Business Commons^™

A Strategic Audit Of Seaworld, Rachel Jendro

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This project is a strategic audit for SeaWorld Entertainment. The purpose of this report is to analyze the firm through multiple different perspectives and analyze the competitive advantage the business is pursuing. The project considers internal and external environments, strategic leadership, organizational structure, and resources to determine if and what type of competitive advantage the firm holds. Furthermore, it considers current events and strategic decisions, and how those relate to the overall strategy. A strategic audit is crucial to understanding the innerworkings of a firm. The factors that were analyzed are interconnected and performing a strategic audit can allow for …

Emotions, Feelings, And Moods In Tourism And Hospitality Research: Conceptual And Methodological Differences, Maksim Godovykh, Asli Tasci

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Researchers often tend to use the words emotions, feelings, moods, and affect interchangeably, which creates confusion in both conceptual and methodological domains of tourism and hospitality research. However, the insights from neuroscience and psychology demonstrated that there are fundamental differences between these concepts, including their causes, duration, intensity, and outcomes. This research note aims to discuss conceptual and methodological aspects related to using emotions, moods, feelings, and affect, provide comprehensive definitions, and outline opportunities to capture them comprehensively in tourism and hospitality research.

Covid-19 And Canine Travelers: Determining Likelihood To Travel With Dogs, Angela Rowan

All Theses

During the Covid-19 pandemic, dog adoption rates skyrocketed, restaurants focused on outdoor seating, and travelers pivoted away from tightly packed planes out of safety concerns. This study surveyed dog owners in the United States to determine whether pet attachment levels could predict dog owners’ likelihood of traveling with their dogs. In addition, it used Um and Crompton’s (1992) facilitators and inhibitors to establish how different factors affect a dog owner’s likelihood of traveling with their dog. These facilitators and inhibitors were split into three dimensions: needs satisfaction, social agreement, and travelability. Finally, this study sought to learn what effect the …

Determinants Of Hotel Guests’ Pro-Environmental Behaviour: Past Behaviour As Moderator, Behzad Foroughi, Nanthini Arjuna, Mohammad Iranmanesh, Kavigtha Mohan Kumar, Ming Lang Tseng, Nelson Leung

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study aims to explore the determinants of hotel guests’ pro-environmental behaviour using past behaviour as a moderator. The study used the partial least square technique to analyse data from 322 hotel guests in Malaysia. The findings showed that environmental knowledge, awareness, and concern influenced environmental emotional value. Environmental knowledge and environmental concern influenced environmental social value, whereas environmental awareness did not. Besides, environmental social value was the main factor that encouraged hotel guests’ pro-environmental behaviour and mediates the influences of environmental knowledge and environmental concern on pro-environmental behaviour. Additionally, past behaviour negatively moderated the relationship between environmental social value …

Action Research In Hospitality And Tourism Research, Denise O'Leary, David Coghlan

Books/Book Chapters

In the context of tourism and hospitality studies, the potential of action research for generating robust actionable knowledge has not been yet realized. This chapter provides an account of the theory and practice of action research, demonstrates how it may be designed and implemented, and how it may generate actionable knowledge. It provides illustrative examples and shows how this research approach aligns effectively with some of the themes that currently engage the attention of researchers in the fields of tourism and hospitality such as process improvement, sustainability, and community-based tourism development. Thus, it makes a case for more widespread use …

The Future Of Family-Operated Resort-Destinations, Colton L. Casselman

Political Science Theses and Capstones

The tourism industry, one of the largest in the world, is arguably one of the most volatile industries we look at. Through the varying sub-sectors of tourism, we narrow in on the family resort industry, predominately in the upper Midwest. You may hear me refer to them as Family-Operated-Resort-Destinations, but they serve unique clientele in a unique way. This industry faces immense pressure from mild tax code changes, politicians, DNR regulations, fishing quality, climate change, gas prices, foreign affairs and more. During this paper, I will examine the future of Family-Operated-Resort-Destinations.

The Potential Growth Of Synchronized Skating In The Midwestern Section Of Us Figure Skating, Hanna Marie Fussman

Masters Theses

Synchronized skating, a sport in which eight to twenty skaters perform a program in unison as a team, is the fastest growing yet least known and recognized discipline of figure skating in the United States. Skaters do not have control over whether they are exposed to synchronized skating due to their location not having a team, or due to a coach who has tainted the perception of their students to believe that synchronized skating is not as “worthy” of a discipline, causing them to have little to no interest to take advantage of the exposure and opportunities they may have. …

The Theme Park Throwdown: The Successes And Failures Of Ip-Related Attractions And Expansions In Disney Theme Parks And Strategies For The Future, Aubree Zern

