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Book part
Publication date: 16 August 2014

Anne-Maria Holma

This study provides a comprehensive framework of adaptation in triadic business relationship settings in the service sector. The framework is based on the industrial network…

Abstract

This study provides a comprehensive framework of adaptation in triadic business relationship settings in the service sector. The framework is based on the industrial network approach (see, e.g., Axelsson & Easton, 1992; Håkansson & Snehota, 1995a). The study describes how adaptations initiate, how they progress, and what the outcomes of these adaptations are. Furthermore, the framework takes into account how adaptations spread in triadic relationship settings. The empirical context is corporate travel management, which is a chain of activities where an industrial enterprise, and its preferred travel agency and service supplier partners combine their resources. The scientific philosophy, on which the knowledge creation is based, is realist ontology. Epistemologically, the study relies on constructionist processes and interpretation. Case studies with in-depth interviews are the main source of data.

Details

Deep Knowledge of B2B Relationships within and Across Borders
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-858-7

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 March 2020

Bestoon Abdulmaged Othman, Amran Harun, Nuno Marques De Almeida and Zana Majed Sadq

With growing mobility in a globalized world and an estimate of more than 300 million people going on religious pilgrimages every year, various researchers have been focusing on…

5288

Abstract

Purpose

With growing mobility in a globalized world and an estimate of more than 300 million people going on religious pilgrimages every year, various researchers have been focusing on pilgrimage-driven travel services. In this context and within the Islamic religious tradition, the “Umrah” is used as a case study in this paper. In addition, this study also investigated the effects of Umrah SMM (promotion, place, people, product, price, process, physical evidence, marketing communication and after sale service) on customer satisfaction and loyalty toward Umrah travel agents in “Malaysia.”

Design/methodology/approach

Convenience sampling technique at four international airports in “Malaysia” was used to obtain data from Umrah travelers who had used Umrah services at least once. A total of 384 usable questionnaires were collected from this study and the data were analyzed using the partial least square.

Findings

The result indicated that the marketing mix has a significant positive effect on customer loyalty through customer satisfaction both directly and indirectly. This study will be of interest to the Umrah travel industry, for Malaysia and all the other countries, in understanding how marketing mix strategies are essential in maintaining a long-term relationship with customers.

Originality/value

The literature on Umrah travel services revealed that the traditional service marketing mix (SMM) of 7P’s is inadequate. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap and examine an innovative service marketing mix strategy for “Umrah Service” including marketing communication and after sales service. It investigates the effects of enhanced Umrah SMM on customer satisfaction and loyalty towards Umrah travel agents in “Malaysia”.

Details

Journal of Islamic Marketing, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-0833

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 February 2014

Cristian Morosan

Recently, ancillary services' (e.g. bag processing, preferred seating) contribution to the overall air travel revenues has become substantial. Yet, no study to date has addressed…

3310

Abstract

Purpose

Recently, ancillary services' (e.g. bag processing, preferred seating) contribution to the overall air travel revenues has become substantial. Yet, no study to date has addressed how these services are purchased. This study aims to investigate air travelers' adoption of mobile phones to purchase ancillary air travel services.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive structural model was developed based on the Technology Acceptance Model and augmented with constructs like trust, privacy, security, innovativeness, and personalization. The model was validated using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations modeling.

Findings

The model explained 84 percent of the variability in intentions to use mobile phones to purchase air travel ancillary services. The strongest predictor of attitudes was perceived usefulness, followed by perceived ease of use and trust.

Research limitations/implications

First, this study's extended theoretical framework was well supported, as it captures relevant system perceptions (e.g. usefulness, ease of use) and personal traits of consumers (e.g. innovativeness), thus extending the classic paradigmatic approach to technology adoption beyond system beliefs. Second, the study explains the relationships among trust, security, and privacy in m-commerce. Third, this study explicates the roles of innovativeness and personalization, which have not been examined in the context of m-commerce in travel.

Practical implications

This study offers managers an understanding of factors leading to adoption of mobile phones for purchasing air travel ancillary services.

Originality/value

This study provides a first theoretical perspective on the purchasing behavior of services that have not been studied so far, but have an increasingly substantial financial significance for the airline industry.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2014

Niklas Eriksson

This study aims to identify user categories of mobile travel services and analyze the differences between the categories based on individual characteristics, the individuals'…

1319

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify user categories of mobile travel services and analyze the differences between the categories based on individual characteristics, the individuals' perceived barriers to use internet-/mobile services during a trip and the individuals' preferred channel strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive online survey in Finland was conducted to collect the data and a cluster analysis is used to identify the user categories.

