Professor Marianna Sigala

International Cultural Tourism: management, implications and cases provides a comprehensive exploration of the management, operations and marketing of cultural tourism attractions and resources in a global context. Topics explored include: For the first time, an evaluation of the use and transformational impact of global media and new ICT in the management and marketing of cultural tourism attractions and resources. The changing nature of the global cultural tourism marketplace (including demand, supply, product development and political changes). Consumer behaviour, profiles and motivations of cultural tourists. Environmental performance, management and wider issues of social and cultural sustainability. Written by a team of contributors from Australia, Hong Kong, UK, US, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Finland, this text provides a thoroughly global insight into the issues and techniques involved in the successful management and marketing of cultural attractions. An overview of the way in which cultural tourism resources and attractions are managed and marketed in a global context. Analysis of the demand, profiles and motivation of tourists An investigation of the transformational and dynamic impacts of new technologies on cultural resources and products International contributor team provide case studies from first-hand experience and research.

Operating in a highly vulnerable context, tourism and hospitality companies should be able to manage crises in effective ways. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has reconfirmed and strengthened this need as well as provided numerous examples and lessons learnt about crisis management and communication. By drawing on various theories (including crisis management, social media and crisis informatics, crisis communication, corporate social responsibility and brand authenticity), this case study provides a theoretical framework for developing knowledge and critical skills in designing and assessing the implementation of crisis communication strategies and practices. The case is based on a fictional hotel, but it is also inspired by true industry facts to make it more realistic and practical. The case study aims to (1) acquaint the students with relevant theoretical frameworks that can be used for developing and assessing crisis communication strategies and practices (2) provoke the students' critical and analytical skills for understanding the role and impact of social media on crisis communication and (3) highlight the need to use social media for crisis communication but also align and coordinate the former with other business operations, such as customer service, corporate responsibility and branding strategies.

As global competition between wine destinations and wine tourism operators intensifies and the wine tourism demand becomes more sophistication innovation and digital transformation have become an unavoidable necessity for survival and the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated change and the reset of the wine tourism industry as well as the need to make the industry more sustainable, resilient and adaptable. Technologies and innovation as necessity have been instrumental for enabling the wine tourism industry to go through the crisis, re-start but also resetting its practices. In discussing these trends, this chapter also advocates innovation and the creative use of technological advances as two major tools for making the wine tourism industry more competitive, flexible and resilient to address any future crises and contemporary challenges. The chapter identifies the major technological advances that currently drive and can lead future innovation in wine tourism. It also identifies synergies with the high-tech sector, government and/or industry led initiatives to create inter-industry collaborations as well as digital capabilities are the critical success factors for implementing digital transformation within the wine sector. The chapter also discusses the role and importance of innovation within the wine sector and it highlights the importance of nurturing and fostering innovation ecosystems amongst various sectors in order to boost the co-creation innovation within the wine tourism sector.

The impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on firms' strategic development and value creation has been a topic of academic debate for decades. Tourism is no exception. This chapter provides a synthesis of the literature on the strategic decision to adopt and use ICTs as well as an analysis of their impact on the value creation of tourism firms. We reflect on theoretical frameworks and analytical concepts developed and validated by tourism scholars, their implications for ICT use, and the factors affecting the realization of ICT-enhanced business value. Problems of measurement, analysis, and organizational adjustments appear as major factors behind volatile ICT productivity in tourism, known as the ICT Productivity Paradox. To ensure the realization of ICT-enhanced business value, various adjustment strategies, including the development of firms' capabilities, cultures, and organizational structures, are addressed. The discussion section critically assesses the reviewed literature on the strategic use of ICTs in tourism. Finally, the conclusion deduces research needs and sketches an agenda for future research.

The chapter provides an overview of the literature investigating the sharing economy in tourism with the aim to identify what we already know and what we should further investigate about two major issues: (1) the multidimensionality of the sharing economy phenomenon and its impacts on tourism and its stakeholders and (2) the variety of the actors and the major issues pertaining their involvement in the sharing economy. By adopting an ecosystem approach, this chapter aims to contribute to the literature by providing a holistic multistakeholder, multidimensional, and multidisciplinary perspective of how we (should) understand and research the sharing economy in tourism. To achieve this, the chapter begins by clarifying the concept of the sharing economy and its overlaps with other related concepts such as gig, platform, collaborative, and peer-to-peer economy. This section concludes by developing a figure visualizing the four major sharing economy stakeholders, namely, platform; provider (i.e., micro-entrepreneurs, company, tourism gig worker) which includes the subeconomies of secondary entrepreneurs; seeker (e.g., tourist, seeker of resources); and environment/destination. The chapter continues by individual sections that each one discusses the research themes and gaps pertaining to each sharing actor and by concluding with ideas for future research.

This case discusses the design principles and the role of servicescape in experience management by drawing on the example of the d'Arenberg Cube, an iconic cellar door that set new industry standards and competitively positioned its wine brand and wine region on the world tourism map. The case also explains the use of art for business purposes by showing how the Cube has embedded art into its servicescape and experience design. The case highlights that by synergising art, wine and tourism, the d'Arenberg Cube has managed to create the living culture and experiences of its servicescape that are hard to be replicated by competitors. In this vein, the case highlights that the technical/architectural features of iconic buildings and brandhomes can provide a comparative advantage, but it is the lived and living experiences enabled within and afforded by their servicescapes that provide them a competitive and inimitable advantage. The case also provides evidence of the impact of servicescape elements and design on the customers' engagement and well-being (psychological, social, behavioural, emotional and spiritual/transformational). As the competition intensifies, the customers' profile, needs and expectations change and the tourism industry reforms, the case study challenges and requires the students to think how the Cube needs to update and upgrade its servicescape design and experiences to face but also re-shape the next new normal.

