Reciprocal intention in knowledge seeking: Examining social exchange theory in an online professional community

Perceived benefits, costs, and relationships on provincial doctors' inclination to participate in urban-rural medical consortia in Central China: a social exchange theory perspective

Objective

This study aims to investigate the perceived benefits, costs, and relationships that influence doctors' inclination to participate in urban-rural medical consortia (URMC). Furthermore, the study analyzes how perceived relationships moderate the impact of perceived benefits and costs on the inclination to take part in URMC.

Methods

The study was conducted between September 2022 and June 2023 utilizing an online survey in Henan Province, Central China, which included 749 respondents from provincial hospitals. Chi-square and hierarchical logistic regressions were used to determine the perceived factors of the participants' inclination.

Results

The study indicated that 85.4% doctors demonstrated a strong inclination to participate. Doctors who perceived significant financial benefits, non-financial benefits, and relationships had a high level of inclination to participate. Doctors who perceived high executive costs and technical costs were less likely to express a high level of inclination to participate. When doctors perceived a strong relationship, the influence of perceived non-financial benefits on their inclination to participate tended to be weaker.

Conclusion

This study enhances the understanding of physicians' motivations for participating in URMC and may inform program leadership and policymakers concerned with developing or enhancing rural medical services. It is essential for managers to enhance incentive mechanisms, strive to minimize both actual and perceived costs, and facilitate the establishment of high-quality professional relationships between provincial physicians and their counterparts in county-level healthcare institutions.

Drivers and Obstacles of Consumers' Continuous Participation Intention in Online Pre-Sales: Social Exchange Theory Perspective

This study focuses on the factors influencing consumers' continuous participation willingness in online pre-sale activities. Based on perceived value and social exchange theory, it analyzes how perceived benefits (including practical benefits, hedonic benefits, and social benefits) and perceived costs (including search costs, waiting costs, and adjustment costs) affect consumer satisfaction and their continuous participation intention in online pre-sales. A total of 527 valid questionnaires were collected, and structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The results indicate that perceived benefits are significantly positively correlated with consumer satisfaction and their willingness to continue participating, while perceived costs are significantly negatively correlated with both aspects. Additionally, the study found that product type moderates the effect of perceived benefits and perceived costs on consumer satisfaction. This research helps retailers understand consumers' willingness to continuously participate in online pre-sales and provides valuable insights for developing pre-sale strategies.

Mothers' Internet Journeys Through Social, Health Care, and Virtual Systems When Congenital Anomalies Are Diagnosed In Utero

OBJECTIVE

To examine mothers' internet usage, in conjunction with social, health care, and virtual peer support navigations, when congenital anomalies were diagnosed in utero.

DESIGN

Qualitative descriptive, consisting of semistructured interviews.

SETTING

Interview data were collected over Zoom; mothers participated from locations of their choosing.

PARTICIPANTS

Mothers of neonates discharged postoperatively from NICUs for uterine-diagnosed congenital anomalies. The sample was purposefully recruited from private Facebook groups for parents of children with congenital anomalies.

INTERVENTION/MEASUREMENTS

Analysis was done with deductive coding using concepts from the third iteration of the systems engineering initiative for patient safety theory. The a priori codes were health care, social, journey-benefit, journey-risk, task, and technology.

RESULTS

Twenty-two mothers signed up for an interview; 12 completed an interview, and 10 did not. The majority (n = 8, 66%) were White, had a bachelor's or graduate degree (n = 7, 58%) and were between 24 and 33 years of age (n = 8, 66%). Nine themes emerged: (a) Providers cautioned searching for diagnosis information but encouraged private Facebook groups for peer support, (b) Mothers' inquiries for their own care are lacking, (c) Search for information while recognizing parent-partner's coping differences, (d) Pace information from friends and family with patience and appreciation, (e) Manage inquiries from friends and family with group sharing, (f) Private Facebook groups provide a means of receiving and giving peer support, (g) Exposure to difficult stories on Facebook is a risk of stress, (h) Select a NICU, learn about their children's diagnoses, participate in virtual peer support, and (i) Device features frame search strategies.

