Examining restaurant purchase intention during crises: The role of message appeal

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the joint role of the pandemic-induced source of crisis (i.e. health and social crisis) based on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and message appeal in customer perception of and behavioral intention toward a restaurant. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a 2 (source of crisis: social, health) x 2 (message appeal: social, health) between-subjects factorial design. A total of 181 samples was collected and data was analyzed by using ANCOVA and PROCESS. Findings: The results showed a significant two-way interaction between source of crisis and message appeal on to-go intention. With the potential effect of risk aversion being controlled, message appeal significantly impacted perceived competence, which influenced both dine-in and to-go intentions. Practical implications: The research findings suggest a crucial role of perceived fit between message appeal and customer concerns during crises. Therefore, restaurant managers should actively communicate their safety practices with their customers to inspire customer confidence. Originality/value: This study identifies crisis dimensions based on human needs during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which determines the persuasiveness of marketing messages. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Cyber-bystanders' reactions toward tourism companies' prejudice practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

Prejudice against tourists from the epidemic areas or those infected during the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted much attention. While many studies examined the influence of this prejudice on tourists themselves, little research has been conducted to identify cyber-bystanders' reactions to tourism companies' prejudice practice. This study aims to fill this gap by revealing the process of how cyber-bystanders identify, evaluate, and respond online to prejudice practice in the context of the tourism industry. The study developed a conceptual model to examine the influential factors and their internal relationship of cyber-bystanders' reactions. A multistage model was proposed based on the social comparison theory. An online survey was conducted in mainland China, and 558 useable questionnaires were collected. The three-process model was estimated using the Bootstrap mediation test and hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicate that cyber-bystanders' prejudice recognizing process could impact their reactions through the influence of their evaluation behaviors. Meanwhile, the collective sentiment on social media has a moderating effect on the relationship between cyber-bystanders' evaluating process and their reactions to prejudice practice. Both theoretical and practical implications were discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Why do hotel frontline employees use service robots in the workplace? A technology affordance theory perspective

The rapid robotization of the hotel industry faces reluctance from frontline employees. This study aims to explore frontline employees’ intentions to use service robots in the hotel workplace. Combining technology affordance theory and socio-material perspective, the study conducted four experiments pre-pandemic, amid-pandemic, and post-pandemic to test the proposed framework. The results reveal that hotel employees, especially those with low collectivism (vs. high), prefer a room service robot with physical affordance to a concierge robot with cognitive affordance because the former offers more relative advantages and higher trust. This main effect remained the same both pre- and amid-pandemic. During the pandemic, the COVID-19 compliance of guests showed a significant interaction effect on the employees’ intentions to use service robots in the workplace. The study findings provide meaningful implications for hoteliers selecting the correct type of robot for adoption and encouraging employees to use service robots.

Cyber-bystanders’ reactions toward tourism companies’ prejudice practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

Prejudice against tourists from the epidemic areas or those infected during the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted much attention. While many studies examined the influence of this prejudice on tourists themselves, little research has been conducted to identify cyber-bystanders’ reactions to tourism companies' prejudice practice. This study aims to fill this gap by revealing the process of how cyber-bystanders identify, evaluate, and respond online to prejudice practice in the context of the tourism industry. The study developed a conceptual model to examine the influential factors and their internal relationship of cyber-bystanders’ reactions. A multistage model was proposed based on the social comparison theory. An online survey was conducted in mainland China, and 558 useable questionnaires were collected. The three-process model was estimated using the Bootstrap mediation test and hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicate that cyber-bystanders’ prejudice recognizing process could impact their reactions through the influence of their evaluation behaviors. Meanwhile, the collective sentiment on social media has a moderating effect on the relationship between cyber-bystanders’ evaluating process and their reactions to prejudice practice. Both theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Uncovering crowdsourcing in tourism apps: A grounded theory study

Even though crowdsourcing emerges as a new business principle of many successful tourism apps, its underlying mechanism in tourism remains unexplored. This research note explores this topic with a qualitative design through interviews with stakeholders involved in a crowdsourcing tourism app, Gold Medal Tour Guide. Applying the grounded theory, researchers propose a framework of crowdsourcing in tourism apps consisting of six themes and 15 subthemes. The framework identifies the drive of crowdsourcing and discusses the complexities and contradictions in multi-stakeholder collaboration. The contextual impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the crowdsourcing phenomenon are also examined. The findings provide practical implications for tourism destinations to take advantage of the crowdsourcing mechanism for sustainable operation and development.