The book includes a compilation of various case studies from the tourism, hospitality and events sectors, contributed by international scholars. The case studies investigate topical and contemporary industry challenges and practices, and they are accompanied by a teaching note guiding educators on how to use and embed cases into their teaching and assessment methods. Case studies are for long and widely recognised as an effective method to conduct research, produce new knowledge but also enrich and support educational and instructional practices. However, the case study is limitedly known and used as a research method in tourism and hospitality. Tourism educators are also lacking contemporary case studies from the tourism industry, which they can use to complement and enrich their instructional purposes. This book fills in these gaps in tourism research and education by showing scholars how to use case studies to conduct research and advance (new) theory as well as to enrich their educational practices.

The use of gamification for directing and motivating customers' behaviour and supporting crowdsourcing practices in marketing is increasingly spreading. This chapter reviews the literature for identifying the game principles and elements that can lead to effective gamification, and it then demonstrates the applicability and implications of this theory by discussing various gamification applications developed for supporting crowdsourcing marketing practices in tourism.The examples demonstrate that gamification can be used for crowdsourcing any marketing practice and influencing customer behaviour at any stage of the consumer behaviour process. Implications for future research are also provided.

The environment, the conditions and the context in which educational institutions operate are not only different from in the past, but they are also under a continuous and dynamic change. The same is true for the knowledge, skills and competencies that industry requires from graduates as well as the expectations, the needs and the learning styles of learners. Table 33.1 provides an overview of these educational transformation challenges by comparing past and current beliefs about the major issues in terms of knowledge, learners' profiles and skills, and learning processes.

Low productivity within the hospitality industry has been a major concern, but this situation is unlikely to improve without a general change in the way productivity is measured and managed. This paper aims to illustrate the value of stepwise Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for measuring and benchmarking hotel productivity. The issues regarding productivity measurement as well as the advantages of using DEA for measuring productivity are analysed. However, the paper extends current DEA applications by developing a stepwise approach to DEA. The latter technique combines correlation and DEA analysis for developing robust DEA models and its advantages are illustrated by applying it in a dataset of three star hotels in the UK.

Despite the wide-spread discussion of e-commerce advantages, research of e-commerce business models in the tourism literature has, to date, focused primarily on organisational, business and technical factors. In contrast, social considerations, i.e., factors related to the general societal context influencing the shape and adoption of e-commerce models in practice, have not been adequately addressed. As the wide success of e-commerce heavily depends on its adoption by society, it is imperative to develop a better understanding of the profile and behaviour of Internet surfers and shoppers. Thus, robust research on the adoption of e-commerce needs to consider the societal issues/factors affecting people and their environment. In this vein, by reviewing a great amount of literature from different disciplines, this paper aims to develop a holistic perspective for examining online tourists by integrating the study of individual, organisational, industrial, societal, and technological aspects of e-business. By consolidating and synthesizing a great number of studies, the paper also aims to identify and discuss future research opportunities and directions aiming to further examine Internet users and their behaviour.

During the last decades, the use of Web 2.0 applications for the generation, dissemination, and sharing of user-generated content (UGC) and the creation of new value added services are enormous. Web 2.0 tools have tremendously changed the way people search, find, read, gather, share, develop, and consume information, as well as on the way people communicate with each other and collaboratively create new knowledge. UGC and Web 2.0 are also having a tremendous impact not only on the behaviour and decision-making of Internet users, but also on the e-business model that organizations need to develop and/or adapt in order to conduct business on the Internet. Organizations responsible to market and promote cities on the Internet are not an exception from these developments. This chapter aims to inform city tourism organizations responsible for the development of city portals about (a) the use of the major Web 2.0 tools in tourism and their impact on the tourism demand and supply; and (b) the ways and practices for integrating the use of Web 2.0 into their e-business model and e-marketing practices. © 2009, IGI Global.

235Cultural heritage is the essence of tourism in many destination areas worldwide. Every year, millions of people travel to view the Acropolis of Athens, the Colosseum in Rome and many other historic sites of international renown. These sites are of general interest to visitors, even though the visitors probably have no significant ties to the heritage sites that they visit. Although world heritage attractions draw large numbers of international and domestic tourists, for most foreign tourists these sites consist only a small part of a more extensive travel package. These attractions can evoke feelings of admiration, but they probably do not evoke feelings of personal attachment. Visits to historic sites are mostly motivated by the belief that such places (and the objects at these places) are linked to the remote past. In addition, millions of other people engage in travel to experience heritage of a more personal nature; most of the world's historic sites are not internationally known and only relatively few ever attract international tourists, except perhaps in combination with other relevant attractions. For every world- renowned cultural attraction, there are hundreds of other ¿ not famous ¿ sites that are appreciated at a more local basis.

Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) and recently the evolution of the Internet have been instrumental in transforming the production, interpretation, exchange, marketing and consumption of cultural services as well as in managing visitors' experiences and behaviour (Sigala, 2003 a). ICT affects all functions of cultural organizations including conservation, exhibition, marketing and administration (Stam, 1992; Solima, 1998) by permeating all stages of visitor cycle, i. e. pre-sale services, on-site services and post-sale services. Internet tools have enabled the electronic management and publishing of content, the development of virtual cultural- heritage exhibitions and/or the 'webification' of existing, 'bricks and mortar' cultural-heritage attractions, as well as the emergence of several virtual communities of curators, visitors, educators and others with similar interests in culture and heritage. Moreover, the introduction of multimedia information systems enables the heritage-cultural industry to redefine its role and models by allowing it to redesign traditional products and promote new cultural experiences by involving a worldwide network of potential visitors, who may also be able to participate in the production of the cultural service.

Analyse and explain the concept of authenticity from a post-modern sociocultural as well as a technological perspective.

This book brings together cutting edge research and applications of social media and related technologies, their uses by consumers and businesses in travel, tourism and hospitality. The first section addresses topical issues related to how social media influence the operations and strategies of tourism firms and help them enhance tourism experiences: open innovation, crowdsourcing, service-dominant logic, value co-creation, value co-destruction and augmented reality. The second section of the book looks at new applications of social media for marketing purposes in a variety of tourism-related sectors, addressing crowd-sourced campaigns, customer engagement and influencer marketing. The third section uses case studies and new methodologies to analyze travel review posting and consumption behaviors as well as the impact of social media on traveller perceptions and attitudes, with a focus on collaborative consumption and sharing economy accommodation. Finally, the fourth section focuses on hot topics and issues related to the analysis, interpretation and use of online information and user-generated content for deriving business intelligence and enhancing business decision-making. Written by an international body of well-known researchers, this book uses fresh theoretical lenses, perspectives and methodological approaches to look at the practical implications of social media for tourism suppliers, destinations, tourism policy makers and researchers alike. For these reasons, it will be a valuable resource for students, managers and academics with an interest in information and communication technologies, marketing for tourism and hospitality, and travel and transportation management.

Social media have significantly changed the way people create, share and discuss content as well as with whom, how, when and why they network and interact. Thus, social media tremendously affect consumer behavior and decision-making processes and subsequently, the ways that firms need to communicate, develop relations with and provide services to their customers. One of the fundamental changes brought about by social media is the transformation of customers from passive receivers and consumers of services to active participants and co-creators of information, offerings and value. The rise of crowdsourcing and collaborative commerce (or the so-called sharing economy) are only some examples of customer empowerment in the social media era (Egger et al., 2016).

The explosive growth of social media channels, the devices to access them and the software applications developed provide firms with unprecedented opportunities to collect and leverage a vast amount of data for creating business and customer value. The rise of customers¿ social media usage also yields new ways to generate customer data (such as social media profiles, online activities and conversations) in an ever-increasing volume and variety. Indeed, social media advances and usage are fuelling big data trends. Data has been characterized as the ¿oil¿ of the digital economy that will be traded, owned and developed as a production resource that can enable firms to boost their innovation and creativity and so, achieve a differentiated and competitive advantage. By accessing data located outside of the firms¿ boundaries and integrating them with internal data, firms can enrich transactional data and develop a 360 degree holistic view of their customers by understanding not only what and when customers purchase, but also why and how they buy and consume offerings, how the consumption experience is evaluated and what it means to them (Sigala, in press). Indeed, social media data enables firms to collect customer insights allowing them to better understand not only current customer needs, but also the reasons behind these needs and how these change over time (Wieneke & Lehrer, 2016). Table 4.1 summarizes some of the major differences and qualities of social media data that further empower firms in relation to traditional marketing data.

The explosive growth of social media channels, the devices to access them and the software applications developed provide firms with unprecedented opportunities to collect and leverage a vast amount of data for creating business and customer value. The rise of customers' social media usage also yields new ways to generate customer data (such as social media profiles, online activities and conversations) in an ever-increasing volume and variety. Indeed, social media advances and usage are fuelling big data trends. Data has been characterized as the "oil" of the digital economy that will be traded, owned and developed as a production resource that can enable firms to boost their innovation and creativity and so, achieve a differentiated and competitive advantage. By accessing data located outside of the firms' boundaries and integrating them with internal data, firms can enrich transactional data and develop a 360 degree holistic view of their customers by understanding not only what and when customers purchase, but also why and how they buy and consume offerings, how the consumption experience is evaluated and what it means to them (Sigala, in press). Indeed, social media data enables firms to collect customer insights allowing them to better understand not only current customer needs, but also the reasons behind these needs and how these change over time (Wieneke & Lehrer, 2016). Table 4.1 summarizes some of the major differences and qualities of social media data that further empower firms in relation to traditional marketing data.

This study aims to understand the language patterns that are used on websites for influencing travelers to visit Gallipoli by analysing emotive language and categorising it according to different segmentations of Gallipoli visitors. Websites promoting Gallipoli were identified through Google. Wordle software was used for conducting a website content analysis. The results show that the language used in websites represents a commemorative experience. The findings suggest a good fit between the descriptive language used to represent the dark tourism destination attributes of Gallipoli and the emotive language used to motivate visitors to the site. Moreover, the imagery of thanatourism marketed online was categorised by emotive language to identify discreet market segments. However, as the emotive language used online can influence the visitors' expectations, it is suggested that the former may result in visitor dissatisfaction.

