Search

Regional monopoly service organisations such as electricity, gas and water distributors, health trusts, public transport, and local government are subject to regulatory oversight. A common element in this is benchmarking an organisation against similar organisations based in different regions. Customer satisfaction is often an important part of this competitive benchmarking. However, if people from different regions give a different average satisfaction score for the same experience, then this disadvantages some companies. Therefore, regional satisfaction was investigated in an environment where differences in customer service levels are controlled for. The average online satisfaction ratings people from different regions of the UK gave to the same overseas holiday hotels were investigated. The 24,154 ratings were analysed using linear mixed effects and ordinal models. The average ratings given by people from the London region were significantly lower than those from elsewhere. Regional correction factors are developed and applied to published satisfaction ratings for electricity distributors. The adjustment was sufficient to move the London distributor from the penalty category to a borderline position. Hence, customer satisfaction ratings should be used cautiously when benchmarking regional organisations. This investigation of the potential for regional bias contributes to the large literature on customer satisfaction and behavioural intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism in eco-destinations contributes to overall well-being of local people and at the same time affects these destinations in an adverse manner as a result of anthropocentric activities. It becomes imperative to understand the relational dynamics between environmental concern and vulnerable ecotourism regions to find out viable solutions for achieving sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive literature review. The paper aims to understand the arguments on environmental concern research that addresses the impact of knowledge, attitude, behavioural intentions and values on the tourists in the eco-tourism destination regions by conducting a systematic review of peer-reviewed research publications from the year 1995 to 2018. The study reveals that there is a strong association between the environmental concern of tourists and the eco-tourism destination regions, and further depicts that the environmental concern of tourists positively affects the destination regions. The current review finds out that building environmental concern and awareness among tourists has a strong potential to achieve environmental sustainability and local community development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in technology have allowed mobile devices to be used for learning purpose. The use of tablets in mobile learning has the potential to enhance learning, contributing to increased motivation and knowledge acquisition. However, without careful planning and support for learning content, students may not have the behavioural intention to use tablets in their learning. Previous studies have focused on the use of learning applications installed in the tablets. There is a lack of research on students' behavioural intentions to use tablets in learning. The partial least squares regression approach and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) were used in this study to explore students' behavioural intention to use the tablet in learning. This study was conducted in a private school in Malaysia. A total of 170 participants were enrolled in this study. The results showed that most of the hypotheses of the study were not supported and further revealed that the construct of performance expectancy was the only determinant of students' behavioural intentions to use the tablet in learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The political drive for inclusion means there are increasing numbers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) being educated alongside their neurotypical peers. Pervasive victimisation has prompted the development of peer interventions targeting stigma. This study evaluated the 'Understanding Our Peers with Pablo' programme for effects on knowledge, attitudes and behavioural intentions of infant schoolchildren (N = 222) towards autistic peers. Classes were randomly assigned to an intervention or waitlist control condition. Change over time in knowledge of autism and attitudes and behavioural intentions towards familiar and unfamiliar peers was analysed using mixed analyses of variance. The intervention condition showed gains in knowledge and increased positive attitudes towards unfamiliar autistic peers (maintained over three-months). There were significant improvements in attitudes towards familiar autistic peers, and time-limited decreases in behavioural intentions across both conditions. Overall, results support the use of this programme in early-years education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The telecom industry in India has witnessed substantial growth over the last decade. Rapid growth of telecommunications is opening up the doors for many telecom players from Europe, Asia and other parts of the world, resulting in increased competition and tariff reductions. In the present competitive environment, the services perceived by the customers and their behavioural intentions play a pivotal role in the customer switching process among service providers. With the changing expectations of service quality, it becomes imperative to discover the gap between customer expectations and customer perception. In this context, the aim of the present study is to identify the existing gap between customer expectations and perceptions and investigate the relationship between post-experience perception of service quality and customers’ behavioural intentions. The data was collected from 500 customers in Delhi NCR, India. Paired sample t-test and multiple correlation analysis were performed. The results of the study points out the key areas wherein the service gaps are considerably high such as reliability and responsiveness. The customer behavioural intentions, such as “Complain to customer service if a problem occurs”, “Switch to another service provider” and “Reducing the usage with a particular service provider”, have shown a strong relationship with quality of service. The findings of the study confirm that the perceptions of customers regarding the quality of service received definitely have an impact on their behaviour.

