Monitoring Web 2.0 - User Generated Content in the Hospitality Industry

Increased importance of user generated content (UGC) forces hotel managers to place greater emphasis on monitoring their online reputation. The study at hand investigates the hospitality industry’s attitude towards UGC as well as if and how the industry monitors online reviews of tourists. Data collected from an online survey conducted in German- speaking countries in Europe (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) are analyzed. The analysis of 693 completed questionnaires revealed that managers in all three countries assess evaluating UGC as highly important. This is also reflected in a high percentage of managers monitoring their hotels’ reputation themselves and by not delegating the task to employees. Further, managers have a rather positive attitude towards negative reviews. However, only a minority uses social media for advertising purposes. Further results are presented and implications are discussed

Immunotherapeutic targeting of membrane Hsp70-expressing tumors using recombinant human granzyme B

Background: We have previously reported that human recombinant granzyme B (grB) mediates apoptosis in membrane heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70)-positive tumor cells in a perforin-independent manner

Hotels' dependency on online intermediaries and their chosen distribution channel portfolios: Three country insights

New intermediaries are entering the market, challenging the hospitality industry to find an appropriate distribution channel portfolio. This research investigates how many channels hotels in Austria, Germany and Switzerland choose and what role the various channels play. Findings based on 1014 questionnaires reveal an average mix of 8.06 offline and online channel categories. Traditional channels, such as walk-ins and telephone, still play a major role; however, about one fifth of the bookings are completely generated online. On average, 3.61 online travel agencies (OTAs) are used. With regards to OTA penetration, an oligopolistic market structure is prevalent. Swiss and German hotels' OTA dependency is higher than Austrian's. A series of a posteriori cluster analysis results in four distribution portfolio groups hoteliers choose: multi-channel-, electronic-, real time-, and traditional distributors. Distribution portfolio profiles facilitate learning from strategies used by hotels with certain characteristics such as target group and star-rating

(Dis-)Satisfiers for e-Learning User Interfaces

With the growing importance of e-learning and increased competition among e learning providers, website designers must cater to users' needs more accurately. Interfaces need to provide the features users demand to experience an optimal learning environment. This empirical research investigates whether the function of specific e learning features are either basic, performance related, indifferent, or attractive. The Kano model is applied to examine the impact of 73 e learning features on satisfaction. 1,034 completed questionnaires from an online survey distributed to economics and business students are the basis for the assignment to the Kano factors. Results show that among others, basic features include learning statistics, sample exams, and videotaped lectures. Educational videos are seen as an attractive factor. In terms of different groups of learners, findings confirm that Bachelor students are more demanding than Master and Doctoral students. Additionally, importance ratings allow recommendations for an implementation sequence for the features examined

