RESEARCH PROJECT ABSTRACTS
ACADEMIC PREMASTER SBM June 013
1.
Title: Analyzing Luxury Perception of Young Chinese Consumers
An evaluation of key constraints and opportunities for the destination
marketing of Vienna
Author: Martha Larndorfer
Abstract
This thesis aims to identify how young Chinese consumers perceive luxury. The qualitative
study is based on a sample consisting of 18 representatives of the Chinese one-child
generation and age cohorts from Taiwan and Hong Kong. In this research a tendency in
evaluation criteria of luxury items from transparent attributes such as price and brands
towards aesthetics, cultural heritage, history and hospitality was identified. Further a shift in
interest from tangible products towards services and experiences was recognized. The
majority has considered Vienna as rich in culture and music, yet rather less luxurious in
comparison to other destinations. A definition of luxury was developed and the perception of
luxury service and product offers in Vienna was explored. Highlighting favorable product
attributes in the destination marketing can be considered an opportunity to attract young
affluent Chinese consumer.
Key words: Luxury perceptions, China, Vienna, urban tourism, luxury product, luxury
service, luxury experience, destination marketing, one-child-generation, Chinese consumer.
2.
Title:
Influences of inner barriers upon the people in wheelchair and their holiday
planning: A qualitative case study
Author: Maike Patan
Abstract
Research on barriers in disabled tourism is still at an early stage and, as its present, the
issue of intrinsic barriers in particular sets the research schedule. However, intrinsic barriers
are highly individual and subject to change, depending on personal abilities, former travel
experiences, and health-related problems. As a result, this paper accounts for the findings of
a series of qualitative semi-structured interviews with wheelchair users, of which the purpose
was to engage respondents in conversations based on their thoughtful tourism experiences
and uncertainties. The study revealed (1) that diverse internal barriers affect the type and
scope of holiday planning and making; (2) the individual (dynamic) abilities are significant for
determining internal barriers; (3) the process to become travel active is far more complex for
disabled people and often triggered by special needs; and (3) meaningful and rich
information serves as a major facilitator to travel and to conquer intrinsic barriers. Finally,
these findings add value to existing theories about internal barriers of disabled people but are
limited to the nature of this case study.
Keywords: Tourism; disability; accessibility; intrinsic barriers; dynamic abilities; information;
travel experiences; holiday planning; expert knowledge
3.
Title:
The influence of buying center characteristics on the importance of selection
criteria within the technological retail equipment market in Germany
Author: Sandra Henning
Abstract
Many researchers were interested in organizational buying behavior and how the
characteristics of the buying centers influence decision-making. However, little is known
about the characteristics of buying centers in the grocery retail industry in Germany
especially
when purchasing is not focused on food products, but technological retail equipment such as
scales or POS systems.
In this thesis characteristics of the individual buying center members are investigated with
regard to the influence on involvement and selection criteria. In a quantitative approach using
a structured self-administered questionnaire, it was investigated whether certain
characteristics explain changes in the importance placed on supplier selection criteria in
German grocery retail outlets and for the analysis of this data, regression analysis was made
use of.
The analysis of the findings showed that variance in importance placed on some of the
selection criteria was partly explained by individual characteristics of the buying center
members when choosing a supplier for technological retail equipment.
Keywords: Organizational buying behavior, buying center, supplier selection criteria,
technological retail equipment, grocery retail market, Germany, new task buy
4.
Title:
Perceived Service Quality in the Qualitative Market Research Sector
Author: Jet Van Strijp
Abstract
The qualitative market research sector in The Netherlands makes use of outsourcing
relatively often. This research aims to determine the expectations and perceptions of
researchers regarding facilities and services for qualitative market research in order to
improve the perceived service quality of Bureau Fris. This is an agency that provides facilities
and services for qualitative market research, including respondent recruitment and selection,
research locations, and catering. Literature of Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1985;
1988) on perceived service quality served as a starting point for this research. Mixed
methods were used for the data collection, namely twelve unstructured interviews and an
online questionnaire. The interviews provided more knowledge and new insights on the
research topic. The questionnaire enabled quantification of the perceived service quality by
defining the gap between the expectations and perceptions of researchers. In addition,
relationship quality and overall satisfaction about the company were assessed. The findings
from the interviews showed that researchers were mainly looking for one thing: a facilitator
that thinks along. The results from the questionnaire indicated that perceived service quality
is partially explained by relationship quality and overall satisfaction. Accordingly, an
alternative model to the one of Parasuraman et.al. is proposed. Based on the research
findings two major recommendations for Bureau Fris were made. Firstly, the company should
focus on fulfilling the needs of the customer opposed to approach them with a push strategy.
