This paper proposes a fusion controller combing an anti-windup PID controller and BELBIC (Brain Emotional Learning Based Intelligent Controller) for controlling the position and vibration of a robot system having a single flexible manipulator. A finite element model of the flexible manipulator is developed. The reliability of it is verified by comparing the natural frequencies computed using the finite-element method with the experimentally measured ones. An MSC.ADAMS computational model of the robot system is interfaced with the proposed controller in MATLAB/Simulink, for carrying out a simulation. The simulation is performed with various references inputs and endpoint masses. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller for control of the position and vibration of the flexible manipulator is shown through the simulation.

Service recovery strategies have been examined for their effectiveness in compensating for the customer’s loss and in restoring customer satisfaction. Current research on service recovery has largely focused on the customer involved. For instance, the most common recovery strategies hotels used for the guest involved are compensatory (e.g., discount), corrective (e.g., correction), and personal response (e.g., apology). Service recovery research suggest that, while corrective responses are viewed by customers as the minimal action, both apology and compensation have been shown to be effective in increasing customer satisfaction (e.g., Goodwin & Ross, 1992). Due to the prevalence of online reviews, our understanding of service failure and recovery must expand beyond the customer involved to include potential customers who are searching online. The difference between the customer involved and the potential customer is that while the focal customer suffered an economic or psychological loss, the potential customer has not. Past studies suggest that this difference may change the attribution tendency of potential customers (e.g., Wan, Chan, & Su, 2011). Consequently, one can expect that potential customers may use different criteria in assessing recovery strategies. For instance, in line with the equity theory which posits that people in general seek fairness in social interactions (Blodgett et al., 1997), potential customers might be more concerned about justice rather than the compensation. From the company’s perspective, in order to recover effectively from a service failure, it must know whether what works for the customer involved would also work for potential customers. The current research provides evidence that potential customers’ reaction to an online review and a hotel reply is contingent on the perceived similarity between this potential customer and the focal guest (i.e., the customer involved in the incident that the review describes), the type of hotel reply (i.e., no reply, apology, and explanation with no apology). Moreover, results suggest that the psychological mechanism that underlies this relationship is not due to negative emotions but a sense of vulnerability.

Although the majority of prior literature has suggested the key reasons for consumer complaining in service failures are to vent negative emotions (e.g. anger, dissatisfaction) and to seek redress (Blodgett, Hill, & Tax 1997; Nyer 1997), some research has also pointed out that customers will give constructive suggestions to firms through complaining (Groth, 2005; Liu & Mattila, 2015). In this regard, consumer complaining can be classified into two types, namely, positive complaint (i.e., with constructive suggestion) and negative complaint (i.e., without constructive suggestion). Understanding what situations would dissatisfied consumers choose to give constructive suggestions in service failures would be of utmost important to firms. We suggest that a firm’s brand image may affect consumers’ intention to choose what types of complaint in service failures. In general, consumers may perceive a brand as having a competence image (e.g., professional and efficient) or having a warmth image (e.g., friendly and approachable) (Kervyn, Fiske and Malone, 2012). Comparatively speaking, a warmth image is associated with friendship and caring, whereas a competence image is associated with expertise. Therefore, it is possible that consumers would have a higher empathy and intention to help a firm with a warmth (vs. competent) image, and be more likely to choose positive complaint when a failure happens to this firm. An experimental study confirmed this prediction. In addition, we found that although a firm’s competence (vs. warmth) image does not affect the likelihood to give constructive suggestions in service failures, it leads to a higher level of return intention. Implications and future research directions will be discussed.

This research was conducted with the aim to reveal the influence of online travel communities on tourism destinations choice, with the focus on the Russian tourism market. The preliminary results indicated that social media has significant influence on consumer behaviour and decision-making process of Russian travellers. Still, there is additional activity of Russian tourist market actors is needed to more fully use the opportunities of online travel communities.

