In the restaurant industry, information gap between inside management and outside stakeholders could be considerable due to analyst’ lack of interest in the restaurant industry and restaurant firms’ high intangible asset and scant corporate payout. Given the possible seriousness of information asymmetry in the restaurant industry, the subject of information asymmetry could bear great importance in the restaurant industry. Nevertheless, information asymmetry has never been the subject of study in the restaurant industry, not to mention the hospitality industry generally. With this research gap in mind, this study conducted extensive research to understand the various implications of information asymmetry in the restaurant industry. The first objective of this study was to examine the magnitude of information asymmetry in the restaurant industry. This study demonstrated the seriousness of information asymmetry in the restaurant industry by showing that the size of information asymmetry within the restaurant industry is greater than that of other services industries (i.e., utility, REIT, and airline industries). The second objective of this study was to examine the unique determinants of information asymmetry in the restaurant industry. The results of this study showed that in the restaurant industry, information asymmetry widens as the size of accruals increases. Additionally, information asymmetry was found to be smaller for franchise restaurants than for non-franchise restaurants. The third objective of this study was to investigate the impact of information asymmetry on some managerial behaviors in the restaurant industry. This study showed that in the restaurant industry, information asymmetry leads to a manager’s reduced corporate payout and increased investment inefficiency. The last objective of this study was to examine the impact of information asymmetry on firm value in the restaurant industry. By demonstrating a curvilinear relationship between information asymmetry and firm value, this study showed that there exists not only a negative impact of information asymmetry but also a positive impact of information asymmetry on firm value in the restaurant industry. Furthermore, this study showed that the positive impact of information asymmetry on firm value is more prominent for high-leveraged and mature firms than their counterpart groups. This study’s results not only help understand the characteristics of information asymmetry in the restaurant industry but also introduce a new window for understanding managerial behaviors and firm value in the restaurant industry.

The purpose of this study was to determine the need for a high school Hospitality and Tourism Program in Washington County, Tennessee and to identify skills food service operators deemed important for entry- level positions that are to be obtained. Three high schools and 114 restaurants in Washington County were involved in the study. Data were collected through a quantitative phone study questionnaire. The findings of the study identified that the restaurant industry and teachers indicated there was a need for skilled workers through the implementation of the Hospitality and Tourism program in the Washington County schools. Finally, it was determined that there was a need for better training of students entering the restaurant industry and a willingness of restaurant operators to work with these students.

This study compared lodging managers' job competency expectations for newly hired employees in possession of four-year (baccalaureate) degrees from a college or university. Lodging managers mentally separated new hires into two distinct categories when rating the importance of specific job competencies: 1) new hires in possession of a hospitality management baccalaureate degree, and 2) new hires in possession of a non-hospitality management baccalaureate degree. Lodging managers who were current members of the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association (CFHLA) at the time of the survey participated and all were employed in the central Florida area at the time of the study. In the fall of 2004, lodging managers (N=156) were sent an electronic mail correspondence requesting participation. Usable responses were received from 137 lodging managers for a response rate of 87.82%. The survey instrument was developed from a literature review of hospitality job competencies and was refined to 3 content areas: knowledge, ability, and attitude. Research questions were designed to identify differences, if any, in lodging manager new hire expectations based upon several criteria: a) type of baccalaureate degree held by the new hire (hospitality management versus other field), b) gender of the manager, c) number of years the manager had worked in the lodging industry, d) whether or not the manager possessed a baccalaureate degree at the time of the survey, e) if the manager possessed a baccalaureate degree, whether the degree was hospitality or non-hospitality specific, and, f) the type of lodging facility employing the manager at the time of questionnaire completion. These comparisons were made between the two groups of new-hires with baccalaureate hospitality degrees and new-hires with non-hospitality baccalaureate degrees. Consistently, lodging managers rated higher expectations for new-hires when the newly hired employees possessed a baccalaureate degree in hospitality or lodging management versus a non-hospitality discipline. Ramifications of these findings are discussed pursuant to higher education hospitality programs, the lodging industry, and human resource professionals recruiting future lodging managers. Future research is suggested utilizing a wider regional, national, and/or international sample.

