Carmela Bosangit

Using travel blogs to examine the postconsumption behavior of tourists

This study proposes that travel blogging has become part of tourist practices, particularly in the postconsumption stage. Travel blogs serve as platforms where tourists can remember, evaluate, store, and enrich their travel experiences. Extant literature has recognized travel blogs as a valuable source of information on tourists’ activities, perceptions of destinations, and word-of-mouth communication. This study suggests that an examination of travel blogs, looking at how tourists reconstruct their travel experiences and the actions behind the blogging, can provide a deeper understanding of the postconsumption behavior of tourists. Recent tourist experience models have emphasized that the postconsumption stage of a travel experience extends beyond the evaluation of the experience by the tourist. In this study, the discourse analysis of travel blogs by 19 British long-haul and multiple-destination travelers reveals three common actions behind travel blogging: representing places, acts of self-presentation, identity construction, and “othering.” The analysis shows bloggers employing linguistic techniques and self-presentation strategies in their travel narratives. Implications of the key findings for marketing strategies and destination image are discussed.

Introduction to Marketing Communications and Social Media Marketing

Marketing Communications, referred to as the “voice” of the company and its brand, is one of the four principles of marketing, which strives to engage the consumers in a dialogue to build brand equity and relationships among consumers.

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend …? Examining gender and careers in the jewellery industry

Using Acker’s concept of ‘inequality regimes’, this article examines the practices and processes of gender inequality in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, highlighting the complex and subtle nature of discrimination sometimes at play and the strategies used by those who progress within this context. The project involved in-depth interviews during which participants recounted their career stories. Our research study examines the ways in which men and women in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter account for their careers in order to examine the underlying gender regimes that influence the everyday practices of workers in this context. Our findings suggest that contrary to contemporary images of the creative industries, jewellery making remains deeply traditional with structures and processes that both overtly and covertly disadvantage women workers. Empirically, this article enhances our understanding of the way that this creative cluster operates and examines how that disadvantages particular groups of workers. Theoretically, this article contributes to our knowledge of the use of the concept of gender regimes at a cluster level.

Burgers for tourists who give a damn! Driving disruptive social change upstream and downstream in the tourist food supply chain

ABSTRACT Using the theoretical lens of social capital, this paper examines the role of small tourist food businesses and their impact on the sustainability of the destination and local food supply chains. The paper analyses the experiences of small business owner-managers highlighting the complex and subtle nature of the socially responsible strategies used to progress sustainability in a tourist destination. The findings show that authentic lifestyles, motivated by intrinsic not just extrinsic rewards, are driving disruptive social change upstream and downstream in the tourist food supply chain. Small food business owner-managers are catalysts for “common” good, and as supporters for ethical and sustainable food chains have considerable local tourism influence and impact. Social capital strengthens their sense of destination ownership and fuels an obligation to protect their fragile tourist resources. The intersection between social capital, authenticity and responsibility among small food businesses in the tourist industry is demonstrated.

Discourse Analysis of Blogs: Analyzing Language to Maximize the Value of Consumption-Oriented Blogs as Data Source

The value of blogs to consumer research has been established; however, its full potential is still to be realized as empirical analyses into their use have been dominated by quantitative studies. There is a fundamental research gap in the range of methods adopted by researchers which has limited blogs as a source of valuable insights. This paper asserts the importance of language and the rhetorical functions of blogs as social interaction contexts where meanings are created and channeled; thus, offering a route to develop better understandings of authors and their narratives. Using discourse analysis to examine blogs, the paper demonstrates how a focus on language can provide rich insights to understand consumption experiences. Discourses of travel that emerged from the analysis were presented and theoretical and practical implications were outlined.

Less Shine, More Substance: Corporate Social Responsibility, SMEs and the Jewellery Industry [Abstract]

The research reported in this paper outlined examples of how complex harm networks operate within and across the jewellery industry, and demonstrates the inter-relationships that exist across the different stages of the ‘harm chain’. Findings suggest that institutional forces are coalescing towards a more responsible agenda for marketing in the jewellery industry. These efforts need to support SMEs to be less short term profit oriented, and instead focus the attention of jewellery marketers on more responsible considerations. To date such multi-stakeholder solutions remain under-developed, and if they are to help small businesses engage with CSR, a more inclusive process is needed that gives SMEs a voice in the debate.

Case Study 15: It’s More Fun in Philippines: Riding on the Waves of Social Media

Emerging markets are equally important to the tourism industry. In 2010, the UN World Tourism Organisation reported that international tourist arrivals grew by more than 7 % in the first 4 months driven partly by a strong rise in numbers in key emerging markets despite the challenging conditions as the world recovers the global economic crisis in 2009. The real growth opportunities can be found in the BRIC economies—Brazil, Russia, India and China—as well as the GCC nations such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia where emerging middle classes have desires to travel and hence they are the future of the travel and tourism industry.