This study investigates the mechanism by which customers’ affective and cognitive states drive their behavioural intentions towards upscale restaurants. With stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory as a backbone, two competing mediation scenarios; one-step versus two-step mediation are examined. A dataset of 425 conveniently selected valid responses was used to test the models. Structural equation modelling shows that customer behavioural intentions were better explained by a cognitive-affective mediated model than by one-step mediated model. The results of hypotheses testing reveal the significance of restaurant design in enrichening customers’ cognitive experience, thus, eliciting their affective states, which ultimately affect their behavioural intentions. This paper shows the applicability of the cognitive theory of emotions in explaining restaurant design-customer behavioural intentions relationship. The results also provide insights for restaurant operators on how the design characteristics of their restaurants can be best utilised to encourage positive customer responses. Discussion, conclusion and future work are also provided.

Drawing upon the extant literature, this study aimed to investigate tourist experience quality of culinary tourism in Indonesia by examining the relationships between the quality of culinary experience, the satisfaction of culinary experience, the satisfaction of destination experience, and behavioural intentions using a structural equation modelling approach. In total, 395 international tourists who travelled to Indonesian gastronomy destinations participated in the survey. The result showed the direct effects of the culinary experience quality on culinary experience satisfaction and destination experience satisfaction. However, it is the indirect and not direct effects of the quality of culinary experience quality that impact on behavioural intentions when mediated by culinary experience satisfaction and destination experience satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the relationships between dimensions of perceived quality, attendees' needs and behavioural intentions in conferences. Our findings are based on SEM-PLS of a convenience sample of 295 international attendees participated in 14 academic conferences in Malaysia. We find that only accessibility and self-congruity are positively associated with behavioural intentions. Perceived conference quality is associated with the attendees' needs and in turn, influences the strength of behavioural intentions. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of our model. This study may also give benefits to conference planners with information that allows them to attract and retaining repeat attendees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paracrisis in social media issues needs to be anticipated, identified, monitored, and managed. While PR practitioners already have to deal with this phenomenon on a daily basis, only few studies have examined paracrisis response strategies to find adequate ways of handling these reputation threats. The objective of this study is to test selected paracrisis response strategies on Facebook that have not yet been combined by other researchers and identify the most recommendable strategy. Drawing on social representation principles and the SCCT model (Coombs in Corp Reput Rev 10(3):163–176, 2007) as well as the SMCC model (Liu et al. in: Duhe (ed) New media and public relations, 2nd edn, Peter Lang, New York, 2012), four organisational response strategies—reform, humour, refuse, and refute—are examined in two within-subjects experiments, with self-imposed and external paracrisis origins, respectively. This experiment uses fictional paracrisis in fictional international IT suppliers. Differences and effects in respondents' perceptions of organisational reputation and paracrisis behavioural intentions are analysed. In both experiments, results show that a reform strategy is significantly the most recommendable, and a humorous strategy is the least recommendable for this paracrisis situation. This component of Public Relations practice and research can prevent potential real-world crises and protect organisations' reputations. Paracrises are social crises, and thus organisations should be able to adapt (accommodate) to communities by explaining the situation and exchanging information horizontally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of service quality (SQ) and patients' satisfaction and behavioural intentions (BI). A sample of 614 respondents was generated. Convenient sampling was employed to select patients of 20 public hospitals in Ghana. Structural equation modelling using smart partial least squares was used to test the nature of relationships of the constructs of the study. The study found a significant positive relationship between SQ and patient satisfaction. Also, the study found a significant positive relationship between customer satisfaction and BI and that patient satisfaction mediates the relationship between SQ and BI. The study provides a useful guide to strategy and policy formulation in the healthcare sector by exploring the potential viability of the SERVQUAL model as a relevant tool for initiating continuous service improvement in Ghana's public healthcare sector. The results also have practical application to managers of public healthcare institutions and governments in the formulation of public policy for the health sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicting online reviews, an under-researched area, have gained significant interest among readers. We develop a research model of conflicting online hotel reviews that lead to consumers' attitudinal ambivalence and psychological discomfort, which determine their behaviours. We examine how the conflicting attributes of informativeness and persuasiveness create attitudinal ambivalence that leads to psychological discomfort and how anticipated conflicting