Findings

The study indicates that there are four user categories of mobile travel services: “info-seekers”, “checkers”, “bookers” and “all-rounders” and one group of “non-users”.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the online data collection method and the self-selective process, the sample may be biased towards respondents finding electronic travel services important. It would be of value to conduct similar studies on a representative sample of the total population of different countries.

Practical implications

The identified categories can be seen as consumer segments for which travel service providers can target mobile services.

Originality/value

This study contributes with a categorization of mobile travelers and provides insights on the diffusion of mobile travel services.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9880

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 March 2022

Srikanth Beldona, Hemant V. Kher and Kunwei Lin

Regulatory focus theory proposes that people make decisions and engage in the pursuit of goals based on either promotional goals indicating sensitivity to gains/nongains or…

Abstract

Purpose

Regulatory focus theory proposes that people make decisions and engage in the pursuit of goals based on either promotional goals indicating sensitivity to gains/nongains or preventional goals reflecting sensitivity to losses/nonlosses (Aaker and Lee, 2001). The purpose of this study is to examine the roles of regulatory foci and their impact on the perceived value and usage of location-based services (LBS) in travel experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

Travel planning strategies are framed along promotional or preventional lines to evaluate regulatory focus orientation and respondents’ perceptions of value in location-based marketing (LBM) services are examined. Regression analysis evaluates the primary relationships, followed by analysis evaluating the mediating effects of “travel interest messages” (discount coupons, etc.) in the regulatory-focus-perceived value in LBM relationship.

Findings

The findings indicate that the effects of promotional focus are significantly greater than those of preventional regulatory focus. Additionally, the importance of travel interest messages (discount coupons, maps, etc.) was more significant with a promotional regulatory focus than preventional regulatory focus orientation.

Practical implications

The findings provide proof of regulatory focus as a differentiator in travel consumption behavior and demonstrate how it can be used to effectively target marketing messages to augment the travel experience. Destination marketing organizations can apply regulatory focus theory in organizational settings in the areas of leadership, decision-making and front-line employee creativity that can enhance the delivery of memorable travel experiences.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to examine the relationship between gains-focused/risk-averse travel planning and their impact on perceptions of value in LBS programs in travel experiences.

对比以收益为中心与风险规避为中心的不同取向, 及其在旅游中对定位营销服务的影响

研究目的

调节焦点理论提出, 消费者决策以及目标达成行为可以基于对收益/非收益敏感的促进目标或反映对损失/非损失敏感度的保守目标(Aaker and Lee, 2001)。本研究的目的是研究调节焦点及其对定位营销在旅行体验中的感知价值和使用的影响。

研究设计/方法/方法

旅行计划策略是按照促进或保守路线制定来评估调节的取向, 并检查受访者对定位营销(LBM) 服务价值的看法。本研究运用回归分析评估主要关系, 然后分析评估“旅行兴趣信息”(折扣券等)在LBM关系中的调节焦点感知价值中的中介作用。

研究发现

调查结果表明, 促进型路线的效果明显大于保守型的效果。此外, 旅游兴趣信息的重要性(折扣券、地图等)在促进调节焦点(相比于保守型)中显得尤其重要。

实践意义

研究结果证明了调节焦点是旅游消费行为的差异化因素, 并展示了如何将其用于有效地定位营销信息以增强旅游体验。目的地营销组织可以在领导力、决策制定和一线员工创造力等领域的组织环境中应用调节焦点理论, 从而提供难忘的旅行体验。

研究原创性/价值

本论文是首次研究以收益为中心/风险规避为中心的旅行计划, 以及其在旅行经历中对定位营销服务计划中价值感知的影响之间的关系的研究之一。

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9880

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 9 February 2023

Zuzana Kvítková and Zdenka Petrů

Online reputation management (ORM) plays a significant role in the tourism industry. Tourists are more and more interested to express their opinions about their…

