Service Industry Research Articles

Evaluation of the Impact of the Internet of Things on Postal Service Efficiency in Slovakia

This paper investigates the impact of technological advancements, particularly the integration of the Internet of Things (IoT), on the efficiency and productivity of the postal service industry in Slovakia. By employing the Cobb–Douglas production function, we analyze the relationship between key inputs—capital and labor—and output for six major postal service providers: Slovak Post, Packeta, DHL Express, DPD, TNT Express, and GLS. Using data from 2017 to 2021, this study quantifies the elasticities of capital and labor to assess how IoT adoption influences operational performance. The regression analysis reveals significant variations in input contributions across companies, highlighting the diverse effects of IoT integration. Findings suggest that while some companies benefit more from capital investments in technology, others rely heavily on labor efficiency. These insights offer valuable implications for policymakers and industry stakeholders aiming to optimize resource allocation and enhance productivity through technological innovation.

Driving economic transition: The impact of cross-border e-commerce policy on the upgrading of service industry structure

Cross-border e-commerce, as an innovative format and model of international trade, plays a crucial role in accelerating the transformation and upgrading of industrial structures, and shaping a modern economic framework. Using panel data from 260 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2019, this study investigates the impact of the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot area (CBECCPA) policy on the upgrading of service industry structure and its mechanisms using the staggered difference-in-differences (DID) method. The results show that the CBECCPA policy can significantly promote the upgrading of service industry structure. The mechanism analysis reveals that the CBECCPA policy can promote the upgrading of service industry structure by clustering service industry enterprises, bolstering urban innovation, and increasing the scale of trade. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the impact of the CBECCPA policy on the information transmission, software, and information technology service industry is more pronounced and the policy effect is stronger for those with a lower level of service industry structure and for pilot areas with higher levels of development, developmental foundation, developmental scale, and developmental innovation. Furthermore, the policy effect varies significantly across cities. This study provides empirical evidence and policy insights into the role of the CBECCPA in the upgrading of service industry structure.

Employee's Work-Life Balance, Career Development, Motivation and Satisfaction as the Determinants of NGO’s Performance

This study investigates the determinants of employee performance in the Service Industry in Malaysia, with a specific focus on work-life balance, job satisfaction, employee motivation, and career development. 300 survey questionnaires were distributed in total, and 170 respondents from both executive and non-executive groups were analyzed using IBM's SPSS version 23. The findings validate a substantial correlation among work-life balance, job satisfaction, employee motivation, career development and employee performance at Non-Government organizations (NGO’s). This study provides significant insights that can be employed by NGO’s in Malaysia to design effective strategies for enhancing employee performance. The proposals aim to advance research on employee management to improve corporate effectiveness and promote employee success in NGOs as its strategic influence on government policy at domestic and international levels.

Regulatory Compliance in Financial Services: How Software Can Simplify Adherence to Regulations

The financial services industry's growing complexity in terms of regulatory requirements has made compliance a top priority for organizations across the globe. With the compliance requirements implemented by regulators becoming more stringent, financial institutions are continuously opting for software products to enable and support their compliance processes. This research explores the role that software plays in helping financial institutions comply with regulatory requirements, focusing on specific categories of compliance software, their operational competencies, and the benefits each category offers. It also discusses the difficulties encountered by financial institutions in implementing these tools, as well as the future of RegTech. This research clearly explains the added value of embedding technology in the evolving world of regulation by exploring the potential for streamlining efficiency, accuracy, and transparency through software solutions in fulfillment of compliance needs.

EXPRESS: From Function to Relation: Exploring the Dual Influences of Warmth and Competence on Generative Artificial Intelligence Services in the Hospitality Industry

EXPRESS: From Function to Relation: Exploring the Dual Influences of Warmth and Competence on Generative Artificial Intelligence Services in the Hospitality Industry

Enhancing consumer trust in financial services: the role of technological security innovations

