Stephen J. Hiemstra

Effects of an online virtual community on customer loyalty and travel product purchases.

Abstract This study is designed to: (a) investigate whether demographic and behavioral characteristics differ significantly among groups of online virtual community members; (b) identify factors that affect the community members’ loyalty; and (c) determine if the loyalty to an online virtual community would lead members to purchase products. A modified psychological sense of community scale coined by Davidson and Cotter (J. Appl. Soc. Psychol. 116 (7) (1986)), and principles offered by McMillan and Chavis (J. Community Psychol. 14 (1986)), Bressler and Grantham (Community Commerce, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2000), and McMillan (J. Community Psychol. 24 (4) (1996) 315) is used as a foundation to develop new measurements for this study. The four factors of membership, influence and relatedness, integration and fulfillment of need, and shared emotional connection were found to be associated with a sense of online virtual community. Sixteen variables were found to explain the four factors. This study was based on empirical investigation of 351 travel related online virtual community members. Factor analysis, ANOVA, and multiple regression procedures were used to test the hypotheses.

Improving the Accuracy of Hotel Reservations Forecasting: Curves Similarity Approach:

This study developed and tested a new type of an extrapolative forecasting model that improves the forecasting models of daily occupancy levels in a hotel by focusing on the shape of past booking curves. By applying a dissimilarity measure to identify past book ing curves with a similar shape, the identified similar curves were then used to project future reservations. The study examined 10 forecasting horizons ranging from 1 to 99 days in advance. The results indicate that the curves similarity model is considerably more accurate than the three benchmark models tested These results are statistically and prac tically significant. In addition, this study shows that under certain conditions a model that combines two independent models might produce a forecast that is more accurate than that of its components.

Incidence of the Impacts of Room Taxes on the Lodging Industry

This article addresses the question of tax incidence or the ultimate sharing of the burden of room taxes assessed on the lodging industry between guests and the lodging industry. The study presents a new analysis of elasticity of supply of lodging services, but draws on an earlier study of elasticity of demand in making this assessment. The elasticity of supply is measured at 2.86, in comparison with - .44 elasticity of demand for lodging services. This results in tax incidence of 6.2, which means that about

Analysis of Room Taxes Levied on the Lodging Industry

6 out of

Employment policies and practices in the lodging industry

7 of the tax is ultimately paid by guests and

Meeting Planners’ Perceptions of Relationship Quality:

1 is paid indirectly by the lodging industry.

Modeling U.S. Household Expenditure on Food Away from Home (Fafh): Logit Regression Analysis

This article summarizes a study of the impacts of room taxes on the lodging industry by (1) reporting on the findings of Phase II of an overall study assessing the negative impacts on number of rooms rented of room taxes levied on the lodging industry, and (2) applying the price elasticity of market demand found in step 1 to the average amounts of room taxes paid, as measured in Phase I of the overall study. The elasticity measurement comes from a statistical model based on data from a national probability survey of the properties owned by members of the American Hotel and Motel Association taken in spring 1990.

Recession and Tax Impacts On the U.S. Restaurant Industry

Abstract Respondents were asked a series of questions about their strategic personnel management policies to see how they were coping with the labor shortage. The results were rather disappointing, from the perspective of trying to reduce labor turnover and compete favorably in the current tight labor market. Only one-half of the respondents in this survey indicated that they have formal training or education programs for their employees. Only two-thirds of the respondents in the survey encourage employee involvement in their jobs or encourage job security and longevity. Only one-third provide guidance on career paths within the company, and only one-third even claim to be paying relatively high wages.

Impacts of Room Taxes on the Lodging Industry

Hotel salespeople involved in the marketing of meeting facilities often negotiate with meeting planners. In this situation, relationship quality between the salesperson and the meeting planner is important in assessing the possibility of a long-term relationship. The purpose of this study is to identify meeting planners’ perceptions of their relationship with hotel salespeople during the meeting planning negotiations. The study offers a research model of relationship quality, and tests this model empirically using a quantitative method based on a survey of meeting planners’ perceptions. Major hypotheses are tested with 300 meeting planners (a 29.2% response rate). The findings indicate that salespersons’ expertise, power, and willingness play important roles in determining a good quality of relationship perception in meeting planners’ minds. The findings also indicate that a good quality relationship is a predictor of establishing an intention of a long-term relationship. In addition, salespersons’ rapid turnover is found to be a problem in building good relationship quality.

Estimating the Amount of Solid Waste in Indiana School Foodservice Operations

This study determined which households were likely to purchase food away from home (FAFH) based on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Data from the 1992 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression. After-tax family income, education of reference person, and family type were found to most strongly affect FAFH purchases.