Business Commons^™

Circumstantial Impact Of Contact On Social Distance, Semih S. Yilmaz, Asli D.A. Tasci

Dr. Asli Tasci

Despite its century long existence, social distance is still a rare area of investigation in the tourism and hospitality context. In particular, there is a lack of attention on the empirical investigations about the relationship between contact and social distance in host–guest relations in a tourism setting. Hence, the purpose of this study is to determine whether there is such a relationship between social distance and different contact factors (previous visits and close friendships). An on-site survey on tourists and locals at a popular tourist destination, Mugla, in Turkey revealed partial support for these relationships under certain circumstances. Implications and …

A World Ranking Of The Top 100 Hospitality And Tourism Programs, Denver Severt, Dana Tesone, Tim Bottorff, Monica Carpenter

Tim Bottorff

The article provides an analysis of scholarly contributions to 11 hospitality and tourism refereed journals for the years 2002 to 2006. It presents the top 100 programs as ranked by instances of publications across 11 journals for a recent 5-year period. For the 5-year period, results indicate The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the top position based on sums of instances, authors, and articles. Second, the researchers updated, modified, and extended a previous study published by the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research for similar information for the years 1992 to 2001. Following the update, an additional 15-year aggregate snapshot …

The Model Of Network Carriers' Strategic Decision Making With Low-Cost Carrier Entry, Tamilla Curtis, Dawna Rhoades

Dr. Tamilla Curtis

"After deregulation in the United States in 1978, airlines faced intense competition on previously regulated routes. The proponents of deregulation stated that equilibrium in the industry would be achieved by providing lower fares and improved service (Daraban and Fournier, 2008). While this became true to some extent, the airline network in the U.S. was dominated by the hub-and-spoke system and concentrated in the hands of few large airlines. The emergence of the Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) model, which originated in the U.S. through Southwest Airlines in the early 1970s, became an instrument to drive the airlines towards a competitive equilibrium. The …

The Model Of Network Carriers' Strategic Decision Making With Low-Cost Carrier Entry, Tamilla Curtis, Dawna Rhoades

Dr. Tamilla Curtis

No abstract provided.

Inhibitors To Host Community Participation In Sustainable Tourism Development In Developing Countries, Akhmad Saufi, Danny O'Brien, Hugh Wilkins

Danny O'Brien

The involvement of host communities (or destination residents), particularly in developing countries, is critical to the success of tourism development and to the creation of a “Just Destination”. This paper investigates host community perceptions about obstacles to their participation in tourism development in Lombok, Indonesia, providing new insights into institutional influences on tourism opportunities and issues. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques targeted separate groups of destination residents who live in a developed tourism destination, a less developed tourism destination, a remote rural village far away from tourism destinations, as well as a group of university students. Data were collected through …

Benchmarking’ The Benchmarks: How Do Risk-Adjusted Returns Of Australian Mutual Funds And Indexes Measure Up?, Bruce Costa, Keith Jakob, Scott Niblock, Elisabeth Sinnewe

Dr Elisabeth Sinnewe

The primary aim of this study is to investigate whether equity fund managers are selecting appropriate self-nominated benchmark indexes for their funds. Specifically, we examine the performance of active Australian equity mutual funds and whether they demonstrate similar return performance and risk characteristics to their nominated benchmark indexes (for example, ASX 200 or ASX 300) from 2008 to 2012. Our findings suggest that active Australian equity fund managers do not outperform their self-specified capitalization indexes after risk and management fees and transaction costs. Further, managers appear to select stocks that are representative of investment characteristics associated with broad-based capitalization indexes. …

Strategies For Adopting Consumer-Generated Media In Small-Sized To Medium-Sized Tourism Enterprises, Stephen Burgess, Carmine Sellitto, Carmen Cox, Jeremy Buultjens

Carmen Cox

Consumer-generated media (CGM) are created when consumers submit, review or respond to online content. The bulk of research into CGM has focussed upon its use by consumers, with less research examining the use of CGM by small businesses. This article discusses small business sector use of online technologies such as CGM, concentrating on tourism small businesses as a key industry sector affected by CGM activities. A CGM ‘strategy’ framework, developed from an existing small business strategy framework, is proposed. This serves as a practical tool for developing CGM strategies and as a theoretical foundation for conducting research into the use …

Consumer Experiences Of Accommodation Deals Purchased Via Social Coupon Promotions: An Australian Perspective, Carmen Cox

Carmen Cox

The growing popularity of social coupons presents new marketing opportunities for the travel industry, with accommodation properties promoting deals to entice new visitors through the promise of a highly discounted stay. While their popularity has been well determined, little is known about the experience of guests who have purchased via these deals. This article explores guests’ evaluations of Australian accommodation properties by travelers who purchased their accommodation through daily deals, otherwise known as “social coupons.” A qualitative analysis of approximately 500 online reviews from travelers who had purchased an accommodation “daily deal” reveals 11 key themes in their poststay evaluations. …

Air Service Liberalization: China And Its Top Destinations, Tamilla Curtis, John Ledgerwood, Blaise Waguespack

