Tourism Promotion through Web

This chapter studies the application of information technology in tourism promotion, particularly through Internet. In the context of tourism management, this chapter penetrates different usage of Web technology to disseminate maximum level of information for tourism promotion. This chapter is designed to determine the conditions of Websites as well as application of different application of Web technology like Virtual Reality (VR), CRS, etc. used in tourism promotion to identify the obstacles faced in this type of promotion via Web. The chapter adopts a survey from 200 respondents. Collected data is analyzed through different statistical tools like correlation analysis, simple average method, and Cronbach Alfa for reliability of the data. The results show that tourism promotion through the Web helps to increase competition as well as tourism demand if Web design helps to disseminate information about the tourism offers to the tourists' desire. Both sexes consider the Website design as a means helps to ensure the information veracity of tourism offers. The chapter recommends continuing development of the role of tourism promotion through the Internet in spreading information about tourism offers, so as to achieve the greatest possible benefits. This study also indicates how to develop and upgrade Web for promotion of tourism information and offer better tourism service excellence, while promoting less popular tourist spots.

The Antecedents of Word-of-Mouth Behaviour

The aim of this study is to undertake empirical research investigating the nature and magnitude of the determinants of word-of-mouth behaviour from the point of view of service performance and post-purchase perceptions. A quantitative study was undertaken. A theoretical model linking service quality issues and word-of-mouth behaviour was developed and tested using structural equation modelling of 280 surveyed participants at various day spa locations. All major fit indices from structural equation modelling methods show satisfactory results for the measurement and structural models. The results confirm significant relationships between the constructs in the model. While the quality of the product, customer service, and servicescape atmosphere lead to customer satisfaction, it is servicescape atmosphere and customer satisfaction that drive word-of-mouth behaviour. The results of this study provide insights to aid service providers and marketing professionals in the service industry in fully understanding that the enhancement of the delivery of high quality service, an accommodating environment, and instilling feelings of satisfaction with their customers will more likely lead to positive word-of-mouth referrals. One major limitation is that the survey was conducted within one industry in one country. The major value of this chapter is the establishment of the role of service quality on word-of-mouth behaviour. This research provides empirical results of the impacts of service performance and post-purchase perceptions on word-of-mouth behaviour.

The Effect of E-Business in B2B Relationships

This chapter examines whether the changes that take place in the global business environment have modulated the way firms do business or whether it is simply transient details that have caused such excitement. Should firms be wary of any proclamations of “new” ways of doing business? Or should they ignore changes of the business environment? Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in 3 focus groups of managers from 3 major firms operating in Greece. In addition, a quantitative research in 29 B2B firms was conducted. The influence of globalization, the intense competition, and new technologies in B2B e-commerce are external factors that raise problems and complexities in the future direction of firms. There is also a gap caused by the lack of an innovation culture between top and lesser management. Businesses are required to modernise their practices to move from their present situation at the level of the second industrial revolution of “old economy” to the third industrial revolution of “new era economy.”

Towards Leadership Marketing

In an era when collaboration is key to business prosperity, the ability to develop one truly coherent and agile brand lived by its employees and delivered to external stakeholders has become extremely challenging. Unity between the internal brand and a company's external image, when change is the only constant, has nearly vanished. The marketing function is frequently being underemphasised at the board level. Furthermore, the existing approach to leading business devalues the importance of marketing and its role in leading organisational change. This chapter is about how marketing can partner with organisational leadership for a mutually beneficial exchange of skills and capabilities in order to be able to reinvent organisations rapidly enough to cope with shifts in the external business environment and create a sustainable future for the business. From an interpretivist perspective, this chapter explores the novel concept of “leadership marketing,” which challenges the conventional view of marketing and leadership as two separate fields and offers a holistic approach for business management and brand alignment.

Exploring the Relationship between the Eco-labels and Green Buying Behaviour with Reference to Mumbai City

Today's businesses and consumers confront the challenge of protecting and preserving the earth's resources and the environment. They have become more concerned about the natural environment and are realizing that their production and consumption purchasing behavior have a direct impact on the environment. Even the consumer looks for green lifestyle and wants to make its contribution towards reducing its impact on the environment. Manufacturers and retailers are observing this trend and are trying to gain an edge in the competitive market by exploiting the potential in the green market industry. They are offering eco-friendly products that are supposed to be good for humans, nature, and companies. An eco-label is a label that certifies that a product meets overall environmental preference of a product or service based on life-cycle consideration and the important criteria to be fulfilled for achieving this label. These labels can help the companies to influence the regulatory environment, create industry standards for environmental control, and expand market share. The aim of this chapter is to identify and analyze how eco-labels can influence consumer buying behavior and awareness towards the various eco-labels in the Mumbai market.