CONCLUSION

Mothers reflected on the internet as a burden and a source of support in their health care journeys. The ubiquity of internet access calls for mothers to include in their health care journeys the complexities of managing time spent on the internet.

Research on the doctors' win in crowdsourcing competitions: perspectives on service content and competitive environment

Medical crowdsourcing competitions can help patients get more efficient and comprehensive treatment advice than "one-to-one" service, and doctors should be encouraged to actively participate. In the crowdsourcing competitions, winning the crowdsourcing competition is the driving force for doctors to continue to participate in the service. Therefore, how to improve the winning probability needs to be revealed. From the service content and competitive environment perspectives, this study introduces doctor competence indicators to investigate the key influence factors of doctors' wins on the online platform. The results show that the emotional interaction in doctors' service content positively influences doctors' wins. However, the influence of information interaction presents heterogeneity. Conclusive information helps doctors win, while suggestive information negatively affects them. For the competitive environment, the competitive environment negatively moderates the relationship between doctors' service content and doctors' wins. The results of this study provide important contributions to the research on crowdsourcing competitions and online healthcare services and guide the participants of the competition, including patients, doctors, and platforms.

Extending UTAUT2 with knowledge to test Chinese consumers' adoption of imported spirits flash delivery applications

Despite the rapid growth in sales of imported spirits in the Chinese market, consumers are struggling to easily buy high-quality imported spirits with favorable price. The imported spirits flash delivery applications are proposed to provide Chinese consumers with high-quality services delivered within a few hours. This study extends UTUAT2 with knowledge, risk and innovativeness to identify factors influencing Chinese consumers' use of flash delivery services for imported spirits. With the help of service providers, 315 valid questionnaires were collected and an empirical study was carried out. Findings suggest that social influence, habit, innovativeness and knowledge all have significant effects on usage. In particular, knowledge has significant moderating effects on relationships between social influence, habit, innovativeness and usage. This research is supposed to help imported spirits flash delivery providers to further expand the market, and will be of great help to the investment decisions of multinational spirits manufacturers in China.

Exploring the effects of health information seeking on e-satisfaction in online health communities: an empirical investigation

BACKGROUND

Online health communities (OHCs) are becoming effective platforms for people to seek health information. Existing studies divide health information into general and specific information in OHCs. However, few studies discuss the effects of different types of information seeking in OHCs on users' electronic satisfaction (e-satisfaction).

OBJECTIVE

This study explores the effects of general and specific information seeking on users' e-satisfaction with OHCs through the mediating roles of perceived benefits and costs drawing on the social information processing theory and the social exchange theory.

METHODS

This study conducted an online survey to collected data from individuals who used OHCs to seek information. The structural equation model was used to analyze the collect data and the research model. Specifically, this study examined the common method bias and conducted a robustness check.

RESULTS

Results show that general and specific information seeking affect e-satisfaction through the mediating roles of perceived benefits and costs. An interesting result is that general information seeking has a stronger effect on e-satisfaction than specific information seeking.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that e-satisfaction should be further enhanced by information seeking as online healthcare practices evolve and change. Managers of OHCs should focus on increasing users' perceived benefits, thereby increasing their e-satisfaction. Besides, this study discusses implications, limitations, and future research directions.

Formation mechanism of contributors' self-identity based on social identity in online knowledge communities

Introduction

Contributors' self-identity is a critical element in the sustainable development of online knowledge communities (OKCs). However, research concerning the formation mechanism of contributors' self-identity remains scarce. This research posits information support, novel posting and sense of self-worth as mediating variables between social identity and self-identity to construct a path model, aiming to explore the way in which self-identity is formed on the basis of social identity in OKCs.

Methods

To examine this mode, an online survey was administered to many different OKCs, and 515 usable questionnaire responses were collected. Structural equation modeling was then employed to examine the model.

Results

The R2 value of self-identity was 0.627, thus indicating that the model was able to explain 62.7% of the variance in self-identity. We find that self-identity emerges through the mediating effects of information support, novel posting and sense of self-worth. In addition, social identity can elicit novel posting and information support, which are all beneficial for enhancing the dynamics of OKCs and further generate sense of self-worth. We also observe that although social identity and individualized behavior (novel posting) are generally incompatible, they can be compatible in the context of OKCs.

