Positioning as a source of competitive advantage: Benchmarking Rotorua’s position as a domestic short break holiday destination

Travellers are spoilt by holiday choice, and yet will usually only seriously consider a few destinations during the decision process. With thousands of destination marketing organisations (DMOs) competing for attention, places are becoming increasingly substitutable. The study of destination competitiveness is an emerging field, and thesis contributes to an enhanced understanding by addressing three topics that have received relatively little attention in the tourism literature: destination positioning, the context of short break holidays, and domestic travel in New Zealand. A descriptive model of positioning as a source of competitive advantage is developed, and tested through 12 propositions. The destination of interest is Rotorua, which was arguably New Zealand’s first tourist destination. The market of interest is Auckland, which is Rotorua’s largest visitor market. Rotorua’s history is explored to identify factors that may have contributed to the destination’s current image in the Auckland market. A mix of qualitative and quantitative procedures is then utilised to determine Rotorua’s position, relative to a competing set of destinations. Based on an applied research problem, the thesis attempts to bridge the gap between academia and industry by providing useable results and benchmarks for five regional tourism organisations (RTOs). It is proposed that, in New Zealand, the domestic short break market represents a valuable opportunity not explicitly targeted by the competitive set of destinations. Conceptually, the thesis demonstrates the importance of analysing a destination’s competitive position, from the demand perspective, in a travel context; and then the value of comparing this ‘ideal’ position with that projected by the RTO. The thesis concludes Rotorua’s market position in the Auckland short break segment represents a source of comparative advantage, but is not congruent with the current promotional theme, which is being used in all markets. The findings also have implications for destinations beyond the context of the thesis. In particular, a new definition for ‘destination attractiveness’ is proposed, which warrants consideration in the design of future destination positioning analyses.

Establishing international networks: The internationalisation of Calleija Jewellers and their partnership with the exclusive Aston Martin

Calleija, a small to medium sized (SME) Australian and internationally recognised fine jeweller has secured a significant strategic global partnership with one of the world’s best-known luxury automobile brands, Aston Martin. Forging this international relationship to produce an elegant fine jewellery collection has given rise to a new network between the Australian jewellery industry and the European automobile industry. Calleija’s exclusive association with Aston Martin consolidates a shared passion for the finest quality and craftsmanship which was inspired by Aston Martin’s Supercar, the One-77. This inspiration lead to John Calleija being chosen by Aston Martin to design this latest high-luxury offering in which each design is limited to only 77 pieces utilising 30 unique designs (Calleija, 2012). The story behind Calleija’s internationalisation to the United Kingdom (UK) and their subsequent business-to-business strategic partnership with Aston Martin is no doubt a good sign for the Australian jewellery industry.

The sweet aroma of success: Modification of products for new markets in the case of TORQ by Di Bella Coffee

In 2002, Phillip Di Bella’s childhood passion for coffee and keen entrepreneurial spirit led him to establish a small coffee roasting warehouse in in the inner suburbs of Brisbane (Di Bella, 2012). With a keen sense of direction and passion for his coffee products and providing unparalleled customer service, Di Bella Coffee quickly grew to become a key player in the coffee roasting scene. This passion for the ultimate coffee experience is evident in the firm’s logo ‘Di Bella Coffee Inspires Passion’. Phillip Di Bella stated that ‘the common denominator of this company is about inspiration and passion. We are not a coffee company, we are a people company. You know, are we inspiring you from the moment you walk in the door to the moment you leave. If you are not feeling inspired then we haven’t done our job properly as a company’. Fundamentally, providing the ultimate coffee experience, as detailed in the following case is one in which focuses on the coffee consumption experience, not the coffee itself. Over that last 10 years Di Bella Coffee has constantly strived for the ultimate coffee, while expanding business operations into the booming Asian coffee market, establishing headquarters in Shanghai in 2010. In 2011, Di Bella Coffee commenced their second international venture with the launch of operations in India (Di Bella Coffee, 2012); followed shortly by the creation of a new category of coffee, set to revolutionise to coffee industry. The fusion of two traditional forms of coffee; espresso coffee and instant coffee, to create a third category- espresso instant, led to the development of TORQ by Di Bella.

The influence of technology-mediated environments on international business experience for internationalisation: Does international experience matter?