Purpose: Destination marketing systems (DMS) represent a vital inter-organisational information system (IOIS) for supporting the collaborative e-marketing strategies of tourism firms and the competitiveness of tourism destinations. However, many DMS have failed to deliver the expected outcomes, while the performance measurement of DMS has not been thoroughly investigated in the literature so far. The study synthesises research from the fields of DMS, IOIS and collaborative practices for investigating the perceptions of various tourism DMS stakeholders about the evaluation of DMS performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: The study conducted a nation-wide survey for measuring the perceptions of various tourism DMS stakeholders in Greece about the importance of the roles that DMS should serve as well as the items that should be used for measuring the performance of these DMS' roles. Findings: The findings showed that the public and private stakeholders held different perceptions about the roles of DMS as well as about the metrics that need to be used for evaluating DMS performance. The findings also showed that the perceptions that stakeholders hold about the roles of the DMS influence their perceptions about the performance evaluation of DMS. Research limitations/implications: The findings are based on evaluating a specific type of IOIS and sector/context. Thus, caution is required in generalising the results to other types of IOIS and social/environmental contexts. Practical implications: The study highlighted that the performance and success of DMS, and of IOIS projects in general, require the nurturing of a collaborative culture and the co-ordination of the various stakeholders' perceptions and interests. Originality/value: The study addresses the gap in DMS performance evaluation and it contributes to the literature about IOIS evaluation by adopting a stakeholders approach. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Although the use of online coupons is increasing in popularity in the tourism industry, there is limited research investigating the design and the implementation of online coupons that maximizes their business benefits. Research in this field is urgent, as preliminary studies provide conflicting evidence about the impacts of online coupons on firm's performance. This article aims to fill in this gap by developing a holistic framework demonstrating how tourism firms can effectively design and implement online coupons. To achieve that, the article reviews and also expands the previous literature on coupon promotion in order to consider the new characteristics and capabilities of online coupons; the implications of the latter on online coupon delivery and management practices; and customer behaviour towards the online coupons and the firm. The framework is developed under two dimensions: (a) it identifies the stages of customer behaviour that need to be materialized for achieving the benefits of online coupons as well as it proposes metrics for measuring the achievement of the aims of these stages; and (b) it identifies the various factors that may influence the customer behaviour towards the online coupons and the firm at each of these stages. The implications of the proposed framework are also discussed. © The Author(s) 2013.

Destination management (DM) is a collaborative process requiring destination marketing organizations (DMOs) to reconcile the diverging interests of various stakeholders and actively involve them in decision- and policy-making processes. Web 2.0 tools and e-democracy applications empower DMOs to further enhance the role and deepen the participation of tourism stakeholders in such collaborative DM processes. However, the literature has paid limited attention to such issues. This article synthesizes literature from four fields [namely stakeholder theory, collaborative decision making, collaborative destination management (CDM), and e-democracy] for developing a framework showing how DMOs can exploit Web 2.0 for developing collaborative decision-making processes for DM. The theoretical and practical implications of this framework are discussed. © 2012 Cognizant Comm. Corp.

This study aims to first analyse the functionality and the services of web map services, and then, to investigate the types of their exploitation that in turn transform the ways in which tourism firms design their business operations and business models. To that end, the paper first defines the concept of web map services and then it analyses their functionality by conducting a thorough literature review related to the field of web services, mapping services, Web 2.0 as well as their impact on the business operations. The paper then adapts Venkatraman's (1994) model on IT-induced transformation in order to identify and classify the different levels and types of exploitation of the functionality of web map services by tourism firms. Examples of web map services' applications from the tourism industry are used for analysing the concept, the business changes and the implementation challenges of each type-level of exploitation of web map services. Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Purpose: The paper first aims to analyse the role and functionality of geocollaborative portals in assisting collaborative trip planning processes and then it seeks to develop and test a model for measuring the multi-dimensionality of customer value perceived by system users. Design/methodology/approach: Primary data are collected from students assigned to use Yahoo! Trip Planner for collaboratively designing an hypothetical trip. A two step approach of an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis was used for testing the model measuring the types of customer value derived from the system use. Findings: Findings provide evidence of the existence of both "give" (risk, time and effort to use the system) and "get" (functional, social and emotional) customer values. Research limitations/implications: Findings are limited to the demographics of the students' sample, while future research should also try to replicate the study in other contexts (e.g. cultures, type of trips and destinations). Practical implications: The findings provide useful information about the value dimensions that can affect customer behaviour in using and preferring a particular geocollaborative portal, which in turn give useful guidance on how to design and develop the functionality and services of such systems. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the fields related to the role of geocollaborative portals in supporting collaborative decision processes and the types of customer value deriving from and motivating technology use. The paper also contributes to the field related to user toolkits developed to assist customers in designing and customising products/services. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Online travel firms exploit current ICT advances for developing mass customization (MC) capabilities and addressing the needs of the sophisticated travellers. However, studies investigating MC in services and specifically in tourism are limited. By adopting a customer-focused approach, this paper addresses this gap by analysing the following issues: a) the ICT and product dimensions that online firms can customise for developing and implementing different MC models; and b) the customer value and benefits provided by the different MC models. After reviewing and illustrating the interrelationships of studies coming from the fields of customer value, MC and IS design, the author proposes a customer value based framework for developing MC models. The applicability and practical implications of this framework are demonstrated by analysing the MC practices of three online travel cyberintermediaries. Finally, the paper summarises the formulation of research propositions investigating the influence of users' characteristics on the customer value and benefits sought by MC practices and on the design of the IS platforms supporting MC services. © 2010, IGI Global. All rights reserved.

