M.A. (Geography) / The timeshare industry is one of the least researched segments of tourism accommodation or lodging. In the international scholarship the existing writings are mostly focussed on marketing, consumer behaviour and management issues. Within existing writings on timeshare most material relates to timeshare developments and the industry in either North America or Western Europe, the two leading regions for timeshare in the world. Outside of these areas only a limited amount of work has been done on timeshare. An important gap relates to the evolution and development of timeshare in particular countries and of the role of timeshare as part of tourism development. This research contributes to the limited body of literature and knowledge concerning the evolution, organisation and challenges of the timeshare industry in South Africa. The study contributes to international scholarship on the timeshare industry as one of the first detailed investigations which has been conducted in an important timeshare destination in the global South. Three core themes run through this study. First, the research analyses the evolution of the timeshare industry in South Africa from its inception in the late 1970s to the present-day (2012) and analyses its critical challenges and issues that have shaped and re-shaped its development. Second, the research maps and interprets the evolving geography of the timeshare industry in South Africa and situates the current position of the timeshare industry within the African and global context. Finally, the research seeks to understand also the changing position and importance of timeshare as part of a changing South African tourism economy.

D.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine the impactof the timesharing concept on the resort industry in order to determine the industry's familiarity with timesharing and the industry's conception of the present and future effects of timesharing. The study utilizes two methods of research, primarydata and secondary data, to examine the concept of timesharing. This section includes information on the different forms of timesharing, the legal aspects, the marketing, management, finance and future of timesharing in order to educate the public about the concept. The primary data takes the form of a survey thatquestions hotel/motel operators in the Fort Lauderdale Beach area to determine their attitudes towards the impact of timesharing on the resort industy.

M.Comm. / The purpose of this study is to determine the tax implications of sectional title, shareblock and timeshare schemes and to establish whether any of the schemes is more beneficial to the taxpayer than the others.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Timesharing is one of the sectors of the tourism industry that has grown at a tremendous rate in the recent past. In South Africa, after adverse publicity and severe internal conflict in the early years, the timeshare industry is growing as this way of holidaying becomes more popular. Much is also expected of the tourism industry as a major contributor towards improving the socio-economic situation in this country. It is therefore essential that geographers and more specifically geographical information system specialists get involved in research on timeshare and related topics. This thesis investigates the potential use of geographical information systems (GIS) in the timeshare industry in South Africa. The main focus of the research is on the development of a timeshare information system (TIS). The TIS was developed by using the ArcView GIS programme and Avenue programming language and it incorporates the points system as the most popular timeshare type in South Africa. The main aim of the TIS is to find possible holiday resort destinations within South Africa that will satisfy the timeshare owner's holiday needs, at the touch of a button. To produce these results the user is asked a series of questions and he/she is expected to make some selections. This information is then processed to make it possible for the scripts that have been compiled to extract the correct results from the destination database. This comprehensive database has been compiled from existing sources. The final results are then shown to the user on regional maps of South Africa. These maps have been compiled beforehand for use during the programming phase, but also for the purpose of doing location and spatial analysis. In conclusion, the results have been tested by means of a case example. The results produced by the TIS have been verified as being correct. Although the TIS is not ready for the timeshare market at this stage it could, with slight adjustments, be of use and is a positive step in the right direction and is in line with modem trends in the industry. Keywords ArcView / Avenue / Exchange companies / Geographical information systems (GIS) / Graphical user interface / Points system / Resort Condominium International (RCI) / South Africa / Timeshare destination database / Timeshare industry / Timeshare owners / Timeshare resort facilities / Timeshare resorts / Timesharing / Tourism geography / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Eiendomstyddeling is een van die sektore van die toerisme-industrie wat tans wêreldwyd die meeste