Senior Honors Theses

The Disney brand invokes strong feelings of loyalty from supporters and dissatisfaction from its opponents, and it many facets play an important part in society (Havard et al., 2021). It is certainly true that “the Magical World of Disney remains unsurpassed in terms of brand name recognition, planning complexity, and detailed execution. It is the paradigmatic ideal of how architecture can establish a universe around its landscape” (Dalov, 2019, p.10). For nearly 70 years, the Imagineers cultivated an idea from the mind of one man into a global phenomenon of twelve theme parks and counting (Tang & Iwerks, 2019). The …

Ecotourism Development In The Republic Of Karakalpakstan, Nurzada Atamuratova, Azamat Kudaybergenov, Atabek Alimov

Karakalpak Scientific Journal

The paper examines some theoretical and methodological issues of the development of ecological tourism in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. Presents the problems and ways to solve them, given the tourism potential assessment of Karakalpakstan, including analyze new ecotourism destinations in the Region. This paper examines some theoretical and methodological issues for the development of ecological tourism in the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

An Importance-Performance Analysis Of Local And Destination Visitors To Monocacy National Battlefield, Mckenzie Mosher, Colin Mccormack, Caleb Scruggs, Chris Zajchowski, Jessica Fefer

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The purpose of this study was to understand the evolving visitor experience at Monocacy National Battlefield (MONO) in Fredrick, Maryland and, specifically, the way this National Park Service site serves both its’ destination and local visitors. Using an Importance-Performance Analysis, segmented by visitors’ county of residence, we demonstrate key differences in the visitor experience across visitor type. Following survey design with MONO managers and approval from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, onsite sampling occurred over 21 visitor contact days, stratified by day of the week and time of day, in summer and fall of 2021. 469 visitors were …

Pilgrimage During Covid-19: Impacts, Adaptations, And Recovery, Anne E. Bailey Dr

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Towards the end of 2020, this journal published an issue devoted to the impact of COVID-19. The novel coronavirus was having a devastating effect not only on public health but also on the global religious tourism industry. Places of worship closed, pilgrimage events and activities were cancelled, and travel restrictions limited mobility. A viable vaccination was predicted to be eighteen months away. One contributor even asked, ‘Is this the end of pilgrimage?’

This article re-examines and re-evaluates the impact of COVID-19, taking up some of the themes introduced in the 2020 issue. Focusing on western pilgrimage, with evidence from online …

Social Production And Consumption Of Space: A Lefebvrian Analysis Of The Kumbh Mela, Christine Buzinde, David Manuel-Navarrete, Jyotsna (Josi) M. Kalavar, Neena Kohli

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest pilgrimage gathering on the shores of the River Ganges. Drawing on Lefebvre’s (1991) trialectics of space framework, this paper interrogates the spatial dynamics of the Kumbh Mela through the spatial meanings espoused by local and international pilgrims. Accounting for dominant discourses that frame the event as occurring in and around a sacred waterscape, five focus groups with pilgrims were conducted at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India. The findings indicate that local pilgrims were aware of river pollution, but they used discursive strategies to decouple this material fact from their lived spiritual experiences; from …

The Role Of Spatial Configuration In Enhancing The Environmental Ambiance For Devotional Ecstasy At Temple Towns Of Braj Mandal, Sunanda Kapoor, Vandana Sehgal, Mayank Mathur

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious sites in Braj Mandal, India are visited by millions of pilgrims throughout the year. To meet the growing needs of pilgrims, rapid urbanisation is taking place with the result that there is change in the ancient spatial configuration. This research aims to explore the desired environmental ambiance for enhancing devotional ecstasy. The spatial configuration has been documented through physical mapping and visual preferences have been identified via a pilgrim opinion survey. Conclusions have been drawn regarding the identification of parameters of spatial configuration that enhance the environmental ambience for devotional ecstasy.

Signature Events: The Role Of Representative Major Events For The Branding Of Catholic Pilgrimage Sites (Germany), Markus Hilpert

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

A new trend in destination marketing has been emerging for several years. Instead of many small events, locations rely on one brand-strengthening Signature Event that draws attention to the destination through its uniqueness. Because pilgrimage is arguably the oldest form of mass tourism, places of pilgrimage may have invented such Signature Events to attract devout travellers. If so, signature events at pilgrimage sites are valuable research objects for investigating their success factors. Not only are they the prototypes in which the DNA of Signature Events can be studied, but in many cases, they also had centuries to optimise their experience. …

Environmental Impact Of The Hajj, Abdullah Abonomi, Terry De Lacy, Joanne Pyke

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Every year, millions of Muslim worshippers visit Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj which is the fifth and last pillar of Islam. In 2018, Mecca hosted more than 2,300,000 people from around 183 different countries and cultures. Based on the objective of Vision 2030 of the Saudi Arabian government, the number of pilgrims was planned to grow to 2.5 million in 2020, and the rate of increase was projected to be 13% per year. This goal, however, has not been achieved due to Covid-19. The pandemic forced the government to severely reduce the number of pilgrims in 2020 to …

Holy Week In Spain: Negotiating Meanings In Tourism Contexts, Antonio M. Nogués-Pedregal

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

What is known as religious tourism has experienced spectacular growth in Spain in recent years. To highlight some aspects of the relationship between tourism and religious practices during Holy Week, this paper describes some occurrences involving processions and itineraries, understanding these itineraries to be social ways of creating symbolic spaces within the city layout. The paper analyses the case of a mature coastal tourist destinations in Southern Spain.

