Mary B. Gregoire

Conceptualizing Web site quality and its consequences in the lodging industry

Abstract While an increasing number of lodging companies pay attention to new business opportunities on the Web, little research has addressed how to develop and maintain Web sites that can create such opportunities. Building on emerging literature on Web site quality and e-commerce behavior, this study conceptualizes Web site quality and proposes information satisfaction and purchase-related behavioral intentions as potential consequences of Web site quality in the lodging industry. Conceptual efforts paralleled in four lodging segments (i.e., luxury, upscale, mid-scale, and economy). Data collected through an electronic survey generally indicate that information satisfaction is a powerful determinant of behavioral intentions on the Web and that Web site quality is an important antecedent of information satisfaction. Discussions include implications for the lodging industry and future research.

Quality Ratings of a Hospital Foodservice Department by Inpatients and Postdischarge Patients

OBJECTIVES To examine quality of food and nutrition services using the ratings of inpatients and patients who had been discharged (postdischarge patients). DESIGN Questionnaires were used to collect perceptions of inpatients and postdischarge patients on the quality of food and nutrition services. A 5-point scale allowed subjects to rate quality from very poor to very good. SUBJECTS Questionnaires were completed by 252 inpatients and 437 postdischarge patients of a midwestern teaching hospital. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Analysis of variance was used to assess differences in quality ratings on the basis of demographic variables. Stepwise regression was used to determine variables that best predicted overall satisfaction. Paired t tests were conducted to compare matched inpatient and postdischarge ratings. RESULTS Ratings of food and nutrition services indicated that patients were satisfied; few differences were found in ratings on the basis of patient demographics. Food quality was the best predictor of overall satisfaction for both inpatients and postdischarge patients. As patient expectations were increasingly met or exceeded, patient ratings of quality increased. The majority of patients in the matched sample gave the same ratings on the inpatient and postdischarge questionnaires. APPLICATIONS Foodservice managers who desire to improve patient satisfaction should focus attention on meeting or exceeding patient expectations for food quality.

Effects of Firms’ Relationship-Oriented Behaviors on Financial Performance: A Case of the Restaurant Industry

The business-to-business and business-to-customer relationship marketing literature includes little effort to develop a conceptual framework for understanding both supplier and customer relationship-oriented behaviors. The purpose of this study is to investigate how a firm’s supplier and customer relationship-oriented behaviors affect its financial performance through three relationship performance outcomes: supplier relationship performance, product and service quality performance, and customer relationship performance. The authors critically revisit extant knowledge on the subject, develop a conceptual framework integrating supplier and customer relationship management practices, and test the framework in the independent restaurant industry context. Results support the usefulness of the framework and suggest that building relationships with suppliers and customers plays an important role in providing values to restaurant firms and stakeholders such as suppliers and customers, leading to high financial performance of the restaurant firms.

The Impact of a New Patient Foodservice Model Which Included a Spoken Menu on Efficiency and Effectiveness Measurements

Abstract Some hospital food and nutrition directors are reporting decreased costs and increased patient satisfaction ratings as a result of menu changes. However, a dearth of published empirical data exist regarding the impact of patient foodservice models, specifically spoken menu models, on efficiency and effectiveness. In this study, data were collected on two patient units during three phases: Phase I - current patient foodservice model; Phase II - spoken menu model; and Phase III - new patient foodservice model, which included a spoken menu and additional features. Efficiency was assessed through analysis of labor, late and wasted tray data; effectiveness was assessed using substitution, patient and nursing satisfaction data. Results included increased percentage of attendant time spent on patient interaction during Phases II and III; decreased percentage of late trays from Phase I to Phases II and III; increased percentage of wasted trays from Phase I to III due to Phase III model characteristics; a significant increase in nursing satisfaction from Phase I to III; and consistently high patient satisfaction during all phases. Both Phases II and III were more efficient and effective than Phase I. The distinction between Phases II and III is less clear without cost data regarding resources used.