groei toon. In Suid-Afrika waar eiendomstyddeling aanvanklik gekniehalter is deur swak publisiteit en interne konflik, toon die bedryf besondere groei soos dié manier van vakansie hou, meer gewild raak. Baie word van die toerismebedryf verwag om 'n beduidende bydrae te maak tot die verbetering van sosio-ekonomiese toestande in die land. Juis hierom is navorsing oor tyddeling en verwante onderwerpe besonder belangrik. Geograwe en meer spesifiek geografiese inligtingstelselspesialiste kan in dié opsig belangrike rolspelers wees. Hierdie navorsingsverhandeling speur die gebruiksmoontlikhede van geografiese inligtingstelsels (GIS) in die tyddeelindustrie in Suid-Afrika na. Die hoof fokus van die navorsing val op die ontwikkeling van 'n tyddeelinligtingstelsel (TIS) met behulp van ArcView GIS programmatuur en Avenue programmeertaal. Hierdie TIS poog om die keuse van 'n geskikte vakansiebestemming in Suid-Afrika vir die tyddeeleienaar en potensiële koper te vergemaklik en inkorporeer in die proses die puntestelsel as tyddeeltipe. Die program stel aan die gebruiker 'n reeks vrae en seleksie opsies, waaruit dan 'n resultaat van oorde wat aan sy/haar vakansiebehoeftes voldoen, aan hom/haar voorgehou word. Hierdie resultate word getrek uit 'n omvattende tyddeelbestemmingsdatabasis wat uit bestaande bronne saamgestel is. Hierdie databasis word op verskeie stadiums deur die loop van die gebruiksproses deur die opgestelde programkode ondervrae. Tesame hiermee word die resultate ruimtelik en nie-ruimtelik aan die gebruiker vertoon. Hierdie ruimtelike komponent hang nou saam met die kartering van die tyddeeloorde in Suid-Afrika, 'n proses waartydens die ligging en verspreiding van hierdie oorde ook aandag kry. Ter afsluiting word die resultate aan die hand van 'n toetsvoorbeeld geverifieer. Die TIS lewer bevredigende resultate en hoewel dit nie in sy huidige formaat gereed is vir die tyddeelmark nie, is dit 'n positiewe stap en in lyn met moderne neigings in die industrie. Trefwoorde ArcView / Avenue / Blybeurtbedryf / Geografiese inligtingstelsels (GIS) / Grafiese koppelvlak / Puntestelsel / Resort Condominium International (RCI) / Suid-Afrika / Toerismegeografie / Tyddeelbelang / Tyddeelbestemmingsdatabasis / Tyddeeleienaars / Tyddeelindustrie / Tyddeeloorde / Tyddeeloordfasiliteite / Tyddeling / Uitruilondernemings

The ongoing pursuit of understanding how consumers’ expectations can be achieved or exceeded has long been an area of interest for academics and practitioners alike. A multitude of measures of satisfaction have been developed, applied, and adopted with the end goal of understanding how satisfied individuals, or groups of individuals, are with a given product, service, or specific attribute of a product. And, while both academic and practical research has identified and focused on explicit attributes relevant to particular products or services, the general consensus appears to support the thinking that higher satisfaction is better. But this may not hold true when one considers that not all attributes are equal in terms of their effect on overall customer satisfaction or that different customer segments may value product attributes differently. From this premise, the current research proposes a model that may be used to classify product and process attributes within the services industry, and augments the traditional method of data analysis in an effort to improve the efficacy of the information gathered. The theoretical foundation of the study is based on a modified Kano Model, a research model that has been widely applied across a variety of industries and products. Responses from 3,231 consumers were collected in a nationwide survey conducted in the United States. A random sampling method was used with the intention of achieving sufficient heterogeneity among the study participants. This study provides a comprehensive review of literature related to the Kano Model that has also been summarized in a tabular form (Table 3), providing the readers with a robust synthesis of literature (1984-2010) to include authors, publication dates, sources, titles, research contexts, etc. Further, since the Kano Model was initially developed more than 20 years ago in iii 1984 with a focus on manufacturing and durable goods, this study introduces a Modified Kano Model that may be better suited for evaluation of attributes related to services. In the Modified Kano Model, the attributes of the original Kano Model (Attractive Quality, One-Dimensional Quality, Must-be Quality, Reverse Quality, and Indifferent Quality) have been modified to better reflect the intangibility and other distinctive characteristics of services. The revised attribute categories have been titled as Desirable Attributes, Positive Attributes, Critical Attributes, Negative Attributes, and Zone of Indifference. The study also provides an extensive discussion of conjoint analysis techniques, historical evolution, and a review of application of conjoint analysis across various industries; including research within and beyond the hospitality industry. Essentially this study delivers a primer on conjoint methodology. Related to the conjoint analysis components for this research, this study employs Sawtooth Software as the platform for the web-based questionnaire, as well as the