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Article
Publication date: 13 October 2023

Josip Mikulić, Maja Šerić and Damir Krešić

This study aims to provide insight into the determinants of wellness tourism satisfaction, thereby taking a nonlinear approach regarding the relationships between attribute-level…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to provide insight into the determinants of wellness tourism satisfaction, thereby taking a nonlinear approach regarding the relationships between attribute-level performance of wellness facility attributes, on the one hand, and wellness destination attributes, on the other hand, and global wellness tourist satisfaction. In addition, scores of impact range are calculated to reveal the potentially most determinant wellness facility and destination attributes.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses data from a survey-based study conducted among 1,331 wellness tourists who have engaged in wellness tourism activities at one of 28 hotels with wellness offerings and 10 spas in Croatia. Impact-asymmetry analysis and impact-range analysis are used to quantify the potential of individual wellness attributes to generate satisfaction and dissatisfaction among wellness tourists and to perform a classification of wellness attributes according to the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction.

Findings

Operators of wellness tourism facilities, as well as managers of wellness destinations, must not make any compromises in quality levels because most wellness attributes have significantly higher potential to frustrate than please tourists. Basic factors such as cleanliness, punctuality or safety turned out to have the strongest influence on global satisfaction levels. Moreover, in line with previous research, wellness tourists have large expectations from destinations to have a preserved and beautiful nature, which is by far the most influential destination attribute. In addition to a safe environment and high-quality accommodation, wellness tourists further prefer rich cultural offerings.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to apply a nonlinear analysis approach to the quality–satisfaction relationship in a wellness tourism setting. Moreover, to the knowledge of the authors, this is the only study that used separate attribute models for wellness facilities, on the one hand, and wellness destinations, on the other hand, based on a nation-wide sample that covers multiple cases (i.e. multiple facilities and destinations).

目的

本研究旨在深入了解养生旅游满意度的决定因素, 从而采用非线性方法来研究(i)养生设施属性和 (ii)养生目的地属性对国际养生游客满意度的关系。此外, 本文还计算了影响范围的分数, 以揭示潜在的最具决定性的养生设施和目的地属性。

设计/方法/途径

本研究使用了基于对 1,331 名养生游客进行调查问卷的数据, 这些游客曾在克罗地亚 28 的酒店以及10个水疗中心进行了养生旅游活动。本文采用影响不对称分析(IAA)和影响范围分析(IRA)来量化个体养生属性在健康游客中产生满意度和不满意的潜力, 并根据顾客三因素满意度理论对健康属性进行分类。

调查结果

养生旅游设施的运营商以及养生目的地的管理者不能在质量水平上做出任何妥协, 因为大多数养生属性很可能使游客感到沮丧, 而不是取悦游客。事实证明, 清洁、准时及安全等基本因素对全球满意度影响最大。此外, 根据之前的研究, 健康游客对目的地抱有很大的期望, 希望拥有保存完好且美丽的自然风光, 这是最具影响力的目的地属性。除了安全的环境和高品质的住宿外, 养生游客更看重丰富的文化产品。

独创性

这是第一项将非线性分析方法应用于养生旅游环境中的质量与满意度关系的研究。此外, 据作者所知, 这是唯一一项基于涵盖多个案例(即多个设施及目的地)的国家样本, 一方面对养生设施使用单独的属性模型, 另一方面对养生目的地使用单独的属性模型的研究。

Propósito

Este estudio tiene como objetivo proporcionar información sobre los determinantes de la satisfacción del turismo de bienestar, adoptando así un enfoque no lineal con respecto a las relaciones entre el rendimiento a nivel de atributos de (i) atributos de instalaciones de bienestar, por un lado, y (ii) atributos de destino de bienestar, por otro lado, y la satisfacción del turista de bienestar global. Además, se calculan puntajes de rango de impacto para revelar las instalaciones de bienestar y los atributos de destino potencialmente más determinantes.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

este estudio utiliza datos de un estudio basado en encuestas realizado entre 1,331 turistas de bienestar que participaron en actividades de turismo de bienestar en uno de los 28 hoteles con ofertas de bienestar y diez spas en Croacia. El análisis de asimetría de impacto (IAA) y el análisis de rango de impacto (IRA) se utilizan para cuantificar el potencial de los atributos de bienestar individuales para generar satisfacción e insatisfacción entre los turistas de bienestar y para realizar una clasificación de los atributos de bienestar de acuerdo con la teoría de los tres factores del cliente. satisfacción.

