bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Consumer perceptions of product‐claim versus help‐seeking direct‐to‐consumer advertising
Authors: Nikki Lee‐Wingate Sooyeon , Xie Ying 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to better understand the effectiveness of direct‐to‐consumer advertising (DTCA) by examining consumer perceptions of persuasive intent and informativeness associated with product‐claim and help‐seeking advertisements, respectively.Design/methodology/approachIn three behavioral experiments, a total of 413 participants provided data on their behavioral intentions and attitudes towards DTCA.FindingsConsumers perceived help‐seeking DTCA as being highly informative without persuasive intent, whereas they perceived product‐claim DTCA as having high‐persuasive intent with little informativeness. Help‐seeking (versus product‐claim) DTCA was more effective in generating stronger behavioral intention to seek treatment for the ailments advertised (i.e. clinical depression and migraine). Consumer perceptions of persuasive intent and informativeness of DTCA were the underlying mediators for this result.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper helps to resolve conflicting findings in the previous DTCA research by proposing and presenting evidence which suggests that the perceived persuasive intent and informativeness of the advertised message are two underlying constructs that drive DTCA effectiveness. Considering these two constructs in future research may provide a deeper understanding of how and why DTCA effectiveness varies across different types of DTCA.Practical implicationsThe results provide useful information for pharmaceutical companies seeking to maximize DTCA effectiveness in increasing behavioral intention to seek treatment for an advertised disease. Considering the key findings, pharmaceutical companies may decide whether and to what extent to employ product‐claim or help‐seeing DTCA.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the first to comparatively examine consumer perceptions of the two different types of DTCA (product‐claim versus help‐seeking) in terms of their influence on behavioral intent to seek treatment for the advertised medical conditions.
International hospital outshopping: a staged model of push and pull factors
Authors: Veerasoontorn Ruamsak , Beise‐Zee Rian 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a general model that examines the contextual factors underlying the decision‐making process of international hospital outshopping.Design/methodology/approachPatients who chose medical treatment abroad were selected to analyze the drivers of internationalization in medical services. A total number of 27 international patients who traveled from developed countries to receive medical treatment at the largest hospital in Thailand were interviewed and their responses assessed through narrative analysis.FindingsThe narrative analysis reveals that while high costs and the deteriorating conditions of health care in developed countries are initially driving consumers to leave their local service area and choose foreign service providers, pull factors such as innovation, organizational efficiency, emotional service quality and patient‐doctor relationships in service encounters are nurturing a real preference for choosing foreign health care providers.Research limitations/implicationsThis exploratory study is limited to the largest hospital in South East Asia. Future research could expand upon its findings and comparisons be made with other different foreign health care providers.Practical implicationsIn order to attract foreign customers a personal service, such as medical treatment, must be based on and sustained by continuous innovation in service quality.Originality/valueThe paper is the first empirical in‐depth study that examines the factors underlying the decision‐making process of international hospital outshopping.
Strategic networks and the institutional environment
Authors: Järvensivu Timo , Lukkari Pirjo , Järvensivu Paavo 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of the institutional environment on strategic networks including their cohesiveness as well as institutional entrepreneurship activities conducted by members of these networks.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a case study of the trade association Pharma Industry Finland (PIF) and its institutional environment.FindingsInstitutional environment and institutional entrepreneurship of a strategic network are intertwined in various ways. Changes in the institutional environment influence the strategic cohesiveness of the network and the mutual goals of its network members. As a result, PIF proactively engages in entrepreneurial activities to realize its interests.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper of one network and one institutional environment is limited in generalizability. Further research is needed to explore if similar results can be obtained in other contexts.Practical implicationsIn order to be successful, companies should be able to sense and evaluate which matters can be effectively addressed through collective institutional entrepreneurship and/or the company's own entrepreneurial activity.Originality/valueThis empirical study contributes to discussions on the theoretical understanding of strategic networks in relation to institutional environments, institutionally bounded strategizing in networks, and institutional entrepreneurship in business networks.
