Business Commons^™

Travel Motivations And Constraints Of Solo Women Travelers In Turkey, Egemen G. Tukenmez

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

Developments in the field of technology and transportation have accelerated people to travel and encourage consuming tourism products. For this reason, interest of people for individual travels increases year by year along with package tours. Solo travel, which has important parts of individual travel, is one of the crucial elements in travel industry. An important part of this travel is composed by women. Women interest travel solo with different motivations. In this way, they tend to consume different types of touristic products. However, travel constraints that experienced during solo travels affect satisfaction level of solo women travelers. For this reason, …

The Importance Of Gamification On Motivation Of Hotel Employees, Abdullah Birtek, Oguz Colak, Onur Gulbahar, Omer Sarac

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

Hotel establishments, have a labor intensive nature, are required to meet the needs of their customers by making optimum use of their human resources in order to gain a competitive advantage in the markets in which they operate. With this approach, many hotels try to increase their employees’ motivation by satisfying the various needs of their employees in order to retain their existing workforce. Highly motivated employees, whose wishes and needs are met, use their knowledge and skills to achieve the goals set by the hotel managements and play an important role in the hotels’ competitive advantage. This superior performance …

Digitalizing Business Structure And Remote Working: A Qualitative Data Analysis, Songul Gokhan, Omur N. Timurcanday Ozmen

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

With the digitalizing business structure and the transition to the remote working model, many changes have been experienced in working life. We have entered a period in which workflows are carried out away from the workplace via e-mail and social networks, virtual meetings using digital technologies. While the workflows are carried out through digital technologies, individuals encounter many problems such as the conditions of the house in the background, the number of crowds in the house, the number of children, the focusing problems caused by noise, productivity, performance, work-life balance, motivation, social isolation and loneliness, physical and mental health problems. …

Tourist Accommodation Demand Vs. Blue Flag Award: Review And A Simple Empirical Approach To Bivariate Trends In The South-East Of Spain, Javier Alarcon

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

An analytical review of the literature on the effect of the Blue Flag eco-label on tourism demand reveals clear divergences. Certain free sources provide valuable panel data to study trends over time in Blue Flag awards to beaches, on one side, and the demand for accommodation in bathing season, on the other. These data also serve as a basis for the construction of correlation models, such as the simple approach tested here in a representative territory of sun&beach tourism, on the south and east coasts of Spain. As a result, these two variables follow a similar trend, and the Blue …

A Study On The Effect Of Emotional Efforts Of Academicians In Tourism Departments On Job Stress, Hasan O. Seyhanlioglu, Sevki Ulema

Journal of Mediterranean Tourism Research

The aim of this study is to examine the emotional labor and job stress levels of tourism academicians who train sector managers. The t-test and One-Way ANOVA analysis were conducted to determine whether there is a difference between the quantitative data collected from 346 individuals working as academicians in tourism departments operating in Turkey and the demographic characteristics of the variables. In addition, explanatory factor analysis was performed for the emotional labor scale. As a result, it has been observed that the stress level is high in academicians who have just started their profession.

Interlocking Directorates: How Interpersonal Relationships Build Corporate Boards, Matthew A. Forrester

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an inductive network analysis research design, this dissertation seeks to understand the influence of the interlocking directorate networks on the selection of directors. Its intent is to understand both what the individual and organizational factors are and how those factors influence selection. A practice-inspired method was developed heavily influenced by my two decades within the United States Intelligence Community to create a common network structure to define an individual director’s relationship to a board in a given year. Then using manual approaches, I developed the networks of directors that form interlocking directorates from that network structure. I analyzed these …

Does Time Equal Money? Temporal Discounting And Self-Control: Insight Into The Rationality Of Personal Financial Decision-Making, Joshua Epstein

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Exponential and hyperbolic intertemporal choice models have been widely investigated to measure an individual’s degree of impulsivity in behavioral economics. Hyperbolic discounting research identifies subject’s disproportionately high subjective value to immediate rewards, to the extent that it is not in their best interest. Furthermore, preference reversals have shown subjective value demonstrates an inversely relationship proportional to delay.

