Yuksel Ekinci

• BSc, MSc, MA, Phd
• Professor at University of Reading

As sustainable tourism gains momentum, understanding the impact of Cittaslow promotion on tourist behavior is crucial yet remains unexplored. This study addresses this gap by investigating the effect of Cittaslow promotion on tourists’ behavioral responses, especially within social media contexts and small urban tourism destinations. Applying signa...

The study tested a celebrity endorsement model to investigate the direct and indirect influences of celebrity attachment on brand loyalty across two culturally distinct countries: The United Kingdom and Turkiye. The survey was completed by 626 respondents and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings show that celebrit...

This study develops and tests a novel destination brand equity model and compares its validity with Aaker’s brand equity model, which is popular in tourism. The data were collected in Indonesia (n = 250) and the United Kingdom (n = 246). The results confirm validity and hierarchical structure of the destination brand equity model. The destination b...

Although brand attachment has positive effects on favorable consumer behavior, recent studies have advocated that brand attachment may have dark sides which stimulate some harmful behaviors. Nevertheless, research on the dark side of brand attachment is scant. This study investigates the effect of brand attachment on two negative behaviors (compuls...

Despite the deadly consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitation remains a threat to public health and international travel. This study tests the effect of Muslim religiosity on belief-based attitudes (i.e. subjective norms, perceived behavioural control) and travel desire as a proxy for COVID-19 vaccination intentions. The structural m...

Since the economic recovery heavily depends on the population attaining herd immunity against the virus through the vaccination programme, understanding the factors that improve people’s intentions to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is critically important for the hospitality and tourism industry. This research investigates whether travel desire ca...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental impacts on hospitality businesses. Drawing on protection motivation theory (PMT), this study investigated what determined customer hesitation to patronize restaurants and hotels and whether such hesitation underwent changes in the duration of the pandemic. The research model was tested using three sets of s...

The aim of this study is to propose a conceptual framework for building destination brand credibility. This research proposes a novel framework to explore the antecedents of destination brand credibility based on four constructs: enduring culture involvement, destination brand identification, destination brand reputation and destination brand attac...

This research examines the effectiveness of message framing, message appeal and information content in changing respondents' COVID-19 vaccination intentions through influencing their vaccine risk perceptions. Furthermore, the moderating effect of travel desire on the relationship between vaccine risk perceptions and changing vaccination intentions...

Purpose This study aims to investigate the role of destination brand stereotypes in predicting destination brand attachment (DBA). Design/methodology/approach Using survey data from 612 Indonesian respondents, the conceptual framework is tested by applying structural equation modeling analysis. Findings The results show that the four components o...

Purpose Despite growing recognition of the importance of consumer engagement with new technologies, a gap remains in terms of understanding the antecedents, consequences and moderators of online consumer engagement (OCE). This paper aims to address this gap by exploring the relationship between personality traits, OCE, perceived value and the mode...

This study develops a framework of customer-restaurant brand identification and tests a full and partial mediation model of brand identification to understand the way in which customers develop brand identification in the restaurant sector. The models are tested via customer data using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The findings sug...

Free access at https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1YiW27sySzrBU0. Prior studies have established the importance of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in predicting travellers' intentions and behaviours. However, recent research advocates that individuals' mindsets provide an important framework for understanding their behaviour. The relationship bet...

The aim of this study is to introduce a Consumer-Based Brand Performance Model (CBBPM) to measure brand success. The CBBPM consists of four critical constructs—brand equity, brand trust, brand satisfaction, and brand loyalty—and is applied across different product categories and brands. In total, 881 consumers participated in the survey, and a stru...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between brand attachment and consumers’ positive and negative behaviours. Furthermore, this study examines the moderating effects of attachment styles on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a survey of 432 respondents, and the data are analysed...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of ideal self-congruence in instigating two types of negative consumer behaviours – compulsive buying and external trash-talking – and the mediating role of brand attachment on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were designed using a structural equation modell...

Compulsive buying refers to a phenomenon that promotes excessive consumerism which may hurt the brands' reputation in the long run. This study examines the influence of actual and ideal self-congruence on brand attachment and two dimensions of compulsive buying behavior (i.e. impulsive and obsessive-compulsive buying). Based on a survey of 427 resp...

