Manuel Antonio Rivera

Multi‐unit management key success factors in the casual dining restaurant industry: A case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the job characteristics or key success factors of current multi‐unit managers (MUMs) in a large casual dining restaurant organization.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a case study methodology which was used to survey a group of 71 MUMs in one organization regarding characteristics of their job. There were a total of 53 respondents for a 74.65 percent response rate. Factor analysis was used to determine whether any of the 24 characteristics could be condensed into “factors”.Findings – The paper finds that the eight factors that emerged as key success factors were: single unit operations, standard operating procedures, multi‐unit strategic planning, interpersonal and social responsibilities, travel and visiting units, human relations, effective leadership, and unit level finances, which explained 75 percent of the variance among the individual items.Research limitations/implications – The paper shows that the current study is limited in its gener...

Mobile application for the timeshare industry: the influence of technology experience, usefulness, and attitude on behavioral intentions.

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine consumer perceptions toward the adoption of mobile technology within the vacation ownership/timeshare segment of the hospitality industry. Despite the proliferation of mobile applications in the greater hospitality and tourism industry, few timeshare companies use this technology. However, customers have expressed strong intentions to use technology. Therefore, this study examines consumers’ attitudes toward and experiences with mobile applications and then through the use of a prototype, examines consumers’ intentions to use a mobile application. The relationships between attitude, experience and usefulness are explored in relation to intention to use. Design/methodology/approach – Consumers that owned timeshares in the Orlando area responded to an online survey invitation from their resort management company. The survey instrument gathered data related to consumers’ attitudes toward and experiences with technology using established measures. A total of 9...

Advances in hospitality research: “from Rodney Dangerfield to Aretha Franklin”

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the progression of research in the domain of Hospitality Management since its inception in the early part of the twentieth century. Design/methodology/approach – A combination of qualitative analyses of the published literature in the past 80 years plus a quantitative survey of 613 manuscripts published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management (IJHM) from 2000 to 2012. Findings – The findings demonstrate that hospitality management research has progressed in the past four years through four distinct phases, namely, Story Tellers (1930-1950), Profilers (1950-1970), Copy Cats (1970-2005) and Innovators (since 2000). The evolution in the literature reflects that people in hospitality management and academia are improving their connection between theory and practice. Research limitations/implications – The quantitative part of this study was limited to articles published in the IJHM, and as such, they may not be fully representative of research articles that ...

Multi‐unit managers: training needs and competencies for casual dining restaurants

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine differences in perceived needs of training among multi‐unit managers (MUMs) in a large casual dining restaurant organization.Design/methodology/approach – Case study methodology was used to survey a group of 71 MUMs in one organization regarding characteristics of their job. There were a total of 52 respondents for a 74.65 percent response rate. A pair‐wise comparison was used to measure the difference in perceived training needs, followed by a stepwise regression to indicate the relationship between the perceived need for training and the MUM competency levels on their current jobs.Findings – This study found significant differences between the perceived need for training in the current job or to get promoted in areas such as finance and control, marketing and promotions, and human resources. In addition, the perceived need of training in human resources influences how competent and confident multiunit managers feel with regards to doing their job or in...

Tourism’s potential to benefit the poor: A social accounting matrix model applied to Ecuador

The study examines the distributional effects of tourism expansion applying a social accounting matrix model to the case of Ecuador. Specifically the study examines what share of tourism expansion benefits poor people. The study finds that tourism has large multiplier effects on the Ecuadorian economy and has the potential for substantial benefits to the poor. The study also found that distributional effects of tourism development are spread across all household incomes in both urban and rural areas benefiting the lowest and low households the most. Tourism has the potential of reducing inequality and is pro-poor in the case of Ecuador. Benefits to the poor seem to hinge on how and where tourists spend their money.

The internationalization benefits of a music festival: The case of the Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival

A longitudinal research design was used to assess the potential internationalization benefits that may occur when hosting a music festival in a small island destination (SID). A macroeconomic analysis was used to assess these benefits. The results reveal that a music festival may make a positive economic impact and provide internationalization benefits for a small economy under the eclectic paradigm and the ownership, location, and internationalization framework. The study contributes to the understanding of music festivals as a strategic resource to enhance the competitiveness of SIDs.

