The digital traveller: implications for data ethics and data governance in tourism and hospitality

Purpose>Big data and analytics are being increasingly used by tourism and hospitality organisations (THOs) to provide insights and to inform critical business decisions. Particularly in times of crisis and uncertainty data analytics supports THOs to acquire the knowledge needed to ensure business continuity and the rebuild of tourism and hospitality sectors. Despite being recognised as an important source of value creation, big data and digital technologies raise ethical, privacy and security concerns. This paper aims to suggest a framework for ethical data management in tourism and hospitality designed to facilitate and promote effective data governance practices.Design/methodology/approach>The paper adopts an organisational and stakeholder perspective through a scoping review of the literature to provide an overview of an under-researched topic and to guide further research in data ethics and data governance.Findings>The proposed framework integrates an ethical-based approach which expands beyond mere compliance with privacy and protection laws, to include other critical facets regarding privacy and ethics, an equitable exchange of travellers' data and THOs ability to demonstrate a social license to operate by building trusting relationships with stakeholders.Originality/value>This study represents one of the first studies to consider the development of an ethical data framework for THOs, as a platform for further refinements in future conceptual and empirical research of such data governance frameworks. It contributes to the advancement of the body of knowledge in data ethics and data governance in tourism and hospitality and other industries and it is also beneficial to practitioners, as organisations may use it as a guide in data governance practices.

Exploring relationship among semiotic product packaging, brand experience dimensions, brand trust and purchase intentions in an Asian emerging market

Purpose>Over recent years, brand semiotics have been gaining the marketing practitioners' attention for designing their brand strategy. Hence, to address this gap, the current study investigates the effect of semiotic product packaging on brand experience dimensions, brand trust and purchase intent of reputed major brands of fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) products.Design/methodology/approach>The data for this study were collected by administering a questionnaire-based survey from 254 respondents from the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) of India, using systematic sampling. Structural equation modeling has been used to test the conceptual model and examine the hypotheses developed in the study.Findings>The results present evidence of the growing influence of semiotic product packaging upon consumer brand trust and purchase intentions. The study suggests that brand semiotics positively influence customer brand experience, brand trust and purchase intention of FMCG products.Practical implications>The research findings will benefit FMCG companies to identify how to apply semiotics in packaging to improve consumers' brand experience and influence intent to purchase.Originality/value>Research in brand semiotics on product packaging is limited, as most prior studies focus on brand semiotics in advertising, product design improvement and retail design. The present study has investigated the impact of semiotics on brand experience dimensions in product packaging, which is emerging as a critical concern for the FMCG sector particularly in the post-COVID period.

Acquiring an in-depth understanding of assurance as a dimension of the SERVQUAL model in regard to the hotel industry in Thailand

The meaning of assurance is rather ambiguous in regard to what inspires customer trust during service delivery. Consequently, this research employs a qualitative exploratory study to examine the assurance dimension of SERVQUAL to acquire a better understanding of it and its role in hotels. There are three main findings: First, hotel assurance can be identified in the major service areas of the hotel. Second, assurance can be conceptualized in four key categories: food & beverage assurance, staff assurance, physical assurance, and process assurance. Third, perceived hygiene during the COVID-19 pandemic is integrated into the assurance dimension. The findings advance knowledge on the assurance dimension for hotels and conceptualize it in the current situation. The theoretical and practical implications are also presented.

