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May K. Vespestad and Mehmet Mehmetoglu
The popularity of adventure activities in leisure and tourism is escalating, yet little is known about how personality and perceived constraints can prevent consumption of…
Abstract
The popularity of adventure activities in leisure and tourism is escalating, yet little is known about how personality and perceived constraints can prevent consumption of such activities. The aim of this study was to test a model of the mediating role of psychological constraints in explaining the relationship between personality and interest in adventure activity participation. Based on a questionnaire survey of 1,324 respondents, a quantitative analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM) was carried out. The results show that personality does influence psychological constraints, which in turn have a significant negative effect on adventure activity participation. Increased knowledge about the constraints to adventure activity participation can contribute to realizing the full development potential that lies in adventure consumption in leisure and tourism. Implications of the research can prove valuable in both leisure and tourism marketing and management.
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People arguably create “storied lives”; including constructing accounts of their leisure that become part of their personal and social identities. These stories are…
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Purpose
People arguably create “storied lives”; including constructing accounts of their leisure that become part of their personal and social identities. These stories are valuable and relevant, not just to themselves, but also to others with whom they choose to share their stories. This paper and accompanying film aim to further understanding of how consumers visiting the second highest bungy jump in the world construct and convey stories of this experience.
Design/methodology/approach
The research approach is exploratory. The researcher observed, interviewed, and filmed informants at the primary site of investigation. The interview transcripts were transcribed in full. Emergent themes were validated through constant cross‐checking. The themes provided the foundation for the accompanying video.
Findings
Several themes regarding narratives and high‐risk leisure emerged including the construction of factual accounts and rehearsed accounts, the use of markers to symbolize and make more tangible the consumption experience, and the role of technology in the communication of the stories.
Research limitations/implications
This exploratory research offers insight into the components of narratives for Generation Y tourists consuming in New Zealand. These findings do not claim to generalize to other samples or activities.
Originality/value
The paper extends the knowledge of how stories figure in consumers' lives; particularly in the context of the consumption of high‐risk leisure.
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This paper seeks to explore whether the global market segment Generation Y shares a common perception of a specific consumption activity, namely bungy jumping, and how…
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Purpose
This paper seeks to explore whether the global market segment Generation Y shares a common perception of a specific consumption activity, namely bungy jumping, and how perceptions of cool operate around that.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative methodology is adopted, appropriate to the exploratory aims of the research, which utilises existing filmed interviews to elicit responses from other members of Generation Y. The research explores shared identification, meaning and knowledge of a specific consumption practice, namely commercial bungy jumping.
Findings
The actual form of consumption, bungy jumping was widely accepted as being “cool” but a global consensus on a “cool” consumer and their story could not be reached. The research concludes by proposing a hierarchy for the attribution of cool from one Generation Y member to another; thus extending theoretical discussion and knowledge by investigating an established concept in a specific context to illustrate the complex and uneven nature of cultural globalisation.
Research limitations/implications
This research interprets global Generation Y culture from a small convenience sample from America, Ireland, Scotland and England, thus generating avenues for further research as discussed.
Originality/value
These findings have value for businesses that create consumption experiences for Generation Y customers and scholars seeking insight into the plural and complex function of cool.
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Martin A. O’Neill, Paul Williams, Martin MacCarthy and Ronald Groves
Seeks to investigate the conceptualization and measurement of service quality and its importance to the dive tourism industry. It reports the findings from a recently…
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Seeks to investigate the conceptualization and measurement of service quality and its importance to the dive tourism industry. It reports the findings from a recently conducted study of dive tourist perceptions of service quality as they relate to a tour operator running tours on an artificial reef dive experience in Western Australia. The study also assesses the importance assigned by consumers to the various service quality attributes relative to those perceptions. The results are of significance to operators in that they identify clearly the managerial implications of providing a quality service during the dive tourism experience.
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Rodoula Tsiotsou and Vanessa Ratten
The purpose of this paper is to formulate and discuss future research avenues for the marketing of tourism services.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to formulate and discuss future research avenues for the marketing of tourism services.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach taken in the paper is to review the relevant literature and focus on the key themes most important for future research on tourism marketing.
Findings
The paper finds that there are a number of research avenues for tourism marketing researchers and marketing practitioners to conduct investigations on but the most important areas are consumer behavior, branding, e‐marketing and strategic marketing.
Practical implications
The paper is relevant to tourism firms and destination management organizations in the development of marketing activities/capabilities to increase their customer base. In addition, as this paper takes a global perspective it is also helpful to compare different international research directions.
Social implications
Changing demographics and the aging of the global population mean different marketing approaches will be needed to market tourism services to older consumers and also consumers from developing countries such as China and India.
Originality/value
This paper is a key resource for marketing practitioners wanting to focus on future growth areas and also marketing academics interested in tourism marketing that want to stay at the forefront of their research area of expertise.
