{"title":"Online consumer reviews affect the attractiveness of tourism and hospitality organizations as an employer","authors":"Yves Van Vaerenbergh , Diane Arijs","doi":"10.1016/j.tourman.2025.105255","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the effects of online employee reviews on organizational attractiveness and online consumer reviews on consumer decision-making are well-documented, the influence of consumer reviews on organizational attractiveness as an employer remains underexplored. This is particularly critical for tourism and hospitality organizations, where such reviews are abundant and accessible to potential applicants. Drawing on signaling and symbolic attraction theories, this paper argues that job seekers evaluate online consumer reviews when assessing these organizations as employers. Through four studies (one pilot and three experiments), we show that negative consumer reviews reduce the attractiveness of organizations to job seekers, even when positive employee reviews exist. Applicants interpret consumer reviews as indicators of organizational warmth and competence, questioning the credibility of positive employee reviews in the presence of negative consumer reviews. This research expands the recognized impact of online consumer reviews on organizational attraction by highlighting them as influential third-party signals to applicants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48469,"journal":{"name":"Tourism Management","volume":"111 ","pages":"Article 105255"},"PeriodicalIF":12.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Tourism Management","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261517725001256","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
While the effects of online employee reviews on organizational attractiveness and online consumer reviews on consumer decision-making are well-documented, the influence of consumer reviews on organizational attractiveness as an employer remains underexplored. This is particularly critical for tourism and hospitality organizations, where such reviews are abundant and accessible to potential applicants. Drawing on signaling and symbolic attraction theories, this paper argues that job seekers evaluate online consumer reviews when assessing these organizations as employers. Through four studies (one pilot and three experiments), we show that negative consumer reviews reduce the attractiveness of organizations to job seekers, even when positive employee reviews exist. Applicants interpret consumer reviews as indicators of organizational warmth and competence, questioning the credibility of positive employee reviews in the presence of negative consumer reviews. This research expands the recognized impact of online consumer reviews on organizational attraction by highlighting them as influential third-party signals to applicants.
期刊介绍:
Tourism Management, the preeminent scholarly journal, concentrates on the comprehensive management aspects, encompassing planning and policy, within the realm of travel and tourism. Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, the journal delves into international, national, and regional tourism, addressing various management challenges. Its content mirrors this integrative approach, featuring primary research articles, progress in tourism research, case studies, research notes, discussions on current issues, and book reviews. Emphasizing scholarly rigor, all published papers are expected to contribute to theoretical and/or methodological advancements while offering specific insights relevant to tourism management and policy.