Measuring Internet banking service quality: an empirical evidence

Purpose>This study aims to empirically develop a reliable and valid instrument measuring the online service quality in the context of the banking sector in India.Design/methodology/approach>The methodological framework of this research comprises developing an instrument that is based on previous literature, qualitative and quantitative procedure. The study used the survey method and collected data via a well-structured questionnaire from a sample of active Internet banking users. The proposed instrument is identified by the data-reduction technique that is exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and validated through the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).Findings>The results confirmed that the digital banking service quality scale (DBSQual) contains 24 items in seven dimensions: (1) web architecture, (2) user friendliness, (3) efficiency of website, (4) reliability, (5) responsiveness, (6) security and (7) personalization. The relationship between digital banking service quality and e-customer satisfaction has also been found to be significant in this study.Research limitations/implications>The results of this study do not find general application for different banks operating in the same sector in India. More testing of DBSQual is required across various different contexts for validity augmentation. In addition, findings would be more reliable if the non-Indian context could be taken into consideration. Thus, such limitations open a window for future research.Practical implications>This study is quite fruitful for the banking organizations in measuring their online services, and enables them to implement their marketing and operational strategies more effectively and efficiently.Originality/value>The contribution of this study is the development and validation of a new instrument that is DBSQual that contains seven determinants of customers' e-service quality perception, emphasis on measuring online service quality in the Indian banking sector. These determinants will offer banks a promising starting idea for establishing an effective quality management for their online businesses. They will be able to increase the opportunities by tapping themselves at a competitive edge.

Memorable dining experiences amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effects of memorable dining experiences (MDEs) in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA total of 530 valid survey responses were collected in the USA. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) was used to estimate inner and outer models. A two-stage approach was applied to test the moderating effects of restaurant safety measures. Additional analyses were conducted to compare electronic word of mouth (eWOM) intention and actual eWOM behavior.FindingsAll five dimensions contributed to the overall memorability of a dining experience, with affect being the primary factor. Overall memorability was positively related to subjective well-being and actual eWOM behavior. Restaurant safety measures were positively related to the overall experience but did not moderate the relationship between any dimension and overall memorability.Research limitations/implicationsFindings provide empirical support for the conceptualization of MDEs during a pandemic and underscore the importance of actual eWOM behavior in restaurant research.Practical implicationsResults offer guidance for restaurant managers in designing MDEs.Originality/valueThe restaurant industry is evolving from simply providing products and services to creating experiences. Yet the impacts of crafting MDEs are not well understood, especially during a pandemic. This study filled this gap by investigating MDEs and their effects on subjective well-being and eWOM behavior.

Big data and big disaster: a mechanism of supply chain risk management in global logistics industry

PurposeAlthough big data may enhance the visibility, transparency, and responsiveness of supply chains, whether it is effective for improving supply chain performance in a turbulent environment, especially in mitigating the impact of COVID-19, is unclear. The research question the authors addressed is: How do logistics firms improve the supply chain performance in COVID-19 through big data and supply chain integration (SCI)?Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a mixed-method approach with four rounds of data collection. A three-round survey of 323 logistics firms in 26 countries in Europe, America, and Asia was first conducted. The authors then conducted in-depth interviews with 55 logistics firms.FindingsIn the first quantitative study, the authors find mediational mechanisms through which big data analytics technology capability (BDATC) and SCI influence supply chain performance. In particular, BDATC and SCI are two second-order capabilities that help firms develop three first-order capabilities (i.e. proactive capabilities, reactive capabilities, and resource reconfiguration) and eventually lead to innovation capability and disaster immunity that allow firms to survive in COVID-19 and improve supply chain performance. The results of the follow-up qualitative analysis not only confirm the inferences from the quantitative analysis but also provide complementary insights into organizational culture and the institutional environment.Originality/valueThe authors contribute to supply chain risk management by developing a three-level hierarchy of capabilities framework and finding a mechanism with the links between big data and big disaster. The authors also provide managerial implications for logistics firms to address the new management challenges posed by COVID-19.

Does change in the scoring system impact service evaluation? Evidence from Booking.com