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One cannot think about suburbia without considering at the same time its intrinsic point of reference, namely the modern capitalist industrial city of the 19th century. As…
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One cannot think about suburbia without considering at the same time its intrinsic point of reference, namely the modern capitalist industrial city of the 19th century. As is generally known, disastrous social, sanitary, and hygienic conditions prevailed especially in the growing working class neighborhoods. These quarters were regarded as places from which considerable dangers for public order, health, safety, and morals emanated. At the same time, large parts of the middle classes interpreted the growing social meaning of the industrial city, in comparison to that of the countryside, as a menacing omen of the working classes gaining political power.
The purpose of this paper is to address issues of practicing social responsibility (SR) in small business, where SR implementation challenges are unique. The discussion…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address issues of practicing social responsibility (SR) in small business, where SR implementation challenges are unique. The discussion examines the difficulties encountered by small business owners adopting SR practices, and the various strategies they learned in the process.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 23 small business owner‐managers located in Western Canada were interviewed in‐depth, individually, and in groups. Group interviews were useful for validating and extending the themes and contradictions that arose in individual interviews, particularly in identifying the most common SR challenges and frustrations, and to compare individuals' learning patterns and diverse strategies of response.
Findings
The paper findings show that owners learned SR by working through three main areas of challenge within everyday sociomaterial practices: positioning SR commitments and affiliations; balancing diverse stakeholders with SR ideals and costs; and negotiating value conflicts within SR practice, as part of “becoming” a particular enterprise of SR engagement.
Originality/value
The paper suggests that SR may be most fruitfully studied by examining the traces of the networks, linkages, and boundaries formulated through everyday interactions, focusing not just on the social networks and information exchange among humans, but more deeply on the sociomaterial networks within which new practices such as SR emerge. Second, the paper underscores the importance of conceptualizing SR “learning” more in terms of practices that emerge through challenge and conflict than in acquisition and application of new knowledge and attitudes.
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María Eugenia Perez, Raquel Castaño and Claudia Quintanilla
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods and identity construction. The argument is that through the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods and identity construction. The argument is that through the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods consumers obtain real and symbolic benefits that allow them to express a desired social image and further their identity.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 37 in‐depth interviews were conducted with women who owned both originals and counterfeits of luxury fashion products.
Findings
The findings highlight three main themes describing inner benefits that consumers attain with the purchase and consumption of counterfeit luxury goods: first, being efficient by optimizing their resources; second, having fun by experiencing adventure, enjoyment, and risk; and third, fooling others expecting not to be caught. But most important, through the accomplishment of these goals consumers of counterfeit luxury goods construct an identity in which they perceive themselves as “savvy” individuals.
Originality/value
The intent is to contribute to the understanding of the process of identity construction through consumption. This consumption occurs in a particular context; the consumption of counterfeit luxury goods. The experience is singular in the sense that this paper shows the existence of consumers who can afford the prices of luxury fashion brands but decide to buy counterfeits and also because it depicts how individuals can construct a confident self‐image from an ethically questionable behavior. The consumption of counterfeit luxury brands serve consumers a self‐concept expressive function (by helping them to communicate who they are) and an adaptive social function (by rewarding them with social acceptance).
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Charalampos Saridakis and Sofia Angelidou
Collecting behaviour is a special type of consumption, which consists of several traits, such as “completion”, “perfection”, “caring” and “cooperation”. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Collecting behaviour is a special type of consumption, which consists of several traits, such as “completion”, “perfection”, “caring” and “cooperation”. The purpose of this study is to shed light on this complex consumption behaviour, by effectively developing an empirical typology of collectors and explaining their motivation to engage in collecting.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 208 questionnaires were collected among Thai collectors. A set-theoretic comparative approach was implemented – namely, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. The value of the proposed approach over conventional correlational methods, is illustrated through an examination of a set of relevant research propositions.
Findings
The study develops an empirical typology of collectors, on the basis of the various collecting behaviour traits. It has been suggested that different combinations of motives are sufficient for identifying collector types accurately, and the proposed typology is stable and generalizable across collectors of different demographic characteristics. Specifically, “expert professionals” are mainly driven by adventure and social motives, while the role of idea motive is crucial for “introvert focusers”. Adventure and social motives are necessary conditions for “extrovert altruists”, while gratification has a deleterious role. The presence of social motive is necessary for “hobbyists”, while the absence of value motive is also required.
Practical implications
The brand collectible market is booming, and the collectibles can be a strategy for brands to maintain existing users and reinforce loyalty levels. Global brands, such as Swatch and Coca-Cola, have been acquired for collection rather than typical consumption purposes. Marketers and brand managers should therefore monitor the motivation behind this complex consumption behaviour. The mosaic of motives to engage in collecting behaviour varies across different types of collectors, and therefore specifically tailored strategies are proposed.
Originality/value
The study tackles the lack of literature specifically focussing on collecting behaviour in relation to motivation. This is the first attempt to empirically derive a collectors’ typology and provide a nuanced coverage of how financial and nonfinancial (hedonic) motives and their combinations affect different collector types.
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