What Tourists Want, a Sustainable Paradise

The increasing complexity of tourism and sustainability offers opportunities and challenges among diverse stakeholder perspectives. The need for sustainable and nature-based approaches exists throughout the growing body of literature from among a number of dimensions and measures. One of the overarching goals of the paper is to examine whether tourists will choose a destination or hotel that is actively working to improve the environment while examining how Hawaii’s tourism is nature based as well as other measures of sustainability while enjoying a slice of paradise in the Hawaiian Islands. This study explores tourism sustainability concerns in Hawai'i, such as the influence of the tourist sector on the environment and will address if Hawai'i should be recognized as a sustainable tourism destination. A survey instrument was developed where 454 respondents participated. According to the findings of this research, tourists visiting Hawai´i support environmentally sustainable tourism practices leading towards a more sus-tainable tourist destination.publishedVersio

Emergency Remote Education and its Impact on Higher Education: A Temporary or Permanent Shift in Instruction?

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to problems and upheaval throughout the higher-education sector, with university campuses ceasing face-to-face instruction and with assessments shifting to an online model for a few years. As a result, the pandemic prompted educators to teach online, utilizing online lectures, narrated power points, audio snippets, podcasts, instant messaging, and interactive videos, whereas traditional universities had primarily relied on in-person courses. Evaluations, which included assignments and multiple-choice questions, were conducted online, forcing lecturers to reconsider how deliverables were set up to prevent students from having easy access to the answers in a textbook or online. Learning from college students’ experiences throughout this time period will assist higher-education stakeholders (administration, faculty, and students) in adapting future online course delivery selections for higher education. In this study, we investigated the experiences of students learning from a distance, as well as aspects of their learning. We provide recommendations for higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly resulted in the largest distance-learning experiment in history.publishedVersio

The local food supply, willingness to pay and the sustainability of an island destination.

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the trend toward purchasing locally grown food and evaluate if tourists visiting Hawai’i are willing to pay more for locally produced foods that are more ecologically sustainable. Design/methodology/approach – A research questionnaire was developed in order to investigate the attitudes and behaviors of tourists from the continental United States visiting Hawai’i in purchasing locally grown food in Hawai’i. The final sample includes 454 valid survey responses collected via Momentive, a market research services company. Findings – According to the findings of this study, there are economic prospects to expand the use of locally cultivated food into the tourists’ experience, as well as a willingness for tourists to support these activities financially. The Contingent Valuation study revealed that tourists from the continental United States were ready to pay a higher price to purchase food that is locally grown, signifying that tourists to Hawai’i are willing to aid the local agriculture business by increasing their restaurant/hotel meal bill, which will help Hawai’i become a more sustainable tourist destination. Research limitations/implications – While tourists from the United States mainland, which is the “an islands” top tourist market, have agreed with paying extra or an additional fee for locally grown food products, this study might not accurately represent the attitudes and behaviors of international tourists visiting Hawai’i. Future research should focus on the international tourist markets which may have different social norms or cultural differences thus could provide a broader spectrum of the current study’s findingpublishedVersio

Consumer-led experience customization: A socio-spatial approach

Purpose: Adopting a socio-spatial approach, this study develops a consumer-centric conception of service experience customization. In contrast to existing service customization research, which has focused on company-centric approaches, this study examines the practices through which consumers use, abuse, subvert, transform or complement organizational resources to construct their consumption experiences. Design/Methodology: The empirical context for this study is a Meetup group: a consumer network organized around members’ shared interests and activities in theme parks. The research utilized participant observation of members’ face-to-face activities during two years and over 80 events, interviews with key informants, and content analysis of online interactions. Findings: The findings outline how consumers interact across physical and virtual spaces utilizing technologies and material objects. The data are used to propose a new consumercentric conceptualization of experience customization, distinguishing between three modes: collaborative co-production, cooperative co-creation, and subversive co-creation. Originality/Value: It is argued that the three modes of customization provide a way to understand how consumers mobilize and (re)deploy organizational resources to create experiences that may complement existing service propositions, but may also transform them in ways that challenge the service provider’s original goals and expectations. Furthermore, this study identifies the factors that shape which modes of customization are possible and how they are enacted. Specifically, the discussion examines how experiential complexity, governability, the compatibility of consumer and organizational practices, and the collective mobilization of resources may determine the scope and form of customization

miR669a and miR669q prevent skeletal muscle differentiation in postnatal cardiac progenitors

miR669a and miR669q inhibit postnatal cardiac progenitor differentiation by directly targeting the 3′UTR of MyoD

Dual Branding: An Investigative Look into Dual Branding\u27s Position within the Concept of Brand Alliance in the Hotel Industry

