title: Hotel Corporate Social Responsibility: Guest Satisfaction, and Repeat Purchase Intention in China's Domestic Hotel Market

authors: Zhao, Kuan

subjects: Corporate Social Responsibility

abstract: The fast development of China’s economy in the past two decades has created a series of CSR related problems, for instance, customer and employee rights, environmental pollution, natural resource shortage, and community relations. The effects of these issues on Chinese society have, to a degree, become a focus of a public debate aided by the emergence of the mobile Internet. Consequently corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies are being adopted by a growing number of Chinese companies, including those in the hotel sector. By adopting a composite methodology of qualitative and quantitative approaches, this thesis aims to obtain an understanding of hotel CSR policies in China from the guest’s perspective by identifying their assessments of a hotel’s CSR performance and the impacts that may follow for repeat purchasing intentions of hotel accommodation.
Based on a literature review, this thesis first proposed a four dimensional CSR scale, which covers customer, environment, employee and community, and then attempted to measure how customers perceive hotel CSR policies and the relevant consequences for their future patronage of a hotel. Additionally this thesis also introduced for the first time as far as the author is aware, the concept that a guest’s familiarity with CSR is a possible determinant of future repeat patronage. Subsequently a research model was proposed to reveal the influence of hotel CSR policies determining guests’ choice of hotel. A total of 817 valid questionnaires were collected, and the dataset was analyzed by SPSS 19.0 using reliability and validity analysis, exploratory factor analysis, cluster and discriminant analysis, ANOVA, multi-approach regression analysis and structural equation modeling. The followings results were obtained.
First, social demographic factors, that is gender, age, education background, occupation, income and marital status do not play significant roles in affecting customers’ purchase intention under the influence of CSR. 
Second, five distinct types of customers were found to have different attitudes towards hotel CSR policies, which could positively affect their satisfaction level and future purchase intention. This result showed the diversity of customers in terms of CSR, and laid a theoretical foundation for hotel marketers to offer customers customized CSR policies in order to retain guests.
Third, two community related variables, namely hotels’ effort to provide local people with job opportunities and their respecting local culture and customs were found to be significant for guests’ purchase intention. Hotel managerial expertise was also found to have significance. The findings of other research that Chinese hoteliers’ efforts to create environmental friendly hotels is not a compelling reason for guests to book with a particular hotel, is also supported by this research. 
Fourth, hotels’ efforts to market their CSR practices or policies could potentially exert direct impact over customers’ future purchase intention by making guests aware of the importance of CSR polices if basic guest needs are being met.
Last but not least, based on the results obtained from this research, suggestions for hotel management on how to enhance customers’ repeat consumption from a CSR standpoint were given, and future possible directions of similar research were also provided.

text: Hotel Corporate Social Responsibility: Guest Satisfaction, and Repeat Purchase Intention in China's Domestic Hotel Market The fast development of China’s economy in the past two decades has created a series of CSR related problems, for instance, customer and employee rights, environmental pollution, natural resource shortage, and community relations. The effects of these issues on Chinese society have, to a degree, become a focus of a public debate aided by the emergence of the mobile Internet. Consequently corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies are being adopted by a growing number of Chinese companies, including those in the hotel sector. By adopting a composite methodology of qualitative and quantitative approaches, this thesis aims to obtain an understanding of hotel CSR policies in China from the guest’s perspective by identifying their assessments of a hotel’s CSR performance and the impacts that may follow for repeat purchasing intentions of hotel accommodation.
Based on a literature review, this thesis first proposed a four dimensional CSR scale, which covers customer, environment, employee and community, and then attempted to measure how customers perceive hotel CSR policies and the relevant consequences for their future patronage of a hotel. Additionally this thesis also introduced for the first time as far as the author is aware, the concept that a guest’s familiarity with CSR is a possible determinant of future repeat patronage. Subsequently a research model was proposed to reveal the influence of hotel CSR policies determining guests’ choice of hotel. A total of 817 valid questionnaires were collected, and the dataset was analyzed by SPSS 19.0 using reliability and validity analysis, exploratory factor analysis, cluster and discriminant analysis, ANOVA, multi-approach regression analysis and structural equation modeling. The followings results were obtained.
First, social demographic factors, that is gender, age, education background, occupation, income and marital status do not play significant roles in affecting customers’ purchase intention under the influence of CSR. 
Second, five distinct types of customers were found to have different attitudes towards hotel CSR policies, which could positively affect their satisfaction level and future purchase intention. This result showed the diversity of customers in terms of CSR, and laid a theoretical foundation for hotel marketers to offer customers customized CSR policies in order to retain guests.
Third, two community related variables, namely hotels’ effort to provide local people with job opportunities and their respecting local culture and customs were found to be significant for guests’ purchase intention. Hotel managerial expertise was also found to have significance. The findings of other research that Chinese hoteliers’ efforts to create environmental friendly hotels is not a compelling reason for guests to book with a particular hotel, is also supported by this research. 
Fourth, hotels’ efforts to market their CSR practices or policies could potentially exert direct impact over customers’ future purchase intention by making guests aware of the importance of CSR polices if basic guest needs are being met.
Last but not least, based on the results obtained from this research, suggestions for hotel management on how to enhance customers’ repeat consumption from a CSR standpoint were given, and future possible directions of similar research were also provided.