This paper examines the role and importance of international business experience for firms operating in technologically-mediated environments. Although the key success factors of international expansion have been subject to extensive research in the international business literature, the analysis of technology-mediated environments on international business experience remains limited. This finding is unexpected given that the Internet and the technologies that have enabled it have profoundly transformed the ways in which international business is conducted. This is especially so for firms in the Australian region where the Internet has allowed business to access the scale of markets they need to grow and operate globally (Google and PWC, 2015). Given that businesses of the future will need to innovate quicker and more effectively in online settings to remain competitive, it seems appropriate that we re-visit the more traditional facets of internationalisation; such as the necessity of international business experience for firm performance. In doing so, the empirical section of this paper focuses on twelve Australian international entrepreneurial firms, who in varying degrees utilise technology to leverage their internationalisation activities. The findings suggest that international entrepreneurs with lower levels of international business experience still achieve international performance outcomes. The findings indicate that firms are recognising that the ability to adapt and evolve quickly in technologically-advanced settings is imperative. The findings also suggest that international entrepreneurs are relying less on traditional facets of international business experience, and are learning in self-taught or autodidactic ways. This is because businesses in the current global climate are now operating in complex and highly dynamic environments, characterised by rapid change; thus, the findings suggest that international business experience is becoming less important due to the evolving nature of international business environments.

Destination Marketing Essentials [2nd Edition]

Destination Marketing offers the reader an integrated and comprehensive overview of the key challenges and constraints facing DMOs and how destination marketing can be planned, implemented and evaluated to achieve successful destination competitiveness. This new 2nd Edition has been revised and updated to include: • new slim - lined 15 chapter structure • new chapters on Destination Competitiveness and Technology • new and updated case studies throughout including emerging markets • new content on social media marketing in destination marketing organisations and sustainable destination marketing • additional online resources for lecturers and students including PPT’s, test bank and video links. It is written in an engaging style and applies theory to a range of tourism destinations at the consumer, business, national and international level by using topical examples.

Determining the drivers of m-banking adoption: A cross cultural study

This study empirically examines the motivators that influence a consumer’s intentions to use mobile banking. A web-based survey was employed to collect data from 348 respondents, split across Thailand and Australia. Data were analysed by employing exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, path and invariance analyses. The findings indicate that for Australian consumers, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and perceived risk were the primary determinants of mobile banking adoption. For Thai consumers, the main factors were perceived usefulness, perceived risk and social influence. National culture was found to impact key antecedents that lead to adoption of m-banking. Interestingly, the actual variance explained by this study’s model was higher in Australia than for Thailand, suggesting future research of m-banking adoption in emerging Asian cultures. The findings of this research give banking organisations a foundational model that can be used to support m-banking implementation. This study is perhaps the first to examine and compare the intention to adopt m-banking across Thai and Australian consumers, and responds to calls for additional research that generalises m-banking and m-services acceptance across cultures. This study has proposed and validated additional constructs that are not present in the original SST Intention to Use model.

Destination brand performance measurement over time: Tracking consumer perceptions of a competitive set of destinations over a 10 year period

There has been a paucity of research published in relation to the temporal aspect of destination image change over time. Given increasing investments in destination branding, research is needed to enhance understanding of how to monitor destination brand performance, of which destination image is the core construct, over time. This article reports the results of four studies tracking brand performance of a competitive set of five destinations, between 2003 and 2012. Results indicate minimal changes in perceptions held of the five destinations of interest over the 10 years, supporting the assertion of Gartner (1986) and Gartner and Hunt (1987) that destination image change will only occur slowly over time. While undertaken in Australia, the research approach provides DMOs in other parts of the world with a practical tool for evaluating brand performance over time; in terms of measures of effectiveness of past marketing communications, and indicators of future performance.

Drivers of local food consumption: A comparative study

Purpose The aim of this paper is to empirically explore antecedents of local food purchase intention in two food producing countries with different cultural backgrounds. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was employed to collect data from consumers located in Chile (n=283) and Australia (n=300). A proposed model is tested with structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings Attitude towards consuming local food is a strong and direct driver of intentions to purchase local food in both countries. Attitude toward supporting local agri-businesses and consumer ethnocentrism are found to positively impact attitude towards consuming local food in both countries. Attitude towards local agri-businesses also has a direct effect on intentions to purchase local food in Australia, but not in Chile. Interestingly, subjective norms are not found to affect intentions to consume local food in either country. Research limitations/implications The paper examines factors affecting the attitude toward and behavioural intention regarding local food consumption and develops an extended model of local food consumption. An outcome of this new model is the inclusion of personal variables, which influence local food purchasing behaviour. Practical implications Producers and retailers need to develop campaigns explaining how consuming local food supports local businesses and farmers, which will reinforce personal values associated with local consumption. Originality/value This is the first study to demonstrate that positive attitudes toward local foods are important drivers of local food purchase behaviour, independent of the cultural characteristics or level of economic development within a country.

