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- Member of: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Description
In this study the impact of outside the classroom activities and experiences of study abroad participants on cultural attitude change and perceived cultural competence was investigated. Motives to participate, expectations and outcomes of study abroad programs were also explored. The study used a mixed methods approach and was conducted in three parts including an exploratory sequential component followed by a concurrent embedded component. The exploratory sequential component included a photo elicitation project, the results of which contributed both to the results of the study and the development of the questionnaire used in the concurrent embedded component. The concurrent embedded component used a pre and post-test survey design and included a qualitative writing exercise with select participants between the completion of their pre and post-test questionnaires. The results suggest that study abroad participation does result in changes in both participants' cultural attitudes and cultural competency. It was hypothesized that length of time abroad and the cultural distance of the host country would have an influence on the change in cultural attitudes and cultural competency. As found in previous research, length of time abroad was not found to be a major contributing factor to this change when considering the results of the pre and post-test survey. However, the results of the qualitative studies resulted in many questions about the impact of length abroad. Participants in longer-term programs discussed changes in their cultural attitudes in a more complex way than short-term participants. Longer-term participants expressed changes in their cultural competency differently as well, though not in a way that it can be conclusively said they were more culturally competent. The reverse was the case for cultural distance. Cultural distance was a factor in the changes in cultural competency, however not in cultural attitudes when considering the results of the quantitative component. The qualitative results seem to bring up more questions. While shorter-term participants discussed cultural competency differently than longer-term participants, surprisingly the short-term programs had a higher percentage of participants studying in countries with large cultural distance than did long-term programs.
ContributorsPachmayer, Ara (Author) / Andereck, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Committee member) / Timothy, Dallen (Committee member) / Davey, Lynn (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Branding and brand management have been top management priorities in the hotel industry. Some researchers have concluded that strong branding would be an efficient way for hotels and hotel chains to differentiate themselves from each other. Recent studies have focused on the establishment of a brand equity model and the relevant causal relationships of the model. Most of these studies have used types of desirability scales examining the importance of individual factors in measuring brand equity. However, they ignore the trade-offs that affect and characterize choice. Particularly, the personal decision process implied by the hierarchical brand equity model is absent. This study proposed two alternative measures of brand equity, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and conjoint analysis (CA), to address these limitations. The AHP and the CA were compared using several validity measures to aid in selecting efficient methods. This study examined the validity of AHP and CA under two data collection methods applied to hotel branding: paper-based survey and online survey. Result showed that the AHP data collection methods were easier, as well as with respect to saving time and costs. Results also indicated that the AHP is equivalent to the CA with respect to predictive accuracy. Practical differences for hotel branding in attribute preferences were clearly observed between the AHP and the CA. The AHP results were consistent with previous studies by awarding high importance to perceived quality and brand loyalty and lower importance to brand awareness and brand image. Managerial implications were provided for results. In terms of practicality in data collection, the study results revealed that the data gathered online leads to a slightly lower internal and predictive validity. A limitation of this study was that the two methods were not perfectly comparable. Nevertheless, the validity of both AHP and CA seems satisfactory for both methods. The study results also offer useful perspectives to consider when choosing between the two methods, as well as between AHP and CA.
ContributorsLee, Seung-Hyun (Author) / Tyrrell, Timothy (Thesis advisor) / Uysal, Muzaffer (Committee member) / Andereck, Kathleen (Committee member) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Destination image has been explored by studying various aspects of the process of forming a perception about an area and choosing to visit or not. This study uses a variety of theories from previous research which has focused on subsets of factors which influence the overall process to create a model to organize the perception formation and decision making progress into one continuous and interrelated progression. Online questionnaires using Likert scale statements and questions were distributed to participants through Facebook in order to measure and test the model. A total of 266 questionnaires were completed and analyzed using t test, ANOVA, regression, factor analysis, and cluster analysis. The original model from the beginning of the study transformed with the removal of some variables and the alteration of others. The factors that were shown to influence perception of the destination were tourist type and knowledge of the country. Tourists who were more likely to seek new environments and had a higher level of knowledge of the country used in the marketing video had a better perception of the destination before and after the video. Obstacles for deciding to visit the destination were found to be long distances traveling and substitution of alternative destinations. The results show that marketing videos do create a positive change in the perception of the destination, but this alone is not likely enough to influence the decision to visit the destination. Marketing agencies should consider more ways of informing consumers of the destination in addition to commercials so that overall knowledge of the area can be improved. In addition, marketing agencies should target consumers that are interested in visiting new environments by using travel magazine subscriptions, international airline agencies and hotels, and social media groups.
