Nicholas J. Thomas

Hospitality Leadership Course Design and Delivery: A Blended‐Experiential Learning Model

This hospitality education longitudinal pilot study was conducted in order to compare student perceptions of traditional classroom-based course design and delivery with blended-experiential course design and delivery. The research findings suggest that blended-experiential learning course design and delivery was favored by a majority of students over traditional classroom design and delivery. Most notably, students participating in the blended-experiential learning course design indicated a greater acquisition of real-life business context compared to the traditional classroom-based course design and delivery; however, it is important to note that students enrolled in the blended-experiential learning course design reported a lower acquisition of knowledge and skills. Future academic research surrounding the topic of blended-experiential learning in hospitality education should focus on a more in-depth analysis of the efficacy of blended-experiential learning in the context of both educational innovation and student competency and industry readiness.

Are hospitality graduates making too many compromises? What they give up may lead to turnover

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to examine if differences between actual experiences of hospitality graduates and the perceived importance they placed on career factors can lead to turnover intent. The researchers surveyed hospitality graduates from the last 10 years about what they find important in selecting a career and what they are experiencing, or have experienced, in their career. Findings indicate as hospitality graduates rate certain factors more important, or experience factors less in their career, the differences become larger and their turnover intentions rise.

The low level of organizational social capital in hotels - a New Zealand case study.

Hotels, like other organizations, are constantly seeking to increase productivity; however, achieving this can be more challenging for service sectors organizations. Developing and maintaining a positive level of Organizational Social Capital (OSC)—an organizations soft asset—is said to be a productivity enhancement strategy; therefore, measuring and monitoring OSC is important. This research presents the New Zealand hotel industrys first measurement of OSC level. This is the initial stage within a longitudinal study to understand how OSC impacts productivity. A total of 509 employees from 31 hotels participated in this research, with the major finding and concern being the low level of OSC.

Employee satisfaction and turnover intention: A comparative analysis between front-of-house and back-of-house employees in casino-entertainment venues

ABSTRACT This study investigates job location and its relationship with employee turnover intention within the casino-entertainment industry. The researchers analyzed turnover intention at the supervisor and company level from the perspective of employees who hold front-of-house or back-of-house jobs in three Nevada casinos and their corporate office. The results of this research fill existing gaps in the academic literature related to turnover intention and provide beneficial implications for industry and academic practitioners. Organizations within the casino-entertainment industry may develop strategies related to the management of human capital that could provide fiscal and operational benefits.

Exploring Casino Special Events: An Empirical Analysis for Determining Which Themed Celebrations and Tournaments Have An Indirect Effect on Increasing Slot Volumes

This empirical study sheds light on the indirect effects of slot-player special events on casino revenues. Slot departments provide the largest gaming percentage profit for U.S. casinos, almost twice that of table-game departments, making it crucial to cultivate robust slot operations. Casino special events, which include culture-, recreation-, and sports-themed experiences as well as slot tournaments, are experiential marketing techniques used to sustain slot-player relationships and/or increase casino gaming volumes. This exploratory study uses multiple regression analysis to identify which special events, including the corresponding complimentary rooms, have significant indirect effects on slot machine wagers, providing a model for casino managers to predict their special events’ indirect effects on slot revenues.