This study utilizes data collected from Greece and the United States to examine consumer attitudes and behavior intentions toward the environmentally responsible practices (ERP) of hotels. Specifically examined is the impact of ERP on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for such hotel practices. The results indicate that consumers in both countries were more likely to patronize and demonstrate a strong WTP for hotels that provide ERP. Furthermore, the results reveal that consumers in Greece have higher environmental concerns and WTP than those in the United States, confirming that differences in culture and social structure determine a consumer's Green orientation and WTP.

Marketers have been working tirelessly to determine the factors that lead to customer satisfaction presuming that customer satisfaction automatically leads to repeated customers. Service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and repeat business are issues well recognized and investigated by researchers. Recent theory however suggests that service quality alone doesn't necessarily encourage customers to repeat their choices, but rather, "complete" customer satisfaction does Thus, the main research question addressed in this paper is how to complete the relationship between "complete" customer satisfaction and repeat business. The customer's emotions have been proved to be a key determinant to turn a satisfied customer into a repeated one. The research was conducted in 2009, addressed to customers of agrotourism businesses on Lesvos Island and Florina - Greece. © University of the Aegean.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the relationship between quality and accessibility, as selective influencing parameters of new product acceptance for Greek, fast moving, and consumer products. Design/methodology/approach The data for this study come from a mail questionnaire sent to 680 executives operating in Greek enterprises, by using a combination of sampling criteria (advertising budget, turnover). Non-parametric tests (Wilcoxon, Spearman, Kruskal-Wallis and Pearson ¿2) were used, together with descriptive measures to test the hypotheses. Findings The results indicate that quality (usage/support) is a more important factor than Accessibility (economic/physical) in the formation of a "new product acceptance function". Furthermore, usage quality is more important than support quality, while economic accessibility is more important than physical accessibility. Research limitations/implications The research limitations refer to the fact that the justification of the hypotheses in connection with the executive-based approach followed has not been found to have any precedents. In addition, a multi, rather than single, source identification process was used for the new product acceptance factors. Practical implications For marketers, research of the conceptualization of the "acceptance function" acts as a basis for building a new products' marketing plan focused on the consumer, in a way which reflects the company characteristics, as well as the particular market conditions. Originality/value This paper is exploring new ground in that it isolates and examines the substitution between quality and accessibility as selective influencing parameters of acceptance for new fast moving consumer goods in Greece. © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

This paper provides a case study illustrating how information sharing, knowledge creation and learning processes might be fostered in the tourism industry via the peer to peer virtual community of DIALOGOI of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE). Primary data were collected through observation of postings on DIALOGOI (desk study) and questionnaires administered to community participants. The primary data collection of the research paper found that: the virtual community promoted information sharing and idea generation; and members geographically dispersed and working for different sectors managed to communicate asynchronously thus initiating both a social network and yielding usable information which can develop into knowledge once applied in a business context. This research could not comment on the knowledge creation potential of the community as information needs to be applied in a business context to become usable. The authors therefore propose further longitudinal studies of the virtual community. © SAGE Publications Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore.

By enabling easier and real-time information sharing among supply chain partners, Internet applications foster and support new forms of collaborative supply chain management (SCM) practices within the foodservice sector. Advances in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies extend such collaborative SCM practices by increasingly integrating and synchronizing demand and supply chains. The objective of this paper is to investigate and analyze how RFID technologies can seamlessly tie customer interactions with the food supply chain and revolutionize the accuracy, efficiency, personalization- interaction, and security of foodservice marketing, production, and distribution simultaneously. To achieve this, the paper discusses the RFID implementation issues, practices, and benefits within the foodservice sector. The food industry's perspectives on the adoption and benefits of RFID developments are reported by discussing the results of a reality-check study conducted in the Greek foodservice sector. © 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to show that research on the internet's impact on B2B inter-firm relations is limited, while findings are anecdotal and sometimes contradictory. This study investigates inter-firm relations amongst Business Travel Management (BTM) firms and their clients by examining the impact of online BTM solutions on the creation and reinforcement of relational bonds. Design/methodology/approach - The paper shows that two major approaches were combined for examining inter-firm relations: economic (transaction costs economics) and socio-psychological (social exchange; inter-organisation; and industrial network) theories. A model illustrating the interrelations amongst the use of online BTM solutions, two structural (communication, dependence) and two social bonds (trust, satisfaction) was proposed for investigating the impact of online BTM solutions on BTM-clients relations. Data were gathered from a convenience sample of BTM managers in the UK, Greece, and Cyprus and 194 usable responses were analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings - The paper finds that the impact of online BTM solutions on trust, satisfaction and dependence was not confirmed. However, the hypotheses reflecting the interactions between structural and social bonds were supported, which confirmed the mediating impact of internet-enabled communication on fostering inter-firm relations. Research limitations/ implications - In this paper the sample is convenient, while data are gathered only from the buyer-traveller perspective. Larger scale, cross-industry studies that also combine buyers' and sellers' perspectives are required. Practical implications - The paper shows that the internet's ability to foster relational bonds was found to be dependent on its exploitation for enhancing inter-firm communications. When using the internet for enhancing clients' relations and satisfaction, firms should exploit the internet's communication tools and identify clients' information needs for customising the communications' content. Originality/value - The paper sees that the internet's impact on forming relational bonds and building B2B relations in the BTM context has not been previously researched. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Purpose - The study seeks to examine the transformation of tacit knowledge (TK) into business performance by developing a two-stage framework involving two processes: TK utilization and externalization. Design/methodology/approach - Owing to the limited understanding and interest expressed by hotel professionals through a preliminary telephone survey, a mail survey targeting a representative sample of solely four- and five-star hotels was conducted. Still, a small number of responses were gathered, and so additional telephone interviews were also conducted with two hotel managers for gathering more qualitative information. Findings - Findings revealed an increased unfamiliarity of hotels with TK, which in turn eliminated their activities for externalizing and utilizing TK and enhancing business performance. TK externalization was reported as critically important to be first achieved, as TK utilization builds and uses the potential TK stocks that are created through TK externalization. Respondents also mainly used outcome-oriented metrics for assessing TK externalization processes, ignoring process-oriented metrics evaluating the effective implementation of TK processes. Research limitations/implications - Despite the small number of responses, findings imply an increased urgency to raise industry-wide awareness regarding the strategic role and importance of TK for improving business performance. However, enabling TK externalization processes are deemed as an essential first step, before establishing infrastructures and providing organizational incentives for motivating TK utilization. Originality/value - Most studies focus on examining TK's characteristics and its utilization in different business processes, while fewer studies explore TK transformation into enhanced business performance. This study sheds light on such issues by proposing a two-stage framework showing how to both manage and measure performance of TK utilization and externalization processes for enhancing business performance. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

