Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oklahoma State University, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oklahoma State University, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The enormous success of franchising as an expansion instrument has resulted in a franchising boom over the past few decades. In response to the success of franchising as a business expansion method and the subsequent complaints by unsuccessful or defrauded franchisees, legislation was enacted at the federal and state level to attempt to prevent franchisor abuses. The 1992 Iowa Franchise Law has been called the most controversial and restrictive pieces of franchise legislation in recent memory. The purpose of this research project was to determine the impacts of the 1992 Iowa Franchise Law and its 1995 Amendments on restaurant franchisor expansion strategy, litigation with franchisees, and operational changes. The study sought information from US restaurant franchisors who may have been impacted by the law. The research instrument consisted of a self-administered questionnaire, which was sent to 203 restaurant franchisors. A total of 36 companies responded and participated in the study. The results indicated that the law had an impact on expansion strategy of those who responded, specifically in the area of granting new franchised units. The results are representative of smaller businesses with less than 500 units. / Master of Science

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The restaurant industry is one of the largest in the United States, and employees within this industry deal with poor working conditions on a daily basis. Despite this, there has been a surprising dearth of research to understand the mental health needs of these workers. The aims of this study were to establish a prevalence of burnout and depression, and understand the relationships between these two outcomes with the constructs of bullying, perfectionism, and social support. To do so, restaurant workers (N=453) were recruited to complete an on-line survey. Results revealed a high prevalence of depressive symptoms and an overextended profile of burnout. Both bullying and perfectionism displayed significant positive relationships with depression and burnout, while social support demonstrated significant negative relationships with burnout and depression. When analyzed in a three-way interaction, social support failed to significantly moderate the effects of bullying and perfectionism on depression and burnout. Results indicate that depression and burnout are serious concerns among restaurant workers. Additionally, bullying and perfectionism are promising targets to consider in future research as mechanisms leading to depression and burnout among restaurant workers.

The Municipal Baths...I have aimed to find a suitable symbiosis of the swimming pools, the sauna and the restaurant...I hope it has been successful

This thesis started with my memories of food and the activities that encompass it -- gathering, socializing, making and eating. These activities were explored in relation to the architectural fundamentals of form and section and through the function of a restaurant. Within a simple cubic form, four volumes developed into four unique dining areas -- bar, communal, main and family. Each space is an exploration of the various ways we gather around food. / Master of Architecture / Through the outlet of a restaurant, this thesis explores the various ways in which we gather around and eat food. This is achieved through the design and development of four interior spaces -- bar, communal, main and family.

Small businesses play a vital role in the modern economy. They represent the main catalyst for economic development. However, small businesses fail at a high rate, especially small independent restaurants. Around 25% of small independent restaurants fail within the first year of operation, and around 60% do not survive for more than 3 years. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore what strategies small independent full-service restaurant owners in the Al Rehab District, Cairo, Egypt implemented to sustain operations for more than 5 years. The restaurant viability model provided the conceptual framework for this study. The population of this study comprised of 14 owners of small independent full-service restaurant with less than 50 employees in the Al Rehab District, Cairo, Egypt, who sustained their businesses operations for more than 5 years. The data sources included semistructured interviews, restaurant review websites, and social media platforms. Based on methodological triangulation of the data sources, open coding, analyzing the data using qualitative data analysis software, and member checking, 5 themes emerged: restaurant infrastructure strategies, marketing strategies, operations strategies, management strategies, and emotive strategies. The potential implications for positive social change include increasing the success rate of small independent restaurant owners, which in return will create wealth for the owners, generate employment opportunities, increase the government tax revenues, and contribute to the growth of the Egyptian economy.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Hospitality Management / Kevin R. Roberts / As restaurants continue to be a major contributor to the economy, operations continue to negatively impact the environment. Within the industry, sustainability initiatives are becoming more popular, however, success depends on the buy-in of employees. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between and impact of personality traits on environmentalism of restaurant employees. By detecting personality traits associated with environmentalism, a better understanding of environmental behavior is obtained. This understanding can be used to motivate pro-environmental behaviors of employees by tailoring sustainability programs to appeal to different personalities. Employees working in green certified and non-certified restaurants completed a 95-item questionnaire measuring environmental attitude, personal conservation behavior, on-the-job environmental behavior, personality, and demographics. Data collection was completed using three methods: on-site, mailed questionnaires, and online. A total of 229 questionnaires were completed. A significant relationship existed between personality and environmentalism. Specifically, personality was a significant predictor of environmental attitude, personal conservation behavior, and on-the-job environmental behavior. Employees working in green certified restaurant operations had significantly higher levels of agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, openness, environmental attitude, personal conservation behavior, and on-the-job environmental behavior and lower levels of neuroticism than employees working in non-certified restaurant operations. Findings from this study contribute to understanding the factors that impact environmental behavior. Potential environmental champions can be identified by their personality traits and encourage other employees to perform green practices. Furthermore, recruitment of employees exhibiting these pro-environmental traits could increase environmental performance in restaurant operations. Additionally, training and educational programs could be formatted based on the differences among personality traits to elicit pro-environmental behaviors of employees.

No description available.

No description available.