Ismael P. Soler | Universidad de Málaga (original) (raw)

Papers by Ismael P. Soler

Research paper thumbnail of Influence of the Corporate Image of Nursing Homes on the Loyalty of Residents’ Family Members

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

This study analyzes the influence of the corporate image of nursing homes on the decisions made b... more This study analyzes the influence of the corporate image of nursing homes on the decisions made by family members as to whether their elderly relatives will stay in the same nursing home. An empirical study was conducted considering 566 residents’ family members with the capacity to decide whether said residents will remain in the same nursing home, using a binary regression model with a logistic link function (i.e., logit). For the first time in the nursing home sector, these results show the specific variables of the corporate image that influence family members when deciding whether their elders will stay in the same nursing home. In order of importance, these variables are the level of trust conveyed by the nursing home, the investment made in the facilities, price-quality ratio, emotional connection to the nursing home, and the promotion of the nursing home’s services. The study also highlights the importance of other personal factors in family members’ decisions to keep their ...

Research paper thumbnail of From Quantifying to Managing Food Loss in the Agri-Food Industry Supply Chain

Foods, Sep 13, 2021

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of the April Fair on Seville hotel room prices: Measurement through a hedonic approach

Tourism & Management Studies, 2017

Despite its importance as a tourist attraction, sparse research regarding tourism and hospitality... more Despite its importance as a tourist attraction, sparse research regarding tourism and hospitality has been focused on Seville's April Fair. That is why the main purpose of this paper is to assess the impact the April Fair and other key elements have on hotels, using the wellknown hedonic price model and a database of 1,548 items compiled using TripAdvisor. The results suggest that although the April Fair has a significant and positive effect on the prices of hotel rooms, these results are mixed during the fair. Specifically, the effects of the April Fair can be felt during the weekdays when fairgoers add to those visiting the city on business. However, during the weekend, fair prices do not differ from a non-April day fair. In addition, prices on Sunday Fair are lower than average prices on non-April Fair days. This has important implications for both hotels and organisers of the event. In addition, the results show how the category begins to lose importance in relation to the assessment of the quality perceived by customers. Some implications and solutions are discussed below.

Research paper thumbnail of Factors determining cultural city tourists' length of stay

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of cultural distance’s influence on intentions to visit Spain as a tourist destination

Tourism & Management Studies, 2019

In the tourism industry, visiting tourists’ intentions have been the subject of numerous investig... more In the tourism industry, visiting tourists’ intentions have been the subject of numerous investigations for decades. However, the factors determining choices of specific tourist destinations have still not been clearly defined. The country of origin’s culture has been widely acknowledged to be a key element in variations in tourists’ behaviours. This study evaluated the capacity of cultural distance between countries of origin and Spain – as specified by Hofstede’s proposed model – to influence intentions of visiting Spain in the near future. These intentions were measured as a function of the theory of planned behaviour. The results facilitate the identification of relevant issues affecting potential tourists’ intention to visit Spain. Analyses of the data’s validity and reliability yielded satisfactory solutions that allow conclusions to be drawn about why behavioural intentions vary significantly depending on tourists’ cultural distance from Spain. The Hofstede model’s ability to...

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of intention to purchase travel on the Web

Tourism & Management Studies, 2019

The Internet’s role in global market development merits more extensive research, which is especia... more The Internet’s role in global market development merits more extensive research, which is especially true for Spain’s tourism industry because of its contribution to the national economy. The Web’s intangible nature also makes it the most effective distribution channel. To help companies differentiate their websites, this study tested a model of purchase intention that includes its determinants. Cluster analysis of a representative sample was conducted to sort potential and current consumers of online travel services into groups based on their perceptions of the model’s factors. While young consumers see purchasing tourism-related services on the Internet as easy and cost-effective, the opposite results were obtained for the elderly. However, the perceived risks are considered important by most individuals. To maximise the benefits of e-commerce, companies must develop strategies that meet each type of client’s expectations.

Research paper thumbnail of Waste Management: Valorisation Is the Way

Foods

Waste management is one of the great problems in the world today. This study aims to analyse how ... more Waste management is one of the great problems in the world today. This study aims to analyse how scientific research has evolved in recent years in the field of waste management and what will be the key issues in the coming years, mainly in terms of recovery. The methodology used was longitudinal bibliometric analysis through scientific mapping using strategic maps and thematic networks. Among the findings, it was confirmed that the concept of incineration is fading due to social opposition and is changing to a much broader concept that encompasses it, such as valorisation. Being able to create a circular economy without waste should be the goal of policy makers. To achieve this, the waste hierarchy must be respected, which indicates that waste must be managed in this order: prevention, minimisation, reuse, valorisation, recovery and elimination.

