Managing dive centres: SCUBA divers' behavioural intentions

Abstract

Research question: Although drivers of customers' behavioural intentions are seen as a necessary source of information to management, there is a scarcity of research in the sports literature. The current study examines an integrated model of behavioural intentions towards dive centres through the simultaneous relationships among service quality, value, perceived crowding, novelty, emotions, satisfaction and behavioural intentions, and the moderator effect of involvement.

Research methods: The framework proposed has been developed through a critical review of existing literature. A survey was conducted among self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) divers (n = 454) who had just finished diving around the Medes Islands.

Results and findings: The results, gathered from structural equation models, indicate that service quality influences behavioural intentions and that novelty influences emotions and satisfaction. These results also provide evidence of the strong influence of emotions on behavioural intentions, with direct and indirect effects. Additionally, the level of involvement was tested by means of a multi-group analysis. The results showed that the level of involvement moderates some of the relationships.

Implications: These findings suggest managerial implications, such as the need to provide high levels of services before, during and after the dives; the need to maintain low carrying capacity to avoid the perception of crowding; and to increase the emotional offer of diving services.

Keywords:

• service quality
• emotions
• novelty
• behavioural intentions
• SCUBA divers