<p>With the development of advanced technology, intelligent voice assistants (IVAs) have emerged as popular service devices. In the hospitality industry, major hotel chains have installed ‘Alexa for Hospitality’, a representative of IVAs, in guestrooms for customer service. Although the voice-based technology obtained huge attention of the public, there is little understanding of the factors that motivate people to use IVAs in hotel rooms. Additionally, mature travelers’ viewpoints towards this technology got less concern in the academic field, though the rapid growth of aging population makes mature adults a big part of guests staying at hotels.</p><p>Considering the forever evolving technology and the especially affected group – mature travelers, traditional technology acceptance theories may not be sufficient to achieve the goal of this study, an updated model is needed. Therefore, a mixed method approach including a qualitative interview and a quantitative study of an online survey is applied. The first stage is the qualitative interview which aims to improve the proposed conceptual model for a comprehensive understanding of mature travelers. An online survey is utilized to assess the conceptual model and the consequent hypotheses. The final model includes five determinants: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, self-efficacy and anxiety, as well as the mediator of trust that is discovered from the qualitative interview. The findings of the quantitative study show that mature travelers’ intention to use the IVAs at hotels is motivated by performance expectancy and social influence. Trust and behavioral intention partially mediate the relationship between these two variables. Effort expectancy and anxiety show no significant effect on mature travelers’ behavioral intention. This research contributes to the service technology literature with empirical evidences to delineate the behavioral pattern of this customer group. Managerially, the current research provides practical guidelines to the hospitality practitioner for a better understanding of a particular market segmentation: mature travelers.</p><p> </p>

Employability has become a key consideration for graduates, and society. Increasingly the trajectory of individuals at age 18 involves the completion of an undergraduate level degree qualification. This thesis presents a sociologically grounded study into the dialogic construction of employability in final year hospitality students and recent hospitality graduates. Drawing on a nationwide sample of UK based hospitality graduates, as they transition beyond undergraduate level higher education, a new understanding of the way in which employability is narrated and individuals position themselves within the competitive context surrounding employability, has been uncovered. The study therefore evaluates the way in which employability is constructed and narrated as a result of graduates’ social and cultural capital, their experience of higher education, career focus and way in which identity is constructed. Through the utilisation of a dialogic narrative approach the social dimensions of employability have been considered within this study. As a result this research sits in contrast to the dominant conceptions of employability, whereby agency is elevated in importance, which pertain within society. The duality between structure and agency is taken into consideration by drawing on the work of Bourdieu and Giddens. Assumptions surrounding the somewhat linear trajectories into employment which are anticipated by many, are challenged and structural influences, identified through the multivoiced nature of dialogue are analysed in conjunction with the agency exhibited by individuals. Identity is also used in order to help understand employability and to frame the narrative and reflexive processes that are undertaken within the construction of graduates’ narratives of employability. Drawing on 28 interviews this study reveals how individuals narrate employability in different ways, based on their experience of higher education and intended trajectory, upon completion of their degree. The socio-cultural background of individuals is also highlighted as a mediating and influencing factor within the process of engagement with learning and development within higher education, and subsequent constructions of employability. It is argued that hospitality graduates are not effectively prepared for the transition into employment on completion of their degrees and therefore work needs to be done in order to better prepare them for employment both within and beyond the hospitality industry. The hospitality industry itself is also not doing enough in order to support the development of students and graduates in order to encourage career development within the field. This has led to a number of recommendations being made in order to better help the development of employability in hospitality graduates through undergraduate curriculum and associated work related experience.

Published Article / Problem-based learning (PBL) is a learner-centred strategy that can be used to achieve the objectives of Outcomes Based Education (OBE). The Hospitality management program has no evidence of a fixed learner-centred didactic approach such as PBL, E-learning or Resource-based learning (RBL). In considering PBL, we raised questions: Why PBL? To what extent are staff and learners prepared for PBL? What are the characteristics of the curriculum when implementing PBL etc? This paper highlights these and other questions. The outcome shows that principles of PBL are extremely applicable to Hospitality but that timetabling within the program is a concern.

<div> <p>Employee turnover is widely recognized as a concern for hospitality employers. Therefore, strategies are needed to attract and retain workers. Organizational newcomers are vulnerable to job stressors that lead to burnout and turnover. However, organizational socialization facilitates employee learning and adjustment, which subsequently reduced turnover intentions. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of organizational socialization tactics on the domains of socialization learning and on organizational commitment in the hotel industry. The study also investigated th­e influence of socialization tactics and learning on turnover intentions. Additionally, the study explored content, context, and social aspects of organizational socialization tactics used by hotels to facilitate employee learning. ­­The study utilized a mixed methods approach including survey data from employees of upper midscale and upscale hotels in the Midwest, and interviews conducted with a convenience sample of survey participants. Empirical analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics, t-tests, analyses of variances, and regression analyses. Thematic analysis was used for interview transcripts. Findings indicate higher perceived levels of institutionalized organizational socialization tactics do positively impact the four domains of socialization learning – training, understanding, coworker support, and future prospects. Higher levels of two socialization learning domains, coworker support and future prospects, positively impacted organizational commitment. Institutionalized socialization tactics and the socialization learning domain of future prospects were negatively associated with turnover intentions. Interview findings enhanced survey data on organizational socialization tactics in the hotel industry. There was a higher prevalence of individual and informal learning, and employees have limited awareness of sequential steps or fixed timetables. Employees engaged in observational learning related to job duties from coworkers, and observation of customer service skills from their supervisors. The study also found employees are learning interpersonal skills from guest interaction, including how they can integrate guest feedback into their organizational roles. The study demonstrates the positive influence of institutionalized organizational tactics on employee learning in the hotel industry and provides further context on socialization tactics from an employee perspective. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future study are discussed. Practitioners are encouraged to engage in institutionalized socialization activities. Employers can also cultivate an organizational climate that enhances hands-on learning by adopting socialization activities that enhance employee self-efficacy and encourage relationship building between coworkers. </p> <p> </p> </div> <br>