Research paper thumbnail of From Quantifying to Managing Food Loss in the Agri-Food Industry Supply Chain

Foods

The significant contradiction of food waste and food insecurity that preoccupies society today is... more The significant contradiction of food waste and food insecurity that preoccupies society today is growing increasingly important. It is estimated that one-third of all food produced globally is either lost or wasted. In a world where almost one billion people are hungry, reducing food loss and waste is critical to creating a world with zero hunger and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns. This study analyses how scientific research concerning food loss has evolved in recent years, with a focus on the supply chain of agri-food companies. Bibliometric techniques were used to analyse a sample of 181 publications from journals indexed in the Web of Science from 2012 to 2021. The obtained results show a growing interest in this topic and a clear concern for the management and prevention of food loss. An important conclusion is that a holistic approach from a supply chain perspective is needed to devise food loss reduction...

Research paper thumbnail of The climate index-length of stay nexus

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

Research paper thumbnail of Factors that affect the perception of a tourist resource’s value: the case of the Caminito del Rey

Tourism & Management Studies

Factors that affect the perception of a tourist resource's value: the case of the Caminito del Re... more Factors that affect the perception of a tourist resource's value: the case of the Caminito del Rey factores que influyen en la percepción de valor de un recurso turístico: el caso del Caminito del Rey

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of the influence of cultural distance on the intention to visit Spain as a tourist destination

Tourism & Management Studies

In the tourist sector, visiting tourists' intention has been the subject of numerous investigatio... more In the tourist sector, visiting tourists' intention has been the subject of numerous investigations for decades. However, the determining factors of the choice of tourist destination have not been clearly defined. The culture of the country of origin has been recognised as a key element in discerning the varied behaviours that people display. In this study, the capacity of the cultural distance between the considered countries of origin and Spain, according to the model proposed by Hofstede, is evaluated to influence the intention of visiting Spain in the next years, measured as a function of the theory of planned behaviour. The results obtained allow identification of the relevant issues affecting potential tourists' intention of visiting. Analysis of the validity and reliability of the data used yields satisfactory solutions that enable the establishment of conclusions about behavioural intentions that are very different depending on the cultural distance level of the tourist. The ability of the Hofstede model to explain the intention to visit Spain is, therefore confirmed.

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of the intent to purchase travel on the web

Tourism & Management Studies

The Internet's role in global market development merits more extensive research, which is especia... more The Internet's role in global market development merits more extensive research, which is especially true for Spain's tourism industry because of its contribution to the national economy. The Web's intangible nature also makes it the most effective distribution channel. To help companies differentiate their websites, this study tested a model of purchase intention that includes its determinants. Cluster analysis of a representative sample was conducted to sort potential and current consumers of online travel services into groups based on their perceptions of the model's factors. While young consumers see purchasing tourismrelated services on the Internet as easy and cost-effective, the opposite results were obtained for the elderly. However, the perceived risks are considered important by most individuals. To maximise the benefits of e-commerce, companies must develop strategies that meet each type of client's expectations.

Research paper thumbnail of Hedonic price models with geographically weighted regression: An application to hospitality

Journal of Destination Marketing & Management

Research paper thumbnail of Predicting bankruptcy in resort hotels: a survival analysis

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison of destinations’ impacts on hotel rates

International Journal of Hospitality Management

Research paper thumbnail of Are Green Hotels Expensive? The Impact of Eco-Friendly Policies on Hotel Prices in Spanish Cities

Environmental Engineering and Management Journal

Tourism and the environment are two closely related concepts. Environmental abuse can result in d... more Tourism and the environment are two closely related concepts. Environmental abuse can result in deteriorating environments with dramatic implications for tourism, which is why more tourism organisations and hotels have been gradually implementing environmental management policies. The objective of this study was to analyse the impact of market positioning as a green hotel on room prices in large cities. The hedonic pricing method was applied to hotels in two locations: Madrid and Barcelona. Data were collected using TripAdvisor ratings, including 677 hotels (i.e. 329 entries for 453 hotels in Madrid and 348 entries for 515 hotels in Barcelona). The results show different patterns for each city in the relationship between hotels' room prices and positioning as eco-friendly and appear to differ from the findings of similar research conducted in other locations. The discussion of results includes some possible explanations for these differences.

