The content of the thesis may be summarized as follows:
a) Conceptualization, development, and validation of a scale to measure holiday attachment.
b) Examination of holiday attachment as an antecedent of tourist loyalty.
c) Test of the proposed mediation-moderation model involving holiday dependence, holiday identity, novelty seeking, and loyalty.
KEYWORDS: Scale Development, Holiday Attachment, Holiday Utility, Holiday Identity, Holiday Contextuality, Holiday Dependence, Novelty Seeking, Customer Loyalty, Mediation, and Moderation.
Table of Contents
Title Page: 1
Abstract (With Keywords): 3
Table of Contents: 4
Statement of Authorship & Declaration by the Supervisor: 6
Acknowledgements: 7
List of Figures:
1.1 The Proposed Composite Model: 11
2.1 The Main Effect: 32
2.2 The Mediation Effect: 32
2.3 Full and Partial Mediation: 33
2.4 The Moderation Effect: 34
2.5 Mediated Moderation: 35
2.6 Moderated Mediation: 35
Chapter 1: Introduction: 8
1.1 The Background of the Research: 8
1.2 Research Problems and Hypotheses: 10
1.3 Justification for the Research: 11
1.4 Outline of the Report: 14
Chapter 2:Theoretical Background for the Study: A Review: 16
2.1 Review of the Disciplines: 16
2.1.1 Tourist Satisfaction and Loyalty: 16
2.1.2 Holiday Attachment: A Conceptualization: 19
2.1.3 Novelty seeking: 25
2.2 Methodological Literature: 26
2.2.1 Measurements, Scales and Scale Construction: 27
2.2.2 Mediation and its Testing: 32
2.2.3 Moderation and its Testing: 33
2.2.4 Mediated Moderation and Moderated Mediation: 35
Chapter 3: Methodology and Research Procedures: 36
3.1 Justification for the Paradigm and Methodology: 36
3.2 Research Procedures: 40
3.2.1 Scale Development Procedure: 40
3.2.2 Procedure for Hypotheses Testing: 43
3.3 Ethics and Ethical Considerations: 44
Chapter 4: Data Analysis: 46
4.1 Analysis for Scale Construction: 46
4.1.1 Inter-rater Agreement & Content Validity: 46
4.1.2 Factor Analysis for Examining Scale Dimensions: 47
4.1.3 Reliability Analysis for the Scale: 49
4.1.4 Reliability for Holiday Utility: 50
4.1.5 Reliability for Holiday Identity: 50
4.1.6 Reliability for Holiday Contextuality: 50
4.1.7 Test-retest Reliability: 51
4.1.8 Convergent Validity: 51
4.1.9 Discriminant Validity: 51
4.1.10 Nomological Validity: 52
4.2 Analysis to Test Hypotheses: 52
4.2.1 Test of the Main Effect: 53
4.2.2 Test of the Composite Model: 53
4.2.3 Test of Moderation: 61
4.2.4 Test of Mediation: 62
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Implications: 67
5.1 Implications for Theory: 67
5.2 Implications for Practice: 68
5.3 Limitations of the Study: 70
5.4 Potential for Further Research: 71
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary research objective is to develop a comprehensive, holistic instrument named "Holiday Attachment" that measures a tourist's attachment to a composite holiday experience, serving as a reliable antecedent for predicting holiday loyalty.
- Conceptualization and validation of the multidimensional "Holiday Attachment" scale comprising utility, identity, and contextuality.
- Empirical investigation of holiday attachment as a direct antecedent to tourist loyalty.
- Testing of a complex mediation-moderation model that incorporates "Novelty Seeking" as a moderating variable.