There is general agreement among scholars that tourism produces commodification either through the commercialisation of culture by way of its recreation and inclusion in the category ‘heritage’ or through the invention of …

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Independent African Churches (Iacs) In Johannesburg, South Africa, Constance Nyika, Milena Ivanovic, Kevin A. Griffin

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper explores the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the religious tourism activities of the four most prominent Independent Apostolic Churches (IAC) operating in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is an interpretive qualitative research study based on data from 15 telephone-based semi-structured interviews with congregants and church leaders of the Zion Christian Church, Zimbabwe (ZCC Mutendi), The Apostolic Church of Johane Marange, The Apostolic Church of Johane Masowe and Apostolic Faith Church, Mugodhi. Thematic content analysis was used for data analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the religious tourism activities of all four IACs in the study as they …

Socio-Cultural And Economic Impacts Of Religious Festivals On Sustainable Local Community Livelihoods In Kerala: The Case Of Palakkad, Dr. Bindu V T Nair, Aiswarya Babu N

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Festivals depict the heritage, culture, and traditions of a particular region. They create a state of exhilaration and enthusiasm. Kerala is a state in southwest India with its own distinct culture and traditions. The state is also known for its religious pluralism. This study attempts to understand the perceived impact of religious festivals on the local community livelihoods in Palakkad, a district in central Kerala. Twelve temples in which religious festivals are held annually, with attendance in the range of thousands, were selected. The selected temples are famous for hosting specific religious festivals which attract a large number of visitors, …

Ancient Religious Sites As Tools For Sustainable Tourism Development: An Empirical Study In The North Of Bali, I Made Pageh, Putu I. Rahmawati Ph.D, Terry Delacy Prof. Dr., Min Jiang Ph.D

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Bali, a thousand temple island, is an ideal destination for spiritual tourism with magnificent temples containing a variety of unique religious carvings, statues, and ornaments. The beauty of Bali’s religious rituals, social and cultural events, and cultural performances underpin its spiritual tourism. An emerging body of literature has reported spiritual tourism and spiritual tourism is one of the pillars of sustainable tourism development (UNWTO, 2015). Religious tourism is a growing segment with significant economic impacts, however, limited research focuses on developing spiritual tourism and none of this in the North of Bali. This research takes a qualitative case study approach …

Recovery Strategies To Sustain Religious Tourism Post-Covid-19: Evidence From Iran, Moslem Bagheri, Ali Asghar Mobasheri, Amin Nikbakht

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious tourism, as one of the most significant types of tourism, is among the most seriously affected economic sectors worldwide as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This study sought to identify and prioritise the strategies for sustaining post-COVID-19 religious tourism. The study was an applied survey that drew on a mixed research design. The results of the qualitative data analysis obtained through a systematic literature review revealed that the recovery strategies to boost businesses in the field of religious tourism in the post-COVID-19 future could be divided into four main strategies (dimensions) and 24 sub-strategies (criteria). Furthermore, the …

Spiritual Quest In Rural Hungary And Slovakia: Developing An Innovative Thematic Route, Brigitta Pécsek, Denisa Halajova

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The purpose of this study is to present a paper about the design of a themed route through rural areas in Hungary and Slovakia to promote sustainable rural tourism. Rural cemeteries were chosen as a focus because these cemeteries are laden with history, culture and associated narratives, yet there is a paucity of empirical research connecting rural cemeteries to tourism development.

The ten cemeteries were selected based on desk research and field trips, following specific criteria set by the authors, including forest and water resources in the vicinity of the research sites. All of the chosen cemeteries have an enormous …

Developing Halal Tourism: The Case Of Bongo Village, Gorontalo, Indonesia, Ahmad Izudin, Sriharini Sriharini, Latifhul Khuluq

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious tourism is one of the oldest forms of tourism in Indonesia’s Gorontalo Province, which is rapidly growing to be a halal tourism destination. Such a tourism concept has created new products in the industry. However, limited research has curtailed the potential of religious tourism in Gorontalo. As a contribution to the research on religious tourism, this paper explores of religious tourism as a new method to develop Indonesia’s tourism industry. The study uses qualitative methods to review the potential of religious tourism in Gorontalo. The case study was undertaken with in-depth interviews, documentation, and observation to examine the benefits …

