Do reward programs truly build loyalty for lodging industry?

Hotel brands have sought numerous ways to build the relationship with their customers. Inspired by the airlines’ success, most major hotel chains have developed loyalty programs that reward customers for repeat business. However, the effectiveness of reward programs has been questioned. To explore reward programs’ potential to alter normal patterns to behavior, this research investigates how the timing of rewards affects customer loyalty for hotels and whether the effectiveness of these reward structures is moderated by customer satisfaction. This research also examines whether customer's value perception of loyalty program truly affect brand loyalty or program loyalty. In order to test the research framework, a 2 × 2 full-factorial, randomized, between-subject experimental design was conducted. In total, 209 respondents participated in the study. The results indicate that immediate rewards are more effective in building a program value than delayed rewards. Moreover, the value of loyalty program affects customer loyalty only through program loyalty to the extent that the program provides value to the customer. Finally, satisfaction plays an important moderating role on reward timing. Delayed rewards work better than immediate rewards only if customers are satisfied with hotel experience. In contrast, the immediate rewards in the dissatisfied experience become effective in their capacity to invoke customer loyalty.     

The social influence of other consumers on consumers’ reward donations

Loyalty reward programs and corporate social responsibility initiatives are ubiquitous in today’s corporate world, yet little is known how they can be synthesized to benefit companies and those in need. In two studies, we examine how the social influence of other consumers (the presence of other consumers and loyalty status tier) interact with reward type (effort-based vs. surprise) to influence consumers’ propensity to donate their loyalty rewards to charity. Furthermore, we uncover the underlying psychological mechanisms (i.e. instrumentality and self-enhancement) explaining the effects. Our findings indicate that hospitality operators should design loyalty reward programs that involve the presence of other consumers to induce reward donations. However, if the goal is to solicit donations from solo consumers, surprise rewards (vs. effort-based rewards) are more effective. In addition, we show that both types of rewards are effective among high-tier consumers, whereas only surprise rewards lead to high donation intent among low status consumers.     

Investigating the moderating effects of service climate on personality,motivation, social support,and performance among flight attendants

As service work becomes more complex and diversified, proactive behaviors become even more critical as determinants of organizational success. This study investigates the moderated mediation and three-way interaction effects that exist in the relationship between the variables ‘proactive personality’ and ‘service performance’. A self-administered questionnaire collected data from 205 flight attendants. Using hierarchical regression analysis, the results show that the relationship between ‘proactive personality’ and ‘service performance’ is moderated by other variables, namely ‘social support’ and ‘service climate’. Another variable ‘intrinsic motivation’ is found to be important when a low ‘service climate’ would otherwise inhibit service performance. The implications of the research findings are provided and discussed.     

The determinants of hospitality employees’ pro-environmental behaviors: The moderating role of generational differences

Seeking to build a deeper understanding of the determinants of hospitality employees’ pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs), this study explored linkages between employees’ autonomous and external motivations to perform PEBs, environmental concerns, self-efficacy, and employees’ reported PEBs. Hospitality employees (n = 432) indicated that autonomous motivation was associated with increases in employees’ environmental concern, self-efficacy, and PEBs. External motivation was significantly related to employees’ levels of environmental concern and PEBs. Employees’ environmental concern levels had positive effects on self-efficacy and PEBs. Self-efficacy was, in turn, positively associated with PEBs. The relationships between these variables were moderated by generational differences (e.g., Gen X and Gen Y) because generational characteristics might lead to formulating distinct generational perceptions in an organizational context. There were significant differences in the effects of autonomous motivation on environmental concern levels and PEBs between Gen X and Gen Y. In addition, the differences in effects of external motivation on environmental concern and PEBs were statistically significant between the two generations. Lastly, the impacts of environmental concern and self-efficacy on PEBs were significantly different between the two generations as well. Overall, our results suggest that the interplay of autonomous motivation, external motivation, environmental concern, and self-efficacy is important to the process of influencing hospitality employees’ PEBs.     

Achieving task and extra-task-related behaviors: A case of gender and position differences in the perceived role of rewards in the hotel industry

The study drew on a sample (n=284) from the hotel industry in Hong Kong to advance our understanding about the perceived effectiveness of various reward instruments in achieving specific task and extra-task performance behaviors. We found that the perceived motivating value of a reward varied according to its type. Non-financial rewards, for example, were found to play a prominent role in achieving extra-task performance dimensions. Employee characteristics also affected the perceived performance implications of various rewards. Nevertheless, caution must be exercised when interpreting the results, as other factors may also influence reward–performance relationships, thus paving the way for future research.     

Designing Customer-Oriented Non-Monetary Promotions in the Tourism Industry

In this study we examined the effects of promoted product and shopping motivation on consumers’ choice between utilitarian and hedonic non-monetary promotions using two experiments, and compared the two perspectives (i.e. benefit congruency versus justification) in terms of the power of explanation regarding the results. The two perspectives were found to be complementary rather than contrasting. Consistent with justification-based theory, relative preference for a utilitarian promotion increased when the promoted product was hedonic (as opposed to utilitarian), showing that the utilitarian promotion mitigates guilt and thus simplifies justification of choice. Shopping motivation moderated the effect of the promoted product on promotion choice, supporting the benefit congruency framework. Specifically, the relative preference for a hedonic promotion in utilitarian consumption decreased when the shopping motivation was utilitarian (as opposed to hedonic).     