Dr. Tamilla Curtis

Social Pressure And Underlying Profit Disclosure Quality, Elisabeth Sinnewe, Jennifer Harrison

Dr Elisabeth Sinnewe

This study investigates compliance with voluntary underlying profit-reporting guidelines in Australia. Underlying profits are a modification of the statutory profit figure, arguably to reflect the result for ongoing business activities. Such profit figures are known by many names, including ‘pro-forma earnings’, ‘alternative earnings’ and ‘adjusted earnings’. It is argued that adoption of voluntary underlying profit-reporting guidelines promotes higher disclosure quality by increasing transparency and consistency. In accordance with Legitimacy and Institutional Theories, disclosure quality is expected to have a positive association with the extent of social pressure to which a firm is subjected. Extent of social pressure is proxied by …

A Study Of Web 2.0 Tourism Sites: A Usability And Web Features Perspective, Carmen Sellitto, Stephen Burgess, Carmen Cox, Jeremy Buultjens

Carmen Cox

The term Web 2.0 was coined around 2004 and was used to describe more interactive types of websites developed after the dot-com crash. An important characteristic of Web 2.0 sites is premised on being able to incorporate various technologies and applications within the site to enhance functionality. This enhanced functionality is primarily associated with such sites being able to publish and display diverse content - content that is user-contributed, or where the site might draw information synergistically from a third party. This increased functionality potentially affects two traditional areas of website implementation. Firstly, the embedding of applications within a website …

Cattle Ranchers And Agritourism In Oregon, Usa: Motivations, Challenges And Opportunities From The Landowner's Perspective, Fernanda Pegas, Claudia Ollenburg, Joanne Tynon

Claudia Ollenburg

Cattle ranches are cultural icons in many countries. Still, high costs to maintain ranches may force some ranchers to sell their operation. One income alternative is to diversify into agritourism. Empirical research on ranch agritourism is scarce. This study provides an overview of, and assesses the motivations for, and challenges to diversifying into agritourism from the ranchers’ perspective. A survey of 400 Oregon ranchers in 2003 found that 21% of 177 respondents promoted agritourism and that it contributed 8% to their annual household income compared to an 84% contribution from livestock production. Working on the ranch and hunting / fishing …

Tacit Knowledge Transfer: Cross Cultural Adventure, Ralf Buckley, Claudia Ollenburg

Claudia Ollenburg

We show here that adventure tourism leads to transfer of tacit knowledge between international visitors and local residents in developing destinations; and that motivations for the locals include money and employment, social capital, and individual enjoyment. Over the past half century, adventure tourism has grown from decentralised domestic outdoor recreation, to a large international commercial industry. Many tours bring urban clients from developed nations to rural areas in developing nations, where there are icon sites for specific adventure activities (Buckley, 2010).

Marketing The Adventure: Utilizing The Aspects Of Risk/Fear/Thrill To Target The Youth Traveller Segment, Fabian Schlegelmilch, Claudia Ollenburg

Claudia Ollenburg

Purpose – This research aims to investigate the importance of emotional appeals like risk/fear/thrill as main motivation to take part in adventure activities, and their possible utilisation in viral marketing. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative and qualitative research methods have been applied. Findings – The results confirm that facing fear or challenge, leading to being intrinsically rewarded, is a main motivator. However, the aspect of fun is still fundamentally important to each activity. The youth traveller market is generally extremely responsive to viral marketing, which (through wording and visuals) creates an image of a ‘‘life-changing experience’’, ‘‘thrilling adventure’’, and similar. Originality/value – …

The Dollars And Sense Of Coastal Valuation In Australia, David Anning, Geoff Withycombe, Dale Dominey-Howes, Michael Raybould

Michael Raybould

No abstract provided.

Beach And Surf Tourism And Recreation In Australia: Vulnerability And Adaptation, Michael Raybould, David Anning, Dan Ware, Neil Lazarow

Michael Raybould

No abstract provided.

Beach, Sun And Surf Tourism, Neil Lazarow, Michael Raybould, David Anning

Michael Raybould

Beaches are arguably the most valuable of coastal tourism assets. Around beaches, communities develop and tourism markets expand, often resulting in intimate human interaction with diverse environments. This chapter provides an overview of economic research on beach and surf recreation and tourism in existing and expanding markets, including a description of the techniques most commonly used to estimate the economic impact and value of beach recreation and some of the challenges around developing accurate estimates of use and value. Better understanding of the drivers and values for beach and surf tourism is an important consideration for optimal management of coastal …

A Travel Cost Model Of Local Residents' Beach Recreation Values On The Gold Coast, Michael Raybould, Neil Lazarow, David Anning, Dan Ware, Boyd Blackwell

Michael Raybould

The beach is generally recognised as the most important recreation amenity in the region for Gold Coast residents, as well as tourists. However, there is very little data to support the role that this amenity plays in the life of over 500,000 (ABS 2011) Gold Coast residents. This paper reports the results of a survey that set out to collect data from Gold Coast residents regarding their beach use and the values they associate with the beach, and to develop estimates of the economic value of the beach to residents. A mail survey of 8,000 households resulted in 1,862 responses. …

