The hotel guest questionnaire: an assessment of its role as a service encounter interface

This exploratory study on hotel stakeholder behaviour uses a \u27service innovation\u27 approach to investigate how the hotel guest questionnaire can function in a way not previously considered in the hospitality management literature. viz as a remote service encounter interface between the hotel management and guest. The paper-based guest questionnaire. also commonly known as comment card. is an old hotel tradition that is the most widely used method or guest feedback elicitation by hotels. Primarily a method of measuring guest satisfaction. studies show that its inherent limitations as a survey Instrument result in inaccurate and ungeneralisable data. The trend for e-based questionnaires as a complement to or even a replacement of. The paper questionnaire provides timely impetus for re-evaluation of its role in contemporary hotel management

Spatial Big Data Analytics: The New Boundaries of Retail Location Decision-Making

This dissertation examines the current state and evolution of retail location decision-making (RLDM) in Canada. The major objectives are: (i) To explore the type and scale of location decisions that retail firms are currently undertaking; (ii) To identify the availability and use of technology and Spatial Big Data (SBD) within the decision-making process; (iii) To identify the awareness, availability, use, adoption and development of SBD; and, (iv) To assess the implications of SBD in RLDM. These objectives were investigated by using a three stage multi-method research process. First, an online survey of retail location decision makers across a range of sizes and sub-sectors was administered. Secondly, structured interviews were conducted with 24 retail location decision makers, and lastly, three in-depth cases studies were undertaken in order to highlight the changes to RLDM over the last decade and to develop a deeper understanding of RLDM. This dissertation found that within the last decade RLDM changed in three main ways: (i) There has been an increase in the availability and use of technology and SBD within the decision-making process; (ii) The type and scale of location decisions that a firm undertakes remain relatively unchanged even with the growth of new data; and, (iii) The range of location research methods that are employed within retail firms is only just beginning to change given the presence of new data sources and data analytics technology. Traditional practices still dominate the RLDM process. While the adoption of SBD applications is starting to appear within retail planning, they are not widespread. Traditional data sources, such as those highlighted in past studies by Hernandez and Emmons (2012) and Byrom et al. (2001) are still the most commonly used data sources. It was evident that at the heart of SBD adoption is a data environment that promotes transparency and a clear corporate strategy. While most retailers are aware of the new SBD techniques that exist, they are not often adopted and routinized

Spatial Big Data Analytics: The New Boundaries of Retail Location Decision-Making

This dissertation examines the current state and evolution of retail location decision-making (RLDM) in Canada. The major objectives are: (i) To explore the type and scale of location decisions that retail firms are currently undertaking; (ii) To identify the availability and use of technology and Spatial Big Data (SBD) within the decision-making process; (iii) To identify the awareness, availability, use, adoption and development of SBD; and, (iv) To assess the implications of SBD in RLDM. These objectives were investigated by using a three stage multi-method research process. First, an online survey of retail location decision makers across a range of sizes and sub-sectors was administered. Secondly, structured interviews were conducted with 24 retail location decision makers, and lastly, three in-depth cases studies were undertaken in order to highlight the changes to RLDM over the last decade and to develop a deeper understanding of RLDM. This dissertation found that within the last decade RLDM changed in three main ways: (i) There has been an increase in the availability and use of technology and SBD within the decision-making process; (ii) The type and scale of location decisions that a firm undertakes remain relatively unchanged even with the growth of new data; and, (iii) The range of location research methods that are employed within retail firms is only just beginning to change given the presence of new data sources and data analytics technology. Traditional practices still dominate the RLDM process. While the adoption of SBD applications is starting to appear within retail planning, they are not widespread. Traditional data sources, such as those highlighted in past studies by Hernandez and Emmons (2012) and Byrom et al. (2001) are still the most commonly used data sources. It was evident that at the heart of SBD adoption is a data environment that promotes transparency and a clear corporate strategy. While most retailers are aware of the new SBD techniques that exist, they are not often adopted and routinized

