Business travel is the most important part of tourism in the world. International business travel market is growing quickly now, especially in China. Since China first opened its door to international tourism in 1978, incoming visits have risen sharply. In 2002, China became the member of WTO. Then, rapid economic growth continues to fuel the business market. The World Tourism Organization forecasts that China will become the leading tourist destination in the world by 2020. This thesis firstly make a research of the expending course of business travel in the world from a globalization perspective. Second, I focus on the development of China¡¦s business travel market and industry. Finally, I analyze the case of American Express in China¡¦s business travel market. Wish this could be a referable resource for the investors in China¡¦s business travel market.

Thesis (M.Med.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-62). Also available in print.

Thesis (MBus) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2004. / Also held in print (111, xviii leaves, ill., 30 cm.) in Wellesley Theses Collection. (T 338.47910285 LAU)

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1990. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-122). Also available via the Internet.

In this study the researcher attempts to advance the understanding of the structure of firm buying centers for air travel services. First, an attempt is made to find empirical support for the proposition that firm air travel service buying centers can be grouped on the basis of their size, degree of complexity, centralization, and formalization. The study investigates the relationship of size, structure, and technology of the organization as a whole to the structure of the buying center. Diagraphs, or pictures representing the members of the buying centers, and the communication flows between those members, allow the researcher to record three constructs of buying center complexity: lateral involvement, vertical involvement, and connectedness. The size of the buying center is defined as the number of people within the organization who participated in the buying process from the reservations phase to the final payment of the supplier. The degree of centralization is determined by the number of communications between the travel manager and other buying center members. Formalization of the buying center was operationalized as the percent of written versus verbal communication in the buying process, the extent to which the process was governed by rules and policies, and the degree of compliance with policy. Significantly different mean values were found in buying center size and the degree of written versus verbal communication across the three cluster analysis-derived groups. None of the other buying center variables were found to differentiate the groups. Of all the organizational variables, only firm size, as measured by the absolute value of air travel purchases per year, was found to be a better-than-chance predictor of group membership. Additional research on participation during the contract negotiation phase is suggested. It is further proposed that future researchers wishing to study corporate travel in an industrial marketing context begin to study influence on, in addition to participation in, the buying process. It is further suggested that these issues should be investigated in the context of global as well as domestic organizations and evaluated on a longitudinal basis. / Ph. D.

This thesis investigates how information and communication technologies (ICT), particularly the World Wide Web (Web), can contribute to the role that Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) properties play in local economic development (LED). The complex linkages between MICE, ICT and LED, are explored through a literature review, a website audit, in-depth interviews, and a case study from Horowhenua, New Zealand (NZ). The findings reveal that the Web has considerable but as yet largely untapped potential to facilitate linkages between MICE and local economies. Such potential can only be reached through careful planning, and the realisation on the part of managers, developers and planners, that the Web is more than simply a marketing tool, but is also an integral part of attempts to improve internal MICE performance and external links to local development.

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed October 10, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-109).

The airline product is a standardized product and positioning in today’s highly competitive and constantly changing environment is one of the most important elements in an airline’s marketing strategy. Airlines are constantly trying to apply and implement various marketing positioning strategies in order to achieve success and growth. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the positioning strategies of the four selected Middle Eastern airlines in the South African business and leisure travel environment, based on airline performance in terms of service quality attributes that are perceived as important by passengers. The results of the study will contribute towards the air transport literature by confirming the validity of grouping a large number of service quality attributes and adding value to the role players’ understanding of their particular airlines’ influence and importance of service quality for positioning. The study also addresses the need for reliable information on attributes of service quality that are perceived by South African business and leisure passenger as crucial factors impacting on the selection of their airline. A literature review as well as empirical research was conducted to achieve the purpose of this study: the former provided a demarcation of the broad concepts of service quality and positioning. These concepts were specifically linked to the airline industry, providing a clear indication of the positioning strategies used by the selected airlines as reflected through the media and the airlines’ websites. The literature review also helped to identify the service quality attributes that were important to passengers of different airlines. These attributes were used to determine the positioning of the selected airlines as perceived by their passengers. The positioning of airlines was graphically represented using 3D Centroid plots. The data was analyzed using factor analysis, analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance. Factor analysis was used to group identified attributes of service quality important to passengers of selected Middle Eastern airlines. Analysis of variance was used to test the relationships between variables, while multivariate analysis of variance was used to test the effect of variables on each other. Databases were not available for this study: therefore non-probability sampling methods, namely convenience and quota sampling, were used. A limitation of the study within which the data analysis occurred is that the data collected was not normally distributed. The data had to be transformed and then tested for normality. The transformed data was normally distributed . The results of the research suggest that passengers are mostly concerned with the responsiveness of the airline and reliability of service, followed by consistency in the quality of service, and are less concerned about the added efforts of the airline as its main positioning component. The findings suggest the direction to be taken for the purpose of service improvement. Airlines should focus more on security measures and well-trained employees, as this will give passengers more confidence. Being responsive and prompt and willing to help, with a courteous attitude, should be a priority objective for employees as part of the service culture. The findings also suggest that more resources should be invested in customization, such as loyalty and frequent flyer programmes. The recommendations of this study could be used to improve the current process of service delivery. / Dissertation (MCom(Tourism Management))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Tourism Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Intermittent business travel has become an essential part of professional life for many. This exploratory study focused on two types of business-related travel. Short-term travel included frequent trips which lasted a week or less. Long-term travel included trips which lasted a minimum of three weeks at a time. Twenty couples, in which the husband was the business traveler, completed questionnaires and were interviewed individually. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales-FACES III (Olson, Portner, & Lavee, 1985) was used to measure couple functioning. No significant differences on either adaptability or cohesion were found between the two groups of business travel couples. The couples in this study reported a significantly higher level of adaptability when the mean score on the adaptability scale of each of these two groups was compared with the mean score of the sample upon which FACES III was normed (p <.0001). Significant group differences were reported on the ways the couples dealt with the eminent departure of the husband, the couples’ adjustment when the husbands returned, the stress resulting from travel reported by the husbands, and the amount of contact the couples had while the husbands were away. Methods of coping used by husbands and wives and support systems used by the wives were also explored. Implications of the findings and suggestions for further research are included. / Master of Science