Hallazgos

Los operadores de instalaciones de turismo de bienestar, así como los administradores de destinos de bienestar, no deben comprometer los niveles de calidad porque la mayoría de los atributos de bienestar tienen un potencial significativamente mayor para frustrar que para complacer a los turistas. Los factores básicos, como la limpieza, la puntualidad o la seguridad, resultaron ser los que más influyeron en los niveles de satisfacción global. En consecuencia, estos atributos no deben verse como fuentes potenciales de satisfacción y deleite del cliente, sino que deben otorgarse altos niveles de desempeño para evitar una fuerte insatisfacción. Además, en línea con investigaciones anteriores, los turistas de bienestar tienen grandes expectativas de que los destinos tengan una naturaleza preservada y hermosa, que es, con mucho, el atributo de destino más influyente. Además de un entorno seguro y un alojamiento de alta calidad, los turistas de bienestar prefieren una rica oferta cultural. Aplicando la teoría de los tres factores, una visión más matizada de la formación de la satisfacción del turista de bienestar mostró que estos atributos del destino tienen un potencial mucho mayor para crear una fuerte insatisfacción que satisfacción.

Originalidad

Este es el primer estudio que aplica un enfoque de análisis no lineal a la relación calidad-satisfacción en un entorno de turismo de bienestar. Además, según el conocimiento de los autores, este es el único estudio que utilizó modelos de atributos separados para instalaciones de bienestar, por un lado, y destinos de bienestar, por el otro, en base a una muestra nacional que cubre múltiples casos (es decir, múltiples instalaciones y destinos).

Article
Publication date: 19 October 2022

Maja Šerić and Josip Mikulić

This paper aims to examine how message consistency pursued through integrated marketing communications (IMC) can build a strong destination brand equity in a very dynamic…

1091

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how message consistency pursued through integrated marketing communications (IMC) can build a strong destination brand equity in a very dynamic environment and whether this process is affected by the perceived risk of COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collection was conducted among 333 international tourists visiting Croatia, a destination that has experienced a remarkable boom in the summer/autumn season of 2021, regardless of the pandemic. Partial least squares–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis.

Findings

Results show that IMC consistency has a significant impact on the four destination brand equity dimensions, i.e. awareness, image, perceived quality and loyalty. This influence is found to be the highest on destination brand awareness and the lowest on destination brand loyalty. Perceived risk of COVID-19 moderates the impact of message consistency on brand image and perceived quality.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines the role of IMC consistency in a tourism context during turbulent times. The impact of IMC consistency is analyzed on different components of destination brand equity, which addresses the most recent research call from tourism literature. The moderating effects of perceived risk are considered, thus providing additional implications in a context of high uncertainty. Finally, IMC consistency is assessed from the consumer rather than managerial viewpoints, thus adopting the necessary outside-in approach embedded in the IMC idea.

目的

本文探讨了通过整合营销传播 (IMC) 追求的信息一致性如何在非常动态的环境中建立强大的目的地品牌资产, 以及这一过程是否受到 COVID-19 感知风险的影响。

设计/方法/方法

在 333 名访问克罗地亚的国际游客中进行了数据收集, 该目的地在 2021 年夏季/秋季经历了非凡的繁荣, 无论大流行如何。偏最小二乘 - 结构方程建模 (PLS-SEM) 用于数据分析。

结果

结果表明, IMC 一致性对四个目的地品牌资产维度有显着影响, 即意识、形象、感知质量和忠诚度。发现这种影响对目的地品牌知名度最高, 对目的地品牌忠诚度最低。 COVID-19 的感知风险缓和了信息一致性对品牌形象和感知质量的影响。

原创性/价值

据作者所知, 这是第一项研究动荡时期 IMC 一致性在旅游环境中的作用。分析了 IMC 一致性对目的地品牌资产的不同组成部分的影响, 这解决了来自旅游文献的最新研究呼吁。考虑到感知风险的调节效应, 从而在高度不确定的情况下提供额外的影响。最后, IMC 一致性是从消费者而非管理的角度评估的, 因此采用了嵌入 IMC 理念的必要的由外而内的方法。

Objetivo

Este artículo examina cómo la coherencia del mensaje que se pretende conseguir a través de la Comunicación Integrada de Marketing (CIM) puede generar un fuerte valor de marca de un destino turístico en un entorno muy dinámico y si este proceso se ve afectado por el riesgo percibido del COVID-19.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

La recogida de datos se ha llevado a cabo entre 333 turistas internacionales que visitaron Croacia, un destino que ha experimentado un auge turístico notable en la temporada de verano/otoño de 2021, independientemente de la pandemia. Para el análisis de datos, se ha empleado la técnica de mínimos cuadrados parciales PLS-SEM.