This study investigated service excellence and hospitality in a healthcare setting. It is unique from other hospitality research in that it considers hospitality and service excellence as separate concepts, applicable across industries. Part of the premise of this study explores how hospitality extends past service excellence to create a comfortable and welcoming environment to combat patient anxiety and stress. Furthermore, this is one of the first qualitative studies on the importance of service excellence and hospitality in the healthcare industry. This case study measured top management's perceptions of service excellence and hospitality within one community-based hospital located in Orlando, Florida. The researcher conducted one-hour interviews with twelve leading managers to gain their opinions of service excellence and hospitality within their organization. Consistent with a thorough review of literature, three conclusions were revealed: 1) there is a strong, but mixed, top management commitment to service excellence and hospitality throughout organization; 2) the terms "service excellence" and "hospitality", when used, were discussed interchangeably as if the two theories were equivalent; and 3) External barriers to the patient experience that were identified included improvement of technology, increased consumerism, quality regulations, and workforce deficits. Internal barriers to the patient experience include communication and inconsistency. The research provided implications to healthcare organizations that are looking to implement practices of hospitality and service management to improve service delivery. Additionally, the study of hospitality outside the industry offers ideas of improvement for hospitality management and organizational researchers. It can also be used as a foundation to formulate additional studies in the area of service excellence and hospitality within the healthcare field, as this research is limited to only top management's views.

Florida bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) were surveyed for the purpose of discovering the attitudes, beliefs, and actual behaviors of B&B owners and operators that contribute to an operation’s success. This study had several objectives: 1) to provide an analysis of attitudes and beliefs perceived to be necessary for success and the actual behaviors exhibited by operators based upon their self-definition of success, 2) to collect demographic information from various bed and breakfasts in Florida, and 3) to expand the limited amount of research that has addressed issues in the bed and breakfast industry. Between July 2009 and August 2009, data was collected by using a mailed survey. After collecting and compiling all of the information, Pearson’s correlation was used to determine if any correlations existed between owners and operator’s attitudes and beliefs and actual behaviors. Furthermore, the total sample was separated into a “successful” group and an “other” group in order to discover disparities between each group’s attitudes/beliefs and behaviors. This study was modeled after Bed and Breakfasts in Virginia: Identification of Success Factors (Kaufman, 1994), and had many correlations that were similar to Virginia’s bed and breakfast industry. In addition to the similar correlations found in the previous study, this study found several more attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that have deemed necessary for success by Florida’s bed and breakfast industry leaders. The study concluded that several attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors were necessary for success: bed and breakfast owners and operators must understand the B&B industry, have had past work experience in the hospitality industry, understand the basic functions of running a business, and maintain a positive relationship with employees and guests.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of learner control when using interactive video as a training tool. Food service managers (H=60) were randomly assigned to two groups, experimental and control. Each group was trained on the subject matter of food service sanitation following the program developed by the National Restaurant Association's Educational Foundation entitled, Applied Foodservice Sanitation: A Coursebook. Students of the control group were trained by the traditional, lecture-pupil technique (LPl. students of the experimental group were trained via interactive video (IV). The students of the experimental group were further randomly assigned to subgroups; limited interactive (L-I) and fully-interactive (F-I). Immediately following training, all students were given a review of the subject matter and then took the certification exam. Using t-tests to analyze scores between groups and multiple regressions to analyze the effect of time on score fc,r the experimental groups, effectiveness, efficiency, and predictability of score based on time-to-train were measured. The findings indicated that the IV program was as effective as the traditional technique and was significantly more efficient. The multiple regression analysis revealed that time was not a predictor of score; however, when students increased their interactivity while using IV programs, learning (effectiveness) increased. Interactive video programs that are designed to be limited-interactive are as effective and can be as efficient as fully-interactive programs. students who trained in small groups tended to score equally with students trained individually. / Ed. D.

This research aims to investigate the role of employee's personality type (most specifically introversion/extraversion) in the service recovery process. Toe literature review suggests that introverts and extraverts exhibit unique traits. Toe researcher hypothesizes that those traits associated with most extraverts may inhibit their performance in the service recovery process. It is believed their consistent tendencies to talk in argumentative tones, ill attention span, and disregard direction can have damaging results on the recovery process. Based on the research objectives, a survey was designed and data was collected from a sample of approximately 140 students in an Introduction to hospitality management or Guest service management class from the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. Toe participants who ranked in the extreme levels of introversion or extraversion responses were used. Their information was then analyzed using statistical programs and tested for main effects. Toe research findings suggest there is a relationship between personality and the service recovery process. Though two hypotheses were not supported by the data, the data analysis results supported the hypothesis that extraverts have a greater capability for empowerment. It is believed further investigation will reveal other human resource management issues for which personality will play a significant role in.