Discussion

Self-identity as a contributor can be formed on the basis of social identity via the social path and the psychological path in OKCs, while the two paths for fostering self-identity are not independent of each other, and there is also a very strong link between behavioral and psychological mechanisms.

Understanding online behavior towards community water user participation: A perspective of a developing country

The social network is a network of virtual relationships that can facilitate the development of a new society in which everyone can use online communication effectively. This article investigates and identifies the fundamental influences on the social network system, as well as the online behavior of the community users. This study was designed by any social network to help improve efficiency and offer people with services that match the needs of their communities. Furthermore, it increases participation in the equitable distribution of social benefits. This study investigates the critical factors that impact a community's view of community water user participation. The researcher sent a questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale to 1,000 community water customers and collected 627 valid replies. Data from 14 villages were sampled using a simple random sampling strategy to acquire the data. Subsequently, descriptive statistics are used to describe the data (frequency distributions, percentages, averages, medians, and standard deviation). Furthermore, PLS-SEM was used to examine the relationships between factors and to launch the conceptual model using PLS route modeling. This study reveals that digital technologies are crucial to increasing the expectations and happiness of the community through social networks. Multiple causes contribute to its expansion. In addition, this research provides an outstanding case study technique based on TAM and ECT to assess people's social networking and community participation habits. Additionally, community water providers participate in social networks by certifying that their expectations are met.

Investigating the Role of Perceived Information Overload on COVID-19 Fear: A Moderation Role of Fake News Related to COVID-19

During crises and uncertain situations such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social media plays a key function because it allows people to seek and share news, as well as personal views and ideas with each other in real time globally. Past research has highlighted the implications of social media during disease outbreaks; nevertheless, this study refers to the possible negative effects of social media usage by individuals in the developing country during the COVID-19 epidemic lockdown. Specifically, this study investigates the COVID-19 fear using the survey data collected from a developing country. In total, 880 entries were used to analyze the COVID-19 fear using the AMOS software. Findings indicated that information-seeking and sharing behavior of individuals on social media has a significant impact on perceived COVID-19 information overload. Perceived COVID-19 information overload has a positive impact on COVID-19 fear. In addition, fake news related to COVID-19 strengthens the relationship between perceived COVID-19 information overload and COVID-19 fear. The implication and limitations of the study are also discussed in the final section of the study.

Relationship beyond the Workplace: Impact of Guanxi GRX Scale on Employee Engagement and Performance

The primary objective of this research was to find out the impact of GRX scale (ganqing, renqing, and xinren) on a non-Chinese working environment. Thus, to apply and ascertain the effect of the three dimensions of guanxi on employees’ engagement and, eventually, their job performance in an African working environment. This research used social exchange theory to explain the relationship between supervisors and their subordinates. The research data comprises 530 respondents who were randomly chosen from seven organizations. Smart-PLS 3.2.8 was the primary instrument used to analyze the data. The finding indicated that renqing, synonymous with mutual sharing or need for reciprocity, was highly significant with employee engagement and job performance. Hence, a win-win outcome is achieved whenever employers exhibit genuine concern and care for their employees. Additionally, there was a negative relationship between ganqing (emotional attachment) and employee engagement. This revealed that making decisions based on personal relationships will negatively affect employees’ engagement and job performance. This research adds to the literature by revealing that guanxi is applicable in non-Chinese workplaces.

The Paradox of Knowledge Networks: Why More Knowledge Does Not Always Make You More Successful

The purpose of this research was to further the understanding of knowledge exchange within organisations by examining how the dyadic relationships between individuals, in terms of the channels of communication used (structural capital), knowledge awareness (cognitive capital), and the quality of their relationships (relational capital), influence opportunities for knowledge exchange (access to advice), and ultimately individual performance. data were analysed using social network analysis to determine individual network centralities, and structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses at the individual level. The findings suggest (1) face-to-face channels with trusted sources are the most preferred method for exchanging sensitive knowledge, (2) knowing where expertise resides and source availability is key to research knowledge exchange, and (3) centrality in knowledge network does not result in uniform increases in individual performance. While technology has the potential to increase the efficiency of knowledge exchange by removing the barriers to same-time, same-place interactions, computer-mediated communication may actually inhibit the exchange of tacit knowledge and advice because of the lean medium of the exchange, negatively impacting performance. Using a network perspective, this study adds to the literature on intra-organisational learning networks by examining how an individual’s use of different communication channels to share knowledge is related to centrality in knowledge networks, and how this impacts individual performance.

