Social media practices applied by city hotels: a comparative case study from Turkey

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanim Kader Sanliöz Özgen ◽  
Metin Kozak
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Review ◽  
Media Practices

Purpose – This study aims to examine various forms of hotel businesses’ social media (SM) practices by analysing TripAdvisor (TA) and examining its critical role in decision-making. As a well-known platform of SM in tourism, TA serves as an independent review site where visitors share their holiday experiences. Design/methodology/approach – The sample for this study includes hotel businesses located in Istanbul, Turkey, and listed in the top grades of TA ratings. Purposive sampling was used to obtain relevant data. A holistic multiple-case study was designed, as sample hotels vary in official class and attributes. Structured interviews were used to collect data from participating managers in each hotel business. Upon creation of the data set, transcripts were used to develop and classify a matrix table (hotels vs questions) and analysed by clustering responses according to the content of questions. Findings – The study findings show that hotels pay significant attention to TA and that it is viewed as an essential tool for various purposes. Hotel businesses benefit from the content of TA for the purpose of marketing and quality management. From a strategic point of view, hotel businesses consider TA as an “ocean of opportunity” that is highly related to service quality, reliable information channels and effective tools to monitor competitors and for undertaking self-review of performance. Research limitations/implications – The sample group represents only hotel businesses in the city, and the study utilizes only qualitative techniques. A similar empirical investigation in a resort destination and a longitudinal comparable study using both qualitative and quantitative techniques may generate more insights relating to the social media practices of hotel businesses. Practical implications – Hotel businesses consider accuracy, transparency and consistency of content and pricing to be essential prerequisites of competitiveness. As a consequence, this study reveals the fact that TA is a critical tool of SM utilized by hotels with different attributes, despite some concerns regarding fake reviews. Originality/value – This is an insightful comparative study of TA practices of hotel businesses with different attributes. The study may inspire further research to study SM practices and related impacts on a longitudinal basis.

Innovating the customer loyalty program with social media

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 807-823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wu He ◽  
Xin Tian ◽  
Feng-Kwei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Loyalty Programs ◽  
Loyalty Program ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Technologies ◽  
Customer Loyalty Programs

Purpose Few academic studies specifically investigate how businesses can use social media to innovate customer loyalty programs. The purpose of this paper is to present an in-depth case study of the Shop Your Way (SYW) program, which is regarded as one of the most successful customer loyalty programs with social media. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses case study research as the methodology to uncover innovative features associated with the SYW customer loyalty program. The authors collected the data from SYW’s social media forums and tweets. The data set was analyzed using social media analytics tools including the R package and Lexicon. Findings Based on the research results, the authors summarize innovative social media features identified from SYW. The authors also provide insights and recommendations for businesses that are seeking to innovate their customer loyalty programs using social media technologies. Originality/value The results of this case study set a good example for businesses which want to innovate and improve their customer loyalty programs using social media technologies. This is the first in-depth case study on the SYW program, one of the most successful customer loyalty programs with social media. The results shed light on how social media can innovate customer loyalty programs in both theory and practice.

scholarly journals Tag analysis as a tool for investigating information behaviour: comparing fan-tagging on Tumblr, Archive of Our Own and Etsy

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludi Price ◽  
Lyn Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
The Third ◽  
Fan Communities

PurposeThis article describes the third part of a three-stage study investigating the information behaviour of fans and fan communities, the first stage of which is described in the study by Price and Robinson (2017).Design/methodology/approachUsing tag analysis as a method, a comparative case study was undertaken to explore three aspects of fan information behaviour: information gatekeeping; classifying and tagging and entrepreneurship and economic activity. The case studies took place on three sites used by fans–Tumblr, Archive of Our Own (AO3) and Etsy. Supplementary semi-structured interviews with site users were used to augment the findings with qualitative data.FindingsThese showed that fans used tags in a variety of ways quite apart from classification purposes. These included tags being used on Tumblr as meta-commentary and a means of dialogue between users, as well as expressors of emotion and affect towards posts. On AO3 in particular, fans had developed a practice called “tag wrangling” to mitigate the inherent “messiness” of tagging. Evidence was also found of a “hybrid market economy” on Etsy fan stores. From the study findings, a taxonomy of fan-related tags was developed.Research limitations/implicationsFindings are limited to the tagging practices on only three sites used by fans during Spring 2016, and further research on other similar sites are recommended. Longitudinal studies of these sites would be beneficial in understanding how or whether tagging practices change over time. Testing of the fan-tag taxonomy developed in this paper is also recommended.Originality/valueThis research develops a method for using tag analysis to describe information behaviour. It also develops a fan-tag taxonomy, which may be used in future research on the tagging practices of fans, which heretofore have been a little-studied section of serious leisure information users.