year: 2014

title: Multi-system geochronological and isotopic constraints on age and evolution of the Gaoligongshan metamorphic belt and shear zone system in western Yunnan, China

authors: Eroğlu, Sümeyya

subjects: Gaoligongshan

abstract: The Gaoligongshan metamorphic belt, located east of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS) in the Yunnan province, southwestern China, is a compelling region in which to determine temporal constrains on crustal dynamic processes related to the Himalayan orogeny. We applied multi-system geo- and thermochronology (900 °C to <50 °C) to orthogneiss and mylonites from a major shear zone in the southern Gaoligongshan in order to elucidate the magmatic, cooling and exhumation history of this belt.
Zircon U/Pb data reveal three magmatic events at ∼486 Ma, ∼136 Ma and ∼76 Ma. Similar ages are found in orthoderivative rocks of the neighboring Tengchong and Baoshan blocks, and the Gangdese batholith, suggesting that the southern Gaoligongshan is composed of an assemblage of Lhasa and Qiangtang terrane derived rocks. Muscovite Rb/Sr ages of 35–21 Ma are coeval with the onset of lateral crustal displacement along major shear zones in Eastern Tibet and Indochina, and with the post-collision volcanic activity in western Yunnan. Biotite Rb/Sr and mica 40Ar/39Ar ages provide evidence that mylonitization along the Gaoligongshan shear zone and crustal rotation of the Tengchong and Baoshan blocks proceeded during the Miocene, between 19 and 12 Ma, when the rocks rapidly cooled through the 350–280 °C temperature range. Almost identical 40Ar/39Ar ages reported for the Karakorum–Jiali–Parlung Fault system in Western Tibet suggest that the Gaoligongshan shear zone is the southeastern continuation of this fault, recording the eastward extrusion of Tibet and crustal movement around the EHS. The final stage of exhumation of the Gaoligongshan occurred between 8 and 5 Ma at an average exhumation rate of ∼3 km/Ma as documented by apatite fission-track and apatite (U–Th–Sm)/He data. This rapid exhumation was triggered by crustal root delamination and opening of the Andaman sea.
Our results clearly show that the complex tectonothermal evolution of the Gaoligongshan was influenced by Tibetan extrusion and escape tectonics associated with lower crustal flow around the EHS and the southeastward movement of Indochina and back-arc extension in response to Andaman seafloor spreading.