There has been a heated discussion worldwide over tourist deviances that disrupt lives of local residents and cause damage to companies, city authorities, and the natural environment. Previous studies primarily turn to discrepancies in the cultural and educational background between tourists and local residents to explain such phenomena. Nonetheless, the possibility of people inclining to misbehave simply because they are away from home has rarely been investigated. In this study, we seek to examine factors rooted in the nature of tourism that are accountable for such phenomena. According to the definition by UNWTO (1995), one of the key characteristics of tourism is the displacement of usual environment. Tourism, therefore, is inevitably associated with surroundings of unacquainted others residing in the unfamiliar environment. Following the social control paradigm, previous studies have revealed that people are more likely to enforce social control on in-group members than on out-group members (Nugier, Chekroun, Pierre & Niedenthal, 2009). We further propose that psychological closeness between people and surrounding others would have an impact on their expectation to receive others’ social contrail and consequently their intention to engage in the counternormative behavior. Using an experimental study, we found that participants in the travel condition, compared with those in the home condition, feel less close to surrounding others and are more likely to misbehave. Such effect is mediated by the perceived social control. Implications for organization and companies in the tourism sector are drawn to prevent the spread of tourist misbehavior. Limitations and future directions would also be discussed.

Elder consumers are important consumer segment because of baby boomers and incoming aging societies in many countries. MacInnis and Mello (2005) indicate that hope is an important construct to influence consumer decisions. For many elder people who rely on others to lead a life gradually lose control of making consumption decision for themselves. If autonomy is one of the important value for elder people as Leventhal (1997) proposed, the moderating effect of decision autonomy to counterbalance the effect of hope is discussed in this study if it can enhance elder consumers’ SWB. This study firstly explored the antecedent factors of hope by adopting subjective evaluation from elder consumers. Then, hope was further manipulated in terms of goal importance and goal uncertainty to investigate the mechanism on consumption decision and SWB. A between-subjective experiment manipulated hope in two dimensions, goal importance (high / low) and goal outcome certainty (certainty / uncertainty), invited 142 consumers aged above 65 years old to participate. Result indicates that better mental health and financial ability as well as younger cognitive age relate to the hope of elder consumers and influence SWB. Hope is partially the psychological mechanism to influence more on SWB. Decision autonomy is not found its moderating effect on hope to SWB.

