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- Title
- THE EFFECT OF TOURIST THEFT ON FUTURE TRAVEL DECISIONS.
- Creator
-
Holcomb, Judith Lynn, Pizam, Abraham, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Past research has shown that theft is a prevalent crime against tourists. This study's purpose was to determine the effects of past incidents of personal theft on tourists' future decisions to travel by analyzing and comparing those who have experienced personal theft to those who heard of such incidents through personal accounts of friends or family. The findings, which were taken from a survey of 215 respondents, revealed that that experiencing personal theft, or knowing of someone who has,...
Show morePast research has shown that theft is a prevalent crime against tourists. This study's purpose was to determine the effects of past incidents of personal theft on tourists' future decisions to travel by analyzing and comparing those who have experienced personal theft to those who heard of such incidents through personal accounts of friends or family. The findings, which were taken from a survey of 215 respondents, revealed that that experiencing personal theft, or knowing of someone who has, is not a deterrent for visiting a destination where the theft occurred. Results also showed that one aspect of theft that was a deterrent to travel to destinations was how the authorities handled the reporting of the theft. If these findings are confirmed by other studies, then destinations that are afflicted by such thefts should not necessarily see a reduction in tourist arrivals.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000132, ucf:46202
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000132
- Title
- THE EFFECT OF TOURIST THEFT ON FUTURE TRAVEL DECISIONS.
- Creator
-
Holcomb, Judith Lynn, Pizam, Abraham, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Past research has shown that theft is a prevalent crime against tourists. This study's purpose was to determine the effects of past incidents of personal theft on tourists' future decisions to travel by analyzing and comparing those who have experienced personal theft to those who heard of such incidents through personal accounts of friends or family. The findings, which were taken from a survey of 215 respondents, revealed that that experiencing personal theft, or knowing of someone who has,...
Show morePast research has shown that theft is a prevalent crime against tourists. This study's purpose was to determine the effects of past incidents of personal theft on tourists' future decisions to travel by analyzing and comparing those who have experienced personal theft to those who heard of such incidents through personal accounts of friends or family. The findings, which were taken from a survey of 215 respondents, revealed that that experiencing personal theft, or knowing of someone who has, is not a deterrent for visiting a destination where the theft occurred. Results also showed that one aspect of theft that was a deterrent to travel to destinations was how the authorities handled the reporting of the theft. If these findings are confirmed by other studies, then destinations that are afflicted by such thefts should not necessarily see a reduction in tourist arrivals.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000103, ucf:46200
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000103
- Title
- GENERAL MANAGERS‟ PERCEPTIONS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN FLORIDA HOTELS.
- Creator
-
Holcomb, Judith, Pizam, Abraham, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The objective of the study was to identify and measure the magnitude of the gap that may exist between the corporate level Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) culture and its ensuing policies and their equivalent at the property level. This gap was hypothesized to be a function of a number of personal characteristics of the General Managers (GMs) coupled with the organizational profile of the hotel. The data were collected via an online survey based on a CSR scale developed by Turker (2009)...
Show moreThe objective of the study was to identify and measure the magnitude of the gap that may exist between the corporate level Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) culture and its ensuing policies and their equivalent at the property level. This gap was hypothesized to be a function of a number of personal characteristics of the General Managers (GMs) coupled with the organizational profile of the hotel. The data were collected via an online survey based on a CSR scale developed by Turker (2009) in combination with other original and previously used smaller scales. The study‟s population consisted of general managers of hotels that were managed by a corporate office and were members of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association and the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. In total, 564 hotel GMs were contacted by email by their perspective associations and invited to participate in the study. A total of 123 surveys were returned which equated to a 22% response rate. The results indicated that the gaps for all factors were very small. This suggested that based on the GMs‟ perceptions, there was not much variation between their corporations‟ CSR policies and their properties‟ CSR policies. Hence, because of this small variation, it can be speculated that, in this study, hotel GMs were committed to follow precisely the corporate CSR policies and initiatives at their property levels. Notwithstanding the above, the results supported three hypotheses as follows: (a) the more GMs were involved in the community, the less they were committed to CSR policies relating to the government; (b) the more hours per week GMs spent in community volunteerism, the higher was their commitment to overall CSR policies; and c) the higher was the demonstrated commitment of GMs to their corporation‟s CSR policy regarding responsibility to employees, the more they were rewarded through non-monetary perceived personal success. This study and its ensuing results were of significant importance to the general CSR body of knowledge and unique in terms of their contribution to CSR in the hotel industry. The practical implication from this study was that it sets a number of benchmarks relating to CSR corporate and property level policies and initiatives in a given sector of the hotel industry. In addition, due to the fact that few, if any, gaps were found between the corporate and property level cultures, corporate officers can at least feel fairly comfortable that from the GMs‟ perspectives, CSR initiatives are being implemented at the property level in accordance with corporate policy.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003466, ucf:48960
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003466
- Title
- A BLUEPRINT FOR PLANNING AND DESIGNING STAGED-AUTHENTIC HERITAGE ATTRACTIONS IN SMALL ISLAND NATIONS.
