A vacationer-driven approach to understand destination image: a Leximancer study

Destination image studies have largely centred upon conceptualizing destination image through a variety of methods that are predominantly researcher driven. Whilst this has furthered our understanding of how vacationers perceive a destination(s) on key reference criteria, the researcherdriven process may artificially increase the salience of some attributes. The purpose of this study was to showcase how a vacationer-driven approach employing Leximancer may be used to understand destination image by enabling vacationers to drive the attributes and sentiments of importance. Based on a sample of 517 vacationers to the Fraser Coast, respondents were able to identify nine themes. Theoretical, methodological and practical implications are presented and recommendations and future research opportunities are outlined

Changing fertilizer management practices in sugarcane production: cane grower survey insights

Improved fertilizer management practice in sugarcane production is a key component in plans to improve Great Barrier Reef (GBR) water quality. Research focused on understanding wider systemic factors that drive behavioral change in agriculture is currently limited, with the domi-nant focus on individual farmer and psychosocial factors. Adopting a wider systems perspective, this study examines farming behavior change and the role of supporting services among 238 sugarcane growers (74,597 hectares) in Queensland’s Wet Tropics region who completed surveys reporting on changes in the method they used to calculate fertilizer application rates, along with information on their farm business, socio-demographics and self-reported importance ratings on a variety of topics. Informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior., ssurvey data are analyzed us-ing regression models to identify factors influencing the change from traditional to improved practice, and early adoption of improved practice. Results indicate growers were less likely to change fertilizer practice if they regarded maintaining good relationships with other local growers as being extremely important, had off-farm income, or had not attended a govern-ment-funded fertilizer management workshop in the five years preceding the survey. Similar drivers acted to promote or delay early adoption of improved practice. Results demonstrate the influence of government-funded services to support practice change

Student views on corporate social responsibility in an Australian fast food context

[Abstract]: Socially responsible corporations are obligated to minimise their negative impact on society. This paper considers first-year student viewpoints regarding social responsibility in the fast food marketing context in Australia. Three hundred and sixty four essays addressing the topic 'Are marketers responsible for rising levels of obesity?' were content analysed. Student views varied considerably suggesting that corporate social responsibility will continue to be a controversial issue. Three-quarters of students believed that marketers were responsible, either wholly or in part, for rising obesity levels. While students noted that governments, society and individuals share responsibility, the current practices employed by fast food marketers were generally viewed by students as irresponsible

Organic food: observations of Chinese purchasing behaviours

[Abstract]: Previous research into organic food purchasing was based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and this has enabled us to understand which attitudinal dispositions are associated with intentions to purchase organic food. A key issue identified by researchers such as Zinkhan and Carlson (1995) is that intentions do not always lead to behaviours and as a result alternate methodological perspectives are required. A covert observation technique was used to explore what is purchased and by whom in China. The behaviours and key characteristics of 136 people were observed in 66 episodes in two Chinese supermarkets. Dry grocery products were the dominant organic food category purchased in China. People shopped in groups, with interactions and the influence of others clearly evident. Surveys of one person are likely to provide limited insight into behaviour

Tourism community views on destination positioning: a case study

Research efforts, relating to the positioning of tourism destination, have centred upon understanding the attributes related to the destination under study. This has assisted us to understand how a destination may be preferred to competing destinations on the basis of one or more preferred attributes. To date research efforts have been tourist centric. A single case study method was employed to investigate how the tourism community views the positioning of their destination. Results indicated that tourism community buys-in to the destination positioning enabling a cohesive message to be communicated to targeted tourists. Using an alternate research method this paper extends our understanding identifying an alternate method that can be used to identify the criteria that are important to tourists

Insights into how regional tourism operators view their markets

[Abstract]: Many researchers have considered segmentation in the tourism context and these efforts have enabled us to understand the bases that tourism destinations can use to segment markets and the bases that are more accurate predictors of future tourist behaviour. To date, all studies have used tourist data to profile the tourists travelling to a destination and most studies have used quantitative data. Addressing a key gap in the literature, this research sought to understand how tourist operators actually segment their market. Twelve tourism operators (activity operators, accommodation providers, destination marketing organisations and other stakeholders) were interviewed in one regional Australian tourism destination. Results indicated that different segmentation bases were used by different tourism operators. Activities sought, location, age, and trip purpose were the variables most frequently used by tourism operators to describe tourists. A tourist operator view is important because tourist operators can describe the tourists that are currently using their services. Given that different tourist operators attract different tourists, insights from these tourism operators can be compared with tourist data, thus enabling researchers to determine if they are adequately describing the tourists travelling to a destination

The buck stops here: should we consider performance rather than corporate social responsibility?

[Abstract]: Consensus is emerging that companies are socially responsible although the nature and degree of social responsibility continues to be the source of debate. This continued debate allows the buck to be passed. A shift in view from corporate social responsibility to corporate performance (CSP) is proposed as a means to assess CSR policies and practices. A harmful product category was chosen to illustrate how we can assess corporate social performance using a consumers’ point of view. Australian alcohol marketers are currently considered socially responsible promoting an “enjoy responsibly message” amongst many other policies and programs. A shift in view from corporate social responsibility to corporate performance (CSP) would change the outcome. Consumers are not fully aware of safe consumption levels of alcohol and these data are consistent with US and UK studies. A shift in view would suggest that companies need to revise their policies and practices and some recommendations for practice are made

Challenging first year marketing students using a tournament style competition

Courses that involve students in challenging, authentic tasks linking students to their peers and educators are associated with high levels of engagement. This paper presents a teaching innovation that was designed to promote student engagement. Currently in its third offering, the ‘Get Marketer Challenge’ is an authentic assessment task; requiring Introduction to Marketing student teams to solve a real-world marketing problem as part of a course-wide competition that is sponsored by industry partners. Educators continue to be surprised by the consistency and high level of effort expended by student teams. Students report the Get Marketer Challenge is an enjoyable assessment task that helped them to understand the many challenges faced by marketers. This innovation would be suitable for any marketing course that is offered where the student cohort has little work experience. The design accommodates a large number of students with a ‘knock-out’ style competition that reduces the number of teams

Event segmentation: A review and research agenda

Event academics and practitioners have long recognized the importance of segmenting event attendees. Despite a relatively long level of enquiry into event segmentation, there is little consistency in the methods, data analysis techniques and segmentation variables that are used. A review of 120 event segmentation studies incorporating an attendee-orientated approach was conducted to identify how event attendees are currently segmented. This study will serve as a reference guide to current event segmentation researchers on the segmentation approach/s and data analysis techniques utilized in previous studies. Recommendations for future research are suggested