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / This research study aimed to propose a talent retention framework for the hospitality industry in the Indian Ocean region by examining the relationship between fit, flourishing and organisational commitment in relation to employee retention. In addition, the study aimed to determine whether demographic factors (age, gender, nationality, marital status and employment status [local or expatriate]), work role fit and flourishing significantly and positively predict organisational commitment, and whether demographic factors (age, gender, nationality, marital status and employment status (local or expatriate) differ with regard to these variables. The study was directed at a random sample of employees at international hotels represented in the Indian Ocean region. The data was collected using the Work Role Fit Scale, the Flourishing-at-Work Scale and the Organisational Commitment Scale. The study revealed significant positive relationships between fit, flourishing and organisational commitment in the hospitality industry. The results found that fit and flourishing positively and significantly predict organisational commitment. Lastly significant differences were found between the fit, flourishing and organisational commitment of employees in the hospitality industry in terms of demographic variables: age, gender, nationality, marital status and employment status (local or expatriate). / Hierdie navorsingstudie het ten doel gehad om 'n talentbehoudraamwerk vir die gasvryheidsbedryf in die Indiese Oseaan-streek voor te stel deur die verhouding tussen gepastheid, florering en organisatoriese toewyding met betrekking tot werknemerbehoud te ondersoek. Verder het die studie gepoog om te bepaal of demografiese faktore (ouderdom, geslag, nasionaliteit, huwelikstatus en werknemerstatus [plaaslik of uitgestuur]), werkrolgepastheid en florering die organisatoriese toewyding beduidendheid en positief voorspel, en of demografiese faktore (ouderdom, geslag, nasionaliteit, huwelikstatus en werknemerstatus [plaaslik of uitgestuur]) rakende hierdie veranderlikes verskil. Die studie is gerig op 'n ewekansige steekproefneming van werknemers by internasionale hotelle wat die Indiese Oseaan-streek verteenwoordig. Die data is deur die werkrolgepastheidskaal, die floreer-by-die-werk-skaal en die organisatoriese toewydingskaal versamel. Die studie het beduidende positiewe verhoudings tussen gepastheid, florering en organisatoriese toewyding in die gasvryheidsbedryf aan die lig gebring. Die resultate het bevind dat gepastheid en florering die organisatoriese toewyding positief en beduidend voorspel. Laastens is beduidende verskille gevind tussen die gepastheid, florering en organisatoriese toewyding van werknemers in die gasvryheidsbedryf met betrekking tot demografiese veranderlikes: ouderdom, geslag, nasionaliteit, huwelikstatus en werknemerstatus (plaaslik of uitgestuur). / Lolu cwaningo lwaluhlose ukuphakamisa uhlaka lokugcinwa kwamakhono embonini yezokungenisa izihambi esifundeni sase-Indian Ocean ngokuhlola ubudlelwano phakathi kokuzibophezela okufanelekile, okuchumayo nokuhlelekile maqondana nokugcinwa kwabasebenzi. Ngaphezu kwalokho, lolu cwaningo kuhloswe ngalo ukuthola ukuthi izici zabantu (ubudala, ubulili, ubuzwe, isimo somshado nesimo sokuqashwa ([okwendawo noma okudingisiwe]), indima yomsebenzi efanelekile nokuchuma kahle okuphawulekayo kubikezela ukuzibophezela kwenhlangano, nokuthi ngabe izici zabantu (ubudala, ubulili, ubuzwe, isimo somshado nesimo sokuqashwa (okwasekhaya noma okwamanye amazwe) ziyahluka maqondana nalezi ziguquko. Ucwaningo luqondiswe kusampula engahleliwe yabasebenzi emahhotela aphesheya amelwe esifundweni sase-Indian Ocean. Imiphumela ithole ukuthi okufanelekile nokuchuma kahle okuphawulekayo kubikezela ukuzibophezela kwenhlangano. Okokugcina umehluko obalulekile utholakale phakathi kokuzibophezela okufanelekile, okuchumayo nokuhlelekile kwabasebenzi embonini yezokungenisa izihambi ngokuya ngokuhlukahluka kwezici zabantu: ubudala, ubulili, ubuzwe, isimo somshado nesimo sokuqashwa (okwendawo noma okudingisiwe). / Human Resource Management / M. Com. in Business Management (Human Resource Management)

No description available.

With the rapid growth in the hospitality industry, its owners and managers are also facing serious challenges. The industry is becoming more and more competitive. Managers are pressed to find the balance between cutting cost to increase profit and improving the quality of the service/product to increase the value their customers’ experience. Customers are nowadays more aware of the quality of the service or the product provided to them and more than ever before, hospitality owners and managers need to focus on improving their quality. The main objective of the research was to establish whether the implementation of selected Six Sigma principles would result in a measurable improvement in the quality of a hospitality establishment. An analysis was done based on three different feedback systems, some Sig Sigma-inspired changes were made and a post-measurement was done to establish the effect of the changes. The study concluded that the implementation of selective Six Sigma principles, can improve the quality of services and products in hospitality establishments, as well as reducing their process waste in such establishments. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015