Involvement with the equipment component of sport: Links to recreational commitment

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the involvement many sports participants have with relevant sports equipment. A structural model is presented which proposes a positive relationship between equipment involvement and recreational commitment. The model also identifies several possible outcomes of equipment involvement such as product spending levels and opinion leadership regarding the equipment. The model is tested using LJSREL analysis for a sample of recreational runners. Results confirm that both equipment involvement and recreational commitment are multidimensional constructs. Amount of running experience was found to be negatively related to perceptions of equipment importance, whereas psychological commitment to running had a positive effect. Behavioral commitment was not significantly associated with the perceived importance of running equipment, although there was a postive link with equipment knowledge. Equipment involvement was found to be a significant predictor of spending levels and opinion leadership.     

The impact of successful cross-competencies on a career in tourism in Italy: the meeting point between the students’ perceptions and the requirements for professionals

ABSTRACT

The paper aims to understand how the changes occurring in the tourism sector are affecting the labor market in Italy, with a special focus on the relevance of successful cross competences (SCC). It focuses on comparing the relevance of these competencies in the perception of both students preparing to enter the tourism field and tour operators. The two-step study combined qualitative analysis that put forth specific characteristics of the tourism labor market in Italy through interviews with experts, and quantitative analysis that correlated the requirements of the tour operators to the ideas students have of what competencies tour operators entering the field should have. The results evinced differing perceptions of SCC and their relative importance in professional fields. Students manifest to miss awareness of the importance of SCC for their future careers. Furthermore, organizational ability, self-control and self-esteem were perceived by tour operators as the most important competencies to be acquired.     

The Impact of Hotel Social Events on Employee Satisfaction

ABSTRACT

Employee satisfaction is an important factor in the hospitality industry. This study offers a technique to gauge employee satisfaction and demonstrates its use in an actual setting. A case study of the Mercure Mirage Eilat Hotel evaluated employee's satisfaction, before and after organizational social event, revealing that satisfaction improved after the social event. The findings also demonstrate that the composition of satisfaction altered. Prior to the organizational activity, monetary compensation was of prime importance; following the organizational activity, social issues gained significant importance in forming employee satisfaction.     

Journeys for Experiences: Japanese Independent Travelers in Scotland

Summary

This paper reviews the motives of Japanese independent travelers and offers a conceptualization-Journeys for Experiences. A desegregation of the independent traveler market is broken down into the three effected segments: Careerists, Collectors andMainstreamers. These segments are compared to generic segments of the Japanese market, and the effectiveness of Japanese tourism policy reviewed in terms of this segmentation. Also identified is the need for target marketing and image differentiation in promotion, in order to match the differential importance of motives by each segment toward the product offered both in terms of perceived and consumed experiences.     

Consumer Perceptions and Behavior

Abstract

The primary objective of this article is to highlight the importance of consumer perceptions in strategic airline alliance settings. Previous research on strategic alliances, both in the service and manufacturing sector, has mainly focused on issues relating to the organization. Consumer perceptions have generally been ignored-in view of the pivotal role of the consumer in service settings a surprising neglect. The paper focuses on the airline industry, an industry with a high service element, to illustrate how positive results eventuating for partners in a strategic alliance may cover slow shifts in consumer attitudes, and behavior. If not carefully monitored, these shifts may adversely affect performance measures of individual alliance partners in the long-term.     

External information search in marine recreational fishing

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine external search by marine recreational anglers. Both prepurchase and ongoing external search were examined as a function of (a) the perceived importance of information to fishing success and (b) the perceived difficulty of information acquisition. In addition, the effects of previous experience, knowledge, and involvement on the perceived information importance and difficulty measures were examined. The results indicate that information importance is a significant determinant of both prepurchase and ongoing external search. Furthermore, ongoing external search and the balance of prepurchase to ongoing search activities are also influenced by enduring involvement and previous experience.     

Diversity Management Training Initiatives

Abstract

This study investigates diversity management training initiatives (DMTIs) currently practiced within the lodging industry. The results suggest that once an employee becomes involved in the diversity management training initiative, their perception of its importance increases. It was also concluded that the perceived impact of DMTIs is positive for both minority and non-minority employees. The findings support the notion that the lodging industry is operating in a very diverse environment. Thus, emphasizing communication and educational training initiatives while reiterating their importance to all involved is necessary for success.     

