Thilini Gamage - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Thilini Gamage
South Asian Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 2021
The rapid emergence and vast adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) have tr... more The rapid emergence and vast adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed tourism marketing strategies from a conservative, static marketing model to an emerging, transformative conception. The transformative power of ICT has created a paradigm shift in the tourism industry by providing an opportunity for tourism service providers and tourists to co-create value. Moreover, recent technological developments have paved the way for new markets, product/ service innovations, management practices, and competitive strategies, thus forming a complex socio-technical tourism ecosystem. Meanwhile, postmodern, digitally savvy tourists expect tourism service providers to be more active in digital platforms. Consequently, a burgeoning research stream has started looking into these new developments, capabilities, and changes driven by ICT advancement in the tourism and hospitality industry in recent times. Moreover, to better understand and anticipate these fundam...
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Purpose Despite the increasing popularity of influencer marketing, there exists a lack of underst... more Purpose Despite the increasing popularity of influencer marketing, there exists a lack of understanding of how content created by social media influencers stimulates the pre-purchase behaviour of followers. Based on the stimulus-organism-response framework, this paper aims to address this lacuna by examining how influencer-created content affects the willingness of followers to search for more information related to the posted product. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional research design uses a web-based questionnaire among Instagram users in Sri Lanka. Structural equation modelling with analysis of moment structures 27 and SPSS PROCESS macro are used for hypothesis testing. Findings Findings indicate that the commercial orientation of influencer-created content reduces follower trustworthiness towards them and the perceived credibility of the content. Mediation results demonstrate that the commercial orientation of influencer-created content negatively affects follower wil...
Promoting Inclusivity and Diversity Through Internet of Things in Organizational Settings
As the digital era unveils, it has become a must for many business firms to redesign their existi... more As the digital era unveils, it has become a must for many business firms to redesign their existing business processes to utilize the frontier technologies to become competitive. However, “digital transformation” has received less attention in prior literature, and no clear pathway to a successful digital transformation has been provided. This chapter builds on 12 in-depth interviews with top-level decision-makers of Sri Lankan business firms to develop a digital transformation model. The findings reveal that the solid foundation of a digital business firm relies on a “digital-first” mindset and three success pillars reflecting unique organizational characteristics (e.g., digital business transformation strategy, workforce, and firm resources) that collectively enable digital capability and dexterity. This chapter further argues that digital capability and dexterity are the critical hallmarks of a truly digital firm in a digital economy where technologies continue to improve exponen...
World is focusing its attention on corporate environmental responsibility than ever before. Expan... more World is focusing its attention on corporate environmental responsibility than ever before. Expanding economic activities has been accompanied by growing concerns about global warming, climate change, energy security and scarcity of natural resources. While industries are showing greater interest in environmentally benign manufacturing and are undertaking a number of corporate social responsibility initiatives, a quantum leap in improving environmental performance cannot be observed, due to the incompatibilities between expected business performance & initial investments needed in achieving such a goal. These incompatibilities may serve as obstacles for corporations ’ response to ecologically sustainable business practices. Ecologically sustainable manufacturing results cost efficiency and productivity; delivery of market innovation through new market opportunities and differentiation for profitability; and creating competitive advantage through compliance with regulatory bodies. To...
South Asian Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 2021
Since the world‟s eyes are more focused on corporate environmental responsibility than ever, envi... more Since the world‟s eyes are more focused on corporate environmental responsibility than ever, environmentally benign manufacturing will become one of the manufacturing industry‟s greatest strategic challenges in not-too distant future. Although some positive trends in the greening of textile industry can be identified, a quantum leap in improving environmental performance cannot be observed, due to the widespread confusion about the cost implications of the process us achieving such a goal. This research is an attempt to examine how corporations in the textile industry can leverage the strength of the ecologically sustainable business practices for improving business performance. A comprehensive literature review was carried out and the factors that need to be focused on for the study such as resource conservation, effluent management, sustainable landscaping, fair trading, ethical labour practices etc. were identified. Besides, detailed discussions and interviews were carried out wi...
