United International College

PurposeCustomer value co-creation in robots-mediated hospitality encounters involves active collaboration between customers and robots. In such encounters, robot capabilities, which are their functionalities or operational competences, and robot personalities, which are their interactive behaviors and communication styles, play a key role in enhancing customer value co-creation. The purpose of this study is to draw on service dominant logic to examine the role of robot capabilities and personalities in determining customer value co-creation and service satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted a mixed-methods research approach. A netnographic analysis was conducted on online customer reviews for robotic hotels and restaurants to identify key robot capabilities that shaped the customer experiences. Following this, a quantitative study (survey) was conducted to investigate the effects of robot capabilities and personalities on customer value co-creation and service satisfaction.FindingsFrom the netnographic analysis, the authors identified cognitive, technical, interactional, emotional, personalization and autonomous capabilities as key robot capabilities influencing customer experiences. The findings of the follow-up empirical study showed that the higher-order robot capabilities construct positively influences customer value co-creation, which, in turn, affects service satisfaction. Furthermore, extroversion robot personality positively moderates this relationship, such that robots with high levels of capabilities result in greater value co-creation when robots possess extroversion personalities compared to introversion personalities.Practical implicationsThis study advances the understanding of robot-mediated encounters by emphasizing the role of robot capabilities and personalities as crucial factors for effective customer value co-creation in the hospitality sector. Furthermore, it offers actionable insights for hospitality providers in selection of robots with key capabilities and personalities for enhancing customer satisfaction and successful value co-creation.Originality/valueWhile previous research has predominantly focused on customer acceptance of and interaction with robots in the hospitality settings, the present study examined how and when service robots facilitate value co-creation with customers. Specifically, this study explores robot capabilities and personalities in shaping customer value co-creation perceptions. A few recent studies that examined customer-robot interactions have considered specific robot capabilities. However, given that hospitality services are experiential in nature and involve various tasks, a broad range of robot capabilities should be considered for a comprehensive understanding of the customer value co-creation process. By addressing this gap, the present study offers novel insights into what (capabilities) and how (extraversion personality) service robots facilitate customers in value co-creation and satisfaction.

The complex relationship between diet, the gut microbiota, and mental health, particularly depression, has become a focal point of contemporary research. This critical review examines how specific dietary components, such as fiber, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, shape the gut microbiome and influence microbial metabolism in order to regulate depressive outcomes. These dietary-induced changes in the gut microbiota can modulate the production of microbial metabolites, which play vital roles in gut-brain communication. The gut-brain axis facilitates this communication through neural, immune, and endocrine pathways. Alterations in microbial metabolites can influence central nervous system (CNS) functions by impacting neuroplasticity, inflammatory responses, and neurotransmitter levels-all of which are linked to the onset and course of depression. This review highlights recent findings linking dietary components with beneficial changes in gut microbiota composition and reduced depressive symptoms. We also explore the challenges of individual variability in responses to dietary interventions and the long-term sustainability of these strategies. The review underscores the necessity for further longitudinal and mechanistic studies to elucidate the precise mechanisms through which diet and gut microbiota interactions can be leveraged to mitigate depression, paving the way for personalized nutritional therapies.

A systematic evaluation of how model architectures and training strategies impact genomics model performance is needed. To address this gap, we held a DREAM Challenge where competitors trained models on a dataset of millions of random promoter DNA sequences and corresponding expression levels, experimentally determined in yeast. For a robust evaluation of the models, we designed a comprehensive suite of benchmarks encompassing various sequence types. All top-performing models used neural networks but diverged in architectures and training strategies. To dissect how architectural and training choices impact performance, we developed the Prix Fixe framework to divide models into modular building blocks. We tested all possible combinations for the top three models, further improving their performance. The DREAM Challenge models not only achieved state-of-the-art results on our comprehensive yeast dataset but also consistently surpassed existing benchmarks on Drosophila and human genomic datasets, demonstrating the progress that can be driven by gold-standard genomics datasets.

This review highlights the increasing interest in one of the natural compounds called saponins, for their potential therapeutic applications in addressing inflammation which is a key factor in various chronic diseases. It delves into the molecular mechanisms responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of these amphiphilic compounds, prevalent in plant-based foods and marine organisms. Their structures vary with soap-like properties influencing historical uses in traditional medicine and sparking renewed scientific interest. Recent research focuses on their potential in chronic inflammatory diseases, unveiling molecular actions such as NF-κB and MAPK pathway regulation and COX/LOX enzyme inhibition. Saponin-containing sources like Panax ginseng and soybeans suggest novel anti-inflammatory therapies. The review explores their emerging role in shaping the gut microbiome, influencing composition and activity, and contributing to anti-inflammatory effects. Specific examples, such as Panax notoginseng and Gynostemma pentaphyllum, illustrate the intricate relationship between saponins, the gut microbiome, and their collective impact on immune regulation and metabolic health. Despite promising findings, the review emphasizes the need for further research to comprehend the mechanisms behind anti-inflammatory effects and their interactions with the gut microbiome, underscoring the crucial role of a balanced gut microbiome for optimal health and positioning saponins as potential dietary interventions for managing chronic inflammatory conditions.

