Sylvester Yeung

Hospitality ethics curriculum : an industry perspective

In curriculum design, it is important to solicit the industrys views to ensure its relevancy to industry needs. Therefore, this study conducted a questionnaire survey with 308 hospitality employees who helped in identifying the importance of 39 ethical issues in the hospitality industry. It is assumed that the more important an issue is rated, the more important it is to include its discussion in the curriculum. The two most important issues were found to be “Theft of company property by employees” and “Sexual harassment on the job”. When factor analysis was adopted, eight factors were identified which include, in descending order of importance, “environmental protection”, “social conscience and employee integrity”, “social justice”, “consumer protection”, “business fraud”, “employee equity”, “privacy of employees” and finally “personal advantage”. It is recommended that developers of hospitality curricula should consider the inclusion of these ethical issues in their programs.

Ethical beliefs of hospitality and tourism students towards their school life

This study aims to find out the ethical beliefs of hospitality and tourism students in Hong Kong by using a questionnaire with 21 ethical statements. From the 402 valid questionnaires received, four major dimensions were identified by factor analysis. The highest level of tolerance, or in other words, the lowest ethical standard, was found towards “violations of school rules”, followed by “plagiarism and copying assignments”. “Unfair advantage” was ranked third whilst “selfishness” has the lowest level of tolerance (highest ethical standard). Independent t‐test and ANOVA analysis reveal that types of school attended, gender and level of program have various degrees of influence, while religious background and age show no indication of significant impact. In view of the limited resources and teaching hours available, it is recommended that priority should be given to the teaching of “business ethics” as it impacts on students’ moral development and future career in the industry.

Hotel Selection Criteria Used by Mainland Chinese and Foreign Individual Travelers to Hong Kong

Given the growing number of outbound tourists from Mainland China to other parts of the world, it is important that hoteliers are aware of the different needs of this group of travelers. This study examines differences in the importance ratings of hotel selection criteria between Mainland Chinese and foreign individual travelers to Hong Kong. The results indicate that Mainland Chinese travelers placed different levels of importance on the various attributes examined than did their non-Chinese counterparts. They are generally more demanding than foreign respondents, despite the fact that the budgets they allocate for accommodation are smaller both in percentage and in absolute dollars.

An Exploratory Study Examining the Determinants of Attendance Motivations as Perceived by Attendees at Hong Kong Exhibitions

The purpose of this empirical study is to identify the underlying dimensions of exhibition attendance motivations from the perspective of exhibition attendees. Using delineated motivational factors, this study then compares attendees’ perceptions of motivational factors in two major market segments: trade and public shows. A total of 302 attendee responses were collected at various exhibitions held in Hong Kong. The results of this empirical research indicate that there are five motivational factors in exhibition attendance, of which information search and market investigation are the two most important motivators. A market segment comparison shows that trade show attendees’ motivations are significantly greater than those of public show attendees across all five factors. The managerial implications for exhibition organizers and exhibitors are discussed in detail.

A critical investigation of the use and effectiveness of interpretive services.

With increasing concern for the environment, there has been a strong interest in ecotourism in Hong Kong, culminating in the opening of the Hong Kong Wetland Park (HKWP) by the local government in 2005. Since the HKWP uses various on-site interpretive services to help to convey education and conservation messages on environmental issues, through the use of a recent survey this paper aims to examine and analyze their use and effectiveness in achieving the intended purpose. The questionnaire was completed by 206 visitors and reveals that experiential facilities, interpretive signs and exhibition materials are the three most frequently used services. Although guided interpretive tours have received the highest satisfaction rating and are considered the most effective means of conveying educational and conservation messages, the survey found that this service is still unknown to many visitors and more public exposure is recommended. Interestingly, in terms of the goal of the wetland parks ability to convey an educational message to its patrons, the survey has also found a significant difference in success rate between visitors with a desire for knowledge and visitors merely enjoying a leisurely activity.

Hotel Development in China: The Hoteliers' Perspective

This study aims to investigate and analyze the current hotel operating environment and the projected future of hotel development in China. It is evident that most hoteliers are optimistic about hotel future development. However, competition among hotels will remain keen and the quest for quality human resources will continue to be acute due to such rapid growth. Hotels could lose their business easily to competitors that provide better service. The findings also suggest that contingency planning is essential for both the private and public sectors to protect the industry in case of crisis and drastic contextual changes. 本文旨在研究和分析中国当前酒店业的经营环境以及发展前景。酒店从业员明显对酒店的发展前景感到乐观。不过，正因为酒店业发展飞速，行业竞争激烈的情况将会持续，对高素质酒店业人才的需求仍然强烈。酒店服务质量比竞争对手逊色的话便会流失顾客。本文的研究结果显示，应变计划在危机出现或发生重大变化时能够保护酒店业，对私人或公共企业都十分重要。

Service quality and determinants of customer expectations: the case of club industry in Hong Kong.

There have been many studies using the SERVQUAL instrument to measure the service quality of various hospitality sectors, but few were specifically about clubs. The present study assesses the usefulness and applications of the instrument in measuring club members’ expectations and perceptions on club services. As there are two distinct types of clubs, namely estate clubs and private clubs, servicing different market segments in Hong Kong, members of both types of clubs were surveyed. The findings indicated that the SERVQUAL model can be a useful tool for measuring service quality in the clubs sector, and confirmed that there is a disparity between club members’ expectations and perceptions of service quality. The result of findings may help club operators to understand their members’ specific needs and expectations, so that they can focus their resources effectively to improve service quality. The research also identifies some of the factors that may influence a club members expectations of a club. Since...

An importance-performance analysis of low cost carriers in Asia.

This article investigates the degree of importance and performance of 11 attributes of short- and long-haul low-cost carriers (LCCs) in Asia. Results find that airfare and perception of safety are considered as the most valued attribute for short-haul LCCs and long-haul LCCs, respectively. The importance-performance analysis also reveals that LCCs should “keep up the good work” in areas such as timetable schedules, perception of safety, airfare, and punctuality. It is also found that more efforts should be devoted in rectifying the misconception of low-cost, low quality and reinforcing an image of low-cost, high quality.

Comparing the Motives for Exhibition Participation: Visitors’ versus Exhibitors’ Perspectives

Abstract This exploratory study aims to identify and compare major motives for exhibition participation from the perspectives of exhibitors and visitors. Built on previous research, this study collects exhibition participation attributes and delineates the underlying dimensions of participation motives for both exhibitors and visitors using the empirical data collected from ten exhibitions held in Hong Kong. Five major motives for exhibition participation for both exhibitors and visitors were identified through exploratory factor analyses. The results of group comparison revealed that both exhibitors and visitors focused on non-selling/purchasing activities at exhibitions. The non-selling/purchasing activities and the importance order of motive factors between these two groups were found to be substantially different, which provides exhibition organizers with important managerial implications.

New Employment Contract Law: Focuses and Implications for Hoteliers

While there is a compelling need for hoteliers to understand the People’s Republic of China’s new Employment Contract Law, previous studies on human resource management in China have neither focused on the hospitality industry nor addressed the impact of labor laws. In response, this study differentiates the new and old versions of the labor law. A comparative analysis covering 10 areas was also performed. It is expected that this study will provide personnel managers with insights into how to develop better strategic human resource management through the promotion of collective responsibility and through the creation of an improved employment culture in the industry.