Research paper thumbnail of Algarve hotel price determinants: A hedonic pricing model

Research paper thumbnail of Length of stay for tourists' inland trips

Journal of Destination Marketing & Management

Research paper thumbnail of A measure of tourist experience quality: the case of inland tourism in Malaga

Total Quality Management & Business Excellence

Research paper thumbnail of Family and non-family business behaviour in the wine sector: A comparative study

European Journal of Family Business

The purpose of this study is to explore the main differences in key variables of winemaking compa... more The purpose of this study is to explore the main differences in key variables of winemaking companies in view of their consideration as a family business in Spain. Using a database of 520 wineries with the main variables used in the literature, this paper analyses the differences between being a family or a non-family winery on the performance, size and structure of debt. The companies were classified as family or non-family then a means test was performed for all key variables between both groups. This study suggests that there are significant differences between family and non-family businesses in the return on assets (ROA) and in the operating margin, which are higher in the case of companies classified as family businesses and in the relative debt and debt ratio, which are higher in companies considered to be non-family. The remaining variables are statistically equal. Better margins in family companies could be due to advantages in the prices derived from the products or brands offered or lower agency costs that may lead to an improvement in management costs, which explains such differences. In addition, the lower risk exposure that would lead family businesses to opt for less risky leverage formulas that would lead to increased long-term financing could explain why these advantages are not reflected in the return on equity (ROE).

Research paper thumbnail of Influence of the Corporate Image of Nursing Homes on the Loyalty of Residents’ Family Members

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

This study analyzes the influence of the corporate image of nursing homes on the decisions made b... more This study analyzes the influence of the corporate image of nursing homes on the decisions made by family members as to whether their elderly relatives will stay in the same nursing home. An empirical study was conducted considering 566 residents’ family members with the capacity to decide whether said residents will remain in the same nursing home, using a binary regression model with a logistic link function (i.e., logit). For the first time in the nursing home sector, these results show the specific variables of the corporate image that influence family members when deciding whether their elders will stay in the same nursing home. In order of importance, these variables are the level of trust conveyed by the nursing home, the investment made in the facilities, price-quality ratio, emotional connection to the nursing home, and the promotion of the nursing home’s services. The study also highlights the importance of other personal factors in family members’ decisions to keep their ...

Research paper thumbnail of From Quantifying to Managing Food Loss in the Agri-Food Industry Supply Chain

Foods, Sep 13, 2021

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of the April Fair on Seville hotel room prices: Measurement through a hedonic approach

Tourism & Management Studies, 2017

Despite its importance as a tourist attraction, sparse research regarding tourism and hospitality... more Despite its importance as a tourist attraction, sparse research regarding tourism and hospitality has been focused on Seville's April Fair. That is why the main purpose of this paper is to assess the impact the April Fair and other key elements have on hotels, using the wellknown hedonic price model and a database of 1,548 items compiled using TripAdvisor. The results suggest that although the April Fair has a significant and positive effect on the prices of hotel rooms, these results are mixed during the fair. Specifically, the effects of the April Fair can be felt during the weekdays when fairgoers add to those visiting the city on business. However, during the weekend, fair prices do not differ from a non-April day fair. In addition, prices on Sunday Fair are lower than average prices on non-April Fair days. This has important implications for both hotels and organisers of the event. In addition, the results show how the category begins to lose importance in relation to the assessment of the quality perceived by customers. Some implications and solutions are discussed below.

Research paper thumbnail of Factors determining cultural city tourists' length of stay

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of cultural distance’s influence on intentions to visit Spain as a tourist destination

Tourism & Management Studies, 2019

In the tourism industry, visiting tourists’ intentions have been the subject of numerous investig... more In the tourism industry, visiting tourists’ intentions have been the subject of numerous investigations for decades. However, the factors determining choices of specific tourist destinations have still not been clearly defined. The country of origin’s culture has been widely acknowledged to be a key element in variations in tourists’ behaviours. This study evaluated the capacity of cultural distance between countries of origin and Spain – as specified by Hofstede’s proposed model – to influence intentions of visiting Spain in the near future. These intentions were measured as a function of the theory of planned behaviour. The results facilitate the identification of relevant issues affecting potential tourists’ intention to visit Spain. Analyses of the data’s validity and reliability yielded satisfactory solutions that allow conclusions to be drawn about why behavioural intentions vary significantly depending on tourists’ cultural distance from Spain. The Hofstede model’s ability to...

