PurposeMarketing managers routinely use purchase intentions data to make strategic decisions concerning both new and existing products and the marketing programs that support them. Yet, the indication from empirical investigations regarding the link between respondents' stated intentions and their actual behavior is not as clear. Predicting which consumer will purchase an environmentally friendly product, the research remains split, particularly when it comes to perceived “trade‐offs” between the environmental benefits, quality, and cost. In this regard, previous research has fallen short in examining consumers' actual purchase behavior versus self‐reported purchase intentions. This paper seeks to address these issues.Design/methodology/approachThis study measured consumer psychographics and expressed purchase intention to predict actual purchase behavior using an online survey and the Vickrey auction method.FindingsThe results show that respondents expressing a high intention to purchase environmentally friendly wines also reported strong attitudes and values toward the environment. However, the gap between stated willingness to pay and the actual price paid was wide.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was restricted to the investigation of one type of product. The model should be tested with a number of products that are purchased on a regular basis.Practical implicationsGiven the wide disparity between stated willingness to pay and actual price paid for those expressing high purchase intentions, marketing should use caution when assessing this targeted group for new product launches and potential price changes.Originality/valueThis study assessed the same cohort using a survey and auction experiment to relate consumer values and purchase intentions with actual behavior.

No abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of employees’ different disability types on lodging guests’ perceptions of service quality delivery and stereotyping. The study also explores the influence of consumer characteristics (i.e. gender, education, religiosity, generational identity and relationship to a person with a disability) on service delivery quality perceptions and stereotyping. Design/methodology/approach Using different types of disabilities, the study uses a controlled experiment, followed by a survey, to evaluate consumers’ perception of service quality delivery of a hotel front office staff member. Findings The results suggest that there are no significant differences in the perceptions of service quality delivery and stereotyping for service employees with disabilities with the exception of employees with a visual impairment. The study found that participants, who had a close friend or family member with a disability, expressed less stereotyping than those who did not have a close friend or family member with a disability. Research limitations/implications Real service encounters can be used where participants might be more involved in the service process than in a controlled experiment setting. Practical implications The findings provide support to human resource management in strategically placing people with disabilities into front-line positions because they satisfactorily represent the image of the company and guests consider their service professional and reliable. Social implications The study’s findings support that employers should tap into the under-utilized workforce of people with disabilities and avoid pre-existing stereotyping. Originality/value A major concern of hospitality companies making employment decisions about hiring people with disabilities is guests’ attitude. This is the first study in hospitality that examines service quality delivery of employees with different types of disability serve guests.

2014),"Measuring food and beverage service quality in spa hotels: A case study inIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This exploratory study aims to investigate consumers' perceptions, attitudes, and purchase intention for restaurants that employ a significant amount of service staff with disabilities. The influences of consumers' characteristics and dining occasions on purchase intention were also examined. Design/methodology/approach -The authors employed a single-factor (dining occasion) experimental design. A convenient sample was used and a total of 192 consumers participated in this study. Findings -Consumers demonstrated a moderately positive purchase intention for a restaurant that employs a significant amount of service staff with disabilities; however, the purchase intention varied by dining occasions. The likelihood of choosing this type of restaurant was higher in a family/friends occasion than in business or romantic occasions. Research limitations/implications -This study employed a convenient sample and the findings might be limited to the casual dining restaurant context. Future research should examine the relationship between purchase intention and perceived social responsibility, restaurant image, or specific disabilities. Practical implications -This study suggests that hiring a significant amount of service staff with disabilities might be a better strategy for restaurants that target family/friends gatherings. Meanwhile, managers need to be more strategic when they assign employees with disabilities to serve guests who are in a business or romantic dining situation. Originality/value -This is the first study that empirically investigates consumers' perspectives on restaurant service staff with disabilities in the USA.

In this research, the effects of microcelebrity endorsements on customers’ attitude and booking intentions toward hotels are examined. Specifically, Study 1 manipulated the effect of information source (hotel official website vs. microcelebrity) and hotel type (chain vs. independent). Results indicated that microcelebrity endorsements yielded more positive attitude toward independent hotels. This effect was investigated further in Study 2 where the moderating effect of misleading photos on the relationship between information source and consumers’ trust and repurchase intentions was examined. Results demonstrated that when participants were shown misleading photos, there was a higher level of trust toward the hotel when the information source was microcelebrity. When the photos were nonmisleading, the level of trust toward the hotel was unaffected by the source of the information. Taken together, these data contribute to the growing social media literature as well as the influence of microcelebrities on consumers’ responses. Hospitality managers might also consider the potential benefits of including microcelebrities into their strategic planning.