- Creator
-
Lasten, Earney, Pizam, Abraham, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this largely qualitative study was to develop a blueprint for planning and designing a staged-authentic heritage tourist attraction for small island nations. Data were gathered and analyzed in three phases. In Phase I, existing and potential supply, demand, and external variables associated with staged-authentic heritage attractions were identified, and a preliminary planning model and conceptual framework was developed. In Phase II, the model was refined. A blueprint...
Show moreThe purpose of this largely qualitative study was to develop a blueprint for planning and designing a staged-authentic heritage tourist attraction for small island nations. Data were gathered and analyzed in three phases. In Phase I, existing and potential supply, demand, and external variables associated with staged-authentic heritage attractions were identified, and a preliminary planning model and conceptual framework was developed. In Phase II, the model was refined. A blueprint containing seven major questions and 26 sequential steps was developed. In Phase III, the blueprint was tested using focus groups and an online tourist survey in the Caribbean region (Aruba) in order to determine the extent to which it could be useful to those responsible for the development of staged-authentic heritage tourist attractions. It was concluded that (a) the devised blueprint is appropriate and effective for planning and designing a staged-authentic heritage attraction for small island nations, (b) the seven questions and 26 steps developed to support the methodological flowchart ensure attention to essential activities and events in the planning and designing of a staged-authentic heritage attraction, and (c) continuous collaboration among all stakeholders is required in planning and designing staged-authentic heritage attractions so as to ensure commitment of those who would be contributors, supporters, and developers of the project. Implications for the use of the blueprint and for staged-authentic heritage attractions were offered. Also presented were recommendations for future research.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003450, ucf:48406
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003450
- Title
- TOURISTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD THE USE OF ANIMALS IN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION.
- Creator
-
Shani, Amir, Pizam, Abraham, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
From time immemorial human beings have utilized animals for various needs and purposes, which led societies to debate the justification for using animals and to reflect on the way in which animals are treated. These concerns have also resulted in various contemporary studies aimed to reveal interest groups' as well as the general publics' views and opinions on the issues under dispute. Nevertheless, despite the considerable incorporation of animals in entertainment and...
Show moreFrom time immemorial human beings have utilized animals for various needs and purposes, which led societies to debate the justification for using animals and to reflect on the way in which animals are treated. These concerns have also resulted in various contemporary studies aimed to reveal interest groups' as well as the general publics' views and opinions on the issues under dispute. Nevertheless, despite the considerable incorporation of animals in entertainment and leisure venues, only limited efforts have been geared towards exploring the ethical aspects of using animals in these initiatives. This lack of attention is especially evident in the tourism literature, despite the great relevancy of animal-based attractions to the tourism industry. Moreover, despite certain preliminary attempts to investigate people's perceptions of the use of animals in attractions, their attitudes for the most part are still ambiguous and speculative. Consequently, the purpose of the current research was to fill these and other gaps in the literature by investigating tourists' attitudes toward various animal-based attractions. The theoretical framework used for the study was based on a previous exploratory qualitative research, which also assisted in developing the research questions and hypotheses as well as in constructing the study survey. Therefore, the current study's instrument attempts to cover the main aspects of tourists' attitudes as they appear both in the literature and in the exploratory study. The survey was conducted among 252 tourists to the Central Florida area, using judgmental sampling with the intent to ensure heterogeneity among the study sample. Prior to addressing the research questions, the study instrument was tested for reliability and validity, which were found to be at satisfactory levels. The statistical analyses revealed some interesting findings with important implications for both research and practice. While several inquiries were evaluated in the course of the dissertation, the central findings of the study concerned the prominent aspects of tourists' ethical evaluation of animal-based attractions. The tourists expressed the highest agreement with the roles of the attractions in conservation, in family-oriented experience, in education, and as an alternative to nature. They also expressed a clear