Jinsoo Hwang

First-class airline travelers’ tendency to seek uniqueness: how does it influence their purchase of expensive tickets?

ABSTRACT This study explored first-class airline travelers’ need for uniqueness and its impact on their ticket purchase intentions. More specifically, the study investigated the roles of the three subdimensions of the need for uniqueness (i.e. creative choice, unpopular choice, and similarity avoidance) in the formation of travelers’ attitudes toward first-class flights. Consumer attitudes toward first-class flights are hypothesized to increase status value, first-class attachment, and willingness to pay a premium. Based on theoretical relationships between conceptual constructs, the study proposed and tested a model using data from 202 first-class passengers in the United States. The results indicated that all three dimensions of the need for uniqueness positively affect airline travelers’ attitudes toward first-class flights and thus enhanced outcome variables. Furthermore, it was found that materialism moderated the relationship between status value and first-class attachment.

The Impact of Occupational Stress on Employee's Turnover Intention in the Luxury Hotel Segment

High turnover is one of the distinguishing features of the hotel industry and one of its remaining greatest challenges. This study sought to identify the reasons for the high level of turnover intention and examined one in particular—occupational stress. First, this study conducted a principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation to extract occupational stress factors. The principal component factor analysis divided the 23 occupational stress items into six factors: problems related to the home, problems related to task and pay, conflict with job responsibility, unfair treatment, shortage of support, and organizational culture. Next, this study used the regression analysis to ascertain the effect of occupational stresses on turnover intention and to identify the occupational stresses that have a more significant effect on hotel employees turnover intention. Results indicated that occupational stress factors predict hotel employees turnover intention. In particular, among the six occupational stresses, unfair treatment contributed most significantly to turnover intention. Hotel managers who familiarize themselves with these study findings will be in a better position to understand the important role of occupational stress in employee turnover.

Saving golf courses from business troubles

ABSTRACT Utilizing a discrete choice experiment, this study attempts to provide improved knowledge regarding how golf tourists arrive at complex trade-offs between different golfing constraints and resort to diverse negotiation strategies to attenuate the effect of those constraining factors. With a study sample of Korean golf tourists, we find that respondents place distinctive weights on several golf course attributes representing various types of golfing constraints to attain the greatest enjoyment. Among a range of barriers to golf trip participation, golf tourists place the highest importance on structural constraints associated with limited personal time resources and inadequate access to golf courses. The study results substantiate golf tourists’ heterogeneous preferences for negotiation strategies, which are dependent upon their levels of golf specialization. Multiple management suggestions are developed to help golf course professionals adapt to the gradually challenging business environment.

Investigation of the volitional, non-volitional, emotional, motivational and automatic processes in determining golfers’ intention: Impact of screen golf

Purpose – This study was designed with the aim to examine the formation of golfers’ intentions to play golf on traditional golf courses by considering the moderating impact of their outcome beliefs regarding the playing of screen golf. Other goals in this research were to test the mediating impact of desires and to identify the relative importance of study variables in generating intention within the proposed conceptual framework. The Model of Goal-directed Behavior (MGB) was utilized to make a precise prediction of golfers’ intentions. Design/methodology/approach – The dataset was developed by distributing surveys in person at screen-golf cafes. A structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate the fit of the proposed model and assess the hypothesized relationships. Tests for metric invariance were used to examine the moderating impact of outcome beliefs. Findings – Results from the SEM revealed that the proposed model predicted golfers’ intentions well, explaining significant amounts of variance...

The value–belief–emotion–norm model: investigating customers’ eco-friendly behavior

ABSTRACT Building on a Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) theory, this study set out to develop a value–belief–emotion–norm model as a comprehensive theoretical framework for explicating customers’ pro-environmental decision-making process in a cruise context. Results of the structural analysis revealed that our model satisfactorily fit the data and the proposed relationships were generally supported. Our sequential framework involving the emotional process was superior to the original VBN model and alternative mediator and moderator models, and explained more effectively the decision formation. Moreover, results showed that the integrated emotional process played a vital role in generating moral norms and intentions. Findings further identified the important mediating nature of belief constructs, anticipated emotion, and personal norms.

How can employees engage customers

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to understand how to engage customers socially in the full-service restaurant industry. More specifically, based on the existing theoretical background, it was hypothesized that server disclosure induces customer disclosure. By a literature review, it was further hypothesized that server disclosure and customer disclosure influence trust, which in turn positively affects commitment and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed hypotheses were empirically tested using data collected from 287 full-service restaurant patrons. Structural equation modeling was conducted to empirically test the proposed theoretical hypotheses and evaluate the proposed conceptual model. Findings – Based on the data analysis results, server disclosure was found to be a key predictor of customer disclosure. In addition, server disclosure and customer disclosure aid in the creation of trust, and can thus help to enhance commitment and loyalty. The theory building process revealed tha...

In-flight physical surroundings: quality, satisfaction, and traveller loyalty in the emerging low-cost flight market

The purpose of our research was to investigate the relationships among overall service quality, customer satisfaction, and behavioural intentions by considering the moderating impact of in-flight ambient conditions (air quality, temperature, odour, and noise) in the low-cost airline industry. A survey was conducted on international flights. Results of the structural equation modelling from a sample of 402 passengers indicated that quality and satisfaction are significant drivers of intentions; and satisfaction acted as a significant mediators. Additionally, supporting the moderating impact of ambience, findings from the tests for metric invariance revealed that the effect of satisfaction on intentions was stronger for the high air quality, temperature, odour, and noise groups than for the low groups; and the strength of the relationship between quality and intentions was greater in the high noise group than in the low noise group. Our results will help practitioners/researchers develop effective strategies/theories for passenger satisfaction and retention.

A Model of Brand Prestige Formation in the Casino Industry

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to investigate the antecedents and consequences of brand prestige in the casino industry. To test the proposed model, this study collected data from 228 casino customers in the United States. The results of the data analysis show that three types of casino service quality (i.e. game service, service environment, and service delivery) influence the formation of brand prestige and can thus help to enhance social value, brand preference, and revisit intentions. Finally, brand consciousness moderated the relationship between brand prestige and brand preference.

Understanding Other Customer Perceptions in the Private Country Club Industry

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of other customer perceptions (OCP) in the private country club industry. Based on the existing theoretical background, it was hypothesized that three dimensions of OCP – similarity, physical appearance, and suitable behavior – characterize notions of private country club prestige and influence private country club loyalty. In addition, it was proposed that there are significant differences in OCP based on personal characteristics such as socio-demographic and golf-related profiles. Data were collected from 294 amateur golfers in the USA; results indicated that all three dimensions of OCP influenced private country club prestige, which in turn positively affected private country club loyalty. Lastly, there were significant differences in OCP according to personal characteristics. Key theoretical/managerial implications are presented and discussed.

WHAT MOTIVATES DELEGATES’ CONSERVATION BEHAVIORS WHILE ATTENDING A CONVENTION?

ABSTRACT In this study, we attempted to predict delegates’ decision to act pro-environmentally while attending a convention by broadening the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory with descriptive and injunctive social norms. Findings from the modeling comparison and structural analysis indicated that having a superior ability than that of the original VBN theory, our extended framework satisfactorily accounted for the variance in intention. In addition, the proposed relationships within the model were generally supported. Moreover, the criticality of injunctive and personal norms in determining intention was found. A sequential mediating framework of the VBN model was also identified to be effective.