Magistro baigiamojo darbo „Vartotojų elgsena, renkantis Šiaulių viešbučius“ tikslas – remiantis moksline literatūra, išanalizuoti vartotojų elgseną, renkantis Šiaulių viešbučius sprendimo priėmimo etapuose. Darbo objektas – vartotojų elgsena, renkantis Šiaulių viešbučius. Darbą sudaro trys dalys: vartotojų elgsenos esmė, veiksniai ir modeliai, turizmo paslaugų samprata ir teikimo sistema bei vartotojų elgsenos, renkantis viešbutį tyrimas ir jo rezultatai. Pirmojoje dalyje išanalizuoti teoriniai aspektai, padedantys suprasti vartotojų elgseną, galimus įtakos šaltinius bei galimybes įtakoti vartotojus. Šioje dalyje teoriškai apibūdinama, kokia įtaka pasireiškia vartotojui, kaip kinta vartotojų elgsena, kas lemia vartotojo pasirinkimą. Šios dalies tikslas – teoriškai suprasti, kaip kinta vartotojų elgsena, kuri yra įtakojama įvairių veiksnių. Antrojoje magistro darbo dalyje analizuojama turizmo paslaugų teikimo sistema, apgyvendinimo verslo specifika bei vartotojų sprendimo priėmimo procesas, renkantis viešbutį. Šioje dalyje apibūdinama, koks yra turizmo sektorius, kaip vartotojai renkasi apgyvendinimo paslaugas, kaip kinta jų elgsena skirtinguose viešbučio pasirinkimo etapuose. Trečiojoje dalyje remiantis teoriniais sprendimais sukurtas vartotojų elgsenos, renkantis viešbutį modelis, kurį bus stengiamasi įrodyti. Tyrimo metu surinkti duomenys apdorojami bei pateikiami jų rezultatai. Darbo pabaigoje pateiktos išvados ir rekomendacijos. / The aim of the final paper “Consumer behavior in choosing hotels in Siauliai” according to scientific literature, is to analyze consumer behavior in choosing hotels in Siauliai in stages of decision-making process. The subject of the research is consumer behavior in choosing hotels in Siauliai. The presented paper consists of three parts: the essence, factors and models of consumer behavior, the concept and service system of tourism services and research and its results of consumer behavior in choosing the hotel. First part of final paper consists of theoretical aspects what help us to understand consumer behavior, potential sources of influence and possibilities to influence the consumer. The theory of this part reveals how consumer behavior changes, what determines consumer choice. The aim of this part is to understand how consumer behavior changes influenced by various factors. In the second part of the research tourism service system, business accommodation specifics and consumer decision-making process in choosing the hotel are analyzed. This part presents what is the tourism sector, how consumer choose accommodation services, how consumer behavior changes in different stages in choosing the hotel. In the third part based on theoretical decisions, consumer behavior in choosing the hotel model is developed. The presented consumer behavior model will be attempted to prove in the final paper. The research data is processed and its results are presented. Conclusions and... [to full text]

Course: FOA214 Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration, 15 ECTS University: Mälardalens University School of Business, Society and Engineering Date: 2014, June 2nd Authors: Enkhluun Enkhmandakh, Cimin Ghaffari and Junyao Song Tutor: Zarina Osmonalieva Examiner: Eva Maaninen-Olsson Keywords: Hotel industry, service, internal marketing, front line employee, job satisfaction, Scandic Hotel. Research Question: How does Scandic Hotel in Västerås influence front line employee job satisfaction through internal marketing activities? Purpose of Research: The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyze how hotels can influence front line employee job satisfaction through internal marketing. This thesis is useful for organizations in the hotel industry to gain a deeper understanding of the connection between internal marketing and job satisfaction as well as the outcome of job satisfaction. Method: This descriptive case study has used a deductive strategy. A qualitative approach was applied to collect the empirical data through interviews with the General Manager of Scandic Hotel in Västerås. Both primary and secondary data have been gathered to achieve the purpose. Within-case analysis was used to analyze the collected data. Conclusion: It was discovered that Scandic Hotel in Västerås acknowledges the importance of front line employee job satisfaction and is able to influence it through internal marketing activities. Through analyzing the theories and the empirical data two differences were found. It is believed that the result can be generalized to others in the hotel industry. The thesis also noticed a link between the four components of internal marketing and the five dimensions of job satisfaction.

