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Deciding on the appropriate level of customer service remains an important area of research. In the current service environment where competition is ubiquitous, the importance of identifying and retaining key customers is of paramount importance. As such, the concept of customer delight, which refers to a profoundly positive emotional state experienced by the customer, has developed. Unfortunately, much remains unknown regarding customer delight. In response to this dearth of research, the current study focuses on delight from multiple perspectives utilizing multiple methods. Thus, this dissertation adds to the emerging knowledge base of customer delight in three areas: first, assessing what delight represents to the employee; second, investigating its impact on the employee; and third, examining what delight represents to the customer. To gain this knowledge, three separate essays were written. A summary of each is below. In Essay 1 (Chapter 2), the goal was to gain an appreciation of delight from the employee’s viewpoint. Through the use of a qualitative technique where critical incidents were content analyzed, several themes emerged. First, employees evaluate delight differently then customers. Second, employees experience elevated affective states after providing delight. Finally, employees seem to exhibit customer-oriented behaviors after a delightful encounter. With these key themes in mind, Essay 2 (Chapter 3) utilized structural equation modeling, which is a quantitative method that helps investigate relationships among variables. Findings indicated that employees did in fact experience elevated levels of affect, as well as commitment, satisfaction, and customer-oriented behaviors. After investigating the effects of delight on the employee, it was necessary to evaluate what exactly delights the customer. Utilizing the aforementioned qualitative method, Essay 3 (Chapter 4) provides several themes regarding the customer perspective: first, there are both cognitive and affective routes to delight; second, both the disconfirmation paradigm and the needs-based model are appropriate for understanding delight; and third, employee affect and effort are key drivers of delight. Taken together, the findings provide a more complete understanding of the focal construct, as well, as articulating specific behaviors that lead to perceptions of delight. Finally, this dissertation evaluates the important employee outcomes that result from providing delight.

Managers spend 75% of their time actively communicating with employees. Effective leadership communication is fundamental to employee job satisfaction. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how communication strategies that government agency leaders use may motivate greater employee job satisfaction. Twenty employees of a government office in Florida were the general population sample. The motivational language theory helped explore the nature of job satisfaction by focusing on leadership and employee communication strategies. Leadership communication influences employee motivation through incorporating 3 categories of utterances: empathetic (illocutionary) language, direction-giving (perlocutionary) language, and meaning-making (locutionary) language. The Van Manen selective approach helped code and the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen method helped analyze the participants' transcribed face-to-face interviews. Member checks and data saturation ensured the findings trustworthiness. The findings developed from coding and analyzing data led to the discovery of 4 themes: empathetic language, direction-giving language, meaning-making language, and job satisfaction. The 2 most important themes, direction-giving language and meaning-making language, help motivate job satisfaction by explaining how leadership advice, clear instructions, and leadership stories pertaining to primary events from the agency's past provide direction and a feeling of job satisfaction. Social implications of this study include creating and improving organizational communication best practices and guidelines to help leaders communicate information effectively and to motivate regional governmental organization employee job satisfaction.

This study evaluated the mediational role of Muslim School teachers‟ workplace spiritualty on perceptions of principal behaviour, individual job satisfaction and organisational commitment. In this regard The Meaning and Purpose at work scale of spirituality (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000) was administered, the Transformational leadership Inventory (Podsakoff et al,1990), the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (Mowday, Steers & Porter, 1979), and a measure of job satisfaction (Warr et al, 1979) to a sample of 219 Muslim School teachers‟ throughout Gauteng South Africa. Results stemming from Pearson Product Moments correlations and latent variable Structural Equation modelling were used to determine the relationships between these variables and test the mediational model. Results indicated that Muslim school teachers‟ regard their workplaces as catering to their spiritual needs, and are very satisfied and committed towards their organisation. Perceptions of WPS and leadership were found to significantly predict both job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Feelings of workplace spirituality were found to partially mediate between teachers‟ perceptions of their leader and their job satisfaction. Workplace spirituality was also found to mediate between teachers‟ perceptions of their leaders‟ behaviour and their organisational commitment. This paper concludes with the implications of these findings and directions for future research within this field.

