Post-pandemic intention to participate in the tourism and hospitality (T&H) events: an integrated investigation through the lens of the theory of planned behavior and perception of Covid-19

PurposeThis paper aims to predict the post-pandemic intention of Indian consumers to participate in tourism and hospitality T&H events by incorporating the perception of Covid-19 (PCOV) into the theory of planned behavior (TPB). It also examines the relationship among attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intention and PCOV.Design/methodology/approachThis research employed a quantitative research technique, with data collected using an online questionnaire-based survey from August 23 to October 29, 2021. The sampling approach is convenient, and the sample of this study is comprised of individuals who follow events pages on social networking sites.FindingsThe findings of SEM revealed that the proposed model has better explanatory and predictive power. The path analysis showed that all the variables of the TPB are significantly and positively associated with the post-pandemic intention to participate in the T&H events. However, the PCOV is negatively associated with the post-pandemic intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study give an idea about the post-pandemic intention of Indian consumers to participate in T&H events. The results of this study revealed important practical implications for event management organizations, travel agencies that deal in events, the T&H industry, tourism planners and other stakeholders, as these findings may be used to develop effective marketing strategies.Originality/valueThere has been a lot of research on TPB in the context of coronavirus, but to the best of the authors' knowledge, there is a gap in the literature regarding the intention to participate in T&H events. Hence, this research fills that gap.

A comparative study of eight COVID-19 protective measures and their impact on Swiss tourists' travel intentions.

A comparative vignette-based experimental survey design incorporating various socio-psychological factors, linked to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Health Belief Model (HBM) and the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking scale (DOSPERT) was carried out to test variations in eight travel-related COVID-19 protective measures on Swiss tourists' travel intentions. Among the tested measures, vaccination passports, surgical masks and quarantining are those that stand out the most, with surgical masks having the greatest acceptance and willingness to adopt while traveling. Quarantining, on the other hand, appears to have a deterrent influence on travel intentions, and vaccination passports have the lowest perceived barriers during travel, but the highest perceived benefits in mitigating the spread of the infection. The discussion of individual differences has specific implications for tourism management against the background of our empirical findings.

Intention to get Vaccinated against COVID-19 in Iranian Hospital Staff: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Background: This study aimed to identify the predictors of the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine among Iranian health care workers (HCWs) based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted on 473 personnel working in hospitals of Hamadan, in May 2021 and before COVID-19 vaccination on hospital staff. The multi-stage sampling method was used for choosing participants. The survey included socio-demographic, questions related to TPB dimensions, and intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Qualitative and quantitative data analyses were performed using the Chi-square test and T-test, respectively. Predictors of COVID-19 vaccination intention were determined using the logistic regression model. Results: Seventy percent of 361 eligible respondents stated their willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine. The participants with the intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine had higher scores of attitude (7.25 ± 3.92 vs. 4.40 ± 5.14) and norm (3.04 ± 2.92 vs. -0.5 ± 3.18) (P < 0.001). Having an underlying disease and being married were significantly associated with the intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine (P < 0.05). Higher attitude and norm scores as a construct of the TPB were associated with an increase in intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the vaccination intention was affected by social, demographic, health, and behavioral features, such as age, marital status, underlying diseases, subjective norms, and attitude. Therefore, age groups below 50, single people, and those with no underlying diseases were eligible to be the target of interventional programs.

What makes residents more willing to participate in source separation of waste masks under the COVID-19 pandemic?

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the generation of a large amount of medical waste brought a rude shock to the existing solid waste management system. Since masks constitute the most common household medical waste under the COVID-19 pandemic, their effective collection and treatment can significantly reduce the potential risks for secondary transmission, and this concern has attracted worldwide attention. Taking Macau City as a case study, this research tried to identify factors that can influence residents' behavioral intentions toward the source separation of COVID-19 waste masks. The extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) model is used to examine the influence factors of the source separation behaviors of 510 respondents. The results show that the main factors that positively affected respondents' behavioral intentions toward waste-mask source separation are: cognitive attitude, convenience, and perceived behavioral control, and among these, cognitive attitude has the highest influence. Subjective norm is also proved to be the weak factor to improving behavioral intention. Policy advocacy, and demographic variables have no significant effect on behavioral intention. The results of this study can help decision makers and managers formulate effective strategies to increase residents' participation in the source separation of waste masks. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10163-022-01513-7.