Abstract

Online reputation management (ORM) plays a significant role in the tourism industry. Tourists are more and more interested to express their opinions about their experiences/satisfaction not only with their friends but also on social media. ORM is largely used not only by tourist destinations but also by other companies operating in the tourism industry. This chapter aims to draw attention to the importance of intermediaries in tourism, their reputation in general, and especially their ORM and its specifics. This contribution also characterizes different types of intermediaries and their different roles in the distribution process of tourism services. These roles are important and can be even more significant in the “new normal” post-COVID-19 time. In the scientific literature and research, there is not much attention given to intermediaries as a whole and even less to their ORM and its specific solutions. But practical contributions can be found. Due to the specific activities and roles of different types of intermediaries, also their reputation is influenced not only by tourists but also by their suppliers. Their ORM has also some specifics and needs specific solutions. Their reputation is depending not only on customers' satisfaction with their own services but also on the reputation of tourism service providers, whose services they offer and mediate either individually or in the form of their own product, e.g., package tours. Specific attention in this chapter is given to intermediaries such as OTAs (Online Travel Agencies/Agents) and tour operators. At some time, these two types of intermediaries help to increase the reputation of tourism services providers, e.g., hotels. The chapter describes the situation in the field of intermediaries with a conceptual model, their ORM, and summarizes its specifics.

Details

Online Reputation Management in Destination and Hospitality
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-376-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2017

Bijoylaxmi Sarmah, Zillur Rahman and Shampy Kamboj

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to empirically examine and explain the antecedent factors of consumers’ adoption intention toward co-creatively…

1356

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to empirically examine and explain the antecedent factors of consumers’ adoption intention toward co-creatively developed new travel services using smart phone apps. The antecedents include consumer innovativeness, trust, degree of co-creation that results in positive adoption intention. In this study, tourists’ degree of co-creation acts as a mediator between trust and adoption intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through online surveys from tourists that resulted into a total of 152 valid responses. An analysis of data was done by applying the confirmatory factor analysis along with structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings of this study indicate that both consumer innovativeness and trust significantly affect adoption intention directly and indirectly via degree of co-creation among tourists and e-travel service providers. Degree of co-creation acts as a mediator between the above-mentioned relationships.

Research limitations/implications

Use of smart phone apps by tourists’ and e-travel companies to co-create new services and tourists’ adoption intention have been examined in context of co-created service innovation that limits the generalizability of the results to other industries. A few other limitations are also discussed.

Practical implications

The findings of this study guides the policy planners and e-travel company managers toward application of mobile technology in consumer co-creation in context of service innovation.

Originality/value

Tourists’ trust in the e-travel companies and their innovativeness were found to influence their degree of co-creation, which are instrumental in developing adoption intention toward co-creative new service innovation using smart phone apps in India. This is a significant addition to the existing literature, as studies on co-creation activities aiming to co-develop new services by tourists and e-travel companies in India are scant in number. In addition to this, the newly developed conceptual model also highlights the role of degree of co-creation as a mediator between two antecedents (trust and innovativeness) and outcome (tourists’ adoption intention), which are considered as new additions to the co-creative service innovation literature.

Details

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6182

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 10 December 2015

Dekar Urumsah

The concept and practice of e-services has become essential in business transactions. Yet there are still many organizations that have not developed e-services optimally. This is…

Abstract

The concept and practice of e-services has become essential in business transactions. Yet there are still many organizations that have not developed e-services optimally. This is especially relevant in the context of Indonesian Airline companies. Therefore, many airline customers in Indonesia are still in doubt about it, or even do not use it. To fill this gap, this study attempts to develop a model for e-services adoption and empirically examines the factors influencing the airlines customers in Indonesia in using e-services offered by the Indonesian airline companies. Taking six Indonesian airline companies as a case example, the study investigated the antecedents of e-services usage of Indonesian airlines. This study further examined the impacts of motivation on customers in using e-services in the Indonesian context. Another important aim of this study was to investigate how ages, experiences and geographical areas moderate effects of e-services usage.

The study adopts a positivist research paradigm with a two-phase sequential mixed method design involving qualitative and quantitative approaches. An initial research model was first developed based on an extensive literature review, by combining acceptance and use of information technology theories, expectancy theory and the inter-organizational system motivation models. A qualitative field study via semi-structured interviews was then conducted to explore the present state among 15 respondents. The results of the interviews were analysed using content analysis yielding the final model of e-services usage. Eighteen antecedent factors hypotheses and three moderating factors hypotheses and 52-item questionnaire were developed. A focus group discussion of five respondents and a pilot study of 59 respondents resulted in final version of the questionnaire.