International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2022
Although the interrelationships among customer perceived value, revisit intention and customer lo... more Although the interrelationships among customer perceived value, revisit intention and customer loyalty has been widely studied in various tourism and hospitality settings, it has yet to be comprehensively addressed in the Airbnb context. Based on the value-attitude-behavior hierarchy, our paper proposes a theoretical framework assessing the influence of self-gratification and social values on creating revisit intention and customer loyalty of Airbnb users. Analysis of empirical data stemmed from two focus group discussions, eight in-depth interviews, and a survey with 192 Airbnb users reveals that self-gratification value influences revisit intention and customer loyalty of Airbnb users. However, as the findings indicate, although the social value is influential in forming revisit intention, its effect in creating customer loyalty towards Airbnb is insignificant
Journal of Strategic Marketing, 2021
International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2021
Highlights • Examining guest's intentions behind choices relating to accommodation purchases • In... more Highlights • Examining guest's intentions behind choices relating to accommodation purchases • Integrating various motivational theories into tourism and hospitality accommodation
Journal of Family Business Management, 2021
PurposeGrounded in stewardship theory, this study explores the motives, actions and meanings of m... more PurposeGrounded in stewardship theory, this study explores the motives, actions and meanings of multiple stakeholders involved in an inter-family hospitality family firm succession.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal, ethnographic case study approach collects data from 15 in-depth interviews, one year of observation and a one-month on-site internship.FindingsResults show that a well-defined succession plan and the active involvement of the successor/s in the succession process would foster a strong stewardship commitment to the family business. Moreover, a clear and open communication strategy is required to strategically manage rivalry and competition among potential successors during an inter-family succession.Originality/valueThe succession process of family firms remains an intensely discussed phenomenon, and despite its importance to the tourism and hospitality industry, the intersection between tourism and hospitality and family business literature is sparse. Notably, th...
Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 2021
ABSTRACT WeChat, a Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app, is an e... more ABSTRACT WeChat, a Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app, is an emerging social media platform that has been integrated into the daily lives of Chinese people, including travel. However, despite the growing proliferation of WeChat, surprisingly, little attention has been paid to the gratifications obtained by Chinese travelers when using WeChat in travel-related decision-making. Adopting the well-grounded Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), this exploratory research paper aims to address this void in prior literature and identify why and how Chinese millennial travelers use WeChat to make hotel choice decisions. Findings stemmed from the semi-structured interviews using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling approaches with eighteen WeChat users reveals that hotel choice decisions through WeChat are influenced by various social, process, and content gratifications. As indicated in our findings, hotels in China should be aware of gratifications obtained by travelers in stimulating them to utilize WeChat in the hotel selection process. Further, our study contributes to extant UGT literature by emphasizing that it has specific relevance and should be given more prominence within tourism, hospitality, and social media literature.
International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2019
Adoption Cloud computing Determinants SMEs Sri Lanka Meta theoretical framework. Cloud Computing ... more Adoption Cloud computing Determinants SMEs Sri Lanka Meta theoretical framework. Cloud Computing has recently emerged as a noteworthy milestone in the area of information and communications technology (ICT) systems development. In particular, Cloud Computing improves reliability and scalability of ICT systems, which allows small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to scale down its ICT infrastructure while improving performance. Yet, there remains a dearth of literature that explicitly addresses the determinants of Cloud Computing adoption by SMEs. This paper aims to address voids in extant literature by developing a meta theoretical framework by assimilating two dominant theories in technology adoption literature. Following the pragmatism research paradigm and mixed methods research design, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted as the main research strategy. Data stemmed from 142 SMEs in Sri Lanka were used to test the proposed framework using PLS-SEM. Twenty semi-structured interviews were initially used to validate the measurement scales before the main survey was undertaken. At the end, a supplementary qualitative phase was included with eight follow-up interviews to further discuss the findings of PLS-SEM analysis. Relative advantage, complexity, training and education, top management support, competitive pressure and trading partner support were identified as significant determinants. Contribution/ Originality: This study is one of very few studies which have investigated the determinants of Cloud Computing adoption by developing a Meta theoretical framework. The Meta theoretical framework was developed by integrating TAM with TOE framework using variables of TOE framework as external variables of TAM. 1. INTRODUCTION Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are perceived as a crucial element in socioeconomic development of any country (Scupola, 2009). SMEs are the fastest growing sector in most economies around the world and play a pivotal role in creating job opportunities that large organizations fail to produce in sufficient quantities (Yeboah-Boateng and Essandoh, 2014). Similarly, SMEs have been recognized as an incubation ground for generating high economic growth, reducing unemployment, inequality and poverty in Sri Lanka (Weerasiri and Zhengang, 2012). In
South Asian Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 2021
The rapid emergence and vast adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) have tr... more The rapid emergence and vast adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed tourism marketing strategies from a conservative, static marketing model to an emerging, transformative conception. The transformative power of ICT has created a paradigm shift in the tourism industry by providing an opportunity for tourism service providers and tourists to co-create value. Moreover, recent technological developments have paved the way for new markets, product/ service innovations, management practices, and competitive strategies, thus forming a complex socio-technical tourism ecosystem. Meanwhile, postmodern, digitally savvy tourists expect tourism service providers to be more active in digital platforms. Consequently, a burgeoning research stream has started looking into these new developments, capabilities, and changes driven by ICT advancement in the tourism and hospitality industry in recent times. Moreover, to better understand and anticipate these fundam...