A gap exists in scholarship on how transformational leadership inspires healthcare workers in the eastern United States, which is important as healthcare costs are approximately 20% of the United States gross domestic product and rising. Improved healthcare performance may contribute to cost containment or even cost reductions. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of employees working for a transformational leader in a healthcare facility in the eastern United States. The conceptual framework was Bass's transformational leadership theory and von Bertalanffy's general systems theory. The overreaching research question asked how transformational leadership affected employees' perceived work performance and job satisfaction in a healthcare organization in the eastern United States. Twenty employees from a healthcare facility participated in the study. Data were collected via face-to-face and Skype interviews and were analyzed by hand using open- and axial-coding techniques, then validated by member checking. Study results showed that transformational leadership might help meet follower's psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness in this eastern United States healthcare facility. This study may help raise social awareness of the importance of transformational leadership and compel more organizations in healthcare and other industries to apply transformational leadership, thereby contributing to the prosperity of the organization, their employees, their families, communities, and the local economy through cost containment of products and services.

Business leaders often realize greater profitability when they have strategies to retain IT employees. However, the cost to replace IT employees creates significant challenges for business leaders. Given the growing impact of technology on operational costs, retention of IT employees is imperative. This exploratory single case study sought to identify the strategies that leaders use to increase IT employee retention. The population was 6 leaders from a military organization in Norfolk, Virginia, responsible for the retention of IT employees. Herzberg's two-factor theory was the conceptual framework for this study. The data was collected from semi-structured interviews with 6 leaders along with organization documents. Data analysis and methodological triangulation included thematic analysis to identify 7 themes in the study. These 7 themes were quality of life, telework, leadership, inclusion, and staying abreast of new technology. Implications for social change include the potential for leaders to save money on recruitment and training. It also includes organizations becoming profitable through better employee retention strategies, and it adds to the body of knowledge that leaders could use to provide stable employment opportunities to individuals. The retention rates among IT employees affect individuals, families, communities, organizations, and the economy. Implementing retention strategies may result in improving employee-employer relationships and organizational profitability.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics / Deborah D. Canter / The culture-change movement in skilled nursing facilities is challenging foodservices to consider their role in supporting the paradigm shift to person-centered care. Optimal nutrition for residents supports physical and emotional health of institutionalized older adults. The purpose of this study was to explore factors associated with resident dining in skilled nursing facilities that have transitioned from a traditional foodservice system to restaurant-style dining. The study investigated foodservice employee perceptions of resident satisfaction with foodservices, foodservice employee job satisfaction, and effect of the delivery system transition on employee intent to leave. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase I was a case study of one skilled nursing facility’s transition from the traditional foodservice to restaurant-style dining. Phase II consisted of a survey of residents and employees in seven skilled nursing facilities utilizing restaurant-style dining. Two questionnaires, addressing the constructs of food quality, service quality, and customization relating to resident satisfaction with foodservices, were developed and administered to residents and foodservice employees. The Phase 1 case study revealed differences in financial and unintended weight loss data from pre- to post-menu transitioning. Focus groups provided insight into resident satisfaction with food and foodservices. In both phases, residents were satisfied with restaurant-style dining. Statements regarding the ability to choose foods at meals times scored highly. Service statements such as “Being treated respectfully by employees” were rated high by the residents. Portion sizes and food quality consistency were rated lower by residents. Employee perceptions of resident satisfaction were consistent with the resident ratings of satisfaction. Foodservice employee job satisfaction was high and intent to leave was low. Job satisfaction mediated the relationship between the employee perception of resident service and their intent to leave. Overall, restaurant-style dining appears to be a positive alternative to the traditional foodservice system in skilled nursing facilities. Implications and future research are discussed.