The financial services industry increasingly relies on technological advancements to maintain and enhance consumer trust. Consumer trust is a critical component influencing customer loyalty, financial inclusion, and overall economic stability. This paper explores the impact of technological security innovations on consumer trust in financial services. Fundamental innovations such as blockchain, advanced encryption, biometric authentication, artificial intelligence, and cloud security play significant roles in addressing security challenges. Blockchain technology provides a decentralized, tamper-proof method for recording transactions, enhancing transparency and reducing fraud risks. Advanced encryption techniques ensure the confidentiality and integrity of financial data, which is critical for protecting sensitive information. Biometric authentication methods offer secure and user-friendly solutions for identity verification, reducing reliance on traditional passwords and enhancing security. Artificial intelligence and machine learning improve fraud detection capabilities by providing real-time monitoring and response. Cloud security solutions offer scalable protection for financial data, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Through empirical analysis and case studies, this study demonstrates that these technologies significantly enhance consumer confidence by providing greater transparency, security, and reliability in financial transactions. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, financial institutions, and technology developers aiming to foster a more resilient and trust-based financial ecosystem. This research contributes to the existing literature by providing evidence of the direct impact of technological security innovations on consumer trust. Keywords: Consumer Trust, Financial Services, Technological Innovations, Blockchain, Encryption, Biometric Authentication, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Security.

Improved decision-making through life event prediction: A case study in the financial services industry

Life event prediction is an important tool for customer relationship management (CRM), because life events shift customers’ preferences towards different products and services. Existing life event research mainly uses cross-sectional data, whereas in the CRM field, incorporating longitudinal data is increasingly common. Because longitudinal data can capture the dynamics of customer behavior, opportunities arise to benchmark the power of longitudinal customer data for predictions of cross-sectional versus longitudinal life events. Therefore, this study compares statistical and machine learning (SaML) classifiers, such as logistic regression, random forest, and XGBoost, with long- and short-term memory networks (LSTM), using data represented in both cross-sectional and longitudinal setups for life event prediction. Through a real-life longitudinal customer data set from a European bank, the authors represent the longitudinal data in a cross-sectional data format, using featurization in the form of aggregation. The available data cover 42 end-of-month snapshots for 760,438 unique customers. For marketing decision-making literature, this article (1) introduces three novel life events (i.e., primary, secondary, and rental residence purchases) to life event predictions; (2) offers guidance for how to leverage longitudinal customer data, according to the comparison of various featurization approaches and benchmarking SaML classifiers against LSTM; and (3) clarifies the importance of features and timing for improving marketing decision-making dynamically. The results show that aggregating features over time is preferable as a featurization approach for cross-sectional modeling using SaML classifiers. Furthermore, LSTM can capture behavioral changes over time, unlike SaML classifiers. It also performs significantly better than SaML classifiers on the area under curve and F1 metrics. Insights into the uses of integrated gradients reveal that feature importance changes over time. An integrated gradients method can assist decision-makers in their efforts to plan effective communication with customers in advance, such as by allocating more resources to customers who exhibit high probabilities of a particular life event occurrence.

The green trade benefits and horizontal ecological compensation from the perspective of embodied carbon emissions: A case study of the Yellow River Basin, China

The horizontal ecological compensation plays an important role in balancing the interests of all parties and coordinating regional development in the basin. However, the mechanism of ecological compensation based on embodied carbon emissions is still poorly understood. Here, taking the Yellow River Basin as the research area, we use the multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model to measure the embodied carbon transfers between its seven urban agglomerations in 2012 and 2017 from the viewpoint of value-added trade benefits. Further, for the first time, the green trade benefits and ecological compensation amounts are analyzed. The results indicate that: (1) The transfer of trade-embodied carbon among the urban agglomerations in the basin showed obvious spatial heterogeneity and geographic proximity effects, and trade-embodied carbon outflows (inflows) had a pattern of "highest in the midstream, second in the downstream, and lowest in the upstream". (2) The industry composition of the urban agglomerations in relation to embodied carbon outflows (inflows) was similar, mainly in the service and heavy manufacturing industries. (3) The spatial pattern of green trade benefits in the basin had shifted from "high in the north and low in the surrounding area" to "high in the east-central part and low in the west". (4) The pattern of ecological compensation in the basin had shifted from the upstream surplus, the middle and downstream deficit to the midstream deficit, and the upstream and downstream surplus. Therefore, we recommend improving energy structures in high-demand urban agglomerations by adopting clean energy, focusing on decarbonization and energy efficiency in resource-rich regions. Additionally, promoting low-carbon economies, especially in the service and heavy manufacturing industries, implementing differentiated emission reduction strategies, and optimizing carbon compensation mechanisms considering regional disparities and resource endowments are crucial. It is expected that the study can enrich the scientific basis of horizontal ecological compensation and increase the fairness of regional carbon emission rights allocation.