Hourly Employee Retention Factors in the Quick Service Restaurant Industry

Abstract

Hourly employee retention in the quick service restaurant industry has long been a major area of concern for both operators and multi-unit restaurant decision makers. While numerous studies concentrated on managers' perceptions on why employees leave, few have explored the employees' perceptions on employment characteristics that kept them from changing jobs. The study employed a self-administered questionnaire and asked 233 quick service restaurant employees in the Midwestern region of the United States to rate the importance of and their experience with 20 employment characteristics of their job. The findings revealed that the most important employment characteristics were nice people to work with, humane approach to employees, and hourly wages. In addition, the study showed statistically significant differences between the level of importance and the level of experience attached to 18 out of 20 employment characteristics, which could explain the high turnover and low retention of employees in the industry. Implications for management are discussed.     

Crisis Management and Its Impact on Destination Marketing

Abstract

This paper analyzes the crisis management procedures utilized by four specific Convention and Visitors Bureaus in a variety of disaster situations and locations across the United States. The crises studied are representative of both man-made and natural disasters, and occurred in destinations in which tourism plays a significant role. From these case studies, a comprehensive set of crisis management procedures was compiled for the benefit of Convention and Visitors Bureaus nationwide. Such standardized crisis management procedures will presumably contribute to a faster and more efficient recovery for any destination after a crisis, as these procedures have been used in actual crisis situations.     

Accounting for Varying Setting Preferences Among Moose Hunters

Recreation planners and managers realize the importance of different tastes and preferences among recreationists. This fact is explicit in recreational planning efforts and in the theories developed to understand recreational behaviors. While market segmentation approaches steeped in behavioral theory provide a rich source of information to planners and managers, we argue that such exogenous market segmentation approaches alone are insufficient to understand the degree of variability in tastes and preferences among recreationists. In this paper we employ a random parameters logit model to account for both the extent and sources of heterogeneity in preferences among recreationists. We illustrate the random parameters logit choice model with an application to the stated choices for hunting sites by moose hunters from northwestern Ontario. The application shows that the random parameters logit represents a considerable improvement over multinomial logit models based on market segmentation approaches.     

The Application of the Guttman Scaling Procedure in the Measurement of Consumer Behaviour: A Marketing Myopia

Abstract

This aim of this paper is to introduce Guttman Scaling procedure for the assessment of consumer behaviour. It is suggested as a useful methodology particularly when the unidimensionality of the scale is of concern. An empirical case study, designed from the service quality literature, was presented in order to demonstrate a possible application. Further implications and the efficiency of this scaling method is also discussed.     

The role of authenticity,experience quality,emotions, and satisfaction in a cultural heritage destination

ABSTRACT

Recent studies have shown the increasing importance of affective and subjective variables, such as experience quality, authenticity, and emotions in the formation of tourist satisfaction. This paper is a pioneer in jointly analysing the influence of authenticity in its double dimension, experience quality, and emotions variables on satisfaction in a cultural context. This study uses the structural equation modelling approach (Partial Least Square) and shows the direct and positive influence of objective and existential authenticity on the quality of the experience, as well as the direct and positive influence of the quality of experience on emotions. It is highly relevant to focus on both cognitive and affective dimensions of authenticity to improve the quality of the tourists’ experience. No previous studies in the literature examine the possible relationships between the different dimensions of authenticity on the quality of the experience and on emotions. The work reveals the importance of such variables in generating greater tourist satisfaction with the visited destination.     

An Empirical Application of Quantitative Derived Importance-Performance Analysis (QDIPA) for Employee Satisfaction

ABSTRACT

Importance-performance analysis (IPA) is a common analytical tool that has been used in a variety of applications. The method has been criticized for a number of reasons. Suggested alternative methods utilize the concept of derived importance (Oliver, 1997; Mount, 1997) and a quantitative interpretation of the traditionally visual results (Mount, 2000). This study illustrates how a method using both of the suggested alternatives is utilized to analyze employee satisfaction issues in a hotel.     

Wine and Tourism at the “Fairest Cape”

Summary

The paper gives a background on viticulture and wine making in South Africa before outlining post-apartheid developments in the supply and demand side of the wine industry. Against a sketch of recent tourism patterns in the Western Cape Province and especially the Winelands the linkage between wine and tourism is investigated by a closer look to the South African wine capital Stellenbosch and the Stellenbosch Wine Route. A new trend in wine tourism is highlighted by a case study of the hybrid wine and tourism developments at Spier Resort.     

