UNDERSTANDING TOURIST SERVICE QUALITY PERCEPTIONS AND LOYALTY INTENTIONS IN THE INTERNATIONAL HOTEL SECTOR: APPLICATION OF DATA MINING METHODS AND KANO’S MODEL

Kuo-Chien Chang,Mu-Chen Chen,Nien-Te Kuo,Chia-Lin Hsu,Yi-Sung Cheng 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.7

This study used the methods of decision tree analysis, association rule analysis, and Kano’s model to explore the behavior patterns of mainland China tourists staying at the international tourist hotels in Taiwan. To this end, the data of their demographics, travel variables, overall satisfaction with the lodging experience, different service quality perceptions, and loyalty intentions were included. The decision tree analysis showed that a tourist’s overall satisfaction with the lodging experience, satisfaction with the quality of core intangible services, and certain demographic characteristics are three important determinants of tourist loyalty towards the hotels. In terms of the effect of demographics, the customers’ monthly income and length of stay at the hotel are two main determinants in this study. In addition, if the customer perceptions of different parts of hotel service quality are taken into account, among the five hotel service quality domains, core intangible services from the receptionist, housekeeping personnel, and food & beverage personnel are found to be important influences on hotel customer loyalty intention. In other words, high quality intangible services are important for luxury hotels to demonstrate their unique ability to help customers experience the service quality that creates loyalty intentions. With regard to the association rule analysis, the results showed that core intangible service aspects from the receptionist, housekeeping personnel, and food & beverage personnel are strongly associated with customer loyalty intentions, as are the tangible aspects of the reception and hotel room facilities. The former indicated that reception in the hotel lobby could be considered one of the most important servicescapes because of its impact in forming many of the first impressions of hotel guests, while the latter is treated as core offerings in hotels that would be encountered by most hotel customers. If the tourists are mainly from package tours, the intangible services and tangible facilities of these areas are the important areas to create customer satisfaction. However, if the tourists are mainly independent tourists because they have more time and free choice to stay at the hotel longer than the package tour tourists, the intangible services and tangible facilities of the entertainment or business centers would be even more important to these tourists than to the package tour tourists. With regard to Kano’s model analysis, the results showed that, based on mainland China tourists’ perceptions, most of the service elements fit into the category of one-dimensional quality attributes. This means that these service elements are positively and linearly related to customer satisfaction, and the greater fulfillment of the attribute results in a greater degree of satisfaction. This also means that hotels should make more effort to innovate their intangible services and tangible facilities to create business advantages in the market.

Emblica officinalis Gaertn. Attentuates N-Nitrosodiethylamine-Induced Apoptosis, Autophagy, and Inflammation in Rat Livers

Kuo-Hsin Chen,Bor-Ru Lin,Chiang-Ting Chien,Chien-Hsin Ho 한국식품영양과학회 2011 Journal of medicinal food Vol.14 No.7

Inflammation and oxidative stress contribute to liver injury. Amla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) is rich in vitamin C, gallic acid, flavonoids, and tannins, which may protect against hepatoxicity-induced liver injury. We elucidated the effects of supplementary Amla (100 mg/kg of body weight) on N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced injury by evaluating reactive oxygen species (ROS) responses in the liver and bile, the degree of accumulated leukocytes and Kupffer cell infiltration, 3-nitrotyrosine and 4-hydroxynonenal stains, apoptosis and autophagy, plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) levels, and antioxidant/oxidant enzymes in rats. Amla was more potent than vitamin C in scavenging O_2^−·, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide. N-Nitrosodiethylamine increased ROS production in liver and bile, hepatic Kupffer cell and leukocyte infiltration, 3-nitrotyrosine and 4-hydroxynonenal accumulations, apoptosis and autophagy, and plasma ALT, AST, and γ-GT levels in the rats, decreased hepatic manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and catalase protein expressions, and enhanced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) protein expressions. Amla significantly preserved MnSOD and catalase expressions and decreased iNOS and CYP2E1 protein expressions in N-nitrosodiethylamine-treated livers. Amla decreased N-nitrosodiethylamine-enhanced hepatic apoptosis and autophagy appearances via down-regulation of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and Beclin-1 expression. Thus Amla supplementation counteracts N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced liver injury via its antioxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-autophagy properties.