reactions (ACRs) moderate the relationships between conflicting attributes and attitudinal ambivalence that engender behavioural responses. We apply this model to Chinese settings, where we collect data from 476 inbound tourists who have stayed or have to stay in hotels. Our findings reveal the positive effects of conflicting attributes on the attitudinal ambivalence that trigger consumers' discomfort, which negatively affects evaluations and intentions to use. ACRs positively moderate the relationships between conflicting attributes and attitudinal ambivalence. Our findings contribute to both literature and practice, and limitations suggest research directions for tourism and hospitality scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Festa do Boi is a festive celebration linked to the Catholic liturgical calendar, which is celebrated in Allariz (Galicia-Spain). This festival reappears in the 1980s and like other popular festivals, it collects traditional elements and re-builds them into a new festive ritual, more in line with the new temporal and spatial configuration of the late 20th century. They are festivals in which tradition is combined, in representation of the local community, and the tourist approach (Prats, 1997). This event can be analysed as a spontaneous communitas (Turner, 1974a), a happening between hosts and guests (Smith, 1992), where the liminal space can be occupied by tourists as 'others' necessary for the identification of 'ourselves'. The participation of tourists in the festive ritual is carried out from two liminal positions: an unstable state because their daily life has been broken by the movement and involvement required in the festivals with the role of equals, but different. Both actors are required for the exaltation of collective identity. The level of satisfaction of tourists with the liminal experience based on the feeling of belonging and identification with the host community and the hedonistic perception, to provide a more holistic view of the festive ritual. A self-administered on-site survey was conducted on 393 tourists attending the 700th edition of A Festa do Boi in Allariz (Spain). The results suggest that hedonism acts as a precedent for satisfaction evaluation, and satisfaction evaluation for the attendees´ future intentions. In addition, the liminal experience has a two-dimensional structure composed of the individual changes experienced and of the festive ritual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study purposes to find out the diverse perceptions related to risk and benefit about wine consumption and purchase in India. Using a structured questionnaire, on a sample of 352 wine consumers in 8 fine-dining restaurants serving wine in Delhi, it will also identify the factors that affect their behavioural intentions and alter their attitude towards wine consumption. Two benefit and four risk factors linked with wine consumption will be identified using exploratory factor analysis measured on a factor model framework incorporating 22 constructs. This two-phase approach will measure 17-factor items followed by a structural framework model. The linkages between the study variables will also be demonstrated using a conceptual framework model. Results will indicate the variations in attitude and wine purchase behaviour of wine consumers owing to their benefit and risk perceptions related to wine. The study also establishes that the patron's attitudes towards wine can be positively influenced by curtailing the risk perceptions and amplifying the benefit perceptions that may help the stakeholders in India to adequately promote their wine products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between perceived value and perceived risk with an integrated approach. Both concepts have previously been measured through either an overall or a multi-dimensional approach, but a comparison of these two measurement approaches has been ignored. Unlike other studies, perceived risk and value are examined here via two different approaches, and their relationship with customer satisfaction and behavioural intention are tested with a structural model via data gathered from hotel customers in Turkey. According to the results, multidimensionally measured perceived risk negatively influences perceived value more. Perceived value and customer satisfaction positively influence behavioural intention. In addition, the perceived value and risk are measured in six dimensions. Reputation and epistemic value are added to the scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates young consumers' behavioural intention based on attractiveness, user-friendliness, and marketing effectiveness of economy hotel websites. Comparison of ratings between languages used and groups of respondents was also made. Results showed no significant difference in scores between the English language and Chinese language websites. Chinese and Thai respondents reported significant differences in three dimensions for the English language websites. Site attractiveness, user-friendliness, and marketing effectiveness are positively linked to behavioural intentions. Marketing effectiveness is a crucial driver for making an online reservation and for recommendation/revisit. Language matters and is important in customer relationships in the context of B2C communication. Website designers and marketers can consider additional design factors in order to improve the overall design of the websites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The telecom industry in India has witnessed substantial growth over the last decade. Rapid growth of telecommunications is opening up the doors for many telecom players from Europe, Asia and other parts of the world, resulting in increased competition and tariff reductions. In the present competitive environment, the services perceived by the customers and their behavioural intentions play a pivotal role in the customer switching process among service