In the second phase, the main survey was conducted nationally to collect the research data among Indonesian airline customers who had already used Indonesian airline e-services. A total of 819 valid questionnaires were obtained. The data was then analysed using a partial least square (PLS) based structural equation modelling (SEM) technique to produce the contributions of links in the e-services model (22% of all the variances in e-services usage, 37.8% in intention to use, 46.6% in motivation, 39.2% in outcome expectancy, and 37.7% in effort expectancy). Meanwhile, path coefficients and t-values demonstrated various different influences of antecedent factors towards e-services usage. Additionally, a multi-group analysis based on PLS is employed with mixed results. In the final findings, 14 hypotheses were supported and 7 hypotheses were not supported.

The major findings of this study have confirmed that motivation has the strongest contribution in e-services usage. In addition, motivation affects e-services usage both directly and indirectly through intention-to-use. This study provides contributions to the existing knowledge of e-services models, and practical applications of IT usage. Most importantly, an understanding of antecedents of e-services adoption will provide guidelines for stakeholders in developing better e-services and strategies in order to promote and encourage more customers to use e-services. Finally, the accomplishment of this study can be expanded through possible adaptations in other industries and other geographical contexts.

Details

E-services Adoption: Processes by Firms in Developing Nations
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-709-7

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 October 2020

Ling Fang, Zhen Lu and Linyin Dong

Corporate travel represents a significant source of revenue for the tourism industry. Therefore, the quality of service is essential for maintaining and expanding corporate…

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Abstract

Purpose

Corporate travel represents a significant source of revenue for the tourism industry. Therefore, the quality of service is essential for maintaining and expanding corporate cliental bases. Despite the importance, the extant literature has yet sufficiently examined corporate travel service quality (SQ) and its impact. To make up for the drawback, this study aims to differentiate the impact of SQ perceptions on customer satisfaction between the online and off-line contexts through an empirical investigation in one of the top five corporate travel agencies in North America.

Design/methodology/approach

The well-established SERVQUAL measurement is applied in differentiating the impact of SQ dimensions between the online and off-line context. To empirically test the proposed corporate travel agency (CTA) SQ conceptual model, a set of survey data of “Welcome Back Survey” from HRG (a top five CTA in North America) was examined.

Findings

The study finds that for online services, assurance, responsiveness and empathy affect perceived SQ, whereas for off-line services, assurance, empathy and tangible are the three dimensions of perceived SQ.

Research limitations/implications

By relying on the existing survey, the off-line context has one less dimension than the online context. Yet as an early effort in differentiating the differences in the impact of SQ between two service contexts, the study offers insightful findings.

Practical implications

The findings will be helpful for business managers of CTAs to identify the factors that influence SQ in both online booking and off-line booking context. In particular, assurance and empathy are two dimensions that exert a significant impact on customer satisfaction.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to compare the differences of the SQ of online and off-line corporate travel.

Details

International Hospitality Review, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2516-8142

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2010

Ulku Yuksel and Ranjit Voola

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the motivations for participating in international trade shows and perceptions of effectiveness and challenges faced by exhibiting…

3349

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the motivations for participating in international trade shows and perceptions of effectiveness and challenges faced by exhibiting firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple‐methodology approach is adopted. Initially, interviews are conducted with travel trade exhibitors. These then serve as a foundation for a survey of senior tourism managers.

Findings

Exhibitors perceive efficient and effective products/services being displayed on the stand as the central factor for success. The key motivation for participating in travel trade shows is to improve relationships with customers. The primary motivation in participating in specific travel trade shows was influenced by the reputation of the fair, and the key challenge relates to following up leads from the fair.

Research limitations/implications

As the study emphasises tourism and travel, generalising to other trade shows must be done with caution.

Practical implications

The intangible and simultaneous nature of the offering emphasises empathy, responsiveness and reliability of the staff and will affect visitors' perceived service quality of the interaction. Furthermore, an explanation of the various motivations may aid exhibitors in their objectives for participating in travel trade shows.

Originality/value

Although the tourism industry, and consequently travel trade shows, are booming, little research examines the motivations and effectiveness of travel trade from the exhibitor's perspective. Furthermore, the services nature of travel trade shows and its effects on marketing travel trade shows have seen only limited investigation.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

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