Investigation into whether visual representations influence conservative personal finance savings behavior was demonstrated in this study by presenting a multitude of visualizations before allocation of limited monetary resources. Evaluation of the neighbor effect was tested to determine whether comparing individuals to their peers …

Building A Mentor-Mentee Maturity Model, Leroy A. Alexander

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an exploratory, qualitative, traditional dissertation, this study proposes a framework for mentoring within federal government contractor firms. It seeks to understand how government contract firms draw value from their mentorship experiences and which aspects of mentorship programs are more important for this market segment. Two key issues have been identified: (1) government contractor firms are applying incompatible mentorship frameworks; and (2) managers responsible for developing their organizations’ capabilities through the implementation of mentoring programs are unaware of the characteristics unique to work groups within their firms. Observance of a federal government contractor firm struggling to implement a mentorship program, …

Make The Effort, Take The Time: A Qualitative Study Of Inclusive Managerial Interactions At A Canadian Energy Company, Gregory M. Kober

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Workplace inclusion both maximizes the benefits of a diverse workforce and simultaneously reduces its negative consequences. However, a majority of the inclusion research takes an explicit or implicit management-focused perspective. This is problematic because management has more power than employees and executives are usually exemplars of the dominant organizational culture. In order to be more holistic, inclusion research should be much more deeply informed by a subordinate-centered understanding of workplace inclusiveness. Those with less power, those who are minoritized, and those who are marginalized have critical perspectives that must be brought to bear on the construct of workplace inclusivity.

This …

Essays On Contributions In Social Knowledge-Sharing Platforms And Their Impact On Employee Performance And Job Mobility, Moe Esmaeili

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the interest of practitioners and managers in social networking applications and social knowledge-sharing has increased. While these platforms allow individuals to collaborate, form/maintain social ties, and share/receive knowledge and expertise, and share/receive knowledge/expertise, they also provide a unique collaborative environment for organizations, enabling leaders to promote communication and collaboration among employee silos, engage them with others, and promote corporate core values once adopted internally.

Despite increasing efforts by scholars to uncover the underlying factors that influence members' participation in such platforms, there is still a lack of understanding of the fundamental motivating factor for such contributions and …

Designation, Stagnation, And Representation: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Self-Perception Of Power Among Ncaa Division I Senior Woman Administrators, Tayler M. Onion

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite significant growth and advancement for women and girls participating in sports, we have not seen the same trend for women in leadership roles in athletics – even with the introduction of the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) designation. The SWA designation was implemented in 1989 to ensure that at least one woman would be involved with the leadership of athletic departments following the NCAA’s takeover of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) in 1981. Confusion and misperceptions have surrounded the role, and, as a result, impacted the women who serve in it. This study’s phenomenological design aimed to …

Essays In Political Insider Trading, Jan Hanousek Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine senators’ stock transactions, filled both electronically and on paper, between 2012 and 2020 to assess the extent of politicians’ insider trading and its impact on the market. The results suggest that senators use inside political information when investing. I find that both the estimated realized returns and buy-and-hold market abnormal returns are positive and significant. The extent of returns depends on the various personal characteristics of senators. Furthermore, there is evidence that senators attempt to obscure their more profitable trades, further suggesting that they use inside information when trading.

To extend traditional return-based methods, I …

Predicting Intentions To Continue Using Travel Apps In The Post Covid-19 Crisis, Ahmed C. Bouarar, Smail Mouloudj, Asma Makhlouf, Kamel Mouloudj

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

In the era of information technology and the Internet, travel apps have become a significant element influencing modern travel behavior. However, research in this context remains limited in the tourism literature. This paper aimed to investigate the factors that influence intentions to continue using travel apps in the post-COVID-19 crisis in Algeria. A convenience sample of 380 Algerian tourists was surveyed, and a total of 244 questionnaires were collected over three months. The method used to test the proposed hypotheses empirically was the multiple regression analysis using SPSS 26. Results showed that attitude, perceived behavior control (PBC), degree of satisfaction, …

Examining The Impact Of Work-Family Conflict On Organizational Commitment: Study Of Higher Education Sector In Northern Cyprus, Dilem Dana

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study examined the impact of work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC) on two forms of organizational commitment, namely affective commitment and continuance commitment on full-time academic staff of two universities in Northern Cyprus. Two main theories have been tested in the current study; one for Organizational commitment and one for Work-Family Conflict Concept. The organizational commitment has been operationalized by the Three Component Model by Meyer and Allen (1991) and work-family conflict concept (WFCC) has been operationalized by the integrative model of Gutek et al. (1991). An addition to that, social identity theory has been used as an …

A Scientometric Review Of Artificial Intelligence In Tourism (2000-2021), Rujun Wang, Yu Mu, Ying Huang

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

With the increase in the combination of artificial intelligence and the service industry, many applications of artificial intelligence in tourism have been gradually spawned. However, most of the existing research focuses on the algorithms and models of artificial intelligence, and few scholars have systematically reviewed the intersection of tourism and artificial intelligence, this study is based on scientometric, reviewing and sorting out 2689 relevant literature published in 2000-2021, and achieving the three purposes of status carding, hot spot snooping and trend prediction. First, through the participating locations, institutions and authors of collaborative networks, the main sources of AI-related research in …

The Effect Of Covid- 19 Pandemic Process On Social Psychology And Nature-Based Therapeutic Activities, Aysun Yalvac, Esmahan Yalcin, Murad A. Kasalak