From the Eyes of an Exhibitor

Abstract

Conferences and conventions often depend on event/convention planners to produce spectacular tradeshows to support their programs. A study which focused on exhibitor needs and the perceived benefits of participation was conducted during the winter of 1999 at an International Arts Convention in the eastern United States. Exhibitors' interests in convention participation fell into four primary areas: making contacts, gaining information, gaining visibility, and booking/selling a product or service. Understanding the areas of importance to exhibitors and the services/products that are necessary for them to achieve success can go a long way toward providing a meaningful experience and an avenue for communication for both convention exhibitors and planners.     

How Cultural Differences Cause Dimensions of Tourism Satisfaction

Abstract

This paper develops a conceptual model of the relationship between different cultural values and how they influence consumer satisfaction in the tourism industry. It is hypothesized that cultural differences manifest themselves in different levels of importance being placed upon different aspects of service, and the differences between the levels of importance and the actual service received cause differences in the levels of satisfaction. These hypotheses are tested using 269 independent samples of levels of importance and 411 independent samples of satisfaction of tourists from four cultural groups (Australian, USA/Canadian, Japanese, Mandarin speakers) who visited Melbourne, Australia in the period May-September, 1996. The analysis develops dimensions of importance and satisfaction separately for each cultural grouping, and uses structural equation modeling (Amos 3.6) to develop the causal model measuring the way in which importance of service dimensions cause dimensions of satisfaction. Conclusions from the analysis show little evidence of a causal relationship between importance of service quality attributes and satisfaction. However, significant differences are found between cultures for different levels of satisfaction resulting indirectly from differences in the importance and actual levels of service received.

The implications for cultural differences affecting tourism satisfaction are discussed.     

In the footsteps of Anne Frank,The Beatles and Vincent Van Gogh: a review and discussion of personal legacy trails

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on a review and discussion of personal legacy trails. A detailed analysis and reconstruction of tourism in the footsteps of Anne Frank and the management of the involved sites form the main case study here. The short life of Anne Frank in perilous times has attracted the attention of millions of readers as well as visitors to the places closely associated with her life path: Frankfurt, her birth place in 1929, Aachen, Amsterdam (including her place in hiding 1942–1944), Transit Camp Westerbork, Concentration Camp Auschwitz and at last Concentration Camp Bergen-Belsen, where she and her sister Margot died in March 1945. A general discussion of the importance of personal legacy trails follows in the last third of the paper. This section examines cases of the popularized legacy of well-known artists and musicians in local/regional settings, such as The Beatles in Liverpool, and tourism in the search of Van Gogh’s Provence. Finally, the commonalities in the personal legacy trails of ordinary US citizens is discussed and shown for the visitation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the Washington Mall and for the Wall of Honor on Ellis Island.     

A hybrid multi-criteria decision making model to evaluate hotel websites

PurposeThe main purpose of the study is to develop a robust and reliable model which evaluates the quality of hospitality websites, or more specifically, hotel websites.Design/methodology/approachThe literature is deeply overviewed and an advisory board is consulted for determination of the critical factors affecting the quality of a hospitality website. Appointed criteria are organised as a hierarchy according to their orientation. A hybrid model including two multi-criteria decision making approaches, namely the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Preference Ranking Organisation Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE), is proposed to achieve the purpose of the study. The AHP is utilized to weigh the criteria, and, ranking of the alternatives are provided via PROMETHEE. For the case study, websites of five-star hotels in Ankara, which is the capital city of the Republic of Turkey, are evaluated.FindingsEncouraging results are obtained for the case study by the proposed model.Originality/valueThe proposed model provides reliable and robust results for any qualitative or quantitative criteria to evaluate hospitality websites which is a very important task for both customers, and enterprises, even for governments.     

Public Financing of Headquarter Hotels in the United States

Abstract

The past decade has seen a dramatic shift toward public sector financing of large hotels in the United States. This dialectic analysis examines trends in public participation in hotel development and examines why governments are investing in these projects. It looks at the different types of public participation and considers the market implications of these subsidies on private sector hotel development. The case is made that there is a need for accountability and more thorough review of these public investments. The paper proposes various ways that this can be achieved and discusses barriers to such reforms.     

Tourism Market Recovery in the Maldives After the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

SUMMARY

This paper will use a range of tourism data and a case study to examine the rates of recovery of ten source markets for the Maldives in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The market response and recovery rates for these ten markets varied significantly and the reasons for this will be explored. It is evident that a 'one size fits all' marketing strategy will not in itself be sufficient to achieve acceptable rates of recovery following a disaster. The strategies, opportunities and rates of market recovery experienced in the Maldives will provide useful insights for the marketing and monitoring of other destinations that have experienced a crisis or disaster.