Impact of clusters on exhibition destination attractiveness: Evidence from Mainland China

Clusters, as concentrations of businesses in particular localities, may explain the spatial distribution of exhibitions, and exhibition destination attractiveness (Rubalcaba-Bermejo & Cuadrado-Roura, 1995). Drawing on Porter’s (1998a) cluster theory in the context of the exhibition industry in Mainland China, this study tests and confirms the validity of this proposition. A mixed method approach was employed that involved in-depth interviews with 32 exhibitors and a survey of 616 exhibitors to 1) establish what constitutes ‘clusters’ in an exhibition context and develop appropriate measurements, and 2) assess to what extent ‘clusters’ contribute to exhibition destination attractiveness. The study developed measures for and confirmed two distinct cluster effects – ‘leadership of the host city in the industry’ and ‘host city as a source of exhibitors.’ Both cluster effects had a significant influence on exhibitors’ perceived destination attractiveness, with other destination factors being less important, in a marked contrast to convention destination attractiveness. Implications of the study results are discussed and directions for future research provided.     

Antecedents and consequences of relationship quality in hotel industry

This study investigated the antecedents and consequences of relationship quality. This study will help hotel managers to develop and implement effective relationship marketing strategies. Effective usage of relationship marketing strategies will be able to improve hotel performance such as share of purchases, relationship continuity, and word of mouth. To analyze data collected from 12 five-star hotels in Seoul, the linear structural relationship (LISREL) model was used to identify structural characteristics of relationship management between service providers and guests. The empirical results of this study were threefold. First, greater service providers’ relational and customer orientation resulted in higher relationship quality. Second, better service providers’ attributes resulted in higher relationship quality. Third, higher relationship quality resulted in higher share of purchases and better relationship continuity and share of purchases.     

A review and evaluation of China's quality assurance system for tour guiding

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of China's tour guiding quality assurance system as an instrument for sustainable tourism. It notes the importance of China's 131,000 tour guides for inbound, outbound and domestic tourism. China's tour guiding quality assurance and regulatory mechanisms are then reviewed, including qualification examination, licensing, professional certification, training, awards for excellence, professional associations and codes of conduct. Structurally, China's comprehensive and comparatively regulated system may be recommendable to other countries, particularly its certification and licensing systems. However, the findings suggest that tour guide quality assurance in China may be constrained by an over-reliance on government and the absence of industry-driven mechanisms for some elements such as monitoring, enforcement and rewarding excellence. Most importantly, the focus of China's quality assurance system is on a limited number of tour guiding roles and tends to overlook those most critical to harnessing the guide as a vehicle for sustainable tourism. Key future development areas could extend recognition and reward for the guide's performance as a role model, advocate, mentor, interpreter, cultural broker and environmental monitor.     

大陆赴台自由行游客地方认同与休闲效益关系研究

台湾是许多大陆游客向往的休闲胜地, 大陆游客赴台自由行热度的持续升温, 这既给台湾带来巨大的旅游经济效益, 更可增进海峡两岸的民间交流和人民情谊。文章通过实证研究探讨大陆赴台自由行游客对台湾的地方认同及其在台从事休闲活动所获得的休闲效益等程度表现的差异性, 并检验地方认同与休闲效益间的相关性。研究表明, 大陆赴台自由行游客对台湾的地方认同以环境认同程度最高, 依恋程度最低, 其在台湾从事休闲活动所获得的休闲效益以社会效益最高, 生理效益最低;不同个人背景与游程规划的大陆赴台自由行游客在地方认同与休闲效益程度方面有显著的差异;地方认同与休闲效益间呈显著正相关且彼此间存在典型相关关系。研究成果可作为海峡两岸旅游职能部门及旅游企业完善休闲法规、环境与产品组合的参考。     

Relationship quality matters: How restaurant businesses can optimize complaint management