Regional carbon inequality and its impact in China: a new perspective from urban agglomerations

The principal urban agglomerations in China function as critical hubs for both economic advancement and the mitigation of carbon emissions. Given the disparate levels of development across various urban agglomerations, trade between these agglomerations may result in inequality between carbon transfers and value added transfers. Assessing carbon inequality among major urban agglomerations in China can help identify the identification of primary trade relationships and industrial sectors of carbon inequality, thereby fostering the coordinated development of urban agglomerations. This study constructs a carbon inequality index based on an environmentally extended input-output model. This study conducts a thorough evaluation of carbon inequality among various urban agglomerations and analyzes the industry characteristics of embodied carbon net transfers and value added net transfers in typical urban agglomerations. The research findings indicate that: The carbon inequality index for underdeveloped urban agglomerations, exemplified by the Central Plains urban agglomeration, is generally greater than 1. The carbon inequality index for developed urban agglomerations, exemplified by the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, is generally less than 1 due to their higher levels of economic development. An analysis of the industry characteristics of carbon emissions net transfer and value added net transfer in typical urban agglomerations reveals that heavy industry is the main contributing sector to the net inflow of embodied carbon and net outflow of value added in the Central Plains urban agglomeration. The main contributing sector to the net outflow of embodied carbon and net inflow of value added in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration is the service industry. This study ultimately proposes more refined recommendations aimed at fostering coordinated development among regions in China, establishing a win-win situation for economic growth and carbon reduction.

Investigating the Dynamics of Workforce Stability: The Influence of Perceived Employability on Career Resilience, Task Performance, Learning Agility and Employee Retention

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the complex interrelationships among perceived employability, employee task performance, employee retention, career resilience, and learning agility to cover this knowledge gap and provide HR practices and policies supported by evidence that can increase service sector development and contribute to Saudi Arabia's economic goals. The study used a cross-sectional quantitative design and conducted an online survey of employees in the service sector of Saudi Arabia. Snowball sampling was used during the data collection, and 403 usable responses were collected and utilized for data analysis. Data analysis techniques included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and composite assessment analyses were conducted through SPSS 28. For hypothesis testing, the PLS-SEM model was used through SmartPLS4. R2adj, standardized root means square residual, Normed fit index, and Q2predict were used for model evaluation. The research findings highlighted the importance of perceived employability which is positively related to task performance and retention and show the need for organizations to train their employees so that they are characterized by career resilience and learning agility, which relate positively on their task performance and their retention within the Saudi service industry. Acquiring knowledge and understanding regarding these relationships is essential to develop targeted practices and policies to improve employee outcomes and elevate the organization's competitiveness in an economy undergoing rapid transformations. This study's findings provide practical implications regarding human resource management and organizational development strategies in Saudi Arabia that will support future research by enhancing perceived employability, building career resilience, developing employee task performance, improving learning agility, and ensuring a higher rate of employee retention, realizing the significance of each element in developing organizational goals and success. Keywords: perceived employability, employee task performance, employee retention, career resilience, learning agility.

COVID-19’S IMPACT ON FOOD STALL WORKERS: NIGHT MARKETS’ RESILIENCE IN PENANG, MALAYSIA

The COVID-19 pandemic has left an enduring mark on Southeast Asia, with lasting repercussions on financial markets, employment, and gender equality in the workplace. Various activities were halted in order to curb the virus’s spread, which dealt a severe blow to Malaysia’s thriving economy. The informal sector, a cornerstone of the Asia-Pacific service industry, felt these effects acutely, as it heavily relies on informal workers. Given that more than three quarters of Malaysia’s service sector comprises informal workers, the country’s economic recovery is now significantly reliant on this workforce. Considering the contribution of the informal sector to Malaysia’s food market, this study aims to explore the impact of social shocks and economic crises on the resilience of informal workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a multistage probability sampling method, the study employed a questionnaire survey involving Penang’s food stalls in night markets. Findings reveal significant variations in workers’ lifestyles, attitudes, and family dynamics. Gender-related factors also exert a substantial influence on their behavior, attitudes, and engagement levels. While many studies have examined night markets as tourism spots in terms of how to increase sales or attract visitors, this study is among the first to focus on the vendors themselves, exploring the impact of COVID-19 on food stalls as an unseen vulnerable community.

Fintech And Financial Inclusion: Case Studies From The United States

Throughout several decades, the top name among companies that have accepted online payment transactions is a multinational financial technology company PayPal, situated in the United States that was founded in 1998. Internet payments gained traction and expanded globally over time. This research examines how financial technology, or FinTech, is changing financial accessibility in the US. It also analyzes how these advancements, together with innovations in blockchain and cryptocurrency technology have changed the way that financial services are accessed through case studies of well-known websites like PayPal, Venmo, and Robinhood. These technological advancements have promoted financial transaction transparency, democratized investing opportunities, and expedited payment systems. Furthermore, the research emphasizes how Splitwise and similar platforms facilitate shared spending management, which in turn encourages economic inclusion and gives people more ability to engage in the financial ecosystem. The paper offers insights into how FinTech is changing the financial services industry, improving accessibility and supporting larger financial inclusion goals in the US by examining some case studies.