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Today, many scientists have stated that the use of nature-based products and activities at certain rates together with the healing effect of modern medical techniques during the epidemic that affects the whole world has health-supporting benefits. Based on these views, people's consumption of products obtained from natural resources has increased and the interest in outdoor activities in nature has increased. Due to the positive effects of these activities on mental health, socialization and rehabilitation processes, over time, it became necessary to consider these activities within the scope of therapeutic recreation applied to groups with health restrictions such as the disabled, …

The Village Law In Indonesia As Mechanism To Support Decentralisation In Tourism, Masrura R. Idjal

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study aims to evaluate the mechanism of Indonesia's village-level tourist planning and development decision-making process following the adoption of the Village Law (Law No. 6 of 2014). The Village Law aimed to alter the concept of authority, how villages developed, including in terms of tourism. The village Law is a component of Indonesia's decentralized governance structure, which has been in place for the past 20 years. Decentralization is the process by which national government functions such as administration, financing, and authority are transferred to local governments. The Village Law was enacted to give the village government greater power, authority, …

Possibilities Of Using Neuromarketing Tools In The Hospitality Industry, Serdar Bulbul

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Usage of neurosciences in social sciences has emerged new perspectives and methods for marketing and tourism marketing. Neuro-marketing and Neuro-tourism are some of those concepts. In the hospitality industry, marketing is in a complex state because the decision-making processes of the guests are unpredictable. For this reason, hotel managements are unable to satisfy guest’s requests and demands with traditional methods. Therefore, Neuro-marketing has importance because this new way of marketing has a high chance to replace currently used methods. Usage of Neuro-marketing in the hospitality industry could satisfy the guest requests while generating new marketing perspectives on hotel management. This …

Using Online Reviews To Identify How Hotels Can Satisfy Travelers With Pets While Making Money, Sonia Weinhaus

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A Qualitative Content Analysis of user generated content in the form of online reviews reveals an opportunity for hotels to better serve Travelers With Pets and collect partitioned fees. Examining more than 3,000 reviews of 92 hotels from five geographical regions of the United States identifies how to close the gap between what customers want and what hotels offer. This study derives the Minimum and Maximum Typologies of pet policy structures from the coding of online reviews. Travelers With Pets are willing to pay partitioned fees if the fee is viewed as fair. Improving saliency of pet fees is revenue …

Microbusinesses Practices During Disruptor Events: Perceptions, Adaptations, And Performance, Debra Lynn Frank

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During COVID-19 closures, business owners and managers experienced a disruptor event that pushed them to find new ways to navigate their businesses practices. The purpose of this qualitative study was to learn how business owners and managers adapt their business models to survive disruptor events. The objective was identification of factors owners and managers of microbusinesses perceived as critical to avoiding closures, assessment of the effectiveness of the adaptations adopted during closures that enabled businesses to remain open, and analysis of the results of those adaptations. Owners and managers of businesses in the craft brewing industry were interviewed. The four …

Deceptive Appeals And Cognitive Influences Used In Fraudulent Scheme Sales Pitches, Rafael J. Toledo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fraud schemes exploit the complex interplay that results from utilizing deceptive appeals to activate underlying cognitive influences. This study was designed, first, to identify the deceptive appeals present in the messaging of fraudulent schemes and, second, to identify the underlying cognitive influences being exploited by the deceptive appeals utilized. Findings reveal that effectively used deceptive appeals work to keep viewers’ mental processes in a state of cognitive ease. This state allows cognitive influences--such as heuristics, cognitive biases, and the System 1 mind--to remain in control of mental processing; however, System 1 is prone to accept deceptive beliefs. The results of …

A Residents’ Lens To Community Wellbeing, Sarah Combs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite its location just a few miles from the burgeoning University of South Florida, the University Area Community (UAC) is considered a severely economically disadvantaged neighborhood. When compared to its surrounding counties, the UAC experiences heightened unemployment and poverty rates in conjunction with a significantly lower median income and rate of homeownership. This study utilized a research method of Narrative Inquiry as told through Qualitative Research to gain a better understanding of the UAC residents’ lived experiences and of how community change agents could succeed in impacting community wellbeing in areas like affordable housing, resident employment, and resident engagement. The …

Foreign Language Education Perception Of Tourist-Guidance Students As A Factor In Intercultural Communication, Bekir Esitti

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Tourist guidance higher education is designed to provide a variety of intercultural knowledge and experiences for students. Intercultural communication covers tourists from different cultures interacting with their guides, sending and receiving messages to each other, creating meaning and making meanings common. In this context, the ease of communication provided by the proficiency obtained through foreign language education is essential for tourist guidance students who are candidate guides to overcome the intercultural communication problems they will encounter in the profession. In the study, open-ended questions about intercultural communication experiences and the relationship between foreign language education and intercultural communication were asked …

