Soon-Ho Kim

Structural relationships among involvement, destination brand equity, satisfaction and destination visit intentions: The case of Japanese outbound travelers

The concept of involvement and destination brand equity and its relationship to satisfaction, intention to revisit, and willingness to spend money was explored in a sample of 369 international tourists. Applying structural equation modeling, this study focused on the effects that destination brand equity had as a potentially significant mediating variable in the involvement → destination brand equity → satisfaction → intention to revisit and willingness to spend money relationships. Findings indicate managers should understand destination brand equity as an essential antecedent of satisfaction and they need to manage the factors associated with destination brand equity. Of the factors contributing to destination brand equity, destination managers should maximize their promotional mix to improve their target groups’ preferences, value, popularity and price premiums identified as the more important factors.

The Impact of a Mega Event on Visitors’ Attitude Toward Hosting Destination: Using Trust Transfer Theory

ABSTRACT Despite the popularity of festivals and events, event managers and the hosting countries are not certain whether a successful event leads to favorable attitudes toward the hosting country. This study based on trust transfer theory considers the impact of attitude toward a mega event on attitude toward the hosting country. The study also examines two dimensions of perceived value related to the Shanghai Expo and their influences on attitude toward the event. The study finds that both emotional and functional dimensions of value offered by the Expo are important for evaluation of the event, although functional value is considered more important than emotional value. Supporting trust transfer theory, the study shows that attitude toward a mega event influences attitude toward the hosting country. The study also finds that both attitude toward a mega event and attitude toward the hosting country have a positive impact on visitors’ intentions to revisit China.

Promoting customers’ involvement with service brands: evidence from coffee shop customers

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as theoretical backgrounds. Design/Methodology/approach This study investigated how service brand loyalty can be enhanced through customer involvement, based on involvement theory and symbolic interaction theory as theoretical backgrounds. Findings Results identified customer–brand identification and service value influenced both service brand involvement and service brand-decision involvement. However, self-congruity only influenced customers’ service brand-decision involvement. Results also confirmed that customer involvement positively influenced service brand satisfaction and service brand loyalty. Research limitations/implications This study contributed to involvement and brand loyalty research, investigating the role of customer involvement on service brand loyalty. Practical implications Results suggested what factors could enhance brand loyalty to gain competitive advantages. Originality/value This study proposed and empirically investigated ways to enhance brand loyalty in the context of the coffee shop industry.

Person–environment fit and its effects on employees’ emotions and self-rated/supervisor-rated performances: The case of employees in luxury hotel restaurants

Purpose Seeking to build a deeper understanding of a higher level of hospitality in terms of employee task performance, this study aimed to explore different person–environment (P–E) fit types and the corresponding effects on hotel employees’ emotions and task performance, evaluated by both the employees themselves and their supervisors. Design/methodology/approach Frequency analysis, reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis and structural equation modeling method. Findings The results indicated that person–organization fit was associated with emotions toward the organization, the team and the job. However, this study did not provide empirical support for hypotheses that person-team fit affected emotions. Person–job fit was also associated with positive emotions toward the organization and the job, unlike with the team. Organization emotion had positive effects on both task performances, whereas no effect was reported between team emotion and task performances. Practical implications The study suggests that hotels’ human resource administrators may want to focus on developing and strengthening P–E fit and emotional responses. Originality/value This research illustrates the impact of three types of P–E fit on self-rated and supervisor-rated performance and examines the significant mediating role of three types of emotion.

An Ethical Work Climate and its Consequences among Food-service Franchise Employees

This study was conducted to examine the effect of ethical values and an ethical work climate (EWC) (responsibility, unethical peer behaviors, and selling orientation) on organizational trust, and organizational commitment (affective and continuance commitment), which in turn influence turnover intentions to acquire a competitive edge in a competitive world. Data were obtained from 276 employees of food-service franchised companies in Korea. The results suggest that an EWC mediates the relationship between ethical values and organizational trust, which in turn has a positive influence on organizational commitment and turnover intention. Contributions and directions for future study are discussed.