Loyalty in Crisis

This chapter examines customer loyalty across the supply chain during the economic crisis in Greece. The authors posit the following research questions: How does customer's loyalty change in light of the financial crisis and to what extent does customer loyalty contribute to a firm's performance during an economic crisis? The factors discussed are satisfaction, exchange of information, trust, competition, and finally, customer loyalty in fragile economic conditions. In order to examine customer loyalty in a period of crisis, the authors drew their sample from Greek manufacturing companies in 2012. They received 131 usable questionnaires. The total response rate was 13.1%. The results indicate that there is a quite high level of loyalty, which drives them to continue their partnership in the future, but also to recommend their partner to other firms.

Electrotextiles

During the last decade, the textile Industry in Europe collapsed due to the competition with the low labor countries. The textile industry in Europe refused to adapt to the new market conditions. The competitive advantage of the design and the quality were not enough to keep it in the leading position. Nevertheless, in the last few years, the textile industry has completely changed. New products have been launched in the market. Electrotextiles is one of them: a new category of textile products that has conducting properties contrary to the traditional textile products but keeps the “textile” properties like softness, lightness, and “washableness.” Fabric is the best intermediary between the human being and a computer. Fabrics and cloths are almost all the time in contact with our body. Therefore, they can “feel” us and “cure” us. A fabric can also cover a large space, having low weight and cost, so it could be perfect if it can have electrical properties and work as photovoltaic. This chapter explores electrotextiles.

How is Internal Marketing Understood?

The service industry and business-to-business companies have remained at the forefront of studies into internal marketing due to the close contact between employees and customers in such companies. Marketers and industry experts have shown particular interest to the supermarket sector over the past years due to the varied fluctuations in performance that have been reported. Consumers have negligible switching costs and the threat of substitute products is high, with little product differentiation. Therefore, there is the opportunity to create sustainable competitive advantage through intangible offerings. As of yet, there is little evidence supporting benefits of internal market orientation in the food retail industry. One reason for this may be the difficulty of measuring its benefits in such a context. Although the UK food retail industry has been extensively researched, researchers are yet to address it properly in regard to internal market orientation. This chapter examines it from a stakeholder perspective.

The Role of Brand Management in Emerging Markets

This chapter introduces the role of brand management in emerging markets, thus explaining the concepts of brand management system, corporate branding, brand performance, brand equity, brand awareness, perceived brand quality, brand association, and brand loyalty; the importance of brand strategy in emerging markets; and brand relationships toward effective brand management. Firms in emerging markets should take consideration of their brand management system, corporate branding, brand performance, brand equity, brand awareness, perceived brand quality, brand association, and brand loyalty in order to effectively achieve business success in emerging markets based on the conditions of their organizational structure, environment, and marketing contexts. Developing a good brand relationship is essential for brand management in emerging markets. Firms in emerging markets should recognize the importance of brand constructs (i.e., brand management system, corporate branding, brand performance, brand equity, brand awareness, perceived brand quality, brand association, and brand loyalty) and need to put more marketing efforts in building brand management system in order to enhance the marketing performance and achieve business goals in the global marketing environment.

Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Turbulent Business Environments using Critical Organizational Capabilities and Resources to Manage Complexity

In today's turbulent economic conditions, some organizations are able to sustain their competitive positioning while others, with similar capital and technological resources, seem to struggle to survive. In addition, more and more firms seem to adopt strategies that focus primarily on their internal strengths, capabilities, and competencies, while others seem to depend more on external forces to shape their strategies, such as competition, economies of scale, and technological demands. In this chapter, the author argues that in unstable business environments the integration of internal and external perspectives of strategy formulation is necessary for a firm to sustain advantages for long. The proposed model presents four stages of corporate strategy development: Scouting, Maintenance, Dominance, and Appraisal. The chapter utilizes the concepts of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and Critical Resources (CRs), describes its applicability by using two cases of companies that adopted similar long-run strategies, and finally offers implications for strategic management and planning practitioners.