Resultados

Los resultados muestran que la coherencia de la CIM tiene un impacto significativo en las cuatro dimensiones del valor de marca de un destino, es decir, notoriedad, imagen, calidad percibida y lealtad. Este impacto es más alto en el caso de la notoriedad y más bajo en el caso de la lealtad. El riesgo percibido del COVID-19 modera los efectos de la coherencia del mensaje en la imagen de marca y la calidad percibida.

Originalidad/valor

Según el conocimiento de los autores, este es el primer estudio que examina el papel de la coherencia de la CIM en un contexto turístico durante tiempos inestables. Se analiza el impacto de la coherencia de la CIM en diferentes componentes del valor de la marca de destino, dando así respuestas a las llamadas más recientes de la literatura turística. Se consideran los efectos moderadores del riesgo percibido, proporcionando así implicaciones adicionales en un contexto de alta incertidumbre. Finalmente, la coherencia de la CIM se evalúa desde el punto de vista del consumidor, adoptando así el enfoque “de afuera hacia adentro”, que es uno de los principios base de la CIM.

Article
Publication date: 31 May 2021

Gerson Tontini, Luís Irgang, Adriana Kroenke, Ivan Hadlich, Jaime Dagostim Picolo and Josip Mikulic

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how to use customer spontaneous comments to identify which aspects influence the overall customer satisfaction with restaurant services…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how to use customer spontaneous comments to identify which aspects influence the overall customer satisfaction with restaurant services from a nonlinear perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected data from 399 spontaneous comments about a chain of fast-food restaurants in Brazil. The comments are freely available on the TripAdvisor portal and were extracted and classified according to seven dimensions related to the quality of services: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, quality of the food and price. Next, the authors combine the critical incident technique (CIT) and the penalty-reward contrast analysis (PRCA) to investigate the nonlinear relationship between service quality assessment and overall customer satisfaction.

Findings

The method of integrating CIT with PRCA explains 64.7% of the variation in the customer's assessment of the services provided (RAdj2 = 0.647). This shows that spontaneous comments from customers are related to their overall satisfaction with the service provided. Besides, the findings suggest that consumers tend to comment more about positive than negative experiences regarding aspects related to food, attendants' empathy and service assurance, and more negative comments about aspects related to responsiveness and price. However, it was found that negative comments have a stronger influence on overall satisfaction than positive comments.

Originality/value

Using comments available for free on the Internet and evaluating how positive and negative comments can jointly influence customer satisfaction, the proposed methodology demonstrates how restaurants can use their customers' spontaneous comments to identify critical aspects to be managed and improved. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study presenting how restaurants can use customer spontaneous comments, freely available on the internet, to identify the relevance of different aspects of the services provided from a nonlinear perspective. In addition, the present study shows that although customers spontaneously tend to share more positive than negative comments about restaurant services, events related to negative experiences have a stronger influence on overall satisfaction.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 29 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2020

Maja Šerić and Josip Mikulić

This paper examines the development of customer-based brand equity through communication consistency in a luxury hotel segment. Communication consistency is considered as a basic…

2696

Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines the development of customer-based brand equity through communication consistency in a luxury hotel segment. Communication consistency is considered as a basic principle of the integrated marketing communications (IMC) approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical research was conducted among 223 guests during their stay in five-star deluxe luxury hotels in a Mediterranean country. Data are analyzed through the PLS technique and impact-asymmetry analysis.

Findings

Communication consistency is found to have a strong positive impact on all brand equity dimensions, especially on brand trust, brand image and perceived quality. The impact-asymmetry analysis further revealed negatively asymmetric relationships between communication consistency and six out of seven brand equity dimensions, except for affective commitment.

Research limitations/implications

Some restrictions related to the measurement scales should be mitigated in future research.

Practical implications

Communication consistency is confirmed as a core management practice in luxury hotel business. Marketing professionals operating in this industry are therefore confronted with increasing challenges of efficient management of IMC.

