Michael J. Gross

China hotel research: A systematic review of the English language academic literature

Abstract This paper presents the findings of a systematic review performed on 115 academic papers published over a 26-year period from 1984 to 2009 and provides a content analysis of research themes and trends in China hotel research. The findings reveal that hotel management and performance is the theme most frequently examined by researchers, followed by hotel development strategies, and hotel business environment analysis. The analysis also indicates shifts in research methods, trends of publication, journal outlets and authorship information.

Examining the dimensions of a lifestyle tourism destination

Purpose – To develop and test a measurement model for the combined study of involvement and place attachment in a tourism context.Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted in South Australia, a state that has positioned itself as a lifestyle tourism destination. Tourism involvement was conceptualised as a multidimensional construct consisting of centrality to lifestyle, attraction, self‐expression, and food and wine. Place attachment was also conceptualised as a multidimensional construct consisting of place identity and place dependence. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop and test a measurement model using survey data from tourists in South Australia.Findings – A six factor measurement model was developed and found to have a reasonable fit with the data.Research limitations/implications – The present study findings suggest that a viable theoretical, practical, and methodological basis can be established to measure the relationships among the involvement and plac...

AUSTRALIA'S DESTINATION IMAGE AMONG MAINLAND CHINESE TRAVELERS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

This study employed a multi‐faceted image assessment (MIA) framework in exploring Australias destination image among mainland Chinese travelers. In addition to cognitive and affective image features, multi‐sensory image features were also examined. Data were collected in Beijing using focus groups comprising both past visitors and nonvisitors to Australia. No significant differences were found between the past visitor and non‐visitor groups with regard to cognitive and affective image features. However, past visitors seemed to hold more multi‐sensory image clues than their non‐visitor counterparts based on previous visit experiences. Salient cognitive image features identified included kangaroos and koalas, Australias natural environment, iconic attractions like the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, vastness of the land, comfortable living conditions, and lack of cultural atmosphere and historical heritage. Affectively, participants viewed Australia as a “relaxing” holiday destination. Marketing implications were discussed based on the study findings.

Drivers of Change in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management Education: An Australian Perspective

In an increasingly pressured academic environment, too little time is given to understanding the factors that shape tourism, hospitality, and event management education curricula. In responding to this rapidly changing environment there is a risk that one can become reactive rather than strategic and forward thinking. This article identifies major political, philosophical, and managerial influences on the Australian curriculum space. The implications of these influences are discussed with reference to developments in other parts of the world. The conclusion highlights a number of changes and challenges that will need to be contemplated by tourism, hospitality, and event management education management educators but also identifies a clear role for cross-institutional planning and leadership.

The Balance of Liberal and Vocational Values in Hospitality Higher Education: Voices of Graduates

ABSTRACT The challenges brought by tensions between liberal and vocational values are faced by all designers, deliverers, and students in higher education curricula. This study aims to explore the perceived balance of liberal and vocational values in hospitality higher education among graduates. This exploratory study uses surveys and interviews with Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) hospitality degree graduates to address the study aim. The findings indicate a primarily vocational orientation among the study respondents. Three themes emerged from the analysis: food and beverage orientation, the relevance of skills acquisition, and human nature/experience. The findings develop further knowledge of higher education curricula and alumni experiences. The understanding developed in the paper and the implications presented are important for designers and deliverers of hospitality higher education curricula in order to determine how curricula may be more optimally managed.

Creating the Future: tourism, hospitality and events education in a post-industrial, post-disciplinary world

The purpose of this Handbook is to provide an insightful and authoritative account of the various issues that are shaping the higher educational world of tourism, hospitality and events education and to highlight the creative, inventive and ...Tourism is much more than an economic sector, it is also a social, cultural, political, and environmental force that drives societal change. Understanding, responding to, and managing this change will inevitably require knowledge workers who are able to address a range of problems associated with tourism, travel, hospitality, and the increasingly complex operating environment within which they exist.The purpose of this Handbook is to provide an insightful and authoritative account of the various issues that are shaping the higher educational world of tourism, hospitality and events education and to highlight the creative, inventive and innovative ways that educators are responding to these issues. It takes as its central focus a dynamic curriculum space shaped by internal and external factors from global to local scales, a variety of values and perspectives contributed by a range of stakeholders, and shifting philosophies about education policy, pedagogy and teaching practice. A benchmark for future curriculum design and development, it critically reviews the development of conceptual and theoretical approaches to tourism and hospitality education. The Handbook is composed of contributions from specialists in the field, is interdisciplinary in coverage and international in scope through its authorship and content. Providing a systematic guide to the current state of knowledge on tourism and hospitality education and its future direction this is essential reading for students, researchers and academics in Tourism, Hospitality, Events, Recreation and Leisure Studies.