This research investigates the effectiveness of complaint management according to company–client relationship quality (RQ). Interactional recovery efforts are critical for efficient complaint management in the hospitality management (restaurant) context; this study addresses the potential compensatory interaction effects of interactional recovery efforts (personal apology vs. impersonal apology via email) and two types of compensatory recovery efforts (voucher vs. refund), as well as their intensity (full vs. partial). A robust cut-off effect emerges, such that a minimum level of interactional effort influences the effectiveness of compensation efforts. Furthermore, RQ influences complaint management effectiveness: For loyal, high-RQ customers, interactional recovery effort (personal apologies) is more important, regardless of compensation intensity (full vs. partial) or type (voucher vs. refund). High- (low) RQ customers are more (less) likely to accept vouchers than refunds; vouchers symbolize their willingness to continue relationships. Thus, interactional effort allows firms to decrease the intensity of customer compensation required.     

Understanding the relationship between food experiential quality and customer dining satisfaction: A perspective on negative bias

This research explores how food experiential quality of consumers affects their overall dining satisfaction. Drawing on negative bias theory, we propose a nonlinear relationship between food experiential quality and customer dining satisfaction. Moreover, we investigate how restaurant price moderates the nonlinear relationship between food experiential quality and customer dining satisfaction. Results of the threshold model using 10,950 online reviews of 219 restaurants on Dianping.com provide support for the proposed hypotheses. The results suggest that a curvilinear relationship is found between food experiential quality dining satisfaction, and the turning points of nonlinear returns decreases for restaurants that belong to high-priced groups. Theoretically, our findings contribute to the existing literature by considering the nonlinear effect of food experiential quality on customer dining satisfaction in the hospitality area through the lens of negative bias, as well as considering the boundary condition. Practically, our findings suggest that restaurant managements can improve customer dining satisfaction through focusing on the food experiential quality of their customers and enhancing their response to customers who have low-level food experiential quality. In addition, if the restaurant price is high, restaurant managers should provide high-level of food experiential quality.     

The effects of brand relationship quality on responses to service failure of hotel consumers

This article examines the applicability of Fournier's (1998) Brand Relationship Quality (BRQ) framework in the hotel industry, and also investigates the effects of BRQ on hotel consumers’ behavioral intentions, after service failures in high-class hotels. The empirical results show that BRQ is applicable to the hotel industry and has a moderating effect on consumers’ post-failure emotions, particularly in terms of influencing future behavioral intentions. However, this finding is not applicable when the service failures are severe.     

The relationship between CRM, RM, and business performance: A study of the hotel industry in Taiwan

This study aims to investigate the implementation of customer relationship management (CRM) and its effect on relationship marketing (RM) and business performance, through an analysis of the hotel industry in Taiwan. A survey on hotels, including general and tourist hotels, and bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) was conducted, and a total of 560 questionnaires were returned. The results showed that implementing CRM has a significant and positive influence on the RM effect, positively affecting business performance for both hotels and B&Bs. However, a comparison of the influential paths of relationship models between hotels and B&Bs showed that, for hotels, the Internet service and customer support functions of the CRM strategy are the main sources of influence on the RM effect and business performance, whereas for B&Bs, the marketing support function of the CRM strategy alone influences the RM effect and business performance. To achieve higher performance, the different types of hotel enterprises should understand their main advantage before implementing key CRM strategies.     

组织者视角下节庆旅游吸引物的符号化生产——以广府庙会为例

旅游吸引物兼具客观和符号的双重属性。节庆既是一种文化活动,又是重要的旅游吸引物。本文从符号学视角出发,采用扎根理论的质性研究方法,以广州广府庙会为研究对象,探讨组织者视角下的节庆旅游吸引物的符号化生产机制。研究发现,节庆吸引力、节庆的组织管理、节庆的策划理念和节庆场景构成节庆旅游吸引物符号化生产的基础、路径、思路和内容。具体而言,节庆组织者基于对节庆吸引力的理解,通过调动多部门的工作积极性,建立清晰的组织结构,组织和管理符号生产所需的各种资源,秉承弘扬传统文化、注重文化创新、紧跟国家战略、顺应时代潮流等多思路的策划理念,塑造了包含安全保障、节目表演、创意互动、美食小吃、商贸展销、人员服务、辅助设施和节庆氛围所构成的节庆场景,该场景浓缩了节庆文化内涵,其灵活多样、可塑性强,组织者可不断调整以形成节庆文化的独特性,从而增强游客的体验感。     

