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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine what influence travelers’ adoption of online reviews, and whether the online reviews will influence their travel planning decisions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 193 respondents from eWOM websites and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The results revealed that eWOM has a significant influence on travel decisions. Furthermore, travelers were willing to adopt information from eWOM and this information was useful in their travel planning and decisions. Gender and time spent on online reviews were found to affect travel planning and decisions. Travelers also found that the reviews and issues raised in eWOM had credibility and were of good quality. Research limitations/implications The study was not able to incorporate all factors which may be relevant to this study and so further theoretical development may be necessary to develop the conceptual model. The sample size, while adequate, can be expanded further. Practical implications Operators and administrators of eWOM can use these findings to develop more user-friendly interfaces so that more positive reviews and sales can be generated. Social implications The results showed that travelers who adopt the information in eWOM will, in turn, use eWOM in their travel planning. This confirms the importance of eWOM and travelers in general will translate their pre-travel decisions into actual travel planning. Originality/value This research extended existing eWOM and information system adoption studies and focused on the travel planning context. This research validated the significant roles of eWOM argument quality and credibility in predicting the information usefulness of eWOM.

Purpose This paper aims to outline the context for social tourism as an approach that can help deliver societal goals, such as reducing inequalities, as well as benefits for deserving beneficiaries and the tourism industry. The paper highlights how social tourism can develop in the future. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes a conceptual approach to discuss these issues. Findings This paper finds that there is a great deal of potential for social tourism to contribute to the future sustainability in the tourism industry. Originality/value This paper provides a concise overview of the topic of social tourism and a model that can help researchers and other readers to understand the ways that social tourism can contribute towards a more sustainable and equitable tourism future.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how senior managers of independent hotels perceive the notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) through a holistic analysis of motivations of undertaking both social and environmental initiatives. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts qualitative interviews with 22 Malaysian senior hotel managers together with ethnographic observations. Findings Emergent themes show that CSR is a dynamic concept involving complex struggles and trade-offs between fulfilling business objectives, paying heed to personal ethical values and considering cultural norms when making decisions regarding the adoption of a range of environmental and social initiatives. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to legitimacy theory by highlighting that in the absence of pressure from key stakeholders for responsible initiatives, managers still proactively engage in CSR initiatives. More surprising still is that they set expectations instead of simply aligning or responding to the key stakeholders’ pre-set demands. Meanwhile, the uniqueness, size and purposeful selection of the sample limit the applicability of the findings to wider geographical and cultural locations. Practical implications While Malaysian hotel managers are willing to use CSR practices to demonstrate their commitment to their employees and the local communities where they operate, it is equally important that they utilize other media (such as their websites or social media) for both promotional and legitimacy building purposes. Within the context of growing tourism for economic development, the Malaysian Government can develop more effective strategies, rewards or incentives for encouraging businesses to undertake and improve CSR adoption for sustainability of this industry. Originality/value By extending the scope of CSR studies beyond firm performance issues, we attempt to show the wider set of motivations and contexts considered important in determining hotel engagement in CSR programs.

PurposeBy adopting retrospective evaluation theories, this study aims to explain how innovations provided by separate suppliers in the tourism value chain influence tourist’s perceived value of the overall experience and further uncover which innovative product attributes are more effective in improving tourist perceptions of the overall value.Design/methodology/approachA survey yielded 584 valid responses from tourists who had experienced specific tourist product innovations during their travels. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed theoretical model.FindingsThe results reveal that tourists evaluate overall travelling experience value either by recalling an intense, impressive moment (i.e. a heuristic approach) or through an evaluation of the overall utility gained from the whole trip (i.e. a normative approach). Furthermore, innovations that are perceived as increasing convenience and enabling learning contribute to tourists’ overall value perception through both normative and heuristic approaches, while immersion resulting from innovation only contributes to overall perceived value through the heuristic approach.Practical implicationsGiven the complex service ecosystem of tourism destinations, each tourism service provider should consider how innovations contribute to the experience of the whole trip and which attributes of innovations increase tourists’ overall perceived experience value.Originality/valueThis study complements existing knowledge by revealing the relationship between product innovation in tourism sectors and tourists’ perceived value of the whole trip. Moreover, it offers a theoretical framework for further investigation into service product innovation in hospitality and tourism industry.

Purpose By adopting retrospective evaluation theories, this study aims to explain how innovations provided by separate suppliers in the tourism value chain influence tourist’s perceived value of the overall experience and further uncover which innovative product attributes are more effective in improving tourist perceptions of the overall value. Design/methodology/approach A survey yielded 584 valid responses from tourists who had experienced specific tourist product innovations during their travels. Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed theoretical model. Findings The results reveal that tourists evaluate overall travelling experience value either by recalling an intense, impressive moment (i.e. a heuristic approach) or through an evaluation of the overall utility gained from the whole trip (i.e. a normative approach). Furthermore, innovations that are perceived as increasing convenience and enabling learning contribute to tourists’ overall value perception through both normative and heuristic approaches, while immersion resulting from innovation only contributes to overall perceived value through the heuristic approach. Practical implications Given the complex service ecosystem of tourism destinations, each tourism service provider should consider how innovations contribute to the experience of the whole trip and which attributes of innovations increase tourists’ overall perceived experience value. Originality/value This study complements existing knowledge by revealing the relationship between product innovation in tourism sectors and tourists’ perceived value of the whole trip. Moreover, it offers a theoretical framework for further investigation into service product innovation in hospitality and tourism industry.

Problematic interpersonal behaviors and their consequences for relationships with others have been implicated in the maintenance and onset of depression. The mechanism leading to aversive social behaviors was examined in this study using a sample of dysphoric and nondysphoric undergraduate female students.

It has been reported that reusing Icare tonometer probes may not pose a considerable risk of transmission of infection, thereby supporting this practice under extraordinary circumstances, such as mass glaucoma screenings in developing countries. The present study sought to determine whether reusing the probes reduced the validity of pressure readings. Thousands of measurements were made with the same Icare probe on a purpose-built calibration device. A second set of measurements was made during which the Icare probe head was wiped with an alcohol pad between each reading. Statistically different readings were observed between the no-wipe and wipe groups for most of the settings evaluated. In addition, statistically significant readings were noted for a few of the settings as the number of readings increased for either group. However, these differences would not be considered clinically significant. This study suggests that reusing Icare tonometer probes, even for hundreds of measurements, would not reduce the clinical utility of the pressure readings. For mass screenings in developing countries where cost savings is crucial, considering the reuse of Icare tonometer probes seems reasonable.

This study is an examination of the role of gender, symptom display and gender-role stereotypes on interpersonal rejection in depression. Recent research suggests that differential display of depressive symptomatology during interactions may depend on the gender of the interaction partner.

It has been reported that reusing Icare tonometer probes may not pose a considerable risk of transmission of infection, thereby supporting this practice under extraordinary circumstances, such as mass glaucoma screenings in developing countries. The present study sought to determine whether reusing the probes reduced the validity of pressure readings. Thousands of measurements were made with the same Icare probe on a purpose-built calibration device. A second set of measurements was made during which the Icare probe head was wiped with an alcohol pad between each reading. Statistically different readings were observed between the no-wipe and wipe groups for most of the settings evaluated. In addition, statistically significant readings were noted for a few of the settings as the number of readings increased for either group. However, these differences would not be considered clinically significant. This study suggests that reusing Icare tonometer probes, even for hundreds of measurements, would not reduce the clinical utility of the pressure readings. For mass screenings in developing countries where cost savings is crucial, considering the reuse of Icare tonometer probes seems reasonable.