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Purpose Despite the increasing popularity of influencer marketing, there exists a lack of underst... more Purpose Despite the increasing popularity of influencer marketing, there exists a lack of understanding of how content created by social media influencers stimulates the pre-purchase behaviour of followers. Based on the stimulus-organism-response framework, this paper aims to address this lacuna by examining how influencer-created content affects the willingness of followers to search for more information related to the posted product. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional research design uses a web-based questionnaire among Instagram users in Sri Lanka. Structural equation modelling with analysis of moment structures 27 and SPSS PROCESS macro are used for hypothesis testing. Findings Findings indicate that the commercial orientation of influencer-created content reduces follower trustworthiness towards them and the perceived credibility of the content. Mediation results demonstrate that the commercial orientation of influencer-created content negatively affects follower wil...
Promoting Inclusivity and Diversity Through Internet of Things in Organizational Settings
As the digital era unveils, it has become a must for many business firms to redesign their existi... more As the digital era unveils, it has become a must for many business firms to redesign their existing business processes to utilize the frontier technologies to become competitive. However, “digital transformation” has received less attention in prior literature, and no clear pathway to a successful digital transformation has been provided. This chapter builds on 12 in-depth interviews with top-level decision-makers of Sri Lankan business firms to develop a digital transformation model. The findings reveal that the solid foundation of a digital business firm relies on a “digital-first” mindset and three success pillars reflecting unique organizational characteristics (e.g., digital business transformation strategy, workforce, and firm resources) that collectively enable digital capability and dexterity. This chapter further argues that digital capability and dexterity are the critical hallmarks of a truly digital firm in a digital economy where technologies continue to improve exponen...
World is focusing its attention on corporate environmental responsibility than ever before. Expan... more World is focusing its attention on corporate environmental responsibility than ever before. Expanding economic activities has been accompanied by growing concerns about global warming, climate change, energy security and scarcity of natural resources. While industries are showing greater interest in environmentally benign manufacturing and are undertaking a number of corporate social responsibility initiatives, a quantum leap in improving environmental performance cannot be observed, due to the incompatibilities between expected business performance & initial investments needed in achieving such a goal. These incompatibilities may serve as obstacles for corporations ’ response to ecologically sustainable business practices. Ecologically sustainable manufacturing results cost efficiency and productivity; delivery of market innovation through new market opportunities and differentiation for profitability; and creating competitive advantage through compliance with regulatory bodies. To...
South Asian Journal of Tourism and Hospitality, 2021
Since the world‟s eyes are more focused on corporate environmental responsibility than ever, envi... more Since the world‟s eyes are more focused on corporate environmental responsibility than ever, environmentally benign manufacturing will become one of the manufacturing industry‟s greatest strategic challenges in not-too distant future. Although some positive trends in the greening of textile industry can be identified, a quantum leap in improving environmental performance cannot be observed, due to the widespread confusion about the cost implications of the process us achieving such a goal. This research is an attempt to examine how corporations in the textile industry can leverage the strength of the ecologically sustainable business practices for improving business performance. A comprehensive literature review was carried out and the factors that need to be focused on for the study such as resource conservation, effluent management, sustainable landscaping, fair trading, ethical labour practices etc. were identified. Besides, detailed discussions and interviews were carried out wi...