The antecedents of sustainability-oriented entrepreneurial intentions: An exploratory study of Angolan higher education students

Currently, economic recovery is being affected by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, climate shocks, logistical interruptions in the supply of goods, global inflation, and rising commodity prices due to the war in Ukraine. By proposing a new modified conceptual model of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) oriented toward sustainability, this study aims to analyze, in an exploratory way, the influence of three new antecedents (propensity to take risks, perceived creativity, and proactive personality) on the dimensions of TPB and the sustainable entrepreneurial intention of Angolan students. A quantitative methodology was used by applying the Partial Least Square (PLS) method to a sample of 308 responses from Angolan students attending higher education in Angola. The results show that the TPB dimensions positively influence the sustainability-oriented entrepreneurial intentions of students in Angola. Furthermore, the dimensions of the TPB may have as antecedents and, therefore, be explained by the risk-taking propensity, the proactive personality, and the perceived creativity, positively influencing the dimensions of the TPB and stimulating the sustainable entrepreneurial intention in Angola. We demonstrate through an extended TPB model that there are antecedents of TPB that can be learned and stimulated, positively influencing entrepreneurial intention and, as such, entrepreneurial activity in Angola. Thus, these results are particularly interesting for policymakers, higher education institutions, and students. This study proposes a new conceptual model oriented towards sustainable entrepreneurship that includes the TPB dimensions and three new personality factors as antecedents. In this work, we intend to contribute to accelerating economic growth in Angola, stimulating entrepreneurial activity, and simultaneously contributing to achieving the sustainable development goals set out in the 2030 Agenda.

Physical activity behavior during Covid 19 pandemic among Iranian dwellers in Southern Iran based on planned behavior theory: a SEM analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions curtailed physical activity. The current study applied an integrated Theory of Planned Behavior to identify the determinants of physical activity behavior and the processes involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shiraz city, Southern Iran, among 2500 people who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Data were collected using the demographic information questions and questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs. The Questionnaire via WhatsApp, emails, and SMS was shared. Data analysis was performed using SPSS26 and Amos version 24. Mean and standard deviation was used to describe the data. Also, one-way ANOVA and structural equation analysis were used to analyze the data. The significance level in all the tests was considered to be 0.05. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred sixty-nine samples (46.8%) said they had been exercising less than 3 days a week, and 47.6% of them did not have any exercise or physical activities (n = 1191). The mean score of attitudes, SN, PBC, and intention were 9.38 ± 2.07, 9.27 ± 2.03, 9.32 ± 2.05, and 12.29 ± 2.35, respectively. The effect size values demonstrate the independent variables' high coefficient of influence on explaining the theoretical model. According to the results, the factors play an important role in samples' intention (η2 ≥ 0.2, p ≤ 0.05). The effect size of intention on doing physical activities and exercise during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is Eta square = 0.777, which means the measure was high. The obtained model was good based on the main goodness of fit indices (Chi2 = 108.6, df = 25, n = 2500, Chi2/df = 4.344, RMSEA = 0.036, AGFI = 0.92, CFI = 0.95, GFI = 0.90, Fornell-Larcker criterion = 0.87, HTMT = 0.89). CONCLUSION: The TPB provides a useful framework to explore psychosocial determinants of physical activity behavior during the pandemic and identify key strategies for program planning aimed at improving exercise among people who were already influenced by quarantine and lockdown restrictions.

