THE COMPLEXITY OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES IN THE SHARING ECONOMY

Nikolaos Pappas 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2018 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2018 No.07

Marketing in the sharing economy The shift on the enhanced complexity of customers‟ needs has created a new business model termed as the sharing economy emerging through the traditional B2B2C sector, and substituted with micro-entrepreneurs who act as service providers (Kumar, Lahiri, and Dogan, n.d.). The importance of the sharing economy is based on the fact that in a short period of time it has managed to disrupt well-established fields (i.e.: taxi and accommodation industry), through the provision of low-cost convenience without the ownership responsibility (Eckhardt & Bardhi, 2015). In general, the sharing economy service providers are not responsible for marketing and promotional aspects since this is an aspect taken care of the service enablers (i.e.: Airbnb). In the sharing economy, marketing needs to focus on the development of early adopters, meaning younger generations (Laciana & Rovere, 2011), since they are the largest generational cohort, and are expected to remain the largest one for the forthcoming decades (Fry, 2016), whilst they have a considerably lower spending capacity than older people (Henderson, 2016). Therefore, younger generations select cost-efficient options and engage in utility-based brand switching (Kumar et al., n.d.). As a result, sharing economy marketing strategies mainly focus on apps or websites where their existing customers may visit (McAlone, 2016). Moreover, multigenerational marketing is considered as a rational segmentation strategy for service enablers (Eckhardt & Bardhi, 2015), since the older a generation is the lower the general adoption rates in sharing economy marketing (Hall & Krueger, 2015). Still, the complex decision-making of consumers in sharing economy‟s marketing is affected by several factors such as price and quality issues and the associated risks (Pappas, 2017). Despite the importance of sharing economy in modern business, the literature is silent on the complexity of aspects affecting the related marketing activities. The paper examines the complexity of marketing activities formulation examining peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation holidaymakers in Athens, Greece. It specifically evaluates the impact of risks, price and quality issues, and social aspects, on P2P accommodation marketing activities, also including the socio-demographics of age and income. The research contribution is in both, theoretical and methodological domains. In terms of literature the study provides an understanding of the complexity formulation of marketing activities, with special reference to the sharing economy. Methodologically-wise, the research implements fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), which is considered new to the study of tourism and hospitality (Pappas & Papatheodorou, 2017). It further compares fsQCA suitability with regression, which is the dominant correlational mode of analysis. Study tenets In service industry research the term „tenet‟ is used to describe testable precepts able to identify complex conditions (Papatheodorou & Pappas, 2017). This study has formulated six tenets: (T1) The same attribute has the ability to determine a different decision for marketing activities depending on its configuration with other attributes (T2) A complex configuration with at least two simple conditions can leads to an outcome condition that can have a consistently high score (Recipe principle) (T3) Complex configurations can influence the marketing activities for P2P holidaymakers (T4) When the combinations differ on the simple conditions of configurations, they can influence in a positive or negative manner the marketing activities for P2P holidaymakers (T5) Sufficient marketing activities do not always result in a high outcome score (Equifinality principle), and (T6) When the Y scores are high, a given recipe for the marketing activities is not relevant for all cases. Complexity in tourism Complexity theory focuses on complex systems with nonlinear dynamics, characterised by self-organisation, emergence, and evolution (Ar?valo & Espinosa, 2015). The theory is used to evaluate the nonparametric, and dynamic processes of complex phenomena in several different disciplines (Olya & Al-ansi, 2018). Tourism complexity is based on several conflicting elements, such as the translocal relationships and multilocality, the heterogeneity of actors, the places and governance globalisation, and the extreme diversity of operations (Darbellay & Stock, 2012). Moreover, tourism deals with complex policies involving multiple actors, and a perpetually changing multi-level coordination in a local, national and international level (Lai, Hsu, and Wearing 2016). The degree of behavioural complexity renders Newtonian (linear) thinking inadequate and highlights the necessity for nonparametric (nonlinear) research (Laws & Prideaux, 2005). Method The study was held in Athens, Greece in adult P2P accommodation holidaymakers. Following the study of Pappas (2017), structured questionnaires were distributed to the P2P rentals, asking from the holidaymakers to fill them in during their stay. As Akis, Peristianis and Warner (1996) suggest, the study‟s sample size should have a minimum of 95 percent level of confidence and a maximum of 5 percent statistical error, whilst the most conservative response of 50/50 (meaning half of the respondents would express positive views and the other half negative ones) was adopted. For N>20, t-table defines cumulative probability (Z) in 1.96 level. Following Akis et al. (1996), the sample