PurposeCollectivism in service research is so bound with Asian cultures as to risk being overly deterministic. Contesting this stereotype, this paper surfaces the individualistic consumption facets of consumers within a collectivist cultural setting, describing the compensating role servicescapes may play and the service marketing opportunities they present.Design/methodology/approachWithin a Chinese cultural research frame, a qualitative grounded approach is adopted that surfaces subconscious metaphors of private consumption through photo elicitation, deep psychological metaphor elicitation and triangulated with field observation.FindingsIndividuals within a collectivist culture do actively seek private psychic space to regenerate the self and prepare for social obligations heavily influenced by Confucian norms. Servicescapes play an important role in private consumption as they provide both a physical and mental oasis of privacy not easily obtainable in regular life and work.Practical implicationsService providers could offer East Asian consumers a package that includes the individual aspect of their value system, whenever and however they see suitable. More specifically, servicescapes can be designed to provide services that facilitate consumer restoration by implementing the mental metaphors consumers of have this process.Social implicationsA stereotype of a consumption has grown around Chinese consumers that while not totally false, misses a vital aspect of human values and risks missing profitable market niches. Consideration of the whole person's collective-individualistic cycle benefits both the consumer and the business.Originality/valueMoving beyond a one-dimensional description of East Asian consumer behavior, focused on collective values, we show the key role servicescapes play in private consumption. A psychological renewal of the self, in preparation to re-enter the collective, show the multiple aspects of Asian consumers.

The aim of the current study is to examine the effects of competitive advantage and digital marketing on tourism business performance (BP). The indirect effect of supply chain management (SCM) is also considered by the current study. Quantitative research approach is used and data collection is made through a survey instrument. 225 responses were received and used in data analysis to examine the relationship between variables. Five direct effect hypotheses and two indirect effect hypotheses are tested in this study. Smart PLS is used to test the direct and indirect relationship. It is found that; competitive advantage has a positive effect on BP. It also has a positive effect on SCM. Furthermore, digital marketing has a positive effect on BP. Similarly, digital marketing has a positive effect on SCM. Additionally, SCM is a mediating variable between competitive advantage and BP of the tourism industry.

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PurposeStudent motivation underpins the challenge of learning, made more complex by the move to online education. While emotions are integral to students' motivation, research has, to date, overlooked the dualistic nature of emotions that can cause stress. Using approach-avoidance conflict theory, the authors explore this issue in the context of novel online students' responses to a fully online class.Design/methodology/approachUsing a combination of critical incident technique and laddering, the authors implemented the big data method of sentiment analysis (SA) which results in approach tables with 1,318 tokens and avoid tables with 1,090 tokens. Using lexicon-based SA, the authors identify tokens relating to approach, avoid and mixed emotions.FindingsThe authors implemented the big data method of SA which results in approach tables with 1,318 tokens and avoid tables with 1,090 tokens. Using lexicon-based SA, the authors identify tokens relating to approach, avoid and mixed emotions. These ambivalent emotions provide an opportunity for teachers to rapidly diagnose and address issues of student engagement in an online learning class.Originality/valueResults demonstrate the practical application of SA to unpack the role of emotions in online learner motivation.

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