PurposeIn September 2019, Booking.com changed from the smiley-based scoring system (2.5–10) to the purely 10-point evaluation system (1–10). The smiley-based service evaluation is based on the multi-dimensional (M-D) system, whereas the purely 10-point service evaluation is based on the single-dimensional (S-D) system. This paper aims to focus on how a change in review posting policies impacts service evaluations regarding review generation and distribution.Design/methodology/approachThe authors exploit the natural experiment using Booking.com when the site changed its scoring system from a multidimensional smiley-based service evaluation system to an S-D scoring system. The authors collected online reviews posted on two travel agencies (Booking.com and Priceline.com) between September 2019 and October 2020. A quasi-experimental approach, Difference-in-Differences, was used to isolate the impacts of the new scoring system from the impacts of the change in the service evaluation environment, i.e. COVID-19.FindingsThe change in the scoring system considerably alters review distributions by decreasing the portion of positive reviews but increasing the portion of highly positive reviews. Using the theory of emotion work (Hochschild, 1979, 2001), DID is also the reason that the former M-D smiley-based system could have underrated, highly positive reviews of services. Using the information transfer theory (Belkin, 1984), the authors reason the asymmetric transfer of information when users consume reviews from the older (M-D) system but are required to generate reviews on a newer (S-D) system.Practical implicationsThe findings would provide online review platform management with a deeper understanding of the consequences of changes in service evaluations when the scoring system is changed.Originality/valueThough the change in the scoring system would affect how customers evaluate the services of hotels, the causal impacts of switching to the new S-D scoring system have not yet been thoroughly covered by prior hospitality and service evaluation literature, which this research aspires to do.

Tangible and intangible hotel in-room amenities in shaping customer experience and the consequences in the with-corona era

Purpose>This study aims to draw on customer experience theory to shed light on how hotel in-room amenities foster customer experience, which continues to form brand attitude and loyalty before and during the pandemic. Also, this study assesses the impact of the pandemic in the relationships among proposed constructs on the basis of risk perception theory.Design/methodology/approach>A quantitative approach was deployed using a total of 379 responses, for evaluating the measurement model through confirmatory factor analysis and testing proposed hypotheses through structural equation modeling.Findings>The findings provide initial support for the predictions, except for the influence of brand attitude on brand loyalty before the pandemic. Particularly, the analysis results observe that the effect of tangible amenities on customer experience was stronger before the COVID-19, whereas the impact of intangible amenities on customer experience is greater during the pandemic. Furthermore, the results validate the significant moderating influence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the path between customer experience and brand loyalty.Practical implications>This present study guides hotel professionals to be more effective in the management of appropriate in-room amenity to create a satisfactory customer experience, which contributes to brand loyalty in the with-corona era.Originality/value>The study differs from earlier studies in that it investigates how the pandemic changes the role of hotel in-room amenities on customer experience, which, in turn, increases brand attitude and brand loyalty for the first time.

Human vs robot baristas during the COVID-19 pandemic: effects of masks and vaccines on perceived safety and visit intention

Purpose>This study aims to compare the effect of barista type (human vs robot) on perceived safety and examine the role of two moderators (mask-wearing and coronavirus vaccination) on the effects of barista type on perceived safety and visit intention.Design/methodology/approach>The research design consists of three studies. Three experiments were sequentially designed and conducted to address research questions.Findings>Study 1 found that perceived safety mediates the effect of barista type on customers' visit intention. Study 2 revealed that the mask-wearing of human and robot baristas differently influences perceived safety. Study 3 showed that customers, especially where robot baristas are used, perceive the effect of mask-wearing differently depending on their coronavirus vaccination status.Research limitations/implications>Given that the levels of restrictions vary worldwide, together with the extent of countries' vaccination rollouts, caution is required when generalising the research findings.Practical implications>The findings have practical implications for the hospitality industry, where the roles of face masks and coronavirus vaccines in shaping consumer psychology and behaviour have been underexplored.Originality/value>Coronavirus vaccination is considered one of the most important driving forces for the recovery of hospitality businesses. As a heuristic-systematic model postulated, this study identified that vaccination status (fully vaccinated vs not vaccinated) changes the level of involvement when customers assess the level of risk in service environments. By pinpointing the function of service robots in safeguarding customers from the potential spread of the disease, this study broadens the scope of human–robot interaction research in hospitality.