This thesis addresses a neglected aspect in the emotional labour literature by seeking to identify the impact of societal culture on how service workers perform emotional labour and its effect on their wellbeing, in terms of the emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation dimensions of burnout. Its original contribution lies in using respondents residing in two contrasting cultures, the Philippines and Australia. The research instrument brings together the INDCOL survey, Emotional Labour Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, and job autonomy questions from the Job Diagnostic Survey. Data is analysed from 734 surveys completed by guest-contact workers; hypotheses are tested using the independent samples t-test in SPSS. Meaningful results mainly emerge from comparing responses filtered according to how respondents describe themselves on the INDCOL dimensions rather than by their countries of residence, highlighting the importance of identifying individual-level differences within societies rather than relying on overall descriptions of culture, for such comparative purposes. Respondents report higher levels of burnout when using surface-acting more frequently, and lower levels of burnout when using deep-acting more often. Further, they report similar levels of deep-acting and burnout, and those who report high job autonomy also report lower levels of burnout. Higher levels of burnout are reported by individualists who use surface-acting more frequently. The significance of these findings is the emergence of similar results among respondents in the contrasting culture of the Philippines. The final key finding is that respondents who perform high levels of emotional labour and who experience high job autonomy report less depersonalisation in Australia than the Philippines. Overall, these findings support the usefulness of applying culturally sensitive HRD interventions in the Philippines as well as Australia, to increase the ability of service workers to perform sincere emotional labour and replace negative consequences with positive outcomes for workers, customers and hotels.

The hospitality industry in recent years has become intensely competitive. Better communication between industry professionals and educators is important for university programs to provide relevant learning experiences for students. The purpose of this study was to determine competencies that hotel and restaurant professionals deem necessary for the success of graduates in the industry. Thirty supervisors of hotel and restaurant management majors who graduated from the University of North Texas from 1990 through 1992 responded to the research questionnaire. The supervisors were given 36 competencies and asked to rate their level of importance. Percentages were used to identify the most important competencies. The skills most frequently identified as important by the industry professionals surveyed were leadership skills, professional ethics, personnel management, and understanding the different laws that affect hospitality operations and management.

Infusion is a gallery hotel that seeks to promote and encourage interaction between the local people of the community and traveling guests. More than just a hotel for rest and relaxation, Infusion will display a public gallery making art the universal language for their guests and the locals.

One of the most exciting aspects of traveling is the ability to, for a short time, experience what life is like in a different part of the world. Whether traveling fifty miles away from home or to another continent, cultures, landscapes, and the many nuances of day-to-day life change. The beauty of travel comes from curiosity, exploration, and discovery. It’s that moment when your heart skips a beat and your mind fills with pure delight because you’ve just discovered something new about the world that you never knew before. Another part of the traveling experience is having a place to stay at night. While there are many options, over the past decade, the boutique hotel has grown in popularity. Boutique hotels are known for being small and they distinguish themselves as luxurious and unique in addition to providing premium services and amenities for their guests. This thesis begs the question; can design be used in such a way that an establishment, such as a boutique hotel, can begin to signify more than just a collection decorated rooms so that it contributes to the story being told with respect to place? Through research and personal experience I have found that most small hotels that fit the definition of a boutique hotel do not market themselves as such while large, chain hotels that do not fit the same definition, do. This can be misleading. Many boutique hotels can offer a unique experience for their guests by differentiating room decor so that every room is different or by creating an elegant and intimate lobby or dining experience, however, none have demonstrated a direct connection between the hotel and the context in which it resides. The Power Plant at Lucky Strike, located at 2700 East Cary Street, will serve as the building for this project. The building was originally constructed in 1930 for the purpose of providing power to the neighboring Lucky Strike building which was used as a cigarette factory. The building is in a prime location and situated at the end of the historic and popular Shockoe Bottom strip with Church Hill to the north and the James River just south. With the building’s original shell still intact, my goal is to create a hotel experience that is unique in the sense that it too, will help to continue to tell Richmond’s story.

This thesis is oriented on communication strategy of a french hotel Saint Eloi. The goal of this thesis is to provide a reader with a complex view of the Saint Eloi's products and to show him the positive and negative points of communication strategy. The results of this thesis is a creation of a new communication strategy that could help the hotel to restrain in the competitive area and become more popular by using the new communication possibilities.

