Theme restaurants’ servicescape in developing quality of life: The moderating effect of perceived authenticity

This study was designed to investigate the role of servicescape, customer emotion, satisfaction, and perceived authenticity (PA) in the generation process of theme restaurant customers’ quality of life. We employed a survey methodology that used the data collected from theme restaurant customers, conducted structural analysis, and tested for metric invariance. Results showed that our theoretical model explained a sufficient amount of variance in overall quality of life; the hypothesized relationships in our research framework were generally supported; and customer emotion, satisfaction, and subjective well-being were significant mediators. Moreover, the proposed moderating impact of PA was partially supported. Overall, our empirical findings provide a significant contribution toward advancing the knowledge of how servicescape dimensions, customer emotion, satisfaction, subjective well-being, and quality of life are related. Finally, we share insight into how these relationships are affected by PA in the formation of theme restaurant customers’ quality of life.     

How nutrition information frame affects parents’ perceptions of restaurants: The moderating role of information credibility

Adding easy-to-read information on menus is recommended for customers’ healthy food selections. But what format yields the best outcomes for restaurateurs has not been investigated. We use the emphasis framing effect as a theoretical lens to examine how the credibility of nutrition information affects parents’ perceptions of restaurant healthfulness and trustworthiness when exposed to two nutrition information frames on children's menus: numeric values only and numeric values with low-calorie symbols. The results of the experimental study show that parents who do not perceive nutrition information as being highly credible perceive restaurants providing numerical values only as more healthful and trustworthy. However, parents who do perceive nutrition information as being highly credible perceive restaurants as more healthful and trustworthy when both numeric values and low-calorie symbols are presented and have more positive perceptions overall. We advise restaurateurs to increase nutrition information credibility and provide additional easy-to-read information to elicit more positive perceptions.     

How do tourists' attribution of destination social responsibility motives impact trust and intention to visit? The moderating role of destination reputation

Through the lenses of attribution theory, signal theory, and social exchange theory, this study proposed and tested a conceptual model that investigates how tourists' attribution of destination social responsibility (DSR) motives impact destination trust and intention to visit a destination. The moderating effects of destination reputation (good vs. average) were particularly examined in the proposed model. The results of three experimental studies revealed that the impact of DSR motive attributions on destination trust and intention to visit vary under different conditions of destination reputation. In particular, when a destination has a good reputation, the positive impact of intrinsic DSR motive attribution tends to be stronger than that of extrinsic DSR motive attribution. However, when a destination's reputation is average, the impact of the two types of DSR motive attributions become insignificant. The findings of this study provide theoretical and practical implications for destination marketing and DSR campaigns.     

How effective are your CSR messages? The moderating role of processing fluency and construal level

This study explores effective ways for hospitality companies to communicate their corporate social responsibility activities with customers. The moderating role of processing fluency and psychological distance has been examined. The findings suggest that when customers are making a decision for the distant future (e.g., three months later), they are more likely to engage in abstract thinking and rely on metacognitive cues such as processing fluency. As such, a CSR message with high processing fluency will be preferred. On contrary, when customers are making a decision for the near future (e.g., next week), their information processing strategies are influenced by their concrete mental representation of the events. Under such circumstance, customers tend to have a more positive attitude and purchase intention after reading a CSR message with low processing fluency. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed as well.     

How does destination crisis event type impact tourist emotion and forgiveness? The moderating role of destination crisis history

Drawing on attribution theory and situational crisis communication theory, this study investigates how destination crisis events impact tourist sympathy, anger, and intentions of forgiveness in four experiments. It also examines the moderating effects of destination crisis history (none vs. similar vs. dissimilar). The results of Study 1 and Study 2 revealed that external crisis events cause more sympathy and tourist forgiveness than internal ones, but less anger. They also indicated that sympathy and anger play a mediating role in destination crisis events and tourist forgiveness. The results of Study 3 and Study 4 revealed that destination crisis history predicts the impact of crisis events on tourist emotion and forgiveness. In particular, when there is no destination crisis history or similar crisis history, an external crisis event will garner more sympathy and forgiveness than an internal crisis event. These findings provide theoretical and practical implications for destination crisis management.     

Too dark to revisit? The role of past experiences and intrapersonal constraints

Laden with assorted emotional factors, dark tourism behaviors are heavily influenced by emotion-related factors, such as intrapersonal constraints. By deploying a survey of tourists visiting the Memorial of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, which lies on the darkest edges of the dark tourism spectrum, this study probes how well one's intrapersonal constraints and past experiences relate to one's revisit intention. Results indicate that there are four sub-dimensions in intrapersonal constraints, namely culture, emotion, escape, and incuriousness. The cognitive experiences have significantly positive effects on the revisit intention either through direct effects or via the mediating variables of intrapersonal constraints, while intrapersonal constraints play an indirect-only mediating role in the relationship between affective experiences and revisit intentions. Theoretical and practical contributions of the study findings are discussed within the realm of dark tourism.     