providers. With the changing expectations of service quality, it becomes imperative to discover the gap between customer expectations and customer perception. In this context, the aim of the present study is to identify the existing gap between customer expectations and perceptions and investigate the relationship between post-experience perception of service quality and customers' behavioural intentions. The data was collected from 500 customers in Delhi NCR, India. Paired sample t-test and multiple correlation analysis were performed. The results of the study points out the key areas wherein the service gaps are considerably high such as reliability and responsiveness. The customer behavioural intentions, such as "Complain to customer service if a problem occurs", "Switch to another service provider" and "Reducing the usage with a particular service provider", have shown a strong relationship with quality of service. The findings of the study confirm that the perceptions of customers regarding the quality of service received definitely have an impact on their behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residents' apathy has been considered a cultural barrier to community participation. To test and conceptualize residents' apathy, this study aims to filling a gap by proposing a theoretical model and testing it in three different destinations, namely, Lisbon (Portugal), Isfahan (Iran) and Olbia (Italy). Three convenience samples were used for the purposes. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test and validate the model. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge by validating a conceptual model that aims to analyse how residents' apathy (i.e. lack of interest, lack of initiative, alienation and environmental-based apathy), as perceived by tourists, affects the host-guest interaction and perceived service quality and visitors' behavioural intentions. Managerial implications and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Investigating on pedestrians' perceptions while walking can help to improve their satisfaction and consequently the quality of the pedestrian environment. • PLS-SEM represents a suitable tool for evaluating the relationship between pedestrians' perceptions, service quality of the paths used by pedestrians, and their behavioural intentions. • Male and female opinions are investigated for discovering gender differences in perceptions of service quality. • The proposed methodology allows interesting differences between male and female to be discovered. • Practitioners can derive important suggestions from the analysis for defining strategies to improve the pedestrian environment. The objective of this work is investigating on differences in pedestrians' perceptions in terms of gender. Specifically, we want to verify differences between male and female in perceiving aspects characterizing pedestrian paths and influencing their satisfaction, perceived service quality, and behavioural intentions. We propose a methodology based on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach. From the model calibration we derived different coefficients for male and female, representing the importance that each category of users gives to the various aspects characterizing the paths. Data were collected through a sample survey addressed to pedestrians walking on paths placed in an urban area of the southern Italy. We discovered interesting findings about gender differences. In general, females are more sensitive than males concerning many important aspects such as environmental aspects in terms of air pollution and noise, or personal security from robbery or theft, or presence of furnishing along the path and cleanliness of the environment. On the other hand, male consider more the continuity of pedestrian path and the condition of the walking surface, as well as the nuisance due to the vehicle flow. In terms of similarities in perceptions, male and female equally appreciated the comfort due to the presence of trees providing shade along the path. The findings from the model could be useful for planners, who should invest on those aspects considered as important by both the categories, but also on the aspects that determine an inequality between male and female. As an example, since women do not feel secure along those paths, planners could improve this aspect in such a way as to make paths attractive to both women and men, as well as the aspects considered more relevant for men, to incentivize pedestrian mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service quality, students' satisfaction and their behavioural intentions are recognised as rather important aspects in higher education institution's strategy in a competitive higher education marketplace, which enable them to attract and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and information-communication (IC) study areas. This research aimed to study the relationship between service quality, students' satisfaction and behavioural intentions of STEM and IC students of the University of Rijeka Departments. Partial least squares structural equation modelling using SmartPLS 3.0 software was performed on student survey data, confirming a direct, positive and significant relationship between higher education service quality and students' satisfaction and between students' satisfaction and their behavioural intentions. According to indirect effects analysis, perceived higher education service quality has an an indirect, positive and significant impact on students' behavioural intentions through students' satisfaction. The results indicate that higher education service quality is an imperative for higher education sector. Based on the findings of this study, useful to policy makers in the services industry in general and in higher education sector in particular, improvements can be planned all service quality dimensions as a key factor to attract, educate and retain STEM and IC students in Croatia.

