Mi Ran Kim

Relationships Among Customer Satisfaction, Delight, and Loyalty in the Hospitality Industry

Customer satisfaction has been a focus of researchers and marketers as an important antecedent of customer loyalty. Some recent studies propose that customer delight possibly produces greater customer loyalty than satisfaction. Loyalty has also become of greater interest to researchers and marketers as a multiphase concept as well as a useful segmentation of customers with accompanying targeted strategies. As one of few empirical studies on customer satisfaction, delight, and loyalty, the primary objectives of this research is to understand how customer satisfaction and delight influence loyalty and to understand the multiphase framework of loyalty, including cognitive, affective, and conative loyalties. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on customer satisfaction, delight, and loyalty and provides theoretical and applied suggestions for the hospitality industry.

Understanding Employee Delight and Voice From the Internal Marketing Perspective

This study examines the relationship between internal marketing (employee delight and voice) and employee behavior from a marketing perspective. The response rate of the completed 335 surveys was 45%. Structural equation modeling was used in order to examine the proposed model. Results indicate that internal marketing practices are positively related to employee job satisfaction, employee job satisfaction was negatively related to employee turnover intention, and employee job satisfaction was positively related to employee commitment to customer service. Implications for the industry and future research are offered.

The Effects of Employee Voice and Delight on Job Satisfaction and Behaviors: Comparison Between Employee Generations

The need for better understanding of Generation Y (Gen Y) employees is becoming vital for the success of the hospitality industry. This study is designed to examine the relationships of employee voice, delight, satisfaction, loyalty, and turnover intent between Gen Y employees and older employees within a hospitality business environment. Two hotels, independently owned and operated in the Midwest, were selected for this study; and survey data were collected through a self-administered paper survey. The findings indicate that Gen Y employees showed lower values of voice, delight, satisfaction, and loyalty than did their older counterparts, while their turnover intent was greater. The findings of this study can provide new and valuable insights into the understanding of Gen Y employees and will be useful for managers as it provides timely implications for developing more effective management strategies and practices.

Hospitality Service Innovations in Private Clubs

Service innovation positions an organization to create and deliver anticipatory service that exceeds member expectations and ultimately strengthens relationships. However, service innovation remains one of the most under-researched topics in hospitality. This study begins to fill that gap by exploring the strategies and factors that drive service innovation in the private club industry. Drawing insights from approximately 700 critical incidents reported by private club general managers/chief operating officers, we examined the common strategies and factors that assist clubs in developing and launching new services and products. Moreover, we also categorize pressing issues in the industry that are ripe for future innovation. The findings may have implications not only for the club industry but also for the hospitality industry in general.

Service Innovations: What the Managers Believe and What the Customers Say

Abstract Service innovation has become a critical organizational capability. It is crucial to understand not only what service innovations service managers introduce, but also what service innovations help improve customers’ experiences. This study examines the initiatives managers undertake to introduce new services and whether service innovations improve service experiences for the members. In this study, 300 critical incidents were reported by private club general managers/chief operating officers, and 956 were reported by their members in private clubs across the United States. The findings have both theoretical and practical implications.

Posttrip Behavioral Differences Between First-Time and Repeat Guests: A Two-Phase Study in a Hospitality Setting

This study was designed to investigate posttrip behavioral differences between first-time and repeat hotel guests by examining causal relationships among delight, satisfaction, attitudinal loyalty, and behavioral loyalty. A two-phase study was conducted to validate actual future behavioral loyalty. The online surveys to measure satisfaction, delight, and attitudinal loyalty were completed by 1,573 hotel guests as Time 1. A follow-up study was used to identify those who rebooked and stayed in the same hotel within the year; behavioral loyalty as Time 2. A proposed model was tested in the hotel setting using structural equation analysis. The impact of delight on attitudinal loyalty was found to be greater for first-time guests than for repeat guests. Implications for management and future research are presented. Customer satisfaction was found to have a greater influence on attitudinal loyalty for repeat guests than for first-time guests.

Key Managerial Accounting Skills for Lodging Industry Managers: The Third Phase of a Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACT This study is the third phase of a repeated cross-sectional study that explores the current rankings of important accounting skills to lodging managers and the changes in the importance of accounting skills to lodging managers over time. In this study, as with two prior studies, financial executives were asked to rate the importance of a list of managerial accounting skills used by hotel general managers. The top three managerial accounting skills were the operating budget, the income statement, and analysis of variances. This study can provide a better sense of the perception of importance of accounting skills utilized by lodging managers. It will be useful for hospitality educators in designing the curriculum for managerial accounting courses to meet the expectations of the current hospitality industry.

Hotel employees’ organizational behaviors from cross-national perspectives

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationships among leader–member exchange (LMX), employee voice, team–member exchange (TMX), employee job satisfaction and employee commitment to customer service (ECCS) across the USA and Chinese cultures within the hotel context. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was completed by hotel employees across the USA (n = 315) and China (n = 363). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings The findings of this study imply that the relationships among constructs between two nations are very similar, with a few significant differences. Specifically, this study shows that there are significant differences between the USA and China regarding the effects of LMX on employee voice, TMX, job satisfaction and ECCS. Research limitations/implications The research should be extended with more than two national cultures to increase the generalizability of the research findings. Primary implication is that leader in China, and the USA should seek to build LMX quality to reap organizational benefits. Practical implications This study can help global hospitality firms develop management strategies effectively. Originality/value The study’s findings provide researchers with a better understanding of the LMX framework across USA and Chinese cultures. It also verifies the underlying relational effects among LMX and its outcomes across different nations, thus offering global hospitality organizations best management practices across cultures. Further, this study seeks to fill gaps in previous LMX and employee voice studies by providing robust explanations of the cultural influences on LMX framework across nations.

Roles of Private Club Volunteer Leaders: An Exploratory Study of Content Analysis

ABSTRACT This study utilized content analysis to identify themes related to the roles of board members from the perspectives of 218 general managers and chief operating officers, all members of the Club Managers Association of America. A computer-assisted program helped identify three main themes of board roles from open-ended responses, namely: (a) internal relations and accountability; (b) strategy planning and policy making; and (c) external relations and accountability. Internal relations and accountability was the most frequently mentioned theme representing 57% of the responses and indicating the most productive contributions of board members to the private clubs. This study also explores the relationships of these themes across club types, club size, and club’s financial performance. Implications and future research directions are also presented.

An Exploratory Study of Perceived Innovation Characteristics Influencing Sustainable Business Practices in the Private Club Industry

An Exploratory Study of Perceived Innovation Characteristics Influencing Sustainable Business Practices in the Private Club Industry In the hospitality industry, the concept of sustainability has been more frequently recognized as an important area of emphasis in organizations. Many business organizations are trying to incorporate sustainability as new ways of operating their businesses, driven by innovation and competitive advantages, in order to bring economic, social, and environmental benefits. This research is designed to identify dimensions of perceived innovation characteristics influencing sustainable business practices from the perspectives of general managers and chief operating officers in the context of the private club industry. Exploratory factor analysis was undertaken to evaluate applicability of perceived innovation characteristics based on the diffusion of innovation theory. The results indicate that economic relative advantage, observability, compatibility, and complexity are significant factors of perceived innovation characteristics influencing sustainable business practices. The findings of this study can provide valuable insights into the understanding of sustainable business practices from an innovation perspective. The results of this study are practically useful for private club general managers and chief operating officers when developing and implementing innovative management strategies and practicesto ensure long