Originality/value

This work addresses several research calls from the most recent marketing and hospitality literature. The analysis of the impact of communication consistency has extended our knowledge on the potential of IMC in creation of a strong brand. Obtained insights into the shape of the relationship between communication consistency and seven different brand equity dimensions help to better understand the process of brand equity building in a luxury hotel setting.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. 3 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 September 2022

S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh, Faizan Ali, Josip Mikulić and Seden Dogan

The purpose of this paper is to critically review and synthesize the scale development practices in hospitality and tourism and propose updated guidelines applicable for both…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically review and synthesize the scale development practices in hospitality and tourism and propose updated guidelines applicable for both reflective and composite scales.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a critical review of a sample of scale development papers published in six top-tier tourism and hospitality journals, the current guidelines' weaknesses and strengths and their applications are identified. Updated procedures are proposed to overcome these weaknesses.

Findings

This review showed several issues in applying existing guidelines, including incomplete and unclear data collection processes, inconsistent data analysis processes including validity/reliability assessment and lack of criteria to identify and assess composite scales. As such, this paper proposes updated guidelines by incorporating the confirmatory composite analysis to assess composite scales.

Originality/value

This paper offers unique theoretical and methodological contributions to scale development literature, by identifying the shortcomings of current practices of scale development and propose guidelines for both reflective and composite scales. The current scale development procedures cannot be applied for composite scales, and so the results of composite scale development using the current procedures are questionable. The updated guidelines by the current study improve new scales' accuracy, reliability and validity.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 35 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 October 2021

S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh, Mingzhuo Wang, Josip Mikulić and Puvaneswaran Kunasekaran

This article aims to propose guidelines to develop moderation hypotheses, assess moderators using the multigroup analysis and interaction effect approaches and interpret the…

2082

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to propose guidelines to develop moderation hypotheses, assess moderators using the multigroup analysis and interaction effect approaches and interpret the results of moderation analysis in tourism and hospitality research.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a review of 600 articles published in top tourism and hospitality journals from the year 2016 to 2020, and reviewing the literature related to moderation analysis, this study identifies key issues in different steps of moderation analysis and proposes robust guidelines to aid future research.

Findings

The results of the systematic review uncovered some key issues in different steps of moderation analysis, such as hypothesis development, moderation assessment and results interpretation. The findings emphasized the typical methodological misconceptions and improper practices for moderation analysis.

Research limitations/implications

Moderation analysis is of great significance to the advancement of theory, and its application has increased significantly in recent years. However, many studies appear to have a limited understanding of moderation analysis and follow questionable practices regarding hypothesis development, moderation assessment and results interpretation, thus leading to suspicious conclusions for theory advancement. By highlighting these methodological issues, this article provides robust guidelines for moderation analysis, which is of great theoretical and methodological significance to the academic research in tourism and hospitality.

Originality/value

As one of the first studies to provide robust guidelines for moderation analysis, based on a critical and systematic review of papers published in top-tier journals in tourism and hospitality and the latest developments on moderation analysis in the wider literature, this article has important theoretical and methodological significance for the academic research in tourism and hospitality as well as general social science disciplines.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 33 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 June 2019

Mia Delic, Daniel R. Eyers and Josip Mikulic

Additive Manufacturing offers much potential for industry, but at the same time is likely to have a significant impact on supply chain theory and practice. To-date there has been…

2925

Abstract

Purpose

Additive Manufacturing offers much potential for industry, but at the same time is likely to have a significant impact on supply chain theory and practice. To-date there has been limited empirical work exploring the effect of Additive Manufacturing, and this study aims to provide a detailed appraisal of how supply chain integration, supply chain performance and firm performance may be affected by the adoption of Additive Manufacturing. These are critical factors for supply chain management, but have received little quantified attention to date.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model is developed from a detailed review of the literature, from which a quantitative analysis is performed. Using data collected from 124 automotive manufacturers in European Union and the partial least square- structural equation modeling method, the research examines the relationships among different dimensions of supply chain integration, supply chain performance and firm performance from the perspective of Additive Manufacturing adoption.

Findings

The findings indicate that Additive Manufacturing adoption positively influences supply chain performance and as a consequence, firm performance. In addition, supporting the resource-based view perspective, the results show a positive indirect effect of supply chain integration on the supply chain and firm performance improvements, enabled by the Additive Manufacturing adoption. This helps to explain some inconsistent findings in previous research regarding the impacts of supply chain integration on performance.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study support the view that Additive Manufacturing can make a positive contribution to the supply chain, but this is not achieved solely by the technologies alone. Many of the traditional activities of supply chain management (i.e. integration) are still needed when using Additive Manufacturing, and research needs to understand whether Additive Manufacturing adoption will necessitate changes to the way these traditional activities are undertaken. Building on the findings of the current study, much more work is therefore needed to understand how operations within the supply chain may be changed, and how this may affect the integration and performance of the supply chain.

