Management Project Manager

Svetlana Stepchenkova, PhD

Assistant Professor

Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management

Associate Director of Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute

College of Health and Human Performance, University of Florida

Office: FLG 312 Address: P.O. Box 118208, Gainesville, FL 32611-8208

Telephone: 352-***-**** ext. 1411 Email: abpnb0@r.postjobfree.com

EDUCATION

Ph.D in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University (2009)

Graduate Certificate in Statistics, Purdue University (2008)

M.S. in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Purdue University (2005)

B.S. in Applied Mathematics, Moscow State University (1984)

BIOGRAPHY

Svetlana Stepchenkova joined the University of Florida in August 2009 as an assistant professor

at the department of Tourism, Recreation, and Sport Management. The area of her research

interests is destination management, marketing, and branding, with the focus on quantitative

assessment of destination image using qualitative data. She is especially interested in influence

of media messages on image formation, and destination image as a factor in explaining

destination choice. Svetlana also studies applications of information technologies in travel and

tourism, particularly virtual travel communities, destination websites, and user-generated content

as a means of obtaining a competitive advantage in destination marketing and management.

Currently Svetlana is leading a 2010-2013 educational project sponsored by the U.S. Department

of Education, which is aimed at strengthening tourism curriculum, research, and industry

outreach at the State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Russian Federation and University of

Florida, USA. Previously Svetlana was involved in a number of grant-supported studies in the

area of digital identity management, Internet addictive behavior, and online data security. Prior

to joining the University of Florida, Svetlana acquired more than 5 years of experience in

teaching in various settings, as well as practical managerial experience at an industrial company

in Russia.

Svetlana published her research in the Journal of Travel Research, Tourism Management,

Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, China Tourism Research, as well as

Information Technology & Tourism, CyberPsychology and Behavior, and Computers in Human

Behavior. She serves as a reviewer for Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research,

Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, and Current Issues in Tourism.

TEACHING ASSIGNMENTS

University of Florida, Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management, College of

Health and Human Performance

HLP 6515 Evaluation Procedures in Health and Human Performance. Graduate course on

introductory statistics and data analysis (Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011)

HLP 6535 Research Methods. Graduate course on research in social sciences: research

design, issues, and methods (Fall 2011)

LEI 3836 Hospitality Management. Undergraduate course on hospitality industry and

management issues in hospitality operations (Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010)

GRANT PROJECTS

Stepchenkova, S. (PI), Thapa, B. (CO-PI), and Pennington-Gray, L. (CO-PI). (2010-2013).

University of Florida, USA, and the State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Russian Federation:

Capacity Building Partnership to Improve Tourism Education, Research, and Industry Outreach.

Funds for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE). FIPSE funding: $400,000.

The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation matching funding: $400,000.

Total project funding: $800,000.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Destination image as a competitive factor in destination management, marketing, and

branding

Effects of media messages on tourism behavior and destination demand

Computer-assisted analysis of qualitative data. Methodologies for statistical analysis of

textual and pictorial data

Websites and online communities as marketing tools for Destination Marketing

Organizations

User-generated content as a word-of-mouth data source

PUBLICATIONS

Lu, W., & Stepchenkova, S. Ecotourism experiences reported online: Classification of

satisfaction attributes. Tourism Management. In press.

Li, X. (R.), & Stepchenkova, S. (2011). Chinese outbound tourists destination image of

America: Part I. Journal of Travel Research. In press.

Kirilenko, A., Stepchenkova, S., Romsdahl, R., & Mattis, K. Computer-assisted analysis of

public discourse: A case study of the precautionary principle in the US and UK press. Quality &

Quantity. In press. Published online on November 19, 2010. Online access:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/y52607xl8980528q/fulltext.pdf.

Stepchenkova, S., & Eales, J. (2011). Quantifying media messages: The effect of news on

tourism demand. Journal of Travel Research, 50(2), 198-212.

Stepchenkova, S., & Mills, J. E. (2010). Destination image research: A trend analysis. Journal

of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 19(6), 575-609.

Stepchenkova, S., Tang, L., Jang, S., Kirilenko, A., & Morrison (2010). Benchmarking CVB

website performance: Spatial and structural patterns. Tourism Management, 31(5), 611-620.

Stepchenkova, S., Kirilenko, A., & Morrison (2009). Facilitating content analysis in tourism

research. Journal of Travel Research, 47(4), 454-46.

