Cynthia Mejia

The Industry Experience Gap: Hospitality Faculty Perceptions of the Importance of Faculty Industry Experience

It is estimated almost half of the current hospitality educators in the United States will be retiring within the next 10 years. In their place, the junior faculty who remain, as well as new hires, will have substantially less industry experience than their predecessors. This research sought to determine the perceptions of both hospitality students and faculty regarding the importance of faculty industry experience. The findings of this study are valuable to administrators who wish to maintain rigor within their academic programs and thus may serve as a benchmark for future hiring purposes.

Hospitality Instructors’ Preference for Blended Teaching: A Bridge to Full Online Course Delivery?

A substantial body of empirical research exists on the topic of online teaching and learning; however, few qualitative studies have been conducted examining the deeper reasons for teaching online and no studies of this type have been performed in the hospitality discipline. This research sought to understand the subjective norms influencing hospitality faculty to teach online. Data were coded according to TAM2 constructs and sub-coded revealing emergent themes. Findings demonstrated hospitality faculty’s propensity for blended learning as well as other strategies for improved online instruction.

Framework for Success: Overcoming Contemporary Challenges of Western Expatriate Managers in the Chinese Hospitality Industry

Exponential growth in the Chinese hospitality industry has fueled an overabundance of hotel job opportunities. The unintended consequences of an untrained workforce have posed a serious challenge to hospitality managers. Western hotel managers are hired for their special knowledge and expertise, and due to a lack of preparation and cultural training, they experience high assignment failure rates. Using the leveraging leader–member exchange theory, this qualitative study collected data from primary sources and revealed key emergent issues facing Western expatriate hotel managers working in China today. Productive culture-specific tactics for Western expatriate managers were offered to enhance team performance.

Academic Referent Group Influences on Hospitality Students’ Intentions to Enroll in an Online Course

Despite the popularity and growth of online courses in hospitality higher education, there still exists ambivalence toward this form of course delivery. Greater scheduling flexibility and accommodation of an ever-growing population of nontraditional students are presented as supporting online course adoption in programs still apprehensive toward this form of instruction. Given the pervasive nature and accessibility of Internet-based learning, this study utilized the technology acceptance model to determine the academic referent group influences on students’ intentions to enroll in an online course. Findings revealed plausible referent group influences that could be leveraged to encourage students to enroll in an online course, which would ultimately facilitate a positive learning experience.

Implementation and normalization process of asynchronous video interviewing practices in the hospitality industry

Purpose Asynchronous video interviews (AVIs) enable recruiters and job candidates to conduct and review employment interviews at different points in time, promising improved cost and time efficiencies for all users. This research aims to investigate the implementation and normalization process of AVI in the hospitality industry with the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the normalization process theory (NPT) providing theoretical support. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with hiring managers from three different hospitality companies, which were in different stages of the implementation process. The data have been recorded, transcribed and coded according to the UTAUT and NPT constructs, revealing emergent themes. Findings Five overarching themes emerged: AVI effort and efficiency expectation; augmentation to the interview process; challenges for the applicant; challenges for the recruiter; and issues with applicant interviewing aesthetics. Additional coding and analysis with NPT identified the following in terms of evaluation of the implementation process: participants’ implementation activities showed a tendency to emanate from cognitive participation (relationship work), leading to coherence (sense-making work), followed by collective action (enactment of work/operational work) and finally reflexive monitoring (appraisal work). Practical implications Findings from this research include recommendations for the best practices integrating AVI into the hospitality employee selection process. Originality/value Given the increased demands on the recruitment and selection of talent in the hospitality industry, several organizations have turned to mechanized HR software platforms. The impact of interview modalities and particularly AVI has received limited research attention, thus this study expanded this new stream of literature. Furthermore, this research is among a nascent stream using NPT to evaluate the implementation and normalization of this new technology.

Tablets and Tablet Apps: What Do Hotel Customers Want?

Abstract This study aims to explore consumers’ preference whether to bring their own tablets or use those provided by hotels, their expectations of hotel tablet apps, and antecedents of their behavioral intention toward hotel tablet apps. This study applied an extended model of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology to understand consumers’ perceptions of tablet apps. By surveying 1,034 customers, this study found the respondents were more likely to utilize some tablet app features over others and revealed five key antecedents of customers’ behavioral intentions toward hotel tablet apps. The findings will help operators make informed decisions to maximize the benefits of tablet technology investments. The theoretical framework of this study provides a benchmark for other researchers to further investigate this field.

Subordinates' perceptions of Western expatriate hotel managers in China: The effects of conflict avoidance

ABSTRACT The rapid expansion of the hotel industry in Mainland China has precipitated an increased need for hiring Western expatriate managers, especially among multinational brands. The consequences of expatriate failure are well studied and are of vital concern among stakeholders, necessitating a deeper understanding of Chinese norms. Prior justice research in China has recommended the inclusion of Chinese societal protocols, such as face protection and conflict avoidance, as predictors of Interactional Justice. The current study has added to the literature the importance of understanding face conflict avoidance styles as a precursor to Western expatriate managerial success.

The impact of personal and professional guanxi relationships on leader–member exchange in the Chinese hotel industry

ABSTRACT Leader–member exchange (LMX) theory has been tested across numerous cultures to determine employee satisfaction and turnover intentions based on the quality of the supervisor–subordinate relationship. Originating as a theory from Western culture, LMX is criticized for its inefficiency in predicting employee satisfaction in collectivist cultures. The purpose of this research was to examine guanxi as a predictor of worker satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention in the Chinese hotel industry. The results confirmed personal and professional guanxi relationships, distinct from LMX, as antecedents in the causal model. Theoretical contributions from this study included the incorporation of complex Chinese societal norms with the traditional Western LMX model, suggesting a hybridization effect. Practical implications revealed high correlations among LMX, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in the Chinese hotel industry, demonstrating the critical nature of the supervisor–subordinate relationship in a hospitality organization.

What they expect and why we should care: students' perspectives on hospitality faculty industry experience

Hospitality management programs, similar to other fields within higher education, are faced with numerous challenges including decreased funding and competition for students.In an effort to boost enrollment, researchers suggest a transformation of higher education, placing students at the center of these initiatives.With a focus on service, particularly student-staff interactions, knowledgeable and experienced faculty have been shown to increase perceived service quality. This research sought to quantify students’ perspectives regarding the importance of faculty members’ hospitality industry experience in an effort to meet expectations, which may translate into greater undergraduate enrollment, retention and graduation rates. A large sample (n = 1130) of undergraduates from the U.S. participated in the study from hospitality programs ranging under 500 to over 1000 students.