Does the importance of hotel attributes differ for senior tourists?

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 610-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meltem Caber ◽  
Tahir Albayrak

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify the importance of hotel attributes for pre-senior and senior tourists when selecting a hotel. Design/methodology/approach – Three market segments (German, Dutch and British) were selected as the sample of the research. The Callan and Bowman’s (2000) scale was employed and data obtained from 13 five star hotels in Antalya, Turkey. Findings – Results of the study showed that “value for money” and “availability of organized entertainment in the hotel” were important attributes for senior British tourists when compared to other participants. Dutch senior tourists attached more importance to food service attributes (“small food portions” and “special dietary menus”) than did the other respondents. Practical implications – Research results confirmed the importance of staff attributes (“politeness of staff” and “friendliness of staff”) for customer satisfaction. This finding highlights the need for training programmes targeting hospitality employees, with a specific focus on meeting customers’ demands for receiving friendly and polite service. Originality/value – The present study intends to contribute to the literature on senior tourist market by identifying the importance of hotel attributes for three market segments (Germany, England and The Netherlands).

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-114
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ashiqur Rahman Khan ◽  
Stanislav Karapetrovic

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore ISO 10001:2007 in planning, designing and developing a customer satisfaction promise (CSP) intended for inpatients care. Design/methodology/approach – Through meetings and interviews with research participants, who included a program manager, unit managers and registered nurses, information about potential promises and their implementation was obtained and analyzed. A number of promises were drafted and one was finally selected to be developed as a CSP. Findings – Applying the standard required adaptation and novel interpretation. Additionally, ISO 10002:2004 (Clause 7) was used to design the feedback handling activities. A promise initially chosen for development turned out to be difficult to implement, experience that helped in selecting and developing the final promise. Research participants found the ISO 10001-based method useful and comprehensible. Practical implications – This paper presents a specific health care example of how to adapt a standard’s guideline in establishing customer promises. The authors show how a promise can be used in alleviating an existing issue (i.e. communication between carers and patients). The learning can be beneficial in various health care settings. Originality/value – To the knowledge, this paper shows the first example of applying ISO 10001:2007 in a health care case. A few activities suggested by the standard are further detailed, and a new activity is introduced. The integrated use of ISO 10001:2007 and 10002:2004 is presented and how one can be “augmented” by the other is demonstrated.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorian Laurentiu Florea ◽  
Cătălin Mihail Barbu ◽  
Claudia Cristina Rotea

Purpose Drawing on signaling theory, this paper aims to argue in favor of a “placebo outsourcing effect” (POE) consisting of a positive relationship between provider’s bluffing and customer satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied prediction-oriented segmentation SEM on a dyadic sample of 171 outsourcing relationships. Findings The authors highlighted two segments that display a form of POE, representing about three-quarters of the customer-provider dyads. The first segment exhibits a positive relationship between the provider’s bluffing and customer satisfaction that is further strengthened by the provider’s reputation and customer’s operational capabilities, while for the other segment, the provider’s bluffing has positive interactions with both operational capabilities and outsourcing experience. These findings show that service providers have reached the bluffing proficiency that enables them to bluff customer firms with varying levels of operational capabilities and outsourcing experience by using the most appealing signals for every type of customer. Practical implications Based on the findings, the authors provided to customer firms extensive guidelines to avoid the POE by frustrating service provider’s bluffing proficiency. Originality/value This study’s originality resides in the amendment of the disconfirmation paradigm of satisfaction in the outsourcing context by introducing and testing the POE.