Investigating Consumer’s Purchase Intentions for Health Foods in Fear Of COVID-19 From A Perspective of Theory of Planned Behavior

Due to the fear of COVID-19, there have been an increasing number of people who are willing to pay for health food to strengthen the immune system. Therefore, the current study aims to examine how the fear of COVID-19 influences the intentions of people who purchase health foods. We used Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as the theoretical background to explain the relationships among the constructs. The study was conducted using a quantitative research method with a sample of 294 participants collected in Taiwan. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to evaluate the fit of the entire research model with the observation data and Path analysis was used for hypothesis testing, which indicates the strength of the relationships between the variables. The research findings show that the variable of Fear of COVID-19 can predict other variables such as Attitudes, Subjective Norms, Perceived Behavioral Control and Purchase Intention in the TPB. The research findings suggest that COVID-19 affects people’s willingness to buy health food. People are seeking to improve their immunity and hope to keep healthy to fight the virus. People’s fear of the numbers of infected cases and deaths increase drastically due to the outbreak of COVID-19, which makes people pay more attention to health, and may have changed people’s willingness to buying health food. © 2022, SRAC - Romanian Society for Quality. All rights reserved.

USAGE INTENTIONS, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIORS TOWARDS ENERGY-EFFICIENT APPLICATIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Energy waste is an emerging issue worldwide, with energy conservation goals, such as conscious energy consumption, playing a crucial role in helping the environment. The rapid growth of smart appliances has led to the development of mobile applications, with an increased interest among policymakers to design eco-saving plans for optimizing power and battery consumption. This study aims to explore the usage intention of energy-efficient applications, through young consumers??? energy conservation behavior, behavioral characteristics, and COVID-19 pandemic experience. Based on empirical investigation, a survey was applied in Romania among 590 mobile app users. The data were tested using partial least square structural equation modeling (SmartPLS, version 3). The results indicate the impact of behavioral characteristics, namely, energy conservation attitude, subjective norms, and environmental knowledge on young users??? energy conservation behavior. The influential effect of COVID-19 on energy-saving behavior was also proven. Energy conservation behavior, and functional and hedonic values positively influence Millennials??? and Gen Zers??? energy-efficient app usage intentions. The study also discusses some implications for policy makers, marketers, and software developers, as well as providing theoretical suggestions for future work.

Understanding the perceived behavior of public utility bus passengers during the era of COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines: Application of social exchange theory and theory of planned behavior

Over the years, passengers in the Philippines have relied on public utility bus (PUB) to reach a destination. However, PUB has been greatly affected by the adverse effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. Therefore, the study analyzed passengers' behavior using PUB during the COVID-19 pandemic by integrating social exchange theory (SET) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB). A total of 505 PUB users completed the online questionnaire containing sixty-seven (67) measures. Through confirmatory factor analysis – structural equation modeling (CFA-SEM), all the twelve (12) hypotheses were found significant. Accessibility, safety, economic benefit, and crisis management had a significant and positive influence on passengers' trust. Moreover, passengers' trust produced a significant positive influence on attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Additionally, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control generated a significant positive influence on the intention to use PUB. Furthermore, perceived behavioral control had a significant positive influence on perceived passenger behavior. Lastly, the intention to use PUB developed a substantial and positive influence on perceived passenger behavior. PUB companies and policymakers can utilize these findings to develop additional PUB reforms for the benefit of passengers, drivers, operators, companies, and the government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consumption of Branded Functional Beverages Post-COVID Pandemic: An Empirical Investigation in a Developing Economy Using Behavioral Change Models