Persona based marketing strategies:creation of personas through data analytics

Abstract. In this study, we purposed a novel approach of using data analytics for persona generation. We design a process which can be adoptable for companies to enhance their marketing efforts, specifically, enabled them to focus real potential audience. To carry out our research we use company’s sales data and digital analytics to generate consumer personas. These personas can be used in various actions like content creation, UX designing and creation of marketing strategies. The research focuses on the development of marketing strategies and analyzes the impact of those marketing strategies on conversion rate. Previously researchers worked on customer segmentation by using customer data from Google Analyticsand data originated from social media analytics, however, this research focuses on giving the action-based approach to companies in order to find out their real customers and enhance their conversion rate by using all means of analytical data i.e. companies own sales data, social media analytics, and Google Analytics. This study adopts persona development to recognize and define potential customers. Personas are fictional but with the help of data, we can develop them more closely to a real audience. The rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape required more and more technicalities to drive result-oriented marketing strategies. In this study, we employed a qualitative methodology, which includes designing a process (framework) from digital data analytics. Some of the features of personas were extracted from data analytics obtained from Facebook insights, Google Analytics, and company’s sales database while some of the qualitative feature like Bio, motivation and taglines of personas were extracted from specially designed workshop with people from company’s sales and marketing department. This research is conducted in a company named “Quieton Oy” and the results of this research depicts the effectiveness of the process, its validity and the reliability of the process. The main objective of this thesis is to enable the creation of consumers personas based on data analytics and the efficient utilization of those personas for defining the marketing strategies

MODELING THE CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATION-SEEKING BEHAVIORS OF PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS WHO TREAT ELDERLY DEPRESSED PATIENTS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS

Objective:Physicians' clinical information-seeking behaviors have been a major target of investigation among the LIS, IS, and biomedical informatics professions for the past twenty or more years. Practicing evidence-based medicine (EBM) has become an expected standard in current health care with EBM curricula incorporated with the didactics in medical school education. This project focuses on the point where evidence-based medicine integrates with the delivery of information to the senior patient in a way that is meaningful to the patient. This study investigates the information-seeking behaviors that seniors' primary care physicians exhibit in order to educate themselves about current consumer health information (reading materials, websites, news, educational narratives) and how they currently disseminate educational information to patients and their caregivers. Methods:A grounded theory framework was conceived to administer a multimodal method of data collection. Primary care physicians who see elderly patients primarily in a large urban academic setting were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews, a self-evaluative confidence scale, and an environmental office scan. Results:The consumer health information-seeking model indicates three information-seeking stages. Each stage is indicative of unique sets of events which occur 1 - prior to a patient visit when physicians exhibit self-study exercises such as reading journal and news articles, receiving web updates or listening to television or radio health news stories; 2 - during a patient encounter when the physician actively assesses the ability of the patient and/or caregiver to receive and assess information regarding a health topic; and, 3 - after the patient visit when the physician may refer a patient and caregiver to websites, written literature or to a follow-up appointment with another health clinician for further information counseling. Conclusion:The proposed model suggests that physicians of a similar demographic setting exhibit similar patterns of consumer health information-seeking behavior. This study proposes an ISB model of the series of behaviors of a specific group of physicians that suggests how they collect and distribute consumer health information to their elderly patients and caregivers

The value of e-banking services in the Egyptian environment : an integrated model

Introduction: Driving the introduction of e-banking services in Egypt are structural changes, which have intensified competition across the banking sector. The value (net benefits) of e-banking services to their suppliers lies in their ability to attract new customers and retain those interested in using them. To achieve these objectives, requires an understanding of the value management process in e-banking services specifically within the Egyptian environment.Study Problem: Extant literature lacks an integrated model of value management relevant to the e-banking services. Empirical studies addressing the value of e-banking services in terms of antecedents and consequence in general and in the Egyptian environment are limited. Moreover, customer relationship management (CRM) literature disagrees on the factors reflecting the role of the internal operating environment and overlooks the role of the external environment in affecting the ability of service suppliers to create and deliver the value of e-banking services.Aim and objectives: This study sought to develop an integrated model for managing the value of e-banking services in the Egyptian environment through the following objectives. First, to identify the antecedents (requirements) and consequence of e-banking services perceived value from the demand side of e-banking services. Second, to explore factors shaping banks' ability to create and deliver value of offered e-banking services.Paradigm and research methods: This study adopted the critical realism paradigm, an anti-positivist paradigm, which supports the exploratory and the abductive nature of this research. To identify the antecedents and consequence of e-banking services perceived value from the demand side of e-banking services, an exploratory sequential strategy, in which in-depth interviews preceded the survey phase, was conducted. To explore factors shaping the banks' ability to create and deliver the value of e-banking services, semi-structured interviews were used.Key Findings: Findings related to the demand side indicated that improving e-banking services perceived value can significantly and positively strengthen the relationship between banks and customers. Antecedents of value were identified to be a combination of the explicit involvement of service suppliers in supporting face-to-face service encounters, e-banking services quality, and the role of external environment in promoting e-banking services.The ability of banks to create and deliver value of e-banking services is affected by their positioning strategy, bank branch design, employment scheme, criteria of recruiting front-office employees, and criteria of evaluating front-office employees' performance. The nature of the Egyptian economy, output of education system and legal system development were defined as highly influential within this process.Conclusion: It could be concluded that, managing the value of e-banking services is a dynamic process between service users and service suppliers