Secondly, control methods need to be established in order to guarantee the use of tools
provided to meet the specific needs of customers. To conclude, further research is required
in order to provide more credible and comprehensive knowledge on the topic of perceived
service quality.
Keywords
Outsourcing, perceived service quality, expectations, relationship quality, satisfaction
5.
Title:
Business-to-business marketing: Requirements of the Dutch bakeries
towards product attributes of bread slicers
Author: Adela Koželová
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to identify the major requirements and preferences of the Dutch
bakeries towards product attributes of a bread slicer and to determine whether these differ in
relation to the varying business characteristics. Both qualitative and quantities primary
researches are engaged,specifically, the semi-structured qualitative interviewing and online
survey. The results of the qualitative research determine seven product-specific categories of
a bread slicer. These are trade-off between price, quality and total cost of ownership; design;
functional attributes; technical attributes; customer service; service for installed base; and
maintenance. The most prominent findings of the quantitative research are that the functional
and technical product attributes are ascribed the highest importance by the respondents.
Furthermore, quality and total cost of ownership seem to be more significant factor
than the price in relation to the bread slicer purchase. Additionally, several significant
differences in the requirements and preferences are distinguished. Finally, the
recommendations for the establishment of the marketing strategy for the product market
entry in the Netherlands are presented.
Keywords: Business-to-business marketing, business customers, requirements,
preferences, product attributes
6.
Title:
Trust in Mobile Recommender Systems Tone of Voice
Author: Hanno Gerken
Abstract
Information overload is one of the main challenges in the first part of the 21st century. The
Travel Companion, a context-based mobile recommender system, is currently being
developed by the ODIGEO group to tackle that problem. ODIGEO wants to deliver their
Travel Companion with a reinforced feeling of trust. A sample of 123 Opodo UK customers
has been selected for testing three different ways of pitching a recommendation. The trust
factors of benevolence, integrity and competence have been tested in a One-Way ANOVA
regarding to the recommendation techniques of scarcity, authority and consensus.
Furthermore certain attitudes towards recommendations have been researched using the
same trust factors and a One-Way ANOVA. The research concludes that there is no
significant difference in trust factors between the three recommendation methods.
Nevertheless the communication technique of scarcity achieved higher trust factors then the
other ones and is therefore the recommended communication method. Furthermore Opodo
UK should improve the brand identity towards a higher degree of trust.
Keywords: Trust, mobile-commerce, e-commerce, recommender systems, tone of voice,
cohesiveness of the message
7.
Title:
Antecedents(of(Brand(Repurchase(Intentions(and(Brand(Loyalty(for(the(Audi(
brand
Author: Isabel Ohler
Abstract
This! research! study! examines! how! affective! commitment! and! brand! satisfaction!
influences! brand!repurchase! intentions! and! brand! loyalty! for! Audi! brand! car! owners! in!
Germany.! In! a! constantly!changing! and! very! competitive! environment! car!
manufactures! and! automobile! marketing!
professionals!are!challenged!more!than!every!to!find!a!way!to!optimize!their!resources!but!al
so!to!stay!ahead!of!the!competition.!The!key!to!being!successful!and!outperforming!the!comp
etition!is!to!manipulate! variable! tat! are! controlling!brand! repurchase! intentions! as!well!
as!brand! loyalty! in! the!automobile!sector.!
Moreover! this! study! is! considers! as! being! significant! because! the! provided! findings!
and! the!developed! framework! form! a! base! for! automotive! relationship&marketing!
marketers! on! how! to!achieve!brand! loyalty! and!brand! repurchase! intentions! at!
the!Audi!Retail!GmbH.! Furthermore! this!study! reveals! the! subsystems! of! brand!
satisfaction! and! the! correlation! between! this! factor! and!
affective!brand!commitment,!brand!loyalty,!and!brand!repurchase!intentions.!If!the!brand!is!to
!have!a!success!on!the!long&term!the!process!of!why!customers!become!loyal!to!the!brand!a
nd!intent!to!repurchase! this! particular! brand,! as!well! as! the! reasons! influencing! brand!
satisfaction,! should! be!understood!by!the!company.!
Keywords:Automotive, relationship marketing.Brand!loyalty, brand satisfaction,automotive
industry, automotive! Brand management, pricing strategies,product development automotive
industry,perceived! quality, brand retention,repurchase! intentions,and awareness and
image, promotion,service!satisfaction,loyalty,affective commitment!and brand equity.
