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1 – 10 of 11Jongsik Yu, Nancy Grace Baah, Seongseop (Sam) Kim, Hyoungeun Moon, Bee-Lia Chua and Heesup Han
This study aims to develop a robust theoretical framework to explain the impact of hotels’ green brand authenticity on guests’ perceptions of well-being, customer engagement and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a robust theoretical framework to explain the impact of hotels’ green brand authenticity on guests’ perceptions of well-being, customer engagement and approach behaviors toward green brands.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the authors examined the effect of green brand authenticity on perceptions of well-being, customer engagement and approach behaviors toward green brands. For the quantitative empirical analysis, 352 samples were used. Green brand authenticity integrates quality commitment, heritage, uniqueness and symbolism as high-dimensional factors.
Findings
The study conceptualizes green brand authenticity as a multi-dimensional phenomenon with four dimensions: quality commitment, heritage, uniqueness and symbolism. The results showed that green brand authenticity has a positive effect on hotel guests’ perceived well-being and behavioral intentions. Interestingly, environmental values did not have a statistically significant regulatory role, while green behavior in everyday life had a partial regulatory role.
Practical implications
This study aims to develop and empirically test a conceptual model that depicts the function of green authenticity in explaining customer responses to green brands. The results and the theoretical framework proposed in this study provide significant insights for researchers and practitioners in the hotel industry.
Originality/value
Further than evaluating brand authenticity generally, this study evaluates the authenticity of a brand's environmental protection efforts. As a result of the empirical analysis conducted in this study, the green brand authenticity of a hotel had a positive effect on customers’ emotional and behavioral aspects. This finding provided valuable and meaningful insights for green hotels and hotel brand-related research.
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Sanghyeop Lee, Bee-Lia Chua, Hyeon-Cheol Kim and Heesup Han
In consideration of the lack of research regarding airline lounge customers’ behavior, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among brand personality…
Abstract
Purpose
In consideration of the lack of research regarding airline lounge customers’ behavior, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among brand personality, self-congruity, functional congruity, positive emotion, customer satisfaction and revisit intentions in airline lounges.
Design/methodology/approach
On the basis of theoretical associations among study constructs, a conceptual model was proposed and tested using the data collected from airline lounge patrons through an online survey.
Findings
The empirical results showed that brand personality was positively related to self-congruity. Self-congruity was significantly associated with positive emotions and functional congruity. In addition, functional congruity was significantly associated with positive emotions. This result also indicated that positive emotion significantly influenced customer satisfaction. The mediation tests showed that both self-congruity and functional congruity significantly affected customer satisfaction through positive emotion. Customer satisfaction was a significant predictor of revisit intentions within the context of airline lounges.
Practical implications
Overall, these results help airline lounge operators understand lounge travelers who become more demanding with regard to brand personality, self-congruity and functional congruity.
Originality/value
This research was the first to test the effectiveness of image congruity theory in the domain of airline lounges. Our findings contribute to the body of knowledge on customer behaviors in airline lounges and image congruity.
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Bee-Lia Chua, Amr Al-Ansi, Seongseop (Sam) Kim, Antony King Fung Wong and Heesup Han
This study aims to investigate the theoretical relationships between job stressors, psychological stress and coping strategies in the context of the global travel and tourism…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the theoretical relationships between job stressors, psychological stress and coping strategies in the context of the global travel and tourism crisis faced by the airline industry.
Design/methodology/approach
An online cross-sectional survey was designed to obtain empirical data from airline employees in South Korea and Hong Kong. A total of 366 airline employees participated in the survey through convenience sampling method.
Findings
The structural equation modeling findings indicated that work schedule and demand; job insecurity and financial concerns; and role conflict played a significant role in creating psychological stress, which, in turn, determined emotion-oriented coping. The influence of the identified job stressors on psychological stress was significantly different between South Korean and Hong Kong airline employees.
Practical implications
The study demonstrates ways in which airline employees react to stressful work circumstances to avoid loss of resources. Furthermore, it highlights the role that psychological stress plays in influencing airline employees to direct attention to emotion-oriented coping mechanisms.
Originality/value
In view of the immense impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global airline industry, this study expands the role of job stressors in a peculiar and unprecedented work environment in the airline industry and accentuates the varying effects job stress may have on coping strategies from the perspective of airline employees in an Asian culture.
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Heesup Han, Jongsik Yu, Bee-Lia Chua, Sanghyeop Lee and Wansoo Kim
The purpose of this study was to examine airline passengers’ repurchase decision-making process by developing a sturdy theoretical framework comprising in-flight core-product and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine airline passengers’ repurchase decision-making process by developing a sturdy theoretical framework comprising in-flight core-product and service-encounter quality, brand attitude, image, trust and love. The authors also attempted to examine if such decision formation differs across full-service and low-cost airlines in South Korea.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative method was used to achieve research objectives. For assessment of the conceptual framework and test of research hypotheses, a structural equation modeling and test for metric invariance were used.