User-based website design in tourism with a special focus on web 2.0 websites

Information systems literature calls for websites providing a site architecture that is as close as possible to the mental model of the user. To assure that users will be satisfied, website designers need to be aware that users interpret elements offered on a website based on their physiological and psychological factors. Creating a compelling online experience for diverse groups of e-customers is a challenge and of utmost importance for a website's success. However, in the field of tourism literature that discriminates between requirements based on motivational or cognitive aspects of certain user-groups is scarce. Therefore, the hypothesis examined in this dissertation is that there are differences between a priori defined user-groups regarding their satisfaction with web 2.0 websites. Further, this research is aimed at not only taking the demand side into account but also the supply side by asking whether the supply side is aware of the increasing importance of web 2.0 contents and its potentials for information presentation and market research. To bring the project into a coherent framework three more aspects are tackled. First, due to the fact that there is no existing typology for travel-blogs this dissertation tries to fill this gap by means of a qualitative approach. Second, an alternative, more parsimonious measurement approach for website performance is proposed. Finally, a study on measuring emotional mental models, a topic which seems to be neglected in information systems literature as well as in the field of tourism, is included. In order to investigate all these issues nine empirical studies are conducted. The approaches used include online surveys, content analysis, and quasi-experimental design. For data analysis methods such as Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling, Covariance Based Structural Equation Modeling, and Artificial Neural Network Analysis are applied. The results indicate that there are differences between a priori defined user groups regarding their satisfaction with web 2.0 websites. For instance, the influence of motivational factors on the importance of website features differs between travelers who seek relaxation and those who seek adventure. Moreover, the main drivers for value and satisfaction for a goal-directed search are content quality followed by usefulness. These effects are attenuated for the experiential search. The study focusing on communication modes suggests that for verbalizers content is most essential while for visualizers the most important aspect is design. A further study, investigating the influence of hotel guest reviews on customer hotel preferences, reveals that in certain instances the subjects' willingness to pay is significantly higher than their reference price. Additionally, the findings indicate that people who read consumer reviews online do not belong to only one homogeneous group but perceive the importance of review categories differently. Pertaining to the supply side findings show that managers in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland assess user generated content as highly important and that managers have a rather positive attitude towards negative reviews. However, there is evidence that hotels and museums are not seizing opportunities the Internet provides in terms of information presentation. Concerning the formative measurement developed for website performance cross validation proved that the index works well. The last study sheds light on measuring emotional models and gives insights into changes of users' emotional mental models before and after their visitation of a virtual world. The final chapter "Discussion and conclusions" critically discusses the results of the nine studies from a theoretical point of view, debates the approaches used and methods applied, and gives managerial implications and suggestions for future research. (author's abstract

International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism : eTourism Conference ( 2017 : Rome, Italy )

xviii, 794 p. ; 24 cm

Collaborative destination marketing and PWYW

Innovative pricing methods such as auctions, Name-Your-Own-Price and Pay-What-You-Want (PWYW) are fairly recent. These pricing approaches allow sellers and customers to collaborate in the price setting process (Amor, 2000; Shapiro & Zillante, 2009). PWYW, in particular, goes a step further by allowing customers to decide which price they want to pay after consumption. As such, this approach takes away the power of price setting from the seller. The customer is free to set any price (even zero) and the seller has to accept it (Kim, Natter, & Spann, 2009). Studies on PWYW provide insights into why the approach works in certain societies (Bolton, 1991; Elster, 1989; Gneezy, Gneezy, Riener, & Nelson, 2012), which factors (e.g. satisfaction, income and price consciousness) impact on the PWYW price people pay, and its profitability for various services (Chao, Fernandez, & Nahata, 2015; Kim et al., 2009; Schons et al., 2014). There is currently no study in the tourism field that either applies PWYW at the destination level to evaluate profitability or the impact of PWYW on subsequent tourist satisfaction. The study contributes to the dearth of literature on collaborative pricing in the tourism field

Collaborative destination marketing and PWYW

Innovative pricing methods such as auctions, Name-Your-Own-Price and Pay-What-You-Want (PWYW) are fairly recent. These pricing approaches allow sellers and customers to collaborate in the price setting process (Amor, 2000; Shapiro & Zillante, 2009). PWYW, in particular, goes a step further by allowing customers to decide which price they want to pay after consumption. As such, this approach takes away the power of price setting from the seller. The customer is free to set any price (even zero) and the seller has to accept it (Kim, Natter, & Spann, 2009). Studies on PWYW provide insights into why the approach works in certain societies (Bolton, 1991; Elster, 1989; Gneezy, Gneezy, Riener, & Nelson, 2012), which factors (e.g. satisfaction, income and price consciousness) impact on the PWYW price people pay, and its profitability for various services (Chao, Fernandez, & Nahata, 2015; Kim et al., 2009; Schons et al., 2014). There is currently no study in the tourism field that either applies PWYW at the destination level to evaluate profitability or the impact of PWYW on subsequent tourist satisfaction. The study contributes to the dearth of literature on collaborative pricing in the tourism field