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of intention to purchase travel on the Web

Tourism & Management Studies, 2019

The Internet’s role in global market development merits more extensive research, which is especia... more The Internet’s role in global market development merits more extensive research, which is especially true for Spain’s tourism industry because of its contribution to the national economy. The Web’s intangible nature also makes it the most effective distribution channel. To help companies differentiate their websites, this study tested a model of purchase intention that includes its determinants. Cluster analysis of a representative sample was conducted to sort potential and current consumers of online travel services into groups based on their perceptions of the model’s factors. While young consumers see purchasing tourism-related services on the Internet as easy and cost-effective, the opposite results were obtained for the elderly. However, the perceived risks are considered important by most individuals. To maximise the benefits of e-commerce, companies must develop strategies that meet each type of client’s expectations.

Research paper thumbnail of Waste Management: Valorisation Is the Way

Foods

Waste management is one of the great problems in the world today. This study aims to analyse how ... more Waste management is one of the great problems in the world today. This study aims to analyse how scientific research has evolved in recent years in the field of waste management and what will be the key issues in the coming years, mainly in terms of recovery. The methodology used was longitudinal bibliometric analysis through scientific mapping using strategic maps and thematic networks. Among the findings, it was confirmed that the concept of incineration is fading due to social opposition and is changing to a much broader concept that encompasses it, such as valorisation. Being able to create a circular economy without waste should be the goal of policy makers. To achieve this, the waste hierarchy must be respected, which indicates that waste must be managed in this order: prevention, minimisation, reuse, valorisation, recovery and elimination.

Research paper thumbnail of From Quantifying to Managing Food Loss in the Agri-Food Industry Supply Chain

Foods

The significant contradiction of food waste and food insecurity that preoccupies society today is... more The significant contradiction of food waste and food insecurity that preoccupies society today is growing increasingly important. It is estimated that one-third of all food produced globally is either lost or wasted. In a world where almost one billion people are hungry, reducing food loss and waste is critical to creating a world with zero hunger and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns. This study analyses how scientific research concerning food loss has evolved in recent years, with a focus on the supply chain of agri-food companies. Bibliometric techniques were used to analyse a sample of 181 publications from journals indexed in the Web of Science from 2012 to 2021. The obtained results show a growing interest in this topic and a clear concern for the management and prevention of food loss. An important conclusion is that a holistic approach from a supply chain perspective is needed to devise food loss reduction...

Research paper thumbnail of The climate index-length of stay nexus

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

Research paper thumbnail of Factors that affect the perception of a tourist resource’s value: the case of the Caminito del Rey

Tourism & Management Studies

Factors that affect the perception of a tourist resource's value: the case of the Caminito del Re... more Factors that affect the perception of a tourist resource's value: the case of the Caminito del Rey factores que influyen en la percepción de valor de un recurso turístico: el caso del Caminito del Rey

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of the influence of cultural distance on the intention to visit Spain as a tourist destination

Tourism & Management Studies

In the tourist sector, visiting tourists' intention has been the subject of numerous investigatio... more In the tourist sector, visiting tourists' intention has been the subject of numerous investigations for decades. However, the determining factors of the choice of tourist destination have not been clearly defined. The culture of the country of origin has been recognised as a key element in discerning the varied behaviours that people display. In this study, the capacity of the cultural distance between the considered countries of origin and Spain, according to the model proposed by Hofstede, is evaluated to influence the intention of visiting Spain in the next years, measured as a function of the theory of planned behaviour. The results obtained allow identification of the relevant issues affecting potential tourists' intention of visiting. Analysis of the validity and reliability of the data used yields satisfactory solutions that enable the establishment of conclusions about behavioural intentions that are very different depending on the cultural distance level of the tourist. The ability of the Hofstede model to explain the intention to visit Spain is, therefore confirmed.