2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 1111-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
AbdulLateef Olanrewaju

Purpose – The opportunities that the emerging markets present to the players in the construction industry means that the players need to expand on the scope and size of their responsibilities and duties to the stakeholders. Each of the professionals now demands more specialised and sophisticated services from one another. The other players in the construction industry now require more emerging responsibilities and duties from the quantity surveyors. The purpose of this paper is to examine the roles that “modern” quantity surveyors play by measuring the gaps that exist in the services that the quantity surveyors provide. Design/methodology/approach – Primary data are collected through survey questionnaires. In total, 23 roles played by modern quantity surveyors are identified and addressed to the respondents to rank the rate at which quantity surveyors provide these “emerging” services. The collected data were analysed statistically. Findings – The results of the findings led to the conclusion that the quantity surveyors were not meeting the expectations of other players. Therefore, for competitiveness, quantity surveyors need to better meet demand expectations. Research limitations/implications – This findings of this research are constrained to the services or functions that the quantity provide in the construction industry. Practical implications – This knowledge is valuable to academic institutions that offer quantity surveying programmes, to practicing quantity surveyors, governments, and other players in the construction industry. It will allow quantity surveyors to reconcile supply and demand expectations. Originality/value – There is no known conclusive empirical study on services offered by quantity surveyors in any emerging markets. Therefore, the findings offer a fresh understanding on the services of quantity surveyors not only in Nigeria but elsewhere. While some of the services are common, others are peculiar to emerging markets.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 15-17

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Market segmentation has long been acknowledged as a key component in business success. An ability to recognize and exploit disparities between different consumer segments can prove a rich source of opportunity for firms. Those able to successfully match their offerings with the requirements of specific market segments often secure and sustain a competitive edge. Segmentation strategies are critical to sports organizations as well as to more conventional industries. Sports consumers come in all shapes and sizes and no one-cap-fits-all where marketing activities are concerned. Different sports attract different consumer types. The secret is to identify the unique characteristics of each sub-group and target them accordingly. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 331-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silke Bambauer-Sachse ◽  
Landisoa Eunorphie Rabeson

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine which level of tangible compensation for a service failure leads to high levels of customer satisfaction for moderate- versus high-involvement services as well as for different conditions of responsibility for the failure and failure severity. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a 4 (tangible compensation: gift, discount, credit for future consumption, refund) × 2 (responsibility for the failure: restaurant vs customer) × 2 (failure severity: low vs high) × 2 (involvement: moderate vs high) design using scenarios in a restaurant context. Findings – The results reveal that, for moderate-involvement services, all types of compensation are equally appropriate, except for when customers are responsible for a severe failure. In this condition, they expect tangible compensation of higher benefit. For high-involvement services, the more severe the failure, the higher the benefit of tangible compensation should be, independent of responsibility. Practical implications – The findings suggest that managers should consider the level of service involvement as well as responsibility for and severity of the failure when choosing the level of tangible compensation. Originality/value – The results of this study provide new insights into how to choose appropriate and efficient service recovery measures.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-324
Author(s):  
Matti Haverila ◽  
Kai Haverila ◽  
Mehak Arora

Purpose The purpose of this study is to compare satisfied and non-satisfied customers in the context of wine tasting rooms using the SERVQUAL model and to examine the relationships in the model in terms of service experience to better understand customer needs. Design/methodology/approach The data used in this study were derived from a survey conducted among wineries in British Columbia, Canada. Analysis of survey results using the partial least squares structural equation modeling was undertaken. Sample size was 402. Findings The findings show that the SERVQUAL constructs that had the most impact on customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction were tangibility and assurance. Somewhat surprisingly, the perceived value for money construct was not significantly related to customer satisfaction but was significantly related to repurchase intent. Furthermore, all SERVQUAL constructs, except the reliability construct, were significantly related to customer satisfaction. Originality/value This study provides an overview of how wineries can improve their services to increase the number of satisfied customers.