International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2022
Although the interrelationships among customer perceived value, revisit intention and customer lo... more Although the interrelationships among customer perceived value, revisit intention and customer loyalty has been widely studied in various tourism and hospitality settings, it has yet to be comprehensively addressed in the Airbnb context. Based on the value-attitude-behavior hierarchy, our paper proposes a theoretical framework assessing the influence of self-gratification and social values on creating revisit intention and customer loyalty of Airbnb users. Analysis of empirical data stemmed from two focus group discussions, eight in-depth interviews, and a survey with 192 Airbnb users reveals that self-gratification value influences revisit intention and customer loyalty of Airbnb users. However, as the findings indicate, although the social value is influential in forming revisit intention, its effect in creating customer loyalty towards Airbnb is insignificant
Journal of Strategic Marketing, 2021
International Journal of Hospitality Management, 2021
Highlights • Examining guest's intentions behind choices relating to accommodation purchases • In... more Highlights • Examining guest's intentions behind choices relating to accommodation purchases • Integrating various motivational theories into tourism and hospitality accommodation
Journal of Family Business Management, 2021
PurposeGrounded in stewardship theory, this study explores the motives, actions and meanings of m... more PurposeGrounded in stewardship theory, this study explores the motives, actions and meanings of multiple stakeholders involved in an inter-family hospitality family firm succession.Design/methodology/approachA longitudinal, ethnographic case study approach collects data from 15 in-depth interviews, one year of observation and a one-month on-site internship.FindingsResults show that a well-defined succession plan and the active involvement of the successor/s in the succession process would foster a strong stewardship commitment to the family business. Moreover, a clear and open communication strategy is required to strategically manage rivalry and competition among potential successors during an inter-family succession.Originality/valueThe succession process of family firms remains an intensely discussed phenomenon, and despite its importance to the tourism and hospitality industry, the intersection between tourism and hospitality and family business literature is sparse. Notably, th...
Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 2021
ABSTRACT WeChat, a Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app, is an e... more ABSTRACT WeChat, a Chinese multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app, is an emerging social media platform that has been integrated into the daily lives of Chinese people, including travel. However, despite the growing proliferation of WeChat, surprisingly, little attention has been paid to the gratifications obtained by Chinese travelers when using WeChat in travel-related decision-making. Adopting the well-grounded Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), this exploratory research paper aims to address this void in prior literature and identify why and how Chinese millennial travelers use WeChat to make hotel choice decisions. Findings stemmed from the semi-structured interviews using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling approaches with eighteen WeChat users reveals that hotel choice decisions through WeChat are influenced by various social, process, and content gratifications. As indicated in our findings, hotels in China should be aware of gratifications obtained by travelers in stimulating them to utilize WeChat in the hotel selection process. Further, our study contributes to extant UGT literature by emphasizing that it has specific relevance and should be given more prominence within tourism, hospitality, and social media literature.
International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2019
Adoption Cloud computing Determinants SMEs Sri Lanka Meta theoretical framework. Cloud Computing ... more Adoption Cloud computing Determinants SMEs Sri Lanka Meta theoretical framework. Cloud Computing has recently emerged as a noteworthy milestone in the area of information and communications technology (ICT) systems development. In particular, Cloud Computing improves reliability and scalability of ICT systems, which allows small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to scale down its ICT infrastructure while improving performance. Yet, there remains a dearth of literature that explicitly addresses the determinants of Cloud Computing adoption by SMEs. This paper aims to address voids in extant literature by developing a meta theoretical framework by assimilating two dominant theories in technology adoption literature. Following the pragmatism research paradigm and mixed methods research design, a face-to-face questionnaire survey was conducted as the main research strategy. Data stemmed from 142 SMEs in Sri Lanka were used to test the proposed framework using PLS-SEM. Twenty semi-structured interviews were initially used to validate the measurement scales before the main survey was undertaken. At the end, a supplementary qualitative phase was included with eight follow-up interviews to further discuss the findings of PLS-SEM analysis. Relative advantage, complexity, training and education, top management support, competitive pressure and trading partner support were identified as significant determinants. Contribution/ Originality: This study is one of very few studies which have investigated the determinants of Cloud Computing adoption by developing a Meta theoretical framework. The Meta theoretical framework was developed by integrating TAM with TOE framework using variables of TOE framework as external variables of TAM. 1. INTRODUCTION Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are perceived as a crucial element in socioeconomic development of any country (Scupola, 2009). SMEs are the fastest growing sector in most economies around the world and play a pivotal role in creating job opportunities that large organizations fail to produce in sufficient quantities (Yeboah-Boateng and Essandoh, 2014). Similarly, SMEs have been recognized as an incubation ground for generating high economic growth, reducing unemployment, inequality and poverty in Sri Lanka (Weerasiri and Zhengang, 2012). In