Vesna Žabkar

Conceptualizing tourist satisfaction at the destination level.

Purpose – The purpose of the research is to conceptualize a model of tourist satisfaction at the destination level which can serve as a background for designing a universal, parsimonious, short and easily applicable measurement instrument.Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual model was developed on the basis of existing theoretical and empirical research in the fields of marketing and tourism.Findings – The model includes eight latent constructs, with tourist satisfaction being the central one. The analysis of the antecedents (quality, image, value, and costs and risks) of customer satisfaction provides insights into the processes underlying the creation of satisfaction, while the outcome constructs (complaint behavior and loyalty) indicate the consequences of (dis)satisfaction.Research limitations/implications – Designing a parsimonious and easily applicable measurement instrument imposes some limitations with respect to the number of constructs and measured variables included. The inclusion of ad...

A hotel sustainability business model: evidence from Slovenia

This research explores and develops a hotel sustainability business model (HSBM) to study the sustainability orientation of the Slovenian hotel industry. Based on a comparative analysis of the existing sustainability and triple bottom line models, the usual content of a three-line HSBM (economic, environmental and sociocultural) was extended to include customer satisfaction, environmental education and power to implement changes. Financial, marketing and tourism sustainability experts investigated best practices in sustainability measurements and gathered appropriate sustainability indicators; expert opinion and the Delphi method refined and reduced an initial 79 indicators to 36 operational indicators, able to fulfil the HSBMs sub-categories within the extended triple bottom line. The HSBMs concept was used to study the sustainability of Slovenian hotel firms to reveal how important these indicators are for hotel managers and do they monitor them. Results indicated strong importance and measurement of economic and marketing indicators, such as profitability and customer satisfaction. Following the socialist tradition, companies recognise the importance of human resources, but the importance of environmental education and awareness building, biodiversity, and the establishment of partnerships with stakeholders to implement sustainable tourism development are neglected. Economic performance was, for example, monitored by 66% of respondents, environmental performance by 28% and social performance by 42%.

Consumer ethnocentrism, national identity, and consumer cosmopolitanism as drivers of consumer behavior: : A social identity theory perspective

Consumers’ preferences for domestic over imported products have been investigated in various isolated studies, but never in a single model incorporating several in-group and out-group consumer orientations at the same time. Building on social identity theory, this study develops and tests—in two countries—a conceptual model that assesses the relative influence of consumer ethnocentrism, national identity, and consumer cosmopolitanism on consumers’ product judgments and willingness to buy domestic and foreign products. Furthermore, the study develops an empirically based typology of consumer segments using these sociopsychological traits and subsequently profiles them on consumption-relevant variables. The findings reveal several undiscovered patterns regarding the interplay of consumer ethnocentrism, national identity, and consumer cosmopolitanism as drivers of consumer behavior and offer managerial guidance on their relevance as segmentation variables.

Commitment in marketing research services : two alternative models

Abstract The paper aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on client commitment in business-to-business professional services by developing and testing two alternative models: one based on the Relationship Marketing (RM) approach and the second on the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) approach. Both models include the same mediators (components of commitment) and consequences (attitudinal and behavioral loyalty), yet they differ in the antecedents of commitment. By using SEM, both models are tested and compared on a sample of 150 firms. The results show that affective commitment is the only component of commitment that influences both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. In the RM model affective commitment is positively influenced by trust, social bonds and satisfaction, while in the IMP model it is positively influenced by trust and knowledge transfers. Although differences in the sizes of effects can be found, the two models perform comparably well in terms of the model fit and their e...

Relationship commitment, relational equity and company image in customer loyalty development

Abstract his paper explores the relationship between customer loyalty and its seldom researched antecedents: relationship commitment, relational equity and company image. The proposed conceptual model is tested with data gained from customers of mobile telephone operators. The results show that relationship commitment and relational equity have a statistically significant positive influence on customer loyalty. In addition, the results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis reveal that the number of different mobile operators a person uses is not related to customer loyalty when relationship commitment, relational equity and company image are included in the model. Drawing on the results, the paper offers implications for managing customer loyalty.

Modeling Synergies in Cross-Media Strategies: On-line and Off-line Media

Changing market circumstances push marketing managers to optimize advertising spending and search for the most effective and affordable advertising media. In integrated marketing communication (IMC), synergy can contribute significantly to reinforcing the preferred outcome, that is, total sales. Cross-media synergy, defined as the combined effect of more than one media that exceeds each medium’s individual effects on the measured outcome, is of particular interest (Naik and Raman, 2003; Chang and Thorson, 2004; Havlena, Cardarelli, and de Montigny, 2007).

Values and Trust in Business Relationships in Former Yugoslav Markets

The former Yugoslavia has gone through turbulent political, economic and societal changes since 1990. After the 22-million market split into separate countries, numerous differences arose among them. War and political instability also led to many business and economic risks, and therefore slower economic growth. Yet, in the last few years, markets have stabilized and some of them have grown — as that of Slovenia, which also became a member of the European Union (EU). Croatia is expected to follow a similar path soon. These two countries show economic and political stability, as well as economic development and growth comparable to EU countries. This is not yet the case for the rest of the former Yugoslav countries, such as Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Nevertheless, the former 22-million market is interesting for investors and all those who would like to expand their businesses to this part of Europe, especially as it shows great potential for growth. To enter these markets and to create business relationships within them requires an understanding of the core elements and specifics of the local business culture. The acknowledgement of economic, political and cultural differences between different former Yugoslav markets is a precondition for successful business development, as is an understanding of the meaning of trust, values, commitment and cooperation when doing business with partners in these diversified markets. This is particularly important when companies want to position themselves in these markets over the long term.