Customer satisfaction & engagement behaviors towards the room rate strategy of luxury hotels

Purpose - This study investigates the attributes that impact hotel users' experiences, satisfaction levels, and engagement behaviors through dimensions of the room rate strategy in the context of luxury hotels in Vietnam tourism market. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire was prepared, drawing from the scales in literature. A PLS-SEM tool was used to measure and test research hypotheses from the data set of 319 completed surveys in the online and offline form. Findings - The results indicate that higher the service quality towards dynamic hotel room rates, higher are customer satisfaction and engagement behaviors (CEBs). The significant perception of hotel users is mostly caused by “price fairness,” and it in turns, influences customer satisfaction levels. In particular, customer satisfaction serves as a partial mediation on customers' perception of the hotel room rate strategy when service quality and CEBs are perceived. Originality - Understanding the variables that predict room rate strategy proposes suggestions for practitioners and hospitality researchers. This study empirically examines the extent to which factors discussed may influence the hotel room rate strategy accordingly to heighten customers' satisfaction and engagement behaviors. © 2019 University of Rijeka. All rights reserved.Internal Grant Agency of Faculty of Management and Economics, Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2018/009

Improving firm sustainable performance: the role of market orientation

An outstanding objective of the UN and EU in recent years is to improve the environment in which firms operate. This has increased pressures on companies from consumers, governments, and shareholders alike to develop and implement sustainable business practices. Literature has covered other strategic decisions that will improve a firms' sustainable performance but no study has looked at this from a market-orientation perspective. However, a firm's market orientation is regarded its capability that enables it to identify and respond to customers' desires in order to deliver superior value to them. Other literature has affirmed market orientation as the most critical source of sustainable competitive advantage. Evidently, market-oriented companies can incorporate sustainability activities into their overall business strategies but there is a gap in knowledge as to what extent this affects firm sustainable performance. This conceptual paper, therefore, fills this gap, hence, analysed the impact of market orientation on sustainable performance of firms, and provides an argument on the market orientation to sustainable performance relationship. To achieve this, the study reviewed literature obtained from several databases concerning the related fields. Literature search was conducted using the keywords search via Google scholar engine and other research databases including Scopus and Web of Science. The individual variables were used as key search terms, though a limited amount of information was found, literature on market orientation proved promising. Articles deemed relevant to this conceptual paper were retrieved and reviewed. Additionally, books on the topic were searched using the same key search terms used in the research database. The findings confirmed the relationship between market orientation and firm sustainable performance. Further, it evaluated the mediating and moderating variables that impact the relationship between market orientation and firm sustainable performance. It is recommended that an empirical study is done to prove the strength of the relationships.Internal Grant Agency of FaME through TBU in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2020/002

Consumer behaviour and warranty claim: A study on Czech consumers

Consumer behaviour concerning warranty is significant for both consumers and business entities. This article presents the behaviour of consumers on warranty claims for purchased products or services. The present study attempts to investigate the influence of demographic variables on consumer satisfaction in the course of the warranty claim procedure. To study the behaviour of consumers, a quantitative approach was adopted with the sample of 453 respondents in Czech Republic. A self-administered, structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data during the survey and analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). This study contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of consumer behaviour concerning warranty claims.Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2016/006

Game mechanics and aesthetics differences for tangible and intangible goods provided via social media

Companies aspire to fulfil consumers’ needs, wants and desires by offering products and services. Due to globalization and digitization, the world became a small village by facilitating the obtainability of products/services across the globe. Furthermore, the online purchasing via social platforms mirrors the traditional purchasing process. Gamification, game techniques and elements have been employed in the different domain for engaging and motivating consumers, students, end-users in numerous countries and cultures. Gamification is considered the appliance of game techniques and game elements in the non-game environment. It’s been adjusted in different models founded as a need to explore and explain variables, phenomena and theories. Game mechanics as one of the game elements are applied in different disciplines to achieve better performance, fruitful collaboration, active and enthusiastic participation, creating enjoyable, pleasurable and entertaining environment. Aesthetics are described as the sensory part that game evoke within the player. To identify the differences within consumers who purchase via social media when game mechanics and aesthetics are applied, the chi-square test for independence has been employed. The results estimate that the association between products and services as variables is not statistically significant and the relationship between them is weak or moderated. The findings of this research are useful for private companies and other interested stakeholders. © 2019, Sciendo. All rights reserved.Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2018/2020

Linking SMEs profitability to brand orientation and market-sensing capability: A service sector evidence