Experimental Investigation on Flexural Crack Control for High-Strength Reinforced-Concrete Beam Members

Chien-Kuo Chiu,Kai-Ning Chi,Bo-Ting Ho 한국콘크리트학회 2018 International Journal of Concrete Structures and M Vol.12 No.4

The purpose of this study is to investigate the flexural crack development of high-strength reinforced concrete (HSRC) beams and suggest the design equations of the flexural crack control for HSRC beams. This study conducts two full-size simply-supported beam specimens and seven full-size cantilever beam specimens, and collects the experimental data of twenty full-size simply-supported beams from the past researches. In addition to high-strength reinforced steel bars of specified yielding stresses of 685 and 785 MPa, these specimens are all designed with the high-strength concrete of a specified compressive stress of 70 or 100 MPa. The experimental data is used to verify the application of the flexural crack control equations recommended in ACI 318-14, as reported by AIJ 2010, as reported by JSCE 2007 and as reported by CEB-fib Model Code 2010 on HSRC beam members; then, this study concludes the design equations for the flexural crack control based on ACI 318-14. Additionally, according to the experimental data, to ensure the reparability of an HSRC beam member in a medium-magnitude earthquake, the allowable tensile stress of the main bars can be set at the specified yielding stress of 685 MPa.

Shear Crack Control for High Strength Reinforced Concrete Beams Considering the Effect of Shear-Span to Depth Ratio of Member

Chien-Kuo Chiu,Takao Ueda,Kai-Ning Chi,Shao-Qian Chen 한국콘크리트학회 2016 International Journal of Concrete Structures and M Vol.10 No.4

This study tests ten full-size simple-supported beam specimens with the high-strength reinforcing steel bars (SD685 and SD785) using the four-point loading. The measured compressive strength of the concrete is in the range of 70–100 MPa. The main variable considered in the study is the shear-span to depth ratio. Based on the experimental data that include maximum shear crack width, residual shear crack width, angle of the main crack and shear drift ratio, a simplified equation are proposed to predict the shear deformation of the high-strength reinforced concrete (HSRC) beam member. Besides the post-earthquake damage assessment, these results can also be used to build the performance-based design for HSRC structures. And using the allowable shear stress at the peak maximum shear crack width of 0.4 and 1.0 mm to suggest the design formulas that can ensure serviceability (long-term loading) and reparability (short-term loading) for shear-critical HSRC beam members.

Experimental Quantification on the Residual Seismic Capacity of Damaged RC Column Members

Chien-Kuo Chiu,Hsin-Fang Sung,Kai-Ning Chi,Fu-Pei Hsiao 한국콘크리트학회 2019 International Journal of Concrete Structures and M Vol.13 No.3

To quantify the post-earthquake residual seismic capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) column members, experimental data for 6 column specimens with flexural, flexural–shear and shear failure modes are used to derive residual seismic capacity of damaged RC column members for specified damage states in this work. Besides of the experiment data, some related researches are also investigated to suggest the reduction factors of strength, stiffness and energy dissipation capacity for damaged RC column members, respectively. According to the damage states of RC columns, their corresponding seismic reduction factors are suggested herein. Taking an RC column with the flexural–shear failure for an example, its reductions factors of strength, stiffness and energy dissipation capacity are 0.5, 0.6 and 0.1, respectively. This work also proposes the seismic performance assessment method for the residual seismic performance of earthquake-damaged RC buildings. In the case study, this work selects one actual earthquake-damaged school building to demonstrate the post-earthquake assessment of seismic performance for a damaged RC building.

Experimental Quantification on the Residual Seismic Capacity of Damaged RC Column Members

Chien-Kuo Chiu,Hsin-Fang Sung,Kai-Ning Chi,Fu-Pei Hsiao 한국콘크리트학회 2019 International Journal of Concrete Structures and M Vol.13 No.7

To quantify the post-earthquake residual seismic capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) column members, experimental data for 6 column specimens with flexural, flexural–shear and shear failure modes are used to derive residual seismic capacity of damaged RC column members for specified damage states in this work. Besides of the experiment data, some related researches are also investigated to suggest the reduction factors of strength, stiffness and energy dissipation capacity for damaged RC column members, respectively. According to the damage states of RC columns, their corresponding seismic reduction factors are suggested herein. Taking an RC column with the flexural–shear failure for an example, its reductions factors of strength, stiffness and energy dissipation capacity are 0.5, 0.6 and 0.1, respectively. This work also proposes the seismic performance assessment method for the residual seismic performance of earthquake-damaged RC buildings. In the case study, this work selects one actual earthquake-damaged school building to demonstrate the post-earthquake assessment of seismic performance for a damaged RC building.