size calculation is: Rounded to 400 In total, 712 useful responses were collected, generating a statistical error of 3.67 per cent. The questionnaire consists of 24 Likert scale statements adopted from previous research, including two socio-demographic questions (age; income). The study employed fsQCA for the evaluation of complex configurations. fsQCA is considered a mixed method since it employs quantitative testing and qualitative inductive reasoning, and it is able to examine the potential complex relationships that have a bearing upon the outcome of interest, and identifies combinations of binary sets generated from its predictors. Since the research also estimated negated sets (presence or absence of a simple condition), the symbol “~” was used for the indication of an attributional absence. Research calibration was made by using 42 randomly selected individual cases. For the evaluation of the marketing activities „f_ma‟ affecting holidaymakers, the calibrated fuzzy-sets used were „f_a‟ for age, „f_i‟ for income, „f_r‟ for risks, „f_sa‟ for social aspects, „f_pi‟ for price issues, and „f_qi‟ for quality issues. Results Three sufficient configurations emerged from the research. More specifically, the first solution (f_a*f_i*~f_r*~f_sa*f_pi*f_qi) concerns the price-quality nexus, the second configuration (f_a*~f_i*f_r*~f_sa*f_pi*~f_qi) deals with price sensitivity, and the third one (f_a*~f_i*f_r*f_sa*~f_pi*f_qi) focuses on social interaction. The generated solutions for marketing activities are presented in the table below. The results indicate that all four simple conditions appear in at least one solution (T1), whilst at least two simple conditions are included in each sufficient configuration (T2). Moreover, the findings suggest that the solutions focus on: (i) price-quality nexus (ii) price sensitivity, and (iii) social interaction (T3). In addition, none of the simple conditions appears in all configurations (T4), and three different solutions seem to lead to the same outcome (T5). Finally, the coverage varies from .429 to .453, meaning that none of the solutions applies in all cases (T6). As a result, the findings confirm the six tenets of the study. fsQCA versus regression The study used a structural equation model for the examination of linear relationships, and implemented Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), since the sum of the examined items is based on previous analytic research. Due to the large sample (N=712) χ2/df instead of χ2 was selected, since it is considered as a better estimate of goodness (Chen & Chai, 2007). Following Kline (2010), the research estimated the four most important fit indices: χ2=634.921, df=352, χ2/df=1.803 (acceptable value 0≤χ2/df≤2 [Schermelleh-Engel, Moosbrugger & M?ller, 2003]), CFI=.902 (acceptable value is when CFI is close to 1.0 [Weston and Gore 2006]), SRMR=.782 (acceptable value is when SRMR<.8 [Hu & Bentler, 1999]), and RMSEA=.475 (acceptable value is when RMSEA<.5 [Browne & Cudeck, 1993]). In factor analysis, all values less than .4 were suppressed (minimum acceptable value .4 [Norman & Streiner, 2008]) in an effort to evaluate higher coefficients. In all constructs, the Average Variance Explained (AVE) was higher than .5 (minimum acceptable .5 [Kim, 2014]), and the convergent validity (CR) higher than .7 (minimum acceptable value: .7 [Huang, Wang, Wu, & Wang, 2013]). The Figure below explains the study‟s endogenous variables. The comparison of fsQCA with regression highlights that the latter cannot encapsulate the full range of alternative combinations, in restricts the presence/absence of a construct or socio-demographic in one outcome, whilst the row coverage in all sufficient configurations (also showcasing high consistency) is higher than the overall R2 (.393). As a result, fsQCA seems to be more efficient than regression concerning the examination of marketing activities on P2P holidaymakers, since it better presents the influence of the constructs under examination. Managerial implications The study offers a number of managerial implications. For starters, through the use of fsQCA, traditional accommodation providers and destinations can better understand complexity aspects of consumer trends, being able to sufficiently reposition their marketing activities. Moreover, fsQCA can assist on the clarification of the factors affecting marketing complexity in tourism and hospitality, and better promote and advertise the products and services in reference. The understanding of complex marketing patterns, can further lead to the formulation of competitive advantages and strengthen the competitiveness of the enterprises engaged in a destination, as well as the destination itself. In addition, destinations can better comprehend the complex evolution of sharing economy and build upon its strengths, aving the opportunity to formulate a cooperative market towards traditional establishments and P2P rentals. Limitations Despite the theoretical and methodological contribution of the study, several limitations need to be highlighted. The main limitation derives from the study‟s main strength, which is the limited application of fsQCA in tourism and hospitality. Much further use of fsQCA in the field could reveal its full potential. Another limitation deals with the examination of other groups, such as the holidaymakers selecting traditional establishments for their stay, P2P stakeholders, and destination authorities. Since different groups of respondents may produce different outcomes, any generalisation of the findings should be made with caution. Finally, if the research is repeated in some other destination or in later time, the focus of the generated complex configurations may alter. Therefore, the results should be carefully interpreted.

