Haiyan Kong

Hotel development in China: a review of the English language literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer an overview of the existing English literature concerning the development of Chinas hotel industry by means of reviewing the topic from three academic online databases.Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews published studies found in refereed journals that can be accessed online via Emerald Management Review, ProQuest Basic Search and EBSCO Host Web. A total of 66 refereed journal papers were found over the period 1984‐2007. They were grouped into four major themes: strategy and development; marketing; service quality and human resources management.Findings – Research on Chinas hotel development grew rapidly with the rise of Chinas hotel industry, reflecting the situation, problems, challenges and opportunities affecting hotel development. Strategy and development is a dominant theme, accounting for 43 per cent of all papers.Practical implications – The paper summarises research on Chinas booming hotel industry, offers a general review of its hi...

Meeting career expectation: can it enhance job satisfaction of Generation Y?

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the influence of career expectations on job satisfaction of Generation Y, as well as the mediating effect of career expectations on the relationship between hotel career management (HCM) and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from the main tourist cities in China with Generation Y employees working in the hospitality industry as the target population. A total of 442 valid questionnaires were obtained, and structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among the constructs. Findings – HCM contributed positively to employees’ career expectation and job satisfaction. Career expectation was positively related to job satisfaction, as well as mediated the relationship between HCM and job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited by the use of self-reported data in the cross-sectional design because all participants filled out the questionnaires by themselves. The use of convenience sampling me...

Are Tour Guides in China Ready for the Booming Tourism Industry

This article aims to develop a profile of the educational attainments, skills and attitudes, career needs, and plans of tour guides in China based on a study of both permanent and freelance guides. The findings indicate that tour guides are ill‐prepared for the booming tourism industry. The workforce in Chinas tour guide sector is currently dominated by young staff with an educational background in vocational and/or professional schools. Although a guides work is challenging and demanding, tour guides in China do not appear to be highly respected either within society or among family circles. Tour guide work offers unstable career development prospects due to the relatively limited promotional prospects and poor training opportunities available. To attract and retain qualified guides, a focus on career management and training qualifications should be regarded as an urgent priority in human resources strategies. 本文以职业导游和兼职导游为调研对象，对中国导游的教育程度、技能、态度以及职业发展需要和计划的情况进行研究。研究结果显示导游没有做好充分准备以应付旅游业的急速发展。目前中国导游的主力主要是毕业于职业或专科学校的年轻人。虽然导游的工作既富挑战性，能力要求又高，但导游在中国似乎并未得到社会和其家人的高度尊重。由于导游的晋升机会相对有限，职业培训不足，在职业发展方面来说，导游工作的前景并不明朗。因此，要吸引和挽留高素质的导游，首要的人力资源策略应集中在导游的职业管理和专业培训方面。

How to influence hospitality employee perceptions on hotel brand performance

Purpose – This paper aims to understand employees’ perceptions of human resources management functions and how these affect brand performance, and the indirect influence of human resources management functions when mediated by job satisfaction in branded hotels in China. Hotel human resources functions, specifically organizational career management, and internal branding in hotels in mainland China were examined. The mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between organizational career management and internal branding on brand performance was also examined. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of hotel supervisors and middle managers in mainland China yielded 510 valid questionnaires for data analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to empirically test the relationships between human resources management functions (organizational career management, internal branding and job satisfaction) and brand performance in four- and five-star hotels in China. Findings – The structural equat...

Job satisfaction research in the field of hospitality and tourism

This study aims to conduct an overview of previous studies on job satisfaction, particularly its determinants and outcomes, and the research objectives, main themes and years of publication of previous studies. This study also seeks to analyze research trends on job satisfaction in the field of hospitality and tourism.,The top hospitality and tourism journals were reviewed, and relevant papers were searched using the keyword “job satisfaction.” Content analysis was performed to identify the research objectives, main themes, influencing factors, outcomes and journals.,A total of 143 refereed journal papers were collected, of which 128 papers explored the influencing factors of job satisfaction, and 53 papers aimed to investigate outcomes. The predictors of job satisfaction were further classified into four groups, namely, organizational, individual, social and family and psychological factors.,This study conducted a literature review on job satisfaction by using content analysis. A relatively comprehensive review of job satisfaction is provided. However, this preliminary study still has considerable room for improvement given the extensive studies on job satisfaction. Future studies may perform meta-analysis and attempt to find new values of job satisfaction.,Findings may shed light on practical management. From the individual perspective, education, interest and skills were found to be related to job satisfaction. Thus, managers should provide their employees with opportunities to train and update their skills. From the organizational perspective, organizational support and culture contributed positively to job satisfaction. This perspective highlighted the importance of effective management activities and policies. From the social and family perspective, family–work supportive policies must be implemented to enhance job satisfaction. From the psychological perspective, psychological issues were found to be closely related to job satisfaction. Thus, the employees’ stress should be reduced to ensure that they perform their jobs well.,This study analyzed the determinants and outcomes of job satisfaction and highlighted the importance of enhancing job satisfaction from different perspectives. The interest of employees should be enhanced, their family–work conflict should be reduced and their psychological issues should be addressed to stimulate their enthusiasm. As job satisfaction contributes positively to organizational commitment and intention to stay, managers should conduct a series of organizational supportive activities to enhance job satisfaction, which will retain qualified employees.,This study conducted extensive research on job satisfaction and drew a systematic picture of job satisfaction on the basis of its determinants and outcomes, research objectives, main themes and journals. All findings were comprehensive and combined to contribute to the literature and serve as a foundation for further study.