Jonathon Day

Environmental and energy-related challenges to sustainable tourism in the United States and China

This article examines the relationship between tourism, energy, and environment. This article approaches tourism as a complex adaptive system composed of consumers, transportation providers, travel intermediaries, and destinations composed of multiple tourism-related companies and other stakeholder groups. Environmental and energy-related challenges of components to the system are examined as well as various units – the system as a whole, enterprises and individuals – within the system. A total of 92 peer-reviewed articles were studied that address ‘energy’ and ‘tourism’ published between 1974 and 2011. Also addressed are the impacts of social and cultural differences between the United States and China concerning responses to environmental and energy-related challenges. This article concludes with recommendations for addressing the challenges associated with such challenges, including building system capacity, technology development and adoption, support of individual behavior change, increasing understanding of the trade-offs and interactions within the system, and adoption of multidisciplinary approaches to these challenges within the tourism system.

EMERGING DEFINITIONS OF BOUTIQUE AND LIFESTYLE HOTELS: A DELPHI STUDY

ABSTRACT Despite growing interest in the boutique and lifestyle sector of the lodging industry, there is not an accepted definition of either “boutique hotel” or “lifestyle hotel.” Boutique and lifestyle hotel strategies provide hotel companies with important points of differentiation in an increasingly competitive marketplace. The current study determined definitions using a Delphi analysis of responses from a diverse group of experts from the lodging industry. Forty-one panel members were involved in the process that was undertaken with three rounds of questions. The study determined that boutique hotels are best characterized as small, stylish hotels that offer high levels of service. Lifestyle hotels are described as innovative and provide more of a personal experience than so-called “branded” hotels.

Rationality of social entrepreneurs in tourism: Max Weber and the sociology of tourism development

Despite increasing recognition of its contribution to development in many parts of the world, academic research about social entrepreneurship remains in its infancy. There has been little inquiry into the rationale for social entrepreneurship, despite its potential to clarify many conceptual ambiguities associated with this emerging phenomenon. In response to such a gap, the present article advances a compelling framework from classic sociology, that of Max Weber’s typology of rationality, as a means to explain the motivations of social entrepreneurs in the tourism industry. It emphasises the concepts of formal and substantive rationality, which are Weber’s most significant contributions to the understanding of human behaviour. The article also presents methodological considerations for the use of Weber’s typology. A constructivism paradigm and the narrative approach to inquiry are suggested as most readily aligned with Weber’s own methodological stance towards sociological explanation.

College students' decision-making for study abroad - Anecdotes from a U.S. hospitality and tourism internship program in China

This study attempts to understand how the hospitality and tourism students in the United States make decisions for study abroad participation. Through the analysis of textual data from focus groups and in-depth interviews, this study has identified three sequential phases of a decision-making process by study abroad participants. The first phase is pre-evaluation, including initial awareness and information search. The second phase is decision-making that consists of pull and push motivational factors, influencers, and barriers. The third phase is post-participation, including the elements of program evaluation, impacts, and future behavior. The implications of this study’s findings are discussed in relation to the design, recruitment, administration, and curricula integration of study abroad programs.

Examining the motivations for social entrepreneurship using Max Weber’s typology of rationality

Purpose This paper aims to utilize a framework from classic sociology – Max Weber’s Typology of Rationality – to understand the motivations for social entrepreneurship in responsible tourism in India. The critical role of the social entrepreneur in effecting the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship has been largely under-recognized. The authors seek to explore, develop and enhance Weber’s theoretical arguments in the context of the tourism industry. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a constructivism paradigm and Seidman’s (2006) Three Interview Series technique to obtain the narratives of two social entrepreneurs in India. Data were analyzed using a hybrid thematic coding procedure. Findings Findings indicate that there exists a dynamic interplay between the formal and substantive rationalities that underlie the behavior of social entrepreneurs. The authors also discuss how entrepreneurs draw upon their formal and substantive repertoires to create their identities through the simultaneous processes of apposition (“Me”) and opposition (“Not Me”). Practical implications The findings provide an important recognition of the impact of formal and substantive rationalities on the conceptualization, implementation and manifestation of social enterprise for a variety of stakeholders. Originality/value This paper makes a significant contribution to understanding the why and the how of social entrepreneurship in responsible tourism. It provides a framework that can be widely applied to develop and enhance Weberian theory and further the understanding of the fundamental nature of human behavioral phenomena in tourism and beyond.

