Construction Of Personal Relations Research Articles

Market Segmentation by Motivations in Ecotourism: Application in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, Spain

Environmental awareness and carrying out tourism activities in nature are increasing today. Therefore, the present study has been conducted in a natural park, and its objectives are the following: (a) identify the motivation of ecotourism; (b) determine the segmentation by motivations of ecotourism; and (c) establish the relationship between the segments and variables of satisfaction and loyalty such as return, recommendation and saying positive things about the destination. The study was carried out in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park located in Spain, in the center of the Pyrenees mountain range. The sample consisted of 341 surveys obtained in situ. To analyze the data, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and nonhierarchical segmentation of K-means were used. The results in ecotourism applied to a natural park show seven motivational dimensions: self-development, interpersonal relations, construction of personal relations, escape, reward, appreciation of nature and ego defense function. The results also reveal the existence of three segments of ecotourists: “reward and escape”, “nature” and “multiple motives”. The “reward and escape” segment shows the highest score in satisfaction and loyalty variables. The results will serve as development guides for the administrators of the natural parks and in the elaboration of ecotourism products according to the demand found.

Evidence from genetically sensitive studies with relevance for the study of social inequalities

Individual differences of social outcomes can be observed in different life domains. Our group’s research focus over the last years has been on the area of skill formation and educational attainment as well as on subjective perceptions of quality of life and their relation to individual as well as environmental characteristics. In the present paper, we report findings from select genetically sensitive studies from our department that address the variability of the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences in areas of behaviour with relevance to educational and social outcomes as well as the interplay of person and environmental characteristics over time. These findings will include cognitive ability as well as motivational and personality-related constructs. The presentation will address both implications as well as limitations of the results in the light of establishing improved methods to target the underlying research questions in relation to social inequalities.