Byun, S., Ruffini, C., Mills, J., Douglas, A., Niang, M., Stepchenkova, S., Lee, S. K., Loufti, J.,

Lee, J.-K., Atallah, M., & Blanton, M. (2009). Internet addiction: Metasynthesis of 1996-2006

quantitative research. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(2), 203-207.

Douglas, A. C., Mills, J. E., Niang, M., Stepchenkova, S., Byun, S., Ruffini, C., Lee, S. K.,

Loutfi, J., Lee, J.-K., Atallah, M., & Blanton, M. (2008). Internet addiction: Meta-synthesis of

qualitative research for the decade 1996-2006. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(6), 3027-

3044.

Jiang, H., Mills, J.E., & Stepchenkova, S. (2008). Digital identity management and satisfaction

with virtual travel communities. Information Technology & Tourism, 10(1), 43-58.

Stepchenkova, S., & Morrison, A. M. (2008). Russia s destination image among American

pleasure travelers: Revisiting Echtner & Ritchie. Tourism Management, 29(3), 548-560.

Stepchenkova, S., Chen, Y., & Morrison, A. M. (2007). China and Russia: Organic destination

images in U.S. media. China Tourism Research, 3(1), 55-72.

Stepchenkova, S., & Morrison, A. M. (2006). The destination image of Russia: From the online

induced perspective. Tourism Management, 27(5), 943-956.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Stepchenkova, S., & Zhang*, F. (2011). DMOs and user-generated photography: Comparison of

projected and perceived destination images using perceptual maps. 42st Annual Conference of

the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA). June 19-21, 2010. London, Ontario,

Canada.

Lu*, W., & Stepchenkova, S. (2011). U.S. ecotourists travel experience and satisfaction

reported on the World Wide Web: A case of Costa Rica ecolodges. In The 16th Annual

Hospitality and Tourism Graduate Student Education and Research Conference Electronic (CD)

Proceedings: Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, vol. XVI. Houston, TX, January 5-

8, 2011.

Lu*, W., Stepchenkova, S., Thapa, B., & Donohoe, H. (2010). Ecotourists satisfaction with

travel experiences and ecolodges in Costa Rica. International Tourism Conference on Global

Sustainable Tourism. Mbombela, South Africa, November 15-19, 2010.

Stepchenkova, S., & Ismail, J. (2010). Tracking Destination Image through Time: The Case of

Aruba. International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (CHRIE)

Conference. July 27-31, 2010. San-Juan, Puerto-Rico.

Li, X., & Stepchenkova, S. (2010). America s Destination Image as Seen through Chinese

Outbound Tourists Eyes. 41st Annual Conference of the Travel and Tourism Research

Association (TTRA). June 20-22, 2010. San-Antonio, Texas. Best Research Paper Award.

Stepchenkova, S., Eales, J. (2009). Modeling the effect of media messages on destination

demand: The case of Russia. In The 14th Annual Hospitality and Tourism Graduate Student

Education and Research Conference Electronic (CD) Proceedings: Advances in Hospitality and

Tourism Research, vol. XIV. Las Vegas, NV, January 4-6, 2009. Best Paper Nomination.

Stepchenkova, S., Ismail, J. (2009). A proposal for Dynamic Destination Image Index: The case

of Aruba. In The 14th Annual Hospitality and Tourism Graduate Student Education and

Research Conference Electronic (CD) Proceedings: Advances in Hospitality and Tourism

Research, vol. XIV. Las Vegas, NV, January 4-6, 2009.

Stepchenkova, S., Tang, L., Jang, S., Kirilenko, A., & Morrison (2008). Mapping CVB website

quality: Spatial and structural patterns. In The 13th Annual Hospitality and Tourism Graduate

Student Education and Research Conference Proceedings: Vol. XIII. Advances in Hospitality

and Tourism Research (pp. 649-661). Orlando, FL, January 3-5, 2008.

Stepchenkova, S., Mills, J.E., & Jiang, H. (2007). Virtual travel communities: Self-reported

experiences and satisfaction. In M. Sigala, L. Mich, and J. Murphy (eds.) The 14th International

Conference on Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (ENTER) Proceedings, (pp. 163

174). Ljubljana, Slovenia, January 24-26, 2007. SpringerWienNewYork: Austria

Stepchenkova, S., & Ismail, J.A. (2007). China and Russia: Substitutes or Complements? In The

12th Annual Hospitality and Tourism Graduate Student Education and Research Conference

Proceedings: Vol. XII. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (pp. 939-948). Houston,

TX, January 4-6, 2007.

