H. G. Parsa

Introducing Flow Theory to Explain the Interactive Online Shopping Experience in a Travel Context

Online travel commerce has evolved significantly from the initial sales of less-complex products such as airline tickets, accommodations, and car rentals, to include more complex products like vacation packages and cruises. Many online travel portals, however, have fallen behind in terms of creating a compelling online environment for customers. Online shopping behavior is becoming increasingly complex with the evolution of experiential and utilitarian shopping practices. These two types of practices have a significant effect on the formation of a customers attitude towards a Web site and eventual purchase intention. The proposed model delineates the customers preference towards a Web site within experiential and utilitarian purchase contexts when flow variables control, cognitive enjoyment, and focus are involved. This article may help online travel businesses identify unique Web features that satisfy the needs of both the experiential and utilitarian customer. Moreover, this model shows that a successful travel site could entice a utilitarian customer to engage in experiential site features that might result in positive attitude formation and consequent future revisits.

Restaurant QSC inspections and financial performance: an empirical investigation.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the relationship between QSC (quality, service and cleanliness) inspection scores and financial performance in quick service restaurants.Design/methodology/approach – Restaurant QSC inspection data were collected from 25 quick service restaurants of an international chain over a period of 18 months. Audited financial data were also collected for these participating restaurants. Using SPSS software, the data were analyzed for possible relationships between the restaurant QSC scores and the financial performance measured as total unit sales per week, revenues per available seat per week, and gross operating income for each month. Restaurant unit size is measured by total revenues per month.Findings – Contrary to the commonly held belief, the relationship between QSC variable and restaurant performance is weak. This study found there was a “V” curve in QSC inspections and financial performance when restaurant size was chosen as the moderating variable.Resea...

Kano's Model: An Integrative Review of Theory and Applications to the Field of Hospitality and Tourism

This research provides a comprehensive review of literature related to the Kano model of satisfaction measurement. Based upon the declaration that performance on certain product attributes produces greater consumer satisfaction than others, Kano Seraku, Takahashi, and Tsuji (1984) proposed that the relationship between product attributes and customer satisfaction is not always linear. Further, Kano et al. disputed conventional satisfaction models that propose that higher satisfaction occurs irrespective of the inherent nature of attributes. This research investigates the evolution of the Kano model across research contexts and its application in different industries. This article also presents an extensive review of literature on the Kano model, synthesis of competing concepts, criticism of the model, methodological implications, applications to the hospitality and tourism industry, discussion of limitations, and suggestions for future research.

PRICE-ENDING PRACTICES AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY: A RECIPROCAL PHENOMENON PART II

The current study investigates odd-even psychological pricing with the aid of a Price endings and Consumer Behavior (PCBM) Model for the hospitality industry. The PCBM proposes that a reciprocal relationship exists between hospitality marketers and consumers with reference to 00 and 99 price ending practices. Theoretical support for the posited model is provided by signaling theory, a persuasion knowledge model (PKM), and learning by analogy from marketing and psychology literatures. Results indicate that consumers use intuition and knowledge gained from interacting in the retail marketplace to respond to the intentions of hospitality marketers’ odd-even psychological pricing strategy. After repeated exposures to odd-even pricing, consumers learn to accept the 00 and 99 pricing endings as extrinsic cues for quality and value and as pricing norms of the hospitality industry.

Contributions of the white castle and ingram family to the quick service restaurant industry

Edgar Waldo “Billy” Ingram is an American entrepreneur that built White Castle into one of the most successful quick-service restaurant chains in the history of the United States. He is acknowledged as the first restaurateur to offer this now universally accepted product “the hamburger” as the primary menu item. As a pioneer in the sprawling quick service industry, his magical influence transformed the lowly regarded hamburger into the most popular food item in America (Hogan, 2001). Before White Castle, hamburger sandwiches were primarily served at carnivals, fairs and amusement parks rather than in restaurants. At that time, hamburger was not considered worthy of serving at restaurants. Prior to 1920s, most Europeans never perceived hamburger as a menu item at a restaurant as it is often thought as a poor mans fodder.