Chang-Yen Tsai

The role of international tourist perceptions of brand equity and travel intention in culinary tourism

Brand equity is becoming increasingly important, and research has started to examine the brand equity of tourist destinations. However, little research has studied the inter-relationship between the dimensions of brand equity in culinary tourism. The purpose of this study is to examine the roles of the three aspects of brand equity in culinary tourism. The Sobel test in line with Baron and Kennys procedure was used to test the hypotheses in a sample of 407 international tourists from 10 regions. The empirical evidence supports the process-oriented view and indicates that brand loyalty could mediate the effects of brand image and perceived quality on travel intention. The findings of this study contribute to the theoretical development of a conceptual model and fill the gap in the literature.

Developing a Novel Hybrid Model for Industrial Environment Analysis: A Study of the Gourmet and Tourism Industry in Taiwan

This study applies fuzzy set theory in attempting to evaluate important attributes of the tourism and gourmet business environment in Taiwan. This business environment is composed of various attributes that are difficult to measure. To overcome these challenges, we integrated the fuzzy Delphi method, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method, and the analytic network process to evaluate the business environment. We found that the most significant aspect of the tourism and gourmet business environment is human resources and that the least significant aspect of this industry is market development. The most significant criteria are enhanced industry competitiveness and opportunities to develop the industry.

How the introduction of concepts of energy saving and carbon reduction (ESCR) can affect festival visitors' behavioural intentions: an investigation using a structural model.

This study investigates the relationships across a behaviour model of festival visitors based on a major festival encouraging energy saving and carbon reduction (ESCR). Using the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition (Taiwan) as a case study, 275 visitors completed a questionnaire, the answers to which were assessed using a structural equation model to test the behaviour model and its six hypotheses. The results showed that behaviour intentions are the best predictors of “value orientation”, “motivation for visiting”, “visitor experience” and “attitude towards behaviour”. Specifically, a highly positive correlation between visitors’ motivations and their experiences was found, suggesting that the presentation of festival activities influences visitors’ perceptions. The ESCR curriculum design and pedagogy, especially the inclusion of reflective learning, was found to be very important for the successful planning of future events, as was green transportation using advanced, energy-saving vehicles and effective waste processing and disposal at the site. Prior studies have explored links between festival tourism and behavioural change, but have often focused on Western contexts; this study provides an Asian cultural setting. Suggestions are made for future research.

The Role of Perceived Insider Status in Employee Creativity: Developing and Testing a Mediation and Three-Way Interaction Model

This study investigates how perceived insider status influences employee creativity in hospitality industry settings. Specifically, the study examines mediator of promotion focus and three-way interaction roles of perceived insider status and creative process engagement. Using a sample of 232 employees of the Taiwanese hospitality industry, we found that a promotion focus was positively related to employee creativity. Moreover, a promotion focus mediates perceived insider status and creativity. Finally, the study confirms the existence of three-way interactions characterized by creative process engagement, perceived insider status, and a promotion focus on creativity. The results show that a high degree of perceived insider status coupled with a high level of creative process engagement generates a strong relationship between promotional focus and creativity.

Measuring Employee's Creativity: A New Theoretical Model and Empirical Study for Tourism Industry

Based on the componential theory of creativity, this research built and tested a new theoretical model that links the 4P model (people, product, place, and process) with creativity via several intervening variables. Survey data and two-step structural equation modeling were used to evaluate a sample of 338 employees surveyed from 57 tourism and hospitality organizations in Taiwan. As anticipated, we found that people (e.g. personality) positively affected place (e.g. organizational environment and participation) and creative process (e.g. data collection, idea generation, and confirmation), which in turn influenced product outputs of creativity and satisfaction.

An assessment model of corporate social responsibility practice in the tourism industry

ABSTRACT Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gradually become a concern of many companies in the tourism industry. A substantial number of companies have implemented CSR programmes to pursue economic and environmental win–win situations while acting in a socially responsible manner. This study constructs an assessment model of CSR practice in the tourism industry to provide for more effective implementation of CSR. First, the researchers reviewed CSR-related literature and conducted in-depth interviews with industry experts. Based on the literature and the interviews, five dimensions, including Economy, Environment, Society, Culture and Consequence, and 15 criteria were extracted to form the assessment model. Second, the study examined the models validity and established a consensus among the perspectives of academia, government and industry using the Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM). Finally, the study adopted the DEMATEL and DEMATEL-based Analytical Network Process (ANP) technique to understand the causal relations and weights among the factors. The results indicated that Environment is the most influential dimension, Consequence is the most important dimension in the assessment model and Sustainable Cultural Inheritance is the most important criterion among all of the CSR practice criteria. Implications for application are discussed at the end of the paper.

Does corporate image really enhance consumer’s behavioural intentions?

ABSTRACT This study determines that cognitive image and affective image have various mediation roles between the environmental marketing strategy and behavioural intentions. By utilizing an online survey for data collection, a total of 280 complete responses were obtained. The results reveal that the different corporate images perceived by customers would result in various behavioural intentions. In particular, Cognitive image plays a mediating role between environmental marketing strategy and the revisit intension while environmental marketing strategy benefits the willingness to pay a premium through cognitive image.

Developing a sustainable service innovation framework for the hospitality industry

Purpose This study aims to determine essential attributes of Sustainable Service Innovation (SSI) in the Taiwan hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach By combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies while considering perspectives on sustainable management and service innovation, the present study extends the related literature on sustainable service innovation and presents a new framework. The Decision-Making Trail and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) analytical approaches are employed to identify relations between dimensions and their causality attributes. Findings The findings of the DEMATEL result indicate that innovation diffusion has direct and indirect effects on dimensions of sustainable innovation and on organizational factors. Furthermore, sustainable innovation emerged as the most important attribute while the ANP analysis was employed. Practical implications The critical dimensions identified in this study may serve as guidelines that hospitality practitioners or hotel manager...

The conceptual framework for ethics and corporate social responsibility in Taiwanese tourism industry

ABSTRACT This study examines ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Taiwanese tourism industry from the standpoints of the government, academia, and industry through the perspective of Confucianism and creates a comprehensive, tourism-specific ethics and CSR conceptual framework. A qualitative approach was adopted in this study that recruited 21 experts to share their perspectives regarding ethics and CSR in the tourism industry. An original, valuable and comprehensive ethics and CSR conceptual framework in the tourism industry within the context of Chinese society was conducted and includes seven dimensions emerged from the data and were integrated into the following four facets: first, the dimensions of ethics; second, the antecedent facet of CSR is the inside and outside force; third, the strategy facet includes the economy, the environment, society, and culture; and fourth, the consequence aspect is feedback. Further, this research provides value for academics and practical strategy for related fields.