Syfte: Syftet är att skapa förståelse för den påverkan som implementering av lean har på arbetsmiljön ur ett medarbetarperspektiv. Metod: Studien genomförs som en kvalitativ fallstudie enligt hermeneutiskt tolkningsperspektiv där primärdata samlas in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Sekundärdata har huvudsakligen samlats in genom vetenskapliga artiklar och litteratur på området. Resultat & slutsats: Studien visar att implementering av lean påverkar medarbetarnas arbetsmiljö och att faktorer som delaktighet, kommunikation, utbildning och inte minst ledarskapet är viktiga faktorer för en god arbetsmiljö. En initial motvilja har efterhand som konceptet inarbetats bytts ut mot en positiv inställning och ett nytt sätt att arbeta. Examensarbetets bidrag: Studien bidrar till att skapa förståelse för hur implementering av lean påverkar arbetsmiljön. Genom förståelse för hur externa strukturer påverkar interna strukturer och därigenom medarbetarnas agerande vill vi belysa vilka faktorer som företag bör rikta fokus mot för att bibehålla en god arbetsmiljö under implementering av lean. Studiens resultat kan inte direkt generaliseras till andra arbetsplatser, men erbjuder en möjlighet att testa samma metod för att se hur arbetsmiljön påverkas. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Studien är relativt liten och medarbetarna har arbetat tillsammans under lång tid, därför kan framtida studier med fördel utföras på företag med större personalomsättning, annat företag i servicebranschen eller som en jämförande studie mellan två olika företag för att se påverkan på arbetsmiljön. / Aim: The aim of the study is to create understanding of the implications of lean implementation on the work environment seen from the coworker perspective Method: Qualitative case study with primary data collected by interviews of managers and employees at ICA Maxi Special in two different cities. Secondary data was collected from scientific articles and relevant literature regarding previous research in the field. Result & Conclusions: The study reveals that implementation of lean affects the coworkers' perceived work environment and that factors such as participation, meaningfulness, autonomy, communication and education are important factors for a good work environment. The initial reluctance experienced by coworkers when implementing the concept was later exchanged for a positive attitude and a new way of work, which consequently led to a better working environment in general. Contribution of the thesis: The findings of this study contribute to research by understanding and highlighting the factors that influence the employees work environment. By understanding the effect of external structures, such as lean and how it affects internal structures, and such as the actions and reactions of coworkers, companies can mitigate the impact on the work environment when implementing lean. Suggestions for future research: The study is rather small and conducted at a workplace where most of the employees have worked together for several years. Therefore, we suggest that future studies can be conducted at companies with a larger employee turnover, or at a different type of company in the service industry, or as a comparative study between

Low profit margins threaten the sustainability of quick service restaurants (QSRs). In the United States, low levels of employee job satisfaction and low employee perceptions of supervisor support decrease organizational profitability by as much as $151 million annually, depending on the size and type of organization. Guided by the 2-factor theory of motivation, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between employee job satisfaction, employee perceptions of supervisor support, and organizational profitability. A convenience sample of employees from 86 QSR franchise locations in Houston, Texas completed the Job Satisfaction and Perceived Supervisor Support surveys. Multiple linear regression analysis and Bonferroni corrected significance calculation predicted organizational profitability (F(2, 71) = 9.20, p < .001, R2 = .206) and employee job satisfaction (ï?¢ = .577, p = .025). The effect size indicated that the regression model accounted for approximately 21% of the variance in organizational profitability. Employee perceptions of supervisor support (ï?¢ = -.140, p = .580) did not relate to any significant variation in organizational profitability. The findings may be of value to QSR business professionals developing initiatives to improve organizational profitability. Improving employees' perceptions of supervisor support to generate high levels of employee job satisfaction could affect behavioral social change to enhance the health and wellbeing of employees and the wealth and sustainability of QSR franchise locations.

Guest-contact employees interact with various types of customers, and they are often exposed to stressful conditions caused by the deviant, or jay-customers. The purpose of this study is to examine how jay-customer behaviors (customer incivility and customer aggression) affect employees’ job stress, and consequently, job satisfaction. Surveys of 210 participants, currently working as guest-contact employees in the hospitality industry, were analyzed for the study. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses show a positive relationship between the experience of customer incivility and employees’ job stress. Additionally, the results indicate a full mediation effect of employees’ job stress on the relationship between customer incivility and employees’ job satisfaction. Unfortunately, the study was not able to analyze customer aggression, because the majority of the participants did not report customer aggression. The findings of this study make a contribution to the hospitality service management literature by providing empirical evidence of customer incivility and its negative impact on guest-contact employees. Hospitality managers should acknowledge the existence of jay-customer behaviors and recognize their significant impact on employees’ job stress and job satisfaction