Alecia Douglas | Auburn University (original) (raw)

Papers by Alecia Douglas

Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, Mar 6, 2023

Efficiently communicating sustainability initiatives is critical to generating positive attitudes... more Efficiently communicating sustainability initiatives is critical to generating positive attitudes and pro-environmental behavior in hotel consumers. However, research on the combined effect of various message factors to improve environmental message persuasiveness is scant. To fill this gap, two studies were conducted with a sample of onsite and online hotel guests to offer new insights into the combined effect of language design elements that identify connectives and prepositional phrases with message content as essential grounding components of persuasion. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of restriction-based language design on booking intention through nuanced mechanisms involving perceived environmental performance, perceived greenwashing, and environmental concern. This study contributes to the growing literature on sustainability marketing by examining the design and integration of linguistic tools that hospitality managers can use in their sustainability communication campaigns. Additional practical and theoretical implications are provided.

IGI Global eBooks, 2019

Learning organizations (LOs) have been identified as an innovative practice essential for global ... more Learning organizations (LOs) have been identified as an innovative practice essential for global businesses to not only effectively compete in today's dynamic environment but also to achieve and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage and increase overall firm performance. The objective of this chapter is to examine the current body of knowledge on LOs and their impact on sustainability practices in an effort to identify what is being done by organizations, where knowledge is applied, and, how systems are created to influence sustainability practices. In the context of hospitality and tourism businesses, the literature examining LOs is limited though a wealth of studies have been conducted in the mainstream. Using a qualitative approach, a content analysis was conducted to investigate its impact on sustainability practices in hospitality and tourism organizations. The results indicate that destinations in particular have adopted this approach to compete globally and to address triple-bottom line sustainability.

$Research paper thumbnail of What\u27s in a Tip? The Creation and Refinement of a Restaurant-Tipping Motivations Scale: A Consumer Perspective$

Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research

Since COVID-19, people appreciate fully immersing themselves in nature. Bringing elements of natu... more Since COVID-19, people appreciate fully immersing themselves in nature. Bringing elements of nature into service spaces has been an important concern for marketers. Yet, there have been only a few studies addressing the impact of natural and biophilic aspects within servicescapes. This study investigated the effect of biophilic design on experiential values such as esthetics, escapism, economic value, and attitude toward hotels and the role of the hotel segment and its environmental beliefs regarding green behavior on the relationships. The results indicated that in a luxury hotel setting, the biophilic design engendered better esthetic perceptions, escapism, economic value, and attitude toward the hotel. At a midscale hotel, a non-biophilic design induced higher experiential values. In addition, customers’ environmental beliefs had significant effects on experiential values. Results provided practical suggestions for hotel managers, marketers, and interior designers on how biophili...

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 2007

Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2006, 2006

... religious and political unrest. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the perceptions ... more ... religious and political unrest. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the perceptions of travellers to Middle East and North African (MENA) destinations through their Internet travel blog postings. Using Aaker's (1997) brand ...

Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 2004

... past rather than looking toward the future, and this paralleled management&amp;amp;am... more ... past rather than looking toward the future, and this paralleled management&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#x27;s inward looking view (Bourne, 2002 ... Source: Morrison, AM, Taylor, JS, Morrison, AJ &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Morrison, AD (1999 ... As noted by Ismail, Labropoulos, Mills and Morrison (2002), the use of many Likert scales in the ...

Journal of Retail & Leisure Property, 2010

Hotel and Restaurant Management, Auburn University. Research interests include business-related a... more Hotel and Restaurant Management, Auburn University. Research interests include business-related areas of concern of small and medium enterprises, urban (for example, hospitality) and rural (for example, wineries), as well as wine consumer and winery visitor behavior.

