However, few studies have explored users’ willingness to make physical effort to actively reduce others’ pain. We developed a pipeline that integrates a wireless stress ball into a VR environment. This device measures continuous grip force, enabling participants to adjust a virtual character’s pain expressions through squeezing: the harder they squeeze, the less intense the pain expressions become in real-time. This shifts the participants’ focus from passive observation to active participation. Our results indicated that participants were highly motivated to use the ball to reduce virtual characters’ pain and showed particularly high use of effort in the first 10 seconds of a 15-second trial. Eye-tracking data revealed that participants focused primarily on pain-related facial features, consistent with previous pain decoding studies. Our effort-based approach offers a novel method to study pain perception
Integrating personalised learning in a School of Design: the role of practice-based research, emerging technologies, and interdisciplinary collaboration
Get PDFThe chapter explores the integration of personalised learning within a school of design, presenting the insights drawn from the trajectories of the two Master's programmes within the design portfolio: the long-standing MA Web Design & Content Planning and the transitioning MA Design. By discussing the pedagogical frameworks of the two programmes, the focus is put on the ways in which personalised learning strategies can cater for a diverse student body, leveraging technological advancements and inclusive practices. Personalised learning is seen, here, as a vital approach for preparing students for the real world in the post-digital era, equipping them with transferable skills in the constantly evolving interdisciplinary landscape of the creative industries. The chapter further underlines the need for embedding research-driven practices into art and design education, thus ensuring its continuous relevance and adequate responsiveness to both market demands and academic developments
Navigating groundlessness: an interview study on dealing with ontological shock and existential distress following psychedelic experiences
Get PDFPsychedelic induced mystical experiences have been largely assumed to drive the therapeutic effects of these substances, which may in part be mediated by changes in metaphysical beliefs. However, there is growing evidence that psychedelic experiences can also trigger long lasting distress. Studies of persisting difficulties suggest a high prevalence of ontological challenges (related to the way people understand reality and existence). We conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 people who reported experiencing existential distress following psychedelic experiences. We explored the phenomenology of participants’ difficulties and the ways they navigated them, including what they found helpful and unhelpful in their process. Thematic anal- ysis revealed that participants experienced persistent existential struggle, marked by confusion about their existence and purpose and preoccupation with meaning- making. Along with cognitive difficulties stemming from the ungrounding of their prior frameworks for understanding, participants’ ontologically challenging experiences also had significant emotional, social, bodily and other functional impact. Participants managed to alleviate their distress primarily through ‘grounding’: practices of embodiment and the social and cognitive normalisation of their experience. Our findings suggest that psychedelic experiences act as pivotal mental states that can facilitate transformative learning processes, challenging and expanding the ways individuals make meaning. This research contributes to the growing field of psychedelic integration by exploring the complex pathways through which people re-establish coherence and grow following ontologically challenging psychedelic experiences
Foreign institutional investors and share pledging: evidence from China's stock market openness reform
No full textThis study explores the governing influence of foreign institutional investors (FIIs) on controlling shareholders' share pledging activities. The Shanghai–Hong Kong and the Shenzhen–Hong Kong Stock Connect programs represent exogenous shocks to Chinese stock market openness by introducing FIIs. Using a staggered difference-in-differences research design, our results demonstrate that stock market openness caused controlling shareholders at connected firms to be less likely to pledge shares and more likely to inject funds from pledging back into the underlying firm compared with controlling shareholders at unconnected firms. Additional analyses validate our conjecture that the monitoring role of FIIs diminishes connected firms' agency problems. Furthermore, the effects of stock market openness are more significant for nonstate-owned enterprises and firms in regions with strong institutional environments. The results of this study imply that FIIs can act as an effective governance mechanism in emerging markets to improve stock market integrity and protect minority investors
Using drama-based approaches with Technology Enhanced Active Learning (TEAL) classroom to enhance undergraduate students’ engagement and learning
Get PDFThis opinion piece explores the integration of drama-based approaches with technology-enhanced active learning (TEAL) to enhance students’ engagement and learning experiences in higher education. Drama-based pedagogy encourages active participation, collaboration and creativity and in the two examples of teaching practice covered, we argue that drama-based approaches align well with the interactive and student-centred environment fostered by TEAL. The TEAL model combines digital tools, flexible classroom layouts and group work to promote collaborative learning and reflective thinking. By incorporating drama-based techniques such as role play, improvisation and simulations in higher education teaching, students can engage more fully with course content, experience diverse perspectives and develop a stronger connection to the material.
