Gyehee Lee

Mature International Travelers: An Examination of Gender and Benefits

Abstract With aging of the worlds population, older travelers will continue to comprise a growing proportion of the worlds travel population. This research examines differences within the older travel group with respect to travel product preferences and benefits sought with a focus on differences between males and females. The data used are from the 1997 French Pleasure Travel Market Survey and include those travelers over 50 years of age. Cluster analysis and ANOVA are employed. While there are some similarities between male and female responses, there are also differences in terms of destination attributes and benefits sought that underscore the identification of three distinct traveling groups. These results point out marketing implications, but also point toward methodological concerns that might guide future research.

Visiting propensity predicted by destination image: German long-haul pleasure travelers to the U.S.

Abstract In destination market positioning, the destination image plays a pivotal role. Due to the interrelationship between destination choice behavior and image, there is an increased interest in the destination image as a predictor variable in a destination choice model. The research presents a binary logistic model to evaluate factors affecting the propensity of potential German travelers visiting the U.S. The overall impression, perceptive image, sociodemographic variables and previous visits are examined in a visiting propensity context. Empirical results of this study showed that the overall image is the most significant factor in influencing destination choice, along with the perceptive image based on destination attributes. The relative importance of the destination image was assessed as being higher than other factors.

Post‐recovery customer relationships and customer partnerships in a restaurant setting

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to develop and test an integrative model that explores the structural relationships among perceived justice, service recovery satisfaction, post‐recovery customer relationships, and post‐recovery customer partnerships.Design/methodology/approach – The self‐administered survey was distributed to restaurant customers who had experienced service recovery in the previous six months. Path analysis was performed to estimate the research model and to test the research hypotheses.Findings – The study findings advance the understanding of the beneficial effects of effective service recovery on long‐term relationships and on partnership building with the customers.Research limitations/implications – This study examines post‐recovery customer relationships and post‐recovery customer partnerships as outcome variables of service recovery satisfaction. Future research should be followed to deepen the understanding of the two consequence variables in different contexts of the hospi...

The HOINCAP scale: measuring intellectual capital in the hotel industry

Intellectual capital (INCAP) emerged as a topic worthy of academic and practical investigations in the early 1990s while the research and practice of INCAP has not been popular in the hotel industry until recently. Very few measurement frameworks specified the value of INCAP in the hospitality literature. The purpose of this study is to develop a measurement scale (named hereafter the HOINCAP scale) to identify the dimensions and sub-dimensions of INCAP in the hotel industry. The three dimensions of HOINCAP – human, organizational, and customer capital – were verified through a second-order factor model composed of four, five, and six sub-dimensions. The HOINCAP scale shows strong evidence of reliability, convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity. The implications of the scale are discussed for future research and INCAP management in the hotel industry.

The influence of hotel website factors on e-loyalty in a B2C context.

The Internet allows firms to serve customers more effectively than ever before. In a B2C (business-to-consumer) context, the authors examine the interrelationships among hotel website factors, e-satisfaction, e-trust, e-loyalty and switching costs. They extend prior research by incorporating these constructs into a more comprehensive conceptual framework. This study answers three research questions. First, will the three components of website factors (communication, transaction and customization) have a significant effect on e-loyalty through e-satisfaction and e-trust? Second, do e-satisfaction and e-trust mediate e-loyalty? Third, do switching costs have a moderating effect between e-satisfaction, e-trust and e-loyalty? The authors examine data compiled from customers who have booked hotel accommodation online. The results support their hypotheses and confirm both the mediation role of e-satisfaction and e-trust and the moderation role of switching costs. Conceptually, this study provides an empirical validation of website factors, e-satisfaction, e-trust and loyalty linkage. At the managerial level, the research provides insights into the critical drivers of loyalty in the emerging online marketplace.

Does hotel employees’ quality of work life mediate the effect of psychological capital on job outcomes?

Purpose This study aims to investigate quality of work life (QWL) as a partial mediator of the impact of psychological capital (PsyCap) on service recovery performance (SRP) and turnover intentions (TI). Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from 288 frontline employees in ten five-star hotels with a one-month time lag in three waves in Busan, Korea. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the direct and mediating effects. Findings As expected, PsyCap heightens QWL and SRP, while it reduces propensity to leave the current organization. QWL partially mediates the association between PsyCap and the two critical outcomes. Practical Implications Management of hotels should recognize the importance of PsyCap and assess candidates’ PsyCap during selection process. Using the PsyCap questionnaire, organizations can select candidates who possess positive personal resources. In addition, hotels may consider the assessment of frontline employees’ PsyCap to ascertain which employees can succeed in challenging situations. It is also important to create a healthy and happy environment where employees are willing to be more productive and contribute more to organizational performance. Originality/value The extant hospitality research is devoid of empirical evidence about the outcomes of PsyCap and QWL such as SRP.