PurposeThis study aims to examine how young consumers perceive the advertising effectiveness of endorsements by virtual idols and how endorsements by virtual idols differ from endorsements by real human celebrities such as traditional celebrities and online influencers.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental study was conducted with 400 randomly selected young respondents in China in December 2022. A 3 × 2 factorial design was used to test how the type of celebrity endorser and level of product involvement influence the persuasiveness of advertising aimed at young adults. Among 400 respondents, the average age was 21.5 years. A total of 193 male and 207 female respondents participated in the experiment.FindingsYoung consumers find virtual idols, online influencers and traditional celebrities attractive. Although virtual idols are the least credible among the three types of celebrity endorsers, young consumers tend to be more convinced by their endorsements of products with low levels of consumer involvement than those with high levels of involvement. Among the three types of celebrity endorsements, young consumers find traditional celebrities the most effective. In addition, young consumers’ attitudes toward celebrity endorsers mediate the impact of celebrity endorsers’ attractiveness and credibility on their attitudes toward the advertisements. The perceived level of product involvement moderates the transfer of meaning from the attitude toward the celebrity endorsers to the attitude toward the advertisement.Practical implicationsFirst, when choosing celebrity endorsers to advertise products targeting young consumers, marketing communication practitioners should give priority to the endorsers’ perceived credibility, as young consumers have a variety of views about them that can significantly affect their attitudes toward the advertisement. Second, real human celebrity endorsers are more effective than virtual idols in celebrity endorsements. However, virtual idols may be suited for use in advertisements to promote products with low involvement levels, such as soft drinks.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first experimental study to attempt to analyze the effectiveness of virtual idols in advertising aimed at young consumers. This is also the first comparative study to introduce virtual idols as celebrity endorsers in product advertising and to compare their effectiveness with that of the two other types of commonly discussed celebrity endorsers, traditional celebrities and online influencers.

Synopsis The research problem This study examines the impact of chief executive officers (CEOs)’ early-life disaster experiences on corporate tax-avoidance behaviors and explores the mechanisms through which these experiences influence these behaviors. We use the Great Chinese Famine of 1959–1961 (hereafter the Great Famine) as an indicator of early-life disaster experience. Motivation or theoretical reasoning Our study is motivated by the following reasons. First, like many major economies worldwide, corporate income tax is an important source of tax revenue in China. The financial impact of corporate income tax on a country’s economy is enormous. Second, the Great Famine was one of the most destructive natural disasters in human history, which is likely to have a lifelong influence on CEOs who lived through the disaster as children and teenagers. Third, corporate tax strategy is a significant accounting, financing, and managerial behavior of firms that is influenced by multiple internal and external factors. However, there are limited findings on the impact of CEOs’ early-life disaster experience on corporate tax decisions. The consequences of this impact remain unclear. The test hypotheses We hypothesize that CEOs’ early-life famine experience mitigates corporate tax aggressiveness. We also consider the alternative hypothesis that CEOs’ early-life famine experience increases corporate tax aggressiveness. Target population Our sample includes Chinese listed firms from 2013 to 2020 led by CEOs who have or who do not have early-life disaster experiences. Adopted methodology We employed ordinary least square regressions in our analyses. Analyses Since the Great Famine occurred between 1959 and 1961, we considered CEOs to have experienced famine if they were born prior to or in the year 1961, in a province affected by the Great Famine (e.g., Hu et al. , 2020 ; Zhang , 2017 ). We identified a province as significantly affected by famine if its abnormal death rate was greater than the median abnormal death ratio of all Chinese provinces during the period of famine. Following Dyreng et al. ( 2010 ), Hoi et al. ( 2013 ), Koester et al. ( 2017 ), and Rego & Wilson ( 2012 ), we used effective tax rate as the first proxy of tax avoidance for a firm. Additionally, in line with Desai & Dharmapala ( 2006 ) and Hoi et al. ( 2013 ), we used the discretionary book-tax differences of firms as an alternative proxy to measure corporate tax avoidance. Findings The findings indicate that CEOs who experienced the Great Famine at a young age significantly reduced their firms’ tax-avoidance efforts. Furthermore, the negative association between CEOs’ early-life famine experiences and corporate tax-avoidance behaviors is more pronounced for companies with higher independent director ratios. These negative associations appear more obvious for firms with CEOs who experienced famine early in life and for females. The economic mechanism of the findings demonstrate that CEOs’ famine experiences make them more conservative in investing in innovative projects; they are more likely to fulfill corporate social responsibility and work in state-owned enterprises. Furthermore, firms with lower innovation expenditure, effective corporate social performance, and government ownership are less likely to display tax-avoidance behaviors.