Employee creativity trumps supervisor-subordinate guanxi: Predicting prequitting behaviors in China's hotel industry

This study aims to explore the moderating roles of supervisor-subordinate guanxi and employee creativity in the perceived organizational support-organizational commitment-turnover intention link in the Chinese hotel organizations. Using a matched sample of 85 supervisors and 249 subordinates from 13 hotels in Shenzhen, China, we found that both supervisor-subordinate guanxi and employee creativity altered the relationships of perceived organizational support, affective commitment and employee prequitting behaviors. A significant conditional direct effect of perceived organizational support on prequitting behaviors was moderated by low supervisor-subordinate guanxi. Furthermore, a significant conditional indirect relationship between perceived organizational support and prequitting behaviors was found at high employee creativity. Moreover, interactive effect of affective commitment and employee creativity exerted a significant negative effect on prequitting behaviors. Findings shed light on the changing traditional values in modern management practices and the conditions under which organizations can improve employee retention. Theoretical and practical implications for talent management are discussed.     

Service quality in restaurant operations in China: Decision- and experiential-oriented perspectives

Using the decision- and experiential-oriented perspectives as theoretical guides, this article reported an empirical assessment of service quality in restaurant operations. We proposed and tested a conceptual model of service quality using structural equation modeling. Using data from a sample of 284 customers from two large full-service restaurants in southern China, we investigated the relationships of service quality, customer satisfaction, and frequency of patronage. The results supported the significant links between service quality and customer satisfaction, service quality and repeat patronage, but not customer satisfaction and repeat patronage. The study has provided important insights into service quality and customer satisfaction in the field of restaurant operations.     

Understanding the leadership perceptions of staff in China's hotel industry: Integrating the macro- and micro-aspects of leadership contexts

The objective of this paper is to understand the leadership perceptions of staff in China's hotel industry. This study integrates the macro- and micro-aspects of leadership contexts by identifying the contextual variables that affect leadership perceptions. In leadership research, industry setting, the hierarchical levels of an organization, and national culture are recognized as the contextual constraints that affect leadership perceptions, and these constraints were used in this empirical study. Four factors emerged from the factor analysis of a survey study: professionalism; integrity; masculinity or yang; and femininity or yin. A key finding indicates that both the industry setting and the hierarchical levels of an organization affect professionalism. Implications for the training and development of future international hospitality leaders and local staff are considered.     

Domestic migrant workers in China's hotel industry: An exploratory study of their life satisfaction and job burnout

This study investigated job burnout and life satisfaction among domestic migrant workers in economy hotels in China. The results revealed that two dimensions of job burnout, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, have significant influence on domestic migrant workers’ life satisfaction. Life satisfaction between domestic migrant workers and local workers was different. Theoretical discussion and practical implications were presented.     

The role of local government and the private sector in China's tourism industry

For many less-developed regions in China, cultural and natural attractions are often used by local governments as regional economic drivers. However, the expectation is that income generated from the direct use of culture and nature will only provide the initial round of working capital to facilitate development of other industrial sectors. One strategy in recent years is to separate government from business operations in these attractions to improve the economic performance of businesses and better conserve cultural and natural resources. This paper examines the impact of these policies on resource-dependent tourism companies (RDTCs) for the period 2003–2012. Data on economic performance are derived from listed companies. It is shown that RDTCs have better performance than other tourism sectors because of their monopoly status on high-quality natural and cultural resources. Yet local governments still have a role in tourism operation. Their involvement tends to lead to the reduction of the economic effects of RDTCs and results in discernible overcrowding at sites, thus resulting in negative ecological consequences. The implications for policy and companies are discussed.     