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate, in an exploratory way, the state of the art of the application of brand alliances, with a particular focus on the practice of dual branding, in the field of lodging. More precisely, this research aimed at identifying and evaluating the determinants of industry adoption of, and customer satisfaction with, intra-company dual branding strategies in the US lodging industry. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of dual branding in the field of the lodging industry, a phenomenon that is still insufficiently explored in the literature. In fact, the scarcity of literature pertaining to the lodging industry has forced this study to consider the research related to other segments and industries where dual branding strategies have been studied. Therefore, this study intended to expand the existing body of knowledge, advancing the theory of brand alliance from an industry and consumer perspective, as well as adapt, refine, and utilize a scale suitable for the measurement of dual branded hotels\u27 customer satisfaction. This dissertation used an exploratory sequential mixed method approach. In the first qualitative phase, face-to-face and telephone interviews with operational hotel managers, corporate hotel managers, real estate development and management companies\u27 managers, owners, and presidents, as well as hotel and lodging associations\u27 professionals have been conducted. In addition to relevant and significant findings and results obtained through the hotel industry professionals interviewed, themes, constructs, and variables useful in the refinement and adaptation of a dual branding customer satisfaction scale were attained. Consequently, the second quantitative phase consisted of an online administration of a scenario-based questionnaire to dual branded hotels\u27 customers of a dual branded lodging property aimed at identifying and evaluating the determinants of customer satisfaction. The ultimate purpose of this research has been to understand the main issues of implementation of dual branding practices and strategies in the lodging context. In particular, it has been to highlight and provide managerial, theoretical, methodological, and practical implications and recommendations for the US lodging industry, in the adoption of intra-company dual branding strategies. The suggestions offered in the study are relevantly timed to what is happening within the lodging industry, offering implications for both academia and industry

The Evolution of the Customer Delight Construct: Prior Research, Current Measurement, and Directions for Future Research

Purpose The present research aims to summarize the literature on customer delight, identify trends and debates, create an instrument to measure delight and propose directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive review of the literature has been undertaken. Flowing from a variety of conceptual, qualitative and quantitative articles, operational measures have been identified, and an instrument to measure customer delight has been proposed. Findings Past research on customer delight identified various emotions that trigger delight, as well as human needs, traits and behaviors associated with delightful experiences, and features of the service experience commonly related to delight. On the basis of these findings, the researchers have developed an instrument to measure customer delight. Practical implications The proposed instrument enables managers to measure customer delight in various service settings. Measuring and attaining higher levels of customer delight can help generate greater loyalty as compared to customer satisfaction. Originality/value The authors unify the conceptualization and measurement of customer delight and create a new instrument to measure the construct. Similarities and debates in the past research are identified, and directions for the future of customer delight are presented. Future studies can further test and validate the presented instrument in various service industries

The Evolution of the Customer Delight Construct: Prior Research, Current Measurement, and Directions for Future Research

Purpose The present research aims to summarize the literature on customer delight, identify trends and debates, create an instrument to measure delight and propose directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive review of the literature has been undertaken. Flowing from a variety of conceptual, qualitative and quantitative articles, operational measures have been identified, and an instrument to measure customer delight has been proposed. Findings Past research on customer delight identified various emotions that trigger delight, as well as human needs, traits and behaviors associated with delightful experiences, and features of the service experience commonly related to delight. On the basis of these findings, the researchers have developed an instrument to measure customer delight. Practical implications The proposed instrument enables managers to measure customer delight in various service settings. Measuring and attaining higher levels of customer delight can help generate greater loyalty as compared to customer satisfaction. Originality/value The authors unify the conceptualization and measurement of customer delight and create a new instrument to measure the construct. Similarities and debates in the past research are identified, and directions for the future of customer delight are presented. Future studies can further test and validate the presented instrument in various service industries

Dual Branding: A Case Study Of Wyndham

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the theory and implementation of dual branding. The authors explore whether dual branding is a positive choice for two hotel brands belonging to the same firm and operating under the same roof, in this case, a Wyndham and a Wyndham Garden branded property. Design/methodology/approach: A case study methodology was employed. In-depth interviews were conducted with managers regarding their decisions and implementation of a dual branding strategy. Findings: The authors reveal the organizational, operational, technical, marketing, financial, economic and technological challenges experienced before, during and after the dual branding transition. Moreover, they reveal the results of the implementation and its consequences to the hotel and its customers. A conceptual model is presented with the goal of assisting and facilitating the investigation, analysis, choice and implementation of dual branding by hoteliers. Originality/value: The present research expands the existing body of knowledge, bridges the theory and practice of branding in the lodging sector, advances dual branding theory and provides insightful implications for scholars and managers alike

No Vacation Needed: An Exploration on Why American Hospitality Workers Won’t Use Up Their Bacation Days

This study seeks to uncover the factors that promote or inhibit American workers from using their paid vacation days. Five focus groups were conducted within three hospitality sectors (hotels, restaurants, and theme parks) in order to gain a greater insight as to the use, causes, and consequences of vacations. The data analysis revealed five themes: vacation usage patterns and behaviors, factors promoting vacation, factors inhibiting vacations, company policy on vacation, and the impact of technology on vacation. A model is presented which expands the theory and practice on the benefits and challenges of taking vacations in the contemporary workplace