A new model for unlocking the value of entrepreneurial businesses
Authors: Skarzynski Peter , Schaedler Doug 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThis article integrates observed leading practices for nurturing new businesses into a systematic approach for assessing and managing the risks of entrepreneurial businesses (start‐ups and new ventures within large organizations).Design/methodology/approachExtracted management practices from systematic observations of successful and failed entrepreneurial business.FindingsThe management practices of open innovation, experimentation‐driven discovery, and future‐back migration mapping can form the foundation of a systematic toolset for assessing and mitigating the basic risks and unlocking the value of entrepreneurial businesses.Research limitations/implicationsSince the three management practices described are recent innovations, their benefits were not systematically qualified.Practical implicationsThese three management practices could help management and funding providers in VC and corporate environments weed out unviable ideas while nurturing promising opportunities that evolve into successful businesses. The end result should be that more good ideas will be funded, creating greater returns for capital providers and opportunity managers.Originality/valueIllustrates new application of three recent management innovations that can help unlock the value of entrepreneurial businesses.
Application of importance‐performance analysis (IPA) to formulate customer satisfaction strategies in the direct sales industry in Malaysia
Authors: Musa Rosidah , Pallister John , Robson Matthew , Mohd Daud Norzaidi 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop and formulate marketing strategies by utilizing the importance‐performance analysis (IPA) which is an easy‐to‐use analytical technique that offers prescriptions for the management of customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachBased on a survey from 400 direct sales channel customers, the findings suggest that the ratings and rankings of attributes were largely determined by the methods utilized to measure the attributes' importance.FindingsThe results of IPA presented by the current investigation reflect that the matrix is sensitive to the importance measure used.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper focuses on the Malaysian direct sales industry and concentrates only on application of importance‐performance analysis (IPA) to formulate customer satisfaction strategies.Practical implicationsThe results have important implications for future research directions and business strategy practice.Originality/valueThis study is perhaps the first that concentrates on the application of IPA to formulate customer satisfaction strategies in Malaysia.
Analyze innovation strategy of technical‐intensive industries: scenario analysis viewpoint
Authors: Chang Hung‐Fan , Luo Chih‐Ming 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this study is the analysis of innovation in technology‐intensive industries via the application of scenario analysis (SA) to master the development of market information and competitive environment. This study will employ the technical development of SONY video tape recorder (VTR) as a case study, and then provide more adequate decision information on the technology development strategy (TDS) planning process.Design/methodology/approachScenario analysis strategy assessment model will be utilized to construct a future technical development model based on present status, and will diffuse and apply the forecasting model to the cycle period of future market technical innovation. Therefore, applying SA in this study can effectively connect historical information to the analysis of technology development.FindingsThis research used SONY VTR TDS as a case study that provides a strategy assessment model to technology‐intensive industry for technical development strategy planning as the basis of decision information for technical forecasting. Output of the R&D department is the core lifeline for the development of a company, and TDS is affected by the orientation of customer demand and has an impact on the development of TLC to form the cycle period of uncertainty.Originality/valueThis model applied the property of TDS assessment to grasp the development trend in the market, and it can enable the R&D department to integrate technical push and market demand pull. In turn, this results in a gain in the competitive edge for technical innovation through a combination with strategies and regulations.
Enterprise resource planning: risk and benefit analysis
Authors: Zare Mehrjerdi Yahia 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThis article provides a brief review of current literature on ERP and its implementation in industries. To fully understand the ERP software key points, risks, benefits, critical success factors, implementation issues, and the fundamental on that are identified and reviewed. Some applications of ERP in public places, government offices, and industries are briefly discussed and four related cases are reviewed.Design/methodology/approachProvides a background on enterprise resource planning implementation, key elements of ERP, and review four important cases from the literature in that regard. To better introduce ERP software to new users the risks and benefits of that are discussed in item lists and each are described briefly.FindingsPointed to key benefits and risks of enterprise resource systems software and studies four cases from the literature related to the ERP implementation.Originality/valueDue to the fact that a better management of a system is related to the full understanding of the technologies implemented and the system under consideration, sufficient background on the enterprise resource planning is provided. The lack of research papers and conceptual papers related to risk‐benefit analysis of ERP systems is a motivation for conducting this research.
