Influencer marketing furthers the goals of relationship marketing. Companies use influencers to advertise their products through social networks such as Instagram. This digital advertising is aimed at shifting the company’s goals from customer acquisition to retention and commitment. While several articles provide interesting advances analyzing social media and sustainability goals, research about influencer types and their impact on engagement preserving corporate sustainability is limited. Thus, the objectives of this study are: (1) Select general influencer traits as positive characteristics in promoting a product; (2) analyze them for micro and macro influencer scenarios; (3) explore potential differences in their adequacy determining customer engagement and preserving corporate sustainability. Credibility, pleasantness, and emotions are the criteria analyzed through multivariate analysis applied over two independent samples of followers. Pleasantness and appearance in the macro influencer scenario and perceived integrity in that of the micro influencer appear to conflict with the desired transparency of the message, while transmission of emotions plays an essential role in both scenarios. This is a very important finding. Companies should assess candidate influencers’ emotional projection skills, in addition to evaluating the brand sponsorship costs and defining the target audience for the advertisement, always under the premise of preserving corporate sustainability.

Purpose – The recent changes that have occurred in the Spanish university teaching environment, such as growing competition, have caused these courses to become an important differentiating element of what is offered by each university. Therefore, the authors propose to delve deeper into the relationship existing between satisfaction and the intent to recommend the courses taken by the attendees. Design/methodology/implications – The research developed in the paper endeavours to be a first approximation of the factors that determine the satisfaction of the people who attend the summer courses offered by a Spanish public university. Furthermore, this article analyses whether or not the satisfaction levels of the students translate into one of the positive behaviours that are set forth in specialised literature: recommendation. The information is based on the analysis of a self-administered survey given to the students of the 2003 summer session after completing the course. Findings – The results obtained show that the teaching staff, enrolment and course organisation are the elements that have an impact on student satisfaction, and they show that this satisfaction is what, to a large extent, explains the intent to recommend the courses. In addition to these three elements, and in order to increase the satisfaction levels of students, it is necessary to know the objectives that the students have. Originality/value – This paper determines the elements that are potentially capable of generating satisfaction and the subsequent effect of the satisfaction on recommendations for the university (summer courses) have been analysed. Other papers analyse all universities, but this work analyses a university's summer courses.

Purpose – Wine tourism is emerging as a lucrative industrial sector, capable of generating considerable economic development, and there are numerous wine-producing regions that would like to become new tourist destinations. To do so the agents involved must know the incentives for and barriers to (the participation of) potential tourists, as well as the significance of those incentives and barriers. This paper seeks to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach – An analysis of opinions from a sample of residents in Aragón, an important wine-producing region of Spain, established the main groups of existing incentives. Subsequently, a model of structural equations was considered, to establish what effect the previously-obtained incentives and different existing barriers have on the intention to generate wine tourism. Findings – The results indicate that the services offered by wineries and the appeal of the destination are the key incentives. Moreover, personal barriers constitute the main impediment to participating in wine tourism, with structural barriers taking second place. Practical implications – It is necessary to develop strategies that increase interest in the wine product and in related activities, in order to successfully develop wine tourism, considering that, in the case studied, neither cost nor time nor distance act as barriers for developing wine tourism. Originality/value – A review of the existing literature shows that, in spite of the growing interest in wine tourism over the last five years in Spain, much remains to be explored. An analysis of the factors that could have an impact on participation in tourism activities related to wine in Spain is among the topics receiving little attention. The tested model includes incentives for, and barriers to, the strategic development of wine tourism. This model represents the first empirical proposal for the Spanish case.

In tourism, sustainable development represents a way to exercise a business activity such that the needs of both the tourists and the receiving regions are satisfied, while at the same time protecting and fostering future opportunities by preserving essential ecological processes, biological diversity and cultural integrity. There is broad scientific consensus about the need to consolidate an ethical paradigm that combines economic objectives with the principles of ecology, sustainable development and citizen participation. In view of this situation, it has become necessary to identify how to measure compliance with these principles, identify what indicators must be used and determine what perspective must be adopted. Therefore, the objective of this work was to develop measurement models of the sustainability concepts associated with rural tourism from the residents' perspective. Using data from a survey, the results obtained have led to the development and validation of instruments that reliably measure the sustainability dimensions from the residents' perspective. As a result, tourism managers have access to an instrument that allows them to analyse the opinions of the residents of an area regarding the tourism development that takes place there.

Purpose – The main objective of this study is to determine the factors that could have an impact on intentions to participate in regional tourism activities related to wine, from the Spanish customer's point of view. Design/methodology/approach – This study analyses the opinions of potential wine tourists. They are asked about the importance they give to various items regarding intention to participate in wine tourism. These items have been taken from a review of the relevant literature. The dimensions that could have an impact on participation in tourism activities related to wine are determined through a factor analysis. These dimensions, together with the barriers traditionally encountered to any kind of tourism activity, are used in a regression analysis. The predictors of the intention to participate in wine tourism are thus determined. Findings – The services offered by wineries, the possibility of increasing knowledge about the wine product, the possibility of providing leisure activities, and interest in the wine product, are factors that positively affect the intentions of potential wine tourists. In the context analysed, neither cost nor time nor distance act as barriers to the development of wine tourism. Practical implications – Tourism agents are provided with data for successfully developing wine tourism. Thus, in addition to elements that can be controlled by the provider – such as winery services, activities for children, wine therapy activities and activities to increase knowledge of wine – elements that cannot be controlled also have an influence, such as a tourist's interest in wine. This makes it necessary to develop communication strategies that increase interest in the wine product and in related activities. Originality/value – A review of the existing literature on the approach to wine tourism development allowed the authors to establish that there are no papers examining the determinants that could have an impact on participation in tourism activities related to wine in Spain. Moreover, the tested model includes incentives for, and barriers to, the strategic development of wine tourism.

Purpose: Human resources management directed at improving job satisfaction has become a subject of growing interest in both the professional world and the academic world, and is justified by the impact that satisfaction has on business performance. The main objective of this work is to determine empirically the factors that have an impact on the satisfaction of Spanish workers, as well as to compare the existence of differences in the key dimensions of satisfaction according to workers' gender.Design/methodology/approach: Of the study sample, only information pertaining to Spain was selected. Of 413 specific cases, 668 per cent were male and 33.2 per cent female. A factor analysis was conducted on those variables which could impact on an individual's job satisfaction. These aspects were considered through an 11‐item questionnaire.Findings: The results obtained in this research show that the job satisfaction of Spanish workers is an element that is susceptible to improvement. Moreover, it is observed that the level of job satisfaction is determined by four factors: “economic aspects”, “interpersonal relations”, “working conditions”, and “personal fulfilment”. A subsequent analysis according to workers' gender shows that although men and women take into account the same dimensions, the degree to which each dimension has an impact is different for each sub‐sample.Research limitations/implications: The sample used refers to a Spanish case. In the future it would be interesting to extend this and include other countries.Practical implications: The main results of this study are a knowledge of the variables that affect the level of employee satisfaction, which should be useful to the management of companies, and those that should be considered in order to take better advantage of the competitive opportunities that can provide a company with motivated to committed staff.Originality/value: This study analyzes factors that determine job satisfaction according to the worker's gender.