Adolescents’ Motivation and Conflict Resolution Orientation in Influencing Parents’ Decisions Regarding Family Vacations: A Taiwan Perspective

ABSTRACT

Individuals’ motivation explains their efforts to meet their preference in consumption situations within family. This study aims to examine the relative importance of intrinsic and external elements of adolescents’ tourist motivation in explaining their influence over parents’ decisions regarding family vacation. We also look at the moderating role of disagreement resolution approach used in their family life. Data from 571 responses by adolescents in Taiwan revealed that seeking force (SF) is positively related to their perceived influence across the stages of family travel decisions. In contrast, adolescents’ escape force (EF) is unrelated to these outcomes. Furthermore, adolescents’ problem-solving orientation (PSO) to conflict resolution appears to strengthen the relatedness of SF to adolescents’ perceived influence at the initiation stage (II), the search and evaluation stage (SEI) and the final decision stage (FDI). The non-problem-solving orientation (NPSO) to conflict resolution appears to weaken the relationship between EF and SEI. We also found an inverse-V-shaped pattern of influence as speculated. This contrasts with the conventional view of this as a declining or V-shaped pattern in family purchase decisions.

摘要

个人的动机解释了他们在家庭消费情况下为满足他们的偏好所做的努力。本研究旨在检验青少年旅游动机的内在和外在因素在解释他们对父母关于家庭度假的决定的影响方面的相对重要性。我们还研究了他们家庭生活中使用的分歧解决方法的调节作用。来自台湾青少年 571 份回复的数据显示, 寻求力量 (SF) 与他们在家庭旅行决策各阶段的感知影响呈正相关。相反, 青少年的逃避力 (EF) 与这些结果无关。此外, 青少年对解决冲突的问题解决导向 (PSO) 似乎加强了SF与青少年在初始阶段 (II), 搜索和评估阶段 (SEI) 和最终决定阶段 (FDI) 感知影响的相关性。 解决冲突的非问题解决方向 (NPSO) 似乎削弱了 EF 和 SEI 之间的关系。正如推测的那样, 我们还发现了一种倒 V 形的影响模式。这与将其视为家庭购买决策中下降或 V 形模式的传统观点形成鲜明对比。

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescent influence
• conflict resolution
• family vacation decision-making (FVDM)
• tourist motivation
• Taiwan

关键词:

• 青少年影响
• 冲突解决
• 家庭度假决策 (FVDM)
• 旅游动机
• 台湾

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This article is based on the corresponding author’s project grant from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan [MOST 108-2410-H-030-065] for the Commonwealth Research Program (http://battle7447.wixsite.com/crp-taiwan).

Notes on contributors

Hsin-Hsing Liao

Hsin-Hsing Liao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Culinary Arts at Nanya Institute of Technology, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. His research interest is family tourism decision-making (E-mail: [email protected]).

Che-Jen Su

Che-Jen Su is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management at Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Meanwhile, he is an Associate Editor of Service Business: An International Journal. His research interests are interpersonal influence in tourist contexts and cross-cultural tourist behavior (E-mail: [email protected]).

Yi-Fang Lan

Yi-Fang Lan is an Associate Researcher in the Rural Smart Mobility Center at China Engineering Consultants, Inc., Taipei City, Taiwan. Her research topics are tourism management and risk management (E-mail: [email protected]).