Jeffrey D. Schaffer

The evolution of a festival: Creole Christmas in New Orleans.

Abstract Creole Christmas is a month-long festival created in 1986 to boost the fortunes of the tourism industry in New Orleans during the lowest point in the season. This is a case study about the development of the festival and the economic impact it has had on the tourism community in the city. An evaluation of the festival shows that it has turned out to be a success in economic terms but the social and cultural benefits have not yet been proven. The success of the festival can be traced to the cooperation between the major constituents of the tourism industry such as the city government, the hospitality industry and the merchants and residents of New Orleans.

Competitive strategies in the lodging industry

Abstract A study of the competitive strategies of lodging firms in the U.S.A. reveals a unique pattern of strategic profiles, particularly within industry segments. Implications suggest that alternative forms of competitive positioning can be identified, however, they may not all be equally viable. These findings provide lodging industry practitioners and students with new evidence of the potential implications of alternative courses of competitive actions.

Reengineering the hotel organization.

Most small- and medium-size businesses, including hotels, are usually organized by function. In functional organization, people who perform similar tasks or have similar skills are grouped together into one department. The authors propose that hotels currently organized by departments should group tasks into coherent business processes, such as customer communication, product development, and problem resolution. The advantages of reengineering by processes include: performance is measured by customer-based criteria; job preparation shifts from training to education; executives are able to be leaders and facilitators rather than checkers and arbitrators; and employees and departments become less protective of their turf and more productive.

INTERNAL CONSISTENCY BETWEEN STRATEGY AND STRUCTURE: PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS IN THE LODGING INDUSTRY

This study addresses the contingent nature of strategy by examining the Miles and Snow (1978) internal consistency assumptions in a single industry setting. These authors specify a strategy/structure profile for the prospector and defender types and indicate that deviation from the ideal strategic profile will have negative effects on performance. In order to test the relationship between internal consistency and performance, it was proposed that strategic types may differ in their performance tendencies. Principle component analysis was used to identify the degree of importance of strategic characteristics and methods. Cluster analysis yielded five strategic groups. Results suggest that a range of structural arrangements exist among firms exhibiting each strategic type. Within strategic types, firms that achieve internal consistency exhibited higher mean performance scores than those that did not, but the differences were not significant. Therefore, the study revealed only marginal evidence that internal consistency as described by Miles and Snow contributes to higher performance regardless of the “appropriateness” of the performance measure.

A Conceptual Framework for Attracting Generation Y to the Hotel Industry Using a Seamless Hotel Organizational Structure

The increasing sophistication of well-traveled customers and the burgeoning young demographic known as Generation Y constitute major environmental forces that are beyond the lodging industrys immediate control. Generation Y will form the bulk of new hires who, by the nature of their drastic differences in work values and lifestyles, will not be attracted to hotels as they are currently operated. The purpose of the authors in this article is to examine these environmental forces and propose a conceptual framework for an organizational structure at the unit level in the hotel industry that will create an attractive work environment for Generation Y.

Labor issues within the hospitality and tourism industry: a study of Louisiana's attempted solutions.

The purpose of this study was to illustrate short-term and long-term methods which have been identified for dealing with labor issues. The hospitality and tourism industry is plagued with high turnover, which has both direct costs (e.g., recruitment, hiring, and training) and indirect costs (e.g., overtime, reduced customer satisfaction). This article identifies possible benefits realized from Incumbent Worker Training Programs (e.g., reduced training costs, reduced payroll taxes, higher employee retention, and engagement) which should encourage hospitality and tourism entities to become committed to a long-term strategy in human resource management.

Assessing hospitality programs using objective criteria: an exploratory study.

The purpose of this study was to suggest an approach to assessing bachelors-level hospitality programs using objective criteria. This study attempted to suggest a way to solve the controversies associated with previous college ranking reports such as survey respondent bias. Only published data were used to ensure an objective measurement of program characteristics. Six variables (e.g., industry accessibility, total faculty-student ratio, terminal-degreed faculty-student ratio, and percent of faculty with terminal degrees, cost, and university resources) were used in assessing the quality of programs. Findings of this study provided an objective approach for assessing hospitality programs.

Research in the Food Service Industry: an Exploratory Study and Critique

This paper is the first part of a two phase exploratory study of research in the food service in dustry. In this first phase an analysis of the nature of a limited sample of research relative to the food service industry is undertaken. Findings reveal that the vast majority of research ac tivities to not focus on topics that are perceived to be of critical importance to the industry. Insight is provided into problems that continue to plague research efforts in the food service industry. The second phase of the study, to be published in a subsequent issue of the Journal of Hospitality Education and Research, will comprehend a considerably broader sample and seek to confirm and elaborate on these initial findings. A greater awareness of food service research issues should help to encourage industry and academic leaders to address these problems.

Strategic Consensus and Organizational Performance in the Lodging Industry

This paper examines the relationship between strategic consensus within top management teams and organizational performance in a sample of 36 firms from the lodging industry. Findings suggest that there may be a curvilinear relationship between these two variables. Too much agreement by a firms top management team may be just as unhealthy as too little agreement. Although strategic consensus is only one of many factors influencing performance, these results indicate that it should not be ignored. Key Words: Strategic Consensus, Organization Performance.

Revisiting Attributes: How Important Is Green in the Consumer Selection of Hotel Rooms?

ABSTRACT Consumers’ buying behavior is not always consistent with their positive attitude, particularly toward environmentally friendly products. In a survey of 197 travelers, the relative importance consumers ascribe to the attribute of green was assessed. Through a multi-methods study involving interviews, focus groups discussions, and forced-choice experiments that simulate market buying situation, it was found that consumers’ selection of hotel rooms is still much dictated by traditional choice factors. Through a conjoint analysis, it was found that consumers highly prioritized the price attribute. The green attribute was assigned a low relative importance of 4% among the respondents. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.