Purpose: – With the expansion of dining out, visiting ethnic restaurants is becoming one of dominant trends worldwide. Given the fact that ethnic restaurants involve a number of peculiar elements that are not present when visiting regular “local” restaurants, the purpose of this paper is to identify the key determinants of choosing a particular ethnic-themed restaurant, as well as factors that have an impact on an ethnic restaurant’s perceived image.Design/methodology/approach: – Research was done by conducting two separate studies. The first study identified factors that were generally the most significant to respondents when making a choice of an ethnic restaurant in which to dine. For the second study, a new sample of respondents – consisting of those who had just visited such an establishment – was used in order to determine which factors have the most significant impact on creating an image of ethnic restaurants. The research was therefore directed toward those restaurants where the customers can experience a unique atmosphere and ambiance that are synonymous within a given culture.Findings: – The results obtained from the first study show that quality of food and price are the two most significant factors that determine which restaurant will be visited. On the other hand, the interior and exterior ranked as the two least important factors. In addition, the second study revealed that following the visit, the strongest impact on the restaurant’s image was its interior. Following interior, service quality surfaced as the most important antecedent of perceived image, while the impacts of price and exterior were weaker, but still statistically significant.Research limitations/implications: – The study itself was done in two stages. In the first stage the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) model was used for ranking factors significant for choosing an ethnic restaurant, while in the second stage, structural equation modeling (SEM) model was used to identify triggers of perceived image after a visit to an ethnic restaurant. Future research should utilize both models to determine antecedents of the variables used. Apart from this, it is recommended to employ new variables that further explore the uniqueness of the ethnic restaurants.Originality/value: – One of the main contributions of this work is related to combining of the AHP and SEM models, with the objective of completing a comparative results analysis, identifying in the process the positive aspects of both models and building a foundation for their coordination in terms of future use. This is significant, given that only a few prior studies have used such synergy.
21 November 2016 in Total Quality Management & Business Excellence
The aim of this study was to propose a fuzzy decision-making model to evaluate customer satisfaction level which has a critical effect on the bank’s competitive advantage and its business. Value of customer satisfaction level can be determined by respecting all the factor values which are presented in this paper. The relative importance of indicators and their values are imprecise and uncertain variables which are modelled by using the fuzzy set theory. Relative importance of indicators under each identified customer satisfaction factor is stated by analogy to fuzzy analytic hierarchy process framework. Determining indicator values is stated as fuzzy group decision-making problem. The aggregated values of indicators are determined by using the fuzzy ordered weighted averaging operator. The overall index of customer satisfaction is determined by considering aggregated values of customer satisfaction factors. The level of customer satisfaction, which is closely linked with the quality of banking services, is determined by using fuzzy logic if–then rules. A case study with real-life data obtained from 22 enterprises is presented to verify the proposed method. It is shown that the proposed fuzzy model is a useful and effective assessment tool.
This paper proposes a new integrated model based on SWOT and extended PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment (PIPRECIA) that offers a systematic approach to strategic planning in tourism. The applicability of the proposed integrated model is demonstrated through a case study defining the main determinants of tourism development in Serbia. The result emphasizes the strategy Improving the organization, management, and enhancement of tourism development as the highest priority for implementation. The model facilitates decision-making in tourism, and its key advantages are its suitability for application in group decision-making and its simplicity.
1 January 2015 in Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja
In situations where it is necessary to perform a large number of experiments in order to collect adequate statistical data which require expert analysis and assessment, there is a need to define a model that will include and coordinate statistical data and experts’ opinions. This article points out the new integrated application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Bayesian analysis, in the sense that the Bayes’ formula can improve the accuracy of input data for the Analytical Hierarchy Process, and vice versa, AHP can provide objectified inputs for the Bayesian formula in situations where the statistical estimates of probability are not possible. In this sense, the AHP can be considered as the Bayesian process that allows decision-makers to objectify their decisions and formalise the decision process through pairwise comparison of elements
19 April 2022 in VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems
Purpose: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the intensity and success of the digitalization process, by measuring the efficiency of the use of information and communication technologies in business in the Republic of Serbia (RS) in the period from 2006 to 2019. Design/methodology/approach: The data envelopment analysis method is applied and due to the sensitivity of the results to measurement errors, the robustness analysis of the obtained values of average efficiency is performed, using the bootstrapping method. Findings: The results show an intensive, expansive and relatively efficient process of digital business transformation in the RS. The results indicate inefficient use of software packages, While the efficiency of e-commerce in companies in most years is over 80%. Research limitations/implications: The research is limited to the RS, so the conclusions cannot be generalized in a broader context. Practical implications: The biggest problem in the implementation of digital business transformation in the RS is the understanding of management and employees in organizations that digital business transformation will take place only if software solutions are purchased and installed, with less attention paid to their proper application and low use of their maximum capabilities. Originality/value: Digital transformation measurement is the subject of a very small number of studies. Through a review of the literature, the authors of this paper do not find the use of data envelopment analysis to measure the efficiency of digital business transformation in the way they present it in this paper.
Corporate and organizational performance assessment is an important activity for both the managers and other stakeholders, as it provides them with an asset to evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses in relation to the competition, as well as guidelines for selecting appropriate measures to address the existing problems. The issue of criteria selection has been overcome through the literature review and the issue of criteria weights is handled by applying group decision making procedure. The procedure itself consists of using predefined linguistic expressions that are modelled by triangular fuzzy numbers and the aggregation of decision makers' opinion based on the rules of rough sets algebra. The values of the decision matrix are determined by prognosis method and they are described by crisp values. The proposed algorithm is tested on the insurance companies that operate in the Republic of Serbia.