Findings
The results revealed that in-flight product and service-encounter quality significantly affected their subsequent variables, and their impact on intention was mediated by brand attitude, image, trust and love. In addition, brand image along with brand trust included the strongest influence on intention. Findings also indicated that the relationships among brand attitude, image, trust and love significantly differed between full-service and low-cost airlines.
Practical implications
Increasing the customer retention rate is a key component of airline business success. This study made an important contribution to advancing the existing knowledge on what factors induce airline customers’ decision to repurchase a particular airline product and how such factors are interrelated with each other within the proposed model.
Originality/value
This research was the first to explore that the relationship strength among brand image, brand attitude, brand trust and brand love are not equal between full-service and low-cost airline passenger groups.
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Bo Meng, Myong Jae Lee, Bee-Lia Chua and Heesup Han
This paper aims to develop an integrated framework for a deeper understanding of employee sustainable behaviors in the workplace by using theories, such as behavioral reasoning…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop an integrated framework for a deeper understanding of employee sustainable behaviors in the workplace by using theories, such as behavioral reasoning theory, planned-behavior theory, goal-directed behavior theory, norm activation theory and belief-value-norm theory.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative approach is used in the present research. This study used data from 343 employees who are from the hospitality and tourism industry to investigate the formation of employees’ sustainable behaviors.
Findings
The research framework assumes that the reasons for sustainable behavior and the reasons against sustainable behavior predict global motives, which comprise attitude, subjective norm and behavioral control, and moral norm mediates the relationship between global motives, positive and negative anticipated emotions and behavioral intention. The hypothesized theoretical model had a sufficient degree of total variance with the behavioral intention and generally verified the hypothesized relationships, which served as a basis for modeling employee sustainable behavior in the workplace.
Originality/value
This study integrated a framework that contributes to employee sustainable behavior in the tourism and hospitality industry by identifying the effects of motivational process, moral process and emotional process to perform sustainable behavior.
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Bee-Lia Chua, Seongseop (Sam) Kim, Frank Badu-Baiden, Rachel Yuen May Yong, Bona Kim, Ermias Kifle Gedecho and Heesup Han
This study elucidated the connections among the influence of Singaporean hawkers, local gastronomy involvement, and the three dimensions of authenticity (objective, constructive…
Abstract
Purpose
This study elucidated the connections among the influence of Singaporean hawkers, local gastronomy involvement, and the three dimensions of authenticity (objective, constructive, and existential). Furthermore, it investigates how personal nostalgia affects the cultural identity of hawkers.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-administered questionnaire was created to assess hawker influence, gastronomy involvement, authenticity, personal nostalgia, and hawker cultural identity. Survey data was gathered from 401 Singapore residents aged 18 and older.
Findings
Results of the structural equation modeling revealed various significant aspects of hawker influence, including physical and social environments, uniqueness and cultural significance, and hygiene and food safety. Hawker influence and local gastronomy contributed to objective authenticity, which, in turn, affected constructive and existential authenticity, ultimately shaping personal nostalgia and hawker cultural identity.
Practical implications
The study offers guidance for stakeholders in sustaining hawker culture, emphasizing authenticity’s role and the importance of nostalgia in identity formation. By aligning with the progressive nature of Singapore, these implications aim to ensure the continued thriving of this invaluable legacy for generations to come.
Originality/value
The study affirms relationships between hawker influence, local gastronomy involvement, and authenticity constructs. It emphasizes the hawker’s role and gastronomy involvement in influencing individuals’ perceived authenticity and accentuates the potential for authenticity in strengthening national branding.
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Bee-Lia Chua, Sanghyeop Lee and Heesup Han
This study aims to test the relationships among involvement, perceived price, perceived quality, affective satisfaction, perceived value, attitudinal loyalty and behavioral…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to test the relationships among involvement, perceived price, perceived quality, affective satisfaction, perceived value, attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty in the cruise line industry. In addition, this study attempted to identify whether the differences in these variables exist across first-time and repeat cruise customers.
Design/methodology/approach
The web-based survey was used. A total of 403 complete responses were used for data analysis. Anderson and Gerbing’s (1988) two-step approach was used to achieve study objectives.
Findings
The t-test analyses demonstrated that repeat cruise customers expressed significantly lower perceived price and higher affective satisfaction, perceived value and behavioral loyalty than first-time cruise travelers. The structural equation modeling results revealed that involvement has an important role in loyalty generation process. However, the structural model did not significantly differ across first-time and repeat customers.
Practical implications
Overall, the results indicated the critical needs to develop individuals’ interest in cruise vacation with a particular cruise line. Cruise line operators who undertake promotion efforts that enhance people involvement with their cruise line should result in greater likelihood of choosing the same cruise line in the future.