8.
Title:
Providing an insight into increasing the sales of an online tour operator by
investigating the information search and booking behavior and aspects of the
buying decision of German intercontinental travelers.
Author: Anneke Riedel
Abstract
In order to increase the sales of a German online start-up tour operator, the information
search and booking behavior as well as factors influencing the buying decision have been
investigated and a potential target group identified. Understanding these aspects is a crucial
prerequisite in the process of attracting customers in the online environment and making
them buy one´s products. A sample of German intercontinental travelers was approached at
the international tourism fair ITB Berlin by the help of self-completion questionnaires,
allowing a quantitative investigation of the topic and finding out about respondent´s
preferences regarding online information search and booking. Even though the used method
of convenience sampling limits the generalizability to the fair visitors rather than the overall
population of German intercontinental travelers, relevant insights have been gained leading
to recommendations for the commissioning business jovenTOUR. The study explains the
need of German travelers for in-depth information, shows the importance of online
distribution in times of frequent internet use and provides insights into the preferences of
sources and content and barriers faced during online booking. The recommendations are
based on the research results and refer to sources to be used for marketing the products, the
general website design and content, the product portfolio and the target group to be
addressed in the future.
Keywords: online tour-operator, online information search, online booking behavior,
decision-making, target group
9.
Title:
Corporate Social Responsibility at Wilvo Metaalbewerking B.V.: A case study
Author: Rolf De Laat
Abstract
This dissertation explores literature in regard to sustainability, Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR). A historical overview is presented in order to identify the trend.
Furthermore, several frameworks related with this topic are presented (The Natural Step,
Cradle to Cradle®, ISO 14001) and a short exploration of strategy development and
stakeholder theory.
This dissertation examines the situation in Wilvo’s business environment by fitting the
obtained information concerning strategy development and stakeholder theory to the specific
case study.
This dissertation concludes that Wilvo has to improve its current stance towards
sustainability and CSR, and presents two possible policy options that fit to Wilvo’s business
environment.
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability, The Natural Step, Cradle
to Cradle®, ISO 14001, Strategy development, Stakeholder theory.
Document type: dissertation
Publication date:
10.
Title:
Fresh&to&go:!Development!of!a!consumer!perception!index!
of!freshness!in!dairy!products!with!implications!for!new!
product!development!and!marketing!in!the!snacking!area!
Author: Marius Böhnke
Abstract
In!today’s!fast!moving,!‘short!of!time’!society!snacking!plays!an!increasingly!important!role!
within!the!food!industry.!At!the!same!time!people’s!interest!in!food!quality!has!drastically!
risen!over!the!past!years!with!a!special!focus!on!the!attribute!of!freshness.!!
This!dissertation!has!been!conducted!in!coLoperation!with!the!dairy!product!manufacturer!
DMK! Deutsches!Milchkontor! GmbH! from! Germany! and! focuses! on! their! umbrella!
brand!MILRAM!and!its!attempt!to!enter!the!growing!snacking!market!while!holding!on!to!the!
brand!claim!‘home!of!freshness’.!
The!research!seeks!to!enlighten!whether!the!concept!of!snacking!in!particular!and!other!new!
product!lines!in!general!are!applicable!to!the!concept!of!freshness!and!in!how!far!managers!
of!‘fresh’!food!categories!are!able!to!implement!the!snacking!phenomenon!in!their!product!
structure!under!existing!brand!strategies.!!
The!objectives! of! this! research!are!1)! to!determine! consumers’!perception!of!
freshness!of!dairy! products! and! develop! an! operationalisation! in! a! freshness! index.!
This! scale! will! be!employed! to!2)! identify!whether! snacking! fits! into! dairy! product! lines!
with! regards! to! the!perception! of! freshness.!Finally! the! research! tries! to!3)!advise!a!
strategic!direction! for!
MILRAM!brand!against!the!background!of!the!alteration!of!their!active!market!penetration!
related!to!the!introduction!of!a!snacking!product!portfolio.!!
The! research! design! chosen! has! been! a!mixedLmethod! approach! combining! an!
extensive! literature! review! with! a! large! sample! of! qualitative! interviews! including!
additional!quantitative!survey!items.!Based!on!the!qualitative!consumer!insights,!a!freshness!
index!for!dairy! products! is! elaborated.! Furthermore,! the! quantitative! survey! items! of!
this! study!measure! the! importance! of! different! attributes! of! freshness! and! how! these!
influence!consumers’!buying!decisions!in!order!to!provide!a!basis!for!a!first!operationalisation
.The!main!findings!include!that!freshness!perception!for!dairy!products!combine!a!depth!of!
both! sensory! and! nonLsensory! attributes.! Furthermore,! the! application! of! the! concept!
of!freshness! for! dairy! products! on! snacking! is! possible! through! consideration! of!
freshness!attributes!of!the!weighted!freshness!index,!which!has!been!elaborated!in!this!study
.!!