Factors Affecting Adoption of Online Community Water User Participation

Social networks are the most extensively utilized online virtual communities. It is a technology platform that is currently used to interact with other members of any virtual online community, including preserving social ties. This study is aimed at determining the elements that influence the participation of water users in the online community. It suggests combining the commitment-trust theory with the technology acceptance model (TAM) to include stakeholders, social networks, and transparency about content and user perceptions to better understand the elements that influence the online community and user participation. A questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was issued to 1,000 community water consumers, and the researcher received 627 valid responses. Data were collected using a basic random sampling technique with a sampling ratio of 14 villages. Subsequently, descriptive statistics characterize the data (frequency distributions, percentages, averages, medians, and standard deviations). Furthermore, PLS-SEM was utilized to study the interactions between variables and launch the conceptual model via partial least square (PLS) path modeling. This study reveals that community water user engagement is founded on a commitment-trust paradigm that acts as an effective role model for community participation behavior. The results and consequences are discussed at length in the discussion section, which offers valuable recommendations. This article discusses overcoming ethical divisions in community water management through increased communication between customers and community water management teams using social media networks. Additionally, several elements contribute to the monitoring and supervision advancement, boosting the openness of community water management.

The Impact of Positive Verbal Rewards on Organizational Citizenship Behavior-The Mediating Role of Psychological Ownership and Affective Commitment

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) can foster organizational competitiveness and survival especially, facing a rapidly changing environment. There are some empirical pieces of research that shed light on the effects of OCB on extrinsic rewards, since OCB, through performance appraisal, affects extrinsic rewards which will influence OCB as well. However, researchers have overlooked the reverse effect of extrinsic rewards (i.e., positive verbal rewards) on OCB. It is necessary to explore the mechanism between positive verbal rewards and OCB. This study integrated psychological ownership and affective commitment to form a structural model based on social exchange theory and cognitive evaluation theory. These results show that positive verbal rewards are positively correlated with psychological ownership, psychological ownership is positively correlated with affective commitment and OCB, and affective commitment is positively correlated with OCB. As refers to the mediating effects, psychological ownership fully mediates the relationship between positive verbal rewards and affective commitment. Furthermore, affective commitment plays a partial mediating role in the effect of psychological ownership on OCB. Accordingly, this psychological mechanism between positive verbal rewards and OCB reveals important theoretical and practical implications.

Antecedents of knowledge-seeking intentions and efforts within new product development teams: empirical evidence from knowledge-based Chinese companies

Purpose

This study aims to examine the antecedents of knowledge-seeking intentions (SIs) and efforts within new product development (NPD) teams.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected from 331 employees affiliated with 29 NPD teams across 18 Chinese firms in five high-tech and knowledge-based industries via an online assessment and a survey. Hierarchical linear modelling was used to test the hypotheses using HLM and Mplus software.

Findings

The results of this study show that intrinsic task motivation (IM) and personal task experience (TE) positively relate to SIs, whereas leadership support (LS) and shared culture (SC) negatively relate to knowledge-seeking efforts (SEs). SIs partially mediate the relationship between IM and SEs, while they fully mediate the relationship between TE and SEs. Additionally, customer orientation (CO) positively moderates the relationship between SIs and SEs.

Research limitations/implications

Data collection was completed online by relying on an existing version of the Abedi Creativity Test. The samples involve 18 companies in a High-Tech Development Zone in China, which indicates limited generalizability.

Practical implications

Effective NPD depends on successful marketing–R&D integration and knowledge exchange within the NPD team. Besides, organizations need to find ways to stimulate NPD team members’ IM and also through various ways to inspire more efforts from team members under the condition of supportive leadership and culture.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the knowledge management and marketing literature on NPD teamwork by examining knowledge-seeking phenomena from the perspective of the internal knowledge market and contributes to knowledge-seeking research by revealing the antecedents of SIs and SEs at both the individual and organizational level.