Recent advances in technology have given organizations the opportunity to provide self-service through the medium of technology, and accordingly, the provision of these technology-based services has increased in the last decade (Holman & Buzek, 2007; Lee et al., 2010). Providing consumers with the opportunity for self-service allows organizations t...

The aim of this chapter is to review empirical and theoretical academic research about Private Label products (PLs) and to suggest directions for future research. The review focuses on the period of greatest scientific output (2000-2014) and consults all the international publications on marketing ranked by the Academic Journal Quality Guide. This...

The aim of this study is twofold: firstly to introduce and test a consumer-based brand performance model and secondly to compare global brands’ performance with private labels’. The two surveys were conducted with the help of a Spanish marketing research company. In total 454 respondents participated in the Private Labels survey and 435 respondents...

Extant research has promoted the importance and seeking to establish a deeper understanding of brand loyalty. However, it still remains elusive and uncertain. A study with more than 1,500 CEOs worldwide believes that creating a bond with consumers and continuing to learn how to strengthen the bond are essential for realizing strategies and deliveri...

The Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) literature has, in recent years, introduced various CBBE models. This study aims to compare the validity of the two prominent CBBE models in the retail industry; those introduced by Yoo and Donthu (2011) and Nam, Ekinci and Whyatt (2011). In order to make this comparison, the study collected data from Turkish...

Although the effects of personality traits on complaining behaviour emerged in the early 1980s, there is limited research in the service industry. The purpose of this study is to examine whether consumer personality traits influence intentions to complain and whether product price and product types moderate the relationship between personality trai...

We develop a new measurement scale to assess consumers' brand likeability in firm-level brands. We present brand likeability as a multidimensional construct. In the context of service experience purchases, we find that increased likeability in brands results in: (1) greater amount of positive association; (2) increased interaction interest; (3) mor...

In recent years a number of Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) models and measurement scales have been introduced in the branding literature. However, examinations of brand equity in Private Labels (PL) are rather limited. This study aims to compare the validity of the two prominent CBBE models those introduced by Yoo and Donthu (2001) and Nam, Eki...

Although the questionnaire is the most popular method of business and management data collection, it is not an end in itself. The questionnaire provides a document on which to record answers. It is a tool by which respondents are asked the same questions face-to-face or through other mediums such as online or telephone. The completed questionnaire...

The influence of positive online consumer reviews on a traveler's decision making remains unclear. To better understand the perceived usefulness of online reviews, this study conducts two experiments using positive and negative online consumer reviews. Study results suggest that high risk-averse travelers find negative online reviews more useful th...

Recognizing the importance of tourism's experiential aspects, this research examines how hedonic and utilitarian values relate to tourist's overall shopping experience satisfaction and destination loyalty. Study findings suggest both hedonic and utilitarian shopping values are strongly linked to overall shopping satisfaction. Overall shopping satis...

Brand attachment has been regarded as a powerful and salient construct in marketing, argued to predict favourable consumer behaviours. Nevertheless, research trying to understand what are the determinants and outcomes of it is still limited. Using semi-structured interviews and projective techniques, this work identifies that self-congruity, experi...

Brand attachment recently has received great attention among practitioners and academics alike. Scholars consider brand attachment a key requisite in consumer-brand relationships that create favourable consumer behaviours such as positive brand attitudes and brand loyalty. Few studies, however, examine the detrimental outcomes of brand attachment....

The aim of this study is to review the state of empirical and theoretical research about Private Label (PL) and to identify gaps and future research avenues. This paper uses a bibliometric approach of recent advances in the research of PL; it focuses on the period of greatest scientific output (2000-2012) and includes all international publications...

This study's purpose is to investigate the effects of self-congruence and functional congruence on tourists' destination choice. The present research contributes to the gap in the consumer behavior literature by examining the relationships among self-congruence, functional congruence, and destination choice. Based on a sample of 367 British residen...

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is recognised as a means of interpersonal communication and a powerful marketing tool. However, previous studies have focussed on related motivations, and limited attention has been given to understanding the antecedents of eWOM communication behaviour in the travel industry. This study proposes a full and partial me...

The purpose of this study was to specify a set of attributes, identified as important precursors to coach selection. Executive coaching has grown exponentially, but there have been few studies as to the efficacy of coaching, including the factors that influence a manager's choice of coach. This study sought to identify these factors. The 45‐item, o...