Introduction The article presents a technique for studying the perception of images of animated characters based on the application of psychophysiological methods of recording data in combination with classical sociological methods. The theoretical justification of the EEG, GSR, PPG and video-oculography methods application in testing affective stimuli is provided. The applications of the technique at various stages of creating animated characters are presented. The main advantages of the technique are noted: the ability to work with a target audience starting from the age of 3 years old and the recording of physiological data directly while viewing a stimulus material. One of the most topical objectives for the authors of animation films is the creation of animated characters, which elicits viewers’ sympathy, influences general perception of the movie and affects its distribution and final box office. The methodology that allows to study a perception of characters at different stages of its creation, from conception to final embodiment, will help authors to make changes and adjustments before moving to another technological stage, which will reduce production costs and more accurately meet the needs of the audience. The advantage of the proposed methodology on the one hand, is the efficiency of working with child audience, which is the most difficult in terms of obtaining valid information. On the other hand, it is the possibility of obtaining data directly during the perception of stimuli, which is impossible while using sociological methods. Theoretical development The EEG method is an integral component of classical neuromarketing studies of perception of audiovisual materials, allowing assessing the attractiveness and motivational component in the choice situation. A significant number of scientific publications demonstrate the correlation between the arousal of positive emotions and the activation of the left hemisphere. This is determined by the lower power of the alpha rhythm in the left frontal lobe as compared to the right one. While a person experiences negative emotion, the right frontal lobe is more active, thus, the alpha rhythm power is lower there (Rusalov, 1988, 1999; Aftanas, 2000; Vecchiato, et al. 2011; Ravaja, 2013, Harmon-Jones, et al. 2009). In our methodology the stimuli attractiveness index is calculated based on the EEG data. The high index scores are associated with positive emotions and the interest to object; low scores are associated with negative feelings and indifference. Changes in the indicators of the vegetative nervous system activity are strongly connected to an emotional manifestation; these changes are caused by anatomical and physiological conditions. Numerous studies have demonstrated that a decrease in the amplitude of the plethysmogram is observed when a person experiences negative emotions. On the contrary, an increase in the amplitude is observed during positive emotions experience (Sylvia, et al, 2008; Kreibig, et al., 2007). The emotional involvement indicator refers to the power of emotional inclusion when viewing a character. It is calculated by the registration of vegetative indices related to emotions (EDA, plethysmogram, breathing). Interest is a cognitive need to learn about what is happening on the screen; it reflects the direct interest in visual information. The understanding of interest is mostly based on the psychological researches (Izard, 1999; Silvia, 2006), however, the intensity of the parameter can correlate with objective physiological indicators based on oculomotor activity. The process of the characters’ image scanning is accompanied by the distribution of attention to individual areas of interest (Jenkin, 2001). In this methodology we allocated the areas of interest according to a different character or a separate element of the visual image of the hero. Research design The method is based on a complex approach combining neurophysiological methods of recording physiological reactions while the demonstration of animated characters’ images in combination with sociological research methods used after the stimuli demonstration. The developed technique allows the use of any audiovisual materials created at different stages of work on a character as stimuli (design of character, design of character accessories, character model in static in 2D or 3D, technological test from 10 to 30 seconds). The data was recorded via the high-speed remote binocular eye-tracking system RED250, the professional computer polygraph (PCP) “Energia” and the electroencephalograph B-AlertX24. Result and conclusion 20 images of animated movie characters were tested on 150 respondents during the research (a child audience of animated films and an adult audience with children aged 3-8 years, who make the decision to choose an animated film). A restriction for the EEG method has been found in working with children under 7 years old. At this age the analyzed rhythms are slowed down and not completely formed. The analysis of this group of respondents was focused on vegetative indices. The predicting method of perception of animated characters’ images allows us to define the evaluation parameters of the image of the animated character in terms of attractiveness, emotional involvement and interest. The methodology will be further developed and will include a differential analysis of emotional reactions by virtue of the electroencephalography method in response to the presentation of characters or video samples. The commercial use of the technique is planned for the purpose of testing characters at all stages of animation film production.

In nowadays consumption-based society, products (e.g. food and electronic products) are often thrown away before they are sufficiently used. The aversive consequence of such a lifestyle is becoming more alarming. There is an urgent need for a change in people’s consumption style. How can we make people correct their existing wasteful consumption behaviors and act responsibly? In fact, feelings very often can influence people’s behavior and judgments (Schwarz, 1990), even though the feelings are aroused by irrelevant sources - incidental emotion (Garg, Inman, & Mittal, 2005; Lerner & Keltner, 2000; Schwarz & Clore, 1983). Feelings of guilt and shame are known as moral emotions which are the guidance to ethical behaviors (Tangney, 1991, 2003). Although there is a significant overlapping between these two emotions, they also differ in several important aspects. One critical difference lies in the way the transgressor makes attributions (Niedenthal, Tangney, & Gavanski 1994). A transgressor who attributes the wrongdoing to a specific behavior (i.e. “I’ve done something bad”) is more likely to experience guilt while a transgressor who makes attribution to the global self (i.e. “I’m a terrible person”) is more likely to experience shame (Tracy & Robins, 2004). Given these fundamental differences, we speculate that a guilt-laden consumer is more likely to correct his or her wrongdoing (i.e. wastage) by taking reparative actions to minimize waste but a shame-laden consumer may possibly give up doing so. Findings from an experimental study (N=90) largely support this prediction. Undergraduate students who were made to feel shame were less likely to participate in a recycling campaign organized by the university than the students in the control condition. They reported a lower intention to use recycling facilities provided. On the other hand, participants who were made to feel guilt reported a marginally higher intention to participate in the campaign than the control participants. These preliminary findings suggest that emotional experience derived from other life domains might determine responsible consumption behaviors. Shame, which is commonly regarded as a moral emotion, may not necessarily make people more responsible consumers. The mechanism that underlies this effect may warrant further investigation.

