Integrating the tourist gaze with the social servicescape: Implications for creating memorable theme park experiences

This research examines how the social servicescape-directed gaze (i.e., perceptions of similarity, appearance, and behavior of other customers) influences theme park visitors’ affective states and experiences. A quantitative, survey-based research design was adopted with a total of 561 theme park patrons participating in the study. Results of structural equation modeling analyses reveal that similarity and behavior positively affect visitors’ feelings of arousal and curiosity, which in turn contribute to memorable theme park experiences. Other visitors’ appearances, however, are not a significant predictor of affect/experience. From a theory standpoint, this research represents a first attempt to study the tourist gaze at theme parks and makes a unique contribution by integrating the three dimensions of the social servicescape with the theoretical lens of the tourist gaze. Practically, this research provides suggestions for theme park management to create more memorable experiences by leveraging the social servicescape-directed gaze among visitors.     

Coaching and employee organizational citizenship behaviours: The role of procedural justice climate

This study investigates how the level of procedural justice climate (PJC) in a group may reduce or increase the impact of coaching behaviour of department managers on the organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) of their subordinates in the hospitality sector. The sample consists of 40 department managers and 176 employees of 12 five star hotels operating in Northern Cyprus. A multilevel analysis using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) was utilized due to the nested nature of employees in their corresponding departments. Effective coaching is especially more important in departments where procedural justice climate is low. When the PJC is low, the role of effective coaching becomes imperative for OCBs of employees. In line with the substitutes for leadership theory, the higher levels of PJC serve as a substitute for coaching.     

An exploration of actor-network theory and social affordance for the development of a tourist attraction: A case study of a Jimmy-related theme park,Taiwan

Differing from traditional approaches to exploring issues of tourist attractions, this article uses insights from actor-network theory (ANT) and social affordance to conceptually examine how a postmodern tourist attraction, a Jimmy-themed tourist attraction, has been enacted into a relational network composed of multiple and heterogeneous actors/actants. The paper scrutinizes the transformation of figures from Jimmy-related picture books into the social affordances of a postmodern tourist attraction via evolving mechanisms of ordering and valuating attractiveness to connect human and nonhuman actors into a relational web. It is argued that the conceptual application of ANT and social affordance may help provide an alternative approach to the study of tourist attractions.     

Effects of CSR on affective organizational commitment via organizational justice and organization-based self-esteem

This study examined how employee perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) influenced their affective organizational commitment (AOC) via procedural justice and organization-based self-esteem (OBSE). Using survey data collected from 203 employees working for a hospitality company, hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The results showed that economic and philanthropic CSR did not have significant effects on procedural justice, but had significant direct effects on AOC. The findings also showed that procedural justice had a significant effect on OBSE, and both procedural justice and OBSE had significant effects on AOC. In addition, the results suggested that ethical CSR programs can have a positive impact on employees’ AOC via their procedural justice and OBSE. This study contributed to the literature by developing a CSR-procedural justice-OBSE-AOC model, guided by social exchange and self-consistency theories, and empirically testing it within a hospitality context.     

The impacts of geographic and social influences on review helpfulness perceptions: A social contagion perspective

Identifying and presenting helpful reviews to customers can significantly affect their purchase decisions. Although review helpfulness has been extensively explored in tourism research, extant studies have not sufficiently emphasized the unique characteristics of tourism products and investigated review helpfulness perceptions from both geographic and social influence perspectives. In this study, drawing on social contagion theory, we developed a theoretical framework to examine the impact of social contagion, specifically geographic and social proximities, on perceived review helpfulness. Our empirical analyses of Yelp restaurant reviews indicated that geographic and social influences have varying impacts on review helpfulness perceptions. Additionally, social contagions significantly moderated the impacts of various review- and reviewer-related factors, and product characteristics further moderated the contagion effect on perceived review helpfulness. This study provides valuable theoretical and methodological contributions to research on review helpfulness, especially in tourism contexts, and lays out the practical implications for various stakeholders.     

Motivations for entrepreneurship in the tourism and hospitality sector: A social cognitive theory perspective

A critical examination of the literature suggests that further work is needed to understand the relationship between small tourism and hospitality businesses and their external social-economic environments. In particular, the nature of personal and environmental factors influencing tourism entrepreneurship remains unknown. Focusing on one type of small business, guest houses, this study aims to examine entrepreneurs’ motivations from a dynamic perspective and explore the nature of personal and environmental factors affecting motivations for entrepreneurship. Taking a qualitative approach, four patterns of change in (or maintenance of) motivation are identified. Guided by social cognitive theory, this study finds that, among the relevant personal factors are cognitive beliefs, intrinsic needs, and demographic factors, while the environmental facilitators include changes in the tourism market, changes within the industry, and changes in setting/location. Finally, a model of small business operators’ motivations for engaging in entrepreneurship in the tourism and hospitality sector is proposed.     

Managing customer citizenship behaviour: The moderating roles of employee responsiveness and organizational reassurance

This study examines the influence of employee responsiveness and organizational reassurance towards customer citizenship behaviour (CCB) on building guest satisfaction, loyalty, and perceived value. The study considers insights from concepts in psychology including attachment theory, self-congruity theory, affect infusion model, and social exchange theory which are relevant to the problematics of CCB. The scenario-based experimental design used in this study focuses on one aspect of CCB identified in extant literature: the policing of other customers. In a hospitality context, guests voluntarily participate in safeguarding an organization's quality when they identify areas that may be impacted by opportunistic behaviours of fellow guests. This context is highly relevant in hospitality and tourism settings where the behaviour of one individual may directly impact the experience of another given the co-creation of experience in a shared environment. Both employee responsiveness and organizational reassurance were found to significantly moderate guest satisfaction, loyalty and perceived value.