Hajj Pilgrims’ Perceptions Of Trust And Internet Use For (Emergency) Information, Sudha Arlikatti, Hassan A. Taibah, Praveen Maghelal, Simon A. Andrew, Saad A. Alkhurayyif

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This empirical study examines the patterns of internet use during Hajj, with the broader aim of providing suggestions on how organisations can improve risk communication at crowded religious venues using traditional and new media. The research team adopted a convenience sampling strategy to conduct in-person surveys of 348 Hajj pilgrims in the vicinity of the Grand Mosque in Madinah, Saudi Arabia during the October 2013 season. Of these, 150 pilgrims used the internet and their responses were analysed using simple descriptive statistics and binary regression analyses. The findings of this study suggest that Hajj pilgrims prefer accessing the internet through …

A Case Study Of Pilgrimage As Experiential Learning: Reflections Of A Buddhist Pilgrim, Yen Ping Ki

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper narrates my learnings as a pilgrim in India and Nepal based on an analysis of my response to different experiences and observations throughout the journey. The significant impacts of this experience on life were reflected using Kolb’s cycle of experiential learning. The learning process is described based on the four processes of the model: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation, and active experimentation. It is believed that pilgrims are motivated to satisfy their needs as indicated in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This article also acknowledges some established key ideas from other pilgrimage scholars. However, this paper presents only …

Religious Servicescape: Does Convenience Matter For Revisit Intentions And Positive Word Of Mouth?, Ghada Talat Alhothali, Islam Elgammal, Felix T. Mavondo

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Umrah is an optional holy ritual that is highly rewarded when performed in the month of Ramadan. Hence, managing such an event is a challenging mission facing stakeholders. However, limited studies have examined the quality of services provided in the Umrah site (i.e., the Holy Mosque in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia) from the pilgrims’ perspective. The current study examines the influence of religious servicescape on service convenience and investigates whether service convenience matters to pilgrims. Further, the study tests the role of religious attractiveness (i.e., of the Kaaba) on pilgrims’ behavioural outcomes (i.e. intention to revisit and Positive …

Ijrtp Volume 10(I) Table Of Contents, Kevin A. Griffin, Razaq Raj, Carlos Fernandes

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

IJRTP Volume 10(i) Table of Contents

The Rise Of Southern Nevada As A Cluster For Metropolitan Transit Technology Innovations, Arthur C. Nelson

Policy Briefs and Reports

Southern Nevada is emerging as the nation’s leader in private sector-driven innovations in transportation technologies. From the humble beginnings of a monorail system serving a portion of major hotel and gaming venues along the Las Vegas Strip, now supplemented by an array of people movers, Southern Nevada continues to attract transit innovations in tunneling, Hyperloop, and driverless vehicle delivery technologies. The region may soon anchor a high-speed rail system connecting Southern Nevada to Los Angeles. The purpose of this briefing paper is to frame the nature of this emerging transportation cluster and the opportunities this creates for Southern Nevada to …

Employment With The Northwest Territories Aquatics Program: A Significant Life Event?, Sebastien Denize, Audrey R. Giles

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

For over 60 years, the Northwest Territories Aquatics Program (NWTAP) has employed university students from southern Canada with little to no exposure to northern Canada to run seasonal swimming pools and waterfronts in isolated northern communities. In this article, we examine the impact that working for this program had on nine former employees’ lives and whether or not working for the NWTAP could be categorized as a significant life experience. We used thematic analysis of the data from retrospective semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires and identified four themes: (1) employment by the NWTAP enhanced the employees’ self-confidence, independence, and self-efficacy; …

More Than Just A Workplace: A Case Study Of Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Marriott International Inc. Hotels, Julia Selin

Experience Industry Management

Diversity, equity, and inclusion practices are essential for a hotel to function. Having diversity is an important aspect of a company because it allows for multiple perspectives that bring new ideas together, and most importantly multiculturalism. The purpose of this study was to examine the diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in the workplaces of Marriott International Inc. Hotels. Research for this study was conducted using a case study. The results indicated that Marriott values diversity, which is seen though corporate programs and global initiatives. Marriott is an international company that helps create job opportunities around the world and forms mentor …

Exploring “Smart And Green” Concepts: A New Synergy For Irish Hospitality, Yi Sheng Tan, Angela Wright

Dept. of Organisation & Professional Development Publications

The spotlight on “smart and green” has never been so bright and, within the hotel sector, emphasis on opportunities such as sustainability and digitisation are quickly shaping the agenda. This paper explores key components of the “smart and green” agenda among Irish hotels in the Republic of Ireland and how these concepts relate to their public customer image. While the multifaceted hybrid model of “smart and green” hotels is rapidly emerging as the new theme in the sustainable tourism industry, previous literature failed to address the issue in relation to a lack of uptake from Irish hoteliers. A post-positivistic paradigm …