Research paper thumbnail of Analysis of the intent to purchase travel on the web

Tourism & Management Studies

The Internet's role in global market development merits more extensive research, which is especia... more The Internet's role in global market development merits more extensive research, which is especially true for Spain's tourism industry because of its contribution to the national economy. The Web's intangible nature also makes it the most effective distribution channel. To help companies differentiate their websites, this study tested a model of purchase intention that includes its determinants. Cluster analysis of a representative sample was conducted to sort potential and current consumers of online travel services into groups based on their perceptions of the model's factors. While young consumers see purchasing tourismrelated services on the Internet as easy and cost-effective, the opposite results were obtained for the elderly. However, the perceived risks are considered important by most individuals. To maximise the benefits of e-commerce, companies must develop strategies that meet each type of client's expectations.

Research paper thumbnail of Hedonic price models with geographically weighted regression: An application to hospitality

Journal of Destination Marketing & Management

Research paper thumbnail of Predicting bankruptcy in resort hotels: a survival analysis

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison of destinations’ impacts on hotel rates

International Journal of Hospitality Management

Research paper thumbnail of Are Green Hotels Expensive? The Impact of Eco-Friendly Policies on Hotel Prices in Spanish Cities

Environmental Engineering and Management Journal

Tourism and the environment are two closely related concepts. Environmental abuse can result in d... more Tourism and the environment are two closely related concepts. Environmental abuse can result in deteriorating environments with dramatic implications for tourism, which is why more tourism organisations and hotels have been gradually implementing environmental management policies. The objective of this study was to analyse the impact of market positioning as a green hotel on room prices in large cities. The hedonic pricing method was applied to hotels in two locations: Madrid and Barcelona. Data were collected using TripAdvisor ratings, including 677 hotels (i.e. 329 entries for 453 hotels in Madrid and 348 entries for 515 hotels in Barcelona). The results show different patterns for each city in the relationship between hotels' room prices and positioning as eco-friendly and appear to differ from the findings of similar research conducted in other locations. The discussion of results includes some possible explanations for these differences.

Research paper thumbnail of Algarve hotel price determinants: A hedonic pricing model

Research paper thumbnail of Length of stay for tourists' inland trips

Journal of Destination Marketing & Management

Research paper thumbnail of A measure of tourist experience quality: the case of inland tourism in Malaga

Total Quality Management & Business Excellence

Research paper thumbnail of Family and non-family business behaviour in the wine sector: A comparative study

European Journal of Family Business

The purpose of this study is to explore the main differences in key variables of winemaking compa... more The purpose of this study is to explore the main differences in key variables of winemaking companies in view of their consideration as a family business in Spain. Using a database of 520 wineries with the main variables used in the literature, this paper analyses the differences between being a family or a non-family winery on the performance, size and structure of debt. The companies were classified as family or non-family then a means test was performed for all key variables between both groups. This study suggests that there are significant differences between family and non-family businesses in the return on assets (ROA) and in the operating margin, which are higher in the case of companies classified as family businesses and in the relative debt and debt ratio, which are higher in companies considered to be non-family. The remaining variables are statistically equal. Better margins in family companies could be due to advantages in the prices derived from the products or brands offered or lower agency costs that may lead to an improvement in management costs, which explains such differences. In addition, the lower risk exposure that would lead family businesses to opt for less risky leverage formulas that would lead to increased long-term financing could explain why these advantages are not reflected in the return on equity (ROE).

Research paper thumbnail of Impact of the April Fair on Seville hotel room prices: measurement through a hedonic approach Impacto de la Feria de Abril en los precios de las habitaciones de hotel de Sevilla: medida a través de una aproximación hedónica

Despite its importance as a tourist attraction, sparse research regarding tourism and hospitality... more Despite its importance as a tourist attraction, sparse research regarding tourism and hospitality has been focused on Seville's April Fair. That is why the main purpose of this paper is to assess the impact the April Fair and other key elements have on hotels, using the well-known hedonic price model and a database of 1,548 items compiled using TripAdvisor. The results suggest that although the April Fair has a significant and positive effect on the prices of hotel rooms, these results are mixed during the fair. Specifically, the effects of the April Fair can be felt during the weekdays when fairgoers add to those visiting the city on business. However, during the weekend, fair prices do not differ from a non-April day fair. In addition, prices on Sunday Fair are lower than average prices on non-April Fair days. This has important implications for both hotels and organisers of the event. In addition, the results show how the category begins to lose importance in relation to the assessment of the quality perceived by customers. Some implications and solutions are discussed below.