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– The purpose of this paper is to delineate a clear definition of health tourism, and to explain it in two sub-categories, namely, medical tourism, and wellness tourism.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to delineate a clear definition of health tourism, and to explain it in two sub-categories, namely, medical tourism, and wellness tourism.
Design/methodology/approach
Grounded theory approach through an in-depth literature review and practical data from three different cities were researched to support the study.
Findings
Determinants of travelers’ decision making for the destination of health tourism, such as distance, cost, language, economy, competency of medical technology, and culture, in each classification of health tourism, were identified.
Originality/value
This study suggests an inductive research model to synthesize and structure a logical relationship of determinants that affect health tourists’ decision to visit specific health tourism destinations. The results of this study are quite revealing to governments, industrial practitioners, and potential customers of health tourism in terms of the context of health tourism and the behavior of health tourists.
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Mercy Toni, K.K. Jithina and K.V. Thomas
The main purpose of this paper is to outline the antecedents of patient satisfaction in the field of medical tourism (MT) applying extant literature and to develop a conceptual…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to outline the antecedents of patient satisfaction in the field of medical tourism (MT) applying extant literature and to develop a conceptual model based on the review.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a thorough review of prior studies related to the antecedents of patient satisfaction in the MT sector. Moreover, it provides the theoretical base that helped the researcher to identify significant relationship between the patient satisfaction and its antecedents.
Findings
The researchers identified the prominent antecedents of patient satisfaction and present the potential interrelationships between different antecedents of patient satisfaction such as treatment quality, cost attractiveness, destination image and service quality with patient satisfaction based on the review.
Practical implications
The results have momentous practical implications as they will help researchers to better understand the antecedents of patient satisfaction and their potential inter linkages with patient satisfaction in MT sector. The conceptual model derived from the review may guide the actions of researchers as well as practitioners in the MT industry as a whole. The present study provides insights for further research in the MT sector and thereby helps to further enrich the existing theoretical base of the MT.
Originality/value
The study brings together the scattered knowledge from the broad and extensive range of medical or health tourism and cognate literature which indicate ideological differences among various aspects of MT as well as potential factors determining patient satisfaction in MT sector (antecedents of satisfaction). The newly developed model incorporates a new construct called “treatment quality” as different from “service quality,” which is a widely used construct to explain customer satisfaction. The antecedents of patient satisfaction and their inter-linkages with patient satisfaction provide a sound theoretical foundation for the future studies.
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The paper aims to investigate the different forms of retaliatory responses towards unsatisfactory service encounters experienced by Australian consumers. It further compares…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate the different forms of retaliatory responses towards unsatisfactory service encounters experienced by Australian consumers. It further compares demographic and psychographic profiles of complainers versus non‐complainers.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 1,200 mail surveys were sent out through a random list of addresses obtained from the White Pages. Data from 237 usable surveys (29.1 per cent) were analysed using a series of statistical techniques including factor analysis to profile psychographic factors and discriminant analysis to identify complainers from non‐complainers.
Findings
It is found that both complainers and non‐complainers engage in some form of retaliatory responses. Complainers have a high sense of justice, are less conservative and have a more positive attitude towards complaining than their non‐complaining counterparts. Gender, income and education have no effect on complaining behaviour for both complainers and non‐complainers.
Practical implications
The high number of retaliations through “exit” is a concern for Australian firms. Firms have to make an effort to identify exactly the conditions in which each occurs and the strategies best available to rectify them. Mechanisms can be put in place to reduce these occurrences to improve the business as a whole.
Originality/value
The paper matches the demographic and psychographic profiles of complainers and non‐complainers with potential types of products and services and the related retaliatory responses.
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Emrah Ozkul, Hakan Boz, Bilsen Bilgili and Erdogan Koc
This chapter explains the role and potential of colour and lighting as two important elements of the service atmosphere in tourism and hospitality service encounters. The chapter…
Abstract
This chapter explains the role and potential of colour and lighting as two important elements of the service atmosphere in tourism and hospitality service encounters. The chapter first explains the importance of colour and lighting in services from the perspective of customers’ sensory perceptions. Then, the chapter provides examples to demonstrate how psychological/neuro-marketing tools of Eye Tracker and Facial Recognition, Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and Heart Rate (HR) can be used to understand the role of colour and lighting in customer satisfaction in tourism and hospitality service encounters. Based on this perspective, the study offers recommendations to design service environments in terms of colour and lighting.
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Elaine Y.T. Chew and Stephanie Onggo
The aim of this chapter is to understand the nature of business collaboration between healthcare service providers and tourism agencies in Malaysia. Interviews with 17 healthcare…
Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to understand the nature of business collaboration between healthcare service providers and tourism agencies in Malaysia. Interviews with 17 healthcare service providers in Malaysia reveal that most of the collaboration between healthcare service providers and tourism agencies in Malaysia is informal or loose, despite their intention to leverage on medical tourism for business expansion. Close and tight collaborations are rare. The findings point towards the main reasons behind the rare collaboration which are the high customer orientation of healthcare service providers, the strategic move of business and support for government agenda.
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Tak-Kee Hui, David Wan and Miau Feng Chi
China looks set to become the fourth largest outbound tourist generating country in the world by 2020 (World Tourism Organisation, 1997). Tourists from Mainland China are the…
Abstract
China looks set to become the fourth largest outbound tourist generating country in the world by 2020 (World Tourism Organisation, 1997). Tourists from Mainland China are the second most important source of tourist arrivals in Singapore. A better understanding of the Chinese tourists’ needs and expectations will be helpful in positioning the country to attract them. The data collected at Singapore Changi International Airport are segmented to different groups under various demographic factors. This study shows that there exist motivational differences among gender, income, age as well as travel frequencies. The findings are useful to the marketers to establish their strategic plans in targeting at different groups of Chinese visitors.
