Marketing-Based Research Which Examines the Co-creation Experiences of Customers with Disability with the Hotel Industry

Co-creation of customer experiences has become a major area of research within market. The hotel industry is based on hotel managers fostering hospitality experiences that customers want. This research suggests that hotel managers orient their focus more toward the general market than the PwD segment. With this apparent omission of the group, a proactive engagement by people with disability and disability advocacy groups in fostering authentic understandings between hotel managers and customers with disabilities. Yet the research shows that customers with disability are not fully aware of the important role they can play in value co-creation of hotel products and experiences.

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Value co-creation among hotels and disabled customers: An exploratory study

Susana Navarro
Luisa Andreu
Amparo Cervera

Abstract

This study examines how service supplier and buyer value co-creation influences buyers' attitudes toward service providers. Service-dominant logic is a prevalent concept in the services industry, providing an important marketing theory in which intangible resources, co-creation of value, and relationships are the keys to determining marketing exchanges. This research describes a model for analyzing value co-creation management in the hotel industry, focusing on the specific market segment of disabled customers. This framework helps foster value co-creation to increase the benefits for participants during each stage of their relationship. The paper also presents the managerial implications of the research findings.

Keywords: Value co-creation; Service-dominant logic; Disabled customers; Hospitality industry

Photo 1:  Heidi Haydon and Simon Darcy (left) explaining inclusive hotel room features to a familiarisation group at Sargood on Collaroy (photo provided by Sargood on Collaroy 2019 https://sargoodoncollaroy.com/ )

Full reference:

Navarro, S., Andreu, L., & Cervera, A. (2014). Value co-creation among hotels and disabled customers: An exploratory study. Journal of Business Research, 67(5), 813-818.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296313004207

For further information on the paper please contact:

Susana Navarro
Universidad Europea de Valencia
General Elio, 46010
Valencia, Spain
susana.navarro@uem.es

An important area for the future of accessible tourism research: Why Social Sustainability is a Foreign Concept in Relation to Disability?

This article is a theoretically driven piece which tracks the development of social sustainability. The focus is on where people with disability fit in the discussion of social sustainability. A conversation like this is very important for accessible tourism because too often our access to all areas of social participation is restricted for no other reason but being overlooked, omitted or 'othered' due to poor planning, a lack of consideration or deliberate exclusion that constitutes both indirect and direct discrimination by those charged with all levels of decision-making.
                                                                                     
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.

Social Sustainability and Its Indicators through a Disability Studies and an Ability Studies Lens

Gregor Wolbring

Theresa Rybchinski

Abstract

The present journal recently stated in the call for a special issue on social sustainability, “[t]hough sustainable development is said to rest on ‘three pillars’, one of these—social sustainability—has received significantly less attention than its bio-physical environmental and economic counterparts”. The current issue promises to engage the concepts of “development sustainability”, “bridge sustainability” and “maintenance sustainability” and the tensions between these different aspects of social sustainability. The aim of the present study is to identify the visibility of disabled people in the academic social sustainability literature, to ascertain the impact and promises of social sustainability indicators put forward in the same literature and to engage especially with the concepts of “development sustainability”, “bridge sustainability” and “maintenance sustainability” through disability studies and ability studies lenses. We report that disabled people are barely covered in the academic social sustainability literature; of the 5165 academic articles investigated only 26 had content related to disabled people and social sustainability. We also conclude that social sustainability indicators evident in the 1909 academic articles with the phrase “social sustainability” in the abstract mostly focused on products and did not reflect yet the goals outlined in the “development sustainability” aspect of social sustainability proposed by Vallance such as basic needs, building social capital, justice and so on. We posit that if the focus within the social sustainability discourse shifts more toward the social that an active presence of disabled people in this discourse is essential to disabled people. We showcase the utility of an ability studies lens to further the development and application of the “development sustainability”, “bridge sustainability” and “maintenance sustainability”concepts. We outline how different ability expectations intrinsic to certain schools of thought of how to deal with human-nature relationships (for example anthropocentric versus bio/ecocentric) impact this relationship and “bridge sustainability”. As to “maintenance development”, we posit that no engagement has happened yet with the ability expectation conflicts between able-bodied and disabled people, or for that matter with the ability expectation differences between different able-bodied groups within social sustainability discourses; an analysis essential for the maintenance of development. In general, we argue that there is a need to generate ability expectation conflict maps and ability expectations conflict resolution mechanisms for all sustainable development discourses individually and for ability conflicts between sustainable development discourses.