Optimal Utilization of a Cognitive Shared Channel with a Rechargeable Primary Source Node

Pappas, Nikolaos,Jeon, Jeong-Ho,Ephremides, Anthony,Traganitis, Apostolos The Korea Institute of Information and Commucation 2012 Journal of communications and networks Vol.14 No.2

This paper considers the scenario in which a set of nodes share a common channel. Some nodes have a rechargeable battery and the others are plugged to a reliable power supply and, thus, have no energy limitations. We consider two source-destination pairs and apply the concept of cognitive radio communication in sharing the common channel. Specifically, we give high-priority to the energy-constrained source-destination pair, i.e., primary pair, and low-priority to the pair which is free from such constraint, i.e., secondary pair. In contrast to the traditional notion of cognitive radio, in which the secondary transmitter is required to relinquish the channel as soon as the primary is detected, the secondary transmitter not only utilizes the idle slots of primary pair but also transmits along with the primary transmitter with probability p. This is possible because we consider the general multi-packet reception model. Given the requirement on the primary pair's throughput, the probability p is chosen to maximize the secondary pair's throughput. To this end, we obtain two-dimensional maximum stable throughput region which describes the theoretical limit on rates that we can push into the network while maintaining the queues in the network to be stable. The result is obtained for both cases in which the capacity of the battery at the primary node is infinite and also finite.

Effect of Energy Harvesting on Stable Throughput in Cooperative Relay Systems

Pappas, Nikolaos,Kountouris, Marios,Jeon, Jeongho,Ephremides, Anthony,Traganitis, Apostolos The Korea Institute of Information and Commucation 2016 Journal of communications and networks Vol.18 No.2

In this paper, the impact of energy constraints on a two-hop network with a source, a relay and a destination under random medium access is studied. A collision channel with erasures is considered, and the source and the relay nodes have energy harvesting capabilities and an unlimited battery to store the harvested energy. Additionally, the source and the relay node have external traffic arrivals and the relay forwards a fraction of the source node's traffic to the destination; the cooperation is performed at the network level. An inner and an outer bound of the stability region for a given transmission probability vector are obtained. Then, the closure of the inner and the outer bound is obtained separately and they turn out to be identical. This work is not only a step in connecting information theory and networking, by studying the maximum stable throughput region metric but also it taps the relatively unexplored and important domain of energy harvesting and assesses the effect of that on this important measure.

Knockout of Lmod2 results in shorter thin filaments followed by dilated cardiomyopathy and juvenile lethality

Pappas, Christopher T.,Mayfield, Rachel M.,Henderson, Christine,Jamilpour, Nima,Cover, Cathleen,Hernandez, Zachary,Hutchinson, Kirk R.,Chu, Miensheng,Nam, Ki-Hwan,Valdez, Jose M.,Wong, Pak Kin,Granzie Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2015 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF Vol.112 No.44

English for Specific Purposes(ESP) : A brief overview of developmental factors and teaching approaches in ESP

Pappas, Christopher C. 안양대학교 人文科學硏究所 1998 人文科學硏究 Vol.5 No.2

THE SOCIOLINGUISTIC MOTIVATIONAL ORIENTATIONS OF KOREAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS STUDYING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Pappas, Christopher C. 안양대학교 人文科學硏究所 1997 人文科學硏究 Vol.5 No.1

The major aim of this research paper was to examine the sociolinguistic motivational orientations of Anyang University English conversational students to determine if the students were motivated to study English for instrumental or integrative purposes. The study was conducted on a sample of 81 conversational English students at Anyang University, who were administered a cross-sectional survey designed to assess studen- t′s motivational orientations towards the study of English conversation. Overall, the data showed that students had both strong instrumental and integrative motivational orientations, especially regarding travel, meeting people from different cultures, and job-related purposes. Interestingly, students showed negative or ambivalent responses regarding their motivation to study English for social status, graduating from school, or conversing with foreigners. The practical significance of the results are discussed and some suggestions are made about potential applications in the classroom and the possibilities of further studies to enhance the validity of this field of research

Optimal Utilization of a Cognitive Shared Channel with a Rechargeable Primary Source Node