Crack-controlled design methods of RC beams for ensuring serviceability and reparability

Chien-Kuo Chiu,Jodie Saputra,Muhammad Dachreza Tri Kurnia Putra 국제구조공학회 2022 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.82 No.6

For the design of flexural and shear crack control for reinforced concrete (RC) beams related to serviceability and reparability ensuring, eight simply-supported normal-strength reinforced concrete (NSRC) beam specimens are tested and the existing high-strength reinforced concrete (HSRC) experimental data are included in the investigation of this work. According to the investigation results of flexural and shear cracks, this works modifies the existing design formulas to determine the spacing of the tensile reinforcement for the flexural crack control of a HSRC/NSRC beam design. Additionally, for a specified shear crack width of 0.4 mm, the allowable stresses of the shear reinforcement are also identified. For the serviceability and reparability ensuring of HSRC/NSRC beams, this works proposes the relationship curves between the maximum flexural width and allowable stress of the tensile reinforcement, and the relationship curves between the shear crack width and allowable shear force that can be used to do the crack width control directly.

UNDERSTANDING TOURIST SERVICE QUALITY PERCEPTIONS AND LOYALTY INTENTIONS IN THE INTERNATIONAL HOTEL SECTOR: APPLICATION OF DATA MINING METHODS AND KANO’S MODEL

Kuo-Chien Chang,Mu-Chen Chen,Nien-Te Kuo,Chia-Lin Hsu,Yi-Sung Cheng 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.1

This study used the methods of decision tree analysis, association rule analysis, and Kano’s model to explore the behavior patterns of mainland China tourists staying at the international tourist hotels in Taiwan. To this end, the data of their demographics, travel variables, overall satisfaction with the lodging experience, different service quality perceptions, and loyalty intentions were included. The decision tree analysis showed that a tourist’s overall satisfaction with the lodging experience, satisfaction with the quality of core intangible services, and certain demographic characteristics are three important determinants of tourist loyalty towards the hotels. In terms of the effect of demographics, the customers’ monthly income and length of stay at the hotel are two main determinants in this study. In addition, if the customer perceptions of different parts of hotel service quality are taken into account, among the five hotel service quality domains, core intangible services from the receptionist, housekeeping personnel, and food & beverage personnel are found to be important influences on hotel customer loyalty intention. In other words, high quality intangible services are important for luxury hotels to demonstrate their unique ability to help customers experience the service quality that creates loyalty intentions. With regard to the association rule analysis, the results showed that core intangible service aspects from the receptionist, housekeeping personnel, and food & beverage personnel are strongly associated with customer loyalty intentions, as are the tangible aspects of the reception and hotel room facilities. The former indicated that reception in the hotel lobby could be considered one of the most important servicescapes because of its impact in forming many of the first impressions of hotel guests, while the latter is treated as core offerings in hotels that would be encountered by most hotel customers. If the tourists are mainly from package tours, the intangible services and tangible facilities of these areas are the important areas to create customer satisfaction. However, if the tourists are mainly independent tourists because they have more time and free choice to stay at the hotel longer than the package tour tourists, the intangible services and tangible facilities of the entertainment or business centers would be even more important to these tourists than to the package tour tourists. With regard to Kano’s model analysis, the results showed that, based on mainland China tourists’ perceptions, most of the service elements fit into the category of one-dimensional quality attributes. This means that these service elements are positively and linearly related to customer satisfaction, and the greater fulfillment of the attribute results in a greater degree of satisfaction. This also means that hotels should make more effort to innovate their intangible services and tangible facilities to create business advantages in the market.

Materials (Organic, Inorganic, Electronic, Thin Films), Polymer, Fluidization, Particle Technology : Performance Evaluation of a Pilot Scale Vortexing Fluidized Bed Combustor

( Chien Song Chyang ),( Kuo Chao Lo ),( Kuo Lian Wang ) 한국화학공학회 2005 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.22 No.5

An Economic Analysis of Technology-Capacity Alliances

Chien-Hung Kuo,Yon-Chun Chou 대한산업공학회 2008 대한산업공학회 추계학술대회논문집 Vol.2008 No.11

Globalization of production has altered the structure of many industries of intensive competition. This paper presents theoretical work on analyzing possible organization changes in manufacturing industries that provides capacity as services. We consider the case of tapered technology-capacity alliances between a process technology firm with captive manufacturing capability and an efficient manufacturing firm. We propose a framework of economic analysis which encompasses participation analysis, capacity allocation, and tradeoffs of contractual terms. Feasibility conditions for alliance formation are derived.