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The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that are likely to influence the loyalty behavior of first-time and repeat visitors to all-inclusive resorts.

Data were collected from first-time and repeat Russian tourists to Antalya, Turkey, utilizing a self-administered survey questionnaire. A total of 339 usable responses were obtained. A structural equation modeling approach was used to test the proposed model on the first-time and repeat visitors’ samples.

This study suggests that the effects of cognitive evaluation of the resort (service quality) channel through affective evaluation of the visitor experience (visitor satisfaction) before bolstering visitor loyalty. This study also shows that differences exist between the two groups of visitors – first time visitors value cognitive attributes more and rely more on cognitive evaluation.

Destination marketers and managers need to promote all aspects and attributes of a destination among all-inclusive vacationers by creating innovative and comprehensive marketing campaign. Due to the differences between first-time and repeat visitors, it is critical to differentiate the two groups in designing targeted marketing campaign and providing targeted service/product.

All-inclusive resorts have attained substantial global presence and popularity over the past 40 years. However, guest satisfaction/loyalty studies in this particular context have not often been approached with the kind of statistical breadth and rigor presented herein. This study adds new information for the understanding of and marketing to the all-inclusive resort guest.

Hard project management practices, based on strict planning and control, are traditionally applied in construction projects, although research frequently promotes the importance of teams for various project outcomes. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine the importance of hard project management and team motivation for process performance in construction projects. A hypothesis tested is that hard project management can impair process performance if team motivation is not promoted.

The paper presents and empirically tests a structural equation model, with and without a mediating link between hard project management and process performance, based on data from a survey of 2,175 respondents, representing contractors and clients involved in 109 Swedish construction projects.

The results confirm that hard project management is best conveyed through teams to enhance process performance. “Path analysis,” using the model with the mediating link, confirms that neglecting team motivation can significantly impair process performance.

The data set provides unusually high representation of views of contractors and clients involved in diverse Swedish construction projects. Thus, the results have likely relevance in other project-based industries and/or national settings, but this possibility requires further investigation.

The findings show that team motivation is a key process performance factor; hard project management may indeed be important, but its effects will be enhanced by (and partially mediated through) team motivation. Thus, the findings have important theoretical and practical implications for the development of project management practices.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how tension management as a means of achieving compromise and overcoming minor conflicts reduces the effects of the opportunism and bargaining costs of relationships on the evaluation of business partners. The paper proposes and tests a theoretical model with a full-information approach using structural equation modeling.

The data set was based on 312 observations from a unique survey based on a business-to-business relationship sample in Sweden. The measurements reflect the effects of partner opportunism, bargaining costs, and tension management on partner evaluations.

The findings corroborate that partner opportunism and bargaining costs have a negative impact on partner evaluation. In addition, the model shows that tension management weakens the negative effects of opportunism and bargaining costs on the evaluation.

This study offers evidence on how negative effects are reduced through intervening constructs. With most studies focusing on the positive side of relationships, this paper makes an important contribution to the literature through not only describing negative effects, but also how these can be decreased.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of absorptive capacity (ACAP) and co-creation on innovation performance (INN).

The authors use survey data from Swedish and Norwegian companies (n=1,102) and establish a cross-national equivalence between Sweden and Norway.

The subsequent structural model revealed interesting differences. For Sweden, co-creation fully mediates the effect of ACAP on INN, whereas for Norway, ACAP has a direct effect on INN with no mediation. Subsequent regressions including control variables showed that the structural model is reasonably robust. The authors conclude that, despite the many common national features conducive to innovation between these two countries, sufficient differences remain to create substantial variation in the innovation processes.

The study presents a second-order model of ACAP that permits a unique test of cross-country differences.

The purpose of the study is to propose and test a buyer-supplier integration model, based on clients' collaborative purchasing practices, in a project-based industry.

Hypotheses regarding the relationships among the three variables – i.e. incentive-based payment (IBP), partner selection (PS) based on multiple criteria, and joint action (JA) – are tested using structural equation modeling. Empirical data was collected through two survey rounds of 87 and 106 Swedish construction clients.

The test of the proposed theoretical model receives strong empirical support, indicating that IBP should be coupled with PS based on multiple criteria in order to facilitate JA. Furthermore, it is seen that the occurrence of JA is higher in 2009 than in 2006 and that this is achieved through increased use of IBP.

The hypothesized and tested model provides a theoretical contribution, indicating how to facilitate buyer-supplier integration in project-based industries. In future studies it would be useful to adopt a multiple-informant approach, also including suppliers as respondents in order to capture their views on integration.

An important managerial implication is that public clients need to improve their understanding of how to design bid proposals and evaluate bids based on multiple criteria instead of lowest price, without infringing public procurement acts.

This paper offers unique contributions by addressing a gap in the relationship marketing literature and a lack of quantitative studies of buyer-supplier relationships in project-based industries.

The purpose of this paper is to examine a proposed six‐construct theoretical model of factors influencing successful cooperative relationships and strategy development.

A theoretical model of strategy development and cooperative relationships was tested. Qualitative research among key experts identified 15 successful regional tourism networks. Two successful cooperative networks were selected based on annual revenues. A sample of 254 small and medium‐sized members were surveyed from the two networks in Northern Minnesota, USA.

Strong support was obtained for the proposed model. Hypothesized relationships were tested and the findings were consistent with previous research. Long‐term orientation has a positive effect on friendship, loyalty, trust and commitment. Friendship is related to loyalty and commitment, and loyalty is related to trust. Ultimately, trust and commitment engender successful cooperation. The model can be used as a guide to strategy development at different levels in an organization.

Large firms select between higher and lower order functional strategies. Small and medium‐sized firms sometimes address commitment and cooperative strategies through shared goals and decisions in order pursue higher order strategies. This paper research supports a greater emphasis on establishing relationships using loyalty, trust and commitment to develop successful higher order strategies. However, relationships based on friendship also can be an important consideration in strategy development.

Strategic implications for developing relationships that can be used as a planning component of hierarchical strategies.

The paper maintains that loyalty is more important than friendship in developing successful strategies based on cooperation.