Wednesday 31 October 2007

Burrell & Morgan

Looking into the ontological epistemological debate

Most basic ontological question;

is reality out there? or is it a product of one's mind?
a product of individual consciousness.

is reality of an 'objective' nature?

epistomological

is knowledge hard or soft (a more subjective, spiritual or even transcendental kind)
the extreme positions ask whether knowledge can be acquired (hard) or whether it is something which has to personaly experienced.

human nature

is the human 'the master rather than the marionette'?
do humans respond to what is out there in a mehanistic or deterministic fashion, or do they create? do they have 'free will'?

Sunday 28 October 2007

Re draft of R1

Just while I remember - HG suggested redrafting the document I did for the R1.
Probs should do this after the RTP thing.
that's it.

Friday 26 October 2007

Supervisory meeting 24/10

Met with HG and XF to discuss the change of plan.
Based around the switch to just looking at repeat purchasing.
HG was keener on the original plan, looking at pre-departure, post-trip stuff, but once I explained the past customer part, he seemed satisfied.

The sample, as HG pointed out, could be massive, so there is a need to limit. I suggested by destination.

HG suggested that one of the main issues would be getting people to fill in the forms - and suggested that serious buy in form the TO would allow the TL to administer the forms, but as an augmented CSQ, rather than an additional form.

HG was pointing to getting maybe 40 tour groups in a destination during a given period, with the TL administering the form. This would allow for a big enough sample. However the only CSQs I would want to look at would be those of repeaters(?). This could seriously limit the numbers, but I guess just more forms would be the plan.

Big issue I still need to address with HG is the international aspect. The questions in the survey, regarding the ethical profiling of individuals, should be taken from, or based on, something. For example. Mintel. co-op (1999 + 2004), I guess any other work done in the area.

There was some chat about mintel - go to the british library - check leeds, manchester

Tuesday 23 October 2007

Opperman 2000

Tourism Destination Loyalty

Good article - goes into the real basic history of where brand loyalty came from.
need to pick up on the leads - the actual study is about destination loyalty, but the intro - key points - are very relevant.
Go through biblio - pick out articles - put together timeline.

Jacoby 1973

Brand Loyalty vs. Repeat Purchasing Behavior

Old text - looking at the difference between brand loyalty and Repeat purchase behaviour.
Has 6 criteria for repeat purchase behaviour - contends that the two concepts are quite distinct.
Makes some key points about what needs to be investigated.
Look at 6 points again
(1) non-random
(2) needs to be a puchase
(3) expressed over time
(4) by some decision-making unit (key for me)
(5) needs to be alternative brands to choose from
(6) part of a decision making process
to be BRAND LOYAL
AGAIN makes reference to the Discomfort of dissonance, and the attempt to avoid this by adopting brand loyalty as a purchase strategy.

Westwood 1999

Branding the package holiday--The role and significance of brands for UK air tour operators

Excellent Piece - strong links to the adventure market - in a sense applying what ought not be done in the soft-adventure market.
Talks about 'dissonance reduction' as a way of lookoing at the issue - need to investigate further.
Points to the limited success of branding in UK TOs.
Role of emotions in attachment to a brand.
Idea of sticking with the same brand to avoid perceived risk.
Lots of intangibles - our beliefs/feelings/emotions
Look up de Chernatony and McDonald.
Why would people care about the 'brand' of a holiday? You go away, you come back - people ask how your holiday was - do they care which company you went with? Do they care which luggage tag you have? nope.
Mathieson and Wall sequential model of consumer decision making - pre-consumption, experience, post-consumption. We look at post-consumption stage.
At the post-consumption stage the consumer is left with largely intangible, emotional elements - memories, photographs, and souvenirs of the experience. ' travel satisfaction evaluation' takes place now - appraisal and reappraisal of the entire experience - which, as Mathieson and Wall state, ahs a strong infleence on subsequent decisions - allegiance to the brand manifesting in brand loyalty, repeat purchase and recommendation to friends, relatives and colleagues.

Monday 22 October 2007

Muller 2000

Targeting the CANZUS baby boomer explorer and adventurer segments

Interesting article in the sense that it goes into typologies in some detail - which could be fruitful when analysing results. Otherwise - a great deal of focus on demographics and also particular to those countries - AUS CAN US NZ. Looking to get marketing advantage out of them.

Riley 2001

The Case for Process Approaches in Loyalty Reseach in Tourism

Interesting article in one of my first forays into 'repeat purchase' or loyalty.
Touches on some good points and identifies many areas of literature - marketing/consumer behaviour/organisational theory/ involvement/ attachment.

Key point - measures of loyalty look at 'the pull of the object (how does that inspire loyalty?) and the other, the propensity of the individual to be loyal.

Interesting spin-off the roll of the group in influencing the feel/consensus.

Tuesday 16 October 2007

morocco trip

looking at the group that i was a part of

beth/bill - canadians living in USA - used a booking agent. age 27/30. been on two previous trips with different companies - no particular memories of either - think one may have been expore. Bill just gives the credit card to beth to book the trip. bill sceptical about Fair Trade products - do they really help? and also sceptical of carbon offsetting. had serious doubts about the whole 'ethical' debate - other group members regarded this as 'too American'. they were outdoorsy people with experience of camping and hiking. Typology - no brand loyalty - but money not relly the main issues - just whatever the agent says - AGENT BOOKERS

Patricia/lily - canadians from vancouver - had booked 3 consecutive Imtrav trips in morocco - Imperial cities and 2 treks - they had been with Imtrav in Mongolia and had enjoyed it - this was their main reason for booking with Imtrav. They were very consciencious - they looked at many many details before booking - they considered all the meals, they did research on all the accomodations, looked at transfers and distances to the airports - and made an overall decision. They are part of a waling group in vancouver. Pat was not impressed with where we camped before summitting. She wanted there to be proper toilets - and was not enjoying the shit everywhere. She also did not appreciate squat toilets. They had been on several soft-adventure trips - including Kili. Typology - CAUTIOUS CAREFUL CONSUMER

Fiona - rev from Birmingham - very conscientous. Ethical consumer. Do not know whay she chose imtrav. Lots of experience in Africa (8 years) but did not want to travel alone. Was surprised by other lack of belief in being able to make a difference. Typology - ETHICAL CONSUMER

Tessa - admin worker from Sheffield - seemed to have strong ethical beliefs - uses freecycle, walks to work, buy fairtrade whan she can, possibly more as part of a self-identity than anything else. Had used other companies before and was able to spot differences. Thought that Expore having a local and a Westerner with the group made communication easier. Typology - SELF-IDENTIFIER

Brian - older man - retired - been on many trips, getting a little past it now. Been to Himilayas, Peru etc - got to know a lady from Tucan or who recommended Tucan and that is what attracted him to the company originally - very knowledgeable about other companies in the market, if not fully up-to-date. Typology - TRADITIONAL

Mike - Australian living in London - found Imtrav through a search engine - very flexible in terms of expectations - no real allegiance to imtrav - going on another trip in November - with Bex to Egypt. Typology - EASY BREEZY

Andy/DAN - accountant/buyer - similar to Mike - easy breezy - just take whatever comes. EASY BREEZY