animal welfare approach, as they put the greatest importance on the way the animals are treated and trained by their keepers among conditions for ethical operations. Nevertheless, it was found that the key to developing positive attitudes toward attractions is the conviction in general arguments in favor of their presence, while specific sites' attributes seem to be more limited in their influence on the tourists' overall attitudes. In addition, belief in the positive effects of public opinion on attractions' ethical treatment of animals was found to have a greater association with tourists' attitudes, in comparison to more formal supervision and regulations. No less important, the study's findings confirm the heterogeneous nature of animal-based attractions as perceived by tourists, where multiple dominant factors influence attitudes toward diverse attraction types. Following the description of the results, the dissertation offers specific recommendations based on the findings for the management and marketing functions in animal-based attractions, especially with regard to potential steps for the purpose of improving and enhancing their ethical image among tourists. The study can be seen as one of the few comprehensive attempts to investigate tourists' attitudes toward animal-based attractions in the tourism literature, which can also serve as a benchmark and a basis for future studies on this contentious issue. The paper ends with an assessment of the study's limitations, and a series of suggestions of relevant topics for future investigations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002693, ucf:48191
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002693
- Title
- Destination Image and Tourist's Imagination: The Forgotten Component.
- Creator
-
Khalilzadeh, Jalayer, Pizam, Abraham, Fyall, Alan, Tasci, Asli, Hancock, Peter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The objectives of this dissertation was to 1) develop a comprehensive scale to measure visitors' imagination, 2) investigate the structural relationship between imagination and tourism destination image (TDI) components of cognitive, affective, and conative, 3) compare and contrast the various qualities of vividness, richness, saliency, control, and spatial between imagination and prospection, and 4) study the impact of different information sources on the evolving process of prospection to...
Show moreThe objectives of this dissertation was to 1) develop a comprehensive scale to measure visitors' imagination, 2) investigate the structural relationship between imagination and tourism destination image (TDI) components of cognitive, affective, and conative, 3) compare and contrast the various qualities of vividness, richness, saliency, control, and spatial between imagination and prospection, and 4) study the impact of different information sources on the evolving process of prospection to imagination. By conducting four different studies and seven data collection phases, the imagination scale was developed, validated, and utilized to test the proposed structural and differential hypotheses. In study 1, the phenomenology approach was employed and through a series of interviews, the internal experience of the imagination process was extracted. In study 2, which is composed of two focus groups, the potential manifest variables to measure imagination/prospection were developed and the structure of the questionnaire was designed. In study 3, through 3 data collection phases, two versions of long and short imagination scale questionnaire were validated and the structural relationships between imagination and destination image was investigated. In the final study, utilizing experimental design, hypotheses related to five qualities of imagination were compared to those of prospection. Finally, by adopting an exploratory approach, the impact of different information sources on imagination was investigated. The results of this dissertation indicated that the imagination scale is a reliable and valid scale to be used in various hospitality and tourism consumption contexts. It shows a high discriminant validity with TDI and structurally moderates the inter-relationships of the TDI components. In addition, findings of this dissertation support the theoretical discussions on the differences between imagination and prospection. Finally, the results revealed significant distinctions among image, video, and textual information sources regarding their impact on the quality of the mental image.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007207, ucf:52279
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007207
- Title
- Motivational Factors and Barriers Affecting Seniors' Decision to Relocate to a Senior Living Facility.
- Creator
-
Chaulagain, Suja, Pizam, Abraham, Wang, Youcheng, Severt, Denver, Oetjen, Reid, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study aimed to explore factors affecting seniors' intention to relocate to a senior living facility. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of push and pull motivational factors and perceived barriers on seniors' intention to relocate to a senior living facility (SLF). In addition, the mediating role of perceived barriers on the relationships between push motivational factors and intention to relocate and pull motivational factors and intention to...
