Bridget M. Bordelon

The impact of marketing on internal stakeholders in destination branding: The case of a musical city

The city and destination branding literatures stress the importance of brand image, with an emphasis on achieving differential and competitive positioning. However, an important part of building a successful branding strategy for a city or region is examining the needs of internal stakeholders. This research examines the impact that the marketing of a city or region’s brand has on internal stakeholders, specifically its residents. It seeks to address how selected elements of the marketing mix impact destination branding and how such marketing activity leads to residents eventually becoming committed to the destination’s branding efforts. Once committed and loyal to the brand, it proposes that residents may feel such a strong connection to the branding efforts of the destination, that the brand becomes aligned with their self-concept, and that they begin to serve as “evangelists” for the brand, actively promoting the destination via word of mouth. As a result, a civic consciousness is created that helps to strengthen the destination’s brand management system, especially as it is introduced to external constituents, such as potential tourists.

An investigation of the time between mortgage default and foreclosure

This paper evaluates the speed at which lenders enter the mortgage foreclosure process, interpreting slower rates as evidence of forbearance. A telephone survey was conducted to evaluate the presence of lender discrimination in defaults that lead to foreclosure in New Orleans, Louisiana between 1985 and 1990. These data are used to estimate the independent effects of race and neighbourhood characteristics on the extent of lender assistance during the foreclosure process. The analysis does not reveal discrimination based on race of borrower or racial composition of the neighbourhood. Instead, greater time in default is granted loans with lower interest rates and loans with outstanding balances below the mean value of housing in the surrounding neighbourhood.

Is There an Optimal Type of Ownership and Organizational Structure When Developing Convention and Entertainment Facilities

ABSTRACT The meetings, exhibitions, events, and conventions (MEEC) sector is a significant part of the U.S. hospitality and tourism industry. Not surprisingly, MEEC events account for a large percentage of urban tourism activities and, as such, are of great interest to cities throughout the U.S. This research focuses on public facilities that include theaters, stadiums, sports complexes, amusement parks, and convention centers. This study addresses whether there is an optimal type of ownership and organizational structure that should be considered when developing public convention and entertainment facilities.

Creating a Holistic Methodology to Evaluate the Performance of State Parks

As US states face budgetary constraints, lawmakers are seeking justification for investment in state funded and operated entities such as state parks. The purpose of this paper is to develop a state park evaluation model that takes into account economic and noneconomic measures of performance for a portfolio of state administered parks. Utilizing Louisiana state parks, a survey questionnaire was sent to a stratified random sample of 6,299 visitors to 18 state parks in Louisiana with overnight facilities. The total number of usable surveys was 1,499 for a response rate of 23.8%. Economic measures of performance showed that 12 out of the 18 (66.67%) state parks were labeled as stars (high popularity and high profitability), five (27.78%) were labeled as question marks (low popularity and low profitability), and one park was labeled as a plow horse (high popularity and low profitability). Noneconomic measures indicated that Louisiana state parks were higher than national percentages for good value for money and a good way to get away from the stress of daily life. The model presented in this paper provides a valuable tool for park administrators and tourism agencies as they evaluate the individual performance of parks and the allocation of economic resources.