The Role of Financial Technology in Enhancing the Efficiency of Legal Services

With the rapid development of financial technology (FinTech), its application in the legal service sector is gradually becoming a key force in driving industry innovation. This paper uses both qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore the interaction and synergistic effects of financial technology, regulatory technology (RegTech), and intellectual property protection (IP Protection) in the legal service industry. The study analyzes the current status of financial technology in contract law, compliance checks, and dispute resolution, and evaluates its actual effect on improving the efficiency of legal services. The study found that financial technology has optimized the contract execution process through technologies such as smart contracts and blockchain, improved the level of automation in compliance work, and provided new ways for dispute resolution. Although facing challenges such as technology integration, data security, and legal regulation, these challenges can be effectively controlled through effective risk management and strategic response. The study proposes a series of strategic recommendations, including technological innovation, policy support, education, and training, to promote the collaborative development of financial technology, regulatory technology, and intellectual property protection in the legal service industry. (Beck, R., Bugnion, F., & Pohl, M., 2018) The conclusion of this paper emphasizes the positive role of financial technology in enhancing the efficiency of legal services and points out strategies to cope with challenges, providing valuable insights and suggestions for legal service providers, technology developers, and policy makers to promote the modernization and digital transformation of the legal service industry.

Adapting the GPT engine for proactive customer insight extraction in product development

Understanding the perceptions of consumers is widely recognized as a critical element in the innovation of new products. Traditional techniques used by companies to collect essential consumer insights have largely remained unchanged. Common practices like interviews and surveys have distinct limitations. Interviews may not always capture the precise needs of consumers due to communication barriers, and surveys tend to encourage incremental changes rather than radical innovations. Service industries face further complexity as they navigate customer feedback on the more intangible aspects of service quality. This study highlights the pioneering use of GPT-3.5 Turbo, a tool known for its exceptional ability to delve into the nuances of conversational context and process data in a chat-centric manner, thereby enhancing the extraction of Voice of the Customer (VoC). Its capability to handle large volumes of data in multiple languages leads to a more thorough and inclusive VoC analysis. The study links these technological advancements with Lean Six Sigma 4.0, suggesting that incorporating GPT-3.5 Turbo could significantly improve the customer-focused strategies in the current industrial landscape. This breakthrough in VoC analysis suggests possibilities for more perceptive, immediate data-driven approaches in customer service, and lays a stronger groundwork for decisions in product evolution and process enhancement. The paper concludes by urging further investigation to confirm these initial results and to explore the ethical aspects of employing such advanced natural language processing technologies.

Consumer Attention to a Coffee Brewing Robot: An Eye‐Tracking Study

ABSTRACTDuring the COVID‐19, robots were increasingly utilized in the food service industry. This study compared perceptions of robot and human baristas by tracking participants' eye‐gaze behavior. Seventy participants viewed videos and images of both baristas, and their eye movements were tracked. Metrics such as entry time, dwell time, total fixation, hit ratio, revisits, revisitors, average fixation, first fixation, and fixation count in defined areas of interest (AOIs) were measured. Participants focused mostly on robot's body during coffee preparation and human barista's face. Attention stayed on the coffee with human baristas, while robot stimuli drew focus to the robot's hand and kettle. Participants fixated more on the robot itself, potentially due to its novelty in coffee preparation. This study can provide directions for the development of robots, including their appearance, so that they could be accepted familiarly by consumers and introduced seamlessly in the food industries.

Retire or get retired: Stocks, memes, and desperation capitalism on r/WallStreetBets

There is growing discontent with the financial services industry. The roots of these feelings are old but have expanded during the 2008 financial crisis and were enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated cost of living crisis. This has given rise to the concept of “desperation capitalism”, where individuals are resorting to high-risk measures to try to achieve economic security. This research paper presents new insights into desperation capitalism and its participants through an exploratory case study of the r/WallStreetBets community on Reddit. The case study asks: how does social media impact the behaviour of retail investors? Drawing on multiple sources of primary and secondary empirical evidence, the paper makes two core contributions. First, the paper offers an initial conceptualization and model for understanding the phenomenon of “desperation capitalism”. Second, the paper demonstrates how the decision-making processes of retail investors can be influenced by social media.

