Qualitative interpretive mobile ethnography

A growing number of studies use mobile ethnography and mobile devices to collect data, yet studies reveal a lack of coherent definition and inconsistencies in validity criteria. We draw on relevant literature from tourism, health and retail, and connect research designs utilizing mobile ethnographic methods. We show how these existing studies capture mobilities and social phenomena in boundaryless dynamic settings, allowing researchers to co-create knowledge with their participants. As a result, we offer a framework for mobile ethnography, consisting of four explanatory dimensions: the role of the researcher; focus of research; data collection and tools; and data analysis. Our methodological contribution specifies validity criteria and derives concrete implications for research practices in qualitative interpretive mobile ethnography

Generation Y: evaluating services experiences through mobile ethnography

Purpose: This paper suggests mobile ethnography as a method for data collection, where Generation Y customers are integrated as active investigators. The paper aims to contribute to the debate on museums as experience-centred places, to understanding how the experience is perceived by Generation Y, to identifying the customer journey, to providing an insight into service experience consumption and to deriving managerial implication for the museum industry of how to approach Generation Y. Design/methodology/approach: Mobile ethnography is applied to the National Museum of Australia in Canberra with a sample of Generation Y visitors as the future visitor market. Findings: The paper finds that there is a need to involve museum management in measuring museum experiences, especially with regard to the definition and improvement of the service-delivery processes. Service experience must be appropriately managed by museum operators by collecting, evaluating, storing and reusing relevant data on customer experience. Mobile ethnography and tools such as MyServiceFellow offer an important potential source of sustainable competitive advantage by improving customer experience, particularly for Gen Y. Research limitations/implications: The most significant limitation is the exploratory nature of the single case study derived from a small sample within only one museum. Originality/value: This is one of the few studies to have addressed mobile ethnography in a service context and examined the museum experience of Generation Y. The paper finds that there is a need to involve museum management in service design to improve the service-delivery process, especially with regard to the different mindsets of the Millennials

Knowledge sharing and power in the event workforce

The aim of this study is twofold. First, we draw on organizational behavior, strategic management, and events literature to conceptualize the event workforce. We show that events are a highly heterogeneous organization with a temporary and project-based structure, and are characterized by a high fluctuation of paid employees and volunteers. Second, we contextualize these unique characteristics to understand knowledge sharing behavior of the event workforce. We analyze interview data from volunteers and paid employees at tourism events to make two theoretical contributions: 1) We advance theory in events literature, showing that event organizations are unique in terms of their processes and team composition; 2) We contribute with novel insights of how knowledge is used in heterogeneous event teams, explaining how knowledge serves as a source of power for both volunteers and paid event managers alike

Cultural Distance and Self-Initiated Expatriates’ Willingness to Relocate

This chapter focuses on understanding cultural distance (CD) with respect to nations, organisations, and careers on an individual level and aims to contribute with nuanced conceptualization of CD for self-initiated expatriates (SIEs). The chapter begins by reviewing the literature on the notion of CD and then synthesize the extant critique to existing CD research. We derive implications for how CD could be conceptualized and measured to better include the specific characteristics of SIEs. It emphasizes implications for research and important avenues forward for an underrepresented area in SIE careers research. Most prevailing studies use a positivist paradigm to measure CD. Studies have shown that for some groups of SIEs, such as ‘explorers’ who are essentially motivated by experiences, adventure, and a new country’s culture, CD is a key positive stimulant for their mobility

Knowledge transfer and organizational memory: an events perspective

Although there is substantial research on various elements of knowledge management in organizations, there is a gap in our understanding of how event organizations transfer knowledge. We address this gap, using qualitative interview data and show in our results that knowledge transfer processes can be categorized into three distinct phases: i) pre-event, ii) event-operations and iii) post-event. Event managers and staff mostly transfer explicit knowledge pre-event; yet, tacit knowledge is transferred during the event-operations. Tacit knowledge however, is rarely converted into explicit knowledge in the post-event phase, and organizational memory is largely underutilised. Practical implications are deduced, suggesting for event organizations, to adopt a more strategic approach to knowledge transfer. We suggest that event management then operates more effectively in this fast-paced and knowledge intensive business environment, and better integrates heterogeneous event staff, including both paid employees and event volunteers

A power perspective on knowledge transfer in internal succession of small family businesses

The aim of this paper is to apply a power perspective to knowledge transfer in internal succession processes of small family businesses. We argue that knowledge is a source of power. Distilling existing literature on small family businesses, knowledge transfer and power theory, we focus on the role of owner-manager and successor in internal succession. Propositions are formulated, theorizing the influence of (1) expert power, (2) decision-making power, (3) trust, (4) rivalry, and (5) capabilities. First, we conclude, familiness and high levels of trust in small family businesses influence power relationships between successor and predecessor positively. Second, the existence of high power imbalances within familiness can slow progress in knowledge transfer in succession, and particularly negatively impact on tacit knowledge transfer from one generation to the next

