Estimating Cross-Country Differences in Product Quality,”

Abstract We develop a methodology for decomposing countries' observed export product prices into quality versus quality-adjusted-price components. In contrast to the standard approach of equating export price with quality, our methodology accounts for cross-country variation in product prices induced by factors other than quality, e.g. comparative advantage or currency misalignment. Even though variation in quality-adjusted prices is unobserved, it can be inferred from countries' trade balances with the rest of the world. Holding observed export prices constant, for example, countries exhibiting trade surpluses must be offering higher quality (i.e., lower quality-adjusted prices) than countries running trade deficits. We implement the methodology by estimating the evolution of manufacturing product quality among the United States' top 45 trading partners. Preliminary results reveal substantial cross-sectional variation in product quality growth between 1980 and 1997 that is not apparent in export prices alone. China and Ireland, in particular, experience relatively rapid gains in manufacturing quality

Identifying Business Practices Promoting Sustainability in Aboriginal Tourism Enterprises in Remote Australia

Aboriginal tourism entrepreneurs operating in remote regions of Australia draw on their 60,000 years of heritage to offer unique and distinct cultural experiences to domestic and international tourists. Living and operating in remote climates presents challenges to achieving successful and sustainable enterprises, including extreme weather, substandard infrastructure, distance from policy makers, distance from markets and the commercialisation of culture, which is customarily owned by and for use by traditional custodians, to produce and deliver a market-ready tourism product. However, many remote Aboriginal tourism entrepreneurs nevertheless achieve success and sustainability. This paper builds on the work of Foley to identify the characteristics of successful remote Aboriginal tourism enterprises and Aboriginal entrepreneurs in remote areas and the resourceful and creative business practices used by remote Aboriginal entrepreneurs to overcome barriers to success and finds that ongoing connections to community and culture are a key factor in that success. It also draws on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to identify how the characteristics of remote tourism entrepreneurs and enterprises promote or inhibit the achievement of sustainability and suggests that they offer a framework for effective support of remote Aboriginal entrepreneurs. It concludes by noting that the industry would benefit from further investigation of the contributions made to sustainability by remote Aboriginal tourism enterprises and their stakeholders.</jats:p

Detecting Latent Classes in Tourism Data Through Response-Based Unit Segmentation (REBUS) in Pls-Sem

This research note describes Response-Based Unit Segmentation (REBUS), a “latent class detection” technique used in partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine data heterogeneity. The research note is presented in two parts: Part A presents an overview of REBUS, including its development, algorithm, and its primary functions. Part B demonstrates the application of REBUS in examining a validated tourism model of destination image, satisfaction, and destination loyalty. The example shows how REBUS is used to examine variances in a structural equation model, to detect “classes,” and to profile and understand the heterogeneous groups in an SEM context. REBUS is powerful in uncovering variances and possible moderators in structural models, especially when the data are cross-sectional, heterogeneous, and multivariate nonnormal. Finally, the research note demonstrates how REBUS detects classes in models with higher order (multidimensional) constructs, which are often the case in tourism research.</jats:p

Identifying Business Practices Promoting Sustainability in Aboriginal Tourism Enterprises in Remote Australia

Aboriginal tourism entrepreneurs operating in remote regions of Australia draw on their 60,000 years of heritage to offer unique and distinct cultural experiences to domestic and international tourists. Living and operating in remote climates presents challenges to achieving successful and sustainable enterprises, including extreme weather, substandard infrastructure, distance from policy makers, distance from markets and the commercialisation of culture, which is customarily owned by and for use by traditional custodians, to produce and deliver a market-ready tourism product. However, many remote Aboriginal tourism entrepreneurs nevertheless achieve success and sustainability. This paper builds on the work of Foley to identify the characteristics of successful remote Aboriginal tourism enterprises and Aboriginal entrepreneurs in remote areas and the resourceful and creative business practices used by remote Aboriginal entrepreneurs to overcome barriers to success and finds that ongoing connections to community and culture are a key factor in that success. It also draws on the United Nation&rsquo;s Sustainable Development Goals to identify how the characteristics of remote tourism entrepreneurs and enterprises promote or inhibit the achievement of sustainability and suggests that they offer a framework for effective support of remote Aboriginal entrepreneurs. It concludes by noting that the industry would benefit from further investigation of the contributions made to sustainability by remote Aboriginal tourism enterprises and their stakeholders

Family<i>Vs.</i>Non-Family Business Owners’ Commitment to Their Town: A Multigroup Invariance Analysis

This study examines differences between family-owned and non-family-owned small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) operating in regional tourism destinations. The research focuses on SMTE owners' commitment to stay in the town in which they are embedded. Based on samples of family (N = 157) and non-family (N = 141) businesses in regional South Australia, was used to test the construct validity of SMTE owners' “commitment to stay”. Multigroup invariance was used to test the factorial equivalence of scores from the commitment model across family and non-family businesses. Results support the validity of the “commitment to stay” CFA model. Multigroup invariance analysis suggests family business owners have a greater commitment to staying in their town. These results contribute to our understanding of the unique objectives and behaviours of family businesses in tourism as well as present important implications to destination managers aiming to support sustainable entrepreneurial development.PublishedN/

Examining a Supply-Side Predictive Model in Tourism using Partial Least Squares Path Modeling: An Empirical Analysis at the Country Aggregate Level

This study examines the predictive relationships between tourism supply factors and tourism demand. Based on data from 154 countries, partial least squares path modeling (PLSPM) was used to test a predictive model that examines causal relationships among the environment, economy, infrastructure, and tourism demand at the aggregate country level. The results suggest that the latent economy variable (operationalized in this study as a formative, rather than a reflective, construct) has a positive, indirect effect on tourism demand. This relationship is mediated by the infrastructure and the environment, which in turn have a positive, direct effect on tourism demand, respectively. Results from this study support the operationlization of the "economy" construct as a formative construct where consumer price index (CPI), purchasing power parity (PPP), foreign direct investment (FDI), trade (TRA), and industry value added (IVA) all "form" the latent economy variable. Tourism demand, however, is a "reflective" latent construct represented by international tourist arrivals (TA) and international tourist receipts (TEXP). Thus, this predictive model presents a number of theoretical and practical contributions. First, this research expands existing theories on tourism demand by presenting a more accurate predictive model that examines the casual relationships among the economy, infrastructure, environment, and tourism. Second, understanding these complex relationships provides destination managers with an analytical framework on how certain factors can strengthen tourism demand for the destination.</jats:p

Profiling Tourism Smes According to Owners' Support for Community: A Cluster Analysis Approach

This study profiles small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs) according to their level of support for local communities in order to investigate the relationship between such support and enterprise performance. Cluster analysis, chi-square, and MANOVA were used to explore data from 298 owners of SMTEs operating in South Australia. Results indicated that SMTEs are best grouped in two segments according to their level of support for community (Reluctants and Community Advocates). Segments can be differentiated by: 1) the number of family members working in the business; 2) the number of years the business has been in existence; 3) whether the owners have family members living in town; and 4) the type of business. Findings also demonstrate significant differences between segments in terms of business performance, with Community Advocates reporting greater levels of performance. As such, the findings have implications for scholars in tourism and entrepreneurial studies, and for tourism policy makers trying to support the sustainable development of regional tourism destinations.</jats:p