Powering reputation: Employee communication as the key to boosting resilience and growth in the U.S. Service Industry

The U.S. service industry, a critical pillar of the national economy, faces unprecedented challenges in maintaining resilience and achieving sustainable growth in a rapidly changing market. This review article argues that the key to overcoming these challenges lies in strategic employee communication, positioning it as a vital driver of organizational reputation and, consequently, economic resilience and growth. By examining a broad range of literature, this review highlights the transformative power of internal communication in shaping an organization's public image and fostering a culture of trust, engagement, and loyalty among employees. The article dissects the role of employee communication in empowering workers to act as brand ambassadors, whose interactions with external stakeholders can significantly enhance corporate reputation. It underscores how transparent, consistent, and well-crafted communication initiatives can align employees with organizational goals, creating a unified workforce that is both resilient and adaptable in the face of economic fluctuations. This alignment not only strengthens the internal fabric of the organization but also translates into a stronger, more credible public image, which is crucial for sustaining growth in a competitive and often volatile service sector. Moreover, the review explores the ripple effects of effective communication on organizational resilience. It details how companies that prioritize open and strategic communication are better equipped to navigate crises, retain top talent, and innovate in response to market changes. In this context, employee communication is not merely a tool for internal cohesion but a strategic asset that directly influences a company's ability to thrive in the U.S. service industry. The article concludes by emphasizing the imperative for service industry leaders to recognize and harness the potential of employee communication as a lever for boosting reputation and, ultimately, economic resilience and growth. As the service industry continues to evolve, those organizations that master the art of internal communication will be best positioned to lead, innovate, and succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace. This review positions employee communication not just as an operational necessity, but as the cornerstone of a resilient and growth-oriented organizational strategy in the U.S. service industry.

Customer Behaviour towards Online Travel Agency (OTA) Services in the Hotel Industry: A Case Study in Doha, Qatar

This research investigates customer behaviour towards online travel agency (OTA) services in the hotel industry using a quantitative design and correlation research method with 139 tourists in Doha, Qatar. 95% response rate is collected and analysed using SPSS software. The results show that service quality, perceived value, and brand loyalty significantly affect customer satisfaction, while customer expectation does not. However, the study finds that customer satisfaction significantly influences customer behaviour toward OTA services in the hotel industry. The study provides practical insights for hotel managers and OTA services to enhance customer experiences by identifying the key factors that drive customer behaviour. Moreover, it contributes to the existing literature on customer behaviour towards OTA services in the hotel industry by identifying the crucial factors that influence customer behaviour.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOGISTICS SECTOR AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN ASEAN COUNTRIES

In the modern economics, any manufacturing companies have increasingly relied on professional logistics firms, leading to rapid growth in the logistics sector as a service industry and its significant contribution to economic development. With increasing globalization and competition, countries have focused on enhancing their logistics systems to ensure stable economic growth and strengthen global trade competitiveness. In the ASEAN region, logistics plays a critical role, facilitating cross-border trade and regional connectivity. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the logistics sector, specifically air freight transportation, and economic growth in ASEAN countries, given the sector's central role in supporting supply chain management and trade activities. The primary objective of this study is to determine whether there is a causal relationship between air freight transportation (AFT), a key logistics activity, and gross domestic product (GDP) growth in six ASEAN countries. The study seeks to provide insights into how investment in logistics infrastructure, particularly in air freight, may influence economic growth in the region. The study uses panel data for six ASEAN countries from 1996 to 2021. Data on GDP growth and air freight transportation were sourced from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators database. A series of statistical tests, including the Cross-Sectional Augmented Dickey Fuller (CADF) test, Pesaran’s slope homogeneity test, and the Bootstrap Granger causality test, were performed to examine cross-sectional dependence and the causal relationship between GDP growth and air freight transportation. Descriptive statistics revealed significant disparities in air freight transportation capacity among the countries studied, with Indonesia and Thailand showing substantial air freight volumes compared to the Philippines. However, the results of the panel causality tests, including the Dumitrescu and Hurlin panel causality test, indicate that no causal relationship exists between air freight transportation and GDP growth in the six ASEAN countries.

Entrepreneurship, Government Support and Regulatory Improvement in the Service Industry: Focusing on the Intellectual Property Service

Entrepreneurship, Government Support and Regulatory Improvement in the Service Industry: Focusing on the Intellectual Property Service