How does social capital influence the hospitality firm's financial performance? The moderating role of entrepreneurial activities

Although previous studies have examined the relationship between social capital and firm performance under boundary conditions such as firm age, industry characteristics, and institutional conditions, the literature is silent on the types of firm activities linking social capital to financial performance. This study investigates the moderating role of firm-level entrepreneurial activities (service innovation, corporate venturing and strategic renewal) on the relationship between social capital and financial performance in a sample of Chinese hotels. The findings indicate that the interaction of external and internal social capital has a positive effect on financial performance. In addition, innovation and corporate venturing enhance the relationship between financial performance and social capital. To achieve a competitive advantage, hospitality firms should not only accumulate social capital but should also deliberately implement strategies that enhance entrepreneurial activities to fully unleash the potential of social capital.     

Souvenir sellers and perceptions of authenticity – The retailers of Hội An,Vietnam

Authenticity has long been a theme within the tourism literature, but relatively little has been written about the attitudes of souvenir retailers. This paper, based on a combination of case study and micro-ethnographic approaches, reports findings derived from interviews with 25 souvenir retailers in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hoi An, Vietnam. It uses a thematic and content analysis aided by the use of textual analysis software to identify dichotomous yet holistic perceptions on the part of the retailers. They seek to sell souvenirs perceived as authentic of Hoi An, yet source both nationally and locally. The items are thus representative of Hoi An and Vietnam, and these attitudes can be justified by an appeal to the past trading heritage of the ancient city. The retailers also perceive tourists as potential ‘prosumers’ who create their own experiential authenticity.     

How do consumers’ perceptions differ across dimensions of corporate social responsibility and hotel types?

This study develops three hypotheses regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of the hotel industry. First, the study examines a ranking of consumers’ perceived importance of the four CSR dimensions proposed by Carroll’s hierarchy of CSR in 1991, expecting the following orders: philanthropic, ethical, legal, and economic dimensions, from most to least important. Second, the study investigates the relationship between consumers’ perceived importance of and their overall support for CSR. Third, the study introduces the type of hotel (for example, economy, mid-scale, and upscale) as a moderator to provide a better explanation of the relationship between consumers’ perceived importance of the CSR dimensions and support for CSR. Contributions to the CSR literature in general, and also specifically relating to the hotel context, and managerial implications are discussed.     

How risky are services? An empirical investigation on the antecedents and consequences of perceived risk for hotel service

Previous research does not systematically investigate the antecedents and consequences of perceived risk for services in emerging markets. The present research aims to fill this void in the literature and examines the determinants and consequences of consumer risk perceptions for an experience service, hotel service. The present research models the antecedents at both the firm (company reputation and perceived price) and individual consumer (risk aversion and face consciousness) levels, and the consequences comprise word-of-mouth communication and switching intention. Though perceived risk is a multidimensional construct, past research tends to operationalize risk narrowly as either performance or financial risk. The author overcomes this limitation by studying perceived risk at the component level, and examines psychological, social, performance and financial risks separately. The results of a survey on Chinese consumers who have purchased hotel service recently indicate that both firm-level and individual-level antecedents directly influence perceived risk. While psychological and social risks positively affect word-of-mouth, they do not have significant influence on switching intention. In addition, performance risk increases switching intention but decreases word of mouth. The author discussed the theoretical and managerial implications, and suggested future research directions.     

Engage or quit? The moderating role of abusive supervision between resilience,intention to leave and work engagement

This study explores the impact of travel agency employees' resilience on their intention to leave and work engagement, and simultaneously examines whether abusive supervision moderates the aforementioned relationships. There is a clear research gap on this subject in the tourism and hospitality literature regarding the moderating affects of abusive supervision on the relationships between resilience, intention to leave and work engagement. The survey was conducted in 18 travel agencies in Taiwan. Of the returned samples, 459 questionnaires were complete. Multiple regression analyses are used to test the four hypotheses of this study. The results indicate that travel agency employees' resilience can reduce their intention to leave and enhance their work engagement. Also, abusive supervision has a moderating affect on the relationship between resilience and intention to leave. Implications for managers of travel agency, theoretical contribution of the paper and suggestions for future research regarding travel agency employees are discussed.     

Why do you use Yelp? Analysis of factors influencing customers’ website adoption and dining behavior

The number of review websites has increased within the past years since more people rely on online reviews to help their decision-making process. Previous studies have either focused on the attributes of the content posted on review websites (i.e., reviews) or customers’ behavior concerning their selection of review website on which to post reviews. This study, however, extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the factors that influence individuals’ restaurant review website adoption behaviors to read reviews and make dining decisions. In addition, this study will look at the differences in individuals’ perceptions of various restaurant review websites (i.e., Yelp vs. others). The findings revealed the role of influential factors on individuals’ review website adoption and dining decisions as well as the differences in proposed structural relationships among various restaurant review websites.     

