James Brian Aday

Digital personalities: an examination of the online identity of travel and tourism web sites

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify whether travel and tourism related web sites derive a certain personality type.Design/methodology/approach – This study employed the ten‐item personality inventory (TIPI) measure to assess personality dimensions of 188 tourism web sites including airlines, hotels, cruise lines, casinos, restaurants, and government funded travel web sites. Data analysis of 413 cases was conducted through mean comparisons and ANOVA.Findings – Data identified web sites representing different segments of the hospitality and tourism industries do vary in relation to online personalities. More specifically, web sites for venues such as casinos were represented as extraverted while lodging web sites were deemed more conscientious.Research limitations/implications – While this study aimed to identify web site personalities of businesses within the tourism segment, not all categories were represented. Furthermore, response choices were limited only 20 of the personality objectives...

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.

Competitive Advantage or Market Saturation: An In-Depth Comparison of Flash-Sale Sites Through Content Analysis

This study aims to identify the representativeness of hospitality and service industry firms on flash-sale sites such as Groupon and LivingSocial. Currently, academic findings related to the frequency of offerings from these firms are nonexistent. This research relied upon a content analysis rubric and daily measurement of offerings from randomly selected cities represented by Groupon and LivingSocial for a period of 6 weeks. The daily offerings for specific cities on the Groupon and LivingSocial sites were utilized as the primary data sources. Findings indicate firms in these industries, outside of restaurants, have shunned away from offering their services via flash-sale mediums. The research findings demonstrate restaurants frequently utilize flash sales as a promotional tool. However, the abundant representation of these types of firms has created a scenario in which operators are compelled to offer deep discounts to make their offers competitive with offers from competing firms in the same city.

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.

Deals inside: examining restaurant operators’ motives when choosing whether to offer a flash-sale

ABSTRACT As restaurants are the primary hospitality business represented on flash-sale sites, this study examined motivations of restaurant managers when choosing whether to utilize the promotional mediums of flash-sales. Interviews were administered as a measurement instrument. Results demonstrated restaurants which have employed flash-sales are weary of the likelihood of success and believe the flash-sales brought in established customers. Non-users indicated hesitation towards adoption of flash-sales related to low profit margins per item in their operation and the percentage split of the sale price between the firm and flash-sale provider. Findings provide keen foundational insight into the flashsale phenomenon.