John T. Self

Why Restaurants Fail

Past research on restaurant failures has focused mostly on quantitative factors and bankruptcy rates. This study explored restaurant ownership turnover rates using qualitative data, longitudinal data (1996-1999), and data from Dun and Bradstreet reports. In contrast to frequently repeated statistics, a relatively modest 26.16 percent of independent restaurants failed during the first year of operation. Results from this study indicated marginal differences in restaurant failures between franchise chains (57.2 percent) and independent operators (61.4 percent). Restaurant density and ownership turnover were strongly correlated (.9919). A qualitative analysis indicated that effective management of family life cycle and quality-of-life issues is more important than previously believed in the growth and development of a restaurant.

Why do employees stay? A qualitative exploration of employee tenure.

This study attempted to identify common characteristics of long-term restaurant employees through employee interviews. The results of this study indicated that certain themes emerged that were found to be common in these long-term employees, such as financial need to work and having friends who work. Incorporating these themes into structured interviews could aid managers in better employee selection.

20-20 Hindsight: A Qualitative Analysis of Hospitality Graduates

The aim of this research was to qualitatively assess the influence of college experiences on initial employment success by hospitality graduates. This research was done using retrospective interviews with hospitality graduates and concentrated on work experience, academic performance, career focus, and realities of the workplace as the primary elements leading to a satisfactory position upon graduation.

Where restaurants fail: a longitudinal study of micro locations.

While there are many factors for restaurant failure, location has always been considered the primary cause. This longitudinal study seeks to determine whether the failure rates varied in the 207 micro areas of Los Angeles County, California. The study describes the failure experience of six cohorts of restaurants formed during the years 2003–2008.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due: A Study of Anti-Plagiarism Detection Software in the Classroom

This paper examines a problem increasingly seen in academia: students submitting plagiarized work as their own. The article reports findings of an evaluation of university student work using an electronic plagiarism detection service “Turnitin.com.” Discussed is a comprehensive definition of plagiarism, the culture of plagiarism, the use of detection software and the value of the software as a means to establishing an anti-plagiarism environment in the classroom.

Reality in the Classroom: Teaching Critical Thinking with Scenarios

ABSTRACT One of the challenges for hospitality educators is to develop critical-thinking skills in the future leaders of the industry. It is often thought that students will develop this skill as a byproduct of coursework, but research indicates that it must be explicitly taught. Following the suggestions of researchers, this article uses authentic or anchored instruction scenarios to aid in the development of problem-solving skills. The 10 steps describe how to bring real management scenarios into class that not only engage students but also develop critical problem-solving skills.

Comparing pre- and post-perceptions of studying abroad: an Italy programme case study

Abstract This study examines students’ decisions to study abroad, the value they place on the experience and expected future influences on personal, academic, and career choices. The research focused on past experience and expectations, as well as challenges that are faced when studying abroad. The questions covered Italian culture knowledge, host institution expectations, travel experience, and trip issues. The study contributions include adding to the current literature on intercultural student tourist activities in a foreign country, identifying intra- and interpersonal authenticity among students’ pre- and post-trip perceptions, explore host/tourist relationships, and confirm positive elements that experiential education offers.

Tipping is Becoming Russia's Cup of Tea

Liao, S.H., Chen, C.M. and Wu, C.H. (2007). Mining Customer Knowledge for Product Line and Brand Extension in Retailing, Expert Systems with Applications, In Press. McKechnie, S. (2006). Integrating Intelligent Systems into Marketing to Support Market Segmentation Decisions, Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, 14(3): 117-127. Olafsson, S., Li, X. and Wu, S. (2006). Operations Research and Data Mining, European ]our~lnl of Operational Researclr, In Press. Reutterer, T. Mild, A,, Natter, M. and Taudes, A. (2006). A Dynamic Segmentation Approach for Targeting and Customizing Direct Marketing campajgns, ]ournil of lnternctiv; ~ n r k e t i n g , 20(3-4): 43-57. Shaw, M.J., Subramaniam, C., Tan, G.W. and Welge, M.E. (2001). Knowledge Management and Data Mining for Marketing, Decision Support Systems, 31(1): 127.137. Song, H.S., Kim, J.K. and Kim, S.H. (2001). Mining theChange of Customer Behavior in an Internet Shopping Mall, Expert Systelns with Applications, 21(3): 157-168. Sung, S.Y., Li, Z., Tan, C.L. and Ng, FA. (2003). Forecasting Association Rules Using Existing Data Sets, fEEE Trnnsnctions on Kxowledge and Df?ta Engineering, 1516): 144-7459. Wang, K., Zhou, S., Yang, Q. and Yeung, J.M.S. (2005). Mining Customer Value: from Association Rules to Direct Marketing, Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, ll(1): 57-79.