Although past studies advocate a positive impact of service quality on business performance, empirical studies investigating the nature of the relationship between service quality and profit growth in the hotel industry are limited. This study contributes to an ongoing debate as to whether service quality has a direct or indirect influence on profi...

This study aims to investigate the mediating effects of consumer satisfaction on the relationship between consumer-based brand equity and brand loyalty in the hotel and restaurant industry. Based on a sample of 378 customers and using structural equation modelling approach, the five dimensions of brand equity—physical quality, staff behaviour, idea...

While a growing number of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are making use of coaching, little is known about the impact such coaching has within this sector. This study sought to identify the factors that influence managers' decision to engage with coaching, their perceptions of the coaching ‘journey’ and the kinds of benefits accruing fr...

The purpose of this article is to explore customer retention strategies and tactics implemented by firms in recession. Our investigations show just how big a challenge many organizations face in their ability to manage customer retention effectively. While leading organizations have embedded real-time customer life cycle management, developed accur...

This article explores the relationship between customer experiences with call centres and company profitability. Empirical research using data from the ERIC Programme™ of Harding & Yorke and financial data from the AMADEUS database identifies that there is a strong relationship between certain dimensions of the customer experience and profitability...

Although implementing the marketing concept can be accomplished through frontline employees in many service firms, very few studies have investigated the relationships between a service provider's personality and important performance outcomes. This article examines how frontline service employee personality traits affect interaction quality and co...

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of information technology (IT) project management and governance. Interviews were carried out with 10 senior managers in different organisations who had been involved in major IT projects. It follows on from a study carried out by Stone, Ekinci and Foss concerning success and failure in custome...

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In this paper, we review the results of a recent pilot study of the extent to which public sector organisations (PSOs) are focused on understanding and managing stakeholders, citizens or customers. Our conclusion is that while at the tactical level there has been some progress, there is still a long way to go when it comes to focusing PSOs on this...

Although customer relationship management (CRM) has been one of the fastest growing businesses of the new millennium, critics point to the high failure rate of the CRM projects as evidenced by commercial market studies. The purpose of the study is to investigate success and failures of CRM system implementations. We found that the scope, size, comp...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of self‐congruence on consumer satisfaction with services and to develop and test a conceptual model of the antecedents and consequences of consumer satisfaction in the hospitality industry. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual framework consists of the following constructs: actual s...

Although branding of goods has received increased attention in both the academic and practitioner communities, research on place brand-building process has been sparse. This study seeks to address this lacuna and proposes a four-component place brand-building framework. namely: determining a brand vision, communicating the brand vision, managing pa...

The purpose of this research was to develop a path analytical model to test multiple direct and indirect relationships involving tourists' perception of host image, destination personality, and behavioral intentions. Specifically, the study tested hypotheses that host image has a positive impact on destination personality that in return will have a...

The purpose of this study is to validate the Sustainable Tourism Attitude Scale (SUS-TAS), which measures residents' attitudes toward sustainable tourism development. Using two data sets from Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess psychometric properties of SUS-TAS. Although the ori...

Purpose To examine the contentious relationship between brand image and brand personality in the context of tourism destinations. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews the literature on brand (destination) image, brand (destination) personality and identifies examples of definitional inconsistencies and instances where the terms brand imag...

The purpose of this study is to investigate users' perception of Salespoint.com, which is a web-based CRM software application developed by Marketpoint, UK. An online survey was administered to 206 users from six international companies. The findings of the study suggest that usefulness of marketing database search, ease of navigation and usefulnes...

As tourism destinations become more substitutable due to increasing competition in global tourism markets, destination personality is seen as a viable metaphor for building destination brands and crafting a unique identity for tourism places. At the conceptual level, although the importance of destination personality has been acknowledged, to the b...

This study investigates the relationship between destination image and destination personality. While brand image and brand personality studies are well documented in the generic marketing literature, application of branding theories to places, in particular to tourism destinations, is relatively new. Using tourism destinations as a setting, this s...

The relationship between brands and consumers is seen as an important element of strategic brand management. Past studies have examined different aspects of branding (e.g. brand equity, brand personality, brand image, brand loyalty), but there has been limited research investigating the quality of the relationship between consumers and brands. The...

