College of Business Administration

This study investigated the effects of the Korean television (TV) drama series titled, Winter Sonata, on the potential or actual Japanese tourist flow to Korea. More specifically, this research explored the reasons for the popularity of the Korean TV drama series, the change of perceived image as an impact of the melodrama, and the preferred products of soap opera-induced tourism. The objectives of this study were achieved through two ways: (1) review of articles in newspapers, magazines, and reports; (2) analyses of a survey of Japanese tourists visiting featured locations of the Winter Sonata TV drama series. The results of this study indicated that this Korean TV series had a variety of impacts in relation to Korea and Japan. Interestingly, Japanese respondents in their 40s and over-preferred Korean TV dramas and indicated a stronger desire to take a Hallyu trip. Additionally, a high level of interest and empathy for leading actors and actresses were the key reasons for their preference for Korean dramas. Results of the canonical analysis indicated that respondents preferred the Korean TV dramas due to all five reason dimensions which demonstrated higher levels and agreement for the development of five out of the eight product types from this study.

Introducing entrance fees to natural attractions may help counteract the threat of inadequate public funds for site maintenance and management. The primary objective of this study is to measure visitors’ willingness to pay such fees in Iceland, where no such measurement has previously been undertaken. A questionnaire survey based on the contingent valuation method was carried out at two major natural attractions in Iceland: Gullfoss waterfall and Skaftafell National Park. Over 92% of the 252 respondents were willing to pay an entrance fee. Mean amounts and population consumer surplus estimates per season were ISK1 333 and ISK 41 million at Gullfoss and ISK 508 and ISK 34 million at Skaftafell, respectively. Modest fees would not significantly decrease the demand for these attractions. Slight differences were found in the willingness to pay according to income, attitude towards environmental protection, number of previous visits, history of paying entrance fees, country of residence, age and education. Implications of the empirical study for policy makers and site managers are provided.

Sex and sexuality are powerful human emotions that have been exploited by the tourism industry to develop aspects of destination image. Where destinations have sought to exploit sex by use of the erotic as an appealing image, sex becomes a featured selling point and may inadvertently become more important than other elements of the destination's preferred image as a result of image capture where the preferred image is displaced by a less preferred image. This paper examines the potential for image confusion when the erotic is used alongside the exotic as part of destination image. In particular, Thailand's preferred image as an exotic destination and the nation's unofficial image as a location for erotic activities are considered. Marketing implications are examined, as are potential measures that may be implemented to soften or even eliminate potentially negative impacts that are presently associated with Thailand's reputation as a center for sex tourism.

This article first considers what factors affect ease of use and usefulness and then how ease of use and usefulness affect attitudes toward online travel agencies and customer satisfaction. This study applied classification of different user groups based on their degree of involvement to measure different levels of perceived ease of use and usefulness. The results of this study found that customers' attitudes towards online travel agencies significantly impact the level of e-satisfaction. The findings of the study contribute to the development of the uses and gratification theory by applying it to users' attitudes toward online travel agencies. Further, this study provides implications and offers suggestions to e-businesses dealing with travel agencies.

Self-service technology is rapidly changing how casino organizations are delivering services. Fueled by consumer demand, self-service technology is providing value added options for customers in all areas of the casino industry. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between technology, World Wide Web (WWW) usage and the self-directed learning readiness of employees in the casino industry. Along with a descriptive inquiry into the WWW technology expertise of casino employees, a linear regression model indicated there is a significant relationship between WWW usage and self-directed learning readiness. As technology continues to transform the casino industry, human resource development programs and practices will need to reflect this rapidly changing environment.

This study identified why students in China, Taiwan, and Korea at both undergraduate and master's level want to major in hospitality and tourism management (HTM), why they prefer to study abroad, and their preferred concentration of study in the HTM major. Three Asian national student groups were selected at both the undergraduate and master's student level. In a comparison of motivations for HTM programs between the three national groups at both the undergraduate and master's levels, Taiwanese students showed the highest level of motivation. The most preferred country for studying abroad for a graduate school was the US. In the preferred fields of study or major during their study abroad, three national student groups showed different responses. Detailed information is given in this paper.

Tourism is the world's largest industry, which brings with it foreign exchange, employment and a modern way of life. Vietnam is one of the latest Asian countries to declare the importance of tourism to national development. Although for almost two decades following the end of the Vietnam conflict it was illegal for American tourists to travel to Vietnam, studies have shown that people who have knowledge or experience of an area are likely to travel to the area. The re-establishment of diplomatic ties between America and Vietnam has initiated a new era of commercial and cultural relations between the two nations. Because many American Vietnam veterans have a high degree of familiarity with Vietnam, there appears to be considerable potential for marketing tourism packages with American Vietnam veterans as the target market. This study was developed to estimate the potential interest of American Vietnam veterans in returning to Vietnam as tourists. Of those American Vietnam veterans surveyed in this study, the results are mixed with 48.9% of the American Vietnam veterans stating they had a low interest in returning to Vietnam as tourists, whereas 41.5% had a high interest in returning to Vietnam as tourists, with 48.5% of those stating they had a high interest in visiting war history displays and war museums. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and three coping strategies (task-, emotion-, and avoidance-oriented coping) using an adult, hospitality industry population specifically in hotel and restaurant work environments. The hierarchical regression indicates that EI is by far the most dominant predictor of task coping among all selected explanatory variables; EI does not have much influence on emotion coping after the entry of two basic personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion); and EI is significantly related to avoidance coping encompassing distraction and social diversion. In addition, this study reveals the role played by age and work experience in individual coping efforts and a high possibility of female workers as a task-oriented coper in hospitality work settings.▶ We examine the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and coping strategies in hotel and restaurant work environments. ▶ EI is the most dominant predictor of task coping; EI does not have much influence on emotion coping after the entry of two basic personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion); and EI is related to avoidance coping encompassing distraction and social diversion. ▶ We also find significant roles played by gender, age, and work experience in individual coping efforts.

