When addressing the ever-increasing role that social media plays in generating a clear image of the travel destination chosen by tourists, the research and specialty literature tends to be rather limited. Despite an increase in social media-generated content, the process is not yet fully understood, although research suggests the importance of two different factors (i.e., tour-operator-generated content and user-generated content) in influencing destination image formation. In this regard, the present paper aims to examine the most significant factors currently affecting the potential behavior of travelers towards the selection of sustainable destinations. What is more, another purpose of this paper is to explore the effects that tour-operator-generated content and user-generated content have upon the formation of the overall mediating destination image through cognitive and affective destination images. For the current analysis, a structural equation modeling (SEM) method was used in order to test the conceptual model. Data from Shanghai, China (n = 425) were used. The results demonstrate and establish that travel information sources (i.e., tour-operator-generated content and user-generated content) have a positive effect on destination image formation. The analytical results also revealed that in order to select a sustainable destination, travelers are influenced by tour-operator-generated content, as well as by user-generated content, with the effect of the latter being more important and influential. Travelers’ use of social media content has played a key role in the formation of the overall destination image through the mediating effect of cognitive and affective destination images. This research thus provides valuable theoretical and practical implications for academics and practitioners alike, implications which are valuable for the fields of destination marketing and management. Furthermore, practitioners of the management of sustainable destinations can thus make use of the results throughout the entire decision-making process.

When traditional financial institutions faced difficulties in the task of assisting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) with capital allocations, crowdfunding can upsurge as an innovative and vibrant vehicle that can support and assist the activity of such MSME’s, by financing their activity and instrumenting the process of risk-sharing. Simultaneously with its enormous growth and popularity, crowdfunding is faced by several key challenges, one of biggest such challenges referring to the problem of information asymmetry that can exist between fundraisers and potential backers. Based on the signaling theory, a research taxonomy has been developed for a comparative analysis between China and the UK. This has been accomplished by retrieving secondary data from the following crowdfunding platforms: Dreamore (Chinese platform) and Crowdfunder (UK platform). The objective of the study is to investigate both the effect and the impact that signals (goal setting, project comments and updates) have upon mitigating the problem of information asymmetry, in order to make the project successful. We have thus deployed an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression and validated the models through a robustness check. The findings reveal that signals actively mitigate the problem of information asymmetry in both countries, but this varies in the sense that higher goal setting has a more positive/impactful relationship with project success in the UK than it does in China. Project comments are more positively associated with project success in China as compared to the UK, whereas project updates are more negatively related to project success in China as compared to the UK. These findings demonstrate the importance that signals have upon successful crowdfunding activities/campaigns, highlighting the theoretical and practical influence and relevance for potential fundraisers in the two aforementioned economies.

Tourism and hospitality are at a crossroads. The growth and developmental potential of these industries indicate the economic benefits for an associated nation at one end. However, the environmental issues related to tourism and hospitality create challenges for the administration at another end. In most cases, a sheer amount of carbon emission in hospitality lies with energy consumption, especially electrical energy. However, past studies on environmental management have mainly focused on the supply side of energy (production) and left the terrain of the demand side (consumption by individuals) unattended. Recently, behavioral scientists have indicated that corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions of a firm can promote sustainable behavior among individuals, including employees. We tend to spark this discussion from an energy consumption perspective by investigating the relationship between CSR and energy-related pro-environmental behavior of employees (EPB) in the hospitality sector of a developing country (Pakistan). To understand the underlying mechanism of this relationship, this study proposes the mediating role of green intrinsic motivation (GIM) and the moderating role of human emotions, e.g., employee admiration (ADM). We developed a theoretical model for which the data were gathered from different hotel employees with the help of a questionnaire. We used structural equation modeling for hypotheses testing. The empirical evidence indicated that CSR significantly predicts EPB, and there is a mediating role of GIM. The study also confirmed that ADM moderates this relationship. The findings of this study will be helpful for hotel administration to understand the profound importance of CSR-based actions to promote energy-related sustainable behavior among employees, e.g., EPB. Other implications for theory and practice have been highlighted in the main text of this draft.

The decisive role of the knowledge-based economy, and the importance of the ventures fostering the use of innovation and incorporating knowledge, high technology and creativity are nowadays worldwide recognised, even more so considering that the EU is in a permanent search for innovation as a source of and for competitiveness. Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) are expected to play a key role in the knowledge-based economy as a source of innovation and knowledge in production, dynamic hubs in knowledge-related networks, or intermediaries of innovation between the manufacturing sector and suppliers, partners and final consumers. Within this context, in the present paper we aim to investigate the complex relation between the knowledge intensive business services (KIBS) and the imperative of fostering the economic activity, both of the entrepreneurial dynamics and their macroeconomic effects. The analysis, performed at EU level, leads to interesting results, revealing a complex but contradictory relation between KIBS and economic activity, which is measured by the following main indicators: entrepreneurial density and macroeconomic dynamics.

Cities are one of the main factors influencing the economic development and prosperity of societies. Smart cities, fueled by innovation and the Internet of Things, are built on three pillars - improving the residents’ quality of life, business competitiveness, and ensuring a sustainable environment. When applied within the six urban areas: economy, mobility, security, education, living conditions, and environment, cities can much faster make the transition to smart cities. The term smart city is often associated with the desire for accelerated modernization of various spatial and urban social interactions, the term “smart city” often being fuelled by technological developments. Proof of this are the terms used to define the same concept: “digital city”, “e-communities”, “intelligent city”, “e-City”, “wired city”. However, a smart city is called upon to respond to the needs of cities and societies alike to approach challenges in a novel and creative manner. The motivations for transforming existing cities into smart ones are obvious and straightforward. They come on one hand, from the threats of current demographic phenomena (population growth, migration, public health, safety, and living conditions), and also from the opportunities of solutions that can be brought by technological developments and innovation, transformations of generations (new “Digital” generations), and civic involvement (participation and inclusion) in the management of modern cities. Thus, the meaning associated to the name of the smart city does not only overlap with the idea of modernization and expansion, but also wants to combine, simultaneously, competitiveness and sustainable urban development. In the present study, by building upon a European vision as regards the development of smart cities, we have attempted to build an image of the European envisioned smart city, which is to be planned out and sought after through a series of strategic partnerships for innovation. Not only is the European vision detailed, but Romanian specific urban development and smart city tendencies shall also be briefly analyzed in this paper.