Yun‐Ying Wang, J.J. Jaw, Bruce E. Pinkleton and Cathy Morton
Because of Southeast Asia's strong economic performance in the past decade and great marketing potential, many Western marketers have increased their marketing activities in this…
Abstract
Because of Southeast Asia's strong economic performance in the past decade and great marketing potential, many Western marketers have increased their marketing activities in this area and hope for a lucrative future. Along with this strong marketing interest is a rapid increase in the number of Western advertising agencies and advertising expenditures in Southeast Asia. For example, six out of the top ten agencies in Taiwan are managed by, or work in cooperation with, American or Japanese agencies (Taipei Advertising Agency Association, 1992). According to Ogilvy & Mather, in 1985, advertising expenditures in Southeast Asia rose by almost 50 percent from 1980 to 1984. During this period, over one billion dollars were spent on mass media advertising in the region (Frith & Frith, 1990). And for the first time, U.S. agency billings from foreign sources surpassed domestic billings in 1988 (Frazer, 1990). International advertising has become a big business in Southeast Asia.
Yun Ying Zhong, Xi Yu Leung, Jie Sun and Boon Peng Ng
This study aims to investigate the impacts of pandemic-related media coverage on younger hospitality and tourism employees’ ageist attitudes toward older people by applying the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impacts of pandemic-related media coverage on younger hospitality and tourism employees’ ageist attitudes toward older people by applying the media priming theory and the terror management theory.
Design/methodology/approach
This study takes a mixed-method approach through an online survey. A total of 416 usable responses are collected from current US hospitality and tourism employees under 55 years. Qualitative data were analyzed using word cloud. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is then used to test the hypothesized model.
Findings
The study’s results show that younger employees' cognitive reaction negatively affects aging anxiety and intergenerational tension, which subsequently influence their willingness to work with older people. Negative media-induced emotions are positively associated with aging anxiety, whereas positive emotions exert no significant impact. Intergenerational contact frequency moderates the effect of intergenerational tension on younger employees’ willingness to work with older people.
Research limitations/implications
This study’s findings contribute to the hospitality and tourism workforce literature by considering the priming effects of media coverage on younger employees’ attitudes toward self-aging and the older group. This study also offers managerial insights on developing effective age-inclusion interventions to reduce workplace ageism in the post-pandemic era.
Originality/value
Existing hospitality and tourism studies on older workers are scant and largely descriptive. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first study that assesses the effects of pandemic-related media coverage on workplace ageism toward older people among the current hospitality and tourism workforce.
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Dina Marie Zemke, Yun Ying Zhong and Carola Raab
Firms that serve customers in the service environment rely on a well-designed servicescape. This is particularly true in the hotel industry, where the hotel’s design is an…
Abstract
Purpose
Firms that serve customers in the service environment rely on a well-designed servicescape. This is particularly true in the hotel industry, where the hotel’s design is an important part of the product mix. However, despite design’s importance, there is no common instrument available to measure hotel design quality. The purpose of this paper is to present a quantitative method, the Design Quality Indicator, to measure guests’ evaluations of hotel design quality.
Design/methodology/approach
Nearly 5,000 guests of two full-service hotel brands were surveyed soon after a hotel stay (within two weeks of check-out). The DQI’s factor structure is tested using principle components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to improve the reliability, validity and parsimony of the instrument.
Findings
The study yields a DQI instrument that is reduced from 92 to 41 measurement items, with good reliability and validity, enabling more efficient data collection and analysis.
Research limitations/implications
This study only examines guests’ assessments of two full-service hotel brands. The instrument can be used to explore design’s relationship with numerous outcome variables, such as satisfaction, loyalty, and repatronage intentions, as well as property performance outcomes.
Practical implications
The methods demonstrated can be used by hotel owners and operators to inform resource allocation decisions, particularly when planning for renovations.
Originality/value
This study provides a reliable, validated quantitative assessment of hotel design quality. It is also one of the few studies that elicits feedback about a guest’s actual hotel stay, rather than a hypothesized or simulated stay.
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Manuel Rivera, Robertico Croes and YunYing Zhong
This paper aims to examine and identify important attributes for mobile applications (apps) that might dictate tourist preferences for the apps on a small island destination…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine and identify important attributes for mobile applications (apps) that might dictate tourist preferences for the apps on a small island destination. Guided by the Task Technology Fit (TTF) theory, the study considers the tasks performed, technology characteristics and individuals’ characteristics in determining the mobile apps attribute set.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a conjoint methodology within a case study approach framework. The conjoint analysis allows for assessing preferences from different consumers regarding the objective characteristics of products or services that facilitate the optimal design of product development. Optimal product development is a challenge for destinations, as they strive to achieve and sustain optimal market positions. Mobile apps may empower destinations in this endeavor. The case study approach imparts a context-dependent knowledge that facilitates a more nuanced understanding of consumer preference of use.
Findings
The results of the conjoint analysis suggest a strategic mapping of the most important attributes including type of content information, coupons and location awareness in defining apps product development. Within each attribute, the study also identifies the significant characteristics of a mobile application that are preferred by tourists. This ranking exists irrespective of familiarity with the destination (first-time and repeat visitors).
Research limitations/implications
The implication is that revealed preferences anchored in conjoint analysis provide a powerful approach to optimize product development in a small island destination. From a practical perspective, the findings suggest that the developments of a mobile app for a destination must concentrate on fostering spending and consider the app as a new marketing channel. From a theoretical point of view, the current study highlights the usefulness of using the conjoint analysis and the TTF theory as an overarching framework in mapping a multi-attribute decision-making space that influences tourist judgment and preference of use. The conjoint method applied in the study enables researchers to clearly identify a combination of various mobile app attributes that are most influential on tourists’ choice and preference of use. The guiding framework, TTF theory, allows the conjoint product designs to go beyond the technology characteristics to include tasks performed by tourists and their individual characteristics.
Originality/value
This study is the first to apply a conjoint analysis within the TTF theoretical framework in the context of a small island destination when assessing tourists’ use preferences toward mobile applications, while at the same time investigating whether any differences exist between first-time and repeat visitors. The study demonstrates that complementing the nature of the task (traveling) with context-specific interface and interactive features is an important area of inquiry that can benefit from adopting conjoint analysis.