Understanding the relationship between green restaurant certification programs and a green restaurant image: the case of TripAdvisor reviews

Kybernetes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunhye (Olivia) Park ◽  
Woo-Hyuk Kim ◽  
Junehee Kwon
Keyword(s):  
Brand Image ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
Certification Programs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Green Certification ◽  
Structural Topic Modeling

Purpose The study aims to investigate the adoption of green certification programs by restaurants. More specifically, this study has three objectives: to examine the relationships between green certification program scores and customers’ perceptions, duration of green certification and green brand image and food-focused green practices and green brand image. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected 25,098 TripAdvisor reviews, along with associated patron demographics, for 70 green certified restaurants. To investigate the hypotheses, the authors first used structural topic modeling to discover latent themes relevant to green restaurant practices. Thereafter, the authors used factorial Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) to examine the association between formal certification participation and customers’ green perceptions. Findings The results showed that customers were more likely to perceive a green restaurant image after visiting green certified restaurants with higher certification ratings and green certification periods of longer duration. Practical implications The current study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, this study uses post-visit online reviews written by customers of certified green restaurants to understand customers’ natural responses more precisely. Second, the study captures the degree of green commitment by applying information about formal certification programs, where other studies have relied on hypothetical scenarios or survey questions to examine the impact of green attributes on customer perceptions. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the adoption of green certification programs by restaurants empirically with data drawn from actual user-generated content (i.e. TripAdvisor).

Connecting the dots between brand logo and brand image

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-87
Author(s):  
Harsandaldeep Kaur ◽  
Kanwalroop Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Brand Personality ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Personality Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Familiarity ◽  
Sphere Of Influence ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Although the prominence of brand logo for companies is widely acknowledged, a close examination of the literature reveals lack of empirical research pertaining to effect of brand logo on consumer perception toward brand. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to fill the gap in marketing studies concerning the effect of a logo on consumer evaluations. The research addresses two questions: first, how brand logo favorability helps to increase brand image; and second, how brand logo form consumer perceptions toward brand through brand personality dimensions and brand familiarity? Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 816 respondents using mall-intercept technique. Structural equation modeling via AMOS was conducted to test the proposed model to gain insight into the various relevant influences and relationships. Findings The findings revealed the importance of the company’s brand logo in enhancing the brand image. The results further highlighted that brand personality dimensions and brand familiarity mediate the relationship between brand logo and brand image. Practical implications The study offers managers a new perspective for building strong brand identity with the help of logos along with the brand personality dimensions and brand familiarity to enhance brand image. Originality/value This study provides novel insights on the impact of brand logo on brand image. This is the first study to determine the mediating role of brand personality in the relationship between brand logo and brand image. It thereby adds to the literature of visual identity by developing the sphere of influence of brand logo and its effects toward brands.

How CSR influences customer behavioural loyalty in the Chinese hotel industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Tingchi Liu ◽  
Yongdan Liu ◽  
Ziying Mo ◽  
Zhidong Zhao ◽  
Zhenghao Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Trust ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) (i.e. responsibility to customers, employees and society) influences customer behavioural loyalty in the hotel industry. The mediating effects of brand image and customer trust on the relationship between CSR and customer behavioural loyalty are also considered. Design/methodology/approach In total, 298 valid responses to questionnaire surveys were collected from a convenience sample in China in 2017. A structural equation model was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Hotel customer behavioural loyalty can be enhanced by CSR performance. Performance in each of the three CSR domains positively impacted customer behavioural loyalty to different degrees. The impact of CSR on the customer had the strongest influence on Chinese customers’ behavioural loyalty among the three CSR domains of customer, employee and society. Brand image and customer trust were found to be mediators of the relationship between CSR performance and customer behavioural loyalty. Originality/value The current research contributes to the literature by demonstrating that CSR activities are not all equally effective. Results reveal that the society dimension of CSR had the strongest impact on Chinese customers’ brand image of hotels among the three CSR dimensions investigated. In terms of Chinese hotel customers’ trust, the CSR–customer dimension plays the most effective role. The findings also support the notion that Chinese consumers are beginning to use CSR information to evaluate hotels.

The neighborhood effect of online reviews

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-283
Author(s):  
Dong Liang ◽  
Xia Wang
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Neighborhood Effect ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Online reviews have been indicated to play an important role in consumers’ decision-making process, as supported by numerous studies. However, none of them has considered the neighborhood effect of online reviews. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of neighbor store’s reviews on central store’s, along with the moderating effects of store density and product similarity. Design/methodology/approach Using data from dianping.com, this study conducts economic analysis accounting for endogeneity. Findings The results show that the neighbor store’s reviews exert a negative impact on that of central stores. Nevertheless, the relationship is moderated by store density and product similarity, such that the negative effect is stronger if there are a lot of stores around the central store, or if the neighbor store and central store provide similar products. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate the neighborhood effect of online reviews.