This study examined Branded Functional Beverage (BFB) consumption behavior in the post-pandemic setting using a psychosocial theoretical framework derived from the tenets of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Health Belief Model (HBM). The theoretical framework was tested using the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling method. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from branded functional beverage consumers aged 18 and up. For the final data analysis, 445 usable questionnaires were utilized. This study revealed that perceived behavioral control and subjective norms were significant predictors of BFB purchase intention and subsequent consumption behavior in the post-pandemic period. The perceived threat of NCDs did not affect purchase intention or consumption behavior. Perceived susceptibility indirectly affected BFB purchase intention and consumption behavior via subjective norms (role of subjective norms as a “mediator”). The study implied that to positively influence the subjective norms of potential BFB customers, food marketers should focus on “opinion” leaders and subject experts. The companies may devise appropriate options for delivering functional beverage products to consumers’ doors via m-commerce and e-commerce platforms at competitive prices. They may also focus on customer education centered on the superior quality of their “functional” product portfolio and the ways of acquiring those at the minimum cost during this post-pandemic period. This pioneering study investigated the use of TPB and HBM in the context of post-pandemic functional beverage consumption. To build healthier and more robust food systems, governments and public health authorities across the world should proactively design and execute policies to promote sustained and strategic changes through functional foods and beverages. They must acknowledge that good nutrition is a priority for public health at all levels, equity, and economic security. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Food Products Marketing is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Understanding Residents' Physical Activity Intention and Behavior Amid COVID-19 Pandemic.

Proper and regular physical activity (PA) plays an important role in improving people's health. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has posed a serious threat to individual health, residents' PA has aroused deep concern. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study examines the impact of residents' PA intention and behavior in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from a sample of 961 residents in Wuhan in China using a questionnaire survey. The results show that residents' PA intention and behavior have been affected significantly by residents' PA attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. The COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on both residents' PA intention and behavior. In addition, there were gender and region differences in this impact. The findings are of great significance in promoting residents' PA intention and PA behavior, which are of positive significance to the development of residents' physical and mental health in the period of global serious health crisis.

Improvement of Organic Fresh Milk System through Willingness to Purchase: A Comparison between Thailand and Japan

Organic fresh milk has higher nutrition than conventional milk, with the former consisting of n-3 fatty acids, iron, carotenoid, less iodine, and high protein. These are the results of organic farming, which is different from traditional agriculture in terms of farm preparation, feed, dairy health, and organic milk processing standards. However, there are limited studies in Thailand and Japan on organic fresh milk from the customer perspective to support one function of the organic fresh milk system. This study aims to fill in this gap. Researchers conducted the developed questionnaires with 418 samples in Thailand and 432 samples in Japan. This study examines attitudes toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of willingness to purchase organic fresh milk. The collected data was analyzed using a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model. The results showed that attitudes toward behavior and subjective norms are associated with willingness to purchase organic fresh milk. Package labeling also has a strong influence on perception. Especially during the COVID-19 crisis, healthy consumption and lifestyle had a positive effect toward the purchase of organic fresh milk. Social media also affects subjective norms correlated with willingness to purchase such milk. However, one’s perceived behavioral control for willingness to purchase organic fresh milk in Thailand is not significant, whereas in Japan it is. © 2021 Newswood Limited. All rights reserved.

Organic foods online shopping intention: The moderator role of Social Distancing policy

The growth of the organic product market is consistent with a worldwide trend of rising demand, owing primarily to improved living quality. However, in the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the social distancing strategy has influenced consumers' desire to purchase organic food through electronic commerce platforms. This study aimed to assess the impact of health concern, environmental concern, perceived price, perceived quality, and knowledge related to organic food on organic food online shopping intention;and evaluated the moderating role of perceived social distancing policy on the aforementioned relationships. In the quantitative research method, this study surveyed 637 Vietnamese consumers. Based on a mix of Theory of Planned Behavior and Social Norms Theory, research results showed that all independent variables had positive effects on the dependent variable;furthermore, perceived social distancing policy moderates the relationship between perceived price (+), health concern (-), perceived quality (-), and knowledge related to organic food (-) and organic foods online shopping intention. This study had ramifications for organic food companies to create strategies in the Covid-19 pandemic with a social distance policy from the State. © 2021 IEEE.

