Tanya Ruetzler

Adaptation and international students' perceptions of on‐campus foodservice

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate whether length of time spent in the USA impacts perceptions of international students studying in US schools regarding the service and food quality of on‐campus foodservice operations.Design/methodology/approach – The researchers surveyed international students at one Southeastern and one Southwestern university in the USA regarding their perceptions of university foodservice, divided into six factors, i.e. service and sanitation, food dislikes, selection and taste, drinks, value, and crowding. A two‐way MANOVA test was performed using SPSS Version 17.0 to identify any significant differences between the six factors, time in the USA, and universities.Findings – MANOVA testing indicated that there was a significant difference between length of time in the USA and the ratings of the service and sanitation factor. The group that had been in the USA for less than six months rated the service and sanitation factor higher than the group who had been in the U...

The development of a university foodservice quality survey instrument: a culture different perspective

Abstract Cross-cultural and service quality research supports the theory that there is a difference in customer service expectations and perceptions as related to cultural orientation from a variety of service settings; however, a domain that has yet to be explored is cultures impact on service quality perceptions in university foodservices. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a survey instrument of campus dining facilities that measures service quality perceptions experienced by international students. Input was collected through focus groups with international students enrolled at The University of Southern Mississippis English Learning Institute (ELI). The instrument was refined using input from a panel of eight foodservice and cross-cultural industry experts. During the instruments pilot test, two cognitive interviewing techniques were used to assess content validity as well as cognitive validity and equivalency. The final survey was completed by a total of 141 of the 342 international students. A six-factor solution, based on 31 items, was created that accounted for 52% of the variance: Service and Sanitation (a= .866), Food Dislikes (a= .713), Selection and Taste (a= .738), Drinks (a= .760), Value (a= .731), and Crowding (a= .693).

Hospitality Program Selection Criteria: A Comparison of International Undergraduate, Master’s, and Doctoral Students

ABSTRACT Because of their cultural and financial contributions to their host institutions and communities, higher education has recruited more international students to its institutions. In order to understand why international students in hospitality and tourism management programs choose one school over other options, the present study identified eight factors influencing international students’ hospitality and tourism management program selection in the United States. Results from a multivariate analysis of variance followed by univariate analyses of variance showed differences in the importance of five out of eight factors among undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral international students. Detailed discussions and implications are presented.

Motivation and personal involvement leading to wine consumption

Wine sales are at the highest volumes ever and warrant a robust understanding of consumption behavior. Consequently, this study aims to examine intrinsic motivational factors (e.g. personal attributes) – those that push the consumer toward wine products – and the extrinsic motivational product attributes (e.g. situational attributes) those that draw – or pull – the consumer toward wine products.,A model has been tested in which intrinsic and extrinsic motivations interacted to predict personal involvement (PI) with wine, which in turn predicted wine consumption, forming a mediated moderation model.,Support has been found for a mediated moderation model of wine consumption. Thus, this study improves the understanding of how interactive motivations are mediated by PI in their influence on wine consumption.,The sample is limited to participants in the National Restaurant Show, and thus the results may be limited to the sample investigated.,The findings suggest using intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors and PI with wine to influence marketing strategies.,This study has helped to expand the understanding of interactive and mediating forces that drive wine consumption.,Although previous research proposed that motivational factors interact to predict wine consumption, this interaction has not been tested empirically prior to the current study. Therefore, this study adds new insights into wine consumption by demonstrating that intrinsic and extrinsic motivators interact to predict PI with wine, which subsequently predicts wine consumption in a holistic, mediated moderation model.