海峡两岸HTM专业大学生的专业选择动机研究

海峡两岸旅游产业不断发展 ,海峡两岸HTM专业的大专院校数量与大学生数量也不断增加 ,HTM专业高等教育方面的研究也不断增多 ,但关于海峡两岸的大学生选择HTM专业的动机等方面的定性与定量研究却非常匮乏。本研究目的在于 :第一 ,分析海峡两岸大学生选择HTM专业的动机 ;第二 ,海峡两岸HTM专业大学生出国留学喜欢优先选择的国家和专业 ;第三 ,比较海峡两岸大学生选择HTM专业动机的相似性与差异性。此项研究希望通过大学生的实际抽样调查 ,了解海峡两岸HTM专业高等教育现状 ,用定量分析的方法揭示出海峡两岸大学生选择HTM专业的动机 ,以弥补国内外相关研究在定量分析方面的不足     

Perceived justice in service recovery and behavioral intentions: The role of relationship quality

This study examined restaurant customers’ perceptions of justice according to service recovery effort levels and whether perceived justice influences customers’ future behavioral intentions. This study also investigated whether the effects of perceived justice on future behavioral intentions vary across customers’ relationship quality levels. The results showed that high recovery efforts were consistently evaluated highly in terms of perceived justice when compared to low recovery efforts, regardless of the level of relationship quality. Additionally, perceived justice brought about by service recovery efforts has a positive effect on customers’ future behavioral intentions. Hierarchical regression analyses suggested that relationship quality plays a moderating role between perceived justice and behavioral intentions in the distributive and procedural justice dimensions. Implications for the restaurant industry are also discussed.     

The Image of Taiwan as a Travel Destination: Perspectives from Mainland China

This study presents the perceived and projected image of Taiwan as a travel destination from perspectives from Mainland China. The perceived image of Taiwan was examined by interviewing 28 Mainland Chinese; the projected image of Taiwan was investigated by analyzing articles in China's most popular travel magazines. The different types of images of Taiwan among visitors, nonvisitors, and travel magazines were compared. The projected image changed notably after the opening of Taiwan's tourism to travelers from Mainland China. The results of this study could help destination marketing organizations to assess their marketing strategies for the Mainland Chinese travel market.     

Green practices in the restaurant industry from an innovation adoption perspective: Evidence from Taiwan

This study proposes an integrated model that combines the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and the innovation adoption theory to investigate the attitudinal and behavioural decision factors on adopting green practices in the restaurant industry in Taiwan. The results demonstrate that attitude and perceived behavioural control have positive effects on behavioural intention while social influence is insignificant. Perceived innovation characteristics have direct positive effects on attitude and indirect positive impacts on behavioural intention to adopt green practices. Managerial implications are discussed.     

休闲与生活质量关系的量化考察:国外研究进展及启示

参与休闲活动能够提高人们的生活质量,这是国内学界普遍认同的观点.然而这个观点更多地是从逻辑推演而来,还缺乏实证的量化考察.对休闲与生活质量关系的量化考察,涉及主客观两类指标的设置;而其最终价值在于帮助决策者制定和调整相关政策,采取有效措施,从而全面改善居民的休闲状况,提高其生活质量.     

When quality signals talk: Evidence from the Turin hotel industry

This study analyzes the relationship between quality signals and price setting through the application of hedonic price functions. The model proposals also include variables relating to land use policies and tourism development strategies. A simultaneous equation model endogenously estimates quality signals. This method is appropriate for analyzing emerging urban destinations, as characterized by the presence of an expanding hotel industry. The results are based on a dataset of 145 hotels in Turin, Italy. The empirical findings reveal that reputation-based quality signals help explain tariff levels. Price proposals also include a premium for quality assured hotels, defining some limits of the current hotel classification system. The empirical evidence has significant marketing implications for the hospitality industry’s competitiveness, since the results clarify the impact of quality signals on price level.