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High labour turnover and associated costs have been subjects of considerable debate in the hospitality industry. Central to this ongoing discussion is understanding why hospitality management graduates leave the industry. Research studies suggest some answers, such as the nature of work conditions in the industry or a lack of career planning by hospitality students. This doctoral thesis is concerned with the process of leaving the hospitality industry. It explores the interplay between self-efficacy and career inheritance, and its influence on career commitment by gaining insights into how hospitality management graduates arrived at the decision to leave the hospitality industry. In the context of the changing nature of careers, from traditional linear to flexible protean, this interdisciplinary research provides insights into the process that leads to the individual leaving the hospitality industry. Career commitment, conceptualised as a psychological contract between the individual and a chosen career, informs this process of leaving, which is further explored using the interplay between the concepts of self-efficacy and career inheritance. Drawing on life history methodology, which allows for an exploration of unique life experiences and an in-depth understanding of academic and career decisions, semi-structured interviews were conducted with hospitality management graduates no longer employed in the hospitality industry. Underpinning and informing data collection and analysis was critical realism, with its unique perspective on epistemology as constructed, and ontology as realist yet stratified. The interview data were analysed thematically, which involved coding participants’ responses into pre-assigned and emergent themes. Empirical evidence reveals that the decision to leave the hospitality industry is a result of a cumulative power of events. The concept of the leaving process is the original theoretical contribution of this thesis, which explains the interaction between the three concepts indicated above. It demonstrates that exiting the industry is a developmental journey punctuated by significant career turning points. The speed of decline in commitment, which is representative of the duration of leaving, is dependent on the interaction between career inheritance and self-efficacy. Alongside an integrative definition of career, characteristics of a career manager and the principles of the legacy of hospitality as further research findings, this doctoral thesis concludes by proposing a collaborative approach to career management. Limitations of this study are evaluated and avenues to further research are also proposed.

The focus of this dissertation was the study of the fleeting and incredible experiences that occur during a tourism experience that this paper refers to as Tourism Moments. In study 1, a qualitative inquiry was conducted to gain an understanding of Tourism Moments. The findings produced a conceptualization and description of the Tourism Moment experience. Four different types of Tourism Moments were identified. Further, insight was gained regarding the memorability of Tourism Moments specifically, and tourism experiences at large. In study 2, the impact of smartphone documentation on the experience and memorability of Tourism Moments was conducted. Utilizing an experimental design, several hypotheses regarding the latter were tested. First, the results showcase evidence that travelers who document their Tourism Moments with a smartphone camera negatively impact their consumption experience. Interestingly, the findings also indicate that the use of smartphone documentation significantly improves the memorability of Tourism Moments later. Additional results identified that enjoyment is a significant predictor of memory, and that sharing a Tourism Moment online does not improve its memorability. Together, study 1 and study 2 contribute greatly to both theory and industry stakeholders.<br>

The purpose of this descriptive study was to develop and validate a list of the skills and knowledge that will be necessary for the career preparation of college union executive directors who will be hired in Research and Doctoral I universities in the next decade, (2000 to 2010). The research design recognizes job congruencies and shared competencies between hospitality general managers and college union directors. In designing this study, three separate but interrelated research methods were employed. Those methods are (a) A series of focused interviews with experts in the college union field; (b) A review of existing data, including job advertisements for union director positions; results from the Association of College Unions International data bank; literature from the college union field; and literature from the hospitality industry, related to general managers' competencies; and (c) An original questionnaire that was designed using the data gathered from the first two techniques. The questionnaire was administered by mail to the research population, college union directors at Research I, Research II, and Doctoral I universities. Ratings on the 86 competencies from the survey were tabulated, measures of central tendency were computed and characteristics were ranked in order of importance to answer the research questions. Results indicated agreement among directors regarding the necessary knowledge and abilities for career preparation of union directors. No significant differences existed between responses from Student Affairs and Business/Auxiliary Affairs, or between male and female respondents. Significant differences were found between responses from directors at commuter and residential universities. Findings from this study will provide guidance for persons who are interested in preparing for a career as a college union director and for veteran professionals who serve as mentors to newcomers into the field. / Ph. D.

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.

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