- Exploration of the psychological and functional dimensions of holiday consumption rather than treating holidays as a mere additive set of amenities.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1.2 Holiday Attachment: A Conceptualization
A holiday is the name for that integrated and fully inclusive tourism product, which encompasses the varied experiences of the tourist before, during, and after the trip (Uzzell, 1984). A holiday conjures up images of travel, tour operator, and travel agency; destination attractions, of hotels, and of himself. Holidays may be regarded as society’s institutionalized means of enabling fantasy and reality to be imperceptibly mixed. Holidays are alternatively conceived as narratives, myths, empirical network relationships, marketing objects, and production, information, and consumption systems. Nine holiday types are emerged in a study conducted by Moscardo et al., (1996): Relaxing, Boring, Romantic, Exciting, Disappointing, Expensive, Full of surprises, Physically demanding, Fun, Educational, Enjoyable, Adventurous, Value for money, Excellent food, and Excellent Accommodation.
The tourism industry provides holiday seekers with a complex bundle of tangible objects and intangible experiences designed to satisfy, re-create, and sustain their needs and wants (Leiper, 1995). This bundle includes facilitation of sorts; primarily, in the realization of the moment-of-truth experience at the destination; then, in fulfilling the different information needs (categorized temporally as ongoing, pre-purchase, planning, en-route, and after-trip needs of information) of the tourist; and then, those activities aimed at extending the customer relationship beyond the immediate peripheries of a holiday.
Essentially, a holiday is about the purchase of a benefit, which could be an emotional, intellectual or spiritual experience (See Nickerson & Ellis, 1991). Sometimes, the holiday experience can be cathartic due to it potential to sustain or change peoples’ lifestyles (Hyde, 2003). According to Havitz & Dimanche (1990), the quintessence of a holiday is the psychological state of motivation, arousal, or interest between an individual and recreational activities or related equipment, tourist destinations, and those various amenities offered, characterized by the perception of the elements of importance, pleasure value, sign value, risk probability, and risk consequences.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction: Discusses the background of the research, identifies the need for a holistic holiday measurement instrument, and lists key research hypotheses.
Chapter 2:Theoretical Background for the Study: A Review: Reviews existing literature on tourist satisfaction, holiday attachment conceptualizations, novelty seeking, and pertinent research methodologies.
Chapter 3: Methodology and Research Procedures: Details the scale development process, the research paradigm, data collection methods, and ethical considerations for the study.
Chapter 4: Data Analysis: Reports the statistical validation of the Holiday Attachment scale and tests the proposed mediation-moderation models.
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Implications: Summarizes theoretical and practical implications, limitations of the current study, and offers suggestions for future research.
Keywords
Scale Development, Holiday Attachment, Holiday Utility, Holiday Identity, Holiday Contextuality, Holiday Dependence, Novelty Seeking, Customer Loyalty, Mediation, Moderation, Tourist Behavior, Consumer Research, Structural Equation Modeling, Validity, Reliability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core purpose of this research?
The research aims to create a reliable and valid "Holiday Attachment" scale that captures a tourist's holistic emotional and functional connection to a holiday experience, moving beyond simple satisfaction measures.
What are the primary components of "Holiday Attachment"?
The scale consists of three dimensions: Holiday Utility (functional aspects), Holiday Identity (emotional/self-image aspects), and Holiday Contextuality (situational and contextual factors).
What is the central research question regarding tourist loyalty?
The study asks if higher holiday attachment leads to higher holiday loyalty, and how this relationship is mediated by holiday identity and moderated by novelty seeking.
Which scientific methodology was employed?
The research used a quantitative approach involving scale development, reliability testing (Cronbach's alpha), and multivariate statistical analysis (regression, factor analysis) to test a mediation-moderation model.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers the conceptualization of the scale, a comprehensive literature review, detailed research procedures, the analysis of empirical data, and the final conclusions regarding the relationship between attachment and loyalty.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The key themes include Scale Development, Holiday Attachment, Novelty Seeking, Customer Loyalty, and the statistical tests of Mediation and Moderation.
Does the study confirm that Holiday Identity mediates loyalty?
Yes, the empirical investigation supported the hypothesis that holiday identity mediates the relationship between holiday dependence and overall tourist loyalty.
How does "Novelty Seeking" influence the model?
Novelty seeking acts as a moderator; however, the study discovered that its influence becomes statistically insignificant once a strong holiday identity has been developed.
- Citar trabajo
- Babu George (Autor), 2004, Holiday attachment - The construct, measure, and its relation with customer loyalty, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/188683