A novel framework for owner driven reconstruction projects to enhance disaster resilience in the long term

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mittul Vahanvati
Keyword(s):  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Disaster Resilience ◽  
Construction Technology ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Post-disaster reconstruction poses a double-edged sword to its implementers as it demands addressing survivors’ need for speed as well as meeting the growing expectation to trigger resilience. While an owner-driven housing reconstruction (ODHR), inter-disciplinary and long-term approach has been promoted internationally; however, there is limited research focussed on the long-term impacts (>10 years after a disaster) of ODHR. Furthermore, there is no one accepted framework for practitioners to guide through the process of ODHR projects to carve pathways for disaster resilience. The purpose of this paper is to assimilate findings—contingent and generalisable—into a novel framework for future change in practice. Design/methodology/approach This paper deployed a mixed methods methodology with a comparative case study research method. Two case study projects were from the Indian state of Gujarat, 13 years after the 2001 earthquake and the other two from Bihar, 6 years since the 2008 Kosi river floods. Due to multi-disciplinary nature of research, empirical data collection relied on a mix of social sciences methods including 80 semi-structured interviews, and architectural research methods including the visual analysis of photographs and sketches. Three sample groups of agency members, beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries were purposively selected. Thematic content analysis was used for the data analysis. Findings The paper provides empirical insights on how ODHR projects in Indian states of Gujarat and Bihar succeeded at enhancing disaster resilience of communities. It suggests that the civil society organisations acted as “enablers” at four stages: envisioning strategically based on systemic understanding, building soft assets including community trust and dignity for social mobilisation prior to, proposing minor modifications to construction technology for its multi-hazard safety as well as cultural relevance, and sustaining capacity building efforts beyond reconstruction completion or beyond one project life-cycle. Research limitations/implications The author of this paper cautions that the spiral framework needs further development to make it flexibility and customisable to suit the specifics of a particular context. Originality/value The implications of the findings discussed in this paper are primarily for practitioners involved in disaster recovery and development sector. Since prevailing models or frameworks neither incorporate multi-disciplinary approach (demanded by socio-ecological systems resilience concept), nor represent project scale, a novel, four-pronged framework for ODHR has been proposed in this paper for strategic success. The framework has been illustrated in spiral and tabular forms, and has been kept abstract to provide practitioners the much-needed flexibility for adapting it to suit the specifics of a particular context.

Servitization in contract manufacturing – evidence from Polar business cases

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esa Viitamo ◽  
Seppo Luoto ◽  
Timo Seppälä
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Original Design ◽  
Contract Manufacturing ◽  
Manufacturing Firm ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the scholarly debate on the origins and nature of industrial servitization. By resorting to contract manufacturing (CM) as an empirical case, it is posited that any product-service solution that a manufacturing firm is capable of delivering on a competitive basis mirrors its goals in value creation and capture, positioning within its value networks and the pool of assets and competences it holds. Design/methodology/approach To support this argument, a comparative case study of two CM firms that represent polar cases in the industry was conducted. The primary data were collected through participatory methodology, observations and semi-structured interviews of company representatives. The business experiences of an industry practitioner provided a distinct contribution to the content analysis and modelling. Findings It was concluded that servitization becomes endogenous as contract manufacturers aim for higher profitability through the insource of customer activities and hence extend their offering downstream in the supply chain. The findings suggest that the way out of the servitization trap is a shift toward original design and manufacturing business, where high value-adding modules are insourced and integrated into replicable solutions for various types of customers and market segments. Research limitations/implications The generalization of the conclusion is constrained by the limited focus on two cases only. More industry and company data are therefore required to further validate this argument. Particularly valuable will be the data on the intermediate business models between the two polar cases. Originality/value Building on contested business practices, this paper outlines the logic of competitive strategy in CM on the basis of specific characteristics and implications of the various business concepts. In this case, the principal drivers of servitization are the acquisition of supporting capabilities and insourcing of customer activities. The case study method integrates theory with academic observation and managerial experiences.