Investigating the impact of surprise rewards on consumer responses

Adopting an experimental approach, this research compared surprise rewards with membership discount rewards in terms of their impact on customer responses of delight, frustration and satisfaction. In addition, this research examined the circumstances under which surprise rewards should be offered in order to yield maximum benefits for hospitality firms. In particular, the study examined how the customer's cumulative satisfaction (high vs. low) influences the effectiveness of surprise rewards (vs. membership discount rewards) in increasing customer delight and satisfaction and decreasing customer frustration. Consistent with the theoretical predictions, results show that surprise rewards are more effective than membership discount rewards for enhancing customer delight and satisfaction and attenuating customer frustration, particularly when the customer's cumulative satisfaction is low. These findings have important implications for the hospitality industry. Hospitality managers and marketers could use this information to design effective loyalty reward programs.     

The antecedents and outcomes of food safety motivators for restaurant workers: An expectancy framework

Individual food handlers’ motivations to comply with established guidelines in restaurant organizations were explored in this national study of 755 restaurant managers and employees in the United States. Using expectancy theory, workers’ motivations to comply with stated food safety regulations were measured. Overall, the results indicated support for expectancy theory and the proposed extension of this framework to restaurant employees’ perceptions of food safety and sanitation. However, there was no support in the model for restaurant workers to follow food sanitation regulations in the relationship between extrinsic valence and motivation. It was determined that this relationship is moderated by the length of time the employee has worked in the restaurant industry.     

Developing Loyalty Programs for Convention Attendees: An Exploratory Study

Reward programs build loyalty for hospitality businesses. Such programs are rare in the convention industry, despite the fact that the industry is challenged to increase attendance while maximizing profits. This study evaluated the attributes of a possible reward program for convention attendees. Attendees at a large international convention completed a survey on which they rated potential reward program attributes and benefits. Benefits were classified into four primary dimensions: monetary, redemption, functional, and recognition; and two secondary categories: tangible–intangible and direct–indirect. Attendees prefer tangible, monetary rewards directly related to the convention. Suggestions are provided for creating effective reward programs that could increase loyalty for conventions.     

Halal tourism: travel motivators and customer retention

This research was designed to identify halal-friendly travel motivation factors and unearth their role in Muslim customer retention process in Korea. Qualitative and quantitative procedures were used to achieve research objectives. A comprehensive structural model was developed to distinguish the role of all proposed indicators. Our results revealed that halal-friendly travel motivations are significantly associated with customer return on investment and satisfaction, and that such relationships contribute to improving customer retention. The effectiveness of higher-order structure of halal-friendly travel motivations was demonstrated. The formation of Muslim customers’ post-purchase decisions was significantly moderated by the sense of belonging to a tourist destination.     

A new dualistic approach to brand attitude: The role of passion among integrated resort customers

Integrated resorts have recently become a very popular destination for tourists. However, there is a lack of knowledge about general customers’ behavior in the integrated resort setting. Thus, this study focused on the perceptions, emotions, and behavioral intentions of recreational customers who had previously visited an integrated resort. The authors examine the structural relationship among the cognitive (i.e., passion and motivation), affective (i.e., affective attitude), and conative intention outcome of general integrated resort customers. Structural equation modeling analysis of 401 survey participants showed that the link between extrinsic motivation and obsessive passion reduced affective attitude. By contrast, the association of intrinsic motivation and harmonious passion promoted affective attitude. The conative intention outcome of customers is directly influenced by intrinsic motivation and affective attitude. This study contributes to academic and practical implications in the integrated resort brand marketing by focusing on recreational customers’ behavior.     

Hotels’ environmental leadership and employees’ organizational citizenship behavior

Expanding on a stream of literature connecting employee motivation to environmental practices, this research investigated why hospitality employees participated in organizational citizenship behaviors related to company sustainability efforts. The results of this study suggest that employees’ environmental belief partially mediates the influences of both environmental-transformational leadership and environmental policies on organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment, while it fully mediates the association between environmental training and the outcome. The findings also demonstrate that employees’ perception of organizational support moderates the relationship between environmental belief and organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment. Pointedly, hospitality workers reported they were increasingly more likely to engage in ecologically friendly organizational citizenship behaviors as their environmental beliefs increased, and as such, organizational support moderated the association so that the more support received, the more likely workers would engage in such behaviors, and the less support received, the less likely they were to do so.     

Measurement of feelings of obligation to volunteer: the Obligation to Volunteer as Commitment (OVC) and Obligation to Volunteer as Duty (OVD) scales

While definitions of volunteering centre on the concepts of freedom and choice, in practice volunteering can be imbued with aspects of obligation. This paper describes the development of measures of feelings of obligation to volunteer. As a foundation for scale development, a literature review of feelings of obligation to volunteer suggested two dimensions of obligation: commitment, related to the devotion of volunteers who engage in serious leisure and the rewards that result, and including sub-dimensions of reward, affective attachment, flexibility and side bets; and duty, related to volunteers’ feelings of being burdened by their volunteer pursuits, comprised of the sub-dimensions of expectation, burden and constraint. These two distinct dimensions of obligation to volunteer evolved as two measures in a scale-development process that included review of potential items by subject experts and volunteers, exploratory factor analyses of potential items using data from a student sample and validation of the scale with a volunteer sample.     