Kybernetes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 854-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaiying Cao ◽  
Qiushi Bo ◽  
Yi He

Purpose This paper aims to study whether the recycling of a third party competes with the trade-in service of a manufacturer, and explores the optimal trade-in and third-party collection authorization strategies for the manufacturer. Design/methodology/approach According to whether to authorize a third party to collect its used products, the manufacturer has two choices: one is not authorization (NA); the other is authorization (A). This paper uses profit-maximization model to investigate the optimal decisions of the manufacturer and the third party under NA and A, respectively, and then explores which choice is better for the manufacturer. Findings It is observed that there is a competition between trade-in service and third-party recycling when the durability parameter of the used product is relatively small. Moreover, when the durability parameter of the used product is relatively large, A is always better choice for the manufacturer; otherwise, NA is a better choice except for the case that the unit trade-in subsidy is low and the salvage of the used product is high. Practical implications These results provide managerial insights for the manufacturer and the third party to make decisions in the field of recycling. Originality/value This paper is among the first papers to study the competition between trade-in program and third party’s collecting program under government’s trade-in subsidy policy. Moreover, this paper presents the conditions under which the manufacturer should authorize or not authorize the third party to collect its used products.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladyslav Biloshapka ◽  
Oleksiy Osiyevskyy

Purpose Defines clear steps for growth planning that support answers to the crucial question: How and where are you planning to scale up the business and what talent do you need to implement this? Design/methodology/approach As the “Business model value matrix” shows, having ‘happy customers’ is only one determinant of a business model’s success. The other essential block of diagnostic questions deals with the current state and prospects of the firm’s growth. Findings We found that companies that have found ways to keep their business models in a winner’s state can provide clear, evidence-based answers to questions about growth opportunities and risks, while their less successful peers have difficulty addressing the issues. Continuous collecting and analyzing of this information allows successful companies to embrace the strategy-as-learning model of development, built around active learning and proactive adjustment to evolving environment. Practical implications To develop a strategy for moving to and sustaining the Winner state, managers must clearly articulate and test a set of hypotheses about the mechanisms of their company’s growth. The first step on this path is related to obtaining a clear view on the factors that underpin the current financial performance. Originality/value High-performance cultures make sure that each manager has the clear answers to the questions of value, growth and digitization in order to learn, experiment and implement the company business model agenda. The unproductive cultures, on the other hand, are sustained by managerial teams that usually do not have the answers to these crucial questions, but are very good at political games.


2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (9) ◽  
pp. 2195-2207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poppy Arsil ◽  
Elton Li ◽  
Johan Bruwer ◽  
Graham Lyons

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the motives of urban consumers when purchasing local food products using means-end chain (MEC) analysis and second, to introduce an alternative approach to segment the market based on consumers’ motivation using decision segmentation analysis (DSA). Design/methodology/approach DSA was used as advanced segmentation procedure of hierarchy value maps (HVMs) produced by MEC analysis. Findings The findings suggest that there are two main segments of local food consumers in urban Indonesia: value-for-money and health benefits. The value-for-money segment is dominant when making local food purchasing. Research limitations/implications This study sample is not representative of local food consumers in urban Indonesia as only three urban cities were interviewed. Practical implications An understanding of the motivation-based segmentation of local food in urban cities is a useful tool in order to reinforce and attract local food consumers to consume more locally grown food. Originality/value This study reveals the motivation-based segmentation of local food in urban cities in Indonesia.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 437-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feisal Murshed ◽  
Yinlong Zhang

Purpose This research aims to investigate how preference for marketing research methodology (quantitative vs qualitative) is contingent on the thinking orientation (analytic vs holistic) of the researchers. Design/methodology/approach Thinking orientation was measured and then manipulated in laboratory experiments. Cross-cultural evidence was sought by comparing Western and East Asian participants. Findings Results demonstrate that researchers with an analytic (holistic) thinking orientation tend to perceive quantitative (qualitative) methodology more favorably. Further, the need to offer reasons in support of the choice strengthened the effect of thinking orientation. Practical implications Understanding researchers’ preferences for one research methodology over the other has broad relevance for external constituents, as it involves a great deal of managerial commitment in terms of time and money and can affect the results of the research. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate factors that underlie researchers’ choice regarding research methodology, and it also extends the literature on analytic versus holistic thinking orientation in the marketing field.


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