Sandeep Salunke

Determinants of place identity and dependence: the case of international tourists in Tanzania.

This research examines the effects of expectation (perceived attractiveness) on satisfaction, place identity, and place dependence. Place identity and place dependence are viewed as relational components of choice and relate to deeper needs. This study proposes that these two relational components depend on transactional expectations, which are emergent and determined by past experiences and visitor goals. In a theoretically elaborated and tested Structural Equation Model (SEM) this study assumes that these relationships vary according to intentions to return. The study addresses the conditions under which loyalty intentions influence the deeper place attachments (place identity and place dependence) that visitors associate with attractive cultural and natural destinations. The model is tested on a sample of 504 international tourists visiting Tanzania during fall 2010, and explains 59% of variance in the predicted dependent variables. The results are linked to a discussion on loyalty programs.

Resolving the Market Learning-Firm Competitive Advantage Debate, an Empirical Investigation: An Abstract

While the role of market learning in firm performance outcomes has been at the core of strategic marketing literature for over two decades, this research has been inconclusive. This paper attempts to resolve this by examining how market learning relates to other sources of learning. Adopting the capabilities view of competitive advantage and organizational learning approaches to innovation, we theorize that (a) market learning capability necessitates innovative firms to engage in network learning and internal experimental learning and (b) the three learning capabilities lead to both technical and nontechnical innovation enabling the firm to gain sustained competitive advantage. The findings of the two-stage research design support our theorization that market learning plays a dominant role in the innovation-based competitive advantage process. Our results reveal complex relationships between learning capabilities, innovation types, and components of the sustained competitive advantage construct. Implications to theory and practice and directions for future research are presented.