Using structural equation modeling to predict Indian people's attitudes and intentions towards COVID-19 vaccination.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Understanding people's attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccination is crucial to the successful implementation of a vaccination program. Hence this research study seeks to identify critical factors influencing Indian people's attitudes and intentions to take up Covid-19 vaccinations. METHODS: An online questionnaire was administered to a sample (n = 254) drawn from Indian population, to assess the impact of perceived benefits, risk perceptions, social media exposure, social norms, and trust associated with Covid-19 vaccines on people's attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccines and their intentions to take up the Covid-19 vaccinations. RESULTS: The findings showed that the perceived benefits, social norms, and trust correlated significantly with people's attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccinations. In contrast, risk perceptions and social media exposure showed an insignificant influence on people's attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccinations. Social norms, trust, and people's attitudes towards the Covid-19 vaccinations are significantly correlated with their intentions to take up Covid-19 vaccinations. On the contrary, social media exposure was found to have an insignificant influence on people's intentions to take up Covid-19 vaccinations. CONCLUSION: Participants' intentions to take up Covid-19 vaccinations was influenced mainly by their attitudes and perceptions of Covid-19 vaccines in general, which strongly confirms the importance of various dimensions (perceived benefits, trust, social norms) of Covid-19 vaccines in cultivating Covid-19 vaccination acceptance among participants'.

Predicting mask-wearing behavior intention among international students during COVID-19 based on the theory of planned behavior.

BACKGROUND: The global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a major public health threat. This study aimed to analyze the influencing factors of international students' intention to wear a mask based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The findings are important because they provide pertinent information in designing and implementing COVID-19 prevention programs. METHODS: Self-designed questionnaires were distributed to 477 international students. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to identify and confirm the factor structure, and the structural equation model (SEM) was applied to determine the predictors of masks wearing. RESULTS: The final structural model was well reflected by fit indices. The research model of international students' intention to wear a mask for protection against COVID-19 was acceptable. All of the hypotheses were supported. Attitude and perceived behavioral control (PBC) were positively related to behavior intention (BI), respectively. Subjective norm (SN) also had a direct effect on attitude, PBC, and BI. CONCLUSIONS: Referring to TPB was useful in identifying determinants of mask-wearing. The strongest predictor was SN, which indicated it was deserving of increased attention. These findings are significant to strengthen international students' awareness regarding self-protection and enhance the effectiveness of COVID-19 prevention programs.

Consumers' Intention to Adopt Blockchain Food Traceability Technology towards Organic Food Products.

Establishing a blockchain food traceability system (BFTS) is increasingly important and urgent to resolve the contradiction between consumers' intention regarding safe food selections and the spread of polluted foods. Using the advantages of blockchain, such as immutability, decentralization, openness, and anonymity, we can build trusted food traceability systems based on these important characteristics. With reliable information, traceability from production to sales can effectively improve food safety. In this research, multiple models, namely, the information success model (ISS) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) are formed into a conceptual integrated framework to study the intentions' influenced factors of BFTS technology for Chinese consumers to help ensure food safety and the quality of Chinese organic food products. A face-to-face questionnaire survey with 300 valid responses was analyzed by Partial Least Square from the Chinese consumers focusing on the organic food products. This study found that the attitude and perceived behavioral control qualities significantly and positively affect the usage intention in adopting BFTS, while the subjective norms are positively but not significantly correlation with the usage intention in using BFTS. The above results will inform suggestions for productors and academics along with implications to promote BFTS' usage intention.

The Post-Coronavirus World in the International Tourism Industry: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Safer Destination Choices in the Case of US Outbound Tourism.

The tourism industry has been seriously suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis ever since its outbreak. Given this pandemic situation, the major aim of this study is to develop a conceptual framework that clearly explains the US international tourists' post-pandemic travel behaviors by expanding the theory of planned behavior (TPB). By utilizing a quantitative process, the TPB was successfully broadened by incorporating the travelers' perceived knowledge of COVID-19, and it has been deepened by integrating the psychological risk. Our theoretical framework sufficiently accounted for the US tourists' post-pandemic travel intentions for safer international destinations. In addition, the perceived knowledge of COVID-19 contributed to boosting the prediction power for the intentions. The associations among the subjective norm, the attitude, and the intentions are under the significant influence of the tourists' psychological risks regarding international traveling. The comparative criticality of the subjective norm is found. Overall, the findings of this study considerably enhanced our understanding of US overseas tourists' post-pandemic travel decision-making processes and behaviors.