ContributorsHugo, Nichole (Author) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Thesis advisor) / Andereck, Kathleen (Committee member) / Buzinde, Christine (Committee member) / Harrill, Rich (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Because of its ability to harbor social values, norms, and beliefs, heritage has always been utilized as an ideological vehicle. One prominent example of politicizing heritage is Chinese red tourism, comprised of state-promoted tours to revolutionary memorial sites. It is expected to generate political, economic, and social benefits, particularly to reinforce the legitimate leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. Statistics show that dramatic market growth in red tourism has occurred over the past decade. Yet it is still heavily driven by the government and thus whether long-term sustainability can be achieved is still questionable.
This dissertation explores the dynamics of red tourism from the perspective of a meaning-making process, where tourism discourses circulate among the processes of production, transmission, and consumption. The results reveal that higher-level government primarily assumes the leading role, whereas local government is largely excluded from strategy making processes and primarily responsible for implementation and operation. Some dissonance exists between higher and lower-level governments in their goals and involvement in red tourism development. Second, intermediaries are not altruistic and attempt to maximize their own benefits. While site interpreters may provide officially authorized narratives, their primary focus is hosting higher-up administrative visitors. On the contrary, tour guides are more customer-oriented, which may lead to officially undesirable interpretations. Third, driven by multiple motives, tourists have increasingly diverse attitudes towards red heritage and participate in various political and non-political activities. A considerable degree of congruence was found between tourists' participation, motivation, memories, and perception. Quantitative results indicate that the majority of tourists have learned about the political significance and/or content of red heritage, and developed more positive attitudes towards, and support for, the CCP and the government, to a certain extent.
This dissertation contributes to current research by adopting a systematic and emic perspective to explore the dynamics of red tourism. Several conceptual frameworks were developed inductively to describe the meaning-making process. Mixed methods were used to learn about tourists' consumption and perceptions of red heritage. Implications regarding enhancing the effectiveness of the meaning-making process, limitations of the study, and potential directions for future research are also discussed.
This dissertation explores the dynamics of red tourism from the perspective of a meaning-making process, where tourism discourses circulate among the processes of production, transmission, and consumption. The results reveal that higher-level government primarily assumes the leading role, whereas local government is largely excluded from strategy making processes and primarily responsible for implementation and operation. Some dissonance exists between higher and lower-level governments in their goals and involvement in red tourism development. Second, intermediaries are not altruistic and attempt to maximize their own benefits. While site interpreters may provide officially authorized narratives, their primary focus is hosting higher-up administrative visitors. On the contrary, tour guides are more customer-oriented, which may lead to officially undesirable interpretations. Third, driven by multiple motives, tourists have increasingly diverse attitudes towards red heritage and participate in various political and non-political activities. A considerable degree of congruence was found between tourists' participation, motivation, memories, and perception. Quantitative results indicate that the majority of tourists have learned about the political significance and/or content of red heritage, and developed more positive attitudes towards, and support for, the CCP and the government, to a certain extent.
This dissertation contributes to current research by adopting a systematic and emic perspective to explore the dynamics of red tourism. Several conceptual frameworks were developed inductively to describe the meaning-making process. Mixed methods were used to learn about tourists' consumption and perceptions of red heritage. Implications regarding enhancing the effectiveness of the meaning-making process, limitations of the study, and potential directions for future research are also discussed.
