Nikolaos Stylos

Differences in Sustainable Management Between Four- and Five-Star Hotels Regarding the Perceptions of Three-Pillar Sustainability

Although there are a wealth of publications about sustainability in tourism destination management literature, the concept has only recently started coming under examination within the area of hospitality management. This article’s main focus is on capturing the perceptions and practices of hotel management in respect to the concept of three-dimensional sustainability. A literature-based self-administered questionnaire was used and 423 hotels participated in the study. Logistic regression was employed in order to examine four research hypotheses and extract useful findings. The findings suggest that hotel star ratings play a significant role in the perceived importance of financial measures of economic viability, as well as in the application of socially responsible practices by hotel management; the same conclusion does not apply to environmental practices. Furthermore, it was found that hotel location does not play a significant role in shaping perceptions of sustainability dimensions.

Exergetic life cycle assessment of a grid-connected, polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic system

PurposeNowadays, the intensive use of natural resources in order to satisfy the increasing energy demand suggests a threat to the implementation of the principles of sustainable development. The present study attempts to approach thermodynamically the depletion of natural resources in the methodological framework and the principles of life cycle assessment (LCA).MethodsAn environmental decision support tool is studied, the exergetic life cycle assessment (ELCA). It arises from the convergence of the LCA and exergy analysis (EA) methodologies and attempts to identify the exergetic parameters that are related to the life cycle of the examined system or process. The ELCA methodology, beside the fact that it locates the system parts which involve greater exergy losses, examines the depletion of natural resources (biotic and abiotic) and the sustainable prospective of the examined system or process, under the scope of exergy. In order to obtain concrete results, the ELCA methodology is applied to a large-scale, grid-connected, photovoltaic (PV) system with energy storage that is designed to entirely electrify the Greek island of Nisyros.Results and discussionFour discerned cases were studied that reflect the present state and the future development of the PV technology. The exergy flows and balance for the life cycle of the PV system, as they were formed in the ELCA study, showed that the incoming exergy (solar radiation, energy sources, and materials) is not efficiently utilized. The greater exergy losses appear at the stage of the operation of the PV installation. Due to the fact that contribution of the renewable exergy (solar radiation) to the formation of the total incoming exergy of Life Cycle is significant, it emerges that satisfaction of electric power needs with a PV system appears to be exergetic sustainable. The increase of the Life Cycle exergetic efficiency supported by the future technological scenario in contrast to present scenarios emerges from the increased electricity output of the PV system. Consequently, the increased exergetic efficiency involves decreased irreversibility (exergy losses) of the PV system’s life cycle.ConclusionsThe application of ELCA in electricity production technologies exceeds the proven sustainable prospective of the PV systems; however, it aims to show the essence of the application of ELCA methodology in the environmental decision making process. ELCA can be a useful tool for the support and formation of the environmental decision making that can illustrate in terms of exergetic sustainability the examined energy system or process.

Unraveling the diverse nature of service quality in a sharing economy: A social exchange theory perspective of Airbnb accommodation

Purpose This paper aims to investigate customers’ perceptions of the service quality facets of Airbnb accommodation using social exchange theory as a suitable conceptual framework to explain aspects of interactivity between guests and hosts. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 25 accommodation-specific service quality attributes, structured according to Akbaba’s (2006) measurement scale and based on the service quality hierarchical conceptualization described by Brady and Cronin (2001) and Cronin and Taylor (1992), was distributed to Airbnb international guests visiting Phuket, Thailand. The sample was chosen through a two-stage sampling process and the PLS-SEM technique was used for data analysis. Findings The results showed that convenience and assurance are critical contributors to the measurement of service quality in remote Airbnb lodgings. The findings further revealed that Airbnb guests are mainly interested in lodgings which have access to certain tourist sights, and in easily accessible information and efficient resolution of problems during their stay. The authors also found that guests greatly value the convenience and flexibility offered by Airbnb, and that they particularly appreciate the warm hospitality provided by the hosts. Finally, Airbnb guests have very low expectations of the amenities and services available at the lodgings. Research limitations/implications Airbnb is one of the most well-known examples of hospitality in the sharing economy, and results cannot be generalized to similar accommodation providers in sharing economies. Despite the appropriateness of using the measurement tool provided by Akbaba (2006), it is only one option among others for measuring service quality. Practical implications The current study can assist hosts in gaining better knowledge of guests’ decision-making processes and in designing effective marketing strategies by focusing on guests’ requirements in terms of service quality. The effective use of competitive strengths and the prioritization of business resources would potentially enhance guests’ positive experiences at the accommodation and at the destination. Originality/value Limited numbers of studies have focused on the sharing economy and hospitality and in particular on Airbnb, and this is the first study with a focus on service quality issues in terms of Airbnb accommodation.

