Eszter Szabó-Szentgróti
57217011058
Publications - 7
A Study of Unmanned Store Adoption among University Students: A Control Variable Perspective
Publication Name: Decision Making Applications in Management and Engineering
Publication Date: 2025-01-01
Volume: 8
Issue: 1
Page Range: 364-379
Description:
In the past nine years, a significant trend has emerged in the retail sector with the rise of cashier less and unmanned stores. This technological innovation is becoming increasingly widespread across various countries, although its availability remains somewhat limited in Hungary. The current study investigates the extent to which students in Hungarian higher education institutions are willing to adopt this technology. It explores the factors influencing attitudes toward cashierless shopping, using the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) as the theoretical framework. Seven hypotheses were formulated based on a comprehensive review of existing literature and research models. In addition to these core hypotheses, the study also assessed whether three control variables income, gender, and location had an impact on key latent variables within the model. Data collection was conducted via an online questionnaire, which garnered responses from 843 participants. The study employed variance-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse and test the proposed research model. The results revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and hedonic motivation had a strong and positive influence on behavioural intention toward using cashier less stores. Regarding the control variables, significant relationships were identified between income and atmosphere variable, as well as income and price sensitivity. Furthermore, gender was found to have a significant influence on hedonic motivation, suggesting that these demographic factors play a moderating role in shaping attitudes toward unmanned store technology. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers in the retail industry who are considering the implementation of cashier less technology. The diffusion of this technology is expected to grow, making it crucial to investigate factors that influence not only intentions but also the actual use of unmanned stores.
Open Access: Yes
How business practices of social entrepreneurs shape brand resilience of retail company in Shanxi province, China
Publication Name: Journal of International Studies
Publication Date: 2025-01-01
Volume: 18
Issue: 1
Page Range: 254-283
Description:
Social entrepreneurs play an increasingly important role in shaping brand vitality and have gradually become a focus of attention and discussion in the academic community. Entrepreneurs not only need to focus on economic benefits, but also attach importance to corporate social responsibility to enhance brand resilience. This study aims to explore the relationship between the business practices of social entrepreneurs in Shanxi, China and their brand resilience. The research design adopts a quantitative comparative correlation approach, focusing on variables such as strategic orientation, altruism, and pragmatism. A correlation design is used to understand the strength and direction of the relationship between quantitative variables, without implying a direct causal relationship. Correlation analysis shows that as an important aspect of organizational strategy, strategic orientation does not directly affect the ability of social entrepreneurs to utilize, reposition, or adjust brand resilience. Altruism is a positive correlation between social entrepreneurs and the use of brand resilience, indicating that social entrepreneurs who prioritize altruistic actions are more likely to effectively utilize brand resilience. Practicality is crucial for the operational efficiency of social enterprises, but it does not significantly affect the ability to leverage, reposition, or adjust resilience within the brand. Therefore, social entrepreneurs need to consider more factors or adopt specific strategies, rather than just practicality, in order to effectively strengthen brand resilience in the face of challenges and uncertainties. The results showed that the correlation between current overall business practices and overall brand resilience is weak, indicating that other unexplored factors or finer organizational dynamics may play a more important role in determining brand resilience in the context of social entrepreneurship. To uncover these factors and better understand their impact on the organizational resilience and success of the social enterprise sector, further research may be needed. The results of this study provide important insights for entrepreneurs to reshape their business practices and guide policy decisions.
Open Access: Yes
Adoption of unmanned, cashierless retail technology in Croatia: A study on student perceptions
Publication Name: Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review
Publication Date: 2024-12-01
Volume: 12
Issue: 4
Page Range: 115-133
Description:
Objective: The objective of the article is to examine the technology acceptance of unmanned, cashierless technology. Since 2015, several startups have developed a new technology innovation called unmanned, cash-ierless technology, which has been steadily spreading globally over the past nine years. This study presents an analysis of user acceptance of this innovation among students in higher education institutions in Croatia. Research Design & Methods: We examined factors influencing attitudes towards cashless transactions within the framework of the unified theory of technology acceptance and use (UTAUT2). We developed seven hypotheses based on previous literature and research models. We conducted the research through an online survey of Croatian students (n=406). We applied variance-based structural equitation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the primary database. Findings: The new trend in smart retail could help retailers to find a new way to improve their competitiveness. Based on our results, most UTAUT2 predictors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social in-fluence, hedonic motivation, and price sensitivity significantly influence behavioural intention. Implications & Recommendations: This study offers implications for existing research on the new technology acceptance and contributes to relevant literature on customer behaviour. Given the importance of customer per-ception to improve business performance, the current study has some implications for marketers and retailers. Contribution & Value Added: Investigating the adoption of unmanned, cashless technology, particularly among Generation Z, is an important and actual topic. This research can guide stakeholders and policymakers who are planning to introduce this cashierless technology. Based on the factors analysed, we can identify important and less important factors influencing consumers’ intentions. In this way, we can identify certain preferences of the target group analysed and use it as a basis for targeting them (e.g., in a campaign) when opening new stores.
