Nathaniel D. Line

An Expanded Servicescape Framework as the Driver of Place Attachment and Word of Mouth

The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of other customers on consumption behavior in shared consumption environments. The proposition is put forth that, like other factors that make up the consumption atmosphere, the mere presence of other customers has a significant impact on customers’ attachment to service organizations. Accordingly, this research proposes a framework that specifies the nature of the relationships among customer homogeneity in the social servicescape, company identification, place attachment, and word-of-mouth referral. To test the hypotheses, data were collected from a sample of 1,094 restaurant patrons in the United States. Results of structural equation analyses supported the overall contention that, in addition to the traditionally identified aspects of the servicescape (e.g., facility attractiveness, ambient conditions, seating comfort, and layout), the mere presence of others can affect the extent to which individuals perceive feelings of attachment to the restaurant. This relationship is demonstrated to take place via the mediating effect of company identification.

The Impact of Brand Prestige on Trust, Perceived Risk, Satisfaction, and Loyalty in Upscale Restaurants

Brand prestige significantly influences trust, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and perceived risk. Perceived risk has a negative impact on trust, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. Data analysis also revealed the positive effect of trust on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided in the conclusion and discussion.

The other customer: The impact of self-image in restaurant patronage

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to extend the understanding of self-congruity theory to the domain of restaurant patronage. In combination with sociometer theory, we propose a set of relationships among self-image, place commitment, and post-consumption behavior including loyalty and word-of-mouth. The hypotheses are tested on a sample of restaurant consumers in the United States. Analysis of the data demonstrates that while the consumer’s ideal self-image is a significant driver of place commitment and post-consumption behavior, his/her actual self-image is not a significant predictor of these constructs. These findings are considered, and implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Examining the Impact of Consumer Innovativeness and Innovative Restaurant Image in Upscale Restaurants

Long-term customer retention in the upscale restaurant industry requires successful management of postconsumption service evaluations. The purpose of this research is to identify drivers of price fairness and postconsumption behavioral intentions within the context of upscale/fine dining restaurant patronage. Specifically, this study identifies the dual roles of consumer innovation and restaurant image as drivers of price fairness and behavioral intentions. Based on a review of the literature, a construct nomology was proposed. The model was then tested using data collected from a sample of upscale restaurant patrons residing in the United States. Results of a structural equation analysis suggest, for innovative consumers, the perception that a restaurant is likewise innovative results in increased perceptions of price fairness and positive postconsumption behavioral intention. Innovative customers, grateful to the restaurant for having their needs for novelty satisfied, were more likely to perceive prices as fair and were more likely to report positive behavioral intentions. The academic and managerial implications of these findings are considered.

Image Matters: Incentivizing Green Tourism Behavior

Understanding the factors that motivate tourists to engage in pro-environmental behavior is an increasingly important topic in the tourism industry. In order to incentivize such green behavior, lodging properties often offer incentives to tourists who are willing to participate in property-level sustainability programs. Unfortunately, incentivizing participation in such initiatives is a difficult task, as tourists’ willingness to engage in pro-environmental behavior often depends on a number of situation-specific factors. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to advance the understanding of the motivating factors that underlie tourist reactions to sustainability programs. Based on the tenets of motivation crowding theory, this research demonstrates that such reactions depend not only on the nature of the incentive that is offered but also on the image of the destination in which the property is located.

Market-Oriented Destination Marketing An Operationalization

As competition among destinations has intensified, researchers have increasingly advocated for a market-oriented approach to destination marketing. Unfortunately, the unique stakeholder structure of the destination marketing environment precludes a direct application of the traditional market orientation paradigm to this domain. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to empirically develop an operational definition of the market orientation construct that can be applied to destination marketing organizations. Based on the tenets of stakeholder theory, this research proposes a multiple-stakeholder view of the marketing concept and develops its attendant operational construct. Referred to herein as a multistakeholder market orientation (MSMO), this construct is proposed and operationalized as reflective of the extent to which a destination marketing organization (DMO) implements the marketing concept across the stakeholder spectrum. The nomological validity of this construct is established by testing the effect of the proposed MSMO construct on DMO performance.