How do hotel employees’ feeling trusted and its differentiation shape service performance: The role of relational energy

Although prior literature has generally shown that feeling trusted plays a crucial role in boosting employee performance, little attention has been paid to exploring how and when feeling trusted promotes service performance. Borrowing from the Pygmalion effect and conservation of resources theory, we craft and scrutinize a cross-level framework elucidating why and when feeling trusted shapes service performance by pinpointing relational energy as a linchpin mechanism, and feeling trusted differentiation as a key contingency. A three-wave survey design is used to examine these assumptions with data culled from 505 hotel employee–leader dyads nested in 97 groups affiliated with 16 hotels in China. As anticipated, we found that feeling trusted can evoke high relational energy, which in turn improves service performance. In addition, these observed effects of feeling trusted become stronger when feeling trusted differentiation is low rather than high. Overall, we conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.     

Customers’ perceptions in value and food safety on customer satisfaction and loyalty in restaurant environments: moderating roles of gender and restaurant types

Using a valid sample of 334 restaurant diners, this study investigated the relative effects of perceived value and food safety on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The proposed model was consistent with other cognitive–attitudinal–behavioral frameworks. This study also explored how these two perceptions on customer satisfaction were different based on gender and restaurant type. We found support for all of the hypothesized relationships. Results from the structural equation modeling showed that customer satisfaction mediated the relationships between two antecedents and customer loyalty. Implications of the findings, limitations of the study, and recommendations for future research were discussed.     

How does self-construal shape tourists' image perceptions of paradox destinations? The mediating roles of cognitive flexibility and destination involvement

This study proposes the concept of the ‘paradox destination’ as a novel destination positioning strategy for destination marketers. A paradox destination strategy describes the situation where a destination delivers a brand identity with contradictory personalities. Four experiments were conducted to investigate the interactive effects of self-construal (independent vs. interdependent) and destination type (paradox vs. non-paradox) on the image perception of potential tourists. The results revealed that independent potential tourists have a more positive image perception of paradox destinations than do interdependent potential tourists. Moreover, independent potential tourists reported a more positive image perception of paradox destinations than they did for non-paradox destinations. The mediating effects of cognitive flexibility and destination involvement were also tested by this research. In addition to theoretical implications, this paper also provides practical marketing strategies for destination marketers.     

Do employees' perceived compensation system influence turnover intentions and job performance? The role of communication satisfaction as a moderator

Drawing on social exchange theory (SET), the study examined the influence of customer-contact hotel employees' perceived compensation system on turnover intentions and job performance. Also, the study explored the potential moderating role of communication satisfaction in the aforementioned connections. Data obtained from 372 customer-contact employees in 5-star hotels in Nigeria was used to assess the hypothesized relationships. Using hierarchical multiple regression, the findings demonstrated that while customer-contact hotel employees' perceived compensation system reduces turnover intentions, it enhances job performance. More importantly, communication satisfaction moderates the relationships between customer-contact hotel employees' perceived compensation system, turnover intentions, and job performance. Theoretical contributions of the study, managerial implications, and suggestions for further studies are discussed.     

How do tourists respond to meta-stereotypes? Understanding their willingness to interact,self-presentation and the role of power

Research into the stereotypes of tourists by locals and the impacts of these stereotypes on local behaviors is well established. However, how tourists respond to these stereotypes remains underdeveloped. This research offers a thorough understanding of the effects of meta-stereotypes on tourists by revealing whether being stereotyped affects tourist intentions to interact with locals and their self-presentation during these interactions. Two scenario-based experiments and a follow-up survey were conducted. Study 1 demonstrates that meta-stereotypes influence in different ways the willingness of tourists to interact with locals and how they present themselves to locals. Study 2 reveals that these effects are significantly moderated by the degree to which tourists hold power, with powerful tourists being more likely to behave in line with meta-stereotypes. Study 3 draws consistent conclusions with Study 1 and 2 in surveying 313 Mainland Chinese tourists. This research offers insights into tourist responses to meta-stereotypes and has implications for organizations seeking to enhance tourist-host relations.     

Do perceptions of time affect outbound-travel motivations and intention? An investigation among Chinese seniors

How people conceptualise time can play a critical role in their travel intention. However, relatively little research attention has been directed to the links between time perspective, outbound-travel motivation and outbound-travel intention. In this study, survey data from a sample of Chinese seniors were analysed to test hypotheses regarding these links. The results showed that present-time perspective and future-time perspective were directly related to travel motivation, and that the associations between present and future perspectives and travel intention were fully mediated by travel motivation. These findings not only highlight the relevance of time-perspective styles to travel research, but also have specific implications for tourism-destination marketers with senior audiences.     

How do foreigners perceive? Exploring foreign diners’ satisfaction with service quality of Chinese restaurants

China has received 138 million inbound trips in 2016. The purpose of travel may vary but these international travelers visit Chinese restaurants as an integral part of their travel experience. Our study tries to comprehend their dining experience and regional differences in service quality (SQ) perceptions. The findings indicate that food and process quality significantly influence satisfaction and behavioral intentions. More importantly, the results reveal that international travelers roving through all the six continents hold significantly different perceptions regarding SQ attributes of Chinese restaurants. Additionally, we found proficiency in Chinese language as a significant contributor in generating dissimilar perceptions.