Social CRM: linking the dots of customer service and customer loyalty during COVID-19 in the hotel industry

PurposeSocial customer relationship management (SCRM) is an evolving strategy gaining prominence in the hotel industry by cultivating new, improved relationships through engaging customers on social media (SM) platforms. Accordingly, this study aims to assess the effect of SCRM on customer service and customer loyalty (CL) in the hotel industry. This study also explores the moderating effect of COVID-19 (EC) on the relationship between (customer engagement [CE] and improved customer service [ICS]) and (CE and trust [TR]).Design/methodology/approachThis study develops and tests the SCRM model using structural equation modelling on a sample size of 214 responses. The questionnaire was administered online to the customers of five preselected global hotel chains. The criteria for selecting the participants were that they must have tweeted from their Twitter handle by using # (hashtag) hotel name to resolve any customer service issues.FindingsResults denote that CE significantly impacts ICS. CE was also found to exert a substantial effect on TR. The moderating EC was also found to be significant, but the effect was weak. Although the customers were extensively impacted by the pandemic and were initially hesitant to visit hotels, SCRM proved to be a powerful tool to gain back customer trust (CT) and develop CL by upsurging the shadows of COVID-19.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that viable enforcement of the SCRM system can assist in real-time monitoring and tracking of customers' activities. This can develop a more profound connection with customers through CE which can boost the co-innovation process.Originality/valueThis study denotes a pioneer attempt to investigate the relationships between SCRM, CE, CT, ICS, CL and COVID-19 in the same framework in a SM context.

Privacy of Staff Biometric Data in Vulnerable Population Outreach

In restoring Outreach services following COVID-19, Mobile Servcies staff at King County Library System (KCLS) have encountered a growing concern for staff data privacy. A significant number of facilities have begun replacing paper sign-in logs with automated kiosks that record, store, and share a large amount of staff personal, medical, and biometric data. This article provides an example that demonstrates the widespread implications for outreach staff data privacy, and explores broader considerations related to this trend. It shares principles that may assist other libraries in developing guidelines for staff data privacy during outreach visits.

The influence of COVID-19 on employee ergonomics and employee engagement of banking employees

Purpose>The paper aims to provide insights into the influence of COVID-19 on employee engagement and ergonomics in the banking sector. The purpose of this study is understood from the perspective of impact of the pandemic on banking employees.Design/methodology/approach>Data for the study are collected from the employees working in the banking sector of India. The study applied the partial least squares (PLS) method of analysis to understand the relationship between employee engagement and ergonomics in the banking sector.Findings>The findings of the study suggest results with regards to change in the perception of the employees in the bank and its influence on the work ergonomics due to pandemic. The findings indicate that banks need to develop measures and strategies for improving employee engagement programs and work ergonomics at banks.Research limitations/implications>The study is confined to the banking employees working in a specific region. Therefore, future research could focus more on the influence of Covid-19 on the organizational culture of the banking system and provide insight into this direction of research.Practical implications>This study provides directions for human resource management for developing effective practices for improving the performance of the employees in the banking sector.Social implications>This study offers support to the banking sector by providing insights into how it can improve the working environment and, thereby, enhance working in the banking sector.Originality/value>This is the study that attempts to provide insights into how ergonomics is important for working in the banking sector, especially during a pandemic. The findings provide important implications for the banking sector and improve work ergonomics.

Reconnoitering enablers of travelers' online hotel booking intention: moderation of service affordability and perceived pandemic risk

Purpose>The meddling of foreign players into the Indian hotel industry has triggered fervent competitiveness, and therefore, consumers' attitude, intention and behavior have been the epicenter of all activities. This study endeavors to explicate enablers of online hotel booking intention (OHBI) in the Indian hospitality industry.Design/methodology/approach>The study examined OHBI of 560 travelers during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India using structural equation modeling and an extended technology acceptance model. Direct and indirect associations were explored using mediation and moderation.Findings>The results manifest that hotel website credibility, perceived website interactivity and perceived ease of use (PEU) aggrandize perceived usefulness (PU), which, in turn, considerably magnifies travelers' OHBI. PEU and PU partially mediate the relationship in the model. Into the bargain, service affordability reinforces the relationship, while perceived pandemic risk enfeebles the relationship between PU and OHBI.Research limitations/implications>The study unfurls pressing determinants of PEU, PU and OHBI that may facilitate hoteliers to lure travelers and enhance profitability.Originality/value>There is a paucity of literature on "hotel website credibility” and "perceived pandemic risk” in the hospitality industry. Hence, the study enriches literature by assimilating underlying constructs through an epigrammatic conceptual model. The study is distinctive because it unearths the possibilities of mediation and moderation amongst the aforementioned constructs and posits the calamitous effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism and hospitality sector.