Tourism plays a pivotal role in the development of economies across the globe. South Africa is no exception and has benefited significantly from tourism over the past couple of decades. The latter has propelled the government to renew its efforts and commitment to improving the sector in order to attract larger volumes of tourists to the country. Despite the growth in international tourist arrivals to the country, little focus has been dedicated towards the rural tourism sector. This sector is underdeveloped compared to urban tourism destinations, and generally little information exist on tourists’ experience, satisfaction, and behavioural intentions in these areas. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate tourist’s experience, satisfaction, and intentions of visiting rural tourism destinations in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Two rural coastal tourism destinations served as the focus areas for the study. Using convenience sampling, a total of 196 usable questionnaires were obtained for the quantitative data analyses. The results of the study indicate that education, aesthetics, entertainment, escape, and peace of mind influence tourist’s satisfaction of rural tourism destinations in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The results indicated that commonly, tourists had a positive experience, were satisfied visiting the selected tourism destinations, and had a favourable intention of visiting the same destination or recommend the destinations to friends and families. Rural tourism destinations can use the established satisfaction factors and recommendations offered in the study to enhance their competitiveness in the industry.

The relationship between advertising effectiveness and behavioural intentions is assessed when involvement with the product is introduced as a direct covariant effect, rather than as a moderator. Advertising effectiveness is assessed through attitude towards the ad and advertising cognition. Advertising media type combined with age is tested as a moderating variable (younger/digital vs. older/traditional). With a sample of n = 307 consumers, a structural statistical path model is implemented to empirically test the hypotheses. It is found that involvement has an effect on attitude towards the ad and on ad cognition. Thus, it is established that the ad cognition variable, rather than attitude towards the ad, has a strong statistical effect on behavioural intentions. The model suggests that the level of the consumer’s attention to the ad depends on her/his degree of involvement with the product. Also, the evidence tends to indicate that the cognitive process through which the consumer builds purchase intentions is similar in both communication channels irrespective of age difference.

This study assesses the impact of daily tour service quality on tourist satisfaction and behavioural intentions in an island context. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the analysis of data collected from 195 participating in a daily tour to Isla de la Plata (Ecuador) showed that all the services examined (transportation by boat, food and beverage, tourist guide and visits) had a significant direct impact on tour satisfaction, having the transportation the highest impact. Moreover, the indirect effect of the daily tours services on behavioural intentions mediated by the satisfaction with the tour was also significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study investigated the relationship between visitors' behavioural intentions (ex-post) and their motives (ex-ante) for attending a jazz festival. The aim was to discover whether a music festival brings additional intangible benefits. The research followed a quantitative approach by conducting a visitor survey at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in South Africa. Structural Equation Modelling showed that music festivals have the potential to create benefits beyond the festival itself or the host destination, particularly fostering an appreciation of a music genre, increasing purchasing of music, and boosting music tourism. The findings showed that a music festival could have far-reaching benefits that can contribute to its legacy. It also showed that visitors' motives have a unique relationship with their behavioural intentions, which emphasizes the need to market the festival accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Arts Management is the property of International Journal of Arts Management and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Repeat tourism represents a viable source market that provides a steady source of income for tourism managers. Specifically, only those destinations can rely on repeat tourism to survive in potentially difficult political, environmental or economic conditions who were classed as mature by Richard Butler in his concept of tourism areas cycle (TALC) in 1980. Although research confirms that tourists' previous visitation influences their image perceptions and intention to frequent a destination, limited studies have aimed to identify these implications for sustainable development; specifically, how destinations can develop sustainably to attract and target tourists that are both financially and environmentally viable. This literature gap provides the impetus for this research note. Based on a sample of repeat tourists to South Africa (n = 337), four destination image factors were identified. The two factors, professionalism and experiential, contributed the most destination image variance for repeat South African tourists and also significantly predicted most of their behavioural intentions (i.e. repurchase intentions). Consequently, to develop a potentially sustainable market (e.g. repeat business travel) for a mature destination (South Africa), a focus on professionalism and providing an experience that encompasses the experiential factor items (i.e. fun and enjoyment) will entice positive behavioural intentions such as loyalty and positive word-of-mouth communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]