Waste sector small and medium-sized enterprises and their role in the extended producer responsibility; a case study of environmental responsibility in SMEs in eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa).

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Both the waste sector and corporate enterprises, under the banner of corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER), have a role to play in sustainable development, particularly in the South African context where legislation supports the waste hierarchy in its approach to waste management, and the promotion of employment and small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs, due to their vast number and the significance of their aggregate contribution to the global economy, have been identified as key contributors to sustainable development. Global supply chains rely heavily on SME suppliers and service providers, yet the combined environmental impact of SMEs remains un-quantified and their engagement in CSER is underexplored. This research explores the role that SMEs play in extended producer and environmental responsibility from a waste management perspective in the eThekwini Municipal area, describes the barriers that SMEs face when implementing environmental measures and provides a critical assessment of environmental responsibility in waste management supply chains. Case studies, where interviews and documentations were used as data collection methods, on waste management supply chains are provided. It is evident that there is a culture of outsourcing of the waste management function in the eThekwini municipal area and SMEs are an important component of the waste management value chain. However, environmental responsibility amongst the SMEs is poor as the SMEs response to supply chain or legislative pressure is weak. The bureaucracy of legal requirements of the waste sector, an ill-informed public and business sector regarding environmental issues, and the highly competitive nature of the waste sector are common obstacles experienced. In the face of difficulties such as limited resources, some SMEs are responding to legislative pressure and adopting the ISO 14001 certification. Many SMEs are responding to supply chain pressure in terms of the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act and participating in social responsibility activities. Findings from this research support the government’s vision of the creation of employment, the promotion of small business within the waste sector and the role that SMEs play in sustainable development in South Africa however; there is a need for strategies to address the environmental problems of small business

Conceptualising 'quality of a tourism destination': an investigation of the attributes and dimensions of quality of a tourism destination

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the University of BedfordshireTourism destinations need to continuously improve in quality to succeed, if not to survive. To improve quality, current levels need to be measured to identify areas requiring improvement. However, no adequate technique for measuring the quality of a tourism destination has yet been developed. More importantly, tourists' understanding of the meaning of the term 'quality of a tourism destination' has not been investigated; a pre-requisite step for developing a technique for measuring the quality of a tourism destination. This thesis aims to ascertain the attributes and dimensions of quality of a tourism destination and to specify implications for the development of a technique for measuring its quality. To achieve this aim, a qualitative research approach is employed in the first stage of the thesis. The findings from this stage are used to inform the ensuing, mainly quantitative phase. The main results are summarised here. Firstly, seventy-five attributes and twelve dimensions of quality of a tourism destination were revealed in the qualitative phase of the study. Secondly, in the quantitative stage, an analysis of mean score values revealed that tourists strongly associated all seventy-five attributes and twelve dimensions with the quality of a tourism destination. Thirdly, it was established that the twelve dimensions of quality of a tourism destination differ in either breadth or scope from both service quality dimensions widely used in tourism and product quality dimensions from the quality management field. This thesis suggests that the quality of a tourism destination can best be defined as 'conformance to tourist requirements'. The main hypothesis; that there are significant differences in interpretations of the meaning of 'quality of a tourism destination' within groups oftourists, is rejected. Finally, the thesis ascertains that a tool for measuring the quality of a tourism destination can be developed based on the findings of the thesis. Such a tool, though predominantly quantitative, should include open-ended questions. This would allow changing tourist needs to be captured periodically and the results used to update the tool for measuring the quality of a tourism destination