The influence of Internet banking services quality on e-customers' satisfaction of Saudi banks: comparison study before and during COVID-19

Purpose>The main purpose of this study is to compare e-customer satisfaction in Saudi banks before and during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic by assessing the e-service quality dimension before and during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approach>To examine e-customer satisfaction among Saudi bank e-customers, data were collected using convenience sampling methods utilizing two questionnaires before and during COVID-19, distributed to Saudi bank e-customers. The sample size of collecting data of 588 bank e-customers was analyzed through a well-known statistical technique, multiple regression and paired sample t-test, using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) software and Excel.Findings>It is found that efficiency is the major determinant of e-customers' satisfaction with banks in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi context is different from other countries. There are differences between the impact of Internet banking e-service quality on e-customer service before and during the COVID-19.Practical implications>This research has a crucial inference for the managerial level practically. This study has important implications for the banks to satisfy their e-customers by increasing customer service level and enhancing the interaction in the site to solve the e-customers problem immediately by creating an effective support team to encourage the effect of responsiveness. In particular, website managers should review their website framework and create an easily organized site for e-customers.Originality/value>The research improves past studies' methodology by testing the impacts between the constructs before and during COVID-19. This research is a significant addition to the current literature collection.

Application of the technology acceptance model to food delivery apps

Purpose>This study explores food delivery app users and technology acceptance model as a theoretical underpinning. This study thus investigated the determinants of usefulness, ease of use and intention to use for food delivery app service.Design/methodology/approach>The variables of delivery time, diverse menu, quarantine, review quality and ease of use are employed as determinants of usefulness. The antecedents of ease of use are easy registration and easy payment. This study also examined the association between ease of use, usefulness and intention to use. This study collected data using Amazon Mechanical Turk, and the number of valid observations for statistical analysis was 484. A structural equation model was used to test the hypotheses.Findings>Regarding the results, usefulness was positively affected by delivery time, quarantine, review quality and ease of use. Additionally, ease of use was positively impacted by easy registration and easy payment. Finally, this study showed that ease of use positively affects both usefulness and intention to use, and usefulness is positively associated with intention to use.Originality/value>This study contributes to the literature by ensuring the explanatory power of technology acceptance model for food delivery app.

Tourism supply chains: Issues and resilience strategies during the global pandemic

Having an extensive network structure, and the help of key government organisations like Tourism NZ (who shared information and created targeted marketing campaigns focused on attracting domestic tourists), enabled these supply chains to bounce back relatively quickly. While there has been some improvement to occupancy rates due to domestic travel, IATA (2020) predicted that global passenger numbers are not likely to top pre-Covid-19 levels until 2023 as airlines' capacity has significantly reduced, and the cost of travel has increased. [...]the management, coordination, and collaboration with different suppliers, customers, and third-party logistics service providers are also included in supply chain management (Frankel et al., 2008). The term tourism supply chains refers to a network of tourism related organisations engaged in range of different activities, from the supply of different tourism components (such as flights and accommodation), to the distribution and marketing of a specific tourism product (X. Zhang et al., 2009).