Investigating Tourists’ Revisit Proxies: The Key Role of Destination Loyalty and Its Dimensions

Literature in tourism marketing has focused on understanding tourists’ revisit patterns, mostly through its proxies (i.e., destination loyalty, past visitation, intention to revisit). Interestingly, however, consensus has not been reached yet, regarding not only the distinctiveness of these proxies but also their interrelationships. This study hypothesizes the impact of past visitation, along with holistic image and subjective norms, on tourists’ intention to revisit directly, and via destination loyalty, expecting place attachment to serve as key moderator. Additionally, since research remains quite vague in terms of the destination loyalty components and their operationalization, this study tests other than the baseline model, a competing one, in which we replace destination loyalty construct with two of its main components, namely, destination commitment and intention to recommend. Evidence coming from 1,292 British tourists visiting Crete, Greece, verifies the distinctiveness of the three proxies and identifies the superior explanatory power of the competing model.

Quality in bank service encounters: Assessing the equivalence of customers’ and front-line employees’ perceptions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the need to evaluate perception-based quality in service encounters. It sets out to diagnose potential mismatches in how customers and front-line employees perceive quality in high-involvement service settings, based on the premise that any initiative toward quality enhancement in service encounters is advisable only when employees and customers evaluate quality utilizing common perceptual structures. Design/methodology/approach The study utilizes invariance analysis. The survey involved 165 bank branches and 1,522 respondents (463 front-line employees and 1,059 customers) and operationalized the same set of questions for both groups of participants. Multisample confirmatory factor analysis tested a series of measurement models. Findings Results revealed equivalence for tangibles, responsiveness and assurance but also mismatches between customers and front-line employees perceptions of reliability and empathy. Practical implications Findings add to current knowledge of how both groups of participants evaluate quality in service encounters and are discussed with reference to managerial consequences for perception-based quality mismatches. Originality/value So far only a few studies have simultaneously examined front-line employees’ and customers’ perceptions of service quality in service encounters. Unlike previous research designs, this study addresses the critical aspect of potential mismatches in how customers and employees perceive service quality, and presents a methodological procedure to detect them.

AVOCATION TRAVEL: CHOICE OF EVENTS AMONGST AMATEUR (NON-PROFESSIONAL) PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED IN SMALL-SCALE SPORTING EVENTS

This paper develops a conceptual model relating motivation, involvement, and changes to travel style to the selection of destinations and choice of events amongst non-professional participants involved in small-scale sporting events. A longitudinal comparison of t

Strategic Marketing Management at ski centers: the SMMP concept

Purpose – The current study develops a new concept for managing marketing strategy of a specific kind of tourism destinations, namely ski centers. The proposed Strategic Marketing Management Product (SMMP) concept is based upon the modern framework of business sustainability and the “triple-bottom-line” (TBL) responsibility. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is conceptual in nature based on previous qualitative and quantitative research. Findings – Previous research findings impose that most ski centers managers do not make any use of environmental and social dimensions of sustainability as key drivers of their marketing strategy. In fact, it seems that lack of an integrated strategic marketing concept is a possible source of that inadequacy. Therefore, SMMP actually bridges the traditional strategic marketing concepts and metrics with the idea of creating and sustaining an eco-efficient micro-economy for the mutual benefit of business units and the local societies as a whole. Originality/Value – SMMP concept is introduced as a new approach to the well-researched discipline of strategic marketing management. Further discussion and specific case studies could support the SMMP concept and unleash unknown positive repercussions and benefits.