Haemoon Oh, Misoon Lee and Seonjeong Ally Lee
This study aims to investigate how and why traveling consumers choose globally branded/operated, instead of locally branded, hotels when traveling to another country.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how and why traveling consumers choose globally branded/operated, instead of locally branded, hotels when traveling to another country.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on signaling theory, the authors conceptualize a model to explain the consumer process of selecting global hotel brands and test the model empirically with South Korean international consumers through a self-administered survey.
Findings
The data support the relationships of selected brand signals, such as brand credibility, brand liability, decision heuristic and anticipated satisfaction, with brand attitude and purchase likelihood.
Practical implications
The results imply how global hotel brand managers could enhance the effect of global hotel branding on the consumer’s hotel choice.
Originality/value
The study adds to the literature by proposing a new, empirically supported model of global branding for the tourism and hospitality industry.
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Seonjeong Ally Lee, Kiwon Lee and Shinyong Jung
This study aims to investigate the role of emoji and the moderating effects of recycling messages in encouraging customers’ attitudes toward recycling and their recycling…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the role of emoji and the moderating effects of recycling messages in encouraging customers’ attitudes toward recycling and their recycling intentions via processing fluency.
Design/methodology/approach
Two 2 × 2 between-subject experiments are conducted to investigate the role of emojis, the moderating role of recycling messages and the mediating role of processing fluency on customers’ recycling experiences.
Findings
Study 1 identifies that customers’ attitudes toward recycling are enhanced when a positive emoji is used with a promotion-focused message, compared to a prevention-focused message. Study 2 finds that customers’ attitudes and recycling intentions are enhanced when a positive emoji is used with an upcycling message, compared to a recycling message. Both Study 1 and Study 2 identify the mediating role of processing fluency.
Practical implications
Results suggest strategically using emojis and various recycling messages to enhance customers’ recycling experience.
Originality/value
This study investigates the role of emojis as an effective recycling communication strategy.
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Chandrasekaran Padmavathy, Seonjeong (Ally) Lee, Murugan Pattusamy, Mukesh Kumar Dey and Murali Swapana
Mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications have grown profusely worldwide in recent years in tandem with increased smartphone usage. The purpose of this paper is to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
Mobile instant messaging (MIM) applications have grown profusely worldwide in recent years in tandem with increased smartphone usage. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among perceived benefits, personality traits, MIM satisfaction, and social capital responses.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses partial least squares-SEM to investigate proposed hypotheses based on a sample of 1,519 WhatsApp users.
Findings
The results indicate that perceived benefits of MIM and personality traits have a positive influence on MIM satisfaction; and MIM satisfaction in turn has a positive effect on users’ social capital responses. MIM satisfaction partially mediates the relationships between perceived benefits, traits, and social capital. Additionally, the results indicate positive significant effect of Gen X and Y on social capital among other control variables.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on MIM. The results also provide important implications for MIM application developers and instigate future research in the MIM platform.
Originality/value
This study is the first attempt in integrating perceived benefits, personality traits, and social capital in MIM literature.
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Soon-Ho Kim and Seonjeong (Ally) Lee
The purpose of this study is to investigate how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as theoretical backgrounds.
Design/Methodology/approach
This study investigated how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as theoretical backgrounds.
Findings
Results identified customer–brand identification and service value influenced both service brand involvement and service brand-decision involvement. However, self-congruity only influenced customers’ service brand-decision involvement. Results also confirmed that customer involvement positively influenced service brand satisfaction and service brand loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributed to involvement and brand loyalty research, investigating the role of customer involvement on service brand loyalty.
Practical implications
Results suggested what factors could enhance brand loyalty to gain competitive advantages.
Originality/value
This study proposed and empirically investigated ways to enhance brand loyalty in the context of the coffee shop industry.
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Minwoo Lee, Seonjeong (Ally) Lee and Yoon Koh
This study aims to investigate the effect of customers’ multisensory service experience on customer satisfaction with cognitive effort and affective evaluations using big data and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effect of customers’ multisensory service experience on customer satisfaction with cognitive effort and affective evaluations using big data and business intelligence techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
Online customer reviews for all New York City hotels were collected from Tripadvisor.com and analyzed through business intelligence and big data analytics techniques including data mining, text analytics, sentiment analysis and regression analysis.
Findings
The current study identifies the relationship between affective evaluations (i.e. positive affect and negative affect) and customer satisfaction. Research findings also find the negative effect of reviewer’s cognitive effort on satisfaction rating. More importantly, this study demonstrates the moderating role of multisensory experience as an innovative marketing tool on the relationship between affect/cognitive evaluation and customer satisfaction in the hospitality setting.
Originality/value
This study is the first study to explore the critical role of sensory marketing on hotel guest experience in the context of hotel customer experience and service innovation, based on big data and business intelligence techniques.