Examining The Websites Of Fine Dining Restaurants Within The Framework Of Web-Based Marketing: Sample Of The World’S 50 Best Restaurants, Duran Cankul, Batuhan Aktepe

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

In this research, it is aimed to examine the websites of the world's best 50 restaurants within the scope of web-based marketing. In the research conducted for this purpose, the document analysis technique, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used. According to the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants, one of the most important restaurant rating systems in the world, the first 50 restaurants were included in the research. Content analysis was applied to the data obtained in the research. In the research, it was concluded that the websites were created under the headings of communication, …

The Effect Of Organizational Change On Organizational Commitment, Ali Sukru Cetinkaya, Shafiq Habibi

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Change is an ongoing process of renewing the structures, directions, and capabilities of the organizations to adapt to the variable needs of customers, employees, and the marketplace. Thus, organization needs to change in order to stay in the market. Change process will be smoothed by employee’s commitment. There is a strong need to examine the effects of organizational change on organizational commitment. In this quantitative research, survey technique was used as a data collection tool. It employs the scale developed by Meyer and Allen (2004) for organizational commitment. Items used for organizational change have been adapted from scales created by …

A Literature Review On Tourism Studies Based On Technology Acceptance Model (2000-2021), Yakup K. Ozekici

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Although there is ample research on technology acceptance model from both out of tourism (Marangunić & Granić, 2015) and tourism literature (Pourfakhimi et al., 2019). There is no paper explicating how the TAM have been addressed in tourism and hospitality literature to guide researchers in accelerating theoretical advancement and help tourism professionals in designing creative solutions. Thus, it is the aim of this study to unfold progress of TAM in tourism and hospitality literature through overviewing it. To fulfil this aim, 145 quantitative papers based their theoretical framework on TAM, published at journals involved within SSCI, ESCI or Scopus indexes …

Examining Social Media Views On Post-Pandemic Tourism Rebuilding: The Case Of Twitter, Muharrem Tuna, Nilgun Demirel Ili, Onur Celen

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

The world is trying to keep up with the COVID-19 pandemic's new normal conditions. The ongoing pandemic has adversely affected global tourism sectors and their activities like all sectors. Institutions and organizations in various countries, especially UNWTO, are taking initiatives to ensure the recovery of the tourism sector, which has been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the case study design, one of the qualitative analysis methods, was used to examine the views on social media activity (motivation) that occurred for the resumption of tourism. In the study, the effects of the pandemic on tourism were determined and a …

Geriatric-Tourism, Pmr, And Thermal Treatments In The Third Age, Ozge Buyuk, Gulsah Akkus

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This study aims to reveal the situation of geriatric-tourism (gerontourism) in Turkey with longitudinal data obtained from digital and social media. As a result of the study i) geriatric-tourists visiting Turkey mostly benefit from thermal treatments in complementary medicine and PMR in traditional medicine, and also resort to hair transplantation among aesthetic interventions, ii) they come mostly from Iraq and Libya (Middle East), Germany (Europe), Azerbaijan (the Turkic Republics), and Ukraine and Russia (CIS), iii) they mostly prefer big cities such as Izmir, Ankara, Istanbul, Antalya, Bursa, iv) motivation factors are cost, thermal resource richness, medical service quality and additional …

The Influence Of Demographic Characteristics On Satisfaction With Adventure Tourism Experience, Tahir Albayrak

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Although the researchers extensively investigate white-water rafting as an adventure tourism type, little is known about the influence of participants’ demographic characteristics on the formation of rafting satisfaction. This study examines the influences of gender, marital status, age, and previous experience on overall satisfaction with the rafting experience by using data obtained from 319 German tourists, who participated in white-water rafting on holiday. Research results revealed that the respondents’ ages and previous experiences significantly contribute to their overall satisfactions with rafting experience. The findings of this study give comprehensive insights to scholars and practitioners targeting to identify white-water rafting participants’ …

Positive Influences Of Covid-19 On Local Touristic Sites: The Role Of Country Image In Stimulating Tourism In Jordan And India, Nadine Khair, Vimal C. Verma, Sara El-Deeb

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Tourism took one of the hardest hits during COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Jordan and India, as they are tourism-dependent countries. Despite the restrictions that followed the pandemic, this study identifies the positive influence that this may have caused in enhancing local tourism. The study employed qualitative research methodology in which a sample of 30 interviews were conducted using convenience sampling technique in India and Jordan. Data was analysed using the thematic analysis. Results suggest that countries that have positive country image during the pandemic, may motivate civilians participate in domestic tourism resulting in improving local economy. The issue addressed is …