The great diffusion of Web 2.0 is having a tremendous effect and change on the way people search, find, collaboratively develop and consume information and knowledge. Education and learning are not an exception of Web 2.0 trends, as the number of Web 2.0 empowered e-learning environments are booming. Although research in Web 2.0 applications in learning is rising, the studies tend to be very descriptive failing to identify and discuss the pedagogical theories and models that support and enhance the exploitation of Web 2.0 tools in (e)-learning environments. This paper aims to first discuss the use of Web 2.0 in (e)-learning and the new skills that they enable, and then, debate the pedagogical theories that support the exploitation of Web 2.0 for creating personalised and collaborative learning environments. To achieve that, a socio-technical approach is suggested. © 2007 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Despite the competitive necessity of New Service Development (NSD), research into NSD and specifically within hospitality is scant. As tourists are becoming more sophisticated and less loyal, hotels need to continuously innovate to address the dynamically changing tourists' demands and the fierce competition. This study aims to explore the level, type and processes of NSD efforts that Greek hotels undertake for creating, assessing and further improving their NSD practices. To achieve that, literature on NSD is critically reviewed and expanded. Data from the Greek hotel sector revealed not only that hotels need to substantially increase their NSD activities, but findings also confirmed the fact that, in contrast to manufacturing, NSD in services should consider the ad hoc nature of processes in service development as well as the role and participation of guests and other stakeholders in NS processes. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purpose - To analyse the mass customisation strategies (MC) developed by mobile phone operators and to identify the types of customer value perceived by mobile phone users that customise services to their profiles. Design/methodology/approach - A customer-centre approach was adopted for analyzing MC strategies that enhance both extrinsic and intrinsic customer value. A convenience sample was surveyed for gathering data regarding the customer value dimensions perceived by users of customised mobile phone services in Greece. Findings - Findings revealed that MC strategies that are customer centred are vital as, users of customised mobile phone services perceive both "give" and "get" customer value dimensions. As MC does not come for free, to persuade customers to get involved and invest time and effort in value chain operations for designing customised services, companies need to identify and provide enhanced customer values. Research limitations/implications - Research findings have great implications in the new service development processes and marketing - communication strategies of mass customisers. Due to the small sample size, future research should test the wider and global generalisability of findings. Practical implications - Findings help practitioners increase the adoption and use of mass customised mobile phone services by providing insight on how to: develop MC strategies from a customer-centric perspective; and conduct a customer value-based market segmentation for enhancing marketing effectiveness and MC customer adoption. Originality/value - The MC literature is dominated by operation-supplier approaches to MC strategies in the manufacturing sector. In services, customer involvement in value chain operations is also significant. The study contributes by suggesting a customer-centric approach for developing MC in services that enhances customer value. The study also extends and adapts a multi-dimensional construct for measuring customer value in customisable mobile phone services environments.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the theme of the special issue on global trends and challenges in services. Design-methodology-approach A brief review of the papers included in the special issue. Findings Contextualization of the papers and identification of their contribution and significance for research in services management. Originality-value Although the papers included in the special issue represent only a small sample of the global trends and issues facing services management nowadays, papers provide a good basis and implications for conducting future research and extending the area further. © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

The notion of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has been shown to be a worthwhile strategy in many service industries. This coupled with Internet advances means that it is now possible and even beneficial to extend CRM practices on the Internet (eCRM) and integrate them with the offline CRM programme. eCRM has can boost guests' satisfaction and patronage in the hospitality industry, as Internet business models have empowered guests with a great amount of information which, in turn, makes them more price sensitive, less brand loyal and more sophisticated. However, although research has concentrated so far on CRM and eCRM implementation and its operational requirements, CRM implications from the customer perspective have been ignored. This paper aims to fill in this gap by examining the impact of eCRM on guests' perceptions of service quality on the Internet (e-service quality). It is advocated that eCRM enhances e-service quality by allowing guests to participate in service processes (e.g. service production, delivery, design) and so improving guests' cognitive and emotional evaluations of service quality performances. Research propositions were tested by applying Critical Incident Analysis and conducting in-depth interviews with nine international hotel guests using eCRM. In general, findings mainly stressed the need to integrate eCRM with off line hotel strategies and operations providing several guidelines for further development and improvement of eCRM hotel practices. Future directions of research are also proposed.