This diploma thesis is a financial analysis of the company SHC Prague TRS, a.s. from 2005 to 2009, which manages Hotel InterContinental Praha. Firstly, the aim of this work is to evaluate the financial efficiency of the hotel through financial analysis, and secondly to indicate the possibility for development of financial management in the future. The financial analysis is based on external data from annual reports of the company. The thesis is devided into two chapters and completed with supplements. The first chapter is theoretical, where the principal meaning and functions of the financial analysis are characterized, source information and users of results are presented, and methodology of financial analysis is explained. The second chapter is practical, where basic information about the company is mentioned and a financial analysis is made applying the methods and procedures described in the first part. In conclusion, the results are summarized and there is a complete evaluation of the financial situation of SHC Prague TRS, a.s., that operates Hotel InterContinenatal Praha.

A qualidade dentro da hotelaria, segundo a perspectiva dos hóspedes pode ser igual, inferior ou superior às suas expectativas. Para estimar esta qualidade é preciso estabelecer atributos, medi-los e elencá-los. Este trabalho propôs-se a através de um levantamento bibliográfico, chegar a atributos de qualidade nos serviços de hotelaria, e posteriormente medi-los junto aos hóspedes dos hotéis de Ribeirão Preto, visando contrastar as diferentes necessidades dos clientes hoteleiros de lazer e negócios. Para isso foi utilizada a aplicação de questionários com o método SERVQUAL em clientes de hotéis da cidade. Esta ferramenta compara as expectativas e percepções dos mesmos. Os dados obtidos foram analisados estatisticamente. O estudo aponta para hóspedes de lazer e negócios com perfis diferenciados de gênero, renda, frequência de viagens. Quanto às questões comparativas do SERVQUAL, conclui-se que os hóspedes de lazer estão quase totalmente satisfeitos com os hotéis nos quais se hospedaram na cidade. Porém, aponta hóspedes de negócios que desejam mais do que encontram nestes estabelecimentos. Há pontos a melhorar em quase todas as dimensões: tangibilidade, confiabilidade, responsividade e segurança. Para o atendimento de excelência dos indivíduos que viajam com este tipo de motivação torna-se necessário ampliar o conhecimento sobre os mesmos e adotar medidas efetivas para sua satisfação. / The quality in the hotel industry, in conformity to the guests perspective can be equal, lower or higher than they expected. To appraise this quality it is needed to establish attributes, measure and order them. This study intends to make a bibliographical research to find quality attributes in hotel services and after that, to test them among Ribeirão Pretos hotel guests. The objective is to contrast different needs of these business and leisure guests. For that, SERVQUAL Method it was used and required questioner applications to the citys hotel clients. This instrument compares the expectations and the perceptions of these two different types of costumers. The data obtained was statistically analyzed. The study has as aim either to leisure and business guests with distinct profiles of gender, income, travel frequency. When it comes to SERVQUAL comparative questions, it was concluded that leisure guests are very much satisfied with the hotels that they are lodged in town. Meanwhile, the study shows business guests that wish more than they find in these establishments. There are aspects to work on almost every dimension: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness and security. To have an excellence attend of individuals who travel with this kind of motivation, some increasement in knowledge about them and adoption of effective ways to measure for their satisfaction are necessary.

This thesis aims to analyse organizational change, focusing on the meanings attributed by participants in planned and unplanned processes of organizational change, in a large, UK hospitality company. Framed within the narrative meta-paradigm, this research employs a qualitative, interpretive, social-constructionist perspective, and considers change in organizations as constituted by alterations in people’s understandings, encoded in narratives, and shared in conversations. The thesis draws on prior publications in the fields of narrative and organizational change, including the sensemaking, power and identity literatures. Data was co-created through sixty-six semi-structured interviews in a single, multi-site case study, augmented by informal observations and assessment of written materials. The research account tells the stories of: organizational change; the responses from members to change; and the shifts in power, control and autonomy. These narratives of change were prepared through an interpretive analysis of the interview transcripts, and the study provides a reflexive commentary on the research, through vignettes of the researcher’s experience. In the discussion, three readings interpret the case study from a narrative, an organizational change and an autoethnographic perspective. The primary contribution of the thesis is empirical, providing an in-depth case study that describes a complex organizational landscape, at two luxury hotels, into which a managerial initiative, Shine, was launched, and addresses the limited presence of narrative case studies on change. Through the application of existing theory to this empirical resource, the thesis contributes to understandings of sensemaking, power and identity during continuous change. The study argues for the significance of reflexivity in storytelling research, and the need for practitioners to embrace the socially constructed nature of ‘realities’ in working with organizational change. More generally, the thesis has demonstrated the value of a storytelling approach to understanding the complexities of organizational change, while identifying limitations to plurivocal storytelling as a research method.