Keywords:*freshness,*dairy*products,*food*quality,*brand*management,*growths*strategy**
11.
Title:
How do students construct and evaluate city images?
A case study of Wuppertal’s reputation as a Student City
Author: Kristina Schmitz
Abstract
Human capital is an unprecedented impact for the economic and socio-cultural development
of a city; hence, city marketers should see universities and the resulting skilled labour as a
valuable asset and an opportunity. Wuppertal, a city located in the province North-RhineWestphalia in Germany faces difficulties to attract students, mainly due to low external
awareness and negative perceptions among students, originally not from Wuppertal. This
study attempts to identify student’s needs, wants and expectations towards a university town,
how they create and evaluate city images and to what extent the city image is a critical
success factor in the decision process for a study location, in order to be able to establish a
supportive image of university cities. Secondary research revealed meaningful insights into
student’s image formation process and consumption behaviour. An exploratory study, in
terms of semi-structured interviews among students from the University in Wuppertal, was
undertaken to generate a general understanding of the target in Wuppertal. Besides the fact
that students see the reputation of the university and the quality of the program as the most
important factors in the decision process, data indicates further that the urban image
influences the consideration-set and the consumption behaviour of students. The positive
stimulation especially in the beginning and the creation of a united student city atmosphere,
considering attributes such as a diverse recreation offer, suitable housing opportunities and
the provisions of side jobs is of upmost importance. Managerial implications, especially in the
case of Wuppertal, include the improvement of communication with the student.
12.
Title:
Relationship Marketing In The Performing Arts
Converging Initiatives
Author: Bas Stenvers
Abstract
Severe cutbacks are being made in the Dutch cultural industry due the current
economic situation. Performing arts venues are forced to increase financial
independence and as such, marketing budgets come under increased pressure
resulting in the need for a more market-oriented perspective. The purpose of this
study is to describe differentiated communication preferences for market
segments of the Stadsschouwburg Utrecht in order to develop marketing
communication strategies. A quantitative research strategy by means of an online
survey was chosen to collect data on consumer behaviour related to marketing
communication. The results confirm the existence of relationships between
several segmentation variables and preference for the timing of communication,
communication channel and content of communication. Online communication,
direct marketing and public relations are popular communication instruments.
Frequent attenders tend to book earlier in advance then one-time visitors.
Moreover, over half of the visitors book all their tickets before the start of the
season. Frequent attenders prefer to receive communication related to relationaland
transactional information and information related to the theatre. Information
related to performances and programming is more preferred by infrequent
visitors. The research findings assist the Stadsschouwburg Utrecht in the process
of developing effective and efficient marketing communication endeavours.
Keywords: relationship marketing, performing arts, CRM, consumer behaviour,
marketing communication.
13.
Title:
Self-Referencing with visuals in Health Communication aimed at MSM in the
Netherlands
Author: Paul Constantin Resch
Abstract
The Internet plays an important role in health communication, and ever evolving
technologies pose a challenge to creators and designers of such communication
products. Visuals play an important part within communication and its related processes,
and are bound to form part of online health communication for the foreseeable future.
However, what and whom exactly to depict in these visuals poses a challenge to
communication designers. The research at hand seeks to uncover communication
preferences for increasingly effective future design of online health communication. This
was done within the realm of sexual health and STI prevention, in which experiences and
communication preferences about HIV and STIs in MSM (men who have sex with men)
residing in the Netherlands were uncovered. This was done alongside an evaluation of
the importance of the self-referencing effect in regards to health communication, to
investigate what effect the tailoring of visuals to their respective target audience can
achieve. With this information Soa Aids Nederland, one of the primary sexual health
organizations of the Netherlands, is expected to be able to improve and reform visuals in
their communication products aimed at MSM, in order to more effectively reach their
mission, and organization objectives.
Keywords: health communication, communication effectiveness, HIV, communication
management
14.
Title:
Going to summer camp - Whose decision is it anyway?
A marketing oriented assessment of children's role
in the family decision-making process on summer camps
Author: Melinda Schmitz
Abstract
Children in today’s society are confronted with a variety of societal changes, such as shifting
family structures, an intensified media use and societal pressures. It appears that they are
better informed than ever, independent and increasingly acquire decision-making power.
