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The purpose of this paper is to examine how effectively hotels are using Facebook as a marketing tool and how consumers are interacting with the property by measuring the number of fans, customer comments, and accuracy of information provided.

This paper is based upon a content analysis, inquiring into 100 hotels' Facebook pages.

Findings demonstrate that the use of Facebook features by hotels varied widely. Some hotels utilize Facebook solely as a means for posting property information, whereas others focus on facilitating customer engagement.

Literature related to the effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool within the hospitality industry is severely limited, thus this research highlights the challenges some hotels are experiencing with maximizing the reach of their Facebook pages, suggests possible approaches for improvement and makes recommendations for structuring social networking strategies.

Results demonstrated many hotels failed to interact with customers, provide accurate and timely information, and entice prospective purchasers by showcasing the property through photos and videos. Practitioners would be well served to improve upon these aspects to better appeal to consumers and recognize a significant return on investment.

This study investigates the extent to which Facebook is being utilized by the top 100 domestic US hotels. Evaluation criteria included three aspects: content information, property details, and interactions between hotels and customers. Literature related to social network marketing is sparse, thus the present research is intended to provide a basis for future research and guidance for industry professionals to best maximize technological marketing channels.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of brand origin (BO) misperception (hereafter BOM) or non-identification on brand equity. Besides, the current study investigates the moderating role of brand strength in the relationship between BOM and brand equity.

The current study adopted a 4 (BO identification: favorable BOM vs adverse BOM vs non-identification vs correct identification) × 2 (brand strength: strong vs weak) between-subjects design. A total number of 547 participants performed assessments on the automotive brand. The current study selected three strong brands and three weak brands for tests. In the experiment, respondents had to associate the brand with its country of origin. The assignment of BO conditions was based upon respondents' natural responses provided. ANOVA was used for data analysis.

The results indicate that as compared to correct BO identification, BOM (either adverse or favorable) or non-identification exerts a more negative impact on brand equity. Moreover, the study demonstrates that brand strength moderates the effect of perceived BO on brand equity.

This study provides empirical support to the notion that BOM is detrimental to brand equity. Specifically, when adverse BOM occurs, a strong brand suffers more from the negative consequences resulted than a weak brand does. Conversely, when consumers misattribute the BO to a country with a stronger image than its real origin (i.e. favorable BOM), the resulting negative effect is reversed. Moreover, the non-identification of BO hurts the brand equity of both strong and weak brands.

The aim of this paper is to examine the underlying consumer behavior model of Facebook marketing for hotels, including the determinants, the process and the consequences of hotel Facebook marketing, as Facebook – the most popular social media platform – has become an important marketing tool for hotels.

The study proposed an integrated model consisting of antecedents and consequences of Facebook marketing based on both marketing and social psychology theories. A pseudo hotel Facebook page was created and an online survey was conducted to collect data. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the proposed model.

The SEM results indicated the proposed model to be a good fit with the data and all the hypotheses were supported except one. The findings suggested that compliance, internalization and identification are all determinants of the customer’s attitude toward a hotel Facebook page, while hotel booking intentions and intention of spreading word-of-mouth on Facebook are two consequences of hotel Facebook marketing.

The study used a pseudo hotel Facebook page and messages created solely for the purpose of the study, and so the survey participants might not be hotel guests or hotel Facebook fans. Future research using real hotel brands, “live” hotel Facebook pages and actual hotel guests or hotel Facebook fans to collect data may provide stronger support for the integrated model proposed in the study.

The attitude toward a hotel Facebook site is influenced by the site’s congruency with the customer’s value system and personal identity with other users rather than external rewards. Hotel booking intentions and spreading word-of-mouth are two significant consequences of hotel Facebook marketing. Hotels should aim to create an interactive site for users and establish communities with a clear identity so that users can easily relate their own self-identity with other group members and maintain satisfying relationships with them.

This is a preliminary and exploratory study of the fundamental marketing mechanism of hotel Facebook marketing. The proposed model reveals not only the antecedents but also the consequences of hotel Facebook marketing. The study and the proposed model may be used as a starting point for further hospitality Facebook marketing research.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how consensus and sequence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) presented on online hotel review Web sites affect consumers’ attitudes toward the company and intention to stay at a hotel.

This experiment used a 2 (consensus: high/low) × 3 (sequence: positive-negative, neutral, negative-positive) between-subjects design. A total of 165 usable data samples were gathered. Both consensus and sequence were manipulated.

The study revealed that the review consensus overrides the impact of the review sequence such that when review ratings are substantially consistent, consumers’ attitudes and intentions to stay at a hotel are not influenced by the sequence of reviews.

Other variables such as prior experience with the hotel or biases toward the hotel can affect consumer reactions to such online reviews. Future studies need to reflect on such variables that can moderate or mediate the impact of eWOM consensus and sequence.

Our findings suggest that the online consumer review summary information should be used to control the customer message process and when consumer reviews conflict, managers should take note of the sequence in which consumers read the reviews.

This paper adds to the body of scholarly research related to consumer information processing and further demonstrates how individuals integrate opinions from several reviews, especially in the online context.

Global food fraud incidents are regularly reported and are on the rise due to the ineffectiveness of traditional food safety intervention strategies. The increase in food fraud opportunity is prevalent in the state of the COVID-19 pandemic as well. Food fraud vulnerability assessment (FFVA) is acknowledged as a critical requirement by the Global Food Safety Initiatives (GFSIs) and the World Health Organisation for an effective food fraud mitigation plan. However, there is no clear direction or ways to identify and analyse food fraud vulnerability factors based on real-data.

Combining the barrier analysis technique and the routine activity theory to review the 580 cases of food fraud recorded in the Decernis database, this paper identified new food fraud vulnerability dimensions and insights pinpointed to three categories of opportunity, motivation and countermeasures.

New dimensions of food fraud vulnerability factors are identified in this paper over the period 2000–2018. Where possible, new insights related to each food fraud vulnerability factor and dimension were identified, and literature evidence was used to confirm their contribution.

There is a gap observed in the first step of FFVA in the literature. This paper is the first study to undertake a FFVA based on evidence recorded in a global food fraud database. This paper offers critical insights into global food fraud regulations by exploring the new emerging root causes of food fraud and analysing them, supporting developing effective food fraud prevention plans (FFPPs).