Mei-Jung (Sebrina) Wang, Emmanuel Kwame Opoku and Aaron Tham
This study aims to explore factors that affect gendered consumption (male and female), willingness to pay (economic attributes) and the socio-cultural context of Gen-Z consumers…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore factors that affect gendered consumption (male and female), willingness to pay (economic attributes) and the socio-cultural context of Gen-Z consumers towards specialty coffee as compared to other types in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
Samoggia and Riedel’s (2018) theoretical framework is adopted to examine the concepts of interest. A mixed method approach comprising interviews and experimental taste tests was used to collect data from Gen-Z specialty coffee consumers in a purposive sampling manner.
Findings
The findings suggested the effect of price elasticity of demand where specialty coffee was perceived as an expensive commodity by young consumers, and hence, not a regularly purchased item. Nevertheless, specialty coffee was linked to health benefits, and a signal for conspicuous consumption – where café experiences facilitated self-promotion on sites like Instagram and Facebook. Finally, the findings alluded to a potential gender effect, with more female young consumers likely to consume specialty coffee as compared to their male counterparts.
Originality/value
This study is located within the context of Taiwan, which has been a tea-dominated consumption landscape for numerous decades. The use of an experimental design also presents a unique angle to elucidate sensory elements surrounding specialty coffee as a research design for Gen-Z research projects. The study points to the relevance of social context in the consumers’ behavioural patterns, which has been largely implicit within consumer behaviour scholarship.
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Mei-jung Sebrina Wang, Kyrie Eleison Munoz and Aaron Tham
The purpose of this paper is to argue for the merits of design thinking as an approach to develop a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) course in hospitality…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to argue for the merits of design thinking as an approach to develop a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) course in hospitality education. This argument is primed to address the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of the tourism and hospitality industry prompts educators to emphasize on learners developing industry-readiness outcomes through integrating innovative methods.
Design/methodology/approach
A quasi-experimental approach was used to examine how design thinking enhances industry-ready competencies. A two-phase self-administered survey on design thinking and added instructional design were facilitated at the beginning of the semester and subsequently close to the end of the semester. Follow-up interviews were also conducted to give more meaning on the matter.
Findings
Findings of this study reveal that problem-solving, critical thinking, teamwork and communication skills were enhanced as a result of integrating two teaching components related to design thinking.
Originality/value
This paper articulates the important and valuable role of design thinking to hospitality curriculum and provides tangible outcomes to explain how such a technique may be mapped onto a CLIL course.
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Li-Hsin Chen, Mei-Jung (Sebrina) Wang, Alastair M. Morrison, Hiram Ting and Jasmine A.L. Yeap
Li-Hsin Chen, Mei-Jung Sebrina Wang and Alastair M. Morrison
Despite the increasing recognition of coffee tourism, there is limited research on the influence of memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) on coffee tourist behaviours. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the increasing recognition of coffee tourism, there is limited research on the influence of memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) on coffee tourist behaviours. This investigation attempted to fill the gap in extending the MTE model by integrating travel motivations and expectation–confirmation theory (ECT).
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method approach was employed. A survey questionnaire containing closed- and open-ended questions was used to obtain quantitative and qualitative information. Interviews with coffee shop owners were also conducted to obtain greater insight.
Findings
Both the quantitative and qualitative findings confirmed that coffee tourists’ revisit and word-of-mouth intentions were strongly influenced by satisfaction and MTEs, which were predicted by confirmation of expectations (CoEs) and travel motivations.
Research limitations/implications
The findings confirmed that travel motivation is one of the most important precursors of MTEs. CoE was also determined to be a precursor of MTEs. MTEs had positive influences on satisfaction, word of mouth (WoM) and revisit intentions.
Practical implications
The results offer insights by identifying vital factors linked to coffee tourist experiences and satisfaction, which will aid practitioners developing better marketing strategies.
Originality/value
The memorable tourism experience scale has rarely been applied in food tourism and particularly in relation to coffee consumption. Moreover, this research is unique in investigating the relationships among motivations, CoE, MTEs, satisfaction and WoM and revisit intentions.
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Emmanuel Kwame Opoku, Mei-jung Sebrina Wang, Shirley Guevarra, Martin Bazylewich and Aaron Tham
This paper aims to reconceptualise entrenched supply chains associated with coffee production and consumption to digital supply chains for sustainable development.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to reconceptualise entrenched supply chains associated with coffee production and consumption to digital supply chains for sustainable development.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study of seven small businesses involved with Philippine coffee is employed to examine how coffee value chains should be envisioned following COVID-19.
Findings
The COVID-19 pandemic reveals truncated barriers concerned with the lack of infrastructure, poverty cycles, sporadic workforce development policies and financial pressures that need to be redefined for coffee production and consumption to be more sustainable in the future.
Research limitations/implications
The study is restricted to a single country and a small pool of respondents that may not reflect similar practices in other regions or contexts.
Originality/value
This paper illuminates the plight of coffee farmers in an emerging production landscape of the Philippines, and develops new propositions to envision a digital value chain post-COVID-19.
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Emmanuel Kwame Opoku, Aaron Tham, Alastair M. Morrison and Mei-jung Sebrina Wang
The main aim of this research was to explore specialty coffee experience dimensions and what drives revisit intentions through experiencescapes. The theoretical framework on…
Abstract
Purpose
The main aim of this research was to explore specialty coffee experience dimensions and what drives revisit intentions through experiencescapes. The theoretical framework on experience co-creation in food and wine consumption by Carvalho et al. (2021) was employed to explore the dimensions of specialty coffee shop experiences and specialty coffee consumer revisit intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the interpretivist epistemology, this research explored these factors from the perspectives of customers, coffee shop baristas, and managers and owners to better understand consumer behaviour in the context of urban coffee shops. In-depth interviews were employed to collect data to obtain first-hand, emic perspectives.
Findings
The notion of specialty coffee and its experiencescape were examined in the context of a region of tea-dominated landscapes. This research highlighted the significance of baristas as agents of coffee connoisseurship, being able to introduce the beans and the art of coffee making to customers in active ways. The findings amplified that olfactory encounters triggering a myriad of senses are crucial to the specialty coffee experiencescape.
Originality/value
This is among the first studies to explore the driving factors for customer visits and revisit intentions to urban coffee shops. The findings point to greater sophistication and engagement in-person and online for urban coffee shops. More importantly, the olfactory encounters differed for solo and group customer.