Jinlin Zhao

An exploratory study of US lodging properties' organizational practices on employee turnover and retention

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate US lodging properties’ organizational employee‐retention initiatives and practices, and to examine the impact of those initiatives on employee turnover and retention.Design/methodology/approach – Using the Directory of Hotel & Lodging Companies, a convenient sample group of 24 management companies are selected. A self‐administered mail survey instrument is developed to measure and test organizational initiatives and practices on employee turnover and retention. Using SPSS 16.0, two statistical tests are employed to test study hypotheses. Correlation analysis is used to identify the relationships between predictor and response variables. Likewise, regression analysis is used to examine the relationships between predictor and response variables hypothesizing that the effectiveness of practicing the human resource management organizational initiatives on management and non‐management retention and turnover will differ.Findings – The findings reveal that C...

Industry internships: feedback from participating faculty and industry executives

This study investigates the experiences of both faculty and hosting property executives with internship programs offered through the Council for Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education. Surveys were sent, via myriad methods, to participants asking for a summary of their experiences and suggestions for improvement. Also of interest was the feedback from hosts; therefore, surveys were also sent to all hosting company representatives for similar feedback. It was discovered that internships are of growing value to faculty and hospitality organizations and the continued development of experiences must be a priority. An interesting suggestion made by hosting executives was the hope that they could arrange internships with educational institutions, wherein they could also return to the academic environment to rekindle enthusiasm, obtain new skills, and update their knowledge on issues facing the industry they represent.

An Empirical Study of the Effect of Customer Participation on Service Quality

Abstract Using 185 completed surveys from hotel customers in Tianjin, China, the authors conducted a multiple regression analysis of the effects of information collection, participation in service design and standard build-up, interaction with employees, and “word of mouth” communication with hotel customers. It was found that these four dimensions of customer participation had a direct relationship with service quality.

The Restaurant Revolution-Growth, Change and Strategy in the International Foodservice Industry

Summary This paper reports the results of a two-year investigation into the forces driving change in the global foodservice industry and the identification and analysis of competitive methods used by multinationals to respond to these forces. The five forces identified are: (1) globalization and economic change, (2) a knowledge based environment, (3) the future labor force and its entrants, (4) concern for well being, and (5) threatened natural resources. The competitive methods as identified by analyzing multinational foodservice firms are: (1) strategic expansion into the international marketplace, (2) investment in technological development, (3) internal competency development, (4) effective communication to target markets, and (5) competitive pricing strategies. Using the co-alignment model of strategy as the underpinning of the analysis it was determined that multinational firms have responded well to the forces of globalization and economic change, and the knowledge based environment. However, it appears that little competitive methods have been developed to address the forces such as labor force, well being and threatened natural resources. The implication here is that firms that are not in alignment with environmental forces will have to address this concern if they expect to continue to add value for all industry stakeholders.

The magic of price-ending choices in European restaurants: a comparative study.

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to understand the price‐ending strategies in European restaurants and make practical suggestions to the managers.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from restaurant menus in three European countries. Results were compared with those of USA and Taiwan.Findings – The price‐ending strategies of European restaurants are distinctly different from those of the USA and, interestingly, have more in common with those of Taiwan.Research limitations/implications – The small sample size is a concern. Data were limited to three countries. Inclusion of more European restaurants is highly desired, especially with the Euro as a common currency.Practical implications – Restaurant companies could have better understanding of the impact of cultural differences, while implementing price‐ending strategies.Originality/value – This paper presents a case where cultural differences are of significant economic value in setting restaurant menu prices. In Europe, dining out is conside...

Japanese Travelers' Service Preferences in U.S. Hotels

Abstract This empirical study identifies specific preferences of Japanese visitors staying in U.S. hotels. Relevant literature is reviewed in an attempt to identify guest services which Japanese visitors prefer. This paper offers hotel operators suggestions about what they need to understand in order to attract and retain Japanese visitors. The results of the study will help hotel operators select appropriate products and services in order to better serve Japanese customers.

The effects of festival attendees’ experiential values and satisfaction on re-visit intention to the destination: The case of a food and wine festival

Purpose The purpose of this study was first to examine how goal-oriented attendees and experiential-oriented attendees were related with their overall satisfaction and loyalty of the destination with respect to international food and wine festival. It also investigated how these relations are mediated by different dimension of experiential consumption values such as consumer return on investment (CROI, active value), escapism (active value) and service excellence (reactive value) and aesthetics (reactive value). Design/methodology/approach Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to and collected from attendees at the 2011 Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami, Florida. A total of 450 subjects were collected from attendees indicating a response rate of about 88 per cent. Total 13 hypotheses were tested using structural equation model (SEM) with AMOS, and the results were interpreted adapting Mathwick’s (2001) typology of experiential value. Findings The findings indicate that goal-oriented attendees had stronger relationship with reactive experiential values such as service excellence and aesthetics than active values, whereas experiential-oriented attendees had more significant relations with active experiential values such as CROI and escapism than reactive values. In addition, CROI, escapism and service excellence were found to have a positive influence on the overall satisfaction with the festival; in turn, the attendees’ satisfaction had a positive effect on their intention to revisit the destination. Further, the results demonstrated that all experiential values, including CROI and escapism (active values), and service excellence and aesthetics (reactive values), played a mediating role between goal-oriented/experientially oriented attendee and satisfaction with the festival. Practical implications The festival organizers and managers should understand what drives the attendees’ participation in the festival. Implementing experiential marketing through various dimensions of experiential value can attract more potential attendees, provide unique experiences and create favorable perception toward the destination. Originality/value The research is original in terms of conceptualizing and empirically testing the relation between experiential consumption values and behavior loyalty within the special events and festivals with a specific focus on international food and wine festival. A finding of particular importance here is verifying the unique characteristics of goal-/experiential-oriented attendees in festival settings and determining the linkages between these different attendees and active/reactive experiential values, not to mention the relation with the overall satisfaction and loyalty to the festival destination.

Industry change, environmental scanning and firm strategy: how is the hospitality industry doing?

This paper attempts to argue that proper and well-organized environmental scanning activities could result in accurate predictions of forces driving change within the hospitality industry. The key forces driving change identified in research conducted by the authors under the auspices of the International Hotel and Restaurant Association are reviewed and compared to contemporary headlines regarding the two key forces, safety and security and capacity control. The paper also uses citations of recent industry reports as evidence to support the earlier predicted forces. The authors conclude that the industry failed to react to timely information and is now struggling to overcome key challenges associated with this lack of action.

Influence of price and brand image on restaurant customers’ restaurant selection attribute

ABSTRACT The study examines the influence of price and brand image on three major restaurant quality attributes (ambiance, food quality, and service quality). A total number of 363 cases from the survey were used to assess the proposed model for structural equation modeling. The results of this study indicated that brand image significantly affected customers’ restaurant attribute preference. Living status (residents vs. tourists) partially affected customers’ restaurant attribute preference. This study provides valuable information about restaurant customers’ preferences. The results also demonstrate how restaurant operators attract new customers and retain existing customers by improving their ambiance, food, and service quality.

Revving up for a New Year: Faculty Take to the Field

Faculty participating in the faculty intern program offered through I-Chrie and sponsored by Marriott International report on the value of updating skills through the field experience. This report includes the variety of experiences each faculty gained through participating in high quality orientation programs and rotations through departments in limited and full-service hotels. Of particular interest in this report is the experience of interning during the terrorist attacks in New York and the effect it had on property operations.