Toward the development of best practice in a postgraduate International Hospitality Management program.

ABSTRACT The internationalization of education is an area of growing interest in postgraduate hospitality programs. This article explores the considerations for best practice in the curriculum development and delivery of postgraduate programs in international hospitality management. It examines how the embedding of principles and practices in a Master of International Hospitality Management program relates with the development of international best practice. A model for the consideration of ethnocentric, polycentric, and geocentric education strategies and practices in the development and delivery of such programs is presented. The article argues for the adoption of a geocentric approach.

A Multilayered Macro Approach to Conceptualizing the Winescape Construct for Wine Tourism

The wine tourism literature is still in its nascent stage as far as the conceptualization of the winescape construct is concerned. In our study 407 responses are collected through a self-administered survey in an Australian wine region. This research contributes to the winescape knowledge base using a triad of methods and a measured multilayered approach by first applying content analysis to the holistic or free-text technique to measure wine region image. Having identified a number of winescape elements, the pick-any technique is then used to further validate the existence of the winescape elements and some of its dimensions. Finally, we empirically validate a 25-item winescape scale through a measurement model, using a macroapproach (viewing the winescape as a wine region or route) and servicescape theory as framework. The winescape scale tests and extends the applicability of the servicescape framework to the macrocontext of a wine region.

The Domestic Development Experience of a Hotel Firm with Chinese Characteristics The Case of Jin Jiang

China’s hotel industry has been at the forefront of the country’s reform and open-door endeavors since 1978. The process of reform blends free-market concepts with historical Chinese approaches, as demonstrated by the case of Jin Jiang Hotel Group, a state-owned enterprise (SOE), which is China’s largest hotel firm. Through a landmark series of interviews with Jin Jiang executives, this case study identifies and analyzes the domestic expansion processes that have influenced the firm’s development. The themes informing this domestic development process include developing core competencies (brand building, networks, and core standards), corporate restructuring, human resources development, and regional domestic market penetration. Of the many legacy issues that Jin Jiang must address, human resources is perhaps foremost, given its responsibility for existing employees, even as it upgrades its workforce with both local residents and expatriates. The firm’s brand building efforts likewise move forward as it integrates two other brands from a government-encouraged merger.

Chinese hotel firm internationalisation: Jin Jiang’s joint venture acquisition

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of mainland Chinese hotel firm internationalisation relative to traditional Western internationalisation theory through an analysis of the Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels Group’s joint venture with the Thayer Lodging Group to acquire Interstate Hotels & Resorts. Design/methodology/approach The case study method was used to examine the three firms involved in the joint venture acquisition. The technique of elite interviews was used to collect primary data. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted with senior corporate executives who were engaged as principals with the conception, execution and administration of the joint venture. Content analysis was performed with the interview data, seeking themes and patterns consistent with the study purpose. Findings The findings demonstrated specific characteristics that distinguish the internationalisation that Jin Jiang has pursued. The five distinctive characteristics were as follows: a “leap” market entry mode, a pattern of “a small fish eats a big fish”, a preference for purchasing hotels in the West, capital sourcing from Chinese banks and strategic rather than operational control of the acquired firm. Research limitations/implications The findings indicate both similarities and differences between the China context of hotel firm internationalisation and that of Western firms. Theoretical implications are examined through an analysis of Dunning’s OLI (ownership, location, internalisation) framework. Generalisability of empirical findings may be limited by the China context and the unique combination of three firms. Practical implications The findings advance our understanding of the relationship between Chinese and Western practices, particularly in the approaches that firms take in internationalisation. Originality/value The story reported in this paper is about the first firm internationalisation endeavour in the mainland Chinese hotel industry. This is a landmark event for the international hospitality industry that will have historical significance, and represents the leading edge of mainland Chinese hotel firm cross-border expansion. This study contributes an early analysis of how the Chinese hotel sector may approach internationalisation.