A Data-Driven Expectation Prediction Framework Based on Social Exchange Theory

Along with the rapid application of new information technologies, the data-driven era is coming, and online consumption platforms are booming. However, massive user data have not been fully developed for design value, and the application of data-driven methods of requirement engineering needs to be further expanded. This study proposes a data-driven expectation prediction framework based on social exchange theory, which analyzes user expectations in the consumption process, and predicts improvement plans to assist designers make better design improvement. According to the classification and concept definition of social exchange resources, consumption exchange elements were divided into seven categories: money, commodity, services, information, value, emotion, and status, and based on these categories, two data-driven methods, namely, word frequency statistics and scale surveys, were combined to analyze user-generated data. Then, a mathematical expectation formula was used to expand user expectation prediction. Moreover, by calculating mathematical expectation, explicit and implicit expectations are distinguished to derive a reliable design improvement plan. To validate its feasibility and advantages, an illustrative example of CoCo Fresh Tea & Juice service system improvement design is further adopted. As an exploratory study, it is hoped that this study provides useful insights into the data mining process of consumption comment.

Revisiting Knowledge Management System Use

Knowledge Management Systems (KMS) are adopted with the aim of facilitating knowledge flow within the organization. However, it is seen that member participation on these platforms is limited. The objective of this work is to identify aspects that influence intention to seek knowledge on KMS. Antecedents to knowledge seeking behaviour were identified through a morphological review of literature. A conceptual model was proposed based on the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour. Structural Equation Modelling was used to assess the adequacy of the model. Results show that seeking happens when the individual has an intrinsic motivation to learn and when the quality of knowledge available on KMS is perceived as having high content value. Interestingly, we find that top management has no bearing on one’s intention to seek. Findings reveal that HR activities need to identify people management practices, such as hiring people with a curious disposition and promoting seeking as a positive behaviour. KM practices need to focus on stimulating curiosity and learning amongst members.

Can Financial Constraints and Regulatory Distance Reduce Corporate Environmental Irresponsibility?

As global environmental problems become increasingly severe, corporate social (environmental) responsibility has become a hot topic in research, but there is still a lack of clear understanding of corporate environmental irresponsibility behavior and the driving factors behind this behavior. Our research aims to reveal the factors affecting corporate environmental irresponsibility from both internal and external perspectives. Inside enterprises, financial constraints will affect the degree of capital adequacy and thus affect the environmental behavior of enterprises. Externally, the fulfillment of corporate environmental responsibility will be affected by external regulatory pressure. Taking 399 A-share listed companies in China’s heavily polluting industries as the research objects, this paper empirically analyzes the influence paths and internal mechanisms of financial constraints and regulatory distance on corporate environmental irresponsibility, and it further divides regulatory distance into physical regulatory distance and power regulatory distance. This paper’s findings show that both financial constraints and physical regulatory distance were positively correlated with corporate environmental irresponsibility in China, and that the positive correlation between physical regulatory distance and corporate environmental irresponsibility was more significant in non-state-owned enterprises. In addition, financial constraints and regulatory distance have a complementary effect on corporate environmental irresponsibility. These findings can reduce the environmental risks posed by enterprises and help them to avoid environmental irresponsibility.

Employee exit and its relationship with multidimensional knowledge retention: the moderating role of organizational structure

Purpose

This study aims to test the relationship between employee exit and knowledge retention. The study also tests the moderating role of organizational structure on the relationship between employee exit and knowledge retention.

Design/methodology/approach

A purposive sample of 310 in India was used. The hypotheses were tested using the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), structural equation modeling and moderating analysis using SmartPLS.

Findings

The results showed that employee exit positively affects knowledge retention. Moreover, the organizational structure does not moderate the relationship between employee exit and knowledge retention. Two factors were identified through the EFA, of which knowledge-based systems were found to be the most important, followed by management support.

Originality/value

The study attempts to test the relationship between employee exit and knowledge retention and also develops and validates the multidimensional measure of knowledge retention.