By adopting a customer value oriented approach, this study extends previous studies in order to investigate the effect of cultural dimensions on eCRM implementation. Based on an extensive literature review, research hypotheses are formulated and tested by gathering data from a multinational student body. Findings provide empirical evidence on the impact of each cultural dimension on the implementation of certain eCRM practices and functionalities. The sample study is limited to a student audience. Future studies should replicate and further refine the findings of this research by using a large-scale sample including respondents with different socio-economic and demographic characteristics. Findings are useful to website designers and e-marketers for deciding and developing and globalizing of their eCRM strategy and its functionalities. As the Internet is globalizing services, eCRM needs to consider customers' cultural differences. The study provides useful implications for developing and globalizing eCRM practises and business processes, as well as for designing the functionality of global appealing websites. © 2006 Taylor & Francis.

As travelers are becoming more price sensitive, less brand loyal and more sophisticated, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) becomes a strategic necessity for attracting and increasing guests' patronage. Although CRM in hospitality has overstated the importance of ICT, it is now widely recognised that successful CRM implementation should effectively combine and align ICT functionality with business operations. Given the lack of a widely accepted framework for CRM implementation, this paper proposed a model for managing and integrating ICT capabilities into CRM strategies and business processes. The model argues that successful CRM implementation requires the management and alignment of three managerial processes: ICT, relationship (internal and external) and knowledge management. The model is tested by gathering data from Greek hotels, while findings provide useful practical implications and suggestions for future research. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Despite the wide-spread discussion of e-commerce advantages, research of e-commerce business models in the tourism literature has, to date, focused primarily on organisational, business and technical factors. In contrast, social considerations, i.e., factors related to the general societal context influencing the shape and adoption of e-commerce models in practice, have not been adequately addressed. As the wide success of e-commerce heavily depends on its adoption by society, it is imperative to develop a better understanding of the profile and behaviour of Internet surfers and shoppers. Thus, robust research on the adoption of e-commerce needs to consider the societal issues/factors affecting people and their environment. In this vein, by reviewing a great amount of literature from different disciplines, this paper aims to develop a holistic perspective for examining online tourists by integrating the study of individual, organisational, industrial, societal, and technological aspects of e-business. By consolidating and synthesizing a great number of studies, the paper also aims to identify and discuss future research opportunities and directions aiming to further examine Internet users and their behaviour. © 2005, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Low productivity has been a major issue in the hospitality industry, but this situation is unlikely to improve without a general change in the way productivity is measured and managed. However, attempts to identify satisfactory productivity monitoring procedures as well as hotel productivity benchmark studies have been heavily criticised, while the use of management science techniques by hospitality professionals is scarce, if not unknown. This research aims to address the theoretical and practical urgency of research on hotel productivity by developing and illustrating the value of a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology for productivity measurement and improvement. The paper also extends current DEA applications by presenting a DEA methodology based on the theory of performance frontiers that isolates the productivity impact of hotel contextual factors. The applicability and usefulness of the DEA methodology are demonstrated in a dataset of hotels in the UK, and managerial implications are discussed. © 2005 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Despite the continuous increase of investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) in the tourism industry, empirical studies have not persuasively established corresponding increases in productivity. Indeed several shortcomings have been identified in past studies. This study proposes a new way of assessing ICT productivity. The methodology is tested in a data set from the three-star hotel sector in the United Kingdom using a nonparametric technique called data envelopment analysis (DEA). Empirical findings reveal that productivity gains accrue not from investments per se, but from the full exploitation of the ICT networking and informationalization capabilities. A model for managing ICT applications and benefits is proposed. © 2004 Sage Publications.

