Exploring Bed & Breakfast Websites

SUMMARY

This exploratory study was designed to evaluate the Websites of Bed & Breakfast(s) (B&B) belonging to the Indiana B&B Association (IBBA). Using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) approach, four evaluation perspectives were considered: (1) user friendliness, (2) site attractiveness, (3) marketing effectiveness, and (4) technical aspects. A team of trained evaluators rated a random sample of 20 IBBA property Websites. The study found that the major strength of the B&B Websites evaluated was their attractiveness, but improvements were needed in all four categories. The B&B modified BSC instrument used in this research also showed good inter-rater reliability.     

Website Evaluation in Tourism and Hospitality

SUMMARY

Millions of dollars have been invested in Website development, often without much thought of how to evaluate the effectiveness of sites. This paper reports on the past, present, and likely future of one of the recommended approaches for evaluating tourism and hospitality Websites, the modified Balanced Scorecard approach. It traces the use of the approach from its beginning in 1999 to the present time. A thorough review of other approaches to Website evaluation is also provided. The article suggests that Website evaluation approaches can be classified into four groups based upon why and when the evaluation is done (formative vs. summative evaluation) and whether efficiency or effectiveness is being measured. It concludes with a call to action for industry leaders, academics, and consultants to develop a unified procedure for Website evaluation in tourism and hospitality.     

Measuring hotel performance using the balanced scorecard: A theoretical construct development and its empirical validation

A key contribution to the performance measurement literature was the introduction of the balanced scorecard (BSC) in 1992. However, despite its appealing rationale in capturing different aspects of performance and its wide and increasing use in a range of industries, there has been no rigorous psychometric development and testing of performance scales from the BSC perspective in the hospitality industry. In order to contribute to fill this gap, this study adopted a two-stage design seeking to develop and test a scale of organizational performance using the BSC in the hotel sector. In Stage 1, the authors generated and refined the scale items, recognizing unique characteristics of the hotel sector. In Stage 2, the scale has been assessed in terms of dimensionality, validity, and reliability. The findings suggest that managers do make a meaningful distinction between five aspects of hotel performance. Unexpected results, contributions, limitations, directions for future research, and managerial implications are all discussed.     

Cross-cultural comparison of the image of Guam perceived by Korean and Japanese leisure travelers: Importance–performance analysis

As international tourism becomes a global phenomenon and its volume increases rapidly, understanding cultural differences and similarities provides destination marketers in a host country with a strategic platform upon which any planning and marketing efforts should be grounded. Based on the theory of cultural value orientation, the current study focuses on a cross-cultural comparison between the two markets most important to Guam tourism: Japanese and Korean leisure travelers. Using Importance–performance analysis, the evaluative image of Guam perceived by Korean travelers is compared with that perceived by Japanese travelers to uncover any differences between these two nationality groups. The results clearly indicate a contrast between the two groups in terms of destination evaluations and behavioral patterns.     

Personality profiles for hospitality employees: Impact on job performance and satisfaction

Prevailing hospitality research has demonstrated the impact of personality traits on various human resource outcomes. However, most studies on employee personality applied a construct-centered approach and treated each personality dimension as a separate construct. Although some psychologists have begun to study the combinations of various personality dimensions as overall individual profiles, much remains unknown about the generalizability of these personality profiles in hotel employees and how these profiles might affect individual work outcomes, including job performance and satisfaction. To address this literature gap and cross-validate the results, data from 1035 respondents was collected from two five-star hotels of Hong Kong with different backgrounds. Drawing on self-regulation theory and using the Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), we identified two major personality profiles from the respondents. Results showed that the personality profiles led to varying levels of job performance and satisfaction, depending on the employees’ frequency of contact with the hotel guests. Conceptual, methodological, and practical implications were discussed.     

Examination of benefits sought by hiking tourists: a comparison of impact-range performance analysis and impact asymmetry analysis

This study assesses the benefits of hiking for visitors to the Jeju Olle Trail on Jeju Island in Korea, which has been designated as a World Heritage Site. Data were collected from a total of 318 tourists visiting the Jeju Olle Trail. The study focused on comparing the benefits sought by first-time visitors and those of repeat visitors. Analytical results found that first-time visitors and repeat visitors sought different benefits from their hiking experiences. First-time visitors sought to observe nature and interact with people. For first-time visitors, benefits that delighted them were buying unique souvenirs and enjoying educational experiences, whereas repeat visitors demonstrated a good assessment on interactions with new people and buying unique souvenirs.     

CSR and financial performance: The role of CSR awareness in the restaurant industry

Initiatives for corporate social responsibility (CSR) often have served business as a source of competitive advantage. However, despite firms’ attempts to capitalize on their CSR efforts, stakeholders’ low awareness of these initiatives makes it difficult to realize the full value of the strategic CSR. In this study, we propose and test in the context of the restaurant industry whether CSR awareness, measured by CSR media coverage, moderates the relationship between the social and financial performance. Our results support the notion that stakeholders’ CSR awareness affects the manner in which CSR initiatives can result in financial gain. Our research has implications both for firms’ investment policies in social initiatives and for highlighting the importance of communicating CSR initiatives to relevant stakeholders.     

Prioritizing destination attributes for optimal resource allocation: a study of Chinese tourists visiting Britain

ABSTRACT

This study assesses the importance, performance, and the interrelationships of key destination attributes for marketing managers to prioritize resource allocation. A three-dimensional analysis of importance–performance–impact-analysis (IPIA) factors, based upon a survey sample of 275 Chinese tourists to Britain and an expert panel interview with 10 destination marketing managers is presented. Data analysis was based upon a mix of multi-criteria decision-making methodologies, the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method and the Analytic Network Process (ANP) method. The framework can be applied to prioritize resources allocation to improve customer satisfaction in other contexts, such as a sector or a specific business.