Franchise Core Competency and Its Relationship with Environmental Uncertainty, Competitive Advantage, and Financial Performance: An Empirical Assessment of Food-Service Franchise Firms

This paper examines the relationships between environmental uncertainty, franchise core competency, competitive advantage, and financial performance within the context of food-service franchise companies that build and maintain harmony between external characteristics and internal resources and competency. A survey of 156 food-service franchise firms provides the basis for this empirical investigation. Findings show that both environmental uncertainty and franchise core competency can lead to firm success – but in very different ways. Franchise core competency enhances firm performance by providing differentiation advantage, whereas environmental uncertainty improves performance through franchise core competency. This paper discusses the implications of these findings for researchers and managers.

How Customer Personality Traits Influence Brand Loyalty in the Coffee Shop Industry: The Moderating Role of Business Types

ABSTRACT This study examines how perceptions associated with customer personality traits can affect customer satisfaction, customer brand identification (CBI), and involvement as well as the development of brand loyalty. Social identity theory was applied to explain these effects as it relates to coffee shop businesses and further investigate relationships between customers and a brand. The verified model with a survey sample of 743 customers confirmed that customer personality traits had significant effects on customer satisfaction and CBI. Customer satisfaction had positive effects on CBI, involvement, and brand loyalty. CBI had significant influences on involvement and brand loyalty. Involvement was, in turn, positively associated with brand loyalty. In addition, the relationships between these variables were moderated by business type (i.e., independent coffee shop vs. franchise coffee shop).

Hospitality employees’ citizenship behavior: the moderating role of cultural values

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of self-efficacy and reciprocity in predicting the organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) of hospitality employees and the moderating role of cultural values in the hypothesized relationship. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model of this study has been tested on the basis of the responses from 432 full-time employees who work at hospitality fields in South Korea. This study has conducted frequency, reliability, confirmatory factor, correlation analyses and structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings The empirical results indicate not only that self-efficacy significantly influenced reciprocity, consideration, civic virtue and sportsmanship but also that reciprocity had positive influences on the same virtues as well as conscientiousness. The moderating role of cultural values has also been investigated resulting in significant differences in six of the nine cultural values measured (i.e. power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism I and II, assertiveness and gender egalitarianism). Practical implications From a practical perspective, the findings of this study yield several strategies relevant to hospitality employee development and training. Especially, the management in hospitality organizations needs to look at multicultural management and leadership styles within their own particular context. Originality/value Findings of this study suggest that both self-efficacy and reciprocity are important determinants of OCBs, and indicate the fundamental embeddedness of employment relations within the wider cultural value setting in non-Western contexts.

The Effects of Personality Traits and Congruity on Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty: Evidence from Coffee Shop Customers

Abstract Coffee shops are becoming more aware that brand loyalty can be an effective strategy for securing a competitive edge in business. To supplement current understanding of the importance of coffee shop branding, this study investigates the role of personality traits and congruity in the formation of brand loyalty. This study finds that personality traits have direct effects on congruity and customer satisfaction, the two defining factors of brand loyalty. Overall, our results suggest that the interaction of personality traits, congruity, and satisfaction is essential to the process of influencing coffee shop customers’ brand loyalty.

The consumer value-based brand citizenship behavior model: Evidence from local and global coffee businesses

ABSTRACT In consumer behavior research, one of the well-documented outcomes of the globalization is the development of consumers’ personal values, feelings, and behaviors. Based on local-global consumer values, this study examined a conceptual model that proposed the interrelationships across three dimensions of consumer value (i.e., global connectedness, cultural identity, and consumer ethnocentrism), brand engagement, and three dimensions of brand citizenship behavior (i.e., brand enthusiasm, brand endorsement, and helping behavior). Results confirmed that global connectedness and consumer ethnocentrism played critical roles in nurturing brand engagement. Brand engagement further enhanced customers’ brand citizenship behaviors. Moreover, results identified that the brand origin (i.e., local and global brands) moderated two of the hypothesized relationships (i.e., the impact of consumer ethnocentrism on brand engagement and the impact of brand engagement on brand endorsement). This paper further provided implications to management in the industry and hospitality researchers.