Inclusive Leadership and Career Sustainability: Mediating Roles of Supervisor Developmental Feedback and Thriving at Work

Career sustainability is a well-researched issue in academics and other sectors. Technology advancements and COVID-19 have jeopardized career sustainability. Numerous studies have explored the influence of individual characteristics on career sustainability, but few have focused on leadership. In addition, cultural factors must be considered because leadership is rooted in culture. In particular, inclusive leadership reflects traditional Chinese culture. Therefore, based on self-determination social exchange theories, we analyzed the effects of inclusive leadership on career sustainability as well as the roles of thriving at work and supervisor developmental feedback (SDF) in career sustainability. In total, 363 samples were collected from China. The results revealed that inclusive leadership improves career sustainability through SDF and thriving at work. Theoretically, our study fills the research gap and establishes a mechanism and theoretical framework for inclusive leadership and career sustainability. Practically, we offer guidance for enterprises to cultivate inclusive leadership and improve career sustainability.

The impact of transformational leadership and interactional justice on follower performance and organizational commitment in a business context

The relationships between transformational leaders and several follower outcomes have been well investigated, but the mechanism through which these leadership behaviors relate to such outcomes is relatively unexplored. By investigating the mediating role of interactional justice, using structural equation modeling analyses, and data collected from supervisors and direct reports at various organizational levels, the present study provides insight into the psychological processes underlying transformational leadership and its effectiveness on follower outcomes. In line with social exchange theory, the main takeaway from the present study is suggesting that leaders, who display transformational leadership behavior in a manner perceived by followers as respectful, fair, and consistent with moral and ethical standards, may expect greater follower organizational attachment as an appropriate response to interactional justice.

Understanding relationship commitment and continuous knowledge sharing in online health communities: a social exchange perspective

Purpose

Online health communities (OHCs) have become increasingly popular sources of health information in recent years. However, little is known about the factors that affect the relationship commitment and continuous knowledge sharing intention among OHC members. Thus, this study aims to integrate social exchange and commitment-trust theories to establish a theoretical model to fill the gap.

Design/methodology/approach

A research model that integrates social exchange theory and commitment-trust theory is developed. Quantitative data from 519 valid questionnaires are collected via an offline survey. Statistical product and service solutions 20.0 and analysis of a moment structures 20.0 software are used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Relationship commitment directly influences continuous knowledge sharing intention, partially mediates the relationship between social support and continuous knowledge sharing intention, and fully mediates the relationship between perceived health risks and continuous knowledge sharing intention. Informational and emotional supports are identified as benefit factors that positively affect relationship commitment and perceived health risks are regarded as cost factors that negatively influence relationship commitment. Informational and emotional supports of OHC members produce different effects on relationship commitment when members obtain social support from different sources. Moreover, trust moderates the influences of informational support and perceived health risks on relationship commitment.

Originality/value

The findings provide additional insights that can augment the knowledge management literature by indicating how people are driven to share knowledge continuously in the context of OHCs. This study empirically clarifies the relationships of benefits (i.e. social support) and costs (i.e. perceived health risks) to continuous knowledge sharing intention by demonstrating the significant mediating effect of relationship commitment. In addition, the findings of this study highlight the importance of the social support source in OHCs and provide additional insights into commitment–trust theory by integrating the moderating effect of trust on the relationships between relationship commitment and its antecedents.

Temporal dimensions of knowledge exchanges in horizontal knowledge networks

Purpose

This study aims to examine reciprocal exchanges in knowledge networks using temporal differentiation of knowledge exchanges. To date, research on horizontal knowledge networks rather overlooks the temporal perspective, which could explain the dynamics of exchange in those networks.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports on a study of four horizontal knowledge networks in the UK over a period of 18 months.

Findings

The findings integrate three temporal dimensions of timescale, timeliness and time modalities. The dimensions have implications for the way knowledge is exchanged (or not), which can in turn sustain or stymie productive knowledge exchange in horizontal knowledge networks.

Research limitations/implications

The study encourages researchers to attend to the micro-processes of knowledge exchanges through the integrative framework of temporalities. While this study examined horizontal networks, future research can be extended to analysing temporalities in other types of networks.