How religiosity influences consumption: The impact of consumer religiosity on perceptions of psychological and social risk

For some people, religion is an important influence in decision-making. This thesis investigates the relationship between the religiosity of consumers and their perceived risk in adopting new products. Two studies gathered data from religious consumers living in Saudi Arabia, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. The results confirm the significant impact of religion on perceived risk, and suggest why this may lead to delays in adoption. Theoretically, these studies provide a better explanation of how religion influences consumption decisions, and offer brand managers options to improve the adoption of new products in religious markets.

The impact of project announcements on property values: An empirical analysis

The study examines the property value impacts of an announcement of a project which has potential environmental impacts as distinct from other studies that address costs associated with under-construction and the operating impacts of developments. The hypothesis is that the announcement of a proposed project with potential environmental impact creates uncertainty in the property market of the affected area, and this impact is greater on properties closer to the project than those farther from it. The results of the study confirm the hypothesis and indicate that the marginal willingness to pay for properties within a 5 km distance declined by AU$17,020 per km proximity to the proposed heavy vehicle route, after the proposed route was announced. The results support the need for more holistic measurement of cost–benefit analysis of projects and provide a basis for improved consideration by policy makers of the rights of affected parties.

An exploratory study into managing value creation in tourism service firms: Understanding value creation phases at the intersection of the tourism service firm and their customers

To satisfy customers, managers of tourism services need to understand their customers' value requirements and then develop a unique service value offering based on those requirements. This understanding underpins their effort to provide superior value to customers and deliver the proposed services through employees. Problematically, previous work on value creation (i.e. customer value) has focused separately on either the firm or customer. This theoretical separation does not allow investigation of whether there may be discrepancies between what value firms offer and what value customers perceive they have received. We bring tourism service firms (manager and employee) and customers together and examine the nature of a tourism service provider's value proposition, its contribution to the value offering, and subsequent impact on customers' perceived-value-in-use. We focus on the important role that employees play as boundary spanning workers in the value creation phases, linking the tourism service provider and customer.

The role of context and motivation variables in mobile commerce usage: A further perspective on Chong (2013)

We comment on a recent article by Chong (2013) on the roles of demographic and motivation variables in mobile commerce usage. Drawing on the recent research on the service-dominant logic, socioemotional selectivity theory, and data from a first empirical study, we argue that a broader discussion on the value relevance of mobile commerce activities for customers and the consideration of consumers' future time perspectives would provide a richer, potentially more appropriate picture of the drivers of mobile commerce usage. Furthermore, using data from a second empirical study, we highlight several validity issues of the used scales. We hope to motivate a replication and extension of Chong's study and also provide recommendations for future research on this area.

The marketing blog competition: Integrating educational blogging and analytics in the classroom

How should marketing educators teach today’s technologically savvy college students the latest knowledge as well as relevant soft and hardskills for employment in a world of Web 2.0? The changing environment requires the development of innovative pedagogical approaches to enhance students’ experiential learning. Recent research has focused on the idea of implementing technology and the adoption of educational blogging in the marketing curriculum. This paper outlines a semesterlong marketing blog competition, in which students had to (1) create and maintain a marketing blog and (2) apply web analytics to analyze, manage and improve their blog performance based on key performance indicators. This article offers a detailed discussion of the design and implementation as well as the outcomes based on quantitative and qualitative student feedback.

Global business services: Increasing specialization and integration of the world economy as drivers of economic growth

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the contribution of global business services to improved productivity and economic growth of the world economy, which has gone largely unnoticed in service research. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on macroeconomic data and industry reports, and link them to the non-ownership-concept in service research and theories of the firm. Findings Business services explain a large share of the growth of the global service economy. The fast growth of business services coincides with shifts from domestic production towards global outsourcing of services. A new wave of global business services are traded across borders and have emerged as important drivers of growth in the world’s service sector. Research limitations/implications This paper advances the understanding of non-ownership services in an increasingly global and specialized post-industrial economy. The paper makes a conceptual contribution supported by descriptive data, but without empirical testing. Originality/value The authors integrate the non-ownership concept and three related economic theories of the firm to explain the role of global business services in driving business performance and the international transformation of service economies.