Employee Engagement in Jamaican Hotels: Do Demographic and Organizational Characteristics Matter?

The intent of the present study was to determine the importance of demographic and organizational factors on hotel line employees’ level of engagement. Line employees (n = 290) from hotels in Jamaica participated in the study. Findings indicate significant differences between line employees’ demographic and organizational characteristics, in particular their age and department, and their level of engagement. Employees between 18 and 25 years and those 42 years and older were more engaged than those between 26 and 41 years. Employees in the accounting department were some of the least engaged when compared to employees from other departments. The findings have implications for engagement programs in Caribbean hotels, in particular when it comes to the focus and funding of these programs.

Corporate social responsibility and college recruiting in the hospitality industry.

Many organizations practice Corporate Social Responsibility even though debates about its definitions, implementation, measurement, and outcomes persist. The present study examined recruiters’ perceptions of their own organizations Corporate Social Responsibility values and activities, in addition to the importance recruiters place on social responsibility as a selection factor when interviewing college-level applicants. The research was conducted through an online survey administered to college recruiters, using a modified snowball approach. Analysis of the data indicated that, while hospitality industry recruiters place importance on college-level applicants’ socially-responsible values, they do not necessarily place importance on socially-responsible activities of college-level applicants as a selection factor.

Factors influencing self-drive vacation travellers' length of stay.

The current research investigated the self-drive vacation travel market, examining determinants for demand for accommodations and the effects of external economic changes (e.g., fuel price fluctuation) on tourism. The study analysed data from two government data sources, a special survey module in the National Household Travel Survey which examined long distance trips, and the gas price index from the US Energy Information Administration. The present study compared two mainstream segments of the self-drive vacation market, which are self-drive vacation staying at commercial lodging facilities (SDV-lodging) and self-drive vacation staying at a friend or relative’s accommodations (SDV-FR). Using the 2SLS model, the effects of the socio-demographic variables and travel-related variables were tested statistically. Statistical results showed that an endogeneity issue occurred in the SDV-lodging segment, revealing that 2SLS is better than the OLS estimation.

Catching the long tail: competitive advantage through distribution strategy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the demand curve for information on tourism destinations and accommodation. The current study compares the demand curves for this information to trends described by Chris Anderson as the “long tail”.Design/methodology/approach – The current study examines the demand for information about accommodation establishments and destinations in Australia through the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW). The study examines the demand for information received through the ATDW in 2009 for 5,600 Australian destinations and over 33,200 accommodation listings. Demand for information was measured by page impressions (PIs). Over 10 million PIs were received for destinations and more than 17 million PIs were received for accommodation listings, all of which were examined.Findings – The current research shows that both accommodation and destination demand curves display the extended demand curve typical of the long tail phenomenon. The analysis also shows that demand cur...

Social Entrepreneurship Typologies and Tourism: Conceptual Frameworks

The chapter examines the ways that social entrepreneurs (SE) and Socially-Entrepreneurial Organizations (SEO) have been categorized. SEs have been categorized in terms of their personal traits and character, their organizational context, their work/leadership style, their motivations and the types of activities they undertake. SEOs have been categorized by the way they balance their social mission with revenue generation, the types of social benefits they provide, funding, and their use of tangible and intangible assets. Each of these typologies can be effectively applied to tourism. While, the terms SE and SEO are relatively new to tourism, they are closely linked to established fields of tourism study. Ecotourism, pro-poor tourism, and community based tourism are all areas of tourism that rely heavily on the work of SEs and SEOs. The new focus on SEs and SEOs provides new perspectives for the study of tourism. The chapter concludes by suggesting a number of typologies for tourism-related SE and SEO studies.