Practical implications

It seeks to inspire practitioners to appreciate how the impacts of knowledge networks play out in/over time, and how more effective coopetitive knowledge-sharing environments can be created and sustained by taking differentiated time structures into account.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the knowledge management literature by providing a temporal perspective to understand reciprocal knowledge exchanges in horizontal knowledge networks.

Impact of the Price of Gifts From Patients on Physicians' Service Quality in Online Consultations: Empirical Study Based on Social Exchange Theory

BACKGROUND

Gift giving from patients to physicians, which is prohibited in traditional clinical settings in China, has been found to occur in online health communities. However, there is debate on the validity of online gifts since physicians gain an economic benefit. Moreover, the potential impact of these gifts, particularly with respect to the financial value of the gift, on the online consultation service quality remains unexplored.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the impact of gift price on the quality of physicians' online consultation service. Insight into this impact is expected to help resolve existing debate on the appropriateness of the gift-giving practice in online consultations.

METHODS

A dataset of 141 physicians and 4249 physician-patient interactions was collected from the Good Physician Online website, which is the largest online consultation platform in China. Based on social exchange theory, we investigated how gift price affects the quality of physicians' online consultation service and how this impact changes according to the physician's service price and number of all gifts received. Manual annotation was used to identify the information support paragraphs and emotional support paragraphs in the answers of physicians. The quality of the information support paragraphs, rather than the complete answer, was used to test the robustness of our model.

RESULTS

Gift price had a positive impact on the quality of physicians' online consultation service (β=4.941, P<.01). This impact was negatively mediated by both the physician's service price (β=-9.245, P<.001) and the total number of gifts they received (β=-5.080, P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Gift price has a positive impact on physicians' online behavior, although the impact varies among physicians.

Attracted to or Locked In? Explaining Consumer Loyalty toward Airbnb

In an increasingly complex and dynamic environment, understanding the fundamental mechanisms of customer loyalty toward Airbnb has become very appealing to both researchers and providers in recent years. Most prior studies on Airbnb have focused mainly on dedication-based mechanisms, such as consumer satisfaction or attitude. However, little is currently known about how the theoretical view for adapting dedication-based and constraint-based mechanisms establishes Airbnb consumer loyalty and affects by attributes, such as authentic experience, trust in Airbnb, and social benefits—that is, the vital predictors of affective commitment. It explores social benefits, relative attractiveness, and price fairness as the key antecedents of calculative commitment. This study identifies the relationship using a structural equation modeling method and empirical data collected from 156 Airbnb consumers who use it more than twice. The analysis results show that consumer loyalty toward Airbnb is shaped by dedication- and constraint-based mechanisms. The findings indicate that both affective and calculative commitments significantly affect customer loyalty in the context of Airbnb. Authentic experience, trust in Airbnb, and social benefits significantly affect affective commitment to Airbnb. While both social benefits and relative attractiveness play an important role in enhancing calculative commitment to Airbnb, price fairness is not significantly related to it. Theoretical and practical implications and future research directions are subsequently discussed.

Why do people seek knowledge? Tracing factors that affect knowledge seeking intention

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to understand factors that motivate an individual to seek knowledge on knowledge management systems. Specifically, the work seeks to clarify the impact of organizational practices on an individual’s intention to seek knowledge. The overarching theme is to broaden the current understanding of factors that impact individual knowledge seeking behavior and narrow down factors for which interventions can be developed.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth interviews were conducted with the members of knowledge management (KM), human resources (HR) and learning and development teams of Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Private Limited (RBEI) to understand knowledge behaviors of employees. Subsequent to an exploratory analysis, the survey methodology was used to collect data from members of RBEI. A proposed theoretical model was then validated using partial least squares.

Findings

Empirical findings suggest that to motivate participation, organizational KM practices need to be geared towards promoting curiosity and engaging learners. Results indicate that overt recognition of knowledge seeking behaviors by HR could be counterproductive.

Research limitations/implications

This study was limited to an MNC engineering organization in one geographic location; one must be cautious when generalizing these results. Replicating this study in multiple organizations will help mitigate this limitation.

Originality/value

Little is known on the effect of KM and HR practices on knowledge seeking behaviors. This work addresses this gap and presents a comprehensive model.