These changes imply that children seem to grow older younger. However, due to the
compressed development, they also seem to be lacking social competences. Consequently,
there is an elevated need for actions of social institutions, such as the nonprofit organization
Die Falken Recklinghausen, to create alternative environments for adequate education and
the acquisition of necessary social competences by offering leisure activities and holiday
camps for children and the youth. It appears that the organization does not manage to reach
the target group sufficiently, a decrease of 55% in participant numbers for summer camps is
recognized over the past 15 years and thus a reconsideration of marketing communication
strategies towards the target group is necessary. In order to investigate whether marketing to
children is reasonable for Die Falken Recklinghausen, the role of children in the decisionmaking process is researched. In a quantitative survey, families with children between 6 and
11 years are interviewed in order to further explore the phases of the family decision-making
process on summer camps. Building up on existing theory on consumption behavior of
children, the obtained results confirm that children’s level of participation is particularly high
in the first phase during the initial purchase idea; furthermore, mothers’ role throughout the
process proves to be of great importance. Moreover, different other influencing factors are
examined and consequently, recommendations on improving existing marketing
communication strategies are given.
Keywords:
Children summer camps, family decision-making process, children’s influence, marketing to
chil
15.
Title:
The impact of employee motivation on the
quality of hospitality services
For the case of the SME Hotel Brasserie De Kroon in The Netherlands
Author: Joeri K. S. Vaessen
Abstract
Due to the economical changes in society the competition within the hospitality industry and
more particularly for small-medium sized enterprises (SME’s) has become more evident than
ever before. The need for these companies to differentiate from their competitors has grown
to a never seen extent. Consequently, these SME’s are continuously engaged in delivering a
valuable service quality to their customers and recognize the essence of motivated
employees as a reliable supplier of this high service quality. As motivation is a complex
matter, an urgent need arises to have a deeper understanding of possible ways to motivate
your employees as a manager.
Through the performance of an extensive literature study it was believed that the key aspect
of establish and maintain a stable quality of hospitality services, will to a great extent deal
with create and retain motivated employees. Nevertheless, a direct relation between these
two fields could hardly be proved. Through matching the results of a self-completion
questionnaire among 30 employees of the SME Hotel Brasserie De Kroon and five in-depth
interviews with both employees and management, it became evident that the establishment
and maintenance of a stable service quality is not only concerned with the fulfillment of
several motivational dimensions, but is also to a great extent related with the type of
leadership in the SME.
For this reason, this given mixed method study delivers an industry-specific model which
integrates the two academic models from Katz (2005) and Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry
(1990) into one final model representing the relation between employee motivation and its
impact on the quality of hospitality services, all around the type of leadership in the SME as a
crucial influencer. Lastly, throughout transposing the results of this study into practical
recommendations, a new approach to employee motivation is given which can lead to the
establishment of a constant quality of service performances for the case of Hotel Brasserie
De Kroon.
Keywords: Employee motivation - Service quality - Hospitality service performances Small-medium sized enterprise (SME) - Leadership
16.
Title:
Determining the Potential of Online Customer Engagement in the German Tourism
Industry: a Case Study
Author: Doris Schummer
Abstract
Customers’ underlying motivations critical to online customer engagement and the design of
effective communication remain unknown to the German tourism industry in which
competition increasingly takes place by providing added value to customers. This exploratory
case study conducted for the German mass market tour operator DERTOUR aims at
identifying customers’ underlying motivations for online engagement with companies.
Eleven semi-structured qualitative interviews were carried out in addition to the analysis of
viral marketing campaigns as existing examples for online customer engagement, and a
competitor analysis.
Results show that on the one hand online customer engagement offers unrealized potential
in increasing customer orientation and a company’s level of brand awareness. On the other
hand results also indicate that middle-aged customers, DERTOUR’s major target group,
have a low interest in online customer engagement that is not applied to the German tourism
industry, yet. Moreover, an age-related interest in the concept can be identified that is mainly
valued for its entertainment quality.
In appealing to medium-aged target groups, a company intending to apply the concept in
order to provide added value to its customers is recommended to carefully consider an
application – due to the appeal of online customer engagement to customers below the age
of 35, an adoption of the concept might only be feasible in addressing reference groups of
the target audience.
Keywords: word-of-mouth communication, motivation, viral marketing, co-creation, online
customer engagement
17.