The Full-Service Dining Experience: An Assessment of the Generation-Specific Determinants of Customer Loyalty

The unique characteristics and values associated with different generational cohorts are often identified as important components of the consumption decision. The present research analyzes generation-specific perceptions of the full-service dining experience in terms of atmospherics, food quality, service quality, price fairness, and brand image. In addition to identifying significant differences among generations in terms of experience ratings, logistic regression was used to identify the differential impacts of each of the five dining experience factors in determining customer loyalty. By identifying the moderating role of generational affiliation in the development of customer loyalty, a new set of considerations for both scholars and practitioners interested in full-service restaurant consumption behavior were provided.

Low Gasoline Prices The Effects upon Auto Visitor Spending, Numbers of Activities, Satisfaction, and Return Intention

While the fluctuating price of gasoline has affected numerous industries throughout the world, very few entities in the global economy are more impacted than tourism and hospitality businesses located in destinations relying heavily on visitor demand generated by automobile travel. This study examines the effect of decreases in gasoline prices on travel expenditures and behavior among visitors arriving by auto to Florida destination areas. Data on travel expenditures, behavioral characteristics, selected demographics, revisit intention, and overall satisfaction with the on-site experience were collected at random from in-state and out-of-state travelers. A two-level hierarchical linear modeling approach was used to provide an accurate picture of the effects that decreasing gasoline prices have on auto visitor expenditures specific to restaurants, entertainment, admission to attractions and events, numbers of activities pursued during their on-site visit to the destination, and their impact on satisfaction and revisit intention.

Examining the Impact of Restaurant Innovativeness on Relationship Quality in Luxury Restaurants

ABSTRACT Despite the importance of innovation as a determinant for the success of restaurant businesses, little research has been conducted on the postconsumption evaluations of the image of restaurant innovativeness as perceived by the customer. In order to fill this important gap in the literature, the purpose of this study is to examine the perception of restaurant innovativeness and the effect of this construct on relationship quality. Based on a review of the literature, a conceptual model was developed hypothesizing the effects of the overall image of restaurant innovation on three determinant attributes of relationship quality: trust, commitment, and satisfaction. The model was then tested using data collected from 398 luxury restaurant patrons. The results of data indicate that the overall image of restaurant innovativeness is positively related to relationship quality in the luxury restaurant setting. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are considered.

The effects of image and price fairness: A consideration of delight and loyalty in the waterpark industry

Purpose Despite recent calls in the hospitality and tourism literature for increased research attention in the attractions industry, very little research exists in this important part of the hospitality marketplace. The purpose of this paper is to address the dearth of research in this domain by proposing and empirically testing a model of the relationships among image, price fairness and loyalty in the waterpark segment of the attractions industry. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 346 waterpark patrons in South Korea. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The results provide empirical support for the proposed relationship between waterpark image and customer loyalty. Additionally, a set of indirect relationships between these two constructs was identified. Specifically, the intervening effects of delight, service quality and price fairness were established. Research limitations/implications While the overall premise of the work was supported, the results provide evidence that price fairness is evaluated and considered differently in an amusement park context than in other consumption domains. This research suggests that future efforts are necessary to fully understand the complexities of behavior in the attractions industry. Practical implications The findings suggest that successful image management results in a variety of positive outcomes including quality/price perceptions and customer loyalty. To stay competitive, however, waterparks must engage in an ongoing process of image development and maintenance with a particular emphasis on managing expectations. Originality/value The research suggests that while the traditionally acknowledged effects of image on consumer behavior have applicability within the attractions industry, some of the existing nomological relationships established in other operational domains may not be generalizable. As such, our research can be seen as a step toward the development of a unique theory of behavior in the attractions industry.