How does career future time perspective moderate in the relationship between infection anxiety with the COVID-19 and service behavior among hotel employees?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching impacts on the hospitality industry and its employees. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of infection anxiety with COVID-19 (IAWC) on employee motivation and work behaviors. This study proposes and examines a model predicting that IAWC has indirect effects on service and helping behaviors via intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, we expect that career future time perspective mitigates the harmful effects of IAWC on service and helping behaviors. We tested our moderated mediation model using data collected from multiple time points and multiple resources (i.e., hotel employees and their corresponding supervisors). The results show that IAWC indirectly influences service and helping behaviors via intrinsic motivation. In addition, career future time perspective moderated the effects of IAWC, such that the indirect effects of IAWC were weakened when employees' career future time perspective was high. This study extends our understanding of the impacts of IAWC on hospitality employees and the buffering effects of career future time perspective. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.     

Framing corporate social responsibility for a controversial product

ABSTRACT

Firms operating casino businesses such as casino hotels often face scrutiny with heightened suspicion regarding the intent of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. This study examined how persuasive intent and the CSR issue influenced consumers’ processing of a CSR initiative for a casino hotel. The results of an experiment showed that participants reacted favorably to a CSR initiative, but such positive reactions disappeared when persuasive intent was explicit in the CSR message. This study further explored the underlying mechanism by testing a moderated mediation model in which issue importance in a CSR initiative acted as a moderator.     

Empirical investigation of the relationship between serious leisure and meaning in life among Japanese and Euro-Canadians

ABSTRACT

Serious leisure (SL) is a specific leisure experience characterised by perseverance, leisure career, personal effort, durable benefits, unique ethos, and identification with the activity. As it results in self-actualisation and self-expression, Robert Stebbins has proposed that SL does not only increase participants’ hedonic well-being (e.g. pleasant feelings), but also enhance their eudaimonic well-being [e.g. meaning in life (MIL), self-expressiveness, virtue]. Although this argument makes logical sense, it has not been empirically tested. The purpose of this research is to empirically examine the relationship between SL and eudaimonic well-being focusing on MIL. We used data from 207 Japanese and 202 Euro-Canadian middle-aged and older adults collected through a cross-sectional online survey. After multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, multiple mediation analyses were conducted to test whether SL core characteristics impacted MIL or its sub-dimensions (i.e. purpose, coherence, and significance) both directly and indirectly via personal and interpersonal rewards of SL. Results suggested that among Japanese, SL was positively related to MIL both directly and indirectly via SL’s personal rewards. Among Euro-Canadians, the direct link was limited to only a few MIL sub-dimensions, and indirect effects were not significant. These mixed results were discussed in relation to SL, eudaimonic well-being, and culture.     

Cultural distance and international tourists’ intention to visit a destination

Drawing on literature about travel motivation and travel risk, this paper examines how cultural distance influences international tourist’s intention to visit a destination country. Structural equation modeling is utilized to analyze the responses from 729 potential tourists in China. The data supports a model suggesting that cultural distance has bidirectional effects on tourists’ intention to visit a destination country through exerting influences on tourists’ novelty perception and risk perception of this country. Finally, it is suggested to make reasonable use of cultural distance in destination marketing practice.     

Culture,Self-Construal,and Leisure Motivations

The purpose of this study is to examine Canadian and Mainland Chinese students' leisure by investigating the role self-construal plays as an intervening variable between culture and motivation. Separate hierarchical multiple regressions are performed on each motivation with culture entered first followed by a block composed of four types of self-construal: vertical collectivism (i.e., dutiful), horizontal collectivism (i.e., cooperative), horizontal individualism (i.e., unique), and vertical individualism (i.e., achievement oriented). Results suggest that: (a) higher levels of horizontal collectivism are associated with higher levels of introjected reward (i.e., pride), identified (i.e., personally important), integrated (self-identity), and intrinsic (i.e., interesting and enjoyable) motivations; and (b) higher levels of horizontal individualism are associated with higher levels of introjected reward, identified, and integrated motivations.     

The Effects of Job Demands,Job Resources and Intrinsic Motivation on Emotional Exhaustion and Turnover Intentions: A Study in the Turkish Hotel Industry

ABSTRACT

This study develops and tests a model which investigates the simultaneous effects of job demands, job resources, and a personal resource (intrinsic motivation) on emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions. Frontline hotel employees in Ankara, Turkey serve as the study setting. Among others, results show that job demands (role conflict and role ambiguity) trigger frontline employees' emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions. Job resources (supervisory support, training, empowerment, and rewards) and intrinsic motivation reduce emotional exhaustion. Implications of the findings are discussed and directions for future research are offered.