Becoming a transformative vice-principal in culturally and linguistically rich diverse schools

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 82-98
Author(s):  
Lyle Hamm
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Role ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Vice Principals ◽  
Diverse Schools ◽  
Building Leadership Capacity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the leadership role(s) of vice-principals in diverse, multi-ethnic schools and communities and understand the supervision and mentoring support they require to help them become more effective leaders within them. The research questions guiding this study were: what forms of mentoring do vice-principals, who serve in diverse schools in rapidly changing communities, require? Who is in the best position to provide mentoring for them? Design/methodology/approach The author used a qualitative case study methodology. Data that were analyzed for this paper were drawn from surveys, semi-structured interviews, one focus group interview and school and community documents from three data sets within two case studies in Canada. The first data set was part of the author’s doctoral research program in a diverse school in Alberta; the other case study was part of a larger collective case study that the author is currently involved with and leading in New Brunswick. Several vice-principals were part of both studies. The author then constructed a survey questionnaire specifically focused on mentoring vice-principals in diverse schools. Vice-principals in both provinces, who were part of the two studies, were invited to respond to the follow-up survey. Using a constant comparative analytical approach, the author coded and analyzed the data from all three sets together. The author formed several categories and ultimately collapsed the categories into five distinct themes that illustrated and confirmed the social realities of the vice-principals in their schools and communities. Findings Five key findings emerged from the analysis of the data sets. They were building leadership capacity, fostering positive relationships, increasing global awareness, reducing stress and anxiety and becoming a diversity champion and peace-builder. Originality/value To this researcher’s knowledge, this paper contributes to a significant gap in the literature on vice-principals who serve in diverse schools and communities.

scholarly journals Audit committee roles and responsibilities in two English public sector settings

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 848-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karim Hegazy ◽  
Anne Stafford
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Institutional Theory ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This paper aims to conduct a comparative study by examining the Audit Committee (AC) set-up, roles, responsibilities and developments in two distinct English public sector settings, namely, foundation trusts (FTs) and local authorities (LAs). Design/methodology/approach The paper is exploratory and explanatory in nature and uses a qualitative case study approach framed in institutional theory. It is based on semi-structured interviews with AC chairs, external and internal auditors and finance directors triangulated with meeting observations and documentation review. Findings The study finds that public sector ACs have a large and diverse role which extends beyond challenging/monitoring responsibilities. Influenced by the New Public Management ideology, the AC has developed more rapidly in FTs due to imposed regulation contrasting with the slower progress in LAs due to its still voluntary adoption. Nevertheless, in both environments, there is a developing understanding and growing competence within the AC in terms of their assurance role where the focus has shifted from an emphasis on function and on transacting business through following a manual, to a more strategic-looking approach. Research limitations/implications Due to the complexity of public sector settings, and by using an approach framed within institutional theory, the study contributes by challenging a simple notion of isomorphism as an explanation of AC roles, responsibilities and development in two distinct public sector environments. Furthermore, the study recognizes that there is a need to ensure ACs are appropriate to their institutional setting and organizational context. Originality/value Most AC studies have focused on private sector contexts. This paper explores the phenomenon in a different organizational context, namely, as a public sector comparative case study.

Gaining competitive intelligence from social media data

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (9) ◽  
pp. 1622-1636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wu He ◽  
Jiancheng Shen ◽  
Xin Tian ◽  
Yaohang Li ◽  
Vasudeva Akula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Business Value ◽  
Competitive Intelligence ◽  
Social Media Analytics ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Social Media Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Media Data

Purpose – Social media analytics uses data mining platforms, tools and analytics techniques to collect, monitor and analyze massive amounts of social media data to extract useful patterns, gain insight into market requirements and enhance business intelligence. The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for social media competitive intelligence to enhance business value and market intelligence. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a case study to collect and analyze a data set with nearly half million tweets related to two largest retail chains in the world: Walmart and Costco in the past three months during December 1, 2014-February 28, 2015. Findings – The results of the case study revealed the value of analyzing social media mentions and conducting sentiment analysis and comparison on individual product level. In addition to analyzing the social media data-at-rest, the proposed framework and the case study results also indicate that there is a strong need for creating a social media data application that can conduct real-time social media competitive intelligence for social media data-in-motion. Originality/value – So far there is little research to guide businesses for social media competitive intelligence. This paper proposes a novel framework for social media competitive intelligence to illustrate how organizations can leverage social media analytics to enhance business value through a case study.