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Seonjeong (Ally) Lee and Soon-Ho Kim
This study aims to investigate the role of restaurant employees’ intrinsic motivations that influenced their knowledge-sharing behaviors and knowledge application behaviors, based…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the role of restaurant employees’ intrinsic motivations that influenced their knowledge-sharing behaviors and knowledge application behaviors, based on need theory and prior knowledge management research.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional, self-administered survey was used to collect data from employees who work in the food and beverage sections of hotels, coffee shops or restaurants.
Findings
Results from this study supported the role of employees’ intrinsic motivations to share knowledge with other employees and apply their knowledge to actions. Moreover, results identified employees’ knowledge application behaviors that influenced their innovative behaviors.
Originality/value
This paper investigated the role of restaurant employees’ intrinsic motivations on their knowledge management and innovative behaviors.
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Kiwon Lee, Ning Kuang Chuang, Seonjeong Ally Lee and Aviad A. Israeli
Crises influence individuals’ career development. The COVID-19 crisis has global impacts in financial, health and social aspects and service industries are at the forefront of the…
Abstract
Purpose
Crises influence individuals’ career development. The COVID-19 crisis has global impacts in financial, health and social aspects and service industries are at the forefront of the pervasive impacts. This study investigated how college students’ perceptions of COVID-19 interplayed with self-efficacy on their academic plans and further identified major differences between students in service-oriented and nonservice-oriented majors.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-administered online survey was conducted with 299 undergraduates at a large Midwestern university during COVID-19. Regression analyses, including conditional analyses, examined the study hypotheses using SPSS.
Findings
The results showed that, in general, students’ self-efficacy reduced their intentions to change their academic majors. The joint effects of self-efficacy and perception of COVID-19 diverged among students in nonservice-oriented majors but converged among students in service-oriented majors (e.g. hospitality and tourism). These students in the service fields showed more commitment to their current majors even as their concerns about the social implications of COVID-19 increased.
Practical implications
This study suggests that academic institutions should try to improve students’ self-efficacy to maintain their career commitments during crisis times. Furthermore, service organizations should highlight the importance of social aspects as recovery from COVID-19 begins as a tool to recruit college graduates.
Originality/value
The literature on career decisions of students in service industries is quite limited. This study enriches the body of career decisions research in the context of service management by highlighting how service sectors are influenced by COVID-19.
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Seonjeong Ally Lee and Minwoo Lee
The purpose of this study is to investigate different types of customer relationships on customers’ interaction with the brand, based on prior social media and relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate different types of customer relationships on customers’ interaction with the brand, based on prior social media and relationship marketing research.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional, self-administered online survey was conducted to investigate the role of different types of relationships on customers’ brand-relevant responses in the context of hotel social media platforms.
Findings
Results identified customers’ relationships with services and brands, and how other customers influenced their parasocial interactions (PSIs). Customers’ PSIs then positively influenced their self-brand connection and their brand usage intention.
Originality/value
This study was the first attempt to propose a conceptual framework to explain different types of customer relationships on customers’ interactions with the brand in the context of hotel social media platforms.
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Seonjeong (Ally) Lee, Haemoon Oh and Cathy H.C. Hsu
Building upon previous research on country-of-origin. This study aims to investigate whether the effects of country-of-origin extend to the hotel industry, based on associative…
Abstract
Purpose
Building upon previous research on country-of-origin. This study aims to investigate whether the effects of country-of-origin extend to the hotel industry, based on associative network and signaling theories.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a self-administered survey with tourists in China, this paper investigates antecedents and outcomes of hotel brand image and the moderating role of a hotel’s brand origin.
Findings
Results reveal country, city and industry images positively influence hotel brand image. Hotel brand image then influences price perception, quality perception and overall satisfaction.
Practical implications
Country-of-operation image remains a relevant, powerful predictor of brand image; thus, hotels need to carefully manage country-of-operation image.
Originality/value
This paper incorporates and establishes the role of country-of-operation image on hotel brand image.
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Shinyong Jung, Seonjeong (Ally) Lee and Stephen Leitch
By integrating stimulus-organism-response theory and uses and gratifications theory, this study explored the salient gamification factors that satisfy the gratifications of…
Abstract
Purpose
By integrating stimulus-organism-response theory and uses and gratifications theory, this study explored the salient gamification factors that satisfy the gratifications of conference attendees in the context of an event gamification mobile app and their relationships with conference engagement, continuance intention and word-of-mouth.
Design/methodology/approach
The questionnaire was developed in Qualtrics and administered on a gamification application called Goosechase during an annual hospitality conference. The proposed hypotheses were tested using the partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).
Findings
The gratifications of social presence, education and entertainment through a gamification mobile app influences attendees’ engagement during the conference while achievement gratification does not. Positive effects of conference engagement on their continuous intention and WOM have been also validated.
Originality/value
By adopting a unique integrated approach that utilizes UGT and S-O-R framework, while considering conference engagement as work-related engagement, this study offers a fresh perspective on gamification apps and discusses its theoretical and practical implications in depth.