The proposition that guides this article is that value for money not only influences customers’ choice behavior at the prepurchase phase but also affects their intention to recommend and return behavior at the postpurchase phase. Perceived value is conceptualized as consisting of two dimensions: acquisition value and transaction value. The study ap...

This article describes two studies that tested the basic tenet of congruence theory—that there is a relationship between self-concept and evaluation of product concept. The present paper extends the range of previous empirical work by considering the above relationship in a service context, using restaurants and hotels. In the first study, the degr...

Quality of accommodations is considered to be a strategic tool for increasing the competitiveness of island destinations. This has led to the measurement of service quality in Cretan accommodations and the development of marketing strategies for the UK holiday market. The aim of the study is two-fold; firstly, to identify characteristics of the Bri...

Despite the popularity and continued use of the SERVQUAL Scale, a number of serious criticisms have been raised concerning its validity. These criticisms focus on the generic nature of the service quality dimensions and the use of desired expectation as a comparison standard. The objectives of this research are twofold. First, it sets out to examin...

The aim of this study is to examine whether consumers use single or multiple comparison standards for the evaluation of service quality and when determining their satisfaction, in the context of the hospitality industry. The data was collected using a convenient student sample. The findings indicate that consumers use multiple comparison standards...

This study investigates the relationships between customer satisfaction, service quality, and overall attitude. To this end, two conceptual frameworks and 10 hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings indicate that the evaluation of service quality leads to customer satisfaction and satisfaction is more similar to...

The complexity of the factors defining service quality has led to the development of multidimensional models, which are divided into two schools of thought: the North American and the Nordic European. The aim of this article is twofold. First, it reviews some of the key is - sues raised in relation to the theoretical formations of these two schools...

This research is to explore Norwegians’ image of US lodging facilities with a two-stage perceptual survey of Norwegian residents. Focus group surveys are first conducted to determine the important attributes delineating Norwegians’ perceptions of US lodging facilities. Subsequently, a questionnaire containing the important perceptual attributes, al...

This study focuses on generic service quality dimensions, which have empirical and conceptual support in the literature. The purpose of this research is to try to validate these dimensions using two measuring procedure that are different from the common ones used in this area. The Guttman scaling procedure and Q-sort test are the two new measuring...

This volume focuses on consumer decision making for evaluating choice alternatives in tourism, leisure, and hospitality operations. It deals with research and methodological problems such as coping with nonlinear utility functions, capturing highly emotional product attributes, incorporating noncompensatory decision rules, and accounting for unobse...

The study is in an attempt to detect overseas British holidaymaker segments based on personal values. A data collected from 305 overseas British travelers are analyzed in the study. With a hierarchical cluster analysis, two clusters of mutually exclusive group are emerged. Subsequently, a K-means cluster analysis is further deployed to divide the s...

This article is primarily methodological and is concerned with the psychological dimensions which form the basis of evaluative judgment on hotels. The study takes six dimensions which have empirical and conceptual support in the literature and attempts to validate them using methods which are different from the now common measuring procedures in th...

This paper describes the use of Q-sort technique in the scale development process. An exploratory study is presented to show the application of this methodology. The study takes its dimensions from established models of service quality. The result proposes that Q-sort technique is a useful methodological approach in eliminating the validity and rel...

This aim of this paper is to introduce Guttman Scaling procedure for the assessment of consumer behaviour. It is suggested as a useful methodology particularly when the unidimensionality of the scale is of concern. An empirical case study, designed from the service quality literature, was presented in order to demonstrate a possible application. Fu...

The article critically reviews the conceptual issues which surrounds the measurement of service quality. Methodological issues are not addressed. The critique centres upon the gap model and its associated instrument SERVQUAL and argues that, despite progress, all the original problems remain in place. A conclusion which leads firstly, to the sugges...

The service quality literature has evolved around two schools of thought: the North American and the Nordic European. Although the North American School of thought has received much attention from the practitioners with a five factorial model, it has also generated a great deal of criticism. The Nordic European School of thought, on the conceptuali...

Holidays are rich in terms of experiential benefits and the hedonic nature of the consumption experience is laden with emotional content. The aim of this paper seeks to broaden our understanding of emotions within the context of tourism in two ways. Firstly, it describes the types of emotions tourists experience towards holiday destinations. Second...