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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the migratory nature of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation and adoption in manufacturing-based SMEs in the UK. The companies were surveyed at two points over a five-year period. These periods were before and after the 2008 recession point. This being done in order to identify the level of LSS adoption as a result of the tougher economic climate that has prevailed since 2008.

Analysis is carried out on a sample of 96 manufacturing SMEs from a range of manufacturing sectors in the UK. Data were gathered from company CEOs via a triangulated method of questionnaire, direct observation and interviews.

The paper provides research information into the characterisation, compatibility and innovativeness of SMEs towards LSS implementation and goes on to provide an implementation classification system and characterises the dynamical nature of LSS development in manufacturing SMEs.

The findings analyse the dynamic nature of LSS implementation in SMEs. Further work will include extending the LSS categorisation system to provide a wider category set that further defines the dynamical nature of LSS implementation. Also, more focused studies in to specific manufacturing sectors will yield greater understanding of the effects of LSS on those sectors.

The paper provides practical research information into the characterisation, compatibility and innovativeness of SMEs towards LSS implementation. It will be of use to practitioners seeking to implement or develop LSS further in their organisations.

This study compares at depth the LSS implementation issues within SMEs. It not only analyses the survey data but characterises their attitudes towards implementing LSS and as such this work makes a contribution to this under researched area.

This paper aims to give a wider understanding of what customers really want from first and subsequent visits to mainstream city centre nightclubs and bars by examining customer attitudes to various aspects of the services arena and service offerings provided by such venues.

Purposive sampling was used to establish two focus groups within the industry's main target market age group. This qualitative data were analysed from a grounded theory approach in order to identify the emerging themes that were then tested by quantitative data gathered by means of a questionnaire in phase 2 of the research. These data were then subjected to a frequency analysis in SPSS in order to identify those elements that were most preferred by the majority of respondents.

Findings point to the relative importance of various elements of the servicescape in influencing customer decisions to enter a venue for the first time, and also to the relative importance of factors which prompt subsequent visits to a venue.

In such a saturated and highly competitive marketplace these findings can assist mainstream venues within the late night economy to improve their competitive position by understanding and then providing what customers really want.

Although there is much services marketing literature on the relevance of the servicescape and the importance of service quality, this paper attempts to ascertain which factors are truly key in customer decision‐making, and in which order each element of the service is rated by the industry's key target market.

This paper aims to classify tourist accommodation using data from Booking.com and TripAdvisor and analyse the extent to which the different segments identified differ in terms of being adults-only.

In total, 1,535 properties located in nine Spanish sun and beach destinations were examined using a latent class cluster analysis (LCCA). The bias-adjusted three-step approach was used to investigate the differences between belonging to adults-only accommodation or not among the identified clusters.

Results show that adults-only accommodation tends to belong to the cluster with higher online ratings. In small Spanish islands, adults-only hotels account for a large share (more than 25%) of hotels.

It was not possible to analyse whether the higher rating was due to the accommodation being better or due to the tourists being more satisfied with their stay.

In urban destinations, the model is not widely used. However, in coastal destinations, it is becoming more than a novelty or a new trend.

In small Spanish islands, people traveling with children are becoming a minority. Families may feel discriminated against and express dissatisfaction with this situation in the future.

This study covers the gap in the academic literature on this growing hotel segment.

This study aims to identify typologies of women who take holiday decisions within the couple, characterizing their profile through their lifestyles and some socio‐demographic variables.

The information was obtained through a survey addressed to Spanish women who were married or lived with their partner. Data were used to perform two types of analyses: scales validation and cluster analysis.

Three different groups have been found depending on the importance the women give to pre‐ and during‐holiday decisions. These groups present specific socio‐demographic characteristics, interests and opinions. However, findings reveal the need for further research into women's lifestyles as an explanatory variable.

This information will contribute not only to the academic knowledge, but will also help tourist managers to create competitive offers. It will also allow managers to implement more efficient promotional campaigns with the aim of attracting female tourists.

A classification of women, based on their holiday decisions, their lifestyles (activities, interest and opinions, AIO scale) and on some socio‐demographic variables (age, time living with the partner, children, occupation, level of studies, personal and family income, etc.), is provided in order to characterise them.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to international tourism market segmentation research by proposing a comprehensive framework that examines behavioral, benefits and lifestyle segmentations. The moderating roles of geographic segmentation (nationality) and advertising media types are also discussed.

Tourists volunteered to participate in a self-administered survey at random during peak seasons. Total number of collected questionnaires was 966. The authors used WarpPLS 6.0 software to analyze data.