data analysis. Sawtooth Software’s products are the most widely used conjoint analysis systems in the world providing a variety of solutions from traditional full profile conjoint analysis to more advanced adaptive choice conjoint analysis techniques. This study employs the Choice-Based Conjoint technique; one of the most commonly used techniques in academic research. Choicebased conjoint provides respondents a series of set choices from which they express preferences for specific attribute combinations. Choice-based conjoint analysis is widely used due to its ability to simulate consumer behavior in the marketplace more precisely. Through the use of the Modified Kano Model and choice-based conjoint analysis, this study assessed the role of process and product attributes in consumers’ willingness to pay for and utilize products in the vacation ownership industry. The current study has identified product and process attributes that are preferred by the customer, categorized the attributes according to their iv anticipated effect on customer satisfaction, and quantified customer preferences of each in order to establish customer attribute preferences within the vacation ownership industry. In a twopronged approach, this study explored two distinct aspects of the consumer’s vacation ownership experience: the purchase process and the use of the lodging product. Since it has been shown that the Kano Model is effective in categorizing attributes according to the anticipated effect on customer satisfaction in a manufacturing environment, a modified version of this model was extended to a service sector, the vacation ownership industry. This Modified Kano Model was used to determine consumers’ preferences for the vacation ownership product during its use, as well as throughout the purchase process. In addition, the Kano methodology was augmented through the use of Fong’s test of statistical significance and Conjoint Analysis in an effort to improve the quality of the information gathered, and advance the efficiency and applicability of the instrument. This study identified attributes of the vacation ownership product that are positively related to customer satisfaction. Specifically, the following attributes were categorized by the respondents as being positively related to their product satisfaction: 1) a sales executive to guide the prospective purchaser through the sales process, 2) a purchase incentive, 3) resort-like hotel services, i.e., concierge, 4) affiliation with an exchange company, 5) resort amenities, i.e., fitness center, 6) ability to trade for hotel program benefits, and 7) a vacation counselor to assist with vacation planning. In the Modified Kano Model they are described as Positive Attributes based on the relationship to product satisfaction. Perhaps equally as important as understanding the positive effect of attributes is understanding which attributes have no incremental effect on product satisfaction. In this study, the majority of the respondents categorized the availability of a finance package and the presence v of onsite activities as attributes that neither added to their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the product. These attributes are termed as Zone of Indifference in the Modified Kano Model since they neither add to nor detract from overall product satisfaction. In an effort to quantify consumer preference for particular attributes, this study employed conjoint analysis to test the presence/absence of the study attributes in a series of simulations. Two fixed choice sets and a “none option” were also employed to improve the reliability of the results. The result of the conjoint simulation revealed that willingness to pay for the vacation ownership product varied based on product features, and it also varied across respondents. Possibly the most imperative outcome of this research is that this study uncovered attribute preferences that have a significant influence on satisfaction or price paid for the vacation ownership product. The findings of the research were consistent with previous literature in that it was found that attributes of the product could be classified using the Modified Kano Model, and that consumers are satisfied with the product purchased. However, this research goes beyond previous studies in that it specifies the anticipated effect on satisfaction and consumer willingness to pay at the attribute level for both the purchase and use of the vacation ownership product. Further, while this research identified that consumers’ basic needs are being met and the industry is delivering on expectations related to attributes that contribute to overall satisfaction, it also uncovered opportunities for product development and pricing strategies that may assist in attracting new customers and expanding the vacation ownership segment of the lodging industry. In addition to an explicit discussion of the results, this dissertation provides specific practical implications based on the findings. This research could be considered unique as it is a comprehensive view into customer satisfaction and willingness to pay related to both the vi purchase and the consumption of a vacation product. As a result, an additional contribution could be the establishment of a benchmark for future studies.