Six courses of action to survive and thrive in a crisis
Authors: de Waal André , Mollema Esther 
Published: September 2010

PurposeMany organizations emerge from a crisis in a weak position because they focused too much on cost reductions. However, a review of past crises reveals that there are always organizations that seize the opportunities offered by crises. During difficult times these organizations tailor their strategy to their specific circumstances to achieve an optimum balance between what they have do and what they can do. These organizations do not automatically choose for a cost reduction strategy but consider a wide range of courses of action. As a result, they strengthen their position and, after recovery of the economy, they emerge as a frontrunner in their industry. This article reviews the possible courses of action during a recession, illustrated by companies that took these actions in practice, and explains how you can determine the course you need to take to help your organization to not only survive but thrive in a crisis.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of a previous meta analysis into high performance which identified five factors characteristics of a HPO, and a review of the financial strength of an organization, six courses of action are identified and illustrated with practical examples.FindingsThe examples of the courses of action as taken by the organizations described in this article reveal that “one size does not fit all”: each organization needs to examine its position carefully to identify the status of its financial situation and internal organization.Research implications/limitationsOrganizations can use the matrix of courses of action to determine the most appropriate course for the coming time.Originality/valueThis is the first time that the courses of action that an organization can take have been underpinned by scientific research, and as such managers can be more confident that they will take the right course of action.
Strategic tourism planning in practice: the case of the Open Academy of Tourism
Authors: Ladeiras Ana , Mota António , Costa Jorge 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of a sound and participatory strategic planning process for the management of tourism at national and regional levels and its contribution to the sustainable development of destinations.Design/methodology/approachThe case study presented in this paper is based on an academic/industry project, launched to support the practical learning of strategic tourism planning and the strategic management of tourism destinations by MBA students. The Open Academy of Tourism, a partnership between the Institute of Tourism, and the Portuguese National Association of Tourism Regions, was created to support the development of strategic plans for Portuguese tourism regions, while allowing students to test and fine tune a model for strategic planning and managing tourism destinations. To better understand the applicability of this model, 13 case studies based on the same number of strategic plans were developed.FindingsThe paper reveals that the effective management of any tourist destination can be enhanced by following a carefully developed tourism strategy which contemplates the involvement of all stakeholders. It also demonstrates that academia can work closely together with public tourism organisations to develop meaningful plans of action for destinations.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the potential and importance of strategy development in tourism, while alerting for the need of a clear vision and leadership of the process to improve success.
Competitive destination analysis in Southern European countries
Authors: Águas Paulo , Veiga Célia , Reis Helena 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the competitiveness of the European Union Member States of Southern Europe (France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain) as tourist destinations for European Union Member States of Central and Northern Europe (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden and the UK).Design/methodology/approachApplication of the market share analysis tool, initially developed by Faulkner, using secondary data from Eurostat – statistical office of the European communities.FindingsThe results obtained show that France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain present distinct levels of competitiveness for the various generating countries, with changes having occurred in the period between 1999 and 2007.Originality/valueThe paper offers refreshment of Faulkner's tool and an insight into tourist flows in Europe as a tool for tourism and hospitality managers.
Embracing user generated content within destination management organizations to gain a competitive insight into visitors' profiles
Authors: Carvão Sandra 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of incorporating user generated content (UGC) in the e‐marketing strategies and activities of destination management organizations (DMOs) and debate the possibilities that UGC offers in terms of market research and aiming at improved consumer profile and segmentation to increase destinations' competitive advantages.Design/methodology/approachThe paper analyzes good practice examples of the integration UGC in the e‐marketing strategies of destination DMOs at national and local level and highlights the limited number of DMOs which develop market research using UGC.FindingsAn increasing number of DMOs have incorporated UGC in their e‐marketing strategies. Most DMOs now actively display in their web sites spaces dedicated to text and video UGC. Nonetheless, very few are using content analysis to better understand and profile the visitors' to their destinations and the enormous value of such information in terms of profiling and segmenting visitors' has not yet been integrated in the market research activities of DMOs.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the potential that UGC has to better understand the profile and satisfaction of the various segments of visitors to a destination.