The contribution of native species to sense of place

The approach of promoting a destination through native resources is intriguing. This research attempted to assess the role of native species in contributing to the success of a destination through their contribution to sense of place. It illustrated the mechanisms and preconditions through which native species can contribute to the distinctiveness of a destination. This research has uncovered a number of factors explaining the potential of a native species to become a viable contributor to a destinations sense of place. In a nutshell, a prospective native species can potentially become a viable option with which a destination can build its sense of place and overall identity if that particular species has a strong biological foundation in the natural environment; if it has been embraced or endeared by residents through social and historical processes; and if there are ample opportunities for tourists to experience and interact with it, through which endearment among tourists and a strong sense of place can be built. The Provençal cicada was used as an illustrative case. The adoption of the cicada by Bouches-du-Rhône tourism as a regional symbol and for use in its communications reinforces the cicadas contribution to the destinations identity and sense of place.

The Effect of Demographic and Trip-related Behavioral Factors on Life Satisfaction among the Aged Travel Population

Rapidly increasing aged population provides an ample market opportunity for the Korean travel industry, and from national policy perspective, it poses an fortified demands for welfare tourism. In the fierce competition, this emerging market can serve as a lucrative target market for tourism & travel industry in Korea. In addition, using tourism for the aged as a social welfare policy can be a potentially viable means to mitigate the increase social pressure due to rapid population aging. This rationale is based on the assumption that tourism contributes to higher level of perceived life satisfaction compared to other leisure activities among the aged. In this study, using empirical data collected from 185 respondents aged 55 and above in Cheong Ju area, the effect of demographic factors and trip-related behaviors on life satisfaction was tested. The results indicate that economic and health conditions affect life satisfaction positively, while trip-related behaviors did not exert any significant effect on life satisfaction. In light of the results, practical implications for marketing and policy-making were presented in detail.

Motivate to innovate: How authentic and transformational leaders influence employees’ psychological capital and service innovation behavior

This study aims to empirically test a research model investigating the effects of authentic leadership (AL) and transformational leadership (TL) on follower service innovation behavior (SIB) with follower psychological capital (PsyCap) as a partial mediator.,Using data from a sample of 336 full-time frontline employees across 15 five-star hotels in Seoul, South Korea, over a time lag of one month, hypothesized relationships were analyzed with structural equation modeling.,The results suggest that AL has a greater effect on follower PsyCap and SIB than TL. In examining the role of PsyCap as a partial mediator, the results support the hypotheses that AL and TL trigger follower SIB directly but at the same time boost follower PsyCap, thus enhancing follower SIB.,The greater impact of AL on follower PsyCap and SIB suggests that the practice of corporate human resource management should place an emphasis on AL traits in leadership development. This study offers a useful perspective on the development of follower PsyCap and SIB by linking leadership traits.,By discussing AL and TL together within a single research framework, the study extends organizational psychology research by linking TL and AL to two important organizational psychological and performance variables, and exploring their comparative effects.

When customers complain: the value of customer orientation in service recovery.

Frontline hospitality employees inevitably face customer complaints and verbal aggression from time to time. Some employees seem to be able to shake off this negative energy and offer service recovery, while others collapse under such onslaughts. This study of 243 frontline employees of casual dining restaurants in Korea found that customer orientation is an important factor in employees’ ability to avoid emotional exhaustion and provide service recovery. The study first establishes the harmful relationships among customer verbal aggression, emotional exhaustion, and (successful or failed) service recovery performance. By incorporating customer orientation into the model, the study documents its buffering role as a personal coping resource. In summary, (1) customer verbal aggression intensifies emotional exhaustion, (2) emotional exhaustion mitigates service recovery performance, (3) customer verbal aggression does not mitigate service recovery performance, (4) emotional exhaustion fully mediates the harmful relationship between customer verbal aggression and service recovery performance, and (5) the detrimental effects of customer verbal aggression are greater among employees with low customer orientation than high orientation employees with regard to the effect of emotional exhaustion on service recovery performance.