1,720,988 research outputs found
Disentangling customer delight: a needs-based analysis of senior tourists in hotels
No full textIn today's competitive environment, customer delight plays a crucial role in enhancing customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. This paper provides a needs-based analysis of customer delight in hotels among senior tourists, who represent an increasingly important target for the hospitality industry. A total of 38 senior tourists were interviewed. Data were collected utilizing the critical incident technique and analysed through text mining analysis. Four main dimensions of customer delight emerged from the study that represent the fulfilment of different needs: learning, authenticity, exclusivity, and sharing. These findings theoretically contribute to the understanding of guest delight from a senior tourist's perspective and can help hotel managers to design delightful customer experiences
Online travel behaviour across cohorts: The impact of social influences and attitude on hotel booking intention
No full textCohort theory suggests that each generation or cohort differs from others in terms of values and consumption behaviour, including travel behaviour. The literature on online travel behaviour has primarily focused on specific generations; less attention has been paid to cross‐generational research. Adopting the theory of reasoned action framework, this study explores the role of social influences and attitude on online hotel booking intentions across 4 cohorts: Generation Y, Generation X, baby boomers, and the silent generation. Based on a sample of 557 tourists, findings reveal significant differences among cohorts regarding intention to book online
From intention to behavior: understanding the drivers of residents’ cultural heritage preservation behavior in a tourism destination
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Effects of preservative, storage time, and temperature of analysis on detailed milk protein composition determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography
Full text linkMilk preservative and freezing are used as strategies to prevent microbial growth and milk degradation, especially when immediate analytical processing is not feasible. The effects of the addition of preservative and freezing procedures have been investigated mainly in relation to milk gross chemical composition predicted through mid-infrared spectroscopy. This study aimed to determine whether different preservatives (i.e., no preservative, hydrogen peroxide, Bronopol, and Azidiol), freezing times (i.e., 0, 7, and 30 d), and temperatures of analysis (i.e., 5 and 21°C) influence the composition of milk protein fractions determined through reversed-phase HPLC. Bulk milk samples for the analysis of protein profile were collected from 5 commercial dairy farms. Data were analyzed with a linear mixed model, which included type of preservative, time of storage, temperature of analysis, and the interaction between type of preservative and time of storage as fixed effects, with the farm and the residual as random effects. Samples with no preservative had the greatest amount of all protein fractions, whereas Bronopol-preserved milk had the lowest amount. Increasing storage time under freezing conditions had a nonlinear detrimental effect on milk protein fractions. The temperature of analysis significantly contributed to the variation of κ-casein, β-casein, αS1-casein, β-lactoglobulin, and α-lactalbumin fractions. The z-scores were calculated to evaluate the similarity between detailed protein profile of fresh milk without preservative analyzed at 5°C and detailed protein profile of milk treated according to the tested conditions. Overall results suggested a good agreement between different analytical conditions. Still, short storage time under freezing conditions is recommended to avoid degradation of milk protein fractions and consequent analytical underestimation
The economic impact of cultural events. A focus on professionals’ perceptions
No full textPurpose of the paper: The purpose of this research is to explore the economic impact of a cultural event, Tocatì – International Festival of Street Games, that takes place each year in Verona (Italy). In particular, the perceptions of professionals operating in the hospitality and food service businesses about the economic impacts of the Festival are investigated. Methodology: The qualitative research is conducted through in-depth interviews with 14 professionals addressing the economic impacts of the Festival for their business and the city. The sample includes 7 hospitality businesses and 7 food service businesses. Main findings: Interviewees display an overall positive perception regarding the economic impacts of the Festival, both for their business and the city. A major difference however emerges between hospitality and food service businesses, since the large majority attending the Festival consists of residents or day-trippers, that do not stay in Verona overnight. Practical implications: Festival organizers should promote the participation to the Festival for more days, encouraging people to remain in Verona overnight. Professionals’ awareness about the Festival should also be improved. Originality/value: Differently from other impact studies, this research is based on the perceptions of professionals working in hospitality or food services businesses during the Festival, a topic that has generally been neglected by previous research. Type of paper: Research pape
Variation of lactoferrin and whey protein fractions along different stages of milk technological processing at dairy plant level