The travel industry in Hawaii has been experiencing a trend towards more authentic tourism, which reintegrates Hawaiian culture into the visitors' experience. This study investigated the reintegration of Hawaiian culture into the tourism experience on the Hawaiian Islands by reviewing existing literature, and by analyzing primary data collected through visitor surveys. The purpose of the study was to determine whether there is a visitors' demand for a more authentic tourism experience in Hawaii through the reintegration of Hawaiian culture, and if so, which efforts should be made or continue to be made to achieve this authenticity. Important aspects that were taken into consideration in this research effort are the changes Hawaiian culture has experienced with the arrival of outsiders, and the authenticity of the Hawaiian tourism experience today. Further aspects that were examined include the visitors' image of Hawaii, their expectations, their experiences and satisfaction during their stay, their interest in and understanding of Hawaiian culture, as well as the type of Hawaiian cultural experiences they are interested in. According to the findings of this study, English speaking visitors are interested in Hawaiian culture and feel that Hawaiian culture is not represented enough in the tourism experience today. The conclusion is, therefore, that efforts to integrate Hawaiian culture into the tourism experience need to be increased beyond what is currently being done. Ideas for reintegrating Hawaiian culture are discussed and possible solutions are provided.

This study examines the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and three coping styles (task-, emotion-, and avoidance-oriented coping) using an adult, hospitality industry population. The hierarchical regression indicates that EI is by far the most dominant predictor of task coping among all selected explanatory variables; EI does not have much influence on emotion coping after the entry of two basic personality traits (neuroticism and extraversion); and EI is significantly related to avoidance coping encompassing social diversion and distraction. In addition, this study reveals the critical role played by demographic characteristics (e.g., age, experience, and gender) in individual coping efforts.

As competition for tourists becomes more global, understanding and accommodating the needs of international tourists, with their different cultural backgrounds, has become increasingly important. This study highlights the variations in tourist industry service-particularly as they relate to different cultures. Specifically, service failures experienced by Japanese and German tourists in the U.S. were categorized using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT). The results were compared with earlier studies of service failures experienced by American consumers in the tourist industry. The sample consists of 128 Japanese and 94 "Germanic" (German, Austrian, Swiss-German) respondents. The Japanese and German sample rated "Inappropriate employee behavior" most significant category of service failure. More than half of these respondents said that, because of the failure, they would avoid the offending U.S. business. This is a much stronger response than an American sample had reported in an earlier study. The implications for managers and researchers are discussed.

Previous studies (e.g., Desai and Basuroy 2005) have frequently examined the influence of media such as film and soap operas on the marketing and tourism industry and also with various audience characteristics . This study explores 1) what factors affect U.S. audiences' preferences toward Asian Soap Operas; 2) how U.S. audiences perceive products/services that are shown on Asian Soap Operas; 3) how such attitudes affect actual behavior; and 4) how such attitudes affect their willingness to travel to a country shown in the soap opera. This study also investigates whether such factors as cultural impact, image of the country, preferences of actors and actresses affect ease of use and usefulness of a product and how ease of viewing and usefulness affect attitudes toward overall satisfaction. This study collected surveys in the U.S. and various statistical analyses, such as factor analysis, regression analysis, and ANOVA are applied. The findings of the study will contribute to the development of the use and gratification theory by applying it to the audiences' attitudes toward Asian Soap Operas. Further, this study provides implications and offers suggestions to Asian Soap Operas in the U.S. market.

Recent technological developments allow any instructor to create audio and video lectures for the use in online classes. However, it is questionable if it is worth the time and effort that faculty put into preparing those lectures. This paper presents thirteen factors that should be considered before preparing and using audio and video lectures in online classes. In addition, recommendations for when and how to use lectures in online classes are presented.

This paper presents the literature review of studies published in 2004-2014 (Web 2.0 period) in the area of consumer online trust. Based on the content analysis of 138 papers, this study highlights three major research themes: (1) trust models, (2) technological, and (3) social factors impacting online trust. It also explores topics in each major theme found in direct studies of online consumer trust. Since this literature review uses the concept-centric approach, it points out not only the major trends in research but also three understudied areas: (1) green trust, (2) trust recovery, and (3) the role of ethics in developing online trust.