Does one bad apple ruin a firm’s green brand image? Examining frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 2501-2521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Jintao Wu ◽  
Honghui Chen ◽  
Bang Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Brand Image ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Employees ◽  
Brand Evaluations ◽  
Brand Perception ◽  
Frontline Service Employees ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Frontline Service

Purpose Drawing on the branded service encounters perspective, the purpose of this study is to investigate how frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors affect customers’ brand evaluations. Design/methodology/approach The research conducted two experiments. The first experiment explored the effect of frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors on customers’ brand evaluations via corporate hypocrisy. The second experiment explored the moderation effect of employees’ prototypicality and the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) among customers. Findings Experiment 1 indicates that for firms with a green brand image, frontline employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors result in customers’ perception that the firm is hypocritical, thus reducing their brand evaluations. Experiment 2 shows that employee prototypicality and CSR importance to the customer enhance the negative impact of frontline employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors on customers’ brand evaluations through customers’ perception of corporate hypocrisy. Research limitations/implications This study is one of the first efforts to explore how frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors affect customers’ responses. It helps understand the impact of frontline employees’ counter-productive sustainable behaviors on customers’ brand perception, as well as the relationship between CSR and employees. Practical implications This study suggests that firms’ green brand image does not always lead to positive customer response. When frontline employees’ behaviors are inconsistent with firms’ green brand image, it can trigger customers’ perceptions of corporate hypocrisy and thus influence their brand evaluations. Therefore, firms should train frontline service employees to make their behaviors align with the firms’ green brand image. Originality/value This study is one of the first efforts to explore how frontline service employees’ environmentally irresponsible behaviors affect customers’ responses. It helps understand the impact of frontline employees’ counter-productive sustainable behaviors on customers’ brand perception, as well as the relationship between CSR and employee.

scholarly journals The influence of outsourcing activities on the perception of service quality. An empirical study based on online reviews by hotel customers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás F. Espino-Rodríguez ◽  
Manuel Rodríguez-Díaz
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Customer Reviews ◽  
Online Reputation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of the outsourcing of hotel departments on service quality measured through online customer reviews. Design/methodology/approach Three models were developed, considering three important online tourism reputation websites, to establish the relationship between the outsourcing of hotel activities and service quality. Findings The results show that in the three databases, hotel outsourcing has a negative influence on online reputation. A higher level of outsourcing reduces service quality, the percentage of recommendations and the value perceived by customers who carry out online reviews of these hotels. In addition, different models were established for each type of department. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper presents the first empirical study to analyse the relationship between the impact of process outsourcing and customers’ online reviews. It is also the first empirical research to consider the relationship between outsourcing and ratings by hotel end-customers as a performance measure.

Value destruction in exaggerated online reviews

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1956-1976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa A. Baker ◽  
Kawon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Behavioral Intentions ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Design Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Language Complexity ◽  
Customer Perceptions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the underlying motivations, attitudes and behaviors of exaggerated review posters and readers by examining the effect of review valence, emotional expression and language complexity on perceived poster, website and firm trustworthiness and subsequent behavioral intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a mixed-method approach using the qualitative critical incident technique (CIT) and quantitative experimental design. Study 1 uses CIT to examine exaggerated online reviews from the poster perspective where Study 2 uses CIT to examine readers’ perceptions of exaggerated reviews. Study 3 conducts a between-subjects experimental design examining the impact of valence (positive vs negative) × emotion (low vs high) × language (vague vs detailed) on trustworthiness and behavior intention.FindingsResults of the two qualitative studies (Study 1 and 2) find posters and readers use language complexity and emotions in exaggerated reviews. The results from the quantitative experimental design study (Study 3) find that language style and emotions influence customer perceptions of poster, website and firm trustworthiness, which also mediates the relationship between the qualitative aspects of review text on behavioral intentions.Practical implicationsThe findings provide multiple practical implications on the prevalence of exaggerated online reviews and the importance of language and emotion in determining customer perceptions and behavioral intentions.Originality/valueBy focusing on both readers and posters in exaggerated eWOM, specific motivations, emotions and language, this research contributes to the literature of online reviews, customer misbehavior, trustworthiness, language use and value co-destruction in online environments.

The impact of celebrity-advertising context congruence on the effectiveness of brand image transfer

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taehee Kim ◽  
Hyo Min Seo ◽  
Kyungro Chang
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Image Transfer ◽  
Professional Expertise ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advertising Context ◽  
Effective Transfer ◽  
Celebrity Advertising ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of celebrity-advertising context congruence on transferring a celebrity’s image to a brand image. Design/methodology/approach This study investigates the effect of the advertising context, which is the background of the ad provided by the vehicle carrying it, in transferring a celebrity athlete’s image. Findings The results indicate that the presentation of a celebrity athlete in an advertising context that is congruent with the professional expertise of the athlete enables the more effective transfer of the athlete’s image to the brand’s image compared with the incongruent advertising context. In addition, the findings suggest that image attributes perceived as belonging to the professional expertise of an athlete are transferred more effectively by a context-congruent advertisement, while image attributes based on the sociocultural influence of an athlete show no difference in image transfer based on the advertising context. Originality/value Although the advertising context has been thought to influence advertising effectiveness, no specific research has thus far analyzed the relationship between image transfer and the advertising context in the sports marketing literature.