Full text linkThis study assessed the concentration of whey protein fractions in different dairy matrices, including raw milk (RM), pasteurized milk (PM), cheese whey (CW), and Ricotta cheese whey (RW) collected along the production of mozzarella and Asiago cheeses. A linear mixed model was implemented in order to analyze the variability of bovine serum albumin (BSA), lactoferrin (LF), α-Lactalbumin (α-LA), β-lactoglobulin A (β-LG A) and B (β-LG B). Results suggest that analyzed dairy matrices are characterized by specific whey protein profiles. Lactoferrin and α-LA concentrations linearly decreased due to technological processing stages, while BSA, β-LG A and β-LG B declined mainly in RW (i.e. after Ricotta production). In terms of relative abundance, LF was least abundant in RM, PM, and CW but most prominent in RW. Despite challenges posed by pasteurization and cheese making, CW remained a substantial source of LF and whey proteins, offering potential for economical and nutritional applications
Perceived risks and future travel intentions: The experience of solo female travelers
No full textSolo travelers are a growing tourist segment, and the large majority are women (Khan et al., 2017; Karagöz et al., 2020). Female travelers, however, may face higher risks then men when traveling alone (Yang et al., 2017), because of destination specific risks, socio-psychological risks, and gendered risks (Wilson and Little 2008; Yang et al., 2018). Previous literature has already reported the critical impact of perceived risks on travel choices (Fuchs and Reichel, 2006), and in the current pandemic scenario, health-related risks may additionally lower future travel intentions (Xie et al., 2021). Previous research has also lamented a lack of research on one of the largest groups of international travelers, i.e., solo travelers (Khan et al., 2017). In order to bridge this gap, this study aims at investigating the following Research Questions: RQ1: Are there correlations between solo female travelers future travel intentions and perceived risks? RQ2: Are there other factors affecting solo female travelers future travel intentions
β-Casein variants differently affect bulk milk mineral content, protein composition, and technological traits
No full textDetailed milk protein composition has strong influence on milk quality. This study quantitatively investigated the effect of β-casein variants A1, A2 and B on composition, and technological traits of bulk milk. A total of 171 commercial herds located in northern and central Italy were visited, and 299 bulk milk samples were collected. Traditional milk quality traits, major minerals, milk coagulation properties were assessed. Detailed milk protein composition and β-casein genetic variants were determined by reversed-phase HPLC. Effects of β-casein variants were estimated by fitting a mixed model with variants concentration as a covariate. Results demonstrated that greater concentration of β-casein B is linked with greater protein, casein, and fat content. Likewise, greater concentration of variants A1 and B of β-casein had a significant positive effect on rennet coagulation time and curd firmness, and was linked to a greater amount of Ca and P content than was the A2 variant
Business incubators as a driver of sustainable entrepreneurship development: evidence from the Italian experience
No full textPurpose – This study aims to assess whether and how non-born-sustainable business incubators (BIs) – that is,
BIs whose business model was not originally sustainability-oriented – promote sustainable entrepreneurship
development.
Design/methodology/approach – The study adopts a qualitative research design based on grounded theory and
an interpretive approach. The analysis is developed by collecting interviews with ten Italian BIs, selected by
purposive sampling and examining data using the Gioia methodology.
Findings – The results show that BIs, using various specific tools, facilitate the creation of a sustainabilityoriented ecosystem. In this context,BIs help start-ups develop a purpose, a cultural mindset and business models
that enable them to face the challenges of today’s competitive environment, in which sustainability has become
(and will increasingly be) an essential requirement for companies.
Research limitations/implications – This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the active role of
non-born-sustainable BIs in promoting the development of sustainable entrepreneurship.
Practical implications – This research has practical implications related to the opportunities for embedding
sustainability in BIs’ purpose and defining a framework of operations and practices that can boost
innovativeness while having a positive impact on the community and on the environment. Finally, findings
suggest that BIs can foster cost reduction when implementing sustainability in start-ups.
Social implications – The study suggests that BIs, as drivers of social change, could be sustained by public
assistance and help from well-established firms to promote the spread of sustainable entrepreneurship culture
and the success of sustainability-oriented start-ups.
Originality/value – BIs have the potential to promote sustainable entrepreneurship, but this topic is still underresearched. While existing studies have examined the role of born-sustainable BIs in specific business sectors,
this research is one of the first attempts to explore the role of non-born-sustainable BIs in fostering sustainable
entrepreneurshi
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