Stable relationality and dynamic innovation: two models of collaboration in SME-driven offsite manufacturing supply chains in housing construction

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1553-1577
Author(s):  
Zelinna Pablo ◽  
Kerry Anne London
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Collaborative Practice ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Housing Construction ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practice Elements

PurposeThe study analyses collaborative practice in offsite manufacturing (OSM) housing supply chains, focusing specifically on supply chains driven by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The study’s analysis builds on previous work where we argued that collaboration in OSM housing construction comprises nine elements. In this study, the authors demonstrate empirically that SMEs enact these collaborative practice elements in distinct ways, foregrounding key elements over others. One core model and two sub-models of collaboration emerge from our two case studies.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyses two SME-driven supply chains using qualitative case study techniques. Data were gathered through 12 semi-structured interviews conducted in two housing construction supply chains: one in South Australia, Australia, and another in Tasmania, Australia.FindingsA comparative case study of SMEs shows that collaboration in OSM supply chains has a number of common elements, including a champion for innovation, investment in long-term relationships, resourceful use of limited assets and physical co-location. However, SMEs can also enact these elements through a range of diverging collaborative strategies that can be distilled into different models: stable relationality and dynamic innovation.Originality/valueFindings provide a compelling empirical basis for arguing that SMEs can successfully lead OSM supply chains if key collaborative practice elements are strategically mobilised in ways that are suited to their strengths and limitations. The study therefore interrogates the widely held and often limiting assumption that OSM can only be driven by large organisations with access to capital assets, capacity to invest and undisputed bargaining power.

Social network analysis of Twitter data from Pakistan during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syeda Hina Batool ◽  
Wasim Ahmed ◽  
Khalid Mahmood ◽  
Ashraf Sharif
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Message Framing ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Twitter Users ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Purpose The use of social media has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media platforms provide opportunities to share news, ideas and personal stories. Twitter is used by citizens in Pakistan to respond and comment on emerging news stories and events. However, it is not known whether Twitter played a positive or negative role in spreading updates and preventive messages during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to analyse content from Twitter during the pandemic. Design/methodology/approach NodeXL was used to retrieve data using the keyword وائرس کورونا (written in Urdu and which translates to Coronavirus). The first data set (Case Study 1) was based on 10,284 Twitter users from the end of March. The second data set (Case Study 2) was based on 10,644 Twitter users from the start of April. The theoretical lens of effective message framing was used to classify the most retweeted content on Twitter. Findings Twitter was used for personal and professional projections and included certain tweets included political motives even during the unfolding health crisis. There appeared to be very few successful attempts to use Twitter as a tool for health awareness and risk communication. The empirical findings indicate that the most retweeted messages were gain-framed and can be classified as personal, informative and political in nature. Originality/value The present study provides insights likely to be of interest to researchers, health organizations, citizens, government and politicians that are interested in making more effective use of social media for the purposes of health promotion. The authors also provide novel insights into the key topics of discussions, websites and hashtags used by Pakistani Twitter users during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comparative case study: when brands handle online confrontations

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 640-658
Author(s):  
Christine Hiu Ying Choy ◽  
Fang Wu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Organizational Crisis ◽  
Relative Significance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Organization Strategy ◽  
The Individual

Purpose This study aims to examine the theoretical links among three important variables by empirically testing the cases of two international brands. Design/methodology/approach By using a comparative case study design, this study conducts a content analysis of a total of 490 Facebook comments regarding online confrontational crises: Dolce & Gabbana’s photo fiasco and Laneige’s discriminative sales incident. Findings The findings suggest that when evaluating whether or not a company has shouldered responsibility in online confrontational crises, social media users tend to be more influenced by how timely, active and consistent the organization’s reaction is than by the organization’s mere use of concession crisis communication strategies (CCSs). The individual-level perception (perceived degree of organizational crisis responsibility-taking) is a stronger predictor of social media users’ reaction than organization strategies. The earlier that social media user has a perceived improvement in the organization, the more effective is the organization’s strategy to minimize the effects of social media as crisis mobilizer. Originality/value This study confirms theories formulated in a Western context with actual cases from Eastern cultures. Theoretically, this study sheds light on the importance of the individual-level perception for effective use of organization strategy in crisis. This study also suggests the relative significance of positive forms of crisis response, concessions CCSs and their relationship with the perceived degree of crisis responsibility-taking.

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