The key question among policy makers and marketing scholars alike is 'how can SMEs become more financially viable?' bearing in mind that we now live in a highly globalized society that is driven by technological, social and economic forces. Consequently, for SMEs to become more financially viable in the changing business landscape, it becomes more imperative now than ever before for this set of enterprises to develop some core business orientations and/or capabilities, particularly that of brand orientation and market-sensing capability. Against this backdrop, the current article examines the role of brand orientation and market-sensing capability in relation to the profitability of SMEs in the context of a financial intermediation sector. Based on the findings from 119 surveyed financial services SMEs in one of Africa's largest economies, we have empirical support that both brand orientation and market-sensing capability contribute significantly to SMEs profitability. Our results demonstrate the need for SMEs in the African financial intermediation sector to develop an 'in-house' branding culture that takes into cognizance 'local' market conditions, and more particularly employee involvement. More so, SMEs should endeavour to develop market-sensing capability given that this unique capability is key to unlocking both present and future marketing opportunities. © 2016, Technical University of Budapest. All rights reserved

A major boost to the website performance of up-scale hotels in Vietnam

The study aims to enhance the customer experience on hotel websites in the context of venue's booking channels to others. The online filed survey is conducted with 321 internet bookers. The exploratory factor analysis is adopted to analyze the data. The progression of customer satisfaction proceeds in a linear fashion on luxury (ranking from 4-star to 5-star hotels) websites. Moreover, the study reveals how hotel website performance would affect the levels of customer attitude and its sustainable development in the context of perceived e-service quality. The exploratory results show that customer satisfaction in online environment has identical processes in the context of up-scale hotel industry. The female group compared to male group, has more sensitive to perceive the impact of functionality of lodging website in developing customer satisfaction. Caution is advised in generalizing findings of this study due to stratified sampling even though the study confirms results of previously conducted studies. This study provides practical tips for website sustainable progress especially for hotel management to pay more attention to the e-service formation process. Therefore, the appropriate marketing strategy can be established to fill gender specific expectations towards individual degree of customer satisfaction.Internal Grant Agency of Faculty of Management and Economics, Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2018/009

Exploring online shopping behaviour within the context of online advertisement, customer service experience consciousness and price comparison websites: Perspectives from young female shoppers in the Zlínský Region

Online shopping behaviour within the context of price comparison websites presents an interesting area of consumer behaviour, yet very little research has been done in this area. Hence, the focus of this paper was to critically explore the impact of online advertisement and customer service experience consciousness on young female shoppers' intention to use price comparison websites as a purchase decision-making tool within the online retail environment. Our sample consisted of 123 female respondents of the Tomas Bata University students in Zlín, Czech Republic. From the sample, we found out using the Partial Least Square approach to Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) that both online advertisement (Ads) and customer service experience consciousness are directly and positively related to online shoppers' intention to use price comparison websites. Hence, our two stated hypotheses were supported based on the outcome of the structural model. Apparently, customer service experience consciousness is a better predictor of female shoppers' intention to use price comparison websites compared to online advertising. Nonetheless, we have highlighted the need for a further research based on the study's limitations. © 2015, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry Brno. All rights reserved

Building Strong Customer Relationships through Brand Orientation in Small Service Firms: An Empirical Investigation

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between the adoption of a brand orientation strategy and customer relationship performance in a small service firm setting. More specifically, in addition to investigating the direct link between brand orientation and customer relationship performance, we further examine the moderating effects of entrepreneurial orientation and perceived competitive intensity on the empirical link between brand orientation and customer relationship performance. To test the hypothesized relationships in the conceptual framework, 105 usable structured questionnaires were collected from small service firms and the data were further analyzed using a hierarchical, moderated regression analysis. The results affirm the positive link between brand orientation and customer relationship performance. Moreover, entrepreneurial orientation is found to strengthen the brand orientation-customer relationship performance link. However, our results show that competitive intensity does not significantly moderate the brand orientation-customer relationship performance link. Nonetheless, it is highly suggestive that perceived competitive intensity is a direct predictor of customer relationship performance. In terms of the practical significance of the overall research model, the effect size is fairly large (Cohen’s f 2 = 0.33). The research implications and directions for future research are further highlighted in the penultimate section of the paper

Assessing the dissimilarities of game mechanics on Albanian working-class consumers

The increase in popularity of games and their attendant impact on player behaviour has led to the transformation of game elements in line with non-game contexts. The process of adding game elements in non-game context has been defined as gamification. Due to digitization, consumers are exposed to a wider range of information through their use of technological devices and social media. Therefore, gamification is seen as innovative engaging and motivating set of activities that influence purchasing dispositions of consumers. Due to the successful usage of gamification in numerous areas, this study was aimed at exploring the game mechanics differences for employed consumers who purchase via social media (s-commerce). Using a survey as part of the research design, a questionnaire was employed for data collection, 183 respondents participated completed the questionnaire, and the data collected was used to perform the non-parametric test, Chi-Square test for independence has been employed to describe and explore the differences. The results revealed that points, rewards and badges offered by the s-commerce retailer as factors that influence the purchase frequency of consumers are significantly differ based on the working sector for employed consumers. The study provides substantial evidences for retail businesses regarding game mechanics elements as purchasing motivator.Internal Grant Agency of Tomas Bata University in Zlin [IGA/FaME/2018/005