International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2014

According to Segrave (1998), since the late 1800s, the study of tipping has provoked debate in a ... more According to Segrave (1998), since the late 1800s, the study of tipping has provoked debate in a range of abstract dimensions such as economics, sociology, and psychology. To date, the research on the topic has been largely qualitative in nature, while addressing motivating themes (service, social norm, and future service considerations) in isolation from one another. Following a thorough examination of the literature, there is a definite lack of research on the development and testing of a more holistic quantitative scale aimed at identifying the motivational Gestalt driving actual consumer tipping behavior. Therein lies the major theoretical contribution of this study, namely the development and testing of a Tipping Motivations Scale, which over two separate analyses, supports a number of drivers of consumer tipping motivation. In this study, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the empirical dimensions of consumer tipping motivations. The results obtained indicate a reasonable fit between the data and the proposed model across both analyses. This was repeated on two separate occasions and the results largely remained consistent. The findings point to the key role of service in driving the consumer's decision to tip. Other important factors included social conformity, the issue of future visitation, and server actions. Further research is needed to explore whether these dimensions remain constant among other sample groups and across different tipped professions.

CyberPsychology & Behavior, 2009

With the increased use of the internet for information search, entertainment and purchasing, elec... more With the increased use of the internet for information search, entertainment and purchasing, electronic commerce has significantly altered the marketing environment for tourism products and services. As people spend more time online, emotional aspects of Website interfaces are becoming more important (Kim, Lee & Choi, 2003). The research will seek to promote the design of emotionally evocative Website interfaces as one strategy that could be used to curtail the decline in visitors but more importantly, to serve the emotional needs of the romantic travel market. Emotions have been identified as a major catalyst in the consumer decision making process. The proposed research will be geared towards the development of an “e-motional scale ” and model for destination Website emotional design (W.E.D.) of tourism destinations.

Simulations have long been recognized as instructional tools capable of achieving greater degrees... more Simulations have long been recognized as instructional tools capable of achieving greater degrees of realism by reproducing attributes of real-world systems in environments that enhance student learning while helping to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The potential to provide students with experiential learning activities facilitated by interactive learning modules have gained strides in higher education (Gredler, 1994; Martin & McEvoy, 2003). Using exploratory factor analysis and regression analysis, this study investigates students’ responses to the concept of ownership of a virtual Internet-based business in a real-time hospitality simulation.

Handbook of Research on Global Hospitality and Tourism Management, 2015

Current Issues in Tourism

ABSTRACT Interest in wellness tourism has seen rapid growth in recent years from both researchers... more ABSTRACT Interest in wellness tourism has seen rapid growth in recent years from both researchers and industry representatives. However, it has been noted that research related to understanding the components of a wellness tourism experience is lacking. This research examined International wellness tourism experiences as described by user-generated content published on TripAdvisor.com. Using netnography analysis in conjunction with framework analysis, thematic qualitative coding of travel reviews provided an in-depth meaningful understanding of the wellness tourism experience. In line with Dunn’s [(1959). High-level wellness for man and society. American Journal of Public Health and the Nations Health, 49(6), 786–792] definition of holistic wellness the results identified four dimensions of the wellness tourism experience, namely body, mind, spirit and environment. Though consumer reviews varied, there was consensus within the data that all four dimensions served as a mechanism towards wellness, in some instances, proving to be barriers. Recommendations for the planning and management of wellness tourism are discussed for each of the dimensions.

Journal of Tourism & Hospitality

Although there is some research to suggest that wellness tourism can positively impact tourists' ... more Although there is some research to suggest that wellness tourism can positively impact tourists' well-being [14,18], there is insufficient evidence to draw any firm conclusions. Furthermore, while there have been a handful of studies investigating the contribution of travel experiences to tourists QOL [19-22], an examination of the impact of different types of tourism on QOL is not evident in the literature. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the relationship between

Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education

ABSTRACT The research investigated deans’ and directors’ attitudes toward and perceptions of the ... more ABSTRACT The research investigated deans’ and directors’ attitudes toward and perceptions of the need for second language education and training in undergraduate hospitality and tourism courses in the United States and Europe and subsequently identified whether any differences exist in curricular programming efforts. The methodology utilized a mixed-methods approach that included (a) a qualitative assessment using content analysis of hospitality curricula from 4-year hospitality institutions and (b) a quantitative analysis of a questionnaire distributed online via the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education member listserv to U.S. and European hospitality and tourism school directors. The results highlight the disparity in approach between U.S. and European schools and emphasize the importance of second language education and training for successful student placement upon graduation. The regional differences suggest a need for a change in approach within the current U.S. educational system as it relates to the issue of 2nd language education and training.