Title:
The Determinants of Healthy Diet Among Russian People
Author: Nadezhda Nazarova
Abstract
The objective of the study was to explore the determinants of healthy diet among adult
Russian people using the constructs of the Healthy Lifestyle Paradigm, Theory of Planned
Behavior, perceived barriers, nutrition knowledge and interpretation. A convenience sample
of 167 adult Russian people was obtained through recruiting an online self-completion
questionnaire. Perceived barriers, knowledge and interpretation were the most important
factors influencing eating habits of the respondents. Limitations of the study include nonprobability sample and low response rate characterized by high non-response. The current
study is the first study to combine earlier mentioned theories to predict the effects on healthy
eating in a Russian society. Taking the limitations into account, it should be regarded as a
pilot study. Russian people found healthy eating to be useful but not enjoyable. Their eating
habits were characterized by low adherence to healthy eating and average avoidance of
unhealthy eating. They had low level of knowledge about foods and nutrients, even though
found them to be very important in interpreting healthy eating. It is necessary to educate
them about what expert recommendations about healthy eating are, how to choose and
prepare healthy products.
Keywords: Healthy Lifestyle Paradigm, Theory of Planned Behavior, Ecological Model of
Factors, nutrition knowledge, interpretation of healthy eating, determinants of healthy eating,
diet, behavior change, Russian people
18.
Title:
A guide to increased customer loyalty for Johannes Ries events GmbH
Author: Brigitte Haberl
Abstract
This case study is concerned with Ries events GmbH, a small/medium sized German event
agency exclusively catering to business organisations. The agency deals with three types of
people: some regular clients who stay for a persistent period of time, many others who place
orders only irregularly, and potential clients who send enquiries but then switch the provider.
The staff is unfamiliar with the reasons for these different behaviours.
Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify how the customer’s decision-making can be
influenced to increase his loyalty to Ries events using CRM practices. CRM is focused on its
relationship-enhancing elements rather than on its IT part.
The research was carried out in two parts: first of all, desk research served as input for the
review on academic literature on these concepts. Secondly, during the field research period,
qualitative methods were applied. Along with individual in-depth interviews, the theory of
colours was included to create a more holistic picture of the underlying values and meanings.
The main findings of this study revolve around antecedents of customer loyalty which
simultaneously influence the decision-making and can be enhanced by CRM practices.
These antecedents include trust and commitment to the relationship from both parties. The
most severe weakness of the agency as identified by its clients is the website, which creates
uncertainty and thus, works contra productively to enhancing trust. This means that Ries
events must improve the impression it gives to the potential client on his first encounter with
the agency, because this is the moment when he develops a gut feeling which is decisive for
contacting an agency or dismissing it immediately.
Keywords: B2B customer decision-making, increasing customer loyalty, CRM, B2B event
industry, Germany, small/medium sized event agency
19.
Title:
What information? Where to look for it? How to make a decision?
IInvestigating Dutch tourists’ intentions to use information on social media for travel
decision making
Author: Sandra Persson,
Abstract
The Dutch tourism market sees Internet as the most important travel information tool, and
more than 70% book their trips or part of their holiday online. Internet allows destination
marketing organisations to increase their marketing reach, since they can post information
which will reach online users worldwide. However, little is known about the influence of
content of social media, and tourists’ intention to consult it for their travel-decision making.
Through an online survey of Dutch tourists, this study examines what determinants influence
the intentions to use social media for travel-decision making by measuring concepts from the
adapted TAM and the information needs model. The study shed light on what informational
needs should be stimulated to enhance Dutch tourists’ intentions to consult social media.
Furthermore, it verifies the significant roles of antecedents such as perceived usefulness,
trustworthiness and attitude
20.
Title:
Drivers of service quality in FM procurement:
enhancing performance through collaboration?
Author: Elroy Verhoeven
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Outsourcing of non-core business services such as Facility Management services has
witnessed a rapid increase over the past two decades. However, little research has gone into
ways of optimizing short- and long-term performance of these services from a procurement
perspective.
This research addresses the interrelations between service quality, buyer-supplier
collaboration and organizational benefits from a dyadic perspective. Through non-probability
sampling, a total of 145 buyer and 108 supplier questionnaires were gathered and subjected
to a series of simple and multiple (backward) regression analyses.
The results show that collaboration and a focus on particular collaboration areas may have
considerable impact on service quality levels and organizational benefits. In particular, it was
found that, on a short-term, service quality levels are affected by four collaboration areas. On
a long-term basis, the customer's organizational benefits are affected by four areas whereas
the supplier's organizational benefits are affected by five collaboration areas -three of which
are not significant to buying parties. Trust and goal alignment function as two predictors for
mutually enjoyed benefits. In total, seven individual predictors were found to be promising in
enhancing short- and long-term performance. Their relative importance to short- or long-term
performance, however, differs per driver and from buyer to supplier.