台灣由於社會的進步與經濟的發展，已漸漸擺脫勞力密集型的產業結構，朝向高科技與資本密集之產業邁進，以高附加價值之產品或服務為新的生產方式。由於科技與資訊的快速進步，導致產品與服務不論在種類或數量上均大量增加，尤其是大眾傳播媒體與各種行銷手法及通路的推陳出新，致使得消費者在大量的行銷資訊下產生迷失的心理，無法從事公平合理的消費行為。再加上企業經營者為降低經營成本、增加效率，於商品或服務中大量使用定型化契約。由於定型化契約條款往往係具有經濟上強勢地位之企業經營者，所預先擬定之遊戲規則，如銀行、保險公司、運送公司、建商等預先擬定之「預售屋交易契約」、「銀行保證契約」、「旅遊契約」、「汽車、家電分期買賣契約」等，企業經營者往往一方面減輕或排除其本身之責任，加重相對人之責任，另一方面則限制或剝奪相對人權利之行使，甚至將各種風險分配或轉嫁由相對人負擔，使相對人不僅喪失決定契約內容、交易條件之自由，法律規定本身所隱含之公平合理原則亦遭嚴重破壞 。因此，內容的公平性即受到質疑，進而製造出消費者糾紛，分時渡假亦是如此情形。 本文依據美國與歐盟等分時渡假法令，並參酌我國法律實務上與學說上之見解，以進行探討。尋求我國分時渡假法制之未來與展望。本文之研究結果如次： 一 債權型分時渡假契約之法律性質 分時渡假類型不一而足，我國學者依外國法見解認為分時渡假權可分為三種類型，分別為債權上使用權限、物權上使用權限及合夥關係。本文之研究重心以債權型分時渡假契約為重心，在學說上有「類似旅遊契約說」及「租賃、承攬與委任之混合契約說」，然本文認為分時渡假購買人與渡假村之間實存在租賃關係，故定性為「租賃、承攬與委任之混合契約說」。 二 無條件解約權與法定猶豫期間 （一） 「契約自由原則」的原因乃包括一、締約之自由，及當事人是否締結一定之契約，有完全決定之自由。二、當事人選擇自由，即當事人有權選擇欲與何人成立契約，有完全決定之自由。三、內容自由，即當事人於契約之內容為如何之約定，有完全決定之自由。四、方式自由，即當事人締結契約是否須履行一定方式，有完全的自由。五、廢棄或變更之自由，即當事人得於訂約後，以後契約之約定廢棄或變更先契約之自由。而以法定解約權來解除契約，實質上限制了契約自由，即係對變更或解除契約之限制，其意義究係在對契約自由原則作個別的例外限制還是支配整個私法之一根本原理？而國家以法定解約權介入私法行為之目的為何？本文以為，法定解約權是限制契約自由之例外規定，必須在私法自治之結果發生流弊時，致足以阻礙一般法律秩序之利益時，其限制契約自由之原則始有發揮作用之餘地。 （二） 民法所稱買賣者，參民法第三百四十五條之規定，係指當事人約定一方移轉財產權於他方，他方支付價金之契約。由此可知，買賣契約之特性重在「財產權」的移轉，而今消保法關於特種買賣之定義，以交易類型限於買賣契約為要件，但是分時渡假此種債權上用益權限之交易等無體財產權契約類型，因非傳統民法上買賣契約以有體物為標的而為財產權之移轉，從而衍生是否適用消保法特種買賣之爭議。又分時渡假交易之標的是否屬於消保法第十九條之一的「服務」，學說與實務均有不同看法。本文以為消保法第十九條「商品」僅包括物、權利、電氣及其他能源，如將商品解釋為包含服務的話，則消保法第十九條之一實屬多餘，故為避免解釋上的困難，只要具有財產價值，且有移轉之可能性者，足作為民法上買賣契約交易之標的者，均可為第十九條之商品，但不包括服務。 （三） 特種買賣在我消費者保護法第十九條中指的是郵購及訪問買賣，相較於店鋪行銷，特種買賣因其欠缺一般民事法所立基之意思自由原則與當事人對等原則之閉鎖契約交易環境，而法定猶豫期間之訂定，使特種買賣之消費者享有如開放交易環境下所為之交易。而立法者賦與無條件解約權予特種買賣之消費者之原因，主要是因為締約過程欠缺公平、不當之銷售方式、無法檢視或比較商品。然而渡假村大多位於國外，分時渡假購買人在締約時顯然無法實地檢視商品，本文認為應適用消保法第十九條郵購買賣之規範，以保障消費者權益。 （四） 消保法第十九條解約權之行使期間起點認定 學說上與實務上之見解分歧，有認為自收到會員卡時，自消費者於可使用商品或接受業者提供之主要服務之狀態下，才開始起算；有認為自接受服務時起算；有認為第一次行使渡假權回到國內後開始起算；有認為自第一次使用渡假村時起算。學說實務見解如此分歧，主要是因為不明瞭分時渡假交易客體究屬消保法第十九條之「商品」或同法第十九條之一的「服務」，本文認為分時渡假交易客體實屬「商品」，故分時渡假消費者收受商品之時點，應為第一次前往渡假村取得契約約定等級之住宅、設施等事實上占有之狀態而言。 三 分時渡假之資訊揭露義務 分時渡假糾紛不斷的原因乃在於企業經營者未履行資訊揭露義務，由於渡假村多位於國外，於締約時難以檢視商品，故應仿照歐盟分時渡假指令與德國立法例之說明書義務，賦與分時渡假業者較重之資訊揭露義務，以特別法規範列舉分時渡假業者應揭露之各種資訊。而我國關於違反告知義務之消保法規範則明定於消保法第四條、第五條，以及消保法第十八條、消保法施行細則第十六條，然而消費者保護法並未明文規定違反告知義務之法律效果，易言之，違反告知義務並沒有處罰等不利企業經營者之法律效果。我國法院在台北地方法院八十七年簡上字第九十一號判決中雖認為違反特別告知義務，構成民法第二百四十五條之一「締約上過失」，消費者可請求損害賠償，惟其該法第一項第一款及第二款所規定之「主觀要件」並非以「過失」為已足，而係「惡意」、「故意」或「重大過失」等嚴格的主觀要件，將造成適用可能性大減，而同法第三款誠信原則之規定為概括條款，並未如歐盟指令規定、德國民法第四百八十二條將分時渡假應揭露資訊項目以特別法來列舉，相較之下，我國對於分時渡假消費者之保護未免不足。 