We argue that this approach not only fosters engagement but also enhances communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills, which are essential competencies for the modern workforce. Moreover, the combination of TEAL and drama creates a dynamic and immersive learning environment, making abstract or challenging concepts more accessible
Community-led intensive trapping reduces abundance of key plague reservoir and flea vector
Get PDFBackground
Zoonotic pathogens transmitted by rodents are highly prevalent in low-middle income countries and effective control measures that are easily implemented are urgently needed. Whilst rodent control seems sensible as a mitigation strategy, there is a risk that disease prevalence in reservoir populations can increase following control due to impacts on movement and demographics. Additionally, removing rodents from the population does not necessarily lead to reductions in abundance as populations can compensate for removal through increased breeding and immigration. In a previous study of intermittent control within houses, we showed that reduction in rodent abundance was only very short-term. Working in rural settings within the plague-endemic area of Madagascar, this study explores whether community-led daily intensive rodent trapping within houses can effectively reduce long-term rodent and flea abundance.
Main text
A rodent management experiment was carried out in six rural villages of Madagascar during 2022–2023. Three villages were selected as intervention villages, where intensive daily rodent trapping inside houses was conducted. Surveillance of rodent and flea abundance using traps and tiles took place at 4-month intervals. We show that community-led intensive rodent trapping in rural Malagasy households effectively reduced abundance of the main rodent reservoir ( Rattus rattus ) and indoor flea vector ( Xenopsylla cheopis ) of plague. Importantly, indoor abundance of the outside flea vector ( Synopsyllus fonquerniei ) did not increase.
Conclusions
Community-based intensive rodent trapping inside houses is an effective methodology in controlling key reservoirs and vectors of plague, which can be implemented by the communities themselves. Co-ordinated and sustained rodent control should be considered as an important plague mitigation strategy
Whiteness at Work: Podcast
No full textIn this episode of the podcast, engages with and to explore the concept of whiteness, its implications in educational settings, and experiences with racism. They discuss the mechanisms to dismantle whiteness, the role of research in advocating for change, and the psychosocial costs of racism faced by staff in educational institutions. The conversation emphasises the importance of awareness, community empowerment, and the need for meaningful research that impacts society beyond academia. Dr. Claire Stewart-Hall and guests delve into the complexities of studying racism, allyship, and the psychosocial costs associated with these experiences. They discuss the importance of understanding the perspectives of both Black individuals and white allies in academia, the challenges of institutional racism, and the need for a shift in power dynamics to foster genuine change. The conversation highlights the ongoing struggle against institutional racism and the necessity of addressing whiteness in discussions about equity and inclusion
Reclaiming our roots in Higher Education: a call for policy development to address hair-based discrimination in UK educational institutions
Get PDFThis opinion piece uncovers the widespread issue of hair-based discrimination in UK higher education, showing how it disproportionately affects Black students and staff. As Academic Race Equity Leader at the University of Greenwich, Dr. Myrtle Emmanuel draws on her deep expertise in race-equality policy to demand comprehensive institutional reform. She pinpoints critical policy gaps, offers tailored recommendations for UK universities, and frames hair discrimination within the larger context of institutional racism and cultural identity. Emmanuel insists that explicit legal safeguards against hair-based bias are vital to achieving genuinely inclusive academic environments
Determinants of banks’ profitability: the case of constituents of the Euro STOXX banks index
Get PDFThe Euro STOXX banks index includes the largest European banks in terms of market capitalisation. The aim of this study is to investigate the determinants of their profitability over the period 2008-2022 by using linear regressions and dynamic panel data models. In accordance with relevant literature, accounting-based indicators are used in this study as internal determinants of banks' profitability, whereas industry- and macroeconomic-based indicators are used as external determinants. By measuring banks’ profitability via alternative indicators, such as return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and net interest margin (NIM), our empirical findings suggest that factors such as total assets and loan loss provisions have a more prominent effect on banks' profitability than other accounting-based indicators. An increase of bank credit risk, measured by the loans-to-assets ratio, is found to lower bank profitability. Furthermore, the effect of the capital-asset ratio on the banks' profitability indicates that over-capitalised banks may have ignored profitable investment opportunities. Managerial efficiency, measured by the cost-to-income ratio, is found to increase the banks' profitability. The robustness of our findings are then checked by using alternative measure of bank risk as well as competition. The sensitive analysis conforms the robustness of our findings
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