ContributorsZhao, Shengnan (Author) / Timothy, Dallen J. (Thesis advisor) / Chhabra, Deepak (Committee member) / Lee, Woojin (Committee member) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Committee member) / Li, Wei (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
The emergence of social media in concert with improved camera and cell phone technologies has helped usher in an age of unprecedented visual communication which has radically changed the tourism industry worldwide. Serving as an important pillar of tourism and leisure studies, the concept of the tourist gaze has been left relatively unexamined within the context of this new visual world and more specifically image based social media. This phenomenological inquiry sought to explore how image based social media impacts the concept of the tourist gaze and furthermore to discover how the democratization of the gaze in concert with specific features of image based social media applications impacts the hermeneutic circle of the tourist gaze. This in-depth analysis of the user experience within the context of travel consisted of 19 semi-structured photo elicitation interviews and incorporated 57 participant generated photos. Six salient themes emerged from the study of this phenomenon; 1) sphere of influence, 2) exchange of information, 3) connections manifested, 4) impression management and content curation, 5) replicated travel photography, and 6) expectations. Analysis of these themes in conjunction with examples from the lived user experience demonstrate that the tourist gaze is being accelerated and expanded by image based social media in a rapid manner. Furthermore, democratization of the gaze as enabled by technological developments and specialized social media platforms is actively shifting the power role away from a small number of mass media influencers towards a larger number of branded individuals and social media influencers. Results of this inquiry support the theoretical assertions that the tourist gaze adapts to social and technological developments and demonstrates that the concept of the tourist gaze is increasingly important within tourism studies. Practical implications regarding the prevalence of real-time information, site visitation, and “taking only pictures” as sustainable touristic behavior are discussed.
ContributorsCampbell, Brenda Jean (Author) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Thesis advisor) / Lee, Woojin (Committee member) / Stone, Lesego (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
After many decades of promoting sustainable tourism and development, the world faces the pressing issue of overtourism. Overtourism is viewed as the condition where the growth of visitor volume puts destinations’ capacity under pressure resulting in many negative impacts on the environment, economy, culture, and society. It causes many community residents to resent tourism development. Visitors are concerned about their travel experience in overcrowded places. Understanding overtourism is necessary for destination management. This dissertation includes three studies to: 1) review the phenomenon of overtourism; 2) examine the perceptions of local residents and test the relationship between their satisfaction with quality of life and level of support for tourism development in overtourism context; and 3) examine the management of stakeholder involvement in an evidence-based sustainable tourism plan that aims to address overtourism. Different research methods are employed in the three studies of the dissertation: a conceptual paper based on literature review; a concurrent triangulation approach using both quantitative and qualitative data collected from a survey with host community; and a case study involving analysis of documents related to a sustainable tourism plan and in-depth interviews with key informants who were involved in developing the plan. Several theoretical or conceptual frameworks are used to guide research, including those that consider the relationship between residents’ satisfaction with QOL and their support for tourism development, crowding theory, stress coping framework, place attachment, and a multi-stakeholder involvement management framework. Sedona, a destination that is concerned about overtourism, was chosen to be the research site for two of the studies. Study 1 reveals the complexity of overtourism and pinpoints important aspects and details (e.g., causes, impacts) that need to be considered while solving overtourism. Study 2 investigates impacts of overtourism on the quality of life of the host community and identifies different ways residents cope with the crowding condition. Residents’ support for tourism development is influenced by their satisfaction with quality of life and possibly by their attachment to destination. Study 3 documents a comprehensive mechanism to manage stakeholder involvement and utilization of evidence in a sustainable tourism plan. Findings are helpful for destination management.
