Cheri A. Young

Hispanic Immigrant Entrepreneurs in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area: Motivations for Entry into and Outcomes of Self‐Employment*

This study examined business ownership among foreign‐born Hispanic entrepreneurs. Through semistructured face‐to‐face interviews, the researchers examined motivations to enter business ownership as well as different business practices and the possible relationship between these practices and viability. It appears that in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, pull factors have a stronger impact on entrepreneurship than do push factors, drawing individuals into entrepreneurship. In addition, the importance of preparing a business plan and investing in advertising for business viability is identified.

Case Writing Reconsidered

In this article, we argue that the contemporary ideal teaching case is becoming a decision-focused one and that dysfunctional consequences may arise from such a singular focus. The value of the case method is blunted when solely or overly focused on decision making. We suggest that case writers and teachers may usefully rediscover the roots of the case method and encourage and appreciate case variety. Provided is a preliminary listing of alternative case types and a classification of case objectives that support the aim of generating discussion for the enhancement of managerial thinking, not simply decision-making capabilities.

A note on emotions and consultancy

Although most consultants appreciate the role emotions play in change projects, many have little understanding regarding emotions and how they influence behavior. By providing a basic framework of emotions, and explicating how emotions affect cognitive processes and behavior, argues that emotions and change projects are interlinked. Because the client’s need for help is typically triggered by negative circumstances, clients often experience unsettling negative affective reactions they wish to alleviate. Although consultants are ostensibly hired to provide expertise and assistance on matters of content, we argue that clients’ manifest requests for assistance are also almost always implicit calls for emotional help. The emotional help that consultants may provide consists of effectively managing the client’s emotional needs in two arenas: the situation in which the client finds him or herself, and the client‐consultant relationship.

Should NYC’s Restaurateurs Lighten Up? Effects of the City’s Smoke-Free-Air Act

Abstract This study indicates that legislation that mandates smoke-free restaurants attracts more business (and money) than it drives away.

Burned! The impact of work aspects, injury, and job satisfaction on unionized cooks' intentions to leave the cooking occupation.

The hospitality industry is marked by chronic labor shortages and high turnover in the cooking occupation, yet research on occupational (as opposed to job or organizational) turnover antecedents in this context is scarce. This study explores the variables that drive cooks’ intent to leave their chosen occupation, focusing on administratively controllable elements of the work environment. A survey of 213 unionized cooks employed in 13 hotels, ranging from three to five stars, in a major U.S. city illuminated path relationships between the antecedents of (a) work demands, (b) kitchen conditions, (c) management’s concern for food quality, and (d) work engagement, and the outcomes of (a) injuries, (b) job satisfaction, and (c) occupational turnover intent. Results show that the population of cooks may warrant contextually-specific models of occupational turnover intent.

Implementing and Sustaining Service-Learning at the Institutional Level.

In this study, we offer insights regarding the tactics used by institutions to implement and sustain service-learning at various levels of commitment as identified by Holland (1997). An analysis of data collected from 12 directors of service-learning centers provides a description of common practices associated with implementing and sustaining service-learning initiatives at the institutional level, focusing on organizational tactics associated with funding, administration, faculty recruitment and support, and student involvement and assessment.

Creating a good first day on the job: Allaying newcomers' anxiety with positive messages

The first day of work appears to be critical for a new employees attitude about his or her new company, and about the messages it conveys on this day. A sample of hospitality-industry newcomers remembered mostly negative first-day incidents involving supportiveness (or its lack), appreciation (or blame), being made to feel welcome (or unwelcome), and being made to feel part of the family or team (or experiencing conflict and separation). Organizations need to focus on job aspects that are most critical to the newcomers and provide newcomers with the information most useful to them for alleviating the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding the entry process. Structured activities held on the first day should make newcomers feel welcome and provide emotional support. The process of socialization can affect a newcomers performance, satisfaction, and commitment to (or intention to leave) the organization.

Moving from fire‐fighting to fire prevention: what service organizations need to know

Managers in manufacturing environments often engage in fire‐fighting rather than taking a more proactive approach to management. It is argued that, although often necessary, fire‐fighting has negative consequences associated with a focus on solving organizational symptoms rather than problems or predicaments. Additionally, many believe the empowerment of front‐line service workers is key to a successful service recovery procedure or program. Three different types of empowerment – service recovery, problem solving, and customer service – are presented and it is shown that service recovery empowerment is associated with fire‐fighting. The practical, managerial implications of these three types of empowerment, and of fire‐fighting, are discussed.

A value-driven process model of hospitality human capital.

ABSTRACT Since value in todays economy is increasingly driven by employees as opposed to hard assets (Zimmerman, p. 32), managing employees and their ideas is now a cornerstone of competitive advantage. To effectively manage these value-driving elements, organizations must be able to accurately measure them. To measure them, the authors collected data from twenty-one interviews with human resources professionals in the hospitality industry, attempting to define human capital in this economic sector. Findings uncovered three main hospitality-specific human capital (HHC) components: service-oriented employees, empowered employees, and committed employees. A process model maps organizational mission, strategic objectives, and specific managerial activities that increase the value of HHC and drive value to the bottom line.

The politics of smoking: Findings or agendas?

[Excerpt] The April 1996 issue of the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly presented our findings of a study on consumer dining attitudes and behavior after passage of the New York City Smoke-FreeAir Act. Since that time the study has prompted both public praise and criticism. While some have used this preliminary study to encourage legislators to enact smoking bans, others have prepared detailed negative critiques. The Advocacy Institute, for instance, has used the study to support its agenda of encouraging the passage of smoke-free policies in local communities. In contrast, the National Smokers Alliance (an advocacy group for the tobacco industry) commissioned a critique from the Evans Group, a consulting firm whose president, Michael Evans, is a clinical (teaching) professor at Northwestern University. While it is the case in the world of political debate that different sides on an issue use persuasion and may even hire consultants to help show the merits of their position, the best way to gather and use information on important social issues is to conduct a number of research studies. All studies have limitations, and the more research conducted the greater the value of the resulting accumulated knowledge. We noted in our April 1996 paper and now restate that this study is a first attempt to compile consumer-behavior data. We stated, ‘The conclusions drawn from these data should be treated as preliminary. Similar results based on the collection of additional data in the future would strengthen the conclusions drawn herein.”