Copyright Undertaking

Copyright Undertaking

Copyright Undertaking This thesis is protected by copyright, with all rights reserved. By reading and using the thesis, the reader understands and agrees to the following terms: 1. The reader will abide by the rules and legal ordinances governing copyright regarding the use of the thesis. 2. The reader will use the thesis for the purpose of research or private study only and not for distribution or further reproduction or any other purpose. 3. The reader agrees to indemnify and hold the University harmless from and against any loss, damage, cost, liability or expenses arising from copyright infringement or unauthorized usage. IMPORTANT If you have reasons to believe that any materials in this thesis are deemed not suitable to be distributed in this form, or a copyright owner having difficulty with the material being included in our database, please contact [email protected] providing details. 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Pao Yue-kong Library, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong http://www.lib.polyu.edu.hk INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF VALUE IN ONLINE COMMUNITIES ON ECOTOURISTS’ SATISFACTION IN SOCIALISATION AND INTENTIONS TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE VIA SOCIAL MEDIA SUDIPTA KIRAN SARKAR Ph.D The Hong Kong Polytechnic University 2015 I The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Hotel and Tourism Management INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF VALUE IN ONLINE COMMUNITIES ON ECOTOURISTS’ SATISFACTION IN SOCIALISATION AND INTENTIONS TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE VIA SOCIAL MEDIA Sudipta Kiran Sarkar A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August, 2014 II CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby declare that this thesis is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it reproduces no material previously been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma, except where due acknowedgement has been made in the text. __________________________ Sarkar, Sudipta Kiran III ABSTRACT Ecotourism is a growing phenomenon in sustainable tourism. Ecotourism involves travel to nature-based areas for enjoying nature, appreciate ecology and culture and behave in an environmentally responsible manner by travellers. Travellers to ecotourism destinations are referred to as ecotourists and their prime motivations are learning and education, socialisation, as well as nature-seeking. The motivations of learning and education as well as socialisation are the ones from which emanates the need of information and knowledge through social interactions by ecotourists. However, there are certain challenges faced by ecotourists in obtaining effective and adequate ecotourism –related information and knowledge that affect their satisfaction levels while they are experiencing ecotourism trips. Besides, there is a lack of effective communication channels for sharing and acquiring information as well as a lack of increased access to new technologies in ecotourism that would facilitate sharing of experiential knowledge on ecotourism activities, as well as spreading awareness on ecological aspects. Social media, which provide a two-way communication, can play a significant role in addressing these difficulties and needs of ecotourists. Previous empirical research on the contribution of social media in rendering information and knowledge sharing through socialisation via social media is deficient. Therefore, this study looked into the factor of value in online communities in affecting ecotourists satisfaction in socialisation via social media, as well as their intentions contribute more ecotourism-related knowledge via social media. The study employs the social exchange theory (SET) which helps in understanding the IV effect of value in online communities on social media that can enable ecotourists in experiencing satisfaction in socialisation among them and also sharing ecotourism related information and knowledge in social media. The study focused on Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, which is an emerging ecotourism destination in the urban perspective, as the setting for this study. The study uses structural equation modeling (SEM), given the distinctive analytical tools available in it that can facilitate analyzing relationships and interrelationships between constructs. The study attempts to look into extending the social exchange theory in a non-organisational context (ecotourists) of online information and knowledge sharing through social interactions in social media on the basis of the 6 SET factors. From the results of the study, it was evident that almost all the hypotheses posited were supported. Online community value was found to have a significant effect on satisfaction in socialisation which, in turn, had a significant effect on intention to share knowledge. The social exchange theory (SET) is thus supported in the context of this study. However, community identification, one of the dimensions of value in online communities, was dropped. The study concluded with contributions towards theory and practice along the lines of online community value and satisfaction in the context of ecotourists' online socialisation and knowledge sharing. ******* V ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to Dr. Norman Au, my Chief- Supervisor and Prof. Rob Law, my Co-supervisor for their continuous support and encouragement throughout my PhD journey. Their guidance during the challenging times has been immensely beneficial to me to overcome many difficulties. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Andy Lee for being my Chief-Supervisor during the first phase of the PhD. It was under his guidance and encouragement that I could easily settle down and feel comfortable in Hong Kong and with my PhD study. I am also immensely grateful to Dr. Sam Kim, Dr. Eric Chan as well as Dr. Honggen Xiao for their constructive comments that helped me shape my PhD study upto the required standards. I am also indebted to Prof. Bob McKercher, Dr. Markus Schuckert and Dr. John Ap for their valuable advice, help and support in various ways. Last but not the least, I am also immensely thankful to Ada Au of General Office, SHTM for her efforts in helping me out in various issues related to administrative matters. I am also thankful to the Dean of School Professor Kaye Chon and the entire School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University for all the help and support I received in pursuing a study for PhD degree. I would like to express my appreciation to all my family members especially to my wife, Gargi and my son, Siddhartha, for their patience, love, support and understanding during my study. My appreciation also goes to Dr. Souji Gopalakrishna Pillai for his hospitality and assistance in my data collection in VI Malaysia. Many thanks also go to Kelvin Chen and Isabel Russel for their kind help and assistance in my data collection in Malaysia. I would also like to thank Dr. Babu P. George of being supportive from time to time in general terms throughout my PhD study. Finally, but surely not the least, I am highly indebted to all my PhD colleagues for their constant help, advice and encouragement throughout my studies. I am especially thankful to Lawrence, Julian, Linda, Hai, Philipp, Ibrahim, Bastian and Rose for their helpfulness and support. The kind of cooperation, care and warmth I have got from them throughout my PhD is beyond words and I shall be forever indebted and grateful to them for this. VII TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER -1 STUDY BACKGROUND ................................................................... 1 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Study Background ................................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism .........................................................................1 1.1.2 Ecotourists’ needs in share information and knowledge Sharing ...............................3 1.1.2.1 Learning and Education ...........................................................................................3 1.1.2.2 Socialisation .............................................................................................................4 1.1.2.3 Nature-seeking .........................................................................................................5 1.1.2.4 Ecotourists medium of communication in sharing information and knowledge......6 1.2 Online Communities in Social Media and Value in Online Communities. .......... 8 1.2.1 Social Media use in Tourism ................................................................................... 11 1.2.2 Social Media in Ecotourism ..................................................................................... 14 1.3 Social Exchange Theory (SET) ........................................................................... 16 1.4 Problem Statement .............................................................................................. 19 1.6 Research Objectives ............................................................................................ 21 1.7 Significance of the study and contributions ........................................................ 21 1.7 Structure of the Thesis: ....................................................................................... 22 1.8 SUMMARY: ......................................................................................................

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