Service quality is argued to be a crucial success factor for application service providers (ASPs), but yet an empirically validated instrument for measuring the service quality of ASP vendors needs to be developed. This paper aimed to fill in this gap. After synthesising previous literature on the service quality construct within the context of IS, e-commerce, ICT outsourcing and ASP effectiveness, the paper proposes a set of dimensions and model for measuring ASP service quality. The model is tested by surveying and analysing data from Greek companies using ASP for developing and maintaining their Web stores. Directions for future research, as well as suggestions for improving the practices of ASP suppliers and users' are also provided. © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Low productivity within the hospitality industry has been a major concern, but this situation is unlikely to improve without a general change in the way productivityis measured and managed. This paper aims to illustrate the value of stepwise Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for measuring and benchmarking hotel productivity. The issues regarding productivity measurement as well as the advantages of using DEA for measuring productivity are analysed. However, the paper extends current DEA applications by developing a stepwise approach to DEA. The latter technique combines correlation and DEA analysis for developing robust DEA models and its advantages are illustrated by applying it in a dataset of three star hotels in the UK. © 2004, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Successful teaching is the provision of a learning experience that is accessible to all students regardless of their individually favored learning preferences or styles. Learning styles are concerned with a number of heterogeneous issues involving cognition, conceptualization, affect and behavior. They are also related to the way the learner's brain operates. This paper presents the application of McCarthy's 4MAT model which enables the educator to design a lecture in a bal-Alexandros Paraskevas is Senior Lecturer in Operations Management, Department of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism Management Business School, Oxford Brookes University, Headington Campus, Oxford OX3 0BP, United Kingdom (E-mail: aparaskevas@brookes.ac.uk). anced manner giving the students the opportunity to learn in their preferable way, stimulating both their brain hemispheres, helping them acquire the ability to strengthen weaker areas of their learning process and adapt to other learning styles. Two practical teaching applications in two different universities are presented. Implications of this approach to teaching in hospitality and tourism and suggestions for further research are provided. © 2004 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Despite the continuous increase of investment in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), empirical studies have not persuasively established corresponding increases in productivity. In contrast, many studies investigating the ICT impact have found no significant relationships between productivity and ICT. However, several shortcomings have been identified in past studies, e.g., measurement errors, redistribution of impacts and mismanagement of ICT. This study proposes a methodology for assessing the ICT productivity impact that overcomes these shortcomings. The methodology is tested in a dataset from hotel restaurants in the UK by using a non-parametric technique called Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Empirical findings revealed that productivity gains do not accrue from ICT investments per se, but by exploiting the ICT "informate" and networking capabilities for redesigning and streamlining operations. Suggestions for enhancing the ICT productivity impact are provided. © 2003 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Competition had traditionally been highly intense in the airline sector, forcing airlines to continually foster collaborative practices. Although Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) had always been the backbone of any airline collaborative practice, research investigating the role of ICT in supporting collaboration had been solely concentrated on Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and their impact on marketing practices. In this vein, the importance of GDS to support streamlined supply chains in the airline sector has been neglected. This paper aims to show how the functionality and core competences of GDS are exploited to facilitate collaborative supply chain management and enhance airlines' competitiveness. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Despite the exponential growth of e-commerce on the Internet, little is still known on how the new medium is transforming marketing concepts/practices and their effectiveness. This empirical study aims to fill in this gap. This article first analyzes the Internet's capabilities and features as well as the new virtual market space that Internet advances have fostered. After reviewing models and strategies for Internet marketing, an Internet marketing mix is proposed based on the Internet strategies of hotels in Greece that were investigated. Using a nonparametric technique, the data envelopment analysis (DEA), Internet strategies were also benchmarked to identify best practices and provide suggestions on the development of effective Internet marketing strategies. © 2003 International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education.

Despite the wide use of the Internet in the tourism industry and the exponential growth of e-commerce, little is still known on how the new medium is transforming marketing practices and concepts. The purpose of this empirical study is to fill in this gap. Specifically, the study first analyses Internet's capabilities as well as the Virtual Marketspace and the marketing transformations that the Internet is creating. After reviewing models and strategies for Internet marketing, an e-marketing mix is proposed that exploits Internet capabilities. The latter is used in order to investigate and provide suggestions on the development of Internet strategies of hotels in Greece. © 2002, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Reviews the development of approaches to reservations management in the hotel industry alongside models of the stages of development in information technology (IT). Suggests that strategic success and operational implementation have been built on the prevailing IT "era". Explores the future strategic potential of reservations management. Hotel operators need to understand how technology changes the "rules of the game" and identify alternative strategies for gaining competitive advantage. In reality, strategic implementation is either "service-led" or "IT-led". © 2001, MCB UP Limited

The production and consumption of tourism experiences demand the use of mapping services. Nowadays, the ubiquitous and open standards of the Internet have given rise to distributed GIS and web map services, while Web 2.0 have further expanded the functionality of web map services. This study aims to first analyze the functionality and the services of web map services, and then, to investigate the types of their exploitation by tourism firms that in turn transform the ways in which firms design their business operations and business models To that end, after defining web map services as a form of distributed GIS (and so, as a type of a web service), the first section debates how the capabilities of web services enable the redesign of business operations and models. The section continues by analyzing and identifying the functionality of web 2.0 enabled web map services that can be integrated into business operations. Having identified the functionality of web map services, the second section of the paper adapts Venkatraman's (1994) model on IT-induced transformation in order to identify and classify the different levels and types of exploitation of the functionality of web map services by tourism firms. Each type-level of exploitation of web map services is analysed by presenting different examples of web map services' applications from the tourism industry. The analysis of these examples also considers the impacts of web map services on the business operations and models. Finally, the practical and theoretical implications of the proposed framework are discussed.

As online tourists are becoming more price sensitive, less brand loyal and more sophisticated, e- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) becomes a strategic necessity for attracting and increasing guests' patronage. Despite the vital role of eCRM for e-Commerce success, its deployment frequently fails or it does not always deliver the expected results. The latter has boosted research, but studies have been primarily focused on investigating eCRM implementation from a company's perspective ignoring its customer perspective. In this vein, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of eCRM on hotels' website service quality as perceived by their guests. To achieve that, first the concept of eCRM is analysed and then, a customer-centric eCRM model that directly identifies eCRM impact on e-Services is proposed and used for measuring hotels' eCRM practices. Later, a literature review synthesizes the concept and dimensions of website service quality providing a scale of website service quality measurement. Data from eCRM hotels guests were gathered and findings provide useful implications for successful implementing eCRM and enhancing website service quality. Finally, the limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.

Business travel nowadays represents the second largest corporate cost and corporate travel managers are increasingly being pushed to better control and reduce business travel expenses mainly through the use of online Business Travel Management (BTM) solutions. However, internet advances and applications have resulted in profound changes in the structure, dynamics and inter-relations among the players in the BTM market, travel distribution players such as principals (hotels, airlines etc), intermediaries and business travellers' companies. As the impact of the internet in the B2B inter-firm relations has received little attention, this paper aims to investigate the impact of online BTM solutions on the BTM - businesses relations. So, the literature examining the impact of the internet on inter-firm relations is reviewed and a theoretical model is developed. The model is tested by gathering data from businesses using online BTM solutions and findings provide useful practical and theoretical implications.