Show moreThis study aimed to explore factors affecting seniors' intention to relocate to a senior living facility. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of push and pull motivational factors and perceived barriers on seniors' intention to relocate to a senior living facility (SLF). In addition, the mediating role of perceived barriers on the relationships between push motivational factors and intention to relocate and pull motivational factors and intention to relocate were explored. The data of the study was collected from 363 seniors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted to test the study hypotheses.The results indicated that health related, social and family/friend related, housing and property related push motivational factors and facility related pull motivational factor positively influenced seniors' intention to relocate to SLFs. In addition, the study results revealed that family related barriers, economic barriers, socio-psychological barriers, and knowledge and information barriers negatively affected seniors' intention to relocate to SLFs. In terms of the mediation effects, the study results indicated that (1) family related barriers mediated the positive relationship between health related push motivational factor and intention to relocate; (2) economic barriers mediated the positive relationship between facility related pull motivational factor and intention to relocate; (3) socio-psychological barriers mediated the positive relationship between health related push motivational factor and intention to relocate; and (4) socio-psychological barriers mediated the positive relationship between facility related pull motivational factor and intention to relocate. The findings of this study provide valuable theoretical contributions in the context senior living literature and important practical implications for SLF operators, health care facilitators and government agencies.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007611, ucf:52522
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007611
- Title
- Team cohesion in the restaurant industry: The influence of core evaluations.
- Creator
-
Orlowski, Marissa, Pizam, Abraham, Torres Areizaga, Edwin, Mejia, Cynthia, Sivo, Stephen, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Team cohesion has been clearly established in the literature as an essential component of effective work teams, yet little research has been conducted in regard to what factors lead to cohesion within a restaurant management team. What is currently known about the antecedents of cohesion indicates that it emerges from individual team member attitudes and perceptions as a collective property of the team. This, in turn, suggests cohesion is influenced by the dispositional traits of team members...
Show moreTeam cohesion has been clearly established in the literature as an essential component of effective work teams, yet little research has been conducted in regard to what factors lead to cohesion within a restaurant management team. What is currently known about the antecedents of cohesion indicates that it emerges from individual team member attitudes and perceptions as a collective property of the team. This, in turn, suggests cohesion is influenced by the dispositional traits of team members. The core evaluations construct, which represents a model of dispositional traits existing within each individual at the most basic level, offers implications for the emergence of cohesion in both of its forms, task cohesion and social cohesion. To help bridge the gap in prior research, this study was conducted to investigate the influence of core evaluations on team cohesion within restaurant management teams. This study first adopted and modified Judge et al.'s (1997) theoretical model of core evaluations, advancing a model in which two types of core evaluations, self and external, were both second-order latent constructs each reflected by four first-order evaluative traits. The proposed trait structure was then tested. Finally, drawing on approach/avoidance theory and social exchange theory, this study hypothesized a multilevel model in which the dispositional traits of core self-evaluation (CSE) and core external-evaluation (CEE) at the individual front-line manager level have positive effects on task and social cohesion within restaurant management teams. To accomplish the objectives of this study, a survey research design was employed. The survey instrument was comprised of four sections: core self-evaluation, core external-evaluation, team cohesion, and demographic profile. Data were collected from managers employed by four restaurant franchise groups, resulting in a useable sample of 317 individual responses composing 76 teams ranging in size from 2-6 members. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the factor structure of CSE and CEE, as well as the overall measurement model. The task and social cohesion items were then aggregated to the team level and multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) was conducted to test the relationships between latent constructs. The results of this study supported the second-order factor structure of core evaluations. CSE was shown to be reflected by self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, emotional stability, and locus of control. CEE was shown to be reflected by belief in a benevolent world, belief in a just world, and belief in people. Due to sample size, a reduced-parameter model was developed in which CSE and CEE were treated as sub-dimensions and measured by mean scores. MSEM results from this model showed that CSE had significant positive effect on team task cohesion whereas CEE had a significant positive effect on team social cohesion. These results offer numerous theoretical and practical implications for the study of core evaluations, team cohesion, and micro-macro phenomena, which are discussed in the final chapter. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006156, ucf:51125
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006156
- Title
- Antecedents of Emotional Labor and Job Satisfaction in the Hospitality Industry.