Open Access: Yes
Using UTAUT2 modeling to investigate user acceptance of cashless technologies among university students in Hungary
Publication Name: Statisztikai Szemle
Publication Date: 2024-01-01
Volume: 102
Issue: 4
Page Range: 344-366
Description:
In recent years, a new retail trend has emerged in the form of cashierless shops. The technology is appearing in more and more countries around the world and we are already seeing this innovative technology in Hungary. This study investigates the user acceptance of this technology among students in Hungarian higher education institutions. It examines the factors that influence attitudes towards cashierless transactions within the adapted framework of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2). Seven hypotheses were formulated based on previous literature and the research model. An online questionnaire survey was applied to investigate technology acceptance (n=959). During the questionnaire, respondents rated a total of 29 statements on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 7. The variance-based structural equations (PLS-SEM) method was used for the research model analysis and hypothesis testing. The results show that the behavioural intention is significantly and positively influenced by performance expectancy, social influence and hedonic motivation. Furthermore, price sensitivity has been shown to have a significant negative effect on behavioural intention. The results of this research can serve as a guide for practitioners and policy makers who are planning to implement this technology. And the diffusion of cashierless technology provides an opportunity to replicate the research by examining the factors that influence actual usage.
Open Access: Yes
Systematic Review of Cashierless Stores (Just Walk Out Stores) Revolutionizing The Retail
Publication Name: Management and Marketing
Publication Date: 2023-12-01
Volume: 18
Issue: s1
Page Range: 427-448
Description:
The paper aims to examine the evolving retail sector in recent years, specifically how digitalisation and technological innovations have transformed it. All actors have had to adapt to remain competitive. Notably, a new innovation in the retail sector, namely the checkout-free or cashierless store, emerged in 2018. Systematic literature is relied upon to achieve the study's objectives. The significance of this study lies in the use of multiple IT tools such as AI, cameras, sensors, and self-organising shelves to replace human intervention in the retail sector. Globally, several startup companies have developed this new unmanned solution, and Amazon Go stands out as one of the most well-known among them. The primary objective of this pioneering concept is to enhance efficiency by saving time and reducing queues. The aim is to enable customers to enter and exit the store with minimal human contact as quickly as possible. This paper presents the recent trend of the cashierless concept, its evolution, and proliferation. A systematic literature review and data analysis from the Crunchbase Database were conducted. The findings demonstrate that this recent concept is altering both consumers' purchasing behaviours and companies' business models. This paper provides novel perspectives and insights into the wider literature on cashierless concepts and smart retail in the context of digital business.
Open Access: Yes
How Consumers Accept Unmanned Smart Stores? – Introducing a Proposed Technology Acceptance Model
Publication Name: Chemical Engineering Transactions
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 107
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 373-378
Description:
Digitalization and technological innovation have revolutionized the retail sector. In recent years, a new trend has emerged in the form of unmanned stores, pioneered by Amazon Go. Unmanned solutions using artificial intelligence are beginning to enter the public consciousness and represent a new sustainability perspective (such as lowering paper waste, packaging or using sustainable construction materials) in trade. Although it is not yet widespread and is still a new solution for consumers, the global market dynamics suggest that it will expand in the future. Unmanned shops pose some challenges, but these can be effectively addressed by the appropriate introduction of new technology. To identify or filter out potential shortcomings of this technology on the consumer side, it is also necessary to examine the acceptance of this technology by customers. In this paper, the internationally accepted Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model was modified and used to examine how consumers accept this technology. For data analysis, Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling method was applied. In the proposed model six constructs were examined on how they influence the intention to use. In the performed query, Hungarian university students’ behavioural intention is influenced by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and hedonic motivation. However social influence, atmosphere, and price sensitivity have no significant influence on use intention.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3303/CET23107063
The Sustainable Contribution of Artificial Intelligence to Higher Education - Results of a Pilot Study
Publication Name: Chemical Engineering Transactions
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Volume: 107
Issue: Unknown
Page Range: 487-492
Description:
The past year has seen revolutionary breakthroughs in the development of artificial intelligence-based (AI) products that can impact almost every aspect of life. The change raises the question of the sustainability of education and how technology will transform the way we currently teach. This study aims to develop a model and its hypothetical adaptation that can be used to analyse the adoption and use of artificial intelligence in university settings. The importance of AI in education can be captured in its ability to personalise learning pathways, improve teaching methods and automate related administrative tasks. AI technologies are able to adapt to the needs of individual learners, providing personalised instruction and improving learning outcomes. AI can also help educators by automating routine tasks, allowing them to focus on individualised instruction and create a more engaging and effective learning environment. Based on the accepted results of exploratory factor analysis as the applied method of this paper, the research concludes that the model adaptation is feasible, but it is worth considering changing the variable reflecting implementation to one that is accepted by educators as the concrete institutional implementation of AI is still a very distant scenario in higher education. Future research should incorporate these findings into the design of possible structural models, as this area of AI research has the potential to bring significant social science and educational benefits.
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3303/CET23107082