四 其他分時渡假定型化契約條款之探討 （一）審閱期間 我國主管機關行政院交通部觀光局所公告之海外渡假村會員卡（權）定型化契約範本，僅規定審閱期間在三天以上，相較於其他定型化契約書範本之審閱期間，如預售屋買賣契約書範本為「至少五日」，成屋買賣契約書範本為「至少五日」，房地產委託銷售契約書範本為「至少五天以上」，預售停車位買賣契約書範本為「至少五日」，系統保全服務定型化契約範本為「至少七日」，安親班定型契約範本為「七日以上」等，行政主管機關所公告範本之審閱期間，顯然過短。 （二）契約使用語言與譯本 我國消保法並無明文規定契約應使用何種文字，惟在主管機關觀光局公告之定型化契約範本第二十一條規範，契約中如同時有中文及其他語文版本，而於文義解釋有疑義時，應以中文版本之譯文為準。惟因該範本如前所述並無實質上之強制拘束力，僅具參考作用，惟有在未來制定管理規範或在定型化應記載或不得記載事項上明確規定，方足以有效管理市場交易秩序，以維護消費者權益。 （三）契約存續期間 若契約所約定之契約存續期間過長，較消費者通常能使用期間更長的契約存續期間之契約條款，明顯對消費者不利。而契約存續期間過短時，由於渡假村大都在他國，又可能明顯規避他國法律之適用，故未來立法時應注意契約存續期間之上下限，才能夠實際保障消費者之權益。 （四）使用期間 使用期間係指分時渡假購買人於契約存續期間內每年得以使用之天數，基於契約自由原則，若締約程序上符合實質之公平正義，本文認為無須規制消費者每年最少使用期間，惟須在簽訂契約前明確告知消費者關於每年可使用之季節及天數，並說明為平常日或為例假日，讓消費者有充分機會去考慮是否締約。 （五）終止權 契約之終止，則指契約因終止權之行使，由契約當事人之一方，以意思表示消滅契約之法律關係。其與契約解除之不同，在於解除有溯及的效力，使契約自始消滅；終止則僅使契約嗣後的失其效力，終止以前之契約關係則仍然有效存在。行政院交通部觀光局公布之海外度假村會員卡(權)定型化契約範本中第十六條第一項規範分時渡假購買人於契約關係存續中有正當事由者，得於期限屆滿前終止契約。何謂「正當事由」？所謂的正當事由應係指有可歸責於分時渡假業者之事由，而該可歸責於企業經營者之事由應依誠信原則認定消費者不能繼續履行契約，例如年齡老邁、身體病痛等因素無法繼續履行契約。 （六）禁止預先付款 我國消保法中並未規範「禁止預先付款」事項，惟依據行政主管機關觀光局所公告之定型化契約範本草案第七條之說明第二項，消費者在締約前並不須負支付定金或價金等任何價款之義務。而在公平交易法中，實務上見解則認為企業經營者在消費者審閱承購合約前即要求給付定金，為影響交易秩序之欺罔及顯失公平行為，違反公平交易法第二十四條規定。 （七）信用貸款解約或撤銷規範 我國消費者保護法與交通部觀光局所擬定型化契約範本對於「信用貸款解約或撤銷規範」部分均未明文規定，而參考外國立法例，歐盟指令第七條、德國民法第三百五十八條第一項均賦與分時渡假購買人在解除分時渡假契約後，同時退出其與銀行間之借貸關係。本文認為立法上應賦與消費者得以其解除分時享有契約為法定事由，而為解除或撤銷其與銀行簽訂之借貸契約，如此可以間接地強迫銀行對於渡假村業者之財產、償債能力做更進一步之徵信，以保障消費者權益。

This study created a model using factor analysis and structural equation modeling to investigate the relationship of service quality, word-of-mouth recommendation and price sensitivity of individuals who experienced a timeshare mini vacation at a branded timeshare resort. The constructs of service quality were developed by creating a survey tool. A total of 4,797 surveys were electronically sent resulting in a total of 1,275 of the individuals surveyed who met the criteria of staying at a branded hotel or resort during their mini vacation. Six different variables were created from the ordinal level questions on the survey: Resort Accommodations, Sales Gallery, Sales Presentation, Resort Activities, Resort Staff and Brand Value. These were then used in an exploratory factor analysis to identify latent factors after which structural equation modeling was used to define the relationship between the factors and the independent variables. A total of 44 models were explored and evaluated based on goodnessof-fit metrics. The model that had the best level of fit was a first-order two-factor model. This model was created with an 80% subset and confirmed with a 20% subset of the sample. The