Examining the relationship between the price, the characteristics and the visitor evaluation of attributes of Italian farmhouses with an educational farm

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 827-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Maria Fanelli
Keyword(s):  
A Priori ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Latent Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Visitor Satisfaction ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the price charged for a guest room in a farmhouse with an educational farm, the farmhouse characteristics and the visitor evaluation of the principal external and internal farmhouse attributes. Design/methodology/approach A large sample of 10,880 visitor reviews, extrapolated from the websites of 399 Italian farmhouses with an educational farm (FEF), was analyzed. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify the main latent dimensions of the farmhouses (visitor satisfaction with farmhouse attributes, farmhouse dimensions, visitor frequency, farmhouse services, types of accommodation and altitude) that affect the price charged for a guest room. Subsequently, multivariate regression was applied to measure the impact of these new latent factors on the price. Findings Overall, the results indicate that the price of a farmhouse with an educational farm – in the context of this niche of the Italian agritourism sector – reflects the visitor evaluation of the farmhouse attributes (especially activities and facilities available in the surrounding countryside), the farmhouse dimensions, the types of accommodation, the number of services on offer and the presence of connectivity (WI-FI). In addition, the results reveal that the price represents an important driver that guides guests in their choice of a farmhouse and that it affects visitor satisfaction with farmhouse attributes. Research limitations/implications Because of the sample chosen, the data gathered are limited to one type of organization – Italian FEF. Furthermore, it may be important to investigate in more depth some issues that remain partly unanswered that concern this niche of the Italian agritourism sector. Practical implications Thanks to the identification of latent dimensions by PCA and the examination of their impact on the farmhouse price, farmhouse operators can understand a priori the main determinants on which to focus to improve the quality of activities and facilities available in the farmhouse location to better satisfy visitor expectations. Originality/value This study provides new and practical insights into the farmhouse experience in Italian municipalities, an area where very limited research has been conducted. Indeed, this is one of the few studies to focus on online reviews to evaluate more than two farmhouse attributes and their impact on pricing.

The effect of emotions, eWOM quality and online review sequence on consumer intention to follow advice obtained from digital services

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Ruiz-Mafe ◽  
Enrique Bigné-Alcañiz ◽  
Rafael Currás-Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Structural Model ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Bias Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Digital Services ◽  
Information Cues ◽  
Cognitive Information ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper analyses the interrelationships between emotions, the cognitive information cues of online reviews and intention to follow the advice obtained from digital platforms, paying special attention to the moderating effect of the sequencing of review valence.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 830 Spanish Tripadvisor users. In a two-step approach, a measurement model was estimated and a structural model analysed to test the proposed hypotheses. SmartPLS 3.0 software was used. The moderating effect of sequencing of reviews is tested.FindingsThe data analysis showed a bias effect of review sequence on the impact of online information cues and emotions on intention to follow advice obtained from Tripadvisor. When the online reviews of a restaurant begin with positive commentaries, their perceived persuasiveness is a stronger driver of the pleasure and arousal elicited by online reviews than when they begin with negative reviews. On the other hand, the perceived helpfulness of online reviews only triggers arousal when the user reads negative, followed by positive, comments. The impact of pleasure on intention to follow the advice provided in an online travel community is higher with positive-negative than with negative-positive sequences.Originality/valueWhile researchers have demonstrated the benefits of customer reviews on company sales, a largely uninvestigated issue is the interplay between emotions and cognitive information cues in the processing of online reviews. This is one of the first studies to examine the moderating effect of conflicting reviews on the impact of emotions and cognitive information cues on consumer intention to follow the advice obtained from digital services.

scholarly journals Online Reviews and Product Sales: The Role of Review Visibility

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 638-669
Author(s):  
Miriam Alzate ◽  
Marta Arce-Urriza ◽  
Javier Cebollada
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Dynamic Models ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Consumer Decision Making ◽  
Product Sales ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

When studying the impact of online reviews on product sales, previous scholars have usually assumed that every review for a product has the same probability of being viewed by consumers. However, decision-making and information processing theories underline that the accessibility of information plays a role in consumer decision-making. We incorporate the notion of review visibility to study the relationship between online reviews and product sales, which is proxied by sales rank information, studying three different cases: (1) when every online review is assumed to have the same probability of being viewed; (2) when we assume that consumers sort online reviews by the most helpful mechanism; and (3) when we assume that consumers sort online reviews by the most recent mechanism. Review non-textual and textual variables are analyzed. The empirical analysis is conducted using a panel of 119 cosmetic products over a period of nine weeks. Using the system generalized method of moments (system GMM) method for dynamic models of panel data, our findings reveal that review variables influence product sales, but the magnitude, and even the direction of the effect, vary amongst visibility cases. Overall, the characteristics of the most helpful reviews have a higher impact on sales.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document