Nikolaos Pappas,Jeongho Jeon,Anthony Ephremides,Apostolos Traganitis 한국통신학회 2012 Journal of communications and networks Vol.14 No.2

This paper considers the scenario in which a set of nodes share a common channel. Some nodes have a rechargeable battery and the others are plugged to a reliable power supply and, thus,have no energy limitations. We consider two source-destination pairs and apply the concept of cognitive radio communication in sharing the common channel. Specifically, we give high-priority to the energy-constrained source-destination pair, i.e., primary pair,and low-priority to the pair which is free from such constraint, i.e.,secondary pair. In contrast to the traditional notion of cognitive radio, in which the secondary transmitter is required to relinquish the channel as soon as the primary is detected, the secondary transmitter not only utilizes the idle slots of primary pair but also transmits along with the primary transmitter with probability p. This is possible because we consider the general multi-packet reception model. Given the requirement on the primary pair’s throughput,the probability p is chosen to maximize the secondary pair’s throughput. To this end, we obtain two-dimensional maximum stable throughput region which describes the theoretical limit on rates that we can push into the network while maintaining the queues in the network to be stable. The result is obtained for both cases in which the capacity of the battery at the primary node is infinite and also finite.

Effect of Energy Harvesting on Stable Throughput in Cooperative Relay Systems

Nikolaos Pappas,Marios Kountouris,전정호,Anthony Ephremides,Apostolos Traganitis 한국통신학회 2016 Journal of communications and networks Vol.18 No.2

In this paper, the impact of energy constraints on a twohopnetwork with a source, a relay and a destination under randommedium access is studied. A collision channel with erasures is considered,and the source and the relay nodes have energy harvestingcapabilities and an unlimited battery to store the harvested energy. Additionally, the source and the relay node have external trafficarrivals and the relay forwards a fraction of the source node’s traf-fic to the destination; the cooperation is performed at the networklevel. An inner and an outer bound of the stability region for agiven transmission probability vector are obtained. Then, the closureof the inner and the outer bound is obtained separately andthey turn out to be identical. Thiswork is not only a step in connectinginformation theory and networking, by studying the maximumstable throughput region metric but also it taps the relatively unexploredand important domain of energy harvesting and assessesthe effect of that on this important measure.

Sightings of the Soul

Nickolas Pappas 한국서양고전학회 2021 西洋古典學硏究 Vol.60 No.3

In the Republic Plato presents images as shadowy yet effective. What beliefs could he have held about visual constructions that permitted both positions, as well as permitting the imagery used in philosophical arguments? The answer may lie outside the Republic. Two arguments in Book 10, both of which repeat a claim with a difference, point toward cultural contexts that complete the dialogue’s idea of images. 1. Socrates reproaches visual art with the ranking Form-of-bed/bed/bed-picture, then the ranking user-makerimitator. A flute-player or horseman replaces the god who made the Form. But the god who first used flute and bridle was Athena, and her unannounced presence here casts the pictures of flute and bridle as rebellion against the Olympian order. Mimêsis deploys a power not its own in rebellion against the governance that brings knowledge to humanity. 2. Book 10’s opening list of objects imitated is stated twice, the second time leaving out gods and dead souls. This repetition again suppresses the supernatural element, which was found in statuary that non-mimetically represented gods and souls. Plato’s dialogues acknowledge that element. The Republic’s own images for the soul are presented as sculptures. This is anti-iconic representation, as is the body’s signification of the soul. Here the omission of what is supernaturally effective signals what a proper use of visual art could be when visual art orients itself toward the world of the invisible. The deadly power in mimêsis comes of its rebelliousness against Olympian rule, while the power that art had before mimêsis was the result of its proper communication with gods and souls. Both times mimêsis presumes upon but fails to reproduce the divine effectiveness in art.

Wireless Network-Level Partial Relay Cooperation: A Stable Throughput Analysis

Nikolaos Pappas,전정호,Di Yuan,Apostolos Traganitis,Anthony Ephremides 한국통신학회 2018 Journal of communications and networks Vol.20 No.1

In this work, we study the benefit of partial relay cooperation. We consider a two-node system consisting of one source andone relay node transmitting information to a common destination. The source and the relay have external traffic and in addition, therelay is equipped with a flow controller to regulate the incomingtraffic from the source node. The cooperation is performed at thenetwork level. A collision channel with erasures is considered. Weprovide an exact characterization of the stability region of the systemand we also prove that the system with partial cooperation isalways better or at least equal to the system without the flow controller.