Practical implications

This study provides quantitative evidence to show that the adoption of Additive Manufacturing has the potential to affect both firm and supply chain performance. This is significant for those companies considering the adoption of Additive Manufacturing, and may serve as a valuable insight in the strategic decision-making process. For those already using Additive Manufacturing, this study serves to underline the potential for firm performance to be influenced, by focusing on improvements to their production strategies and policies.

Originality/value

This study provides an initial insight into some fundamental supply chain concepts within an Additive Manufacturing context, which have received very little research attention. It develops a novel conceptual model, and through a large-scale industry survey provides quantified evidence of the impact of Additive Manufacturing on the supply chain. To date, much of the supply chain research is exploratory and qualitative; the quantitative evidence presented in this work, therefore, makes an important and original contribution to both research and practice.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 24 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2011

Josip Mikulić and Darko Prebežac

The purpose of this paper is: to review the most commonly used approaches to the classification of quality attributes according to the Kano model; to identify the…

10450

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is: to review the most commonly used approaches to the classification of quality attributes according to the Kano model; to identify the theoretical/practical strengths and weaknesses of these techniques; and to provide guidance for future research and managerial practice in this area.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an extensive review of the literature on the Kano model and the relevant marketing/management literature, five approaches (Kano's method; “penalty‐reward contrast analysis”; “importance grid”; qualitative data methods; and “direct classification”) are evaluated in terms of their validity and reliability for categorising attributes in the Kano model. Several illustrative examples provide empirical evidence for the theoretical arguments advanced in the study.

Findings

The Kano questionnaire and the direct‐classification method are the only approaches that are capable of classifying Kano attributes in the design stage of a product/service. Penalty‐reward contrast analysis (PRCA) is useful for assessing the impact of product/service attributes on overall satisfaction with a product/service, but its applicability to the classification of Kano attributes is questionable. The importance grid (IG) is not recommended for use with the Kano model. The critical incident technique and the analysis of complaints/compliments are valid for the Kano model, but have questionable reliability.

Originality/value

The study makes some important points about accurate semantic terminology in describing issues related to the Kano model. In particular, researchers should be aware that an attractive quality element (must‐be quality element, respectively) might in fact be a dissatisfier (satisfier, respectively), due to significant conceptual differences between performance in terms of the Kano model (i.e. objective performance) and subjective performance perceptions.

Details

Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-4529

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 March 2016

Josip Mikulić, Katarina Miličević and Damir Krešić

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between brand strength and tourism intensity indices and to determine to what extent the implementation of the branding…

1287

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between brand strength and tourism intensity indices and to determine to what extent the implementation of the branding process can have an impact on building a destination’s brand strength and tourism economic performance in the European Union capital cities.

Design/methodology/approach

For the purpose of this study, secondary data on brand strength and tourism intensity for a sample of 20 European capital cities were used. Correlation analysis between brand strength and tourism intensity was then performed by using a cross-section analysis design.

Findings

The findings of this research show that destination brand strength is indeed significantly and positively related to tourism intensity.

Originality/value

This paper concludes that destination branding process is an important factor for creating and maintaining competitive advantages among capital cities on the mature and saturated European tourism market.

Details

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6182

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 August 2014

Tomislav Hernaus and Josip Mikulić

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a specific pattern of relationships among various task, knowledge and social characteristics of work design and work outcomes. It…

3949

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a specific pattern of relationships among various task, knowledge and social characteristics of work design and work outcomes. It clearly shows how particular work characteristics influence task and contextual performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical research was conducted through a field survey of the largest Croatian organizations with more than 500 employees. A cross-sectional and cross-occupational sample of 512 knowledge workers from 48 organizations is analyzed by applying the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique.

Findings

The results confirmed the existence and importance of the interaction between work characteristics and work outcomes. However, the findings suggest that only knowledge characteristics of work design exhibit a significant effect on both dimensions of work behavior, while task and social characteristics showed different effects on task and contextual performance, respectively.

Practical implications

The research findings clearly show that work design efforts are not straightforward but rather context-specific, and with diverging performance effects. Organizations can significantly enhance their bottom-line performance by designing challenging and cognitively demanding configurations of work tasks for their knowledge workers.

Originality/value

The paper extends previous research by capturing a broader set of work characteristics of knowledge workers. The results suggest that different categories of work characteristics have different effects on task and contextual performance. By revealing the nature of work design in the central and eastern European context, this study indicates the existence of possible differences in work design practices in various backgrounds.

Details

EuroMed Journal of Business, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1450-2194

Keywords

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