Beaches As Societal Assets: Council Expenditure, Recreational Returns, And Climate Change, Boyd Blackwell, Michael Raybould, Neil Lazarow

Michael Raybould

Drawing on expenditure and survey data from the Gold and Sunshine Coasts in Queensland, Australia, this chapter compares expenditures on beaches relative to their recreational benefits. Beaches are found to be exceptional investments. The comparison of the two councils also provides insights into their relative capacity to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. The Gold Coast can rely to some extent on historical large investments in infrastructure to defend itself against change. In contrast, the Sunshine Coast has more options which may lower the cost of adaptation e.g., it can rely more heavily on retreating from change in …

Is A Wide Beach More Valuable? -The Impact Of The Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypass Project On Nearby Property, Dan Ware, David Anning, Michael Raybould, Neil Lazarow, Rodger Tomlinson

Michael Raybould

No abstract provided.

Estimating Consumer Surplus Values For Beach Recreation In Australia Using Travel Cost Methods, Michael Raybould, David Anning, Dan Ware, Neil Lazarow

Michael Raybould

No abstract provided.

Does Providing More Prompts In Visitor Expenditure Surveys Result In Higher Reported Expenditure?, Mike Raybould, Liz Fredline

Michael Raybould

It has been claimed that providing more prompts or categories in the expenditure module of a visitor survey should assist respondents to recall their expenditure more accurately though this does not appear to have been supported by the few field tests conducted to date. This paper describes an experimental examination of the effects on reported expenditure of providing additional cues in the expenditure module of an event visitor survey. In this study aggregate and disaggregate formats result in significant differences in reported expenditure in key expenditure categories. In the context of the total survey error model it considers the trade‐off …

Which Farmers Turn To Tourism? A Continental-Scale Analysis, Claudia Ollenburg, Ralf Buckley

Claudia Ollenburg

Many urban tourists like to visit farms, but only some farm landholders offer tourism accommodation and activities. Their motivations have been explored previously in several countries, using stated-preference approaches. Here we report the first continental-scale revealed-preference analysis, which yields significant additional information and insights. Using multiple data sources, we inventoried, mapped and characterized all known Australian farm tourism enterprises, and examined patterns using both size-based and multi-criterion classifications. There are clusters of farm tourism enterprises close to cities and gateways, and isolated operations in more remote areas. We identified four groups: full-time, part-time, retirement and lifestyle operators. Characteristics of the …

Trends And Lags In The Use Of Ecotourism Terminology In The Scholarly And Popular Press, Ralf Buckley, Claudia Ollenburg

Claudia Ollenburg

Whilst the term ecotour was first coined half a century ago, it did not gain significant currency in the academic tourism literature until the 1990s (Weaver and Lawton 2007). Though a much contested concept in a technical sense, it has found considerable favour in political debate, albeit often in ways which do not mesh well with scholarly definitions (Weaver and Lawton 2007). In recent years, a number of parallel or similar terms have also gained in popularity. These include product-based concepts such as nature-based tourism, management-based concepts such as sustainable tourism, and socially based concepts such as responsible tourism. It …

Best Practice Marketing For Regional Tourism Destinations, Carmen Cox, Meredith Wray

Carmen Cox

This article reports on destination marketing best practices from 21 regional destinations around Australia. The results advocate an integrative approach to destination marketing that aligns with destination management and development objectives. From this, a framework is developed, within which nine best practice principles are identified as essential to successful and sustainable marketing of regional destinations. The key initiatives used to achieve success are discussed in detail, highlighting the need for destination stakeholders to foster a cooperative and strategic approach and ensure consistent design and delivery of a destination brand and image which is supported by tactical advertising and promotional strategies, …

Beach And Surf Tourism And Recreation In Australia: Vulnerability And Adaptation, Dan Ware, Michael Raybould, Neil Lazarow, David Anning

Michael Raybould

No abstract provided.

Understanding Chinese Diners In An Overseas Context: A Cultural Perspective, Rui Hoare, Danny O'Brien, Ken Butcher

Danny O'Brien

With increasing numbers of Chinese tourists dining overseas, understanding the cultural perspective of Chinese diners would appear essential to international restaurateurs. Thus, this study identifies a set of core Chinese values that is salient in the overseas dining context. Phenomenological in-depth interviews were used to collect data from a onvenience sample of 20 Chinese diners. Face, trustworthiness, and harmony were identified as the three core values. In addition, group membership was found to interact with face and trustworthiness in this context. These findings provide a deeper understanding of Chinese diners in overseas dining contexts and hold significance for both practitioners …

Combining Education And Experience: Building Beneficial Relationships With College Hospitality Programs, Paul Stansbie, S Rood, K Jack

Paul Matthew Stansbie

No abstract provided.

Using Personalities As A Viable Option For The Development Of Niche Tourism, Paul Stansbie, R Nash

Paul Matthew Stansbie

No abstract provided.

Exploring Technology As An Experiential Learning Tool, Paul Stansbie

Paul Matthew Stansbie

No abstract provided.