Transmission of information about consumer product quality and safety: a social media perspective
| Published date | 20 February 2017 |
| Date | 20 February 2017 |
| Pages | 10-20 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IDD-10-2016-0035 |
| Author | Xin Wang,Yingcheng Xu,Li Wang,Xiaobo Xu,Yong Chen |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Library & information services,Lending,Document delivery,Collection building & management,Stock revision,Consortia |
Transmission of information about consumer
product quality and safety: a social
media perspective
Xin Wang
Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China
Yingcheng Xu
China National Institute of Standardization, Beijing, China
Li Wang
Beihang University, Beijing, China
Xiaobo Xu
American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and
Yong Chen
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to the information about consumer product quality and safety that can easily attract public attention and become the
focus of public opinion. In recent years, the fast-growing social media have become an import platform for firms for releasing product quality and
safety information and for firms and governments to hear public opinion.
Design/methodology/approach – To explore how information about consumer product quality and safety gets disseminated and a public opinion
is formed in social media, this paper proposes two information transmission models, one with government intervention and the other without
government intervention, based on the theory of complex network. A simulation case study in MATLAB is conducted to verify the proposed models.
Findings – Information transmission models were constructed, one without government intervention and one with government intervention. The
influence of information transmission with government intervention was analyzed. MATLAB was used to simulate the Barabasi and Albert (BA)-based
model to consider event information level, government information level and possible panic population proportion. The government intervention
effect was evaluated.
Originality/value – Based on a complex network, the derived transmission rule can provide decision-making support for monitoring and managing
Web information of consumer product quality and safety.
Keywords Social media, Complex network, Public opinion, Government intervention, Consumer product quality and safety,
Information transmission
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Quality and safety are arguably the most primary concerns for
consumer products (Li et al., 2011;Wang et al., 2012a,
2012b). With the economic globalization, the concern on
quality and safety of consumer products is growing. Product
quality and safety are the core interests of manufacturing
enterprises and consumers (Li, 2013a). However, the number
of product recalls around the world has been increasing (Li,
2013b). The product harm scandals are the headlines on
mainstream media from time to time, involving products
range from toxic toy to peanut butter (Tse and Tan, 2011).
For example, the Mattel recalled more than 21 million toys
worldwide in 2007, and the causes were that the paints of
these toys contained lead or they had tiny and detachable parts
that could be swallowed by kids easily (Mattel Recalls, 2007).
Consumer product quality and safety incidents have surged
recently in China as well, including faucets containing lead
above the approved level and school uniforms containing
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/2398-6247.htm
Information Discovery and Delivery
45/1 (2017) 10–20
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 2398-6247]
[DOI 10.1108/IDD-10-2016-0035]
The authors would like to acknowledge that this research is supported and
funded by the National Science Foundation of China under Grant
No.71301152, No.71271013 and No.71132008, the National Science
Foundation of Beijing under Grant No. 9142012, Quality Inspection
Project 552015G-4013, the Basic Scientific Research Funding
552016Y-4700, Social Science Fund Plan of Liaoning Province No.
L16ATQ001, the Federation Social Sciences Circles of Liaoning Province
No. 2016lslktglx-04, the Research Base of Federation Social Sciences
Circles of Liaoning Province No.2016lsljdwt-01 and the Federation Social
Sciences Circles of Dalian City No.2015dlskz001-04.
Received 13 October 2016
Revised 7 December 2016
Accepted 8 December 2016
10
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