Developing mobile services: A look at first-time and repeat visitors in a small island destination

Purpose This paper aims to examine and identify important attributes for mobile applications (apps) that might dictate tourist preferences for the apps on a small island destination. Guided by the Task Technology Fit (TTF) theory, the study considers the tasks performed, technology characteristics and individuals’ characteristics in determining the mobile apps attribute set. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a conjoint methodology within a case study approach framework. The conjoint analysis allows for assessing preferences from different consumers regarding the objective characteristics of products or services that facilitate the optimal design of product development. Optimal product development is a challenge for destinations, as they strive to achieve and sustain optimal market positions. Mobile apps may empower destinations in this endeavor. The case study approach imparts a context-dependent knowledge that facilitates a more nuanced understanding of consumer preference of use. Findings The results of the conjoint analysis suggest a strategic mapping of the most important attributes including type of content information, coupons and location awareness in defining apps product development. Within each attribute, the study also identifies the significant characteristics of a mobile application that are preferred by tourists. This ranking exists irrespective of familiarity with the destination (first-time and repeat visitors). Research limitations/implications The implication is that revealed preferences anchored in conjoint analysis provide a powerful approach to optimize product development in a small island destination. From a practical perspective, the findings suggest that the developments of a mobile app for a destination must concentrate on fostering spending and consider the app as a new marketing channel. From a theoretical point of view, the current study highlights the usefulness of using the conjoint analysis and the TTF theory as an overarching framework in mapping a multi-attribute decision-making space that influences tourist judgment and preference of use. The conjoint method applied in the study enables researchers to clearly identify a combination of various mobile app attributes that are most influential on tourists’ choice and preference of use. The guiding framework, TTF theory, allows the conjoint product designs to go beyond the technology characteristics to include tasks performed by tourists and their individual characteristics. Originality/value This study is the first to apply a conjoint analysis within the TTF theoretical framework in the context of a small island destination when assessing tourists’ use preferences toward mobile applications, while at the same time investigating whether any differences exist between first-time and repeat visitors. The study demonstrates that complementing the nature of the task (traveling) with context-specific interface and interactive features is an important area of inquiry that can benefit from adopting conjoint analysis.

Exploring the Role Of Human Judgment in Making Discount Decisions in the Lodging Industry

This study assesses the process of making pricing decisions, specifically discounts, in the lodging industry. The study applied a qualitative technique employing structured interviews of hotel managers in the United States. The assessments included the narration of events, stages, and cycles of choices made by hotel managers. The findings of the study enhanced the understanding of how managements discount choice was constructed. In addition, this study identified the habitual management practices in the lodging industry such as “less-than-35 rule,” “trial and error,” and “follow suit.” To confirm the findings from the interviews, a follow-up study was conducted. The survey was designed to learn what kinds of information managers rank highly when considering price adjustments in their operations. Different rankings on information attributes among departments were investigated; results show that managers from different departments rank some information elements differently. Learning the process of a discount choice provided new insights on managerial resources and capabilities required to set and change prices in the lodging industry.

Asymmetric Business Cycle Effects and Tourism Demand Cycles

This study examines the relationship between business and tourism demand cycles in Aruba and Barbados during 1970–2015. The study uses a 2SLS method and is grounded in the output gap approach. The results indicate that business cycles explain nearly 49% of tourism demand flows to Aruba and nearly 91% to Barbados. Thus, the study sheds light on the nature of the relationship between business and tourism demand cycles, which could help managers and policy makers refine their strategies to further tourism development. Procyclical and asymmetric movements characterized the long-term co-movements between the business cycles and tourism demand variables. However, individual variables were stationary, hence transitory in nature, and therefore mainly driven by demand motivations. The asymmetric fluctuations were defined by positive and negative gaps, with the former displaying stronger duration effects compared to the latter. The relationship between the two variables seems country specific in nature.

Tourism and poverty alleviation: a reply to Sharpley

In a review of our book ‘Poverty Alleviation through Tourism Development: A Comprehensive and Integrated Approach’ (Croes & Rivera, 2016), Richard Sharpley raised several concerns regarding our ana...