A. George Assaf

A Customer-Based Brand Equity Model for Upscale Hotels:

The authors propose a customer-based brand equity model for use in global branding efforts and research, based on a series of qualitative and quantitative studies. They find new dimensions of brand equity that need to be considered by lodging researchers and operators. Components of brand equity generated from literature review and focus groups are ordered in theoretical relationships and the model structure is assessed against rival structures. The model is tested with data collected from travelers in 12 major cities in China and validated across several subgroups of travelers. Results support the validity and reliability of the proposed model.

Consumer ethnocentrism and willingness to buy: Analyzing the role of three demographic consumer characteristics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify how demographic consumer characteristics influence and interact with consumer ethnocentrism on willingness to buy. The authors analyze the direct effects of selected characteristics on the tendency for consumer ethnocentrism. Further, the moderating effects of these consumer characteristics are investigated.Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 361 consumers in Australia. Data analysis was conducted using regression analysis with interactions and post hoc slope analysis.Findings – The empirical findings show that consumer tendencies for ethnocentrism are directly influenced by characteristics of the customer. The authors also find that the strength of the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and willingness to buy is influenced by customer characteristics. Specifically, age and gender are found to be important moderators of the consumer ethnocentrism‐willingness to buy relationship.Research limitations/implications – The results of t...

Identifying and Ranking the Determinants of Tourism Performance: A Global Investigation

After a prolonged period of growth, driven, in part, by an increasing number of affluent consumers, the international tourism industry is now suffering the effects of a weaker world economy. These tougher market conditions have, in turn, led to increasing competition. As a result, countries, their tourism industries, and tourism businesses seek to improve the performance of the tourism industry and its constituents by vigorously promoting themselves to international tourists, cutting costs, and identifying synergies in their tourism endeavors. In seeking to improve the tourism industry, the determinants that affect tourism performance are of key interest to the stakeholders. A key obstacle toward improving performance is the multitude of determinants that can affect tourism performance. The literature has yet to provide concrete insights into the determinants of tourism performance and their relative importance. The present study addresses this important gap. We identify and rank the determinants of tourism performance. We also provide performance measures of international tourism destinations. The results are derived using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and bootstrap truncated regression models. The study also discusses the implications of the findings and highlights their importance to both the academic literature and the international tourism industry.

Technical efficiency in Saudi banks

This study analyses the technical efficiency of Saudi banks using a two-stage DEA-data envelopment analysis approach. In the first stage, we use a bootstrapped DEA-VRS model to identify the efficiency scores, and in the second stage, we use a bootstrapped truncated regression model to identify the covariates that explain technical efficiency. Policy implications are derived.

The operational performance of UK airlines: 2002‐2007

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to measure the efficiency of UK airlines in light of all the recent industry challenges. Design/methodology/approach - The study measured the technical efficiency of airlines through the innovative data envelopment analysis (DEA) bootstrap methodology. Findings - Results based on a sample of recent input/output data indicated that the efficiency of UK airlines has continuously declined since 2004 to reach a value of 73.39 per cent in 2007. Factors which were found to be significantly and positively related to technical efficiency variations include airline size and load factor. The paper also highlights that factors such as increase in oil price and fierce market competition were also potential inefficiency determinants. Practical implications - The findings of this paper provide a fresh link between airline performance and the current industry characteristics. UK airlines also have a major role in the European and international aviation sector, and thus a reflection on their efficiency could be of interest to private and public policy makers. Originality/value - The paper focuses on a recent period and thus provide a fresh efficiency assessment of the airline industry. The study also extends the limited literature available on UK airlines.

Analyzing Tourism Return Intention to an Urban Destination

This article employs a mixed logit bounded random parameter model to analyze the returning preferences of tourists visiting the city of Lisbon, Portugal. The results show that accommodation characteristics and destination attributes (accommodation range, events, food quality, expected weather beach, overall quality, reputation, and safety) have a positive and significant impact on the probability of returning to the city. The model comparison shows that the mixed logit bounded random parameter outperforms the traditional mixed logit model and leads to more accurate conclusions.

Evaluating the Performance and Scale Characteristics of the Australian Restaurant Industry

This article adopts a data envelopment analysis (DEA) bootstrap approach to measure the technical efficiency and scale properties of Australian restaurant operations. Four inputs and two outputs are used in the analysis, covering 105 restaurants. The results show that Australian restaurants incorporated in this study are operating at a low level of efficiency, with an average of around 46.17%. Inferences from the returns to scale are also in line with the efficiency results and indicate that most restaurants need to expand their production outputs in order to reach an optimum level of production. The article highlights and tests the important impact of factors such as restaurant size and management experience on the efficiency results. Other potential factors related to the external environment, as well as policy implications of the study, are also discussed.

Frontier Analysis A State-of-the-Art Review and Meta-Analysis

This article presents a comprehensive review of frontier studies in the tourism literature. We discuss the main advantages and disadvantages of the various frontier approaches, in particular, the nonparametric and parametric frontier approaches. The study further differentiates between micro and macro applications of these approaches, summarizing and critically reviewing the characteristics of the existing studies. We also conduct a meta-analysis to create an overview of the efficiency results of frontier applications. This allows for an investigation of the impact of frontier methodology on tourism research. The present review also highlights the limitations of existing studies and suggests an agenda for future research.

Motivations and Goals of Slow Tourism

The concept of slow tourism is gaining attention, and this study provides new insights into the phenomenon from the perspective of a goal-driven consumption process. The authors conduct primary qualitative research to define slow tourism, build a conceptual model, and develop measurement scales. Based on the data collected from four popular U.S. tourist destinations, the authors find that goal-driven consumption theory exhibits compelling explanatory power for the slow behavioral process in the tourism context. The slow tourism process also appears to coexist with fast modes of travel and they contribute differently to general tourism experience outcomes. Discussion includes approaches to understanding the slow tourism phenomenon, issues around slowness in human behavior, and future directions for research on slow tourism.

Performance assessment of Nigerian banks pre and post consolidation: evidence from a Bayesian approach

This study analyses the cost-efficiency of Nigerian banks pre and post the consolidation period. The researchers account for bank heterogeneity using the Bayesian random frontier model, which in this context provides a better fit than the traditional stochastic frontier model. From the efficiency inferences, it is shown that the cost-efficiency of Nigerian banks has increased post the consolidation period to reach its highest average of 91.21% in 2007. The study discusses the potential impact of consolidation on the efficiency results and provides direction for future research.