Alexander Josiassen

Hotel efficiency: A bootstrapped metafrontier approach

This paper introduces the metafrontier concept to account for the environmental and technological differences between various hotels groups. The interesting feature of the model is that it ensures that heterogeneous hotels are compared based on one homogenous technology. We test the model using a panel data sample of 78 Taiwanese hotels. The results clearly indicate that the size, ownership, and classification of a particular hotel have a significant impact on its efficiency. More implications of the results are provided. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +351 213 016115; fax: +351 213 925 912. E-mail addresses: assaf@ht.umass.edu (A. Assaf), Cbarros@iseg.utl.pt (C.P. Barros), Alexander.Josiassen@vu.edu.au (A. Josiassen).

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.

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.

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.

The Imagery–Image Duality Model An Integrative Review and Advocating for Improved Delimitation of Concepts

A central research topic in tourism management concerns tourists’ choice of specific destinations. The present article reviews and advances the extant literature on destination image. From this review, we suggest that individuals have a multitude of destination associations, the total imagery that relates to the destination, and label this concept destination imagery. Individuals also hold an overall image used as a heuristic or a mental shortcut, which is labeled destination image. The concepts of destination imagery and destination image are distinct, yet they have often been conflated within the literature. The article further provides an extensive review of the literature with regard to the definitions, dimensionality, antecedents, and outcomes of the focal concepts as well as geographical scope of destination imagery and image studies and methodologies. This review has led to a novel understanding and delimitation of the focal concepts within the imagery–image duality model.

Perceived authenticity of the visitor experience in museums: Conceptualization and initial empirical findings

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the authenticity concept and its antecedents and consequences within the context of museums. Design/methodology/approach – A higher-order scale of authenticity is developed and then tested for reliability and validity using a sample of museum visitors. To investigate authenticity in a model with two antecedents and two outcomes, an additional data set was collected. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. Findings – The results show that perceived authenticity of the museum, the visitor and the materials in the museum are dimensions of perceived authenticity, resonating with Bal’s (1996) research in this area. Findings also confirm that consumer scepticism and expectations are antecedents to perceived authenticity of the visitor experience in museums, and that perceived authenticity in turn affects visitor satisfaction and perceived corporate hypocrisy. Practical implications – This research provides a framework for museums to manage visitors’ p...

Advertising spending, firm performance, and the moderating impact of CSR:

This article investigates the potential of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to influence the link between advertising spending and firm performance. Drawing upon the literature of CSR, we hypothesize that CSR positively moderates the relationship between advertising spending and firm performance. We focus on two types of firm performance: sales and firm value. Using two samples from both the hotel and restaurant industries, we found that firms with higher levels of CSR enjoy higher returns on advertising spending than firms with lower levels of CSR. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of these findings and provide direction for future research.

Impact of CRM Implementation on Hotel Efficiency: Evidence from the Slovenian Hotel Sector:

Managers know that it is easier to get business from existing customers than to attract entirely new customers. Many firms therefore aim to form deeper and stronger relationships with their customers in order to increase loyalty and repeat purchases. A central concept in this regard is customer relationship management (CRM). However, while previous research shows there are benefits attached to forging closer ties with customers, there are also some costs involved. Yet, very little research has investigated the central question of whether CRM endeavours are an efficient use of a firms resources. In this paper, the authors address this gap and investigate the effect of CRM implementation on the cost and technical efficiency of hotels. They find support for the hypothesis that while CRM increases technical efficiency, it decreases cost efficiency. The authors discuss the managerial implications of their findings and provide directions for future research.

Internationalization and hotel performance : The missing pieces

Few industries are as inherently international as the hotel industry. This article sets out to investigate the impact of internationalization on performance in the hotel industry. Building on the theory of organizational learning the authors test several hypotheses regarding the shape of the internationalization–performance relationship as well as the impact of four moderating variables. In line with the research aim and the underlying dynamism of organizational learning theory, these hypotheses are tested using a dynamic Bayesian model. The results indicate that internationalization has a U-shaped impact on hotel performance, moderated by cultural distance, regulations and restrictions and the level of development congruence. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for practice and provide directions for future research.