TÉCNICAS E INSTRUMENTO
4. Análisis e interpretación de resultados
For every vacation decision there is an outcome. As shown in Figure 3.1, vacation outcomes are comprised of vacation experiences and the post-vacation evaluation. An ‘outcome’ phase is recognised in many decision making process models and typically reflects the outcome of a single transaction. This framework developed for this study recognises that in addition to the overall outcome (evaluation of the vacation) there are outcomes (experiences) for each vacation decision.
3.6.1. The Vacation Experience
Vacation experiences represent the outcome of each vacation decision. Vacation experiences occur in both the pre-vacation and during vacation phases. Pre-vacation decisions may result in vacation experiences in the pre-vacation phase and/or in the during vacation phase. For example, the destination decision is made in the pre-vacation phase, with initial feelings from this choice experienced in this phase. These feelings result from family members perceiving the destination to be congruent (or incongruent) with their identity and may be revised in the during vacation phase.
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As discussed in Section 3.5, tourism studies tend to focus on the destination decision and outcomes from that decision. Generally, they do not take into account other vacation decisions and the experience resulting from them. This is an oversight as different identity roles and levels of identity can lead to disparate motives, levels of satisfaction and congruence at varying points throughout the vacation and these experiences reinforce identities, and alter or reconfirm motives and future decision making and experiences. Figure 3.1, illustrates the impact vacation experiences have on identities and motives and the impact of identities and motives on vacation experiences. Furthermore, it is the sum of all the vacation experiences that enables the family to evaluate the vacation as a whole in the post- vacation phase. It is therefore proposed:
Proposition 5:
(P5a): The outcome of each vacation decision leads to a vacation experience.
(P5b): The evaluation of each vacation experience is both influenced by and influences identity and motives.
Proposition 6 (P6): Vacation experiences may vary between when the decision is made and when the product is consumed.
3.6.2. The Post-Vacation Evaluation
The post-vacation phase commences when the family returns home. The post- vacation evaluation represents the sum of all the vacation experiences and therefore the overall evaluation of the vacation.
The post-vacation evaluation, as with the vacation experiences, is influenced by and influences identity and motives (as illustrated in Figure 3.1). It is during the post-vacation phase that family members evaluate whether the original goals and motives (benefits sought) for the vacation were achieved. It is the achievement (or otherwise) of the original vacation goals that both reinforce/enhance identity and create new motives that affect future family and individual decisions.
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While the post-vacation evaluation represents the sum of each of the vacation experiences, each vacation experience does not contribute equally to the overall vacation evaluation. When family members are dissatisfied either with the vacation as a whole or with an individual vacation experience this often leads to blame. Attribution of blame can be both external or internal (van Raaij & Francken, 1984). For a family, this may be directed towards one or more aspects of the vacation, such as a poor experience, or it may be directed towards one or more family members. The evaluation of a vacation for a family is also more complex than individual vacation evaluation as families do not measure vacation satisfaction in isolation from other family members. When family members measure the success of the vacation they measure it in parallel with others in the family (equity theory). This means that an individual maximising their own desires/pleasures may not be satisfied overall if they perceive inequalities between themselves and other family members (Kozak & Duman, 2012; van Raaij & Francken, 1984).
The post-vacation evaluation also directly affects the likelihood and structure of future family vacations. However, for families with adolescents, a positive post vacation evaluation does not always result in future family vacations. The adolescent years represent a time when children start to demonstrate autonomy and independence and transition into adults. As such, the ‘family with adolescents’ stage of the family life cycle represents the end of the stage in which families have dependent children. This results in families moving into the next and separate stages of the family life cycle (young singles and empty nesters) and the end of family vacations in their existing format. Notwithstanding that families may choose to continue to travel together as families with adult children, or even as multigenerational families. The end of family vacations for families with adolescents (dependent/minor children) may both affect the motivation for the current vacation and future vacations. Furthermore, the end of family vacations in the existing format may also lead to a modification in the identity roles of family members that will, in turn, affect the format of future vacations in the next stage of the family life cycle (Bond & Falk, 2013). It is therefore proposed:
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Proposition 7 (P7): The sum of the vacation experiences contributes (although not equally) to the overall evaluation of the vacation.
Proposition 8 (P8): The post-vacation evaluation of the vacation is influenced by and influences identities and motives.
Proposition 9 (P9): Family vacations in their existing form eventually come to an end as families move into the next stage of the family life cycle.
3.7. Chapter Summary
The conceptual framework and propositions presented in this chapter were developed using the prevailing ideas in the literature. This study is orientated using CCT which allows for the exploration of how families with adolescents (as a consumption group), within the marketplace boundaries of the vacation make decisions and through the consumption of the vacation evaluate the outcomes of those decisions. Central to this orientation is the interaction and interplay of individual, relational and family identity on this process and the family with adolescents.
Identified through exploring the existing literature, families are comprised of multiple family members with multi-faceted identities constructed around multiple realities. At the same time, the adolescent years are a period when a child’s identity develops, family cohesion is at its lowest and family dynamics are changing as adolescents seek independence and autonomy. This makes the vacation for families with adolescents a unique consumer culture environment, particularly as the vacation is a collective experience with multiple decisions typically made over a number of days and weeks, and the outcomes predominantly affect all family members. The conceptual framework developed for this study considers these unique characteristics. The framework depicts vacation decision making and the outcomes from vacation decisions across three vacation time periods and demonstrates how those decisions and outcomes are influenced by and influence the psychological aspects of identity and motives. The framework developed for this
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study is unique as it creates a holistic view of the vacation for families with adolescents, an underrepresented area in the literature.
The following chapter presents the approach and methodology employed in this study. It discusses how the conceptual framework was deployed, propositions investigated and findings interpreted.
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