ContributorsPham, Kim (Author) / Andereck, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Vogt, Christine (Thesis advisor) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Committee member) / Morgan, Mark (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Small island developing states (SIDS) are on the very frontlines of climate change (UNDP, 2017). Increasing attention on the unique social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities SIDS face has led to the discussion of the overall resilience of this population. Specifically, post-disaster studies of resilience carried out on SIDS have pointed to social resilience and education as two primary indicators of the overall resilience of these vulnerable communities (Aldrich, 2012; Muttarak & Lutz, 2014); yet social aspects of resilience related to SIDS have been underexplored, in comparison to ecological and economic themes (Berkes & Ross, 2013). Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the personal and professional lived-natural disaster experiences of SIDS residents who are educators in order to understand their role in building social resilience within their community. In-depth interviews were conducted with educators employed at public and private schools in the United States Virgin Islands. The findings indicate that residents who are educators conceptualized resilience according to the following themes and sub-themes: (1) Social Process which involves Social Recovery and Community Alliances to ‘bounce back’ to an undefined level of normalcy and (2) Embodied Identity which was described in terms of Community Personifications of resilience as a trait in general citizens and educators. Participants identified internal and external resources as influential in how residents responded to natural disasters, by so doing, significantly contributing to positive post-disaster outcomes; these resources are referred to in the literature as protective factors (Rutter, 1985). The findings also demonstrate that educators had both a personal and professional responsibility to help their community contend with disasters, and this outcome is best explicated through the concept of protective factors. The research findings are significant because they: (1) contribute to the limited body of literature on social resilience in small island developing states, (2) demonstrate the importance of subjective perspectives in the development of disaster preparedness and management strategies for climate-vulnerable island populations, and (3) indicate a need for future research to use terminology which acknowledges the many ways in which disaster-prone communities have historically demonstrated and/or embodied resilience.
ContributorsEdmeade, Jendayi (Author) / Buzinde, Christine (Thesis advisor) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Committee member) / Gonzales, Angela (Committee member) / Manuel-Navarrete, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been lauded as a sustainable framework through which corporations can contribute to society. However, in the wake of global social justice movements, society demands that corporations take a stance on social ills to contribute to a just society. The concept of corporate social justice (CSJ) has been introduced to frame such endeavors, although it has yet to be extensively applied to the tourism industry. Drawing on the conceptual framework of corporate social justice, this study explores how CSJ principles, including accountability, transparency, impact, and sustainability, inform the business operations of eco-rated tourism enterprises in Maasai Mara, Kenya. Ecotourism Kenya, the eco-rating agency, has guidelines for eco-rated facilities on community engagement and development that require these businesses to commit to: investing in people; implementing empowerment programs for local populations; and supporting community economic linkages. The study adopted a case study research design using Maasai Mara in Kenya as a site of inquiry. Guided by a constructivist epistemological lens, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with management officials operating the eco-rated tourism businesses and Maasai community members residing in the vicinity. Purposive sampling was used to select participants from eco-rated tourism businesses, whereas a combination of snowball and convenience sampling techniques was utilized in selecting key informants from the Maasai community. Accordingly, twelve participants from eco-rated businesses and eighteen Maasai community participants took part in this study. The findings indicated that eco-rated tourism businesses in Maasai Mara engaged with the tenets of CSJ, albeit in predominantly business-focused ways. Further findings also revealed other factors that seemed to influence the local community’s appreciation of the community empowerment initiatives by eco-rated businesses. These factors included: human-wildlife conflict, corrupt reserve land dealings, and exploitation of Maasai trade by some local tourism actors. Based on the findings, this study recommends that eco-rated tourism businesses in Maasai Mara enhance their engagement with the tenets of CSJ to reflect community-centered initiatives. Moreover, a keen reassessment of multi-stakeholder influences on the Maasai community’s full appreciation of benefits from eco-rated tourism businesses should be undertaken to propel further implementation of action-oriented solutions for the community.