Quality of work life and Generation Y: How gender and organizational type moderate job satisfaction

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how Quality of Work Life (QWL) influences job satisfaction and to test if gender and organizational type moderate this relationship for Gen-Y. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaire data were collected from 328 Gen-Y employees in European hospitality businesses. Drawing on generational theory, social role theory, and Person-Environment (P-E) fit theory, we discuss how gender and organizational types (i.e., independent vs. corporate structures) moderate Gen-Y’s QWL-job satisfaction relationship. Findings: 1.) Gender and organizational type influence the QWL-job satisfaction relationship for Gen-Y. 2.) Job security does not change job satisfaction levels for female employees while high levels of job security negatively influence job satisfaction for male employees. 3.) Receiving appreciation at work increases job satisfaction for both women and men but, when receiving little appreciation at work, women remain more satisfied. 4.) Having opportunities to contribute to decisions positively affects Gen-Y’s job satisfaction. 5.) Having the right to say is more important in independent organizations, while the opportunity to realize an employee’s own potential leads to higher job satisfaction in corporate organizations. Originality/value: The study contributes to the limited empirical scholarly research, adding to a deeper understanding of influencing factors of Gen-Y’s QWL-job satisfaction relationship

Perceived Quality, Authenticity and Price in Tourists’ Dining Experiences: Testing Competing Models of Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions

This study examines tourists’ dining experiences and tests competing models of predictors of satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Specifically, we examine the influence of service quality, quality of environment, food quality, price fairness, authenticity and tourist satisfaction on behavioral intentions. Within the context of mountain hut casual ethnic restaurants and a survey of 304 respondent tourists, we apply PLS-SEM to test both the baseline and the competing, hierarchical latent model. First, results for the baseline model show that satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between the various quality attributes and behavioral intentions. Second, results from the competing model confirm that food quality, service quality and quality of environment form a second-order construct of perceived quality. Third, results reveal that service quality, quality of the environment, and food quality are best represented as a second-order construct in modelling predictors to evaluate the tourism dining experiences relative to tourist satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Fourth, we show that authenticity is a stronger predictor of satisfaction than price fairness and service quality

The Role of Empathy in the Service Experience

Purpose: This study examines the role of empathy in the student service experience. Taking a dyadic perspective, both students and staff’s perceptions are analyzed to determine if 1) empathy matters to both actors alike; and 2) which differences in perceptions about the role of empathy between these actors exist. Design/Methodology/Approach: We adopt a multi-method approach and used data from 256 usable survey responses from eleven higher education service providers in Singapore. Empathy was operationalized by six cognitive and affective independent variables and multiple multivariate analyses are applied, such as multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), discriminant analysis and multiple regression analysis. Results: Results show that both students and staff alike evaluate empathy as important in the co-created service experience. The provision of individualized attention to students to positively influence student experience in learning was deemed important by both staff and students. Yet, there are also distinct differences. For students, it is essential that staff members have students’ best interests at heart; for staff members, knowledge of students’ needs and show of care and concern are important. Practical Implications: Students and staff perceive empathy in higher education service provision differently. Interestingly, whilst staff think, caring for students is important, students feel that too much care and concern from staff has a negative effect on their experience. Hence, too much care and concern might cause potential issues with the student’s perception of ‘over-servicing’ which might manifest as ‘spoon-feeding’. Instead, students are asking for individualized and professionalized attention, to be taken seriously and to be involved in the co-creation of the education service experience. Originality/Value: This study advances the understanding of affective and cognitive aspects of empathy and their influence on students’ service experiences

Innovation capability and culture: How time-orientation shapes owner-managers' perceptions

This study offers a cross-cultural perspective to better understand how time orientation shapes tourism small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) innovation capability. We synthesise the extant literature and determine SME owner - managers' internal and external innovation capability. Distinguishing between short- and long-term cultures and comparing data from Australian and German, Austrian and Swiss (DACH country cluster) SMEs, results confirm that perceptions of innovation capability vary across cultures. Results for SMEs in short term-oriented cultures show stronger appreciation for consumer orientation, creating prospective profit and staff incentives; by contrast, SMEs in long term-oriented cultures place higher value on accessible knowledge, commitment to learning, and adaptation. To effectively manage innovation capability in SMEs, we suggest a balanced approach of considering both short- and long-term factors. Acknowledging the scarcity of SMEs' resources, we propose that owner-managers first focus on strengthening their internal organisational drivers of innovation to enhance their innovation capability. We also discuss implications for tourism policy, offer recommendations for the field of innovation research and note the study's limitations