Burcin Hatipoglu

Demographic diversity in the workplace and its impact on employee voice: the role of trust in the employer

Abstract This article examines the relationship between demographic diversity principles and evaluations of employee voice. An analysis of survey data from 707 employees working at 37 hospitality institutions with different star categories confirmed that trust in the employer, followed by the modest contribution of education, is of the utmost importance in the evaluation of voice systems by all employees. Employee evaluations of voice opportunities were found to display differences between male and female employee groups. While generational cohort was a differentiating attribute for the male group, job tenure had the same effect for the female employees. Implications for future research and for HR managers are discussed.

Nationality Differences in User-Generated Reviews in the Hospitality Industry

Abstract The chapter investigates the evaluation and rating practice of individual travelers, through the examination of user-generated comments on the Internet. The study focuses on determining the most mentioned attributes of the accommodation experience, with consideration given to nationality differences. The individual evaluations of 40 Istanbul hotels are examined through an analysis of guest comments and hotel ratings posted in the Booking.com web site. The results obtained through content analysis provide knowledge to the accommodation industry in Istanbul regarding the areas in need of improvement, with consideration to variations among guests from different nationalities.

Hotel Guests’ Satisfaction with Employees in Istanbul and Barcelona

This chapter reports results of a comprehensive investigation on the antecedents of guests’ satisfaction with employees of Istanbul hotels. The first phase of the study showed that at those hotels where participation mechanisms are available for greater numbers of employees, there are also higher levels of employee satisfaction, but trust in organization did not follow the same trend. Demand for participation seems to decrease trust in organization, because in this high power-distance setting, employees may find such contribution cumbersome. Suggestions for human resource managers are provided, to keep the levels of trust in organization at a level that would not negatively influence other organizationally important attitudes. In the second phase, Barcelona and Istanbul’s comparability in terms of hotel guests’ satisfaction with employees was tested with matched samples. The result suggests that data obtained from online ratings in separate destinations could be useful for preliminary comparisons. Reported findings could be valuable for both organizational improvement and knowledge development in service sector organizations.

The Role of Regional Agencies

Abstract Regional development agencies (RDAs) have recently been established in Turkey as a policy vehicle to support local governments and coordinate stakeholders’ activities. In compliance with the European Union policy guidelines, regional-level planning and policymaking are introduced for the first time in Turkey. Within the new system, tourism is designated as one of the critical development tools and thus the RDAs have become actively involved in tourism planning and development. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the role of these organizations in the enhancement of tourism in less developed areas, examining the case of Thrace and North Anatolia regions in Turkey, and the activities of these respective agencies.