factors found represent the Vacation Experience Promise (VEP) and the Vacation Experience Delivery (VED). There was a positive correlation for both VEP and VED with word-of-mouth recommendation and price sensitivity. The research also posited 24 hypotheses of the relationship between the service quality constructs, word-of-mouth recommendation and price sensitivity with the demographic characteristics of guest type, gender, stay type, age, marital status, gross income, timeshare ownership and the number of presentations attended. There was not enough information to support a relationship between the service quality constructs, word-ofmouth recommendation and price sensitivity with regards to gender, gross income and marital iv status. There was a difference in the scores for the service quality constructs and the varying categories within the age, stay type, and timeshare ownership demographic variables. There was a difference only in the VED scores and the varying categories within the guest type and presentations attended demographic variables. There was also a difference in the scores for the word-of-mouth recommendation construct and the varying categories within the age, guest type, timeshare ownership and number of presentations attended demographic variables. Lastly, there was also a difference in the scores for the price sensitivity construct and the varying categories within the guest type, timeshare ownership and presentation attended demographic variables. The research discusses the business implications associated with these findings and proposes next steps for future research.

The diploma thesis deals with the protection of a consumer in consumer contracts with the fact that it is based on Czech law as well as on European Union legislation, because there are directions, which had to be implemented into the legal order of the Czech Republic. First of all I deal with basic characteristic of the legal regulation of consumer protection and its sources. The issue of consumer contracts is divided into three parts. The first one is just about contracts and rules, which determine all consumer contracts. The second part describes specific types of consumer contracts and finally I outlined perspective of a next development of this problem. I also try to focus on European aspect of regulation of consumer contracts and I found out, that Czech lawmaker has got a massive lack of knowledge in the implementation.

Univ., Diss.--Basel, 2000.