- Creator
-
Shapoval, Valeriya, Pizam, Abraham, Murphy, Kevin, Kwun, David, Wang, Chung-Ching, Joseph, Dana, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
It is a general policy in the hotel industry that all the service should be provided in the friendly and a professional manner. The first smile of a front desk clerk or a wait staff can make a difference in customer satisfaction and loyalty. A service quality is becoming more important with increase of competitiveness among hotels and hotel brands. A process of regulating positive emotions for an organization is called Emotional Labor (EL) (Grandey, 2000). While essential for the hospitality...
Show moreIt is a general policy in the hotel industry that all the service should be provided in the friendly and a professional manner. The first smile of a front desk clerk or a wait staff can make a difference in customer satisfaction and loyalty. A service quality is becoming more important with increase of competitiveness among hotels and hotel brands. A process of regulating positive emotions for an organization is called Emotional Labor (EL) (Grandey, 2000). While essential for the hospitality industry, empirical research on EL is very limited, and research on EL during stressful situations is almost nonexistent. To reduce the gap in the prior research, this study is looking into dynamics of a perceived organizational and customer (in) justice as a stress factor on an employee's EL and subsequent job satisfaction. To further understand dynamics of the proposed model, variables such as a gender and intensity of interaction were used as moderating effects. This study extended research done by Spencer and Rupp (2006, 2009) on employees' perceived customer injustice and its effects on employees' EL. This study drew on fairness, effective events, referent cognition, social exchange and action theories to explain why individuals' EL is impacted by injustice extended by guests and organization. Four types of organizational justice (procedural, distributive, interpersonal and informational) were used in this research. The results of the study indicated that employees EL (effort, dissonance) increases with increased effects of distributive (in) justice. EL dissonance had a significant negative effect on job satisfaction and EL effort had a significant positive effect on a job satisfaction. Finally, procedural (in) justice and informational (in) justice had a higher effects on male employees rather than their female counterparts. Since this study is first to explore effects of four facets of organizational (in) justice on employees EL, job satisfaction and gender as moderating effects, this study offers multiple theoretical and managerial implication for evaluation of EL and its antecedents in the hospitality industry.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006393, ucf:51505
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006393
- Title
- THE SYNERGIES BETWEEN TOURISM EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC GROWTH, POVERTY AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN ECUADOR.
- Creator
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Rivera, Manuel, Croes, Robertico, Hara, Tadayuki, Pizam, Abraham, Robinson, Edward, Maunez-Cuadra, Jose, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
ABSTRACTThis dissertation attempts to answer the question of what has been the effect of tourism expansion and development in Ecuador. We attempt to analyze, both theoretically and empirically, the relationship between tourism and development. There have been an enormous number of studies explaining how tourism can affect the various dimensions of development. However, no research has been undertaken to simultaneously empirically examine the impact that changes in tourism expansion has on...
Show moreABSTRACTThis dissertation attempts to answer the question of what has been the effect of tourism expansion and development in Ecuador. We attempt to analyze, both theoretically and empirically, the relationship between tourism and development. There have been an enormous number of studies explaining how tourism can affect the various dimensions of development. However, no research has been undertaken to simultaneously empirically examine the impact that changes in tourism expansion has on poverty, human development, and economic growth.To this end, we propose a cointergation methodology with an error correction model to estimate the impact of tourism expansion on poverty, human development, and economic growth. This study employs time series data from 1988 to 2008 as well as a Granger causality test to examine the hypothesized relationships. The five most important results are, first, that tourism seems to have distinguishable effects on reducing poverty. In the case of Ecuador, a tourism poverty nexus exists and it helps fight poverty in terms of intensity, inequality, and the proportion of poor. Secondly, economic growth is Ecuador is (")pro-poor("). Increases in economic growth have both short and long term effects on poverty reduction. Thirdly, tourism does not yet promotes human development but the other way around. Therefore a virtuous cycle between tourism and human development does not exist yet. Therefore, opportunities exist to further promote tourism in an attempt to support human development programs. Fourthly, economic growth promotes human development but human development does not yet promotes growth. These results suggest that Ecuador is in HD lopsided situation when it comes to economic growth and human development. Finally, the relationship between tourism and economic growth is bi-directional; the expansion of either sector promotes the growth of the other.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0004161, ucf:49052
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004161