A comparative, quantitative research approach has not yet been adopted in earlier studies
and is therefore an unique contribution to the growing body of research into Facility
Management. Royal HaskoningDHV is advised to adopt various short- and long-term
performance drivers into their selection and contracting procedures. Specific tools to do so
include: risk and opportunity inventories, mutual commitments and innovation plans.
Keywords: purchaising, facility management, service quality, collaboration, performance
21.
Title: ClosingThe Quality Perception GapinCorporate Dining
Discovering the Discrepancies between Corporate Customer5 andService Supplier
Perceptions of Quality Service
Author: Isabel Meijaard
Abstract
With!the!growing!significance!of!hypercritical!consumption!behavior!within!corporate!markets!
and! the! coinciding! changes! in! customer! demand,! behavioral! performance! and! quality!
assessment,!research!strived!to!identify!the!critical!components!that!the!new,!mindful!corpor
ate!customer!considers!to!be!of!significant!importance!to!his!or!her!overall!perception!of!corp
orate dining !services.
!Furthermore,!research!aimed!to!explore!the!perspectives!of!the!corporate!dining!
service"provider! on! customer"perceived! service! quality! in! order! to! identify! potential!
discrepancies!in!service!quality!perceptions!between!the!supply"!and!demand"side!of!the!ser
vice! encounter.indings!were!utilized!to!provide!input!for!effective!marketing!intermediation.!
By!means!of!a!comparative!research!design!between!two!independent!samples,!service!sup
plier" and customer "perceived!service!qualitywere!juxtaposed in!order!to!identify the
size!and!scope! of the! Quality+ Perception+ Gap! in! corporate! dining.! Self"completion!
questionnaires! were administered to! a! sample! of! corporate! dining! service! providers! (n!
=! 78),! and! a! corporate ustomer!sample!(n!=!67).
A hierarchical,!three"order!factor!model!of!perceived!service!quality!
was!employed!in!order!to!quantify!the!quality+perception+gap!while!capturing!the!complexity!
of! human! perceptions.! ! Results! indicated! significant! discrepancies! between! the!
service! supplier!and! the! corporate! customer! in! their! perceptions! of! corporate! dining!
service! quality.! The!comparison!of! corporate!customer"!and! service! supplier!
regression!models! identified! that! the! customer’s!over
all perception!of!corporate!dining!service!quality!tends!to!be!most!significantly!
influenced!by!the!outcome+quality!of!the!service!experience.!Tangibles,!valence!and!waiting
+time, constitute! The critical! factors! that! shape! the! corporate! customer’s! perception.!
The! service! supplier, on! the! contrary,! happens! to! consider! valence!
and!ambient+conditions! to! be! the!most ignificant!determinants customer
"perceived!service!quality.! !These!experience!components! concern! the! perceived!
favorability! of! the! service! and! the! nonvisual! aspects! of! the! physical!
environment!such!as!scent,!temperature!and!music.
It!was!concluded!that!the!identification!of!critical!experience!components!and!the!exploration!
of! the!quality!perception!gap!provides!valuable! input for the development of effective
marketing! intermediation! whereas! insights! into! the! mind! of! the! new! corporate!
consumer! may! enable! corporations! to! anticipate! to! the! rapidly! changing! market!
environment! and! account! for!prospective competitive! advantage.! It!was! recommended!
to! pay! particular! attention! to! these!critical! components! within! marketing!
communications! in! efforts! to! trigger! the! corporate!customer.!Further! research! should!
focus!on! investigating! the!antecedent! factors!of! the!quality!
perception!gap!within!multiple!service!industries!and!consumer!segments.
Keywords: ality, perception.gap,corporate dining,service expectations
22.
Title:
The shortage of skilled labor in the German hotel industry:
An examination of the career decision-making behavior of high school students
Author: Aurelia Tausch
Abstract
In light of the skilled labor shortage in the German hotel industry, the objective of this case
study research is to attract more apprentices to the hotel industry. Consecutively, it focuses
on understanding the career decision-making behavior of German high school students and
determines how it can be influenced.
