Alessandro De Nisco

Entertainment orientation of Italian shopping centres: antecedents and performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a definition of the concept of “entertainment orientation” for shopping centres and to provide a framework for analysis of the main antecedents and performance outcomes related to a shopping centres entertainment orientation.Design/methodology/approach – The framework used in this study is based on contingency theory and resource‐based theory. The concept of entertainment orientation is approached from the perspective of external recreational services. Seven categories of antecedents are established – categorised as environment and centre‐specific factors. The performance of entertainment orientation is evaluated using sales and market measures.Findings – The paper provides empirical evidence about the main factors that influence the adoption of entertainment orientation by shopping centres and finds a positive link between entertainment orientation and performance outcomes.Research limitations/implications – The model should be tested on a larger sample ...

The role of stakeholders in town centre management: guidelines for identification and analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the identification of stakeholders involved in town centre management (TCM) projects and the main areas of intervention according to their interests and needs.Design/methodology/approach – The proposed framework is tested in the town of Benevento, Italy. On the basis of stakeholder theory, key stakeholders were interviewed according to the different kinds of linkages they had with the TCM organisation.Findings – Results from the paper support a stakeholder‐based approach to the development of TCM projects. In addition, a set of categories is proposed to define and evaluate the overall town centre offer.Practical implications – The proposed framework can be used by cities or towns for the evaluation of the role of different public and private stakeholders in TCM projects, and for the assessment of their “stake” in the town centre.Originality/value – Despite the need to promote a partnership approach between the public and private sectors havin...

Tourism satisfaction effect on general country image, destination image, and post-visit intentions

The study analyzes the relationship between tourism satisfaction, cognitive and affective country image, destination image, and post-visit intentions. The proposed research model is tested with a survey on a sample of 542 international tourists intercepted in two Italian airports at the end of their journey. Results suggest that general country and destination images are able to mediate the effect of tourism satisfaction on post-visit behavioral intentions. Moreover, empirical findings show that a high-quality tourism experience is able to not only affect intention to return and willingness to recommend the country as a tourism destination but also induce more positive intentions toward the products made in the sojourn country. On the basis of results, the study concludes with discussion of managerial and research implications.

Attractiveness of European Higher Education in Entrepreneurship: A Strategic Marketing Framework

Major steps are currently being taken to make Europe an attractive destination for foreign students willing to increase their competencies and skills. They include the creation of a comparable structure of study courses; the mutual recognition of diplomas; the assessment of academic institutions and programs based on common quality standards; the granting of financial incentives for geographical mobility of students and staff; and, more recently, the adoption of a strategic marketing approach. Significant efforts are in fact aimed to create a clear European “identity” in higher education, by improving the availability and accessibility of information on studying in Europe and by enhancing the attractiveness, profile, visibility and image of European higher education worldwide. Coherently with the Lisbon Strategy – whose aim was to make the European Union «the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion» by 2010 – a great emphasis has been given to the promotion of the European Union as an educational destination and a centre of excellence at world level. In particular, within the Erasmus Mundus Programme1 several projects have been financed with the aim of promoting and rising awareness of the European higher education sector. Furthermore, within the Erasmus Mundus Global Promotion Project (GPP), a European brand – “Study in Europe” – has been built upon perceived strengths and with the aim to overcome negative perceptions; a web portal has

From international travelling consumer to place ambassador: Connecting place image to tourism satisfaction and post-visit intentions

The purpose of this paper is to extend international marketing theory by examining country image effects simultaneously from the perspectives of Product-Country Image (PCI), Tourism Destination Image (TDI), and General Country Image (GCI), and by using tourism satisfaction as the central construct in a comprehensive model that investigates post-visit effects in both the product and tourism domains.,International tourists from multiple countries were intercepted at the end of a tourism trip and interviewed in-person using a structured questionnaire, resulting in 498 usable responses for data analysis. The model comprised seven constructs measured with 28 variables and was tested with structural equation modelling.,The study uncovers a number of cross-effects between a country as destination and as producer, and establishes tourism satisfaction as a core construct that is relevant to both the tourism and product facets of place image.,Above all, the study’s findings argue strongly in favour of greater coordination between the “product” and “tourism” sides of place marketing.,The study is original in its integrative analysis of GCI, PCI, and TDI constructs as antecedents and consequences of the tourism experience and, among other original contributions, is the first to investigate the direct link between product beliefs, tourism satisfaction, and post-visit product-related intentions.

Turismo internazionale ed effetto made in : l'influenza dell'immagine Paese sulla soddisfazione turistica e le intenzioni post-visita

Questo studio propone un modello di ricerca finalizzato ad indagare la relazione esistente tra le diverse componenti dell’immagine Paese - valutate a livello generale (general country image) e con riferimento agli attributi turistici (tourism destination image) e alle produzioni nazionali (product-country image) - la soddisfazione turistica e le intenzioni post-visita in termini di fedelta attesa e propensione all’acquisto delle produzioni nazionali. Il framework analitico e stato testato su un campione di turisti internazionali intercettati al termine della propria visita in Italia. Sulla base dei risultati, vengono discusse le principali implicazioni di ricerca e fornite indicazioni utili per la gestione dell’immagine Paese da parte degli enti pubblici che si occupano di promozione turistica e delle imprese del made in.

Ambiente urbano, qualità del servizio e behavioral intentions: uno studio esplorativo in un centro storico italiano

Il paper propone un modello di analisi finalizzato a verificare la relazione tra alcune categorie di stimoli ambientali tipicamente presenti nelle aree urbane (design esterno, layout e funzionalita degli spazi e design interno), la qualita del servizio complessivamente percepita dai consumatori e i relativi output in termini di intenzioni di acquisto e desiderio di permanenza. Gli elementi costitutivi del modello sono basati sulla letteratura sul retailing e il servicescape. Le relazioni ipotizzate tra i costrutti sono sottoposte a verifica empirica attraverso un’indagine empirica condotta nel centro storico di Benevento. I risultati evidenziano che due elementi dell’ambiente urbano (layout e funzionalita degli spazi e design interno) esercitano un’influenza significativa sulla percezione della qualita dei servizi erogati nell’area e che tale percezione, a sua volta, e positivamente correlata agli output attesi. Viene infine discussa la collocazione del paper all’interno della letteratura esistente e le relative implicazioni per il management dei centri urbani.