Western social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, etc are banned in China. In their places, Weibo, WeChat, Youku and more are the main social media channels in China and thus the main battlefields of social marketing for brands entering China Market. WeChat is the largest social network in China, with over 900 million users daily, for nearly all types of services, including booking flights, restaurant table reservation, shopping, paying bills, etc. To cater the needs of the new generation of Chinese digital natives, a mobile app eM++ was developed that creates new customer services and enables tailored fashion marketing. This new mobile app eM++ works well in China, will this be also well received in other countries? This research investigates consumers’ perception of this new fashion e-tailoring e-shopping concept in UK. Will this type of e-tailored services be welcome in UK? Will consumers welcome this type of e-shopping service in UK? Or they prefer the traditional way of tailoring and shopping? Which social media platforms should be used for promotion? The sample population of this research covers both male and females from China and UK aged 18 years old or above with experience of searching and/or buying clothing items online. Convenient sampling and snow-balling sampling methods are used. In UK, recruitment of volunteers for this project will be via emails to colleagues and previous students, as well as via posters of recruiting volunteers for this project posted on campus. Details of the project and experiment will be included in both emails and posters. Volunteered participants are asked to answer a pre-experiment online questionnaire. Based on their answers, suitable participants will be invited to participate the experimental part (which is trying a fashion app and then answer the post-experiment questionnaire). Participants successfully completed the experiment and post-experiment questionnaire will be given their own body measurements with a 3D model in user’s customised shape, as well as a discount coupon for future use when the app is officially launched. This research will have mainly quantitative data analysis, SPSS will be used to analyse the data. There will have a few open-ended questions that qualitative data analysis method will be employed. This research will explore the feasibility of this service in UK and formulate a cross-cultural comparison between China and UK.

Digital technological development has created different new possibilities. New products and services are developed to cater the needs and wants of these digital consumers (or digital natives). It has also changed the means of marketing communications. Social media has become an integral part of many people’s lives, thus social media marketing is found in the marketing strategy of every brand. Western social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and so on are banned in China. In their places, Weibo, WeChat, Youku and more are the main social media channels in China and thus the main battlefields of social marketing for brands entering China Market. WeChat is the largest social network in China, with over 900 million users daily. Chinese users spend an average of over 70 minutes a day using WeChat, for nearly all types of services, including booking flights, restaurant table reservation, shopping, paying bills, hailing taxi, transferring money, and posting Moments on their walls, etc. Not only that, WeChat allows companies and celebrities to create official accounts to generate content for promotional purposes. Moreover, WeChat allows one-to-one personalized interaction between brands and the users. To cater the needs of the new generation of Chinese digital natives, a mobile app eM++ was developed that creates new customer services and enables tailored fashion marketing. The eM++ app has three components. The first core component is 1Measure, which users can obtain their body measurements by skimpily taking two photographs of themselves in normal clothing anywhere and anytime. Without the involvement of expensive equipment, users can enjoy similar benefit of body scanning but more flexibility and convenience, they not only instantly receive their measurements but also have their digital body model and a shape analysis report. Based on this information, the second component of the app eShop allow users to shop fashion items currently available in different online fashion stores like ASOS, Zara, and H & M, etc. In eShop, users are suggested the right sizes to order for different fashion items, based on their measurements and shape information, and also mix-and-match recommendations. The last component is eTailor, where users can order clothing like suit jackets, pants and shirts that tailored made for them, but save the need to take body measurements in a physical store. This new digital service will first be launched in China as there is high demand on Made-to-Measure fashion and marketing through WeChat social media platform. This paper will discuss how to market this new digital service using social media like WeChat in China and consumers’ reactions to this new business model in this digital world.