Manuela Vega-Vázquez

The value co-creation process as a determinant of customer satisfaction

Purpose – The greater part of the academic literature coincides in highlighting the positive influence that consumer participation has on the value created in service delivery. In this sense, research stands out which studies the consumers role as a value co-creator in the service. However, there are few studies which analyze the consequences of co-creation behavior from the customer perspective. This research aims to fill this gap. To do so, it sets out from the measuring of co-creation from the perspective of the customers themselves and proposes that there is a direct relationship between value co-creation behavior and customer satisfaction with the service experience. Design/methodology/approach – To verify the hypothesis proposed, adults over 18 were personally interviewed. They had to be regular users of firms in the beauty parlor and personal care sector. The data collection finished with 547 duly-completed questionnaires. The SPSS 20 and AMOS 20 statistical programs were used for the data analysi...

Tourist satisfaction and the souvenir shopping of domestic tourists: extended weekends in Spain

The satisfaction dimensions of domestic tourists when buying souvenirs are studied in relation to the overall satisfaction of the same tourists, a theme that has received little attention in the prior scientific literature. The research data were gathered from interviews with domestic tourists visiting Seville over an extended weekend. The results show that souvenir shopping satisfaction consists of four factors: internal attraction, service differentiation, service provision and external attraction. The last two, moreover, influence the overall tourist satisfaction rates. A discussion of these results and their implications help contribute to a better understanding among both scholars and practitioners of tourist satisfaction.

Does the firm's market orientation behaviour influence innovation's success?

– This study aims to examine the relationship between a firms market orientation, product innovation success and market performance., – Data for the empirical research is obtained from a sample of innovative industrial enterprises based in Andalusia (Southern Spain), all of which were required to have introduced a new product in the preceding three years and to have more than 20 employees. Data collection was conducted by means of a postal survey of 294 firms. The respondents were either the director of the marketing department or the general manager. In all, 85 questionnaires were completed correctly by firms and included in the study, a response rate of 28.91 per cent., – The results support a positive relationship between market orientation and new product success, providing also partial confirmation of the moderating role of “product newness” in the relationship between market orientation and new product performance., – This work contributes to the literature as follows. First, it addresses the previously neglected question of the influence of MO on dimensions other than organisational performance (in the broad sense). The literature has suggested that MO improves the performance of innovations, but few studies have examined the relationship between MO and the characteristics of new products (such as degree of newness and success); nor have they examined the moderating role of degree of product newness. Second, the study provides empirical evidence that the relationship between MO and product innovation is influenced by the degree of product newness for the market (NM).

Shopping value, tourist satisfaction and positive word of mouth: the mediating role of souvenir shopping satisfaction

We propose new insights into key satisfaction outcomes for souvenir retailers, such as positive word-of-mouth recommendations, seeking deeper comprehension of overall tourist satisfaction determinants, by analysing the mediating role of tourist souvenir shopping satisfaction. We apply variance-based structural equation modelling by means of partial least squares to a sample of 408 tourists all of whom had purchased souvenirs. The results suggest that tourist shopping satisfaction partially mediates the relation between shopping value and positive word of mouth, while tourist shopping satisfaction completely mediates the relation between shopping value and overall tourist satisfaction. The results and their implications are then discussed to arrive at pertinent conclusions on tourist souvenir shopping satisfaction.

Seeking a Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Periods of Economic Recession for SMEs and Entrepreneurs: The Role of Value Co-creation and Customer Trust in the Service Provider

A sustainable competitive advantage is obtained when firms have resources that are valuable, rare, and unique. In this sense, building relationships that are valuable for customers and based on trust is a critical requirement for corporate success, especially in situations of economic crisis such as the current one. On the other hand, the greater part of the academic literature coincides in highlighting the positive influence that consumer participation has on the value created in service delivery. In this vein, research stands out which studies the consumer’s role as a value co-creator in the service. However, there are few studies which analyze the consequences of co-creation behavior from the customer perspective. This research means to fill this gap and proposes that there is a direct relationship between value co-creation behavior and the customer’s trust in the firm. The data for the empirical research have been obtained from a sample of regular users of firms in the personal image sector—a sector which is mostly made up of young, self-employed entrepreneurs and microenterprises. The implications for management would stem from the need to foster the customers’ active participation in value creation by adapting actions and processes with this in mind. This can be especially important in the case of small firms and entrepreneurs, forced into seeking a sustainable competitive advantage when facing large corporations.

The Effect of Entrepreneurial Orientation on Results: An Application to the Hotel Sector

The aim of this work is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) on the performance of firms belonging to the hotel industry. To do so, an empirical study is carried out with a sample of 79 independent hotels, all located in the south of Spain. The results suggest that there is a significant and negative result between EO and financial performance, measured in objective terms. This result is due to the willingness to innovate, to take risks, to carry out self-directed actions and be more proactive and aggressive than competitors entailing a cost for the organization which has a negative short-term effect.

Does Sun-and-Sea All-Inclusive Tourism Contribute to Poverty Alleviation and/or Income Inequality Reduction? The Case of the Dominican Republic:

Tourism represents one of the most important industries in the world and one of the sectors of fastest growth. An understanding of the relation between tourism and poverty is key for poverty reduction in developing countries. The impact of tourism on the reduction of both poverty and inequality in income distribution is analyzed in this paper in the Dominican Republic (within the Caribbean Community of Small Island Developing States). The Ng and Perron test for analyzing time series stationarity and the AutoRegressive Distributed Lag bounds test were used to determine the existence of long-term relationships. The short-run dynamic models represented by the Error Correction Models were also estimated. The results showed that income from tourism has not alleviated poverty and has clearly failed to reduce inequality in the distribution of wealth. Finally, management implications are also provided for public and private bodies wishing to achieve sustainable tourism.

Simulation Games and the Development of Competences. Empirical Evidence in Marketing

The use of simulation games in education is a growing tendency in Spanish universities. This has been spurred on by their need to renovate their teaching methodologies to adopt them to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). These simulators are used in teaching to develop the students’ capacities and skills related to, for example, encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit, teamwork and competitiveness among peers. On the other hand, as they allow the students to adopt a business role and apply their acquired knowledge, they contribute to narrowing the gap between theory and practice. Nonetheless, the usefulness of this valuation depends on the users’ involvement and active participation. This is conditioned by their global assessment of the simulators. This is why, knowledge of the factors which affect this assessment is considered to be a key addition to the success of the simulator-based didactic methods. This study means to contribute by presenting the results of an experience in teaching innovation founded on the use of the Quantum marketing simulator, which was developed by investigators in the Carlos III University, Madrid. From a questionnaire given to 138 students, the global valuation of the Quantum experience is analyzed, as well as its relationship with motivational aspects and the acquiring of capacities and competences. The results suggest a positive global valuation conditioned by prior motivation and the student’s perception of the simulator’s impact on the acquiring of capacities and skills.

Retail Services Survival in an Economic Crisis Context

Travel agencies face a generalized economic crisis. To establish and nourish a permanent relationship with clients can become the key to their survival. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the effects of the actions of customer relationship management (CRM) on the perception of the quality of the relationship (RQ), and its consequences on loyalty and purchasing intention. The results confirm that RQ can be improved through CRM actions of travel agencies. The RQ set up with the travel agency has a positive effect on loyalty and buying intention, and there is a strong impact of loyalty on purchasing intention.