Stepchenkova, S., Kirilenko, A.P., & Morrison, A.M. (2006). Facilitating statistical analysis of

digital textual data: A two-step approach. In The 11th Annual Hospitality and Tourism Graduate

Student Education and Research Conference Proceedings: Vol. XI. Advances in Hospitality and

Tourism Research (pp. 680-689). Seattle, WA, January 5-7, 2006. Best Paper Nomination.

Stepchenkova, S., Chen, Y., & Morrison, A. M. (2005). China and Russia: A comparative

analysis of organic destination images. In The 11th APTA Conference Proceedings: Vol. 1. New

Tourism for Asia-Pacific (pp. 273-283). Goyang, Korea, July 7-10, 2005.

Stepchenkova, S., & Morrison, A. M. (2005). Online image measurement of Russia as a tourist

destination: A comparison of American and Russian websites. In The 10th Annual Hospitality

and Tourism Graduate Student Education and Research Conference Proceedings: Vol. X.

Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (pp. 930-934). Myrtle Beach, NC, January 4-6,

2005.

RESEARCH REPORTS

Morrison, A. M., So, S.-I., Beldona, S., Feng, R., & Stepchenkova, S. (2004). The Ambassadair

Membership Value Study (Comparison Report). West Lafayette, IN, USA: Purdue.University,

Purdue Tourism and Hospitality Research Center (PTHRC).

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

Head of Marketing Department

PhysTech Co., Ltd, Moscow, Russia. November 2001-May 2002

Responsible for distribution of imported consumer scales (Tanita, Salter, Soehnle, Momert, and

EKS brands) in Russia. Supervised and motivated a division of 21 employees.

Head of Sales

PhysTech Co., Ltd, Moscow, Russia. 1999-2001

Organized and led Consumer Scales Sales Department of 7 employees. Built a distribution

network of 80 retailers in Moscow region.

Project Manager

PhysTech Co., Ltd, Moscow, Russia. 1998-1999

Introduced an innovative line of consumer scales, Tanita Body Fat Monitors, to the Russian

market.

C and Excel Programmer

Evergreen Technologies, Inc., Corvallis, OR. 1997-1998

Programming, design, and development of an MS Excel spreadsheet application to support

tracking of BIOS resources used in Evergreen products.

Fortran Programmer

Moscow Radio-Technical Institute, Moscow, Russia. 1984-1991

Computer modeling, data analysis.

SELECTED ACTIVITIES IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Crisis Management Leadership Workshop

University of Florida s Tourism Crisis Management Institute, October 19-20, 2010.

Teaching Enhancement Symposium

College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Florida, August 18, 2010

Applied Management Principles Program

Krannert School of Management, Purdue University. Spring 2004. Certificate of Completion

Information Technologies (E-business) Seminar

Japan's Assistance for the Management Training Program, Tokyo, Japan. Spring 2002.

Certificate of Completion

Technological Innovations Management

Training managers and executives for the enterprises of national economy of the Russian

Federation. The Academy for National Economy at the Government of Russian Federation,

Moscow, Russia. 2001-2002. Diploma

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

US-Russia Program FIPSE Grant Award

Stepchenkova, S. (PI), Thapa, B. (CO-PI), and Pennington-Gray, L. (CO-PI). (2010-2013).

University of Florida, USA, and the State University of Nizhni Novgorod, Russian Federation:

Capacity Building Partnership to Improve Tourism Education, Research, and Industry Outreach

Best Research Paper Award

Li, X., & Stepchenkova, S. (2010). America s Destination Image as Seen through Chinese

Outbound Tourists Eyes. 41st Annual Conference of the Travel and Tourism Research

Association (TTRA)

Howard Rosfeld Scholarship

For industry and academic achievement, Purdue University. Spring 2005

Russian Federation Scholarship

To participate in the Information Technologies (E-business) Seminar, Tokyo, Japan. Spring 2002

Russian Federation Scholarship

To study at the Technological Innovations Management Program. Training managers and

executives for the enterprises of national economy of the Russian Federation. The Academy for

National Economy at the Government of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia. 2001-2002

British Council Fellowship

To study at Thames Valley University, London, UK. 1995

SERVICE AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA), Executive Committee, Regional Vice

President (Russia and Eastern Europe), 2011-2012

Reviewer for Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, Current Issues in

Tourism, and Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management

Member of Eta Sigma Delta Honor Society

Institutional Member of Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) through the

Center for Tourism Research and Development (CTRD), Department of Tourism,

Recreation and Sport Management, University of Florida

Institutional Member of Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education

(CHRIE) through the Center for Tourism Research and Development (CTRD),

Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management, University of Florida

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