The study follows the realism paradigm, allowing a mixed method approach. First, a literature
study on career decision-making serves as a foundation to create the Conceptual
Framework. Second, a quantitative self-completion questionnaire on self-efficacy
expectations (N=127), followed by a principal component analysis, concludes career
decision-making difficulties of German high school students. Third, through four qualitative
focus group interviews (N=17), intervention strategies towards career decision-making
difficulties of German high school students are created. Based on the results of the study a
four step communication plan, including suggestions for implementation, is provided.
Finally, practical recommendations to the case company Kempinski Hotel Gravenbruch
Frankfurt and suggestions for further research are presented.
Keywords: Labor shortage, career decision-making, self-efficacy expectations, hotel
industry, apprentices
23.
Title:
Establishing a balanced sustainable sourcing strategy
Author:Robin Meeusen
Abstract
Purpose – Governmental institutions are obliged to purchase 50% sustainably and by the
year 2015 100%. Supplying organizations tend to feel supply chain pressure due to these
more demanding clients. Smaller organizations have a smaller chance to win contracts since
they have difficulty to cope with the demands of buyers. This study aims to reveal how
organizations can buy sustainably without putting too much pressure on suppliers. Attitudes
are measured to identify which criteria are favoured by suppliers. Also, predictors of attitudes
are examined.
Methods – This study uses a quantitative approach for measuring attitudes, supply chain
pressure, motivation, expected benefits and perceived obstacles. A self-completion
questionnaire was send to four types of facility service suppliers. A total of 111 respondents
participated in this study. In order to identify relationships, both simple and multiple
regression analyses were made.
Findings – The criteria purchasers can use to purchase sustainably could be divided in
social and sustainable criteria. Differences were found between predictors of attitudes
towards social and sustainable criteria. Predictors of attitudes towards social criteria were
motivations and supply chain pressure whereas the predictors for attitudes towards
sustainable criteria were size and expected benefits.
Limitations – The respondents of this study were sampled by using a non-probability
sample. This implies that no generalizations could be made to the population. For
sustainable criteria only the attitudes of cleaning suppliers could be properly measured since
there were too less respondents for the other industries represented in this study.
Keywords: CSR, sourcing, facility service supplier, attitude, social criteria, environmental
criteria, supply chain pressure, motivation, benefits, obstacles
24.
Title:
A social constructionist approach to the meaning of a modern-day shopping centre
Author: Barbara E. Bevort
Abstract
The retail sector, aside from the fact that it is heavily affected by the financial crisis, has
changed significantly due to the rise of internet-based shops and smartphones. New
technologies give people other possibilities to go shopping or do the groceries. The primary
goal of retail locations such as a shopping centre is changing.
Within the research philosophy of social constructionism, there has been an attempt to give
different and new interpretations to the meaning of a shopping centre within society. The
focus of this research lies not in facilities or physical appearance but primarily on the
function, goal and meaning of a shopping centre. The data is collected from individual
interviews that have served as input for a dialogue between different stakeholders, the most
essential part of this research. The stakeholders involved were a real estate investment fund,
shop tenants, people living around the shopping centre and visitors of the shopping centre.
The interviews generated eight ways to use the shopping centre, these have been combined
into four pairs. These pairs are doing groceries – shopping, by day – by night, to consume –
to stay and local – non-local. The dialogue between the stakeholders then showed that these
words are not contradictory but rather complementary. Moreover, this dialogue enabled the
participants to discuss other perspectives with regards to these uses. It resulted in a mutual
understanding as to what is desired and what is possible.
This research was only the first step in the context of social constructionist research. In order
to make a change in the meaning-making process, more effort and time is needed to
discover and discuss how a shopping centre could become a place of multiple uses while
providing a pleasant and comfortable experience.
Keywords: social constructionism, modern-day shopping centre, meaning, consumer
experiences, co-creation, dialogue
23.
Title:
Where are we going this year, mom?
Holiday decision making and motivation of German family travellers
Author: Alessandra Stückmann
Abstract
The decision making process of family travellers roughly consists of need recognition,
information search and booking of a holiday. In-depth interviews revealed that family
travellers are driven by socio-psychological and cultural needs that evoke holiday motivation.
In order to satisfy needs of all decision making units, information are collected and
alternatives are compared. While the beginning of the information search process is emotionled, the intensive information search one month prior to the booking is fact-based for
purposes of risk reduction. Families mainly deal with the selection of a destination and
accommodation. The final booking channel and the tour operator brand are irrelevant. The
entire information search process is constrained by the budget and wishes of children.
General holiday motives of family travellers and motives that drive the selection of specific
accommodation attributes are especially relevant for the optimization of target group
communication.
Keywords: family travellers, holiday decision making, holiday motivation