Originality/value
With a lack of research about cruise line involvement and loyalty, this research contributes to theoretical understanding of intricate attitudinal and behavioral loyalty generation process across first-time and repeat cruise passengers.
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Huey Chern Boo and Bee-Lia Chua
This study aims to explain how hotel guests form attitudes toward facial recognition technology in Singapore by integrating technology acceptance model (TAM), privacy calculus…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explain how hotel guests form attitudes toward facial recognition technology in Singapore by integrating technology acceptance model (TAM), privacy calculus theory and personal innovativeness.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-administered online questionnaire was developed with measurements adopted from past research. Guests who stayed in four- or five-star hotels in Singapore were recruited via systematic random sampling. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the proposed integrated models.
Findings
Results showed that hotel guests performed calculative cognitive processes, weighing the benefits and risks of using facial recognition check-in system. Contradictory to the past research which suggested that trust activates both perceived risk and benefits, this study demonstrated that trust independently directed consumer attention on the benefits gained while risk perception was triggered by privacy concern. Furthermore, the current study revealed that the ease of use of facial recognition check-in system could possibly backfire.
Practical implications
The research indicates that the effort to adopt new technology in the hotel industry is promising in view of the growing millennials and Generation Z population who are digital natives. Furthermore, the current study highlights ways to elevate institutional trust and divert consumers’ attention from risk perception to enhance their positive attitude and behavior toward accepting facial recognition check-in system.
Originality/value
This study integrated TAM with privacy calculus theory and personal innovativeness in examining the acceptance of facial recognition check-in system in the hotel industry in Singapore. This study is also the first, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to investigate the relationships among privacy concern, perceived risk, institutional trust and perceived benefits, as well as their effects on consumers’ attitudes and behavior toward the biometric system.
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Heesup Han, Kai-Sean Lee, HakJun Song, Sanghyeop Lee and Bee-Lia Chua
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interrelationships among coffeehouse brand experiences, customer satisfaction and perceived value in generating patrons’ repeat…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interrelationships among coffeehouse brand experiences, customer satisfaction and perceived value in generating patrons’ repeat purchase intention.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey sample consisted of 379 coffeehouse patrons who visited an international chain coffeehouse in a metropolitan city of South Korea.
Findings
The results of the structural equation modeling revealed that a coffeehouse brand experience exerted a significant influence on customer satisfaction and perceived value. The repurchase intention was found to be a significant and positive function of customer satisfaction and perceived value. Moreover, the result of the metric invariance test demonstrated a significant moderating impact on the relationships between coffeehouse brand experiences and customer satisfaction, coffeehouse brand experiences and perceived value, and customer satisfaction and repurchase intention.
Research limitations/implications
An examination of the moderating role of switching costs demonstrated that the relationships between coffeehouse brand experiences and customer satisfaction, between coffeehouse brand experiences and perceived value and between customer satisfaction and repurchase intention differed across switching costs groups. More specifically, the relationship strength was greater for the high group of switching costs than for the low group.
Originality/value
The present study provides coffeehouse management with a better understanding of the underlying mechanism of patrons’ repurchase decision generation process.
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Bee-Lia Chua, Seongseop (Sam) Kim, Esther Sii Wei Ling, Yuchen Xu, Hyungseo Bobby Ryu and Heesup Han
Wellness tourism is growing in importance as increasing numbers of travelers place a priority on their health and well-being by traveling. This study examined the relationships…
Abstract
Purpose
Wellness tourism is growing in importance as increasing numbers of travelers place a priority on their health and well-being by traveling. This study examined the relationships between wellness tourism destination attributes, perceived quality, perceived mental health, eudaimonic well-being, overall satisfaction and behavioral loyalty to corroborate a model explaining wellness tourism destination loyalty in Thailand.
Design/methodology/approach
The conceptual model of this study was examined using a survey research design. The survey questionnaire was distributed to Chinese tourists who had previously traveled to Thailand and engaged in wellness tourism activities during their trip.
Findings
The findings revealed that healthful food choices, core facilities and staff service significantly influenced perceived quality. This perceived quality was a crucial factor in determining perceived mental health, which in turn impacted eudaimonic well-being. Overall satisfaction was directly influenced by perceived quality, perceived mental health and eudaimonic well-being. Additionally, perceived quality had a direct effect on behavioral loyalty.
Practical implications
With the growing global interest in wellness and travel, this study offers valuable insights for tourism marketers in Thailand to enhance their wellness tourism strategies. Tourism organizations should emphasize the quality of food, facilities and staff service to attract wellness-oriented travelers.
Originality/value
This study highlights the interconnectedness of perceived quality, good mental health and eudaimonic well-being. High-quality experiences contribute to improved mental health and in turn enhance eudaimonic well-being.
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