Mei Mei Lau, Peggy Mei Lan Ng, Elaine Ah Heung Chan and Cherry Tin Yan Cheung
This study aims to study the attitude toward purchasing luxury fashion of young consumers based on an extended model that integrates the constructs of the theory of reasoned…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to study the attitude toward purchasing luxury fashion of young consumers based on an extended model that integrates the constructs of the theory of reasoned action (TRA), identity theory, social identity theory, affect–behavior–cognition (ABC) model of attitude and brand attractiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
A purposive sampling approach was used to collect data from 237 young luxury fashion consumers in Hong Kong. Results were analyzed using partial least square.
Findings
The findings revealed that self-identity predicts affect-based attitudes (i.e. passive engagement and active engagement), and social identity predicts cognition-based attitude (i.e. attitude toward celebrity endorsement). Moreover, both affect- and cognition-based attitudes were found to be antecedents that enhanced brand attractiveness, which in turn positively affected purchase intention.
Research limitations/implications
This study collected data from Generation Z. Although this generation is the world’s most influential consumer group and is highly engaged in social media, the findings may not be representative of the entire population in Hong Kong. Therefore, the findings should be used cautiously in the whole luxury fashion industry.
Originality/value
This study extends the understanding of luxury fashion purchase intention from TRA to the connection among identity, social identity theories and ABC model of attitude and brand attractiveness. The findings of this study also contribute to practical insights on developing suitable marketing strategies for the Asian luxury fashion market.
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Fon Sim Ong, Kok Wei Khong, Ken Kyid Yeoh, Osman Syuhaily and Othman Mohd. Nor
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of atmospherics and affective state on shoppers’ in-store behaviour using the two approaches in structural equation modelling…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of atmospherics and affective state on shoppers’ in-store behaviour using the two approaches in structural equation modelling (SEM), i.e. Frequentist and Bayesian approaches. Shoppers’ affective state was tested for its mediating effect on in-store shopping behaviour.
Design/methodology/approach
The final sample consists of 382 respondents who were drawn from shoppers at selected apparel stores in six of the most popular shopping malls around Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). A frequentist approach to SEM is common among researchers and offers generally an analysis of the relationships between multiple latent variables and constructs. Alternatively, the Bayesian SEM (BSEM) approach stems from the diffusion of the model’s posterior distributions using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo technique. More specifically, this technique is inherently more flexible and substantive in determining parameter estimates as compared to the more conventional, the frequentist approach to SEM.
Findings
The results show the mixed effects of atmospheric cues in retail setting on shoppers’ affective state. More specifically, the positive direct effect of atmospheric cues (music) on in-store behaviour was confirmed while other atmospheric cues (colour and store layout) were found to be fully mediated by affective state. The Bayesian approach was able to offer more distinctive results complementing the frequentist approach.
Research limitations/implications
Although the current sample size is adequate, it will be interesting to examine how a bigger sample size and different antecedents of in-store behaviour in retailing can affect the comparison between the frequentist approach in SEM and BSEM.
Practical implications
The authors found that a combination of well-designed store atmospherics and layout store can produce pleasurable effects on shoppers resulting in positive affective state. This study found that results from both frequentist and Bayesian approaches complement each other and it may be beneficial for future studies to utilise both approaches in SEM.
Originality/value
This paper met the aim to compare the approaches in SEM and the need to consider both approaches on in-store shopping environment. Overall, the authors contend that the Bayesian approach to SEM is a potentially viable alternative to frequentist SEM, especially when studies are conducted under dynamic conditions such as apparel retailing.
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Tommy Lau, Man Lai Cheung, Guilherme D. Pires and Carol Chan
The abolishment of the wine tax in Hong Kong has led to increased wine consumption and increased demand for wine-related professionals, such as sommeliers. Yet the importance of…
Abstract
Purpose
The abolishment of the wine tax in Hong Kong has led to increased wine consumption and increased demand for wine-related professionals, such as sommeliers. Yet the importance of sommeliers’ value-adding performance in the context of upscale Chinese restaurants has not been examined. To address this gap, the SERVQUAL framework is adopted to examine the influence of sommeliers’ service quality (SQ) on customer satisfaction (CS) and loyalty in the context of upscale Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey method is used to collect data from 302 units of the population of interest, partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) is used to test the links between constructs.
Findings
Four of the seven dimensions of sommeliers’ service quality, namely, empathy, tangibles, credibility and assurance, have a significant positive impact on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, whereas the impact of perceived value and responsiveness on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is positive but only marginally significant. Reliability has a weak and non-significant impact on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
Examining a small number of upscale Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong limits generalisation of the findings to other contexts. Replication of the research in different contexts will enhance generalizability. In terms of implications, the discussion highlights the importance of sommeliers’ service performance on customers’ SQ perceptions SQ, CS and loyalty, all of which are important variables for restaurateurs.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of the influence of the quality of sommelier’s SQ on CS and loyalty in upscale Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. Given the lack of attention to this service role in the literature, the study contributes theory from which further understanding can develop.
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Vivian Heung and David Grossman
This study aims to make explicit fundamental challenges, which includes children with disabilities and special educational needs in education in China, Hong Kong, and Indonesia…
Abstract
This study aims to make explicit fundamental challenges, which includes children with disabilities and special educational needs in education in China, Hong Kong, and Indonesia under the current conceptions of Inclusion and Education for All (EFA). Based on extensive research and staff development work in these places, this chapter argues for uniting the aims of inclusive education and EFA in order to realize the goal of EFA in all countries. Such a transformative agenda will require a new model of looking at difficulties in learning and the concept of diversity in education. Unless a conscious effort is made to move our thinking and planning from EFA to Inclusive EFA, we will not achieve true universal education.