text: Multi-system geochronological and isotopic constraints on age and evolution of the Gaoligongshan metamorphic belt and shear zone system in western Yunnan, China The Gaoligongshan metamorphic belt, located east of the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS) in the Yunnan province, southwestern China, is a compelling region in which to determine temporal constrains on crustal dynamic processes related to the Himalayan orogeny. We applied multi-system geo- and thermochronology (900 °C to <50 °C) to orthogneiss and mylonites from a major shear zone in the southern Gaoligongshan in order to elucidate the magmatic, cooling and exhumation history of this belt.
Zircon U/Pb data reveal three magmatic events at ∼486 Ma, ∼136 Ma and ∼76 Ma. Similar ages are found in orthoderivative rocks of the neighboring Tengchong and Baoshan blocks, and the Gangdese batholith, suggesting that the southern Gaoligongshan is composed of an assemblage of Lhasa and Qiangtang terrane derived rocks. Muscovite Rb/Sr ages of 35–21 Ma are coeval with the onset of lateral crustal displacement along major shear zones in Eastern Tibet and Indochina, and with the post-collision volcanic activity in western Yunnan. Biotite Rb/Sr and mica 40Ar/39Ar ages provide evidence that mylonitization along the Gaoligongshan shear zone and crustal rotation of the Tengchong and Baoshan blocks proceeded during the Miocene, between 19 and 12 Ma, when the rocks rapidly cooled through the 350–280 °C temperature range. Almost identical 40Ar/39Ar ages reported for the Karakorum–Jiali–Parlung Fault system in Western Tibet suggest that the Gaoligongshan shear zone is the southeastern continuation of this fault, recording the eastward extrusion of Tibet and crustal movement around the EHS. The final stage of exhumation of the Gaoligongshan occurred between 8 and 5 Ma at an average exhumation rate of ∼3 km/Ma as documented by apatite fission-track and apatite (U–Th–Sm)/He data. This rapid exhumation was triggered by crustal root delamination and opening of the Andaman sea.
Our results clearly show that the complex tectonothermal evolution of the Gaoligongshan was influenced by Tibetan extrusion and escape tectonics associated with lower crustal flow around the EHS and the southeastward movement of Indochina and back-arc extension in response to Andaman seafloor spreading.

year: 2013

title: Representations of te reo Māori and te ao Māori in a translingual picturebook: How my Koro became a Star

authors: Barbour, Julie Renee

subjects: Indigenous language and culture

abstract: While English is the most commonly used language in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is a multilingual nation with two languages recognised as official: te reo Māori (the Māori language) and New Zealand Sign Language. The English language is dominant in children’s literature published in Aotearoa New Zealand, but since the 1980s there has been an increase in the number of picturebooks featuring two languages, te reo Māori and English. Previous work has explored how representations of te reo Māori and English in pukapuka pikitia reorua (dual language picturebooks) in Aotearoa reflect changing attitudes towards the two languages. In this article, we focus particularly on Brianne Te Paa and Story Hemi-Morehouse’s picturebook How my Koro became a Star. Originally written in te reo Māori, this multi-award winning picturebook is located at the beginning of Matariki, the Māori New Year celebration. In a move away from the linguistic analysis of te reo Māori being ‘borrowed’ by English, we consider how storytellers like Te Paa weave Māori language together with English in a translingual publication, supporting reader comprehension of Māori vocabulary and cultural meanings through embedded illustrations and explanations, inviting the curious reader to learn beyond the story.

text: Representations of te reo Māori and te ao Māori in a translingual picturebook: How my Koro became a Star While English is the most commonly used language in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is a multilingual nation with two languages recognised as official: te reo Māori (the Māori language) and New Zealand Sign Language. The English language is dominant in children’s literature published in Aotearoa New Zealand, but since the 1980s there has been an increase in the number of picturebooks featuring two languages, te reo Māori and English. Previous work has explored how representations of te reo Māori and English in pukapuka pikitia reorua (dual language picturebooks) in Aotearoa reflect changing attitudes towards the two languages. In this article, we focus particularly on Brianne Te Paa and Story Hemi-Morehouse’s picturebook How my Koro became a Star. Originally written in te reo Māori, this multi-award winning picturebook is located at the beginning of Matariki, the Māori New Year celebration. In a move away from the linguistic analysis of te reo Māori being ‘borrowed’ by English, we consider how storytellers like Te Paa weave Māori language together with English in a translingual publication, supporting reader comprehension of Māori vocabulary and cultural meanings through embedded illustrations and explanations, inviting the curious reader to learn beyond the story.

year: 2025