Rhonda Montgomery

The Effects of Social Influence and Cognitive Dissonance on Travel Purchase Decisions

Theories of social influence (Crano 2000) and cognitive dissonance (Festinger 1957) have clear applicability to travel purchases, but have rarely been investigated in hospitality research. An experimental study of students’ travel decisions for a spring break vacation was conducted. Subjects chose between a green and nongreen resort in a 2 × 3 experimental design that manipulated social influence (majority, minority, none) and pro-environmental attitudes (high or low). Social influence was in the form of traveler reviews that were either favorable or unfavorable. Postdecision dissonance and dissonance reduction tactics were measured. Subjects were less likely to choose a green resort when a minority of reviews favored that resort. Subjects with strong pro-environmental attitudes experienced dissonance when making a nongreen choice in this situation. Consistent with dissonance theory predictions, people evaluated the chosen resort more favorably than the alternative. They sought out more favorable information about the resort when they experienced dissonance.

Factors that Influence Attendance, Satisfaction, and Loyalty for Conventions

Convention loyalty was investigated in a survey of attendees at a major international convention. Five factors influenced both attendance and satisfaction: program, networking, external activities, location, and cost. Satisfaction exceeded motivation for destination-related attributes and matched motivation for program-related attributes. Behavioral loyalty was assessed with positive and negative indicators. Loyalty antecedents, namely emotional commitment and switching costs, were also rated. Emotional commitment was the strongest predictor of loyalty. Program satisfaction was a key determinant of intentions to return in the future or switch to a different convention. The findings have implications for meeting planners, associations, host properties, and event marketers.

Online Traveler Reviews as Social Influence: Price is no Longer King

Price is a major influence on travel purchases; however, traveler reviews have also become a prevalent source of influence. Theories of social influence and cognitive dissonance provide insight into consumer decisions. This research investigated the effect of social influence in the form of traveler reviews and price on consumer decisions and postdecision dissonance. Student subjects evaluated two resorts for a Spring Break vacation in Cancun using a 2 (valence: positive or negative) × 2 (unanimity: unanimous or nonunanimous) × 3 (price: same, slightly lower, much lower) experimental design. The results reveal that social influence had a strong effect on both resort evaluations and postdecision dissonance. Nonunanimous reviews reduced the prevailing valence of reviews, but increased dissonance. The lack of results for price suggests that price may not be the predominant influence on decisions, as previously thought. This research provides new insight into the effect of traveler reviews on decisions by evaluating the unanimity of social influence, the effect of price differences, and the extent to which consumers engage in postdecision dissonance reduction.

Towards a Model of Wine Event Loyalty

The current research investigated factors that motivate attendance and produce loyalty to the UNLVino™ wine tasting event in Las Vegas. A model was developed to explain how attendance motivators, event satisfaction and emotional commitment contribute to wine event loyalty. Models were constructed for three behavioral loyalty indices: revisit intention, recommendation, and willingness-to-pay. Three factors were found to be primary attendance motivators: wine experience, enjoyment and social recognition. The importance of these factors did not differ between first-time and repeat visitors. The results showed that emotional commitment was the strongest predictor of behavioral loyalty, and served as a mediating variable for attendance motivated by the wine experience. Attendance motivated by enjoyment influenced loyalty directly and through its impact on satisfaction. The findings suggest that festival and event planners should seek ways to build emotional commitment and increase social capital among constituents.

Expanding the food service curriculum : Who has added fine dining to the menu?

Abstract The food service/restaurant component of the hospitality curriculum was examined in 33 ACPHA accredited schools and 11 other “top schools.” This study measured the number of food courses, the use of food laboratories, food service/restaurant concentration offerings in the hospitality programs, and the availability of course(s) in fine dining. The fine dining or full-service segment of the restaurant industry has experienced steady growth for over 25 years and is predicted to increase in alignment with the rising discretionary income of the Baby Boomer generation. Hospitality programs may consider expanding their curriculum to offer an elective course in fine dining to facilitate career opportunities for their graduates in this segment of the restaurant industry.

How we complain: the effect of personality on consumer complaint channels.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of personality types on consumer complaint channels. Respondents completed a survey that depicted four service failure scenarios, each with 11 possible courses of action. The three personality factors measured against the complaint behavior were locus of control, the California Psychological Inventory measure of sociability and Cattell’s 16 personality factors of relaxed versus tense. Factor analysis revealed three complaint channel dimensions: active, passive, and delayed. Sociability produced more active and less passive complaint behavior. Locus of control interacted with relaxed versus tense on the use of passive and delayed complaints. The findings have implications for recognizing and resolving customer complaints for different personality types.

Developing Loyalty Programs for Convention Attendees: An Exploratory Study

Reward programs build loyalty for hospitality businesses. Such programs are rare in the convention industry, despite the fact that the industry is challenged to increase attendance while maximizing profits. This study evaluated the attributes of a possible reward program for convention attendees. Attendees at a large international convention completed a survey on which they rated potential reward program attributes and benefits. Benefits were classified into four primary dimensions: monetary, redemption, functional, and recognition; and two secondary categories: tangible–intangible and direct–indirect. Attendees prefer tangible, monetary rewards directly related to the convention. Suggestions are provided for creating effective reward programs that could increase loyalty for conventions.