A service quality evaluation scale for the hospitality sector
Authors: Salazar Ana , Costa Jorge , Rita Paulo 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a scale for service quality evaluation in the hospitality sector. This scale has two aims: to assess the dimensions and attributes consumers use when evaluating the quality of the service provided by hotels, and to determine what influence service quality perceptions have on consumer behaviour, namely on customer intentions to return and to recommend the hotel.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology used to develop the scale was divided into three stages: first, two well‐known models (SERVQUAL with direct formulation and SERPERF) were tested in 32 hotels, through 532 questionnaires. As these models were not conclusive, a second phase took place: 109 in‐depth interviews were conducted to assess the relevant factors or attributes for consumers during a hotel stay, both for the holiday and business segments. Based on the results of the interviews, a questionnaire was designed to evaluate service quality provided by four and five star hotels. On this third phase, a sample of 257 respondents/hotel customers was achieved.FindingsThe main results point to the existence of five dimensions: room (tangibles and service); feelings; restaurant service; tangibles (location, exterior and restaurant) and reception, explaining 56, 1 per cent of the consumers' service quality evaluation. Another finding points out the existence of a stronger relationship between service quality perceptions and the intention to recommend the hotel (74, 8 per cent) than the intention to return to the hotel (55, 9 per cent).Originality/valueBased on the knowledge of the relative importance of the attributes consumers use when evaluating the service provided by four and five stars hotels, the relevant influence emotions have on consumers' service quality evaluation and the influence service quality perceptions have on behavioural intentions, several recommendations to managers are made, both in terms of managing the hotel, as well as tourist destinations.
e‐Learning as a tool to improve quality and productivity in hotels
Authors: Sarmento Manuela 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the contribution of e‐learning in the improvement of quality and productivity in hotels.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is based on an inquiry answered by 34 hotels that are using e‐learning. For this purpose, a survey on five, four and three star hotels, located throughout Portugal, was conducted between January and March 2009.FindingsThe research reveals that hotels consider that e‐learning increases productivity and production volume. On the other hand, e‐learning contributes significantly to employees' motivation. The paper also concludes that managers' opinions about e‐learning strategies are dependent on the hotel category and head‐office nationality.Originality/valuee‐Learning is based on information and communication technology and supports the educational process. Owing to the important results achieved, e‐learning is continuously gaining relevance in hotels, and in educational institutions. As such, analysing the contribution of e‐learning for quality improvement in hotels brings originality to the research whilst adding value to the body of knowledge in the industry.
An analysis of the perceived effects of economic and monetary union on hotels in the north of Portugal
Authors: Pinto Cardoso Carla , Vaughan Roger , Edwards Jonathan 
Published: September 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reflect on the perceived implications of economic and monetary union (EMU) as a driver for changes in the hotel business environment and, consequently, on Portuguese competitiveness, in terms of the conceptual framework and methodology adopted and showing the way how it may contribute to help managers and decision makers to effectively manage their competitive strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopted and adapted Porter's models (Diamond, Five Forces and Value Chain) as the basis for analysing the implications of EMU upon the hotel business environment (at national, industry and operational level). Those implications are the ones perceived by the stakeholders in that sector: public authorities, trade associations and hoteliers.FindingsThe findings indicated that EMU not only changed the hotel business environment at a national level, but also changed the competitive and operational environment. Nonetheless, as this study found, the hotel stakeholders had relatively different hopes and fears concerning EMU.Practical implicationsThe paper offers a conceptual framework sufficiently versatile (regarding the context of the study) which can be used by decision makers or managers as a tool to understand their business environment and, consequently, to cope with potential challenges.Originality/valueTwo of the innovative features of this study are: the triangulation of perspectives on the implications of EMU on hotels and the use of a combination of Porter's models as a suitable tool for studying the implications of EMU in the services sector. This can be useful to service decision makers and managers that seek to cope with the business environment challenges.