Results from a sample of 919 tourists show that tourists in the benefit segmentation cluster had intentions to revisit the destination but they were unlikely to recommend it to others. Another finding indicates that marketing campaigns on different advertising media types might have different results when targeting different activities.

Leaning on the foundations of the marketing literature and the market segmentation theory, this research attempts to create a theoretical contribution that can be used to segment international tourists based on their travel motivations. Additionally, this study highlights the power of conditional probability approach, as it could be of more value than the predominant path coefficient approach.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential contribution of some approaches, i.e. value‐chain, strategic marketing, electronic marketing and clustering, and to suggest a conceptual framework allowing improving effectiveness in the field of promoting tourism destinations. Hence, the paper puts forward a conceptual framework allowing attaining an integrated approach in tourism destination marketing.

The approach adopted and implemented for this study is a desk research based on extensive literature and well‐established theories.

The paper provides insights into a comprehensive approach to destination marketing planning and implementation and suggests a conceptual framework encompassing approaches contributing to improve effectiveness and efficiency in the field of destination marketing.

The factors influencing e‐marketing and clustering approaches are highlighted and a set of recommendations are put forward for destination marketers.

Destination marketing organisations all over the world have to implement innovative and appropriate approaches; and use adequate tools and techniques in order to improve their marketing activities effectiveness and efficiency. The paper successfully addresses the complexity in the field of destination marketing due to the various stakeholders involved and to the nature of tourism product/experience. Therefore, this paper successfully suggests a conceptual framework contributing to improve effectiveness and efficiency of activities of destination marketing organizations by adopting an integrated approach based on well‐established theories.

The aim of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for nation branding based on the concepts of co‐branding and perceived fit, and to apply these concepts to discuss the type of nation brand that China may develop and how this brand relates to individual destinations through brand architecture.

Branding is a deliberate process applied to the shaping of a nation's image and reputation on the global stage, in the heightened global competition for ascendancy. The paper reviews selected literature of national identity and nation branding to identify models, techniques and prior research that informs nation branding. This paper examines national branding and nation building from the perspective of international tourism promotion and development.

The formation of the Chinese national identity is the result of a complicated historical progression, as well as current national aspirations, and the process of globalization and the introduction of the market system. Branding the nation in the globalised world is a strategy or tool in the competition for attention and wealth, as well as a tool of self‐affirmation. Nation brands are more complex to develop and less tangible than corporate brands.

The paper identifies that value of examining nation branding as a form of co‐branding, with the related concepts of perceived fit, brand architecture as well as existing techniques.

Nation branding efforts are carried out by means of communication. The element, which is the object of communication tools, must have an analogical connection with nation branding. The object of analogy should have attractive features that will strengthen the nation brand. Online tourism content, which has the quality to add value to nation branding, can produce a strong analogy. Online tourism content can easily be internalized in a positive way, as it creates attractive connotations such as memories, entertainment, holidays, etc. in the mind of the audience. In this direction, the research aims to reveal that the online tourism brand is a strategic transmission tool of nation branding.

The research study was carried out with the semiotics method. Content analysis has been made for the videos of GoTürkiye, Turkey's tourism brand, on YouTube.

Research findings show that content covering a large part of Turkey has been created. Messages to be given in the content; it is that Turkey has authentic and attractive elements and hosts international events. The content on GoTürkiye's YouTube has reached a significant number of views.

The research aims to reveal how to build an online nation brand through online tourism brands. In this respect, it is thought that the results can guide the politicians or marketers responsible for nation branding.

The idea of how to build an online nation branding through online tourism brands remains unclear. In this respect, the research demonstrates its original value in proposing a model that will contribute to online nation branding.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of travel motivation, Muslim-friendly amenities and lifestyle, cognitive and affective destination image and quality of service on Kuwaiti travelers’ intentions to visit Islamic tourism destinations.

A self-administered questionnaire consisting of multiple-item scales was developed. A convenience sample of 224 Kuwaitis was surveyed. The hierarchical regression analysis tested whether and how much the influencing factors predicted a significant amount of the variance in travel. The analysis was controlled for the effects of demographic variables.

Travel motivation and cognitive and affective image had the largest significant effects on the Kuwaiti travelers’ intention to visit Islamic destinations. Contrary to expectations, the findings suggested that Muslim-friendly amenities and quality of service did not affect Kuwaitis’ travel decisions.

This study provides a starting point for future empirical research into Islamic tourism in the Middle East. It provides an understanding of the importance of travel motivation and destination image in attracting Kuwaiti travelers to Islamic destinations.