ContributorsChepkwony, Mercy (Author) / Buzinde, Christine N (Thesis advisor) / Bricker, Kelly S (Committee member) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
Balancing conservation goals and needs of local residents is always challenging. While some believe protected areas are a safe paradise for wildlife, others suggest that it is shortsighted to ignore the social and economic challenges faced by people who live adjacent to protected areas when addressing conservation objectives. This dissertation explores the link between biodiversity conservation and environmental education programs (EEPs) administered to residents of buffer zones adjacent to three protected areas in the Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal. Using surveys and interviews, this study examined 1) the influence of EEPs on attitudes of local people toward biodiversity conservation; 2) the influence of EEPs on conservation behavior; 3) the responses toward biodiversity conservation of local people residing in buffer zones who have received different levels of EEPs; and 4) the effect of EEPs on wildlife populations within adjacent protected areas. Local people who had participated in EEPs and attended school were more likely to express a positive attitude toward conservation goals than participants who had not participated in EEPs or had the opportunity to attend school. Participation in EEPs and level of education favored expressed behavior toward conservation goals, such as making contributions for conservation or supporting anti-poaching patrols. However, EEP participants and non-participants were equally likely to engage in activities that were at odds with positive conservation behavior, such as collecting fuel wood or killing wildlife to protect their farm or feed their families. A direct comparison of EEPs given by schools versus non-government organizations showed that EEPs were largely ineffective in promoting positive conservation attitudes and behaviors. Despite heavy poaching of charismatic species such as the greater one-horned rhinoceros or tiger over past decades, Nepal recently celebrated ‘zero poaching years’ in 2011 and 2013, largely due to increased anti-poaching enforcement. The relationship between EEPs and the decline in poaching is unclear, although local officials all claimed that EEPs played an important role. These results indicate that current administration of EEPs in Terai buffer zone communities is inadequate, while also providing evidence that properly administrated EEPs may become a valuable investment for these protected areas to achieve long-term success.
ContributorsShrestha, Samridhi (Author) / Smith, Andrew T. (Thesis advisor) / Minteer, Ben (Committee member) / Pearson, David (Committee member) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Committee member) / Budruk, Megha (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
Rural communities experience various challenges, including having higher education options, regulating the workforce, access to capital and goods, and infrastructure development. Despite these challenges, what makes these communities unique is their ability to be resilient, considering their small population. A prime example of this is Gila County, located in eastern Arizona. This area includes a cluster of rural towns that have survived for a long time, 142 years! Amidst the rise and fall of the copper rush from the 1880s to the 1950s, as well as the development of U.S. 60 that bypassed multiple towns, Gila County prevailed. The health of this community is deeply connected to the current nonprofit sector. This county is home to a few churches, one private nonprofit school, a variety of public charities, a community hospital, and several volunteer organizations. In order to understand how Gila County nonprofits have been so successful, this study uses the Supply and Demand Theory to answer the central idea: how do leaders build resilient nonprofits? Using in-depth interviews and demographic data collection, this study reports on the views of rural nonprofit leaders with years of expertise. It answers four key questions: 1) How strongly do nonprofit leaders equate being resilient to the longevity of their organization? 2) How is funding currently used in rural nonprofits’ program development? 3) How is collaboration between community members and rural nonprofits necessary for success? 4) How does the organization currently use technology to further its mission? Through the lens of the Supply and Demand Theory, this study pinpoints how rural nonprofit leaders have utilized their resources to create an equilibrium between supply and demand. The results show that successful nonprofits showcase resilient practices through their current leadership. These findings expand upon current research on succession planning, funding resiliency, internal and external collaboration, and overall use of technology. By expanding on this knowledge, valuable information has been documented for both active and upcoming nonprofit leaders. Capturing the first-hand expertise of successful leaders in rural Arizona provides advice, inspiration, and hope for those to come.
ContributorsLeonardi, Isabella (Author) / Andereck, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Nyaupane, Gyan (Committee member) / Wang, Lili (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023