David L. Corsun

Charting the Experiential Territory: Clarifying Definitions and Uses of Computer Simulation, Games, and Role Play

The literature around experiential learning is unclear regarding the similarities and differences among simulation, games, and role play. In order to appropriately evaluate instructional processes, definitional clarity is necessary. In this article, we provide a definitional foundation and classification scheme for the topics of computer simulation, role play, and games. The educational and training outcomes of each are discussed, providing readers the means to determine for themselves, the pedagogical appropriateness of simulation, games, or role play to a given situation.

Is the Glass Ceiling Unbreakable? Habitus, Fields, and the Stalling of Women and Minorities in Management

The phenomenon of the glass ceiling is examined through the lenses of macro-organizational and sociological theory. Presented are several theoretical bases for viewing the glass ceiling and its perpetuation as the consequences of U.S. history, the distribution of capital among its people, the actions of the powerful that help them retain power, and the reality that the majority of the powerful in America have White maleness in common.

Are consultants blowing smoke? An empirical test of the impact of menu layout on item sales

For years, menu design consultants have asserted that the layout of the items on menus is asociated with item sales. To date, no scientific studies exist either supporting or refuting this assertion. In order to test this relationship we conducted a field experiment in which we tracked the pre‐ and post‐treatment sales of items on a three‐page menu over a period of four months. The treatment consisted of switching the contents of pages 2 and 3 of the menu. The data revealed no significant differences in item sales from time 1 to time 2. Implications for restaurant managers are discussed.

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.

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.

Why Restaurant Sales Contests Are Self-Defeating

Abstract Restaurant sales contests (RSCs) have no substantive body of literature to confirm or disconfirm their effectiveness. In U.S. organizations overall, sales contest (SC) popularity has been documented for decades, increasing in overall expenditure. In U.S. restaurants, the literature notes little more than that SC initiatives are widespread in current use, remaining popular throughout the past decade. However, serious concerns surface when examining the basic tenets that underlie RSC use and the lack of generalizability in SC studies of the business disciplines. In an attempt to open a wide area of fruitful potential research benefiting both theory and practice, we critically analyze the topic of RSCs from a scholarly and practitioner-based perspective, presenting propositions that integrate theoretical and empirical SC works with current understandings of restaurant organizations and their human resource objectives.

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.”

Extra Credit ≠ Extra Learning

Abstract In this article the author examines the concept of extra credit from philosophical and practical perspectives. Logical arguments are presented leading to the conclusion that, although faculty may be motivated to do so by splendid intentions and hopes, offering extra credit opportunities to students has negative, unintended consequences. Alternative means of achieving the goals faculty hope to achieve through extra credit are described.