Overcoming Food Service Industries Post-Covid -19

The COVID-19 pandemic might impact consumer demand for food Service industries. These impacts relate to the structure of preferences in the context of a pandemic, income and time constraints, and price effects. Discussion includes accounting for differential impacts of COVID-19 on demand for foodservice across socio-demographic characteristics in India, and several high-level issues and observations related to where and how to impact home consumption. My thinking leads me to conclude that demand-side factors will account for most of the changes, we see in Out home consumption. These demand-side effects will be dominated by income effects, the opportunity cost of time, and longer planning horizons on the part of the Food Service Business. In the present time only the foodservice Industry not doing well in the post COVID scenario. Let's be honest, even if tomorrow, the coronavirus moved out, people will still be avoiding ordering food or visiting restaurants or hotels for dining out -for a longer time to come. Small voting on Twitter that was reacted to by 10346 respondents showed more than half (53%) people saying no to ordering food while 13 % said that they may order and the rest 34% said they will continue to order food. This was before the Pizza delivery boy news came. The same goes for any service industry like movie halls/ malls. It is not just the food service industry but as a matter of fact whole of travel and tourism is going to suffer the hostile response of corona. From Movie halls to malls wherever there was interaction, people confined in close spaces, things will have to be reinvented, with newer techniques to minimize human interaction. In this paper, we shall have look at the problems that the foodservice industry will face and maybe suggest a way out It's been difficult for many operators and the only experience that for best understanding, how to come out of this situation is the learning's from past recessions or economic struggles while Pandemic time. And common sense will teach industries that starting a business in hard economic times is a bad idea and shows challenges to commercial viability, in the current situation has caused businesses to close and now needing to re-open, this is no different from starting a new business during hard times. Something one would normally advise against Overcoming this challenge will truly define the entrepreneurs amongst them.

E-Relationship Through a Value Lens-Implications for Organizational Capability

Firms that extend their e-commerce platforms into customer decision-making to build relationships need to understand the customer journey or build e-relationships through a lens that the customer uses to assess the value created and fulfilled. By contrasting the value cycles that customers and firms use, four different activities are identified for firms with shorter and longer value cycles. By enabling customers to support value creation, fulfilling the value created by enlisting partners and expanding services, and engaging the customers during value-in-use, three organizations discussed in the published literature appear to have developed e-relationship strategies to create and sustain value both before and during COVID-19. This analysis led us to develop three different insights: customer empowerment, collaborative competency, and intelligent digital platform for organizational capability. These insights were used to analyze two different organizations interviewed during the 2020period, as they faced many COVID-19 challenges, and assess the generalizability of these capabilities. We provide three recommendations for IS leaders for building e-relationships through a customer lens, by drawing on five case studies of companies to remain agile.

Global Remittances and COVID-19: Locked Down but Not Locked Out

What happens to remittances, an important feature of the global financial system, when a pandemic strikes? Despite early predictions of significant drops in volumes, flows have been affected less than expected. This commentary explains that this outcome is attributable in part to a renewed focus on the infrastructure of global finance and an accelerated development and use of digital solutions, but that it is mostly a result of the individual efforts and resilience of migrants.

In-store technologies to improve customer experience and interaction: an exploratory investigation in Italian travel agencies

Purpose>This paper aims to deepen understanding of the role played by new technological tools used in customer–travel agency (TA) interactions by analysing the TA owner/managers' perceptions, pre- and post-Covid-19, regarding the effectiveness of in-store traditional and innovative tools.Design/methodology/approach>This exploratory study is based on a questionnaire-based survey conducted among Italian TAs and distributed via email from September 2020 to January 2021.Findings>The study highlights how, even among TAs, the role of in-store technology is gradually taking on greater importance, and it delves into the specific business and socio-demographic factors that seem to cause differences among agencies.Research limitations/implications>The study focuses on the Italian context, which does not allow for any generalisations. Furthermore, it is only the travel agent perspective that is observed and not the consumer's.Originality/value>In addition to helping to bridge the literature gap, this study on in-store technologies focuses on the TAs sector, where human resources and human relationships play a decisive role in customer experience and interaction. The paper investigates the travel agents' point of view regarding the introduction of new in-store technologies;it also highlights their growing adoption and use, overall, despite the travel catalogue still remaining the main tool for interacting with customers. The study also shows how the advent of Covid-19 has increased travel agents' propensity to use digital technologies.