Keywords: social sustainability; disabled people; people with disabilities; disability studies; indicators; social determinants of health; ability studies

Full reference:

Wolbring, G., &; Rybchinski, T. (2013). Social Sustainability and Its Indicators through a Disability Studies and an Ability Studies Lens. Sustainability, 5(11), 4889-4907.

www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability

For further information on the paper please contact:

Gregor Wolbring
University of Calgary
3330 Hospital Drive
NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N4N1, Canada
gwolbrin@ucalgary.ca

Photo 1: Social sustainability for some groups of people with mobility disability is as simple as a continuous pathway of access to reach points of visual interest or cultural heritage © Bruce Cameron, Simon Darcy and Easy Access Australia

Not just "are you being served?" But being served by who? Consumer Hospitality Research Examines the Link Between Hospitality Purchase Intention and Service Staff with Disabilities

As Photo 1 demonstrates, lot can be read into service encounters whether they be people with disability as consumers or as employees serving others. The servicescape's physical and sensory dimensions create enabling or disabling environments for consumers and employees alike. The servicescape may dominate a person's experience or be overcome by well-trained staff who welcome people with disability and seek solutions to environmental barriers. However, what are consumer reactions to being served by people with disability?

This study out of the USA explored several types of interactions in restaurants between customers and service staff with and without disabilities. The findings were relatively surprising and led to the conclusion that service staff with disabilities should be employed in restaurants that target families rather than business or romantic clientele. As this study suggests, it is not just whether you "are you being served?" but some groups of consumers may have a negative disposition towards people with disability in a service context.

Photo 1: Service Encounters ©PhotoAbility 2014é

Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.

Consumers' perspectives on service staff with disabilities in the hospitality industry

Pei-Jou Kuo

Valentini Kalargyrou

Abstract

Purpose – 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.

Keywords: Dinning occasion, Hospitality industry, People with disabilities, Purchase intention, Restaurant, Service staff

Full reference:

Kuo, P.-J. & Kalargyrou, V.,2014, 'Consumers' perspectives on service staff with disabilities in the hospitalityindustry', International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol.26, no. 2, pp. 164-182.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-01-2013-0022    

Landmark Federal Court Case Places Coach Operators in Australia On Notice For People with Mobility Disabilities

A recent Federal Court action has placed the Australian bus and coach operators on notice that long or short haul routes must have access for people with mobility disability. The action by Julia Haraksin against Murrays Australia Ltd played out over its three-year battle in the court system. Her perseverance is to be noted and congratulated. However, the case once again highlights the weakness of the system that places the onus of proof of disability discrimination on individuals with disability. Having a case heard in the Federal Court is a significant personal financial risk to the individual as the Federal Court is a "cost jurisdiction" where even if you win you may still have some costs awarded against you. While this does not occur very often, and that there are opportunities to have cost limits placed on what an individual may risk, this system is unnecessarily biased towards organisations with the financial resources to be able to ignore the mediation processes through the complaint case mechanisms set up under the Disability Discrimination Act and force people to either risk their personal assets or walk away from many situations that are blatantly direct discrimination under the law. Of course, that is not even take into account the emotional energy and sacrifice that individuals make in taking a Federal Court action. What makes this case more frustrating is that the right to access public transport and generally was tested in three separate court actions in three states of Australia in the lead up to the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Darcy, 2003). Why did this Federal court action need to go ahead? Figure 1 shows the author boarding an accessible coach in Victoria in 1998, hardly revolutionary for some bus and coach companies.

Figure 1: Simon Darcy preparing to board an accessible coach in Melbourne, Victoria Australia in 1998

While the organisation that assisted Julia, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre are to be congratulated for their many efforts and success, it is time that we have a vision for the system to either place the onus on organisations to prove that they are not discriminating against people with disability or have a sufficiently funded government statutory authority or non-profit sector to take public interest cases on behalf of people with disability. As Darcy & Taylor (2009) highlight in their paper at on a human rights analysis of the leisure, sport, recreation, the arts and tourism sectors described under the UN Convention On the Rights of Person's With Disabilities as "cultural life" under Article 30, there are the more examples of serial complaint cases being undertaken by individuals with disabilities involving the same circumstances and sectors year in year out. One such area is hotel accommodation that has proved problematic with possibly hundreds of complaint cases being launched without any systematic change by the hotel and accommodation sector. Yet, the hotel accommodation sector had been lobbying at the federal level to have the proportion/number of accessible rooms reduced in new developments. Darcy (2010; 2011) outlines the significant issues that people with disability face trying to source and make an informed decision about the hotel accommodation for their needs. Will this be the next Federal court case?

For further information on the Haraksin v Murray Australia Ltd please see http://www.piac.asn.au/news/2013/03/are-bus-companies-meeting-disability-standards 

References

1. Darcy, S. (2003). The politics of disability and access: The Sydney 2000 Games experience. Disability & Society, 18(6), 737-757.
2. Darcy, S., & Taylor, T. (2009). Disability citizenship: An Australian human rights analysis of the cultural industries. Leisure Studies, 28(4), 419-441.
3. Darcy, S. (2010). Inherent complexity: Disability, accessible tourism and accommodation information preferences. Tourism Management, 31(6), 816-826.
4. Darcy, S. (2011). Developing sustainable approaches to accessible accommodation information provision: A foundation for strategic knowledge management. Tourism Recreation Research, 36(2), 141-157.

A media release about the case http://ymlp.com/zx0FiH