Business Commons^™

Going Green In The Hospitality Industry, Christina Wilson Micioni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research is to examine whether a hotel’s greening efforts are a reason why everyday guests or hospitality professionals choose a hotel. Do meeting planners and business travelers expect certain things while staying at a hotel? Do the personal greening activities of a guest affect their hotel stay? This will also include the housekeeping needs of the guests and why they choose the hotel. The objective of the research will be to discover whether there is guest data to support the need for hotels to become green establishments.

Comparing Lodging Reits Using Dupont Analysis: Evaluating Shareholder Equity, John Richard Kane Pellika

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research paper compares lodging REITs using DuPont analysis. The study examined United States publicly traded lodging REITs’ balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements between the quarterly periods of 12/31/1997 to 12/31/2005. Lodging REITs have to adhere to the REIT status guidelines, 90 percent of their taxable income must be distributed as dividends to shareholders and at least 75 percent of their income must come from real estate. Lodging REITs do not have government requirements on how a firm must efficiently manage its operations through financial leverage. The results indicate that there is a disparity between individual lodging …

An Examination Of Female Poker Players, Di Ma

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

MSN Encarta defines gambling as the wager “of money or other items of value on an uncertain event, dependent either wholly or in part on chance.” The major types of gambling are lotteries, sports betting including horse racing, and casino games including slot machines and table games (2007). A look at PokerUK.com’s Famous Gamblers of the 18th century to present shows thirteen men and zero women (2007). This gender division has experienced a recent change. In 1999, CNN.com reported that women who gambled increased 20% between 1994 and 1998. This figure doubled the percentage growth for male gamblers. The e-Commerce …

An Examination Of The Non-Gaming Nightlife Entertainment Sector Of Las Vegas Resort-Casinos, Jennifer Miyakubo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper provides an overview of the non-gaming nightlife entertainment sector of Las Vegas resort-casinos. Three qualitative interviews with executives of The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, The Monte Carlo Las Vegas Resort and Casino, and The Mirage Las Vegas were conducted to examine their perceptions and needs in the industry. This paper examines the impact the current economic recession is having on the Las Vegas nightlife and also reveals what types of questions resort-casino operators want to know about their customer. This exploratory research is a useful preliminary step that helps ensure that a more rigorous, more conclusive future …

Case Study: Feasibility Analysis Of Renewable Energy Supply Systems In A Small Grid Connected Resort, Jody Robins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper presents a case study on the feasibility of a small grid connected resort in the marine west coast climate of Canada to implement a renewable energy supply system. The current industry conditions of three renewable energy systems are explored including small and large wind energy conversion systems, solar photovoltaic cell systems, and energy cell systems. Furthermore, these three systems are evaluated using the power load, wind, and solar radiation information from a specific resort. The renewable energy source assessment and optimization software HOMER (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US) is used to evaluate the costs and benefits of each …

The Relationship Between Benefit Satisfaction And Intent To Leave: A Study Of Finance Departments In Las Vegas, Jung-In Bae

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between benefit satisfaction and intent to leave among employees who work in finance departments in Las Vegas hotels.

Employee benefits have generally been assumed to be an effective way to attract and retain employees; in fact, 70% of 45 U.S. companies include the benefit packages in their retention strategies. That idea that competitive benefits packages can help firms to win the retention war is widely accepted.

The results of the study indicate that benefit satisfaction was significantly related to intent to leave; those who were satisfied with benefits were less likely to …

Employee Orientation: Exploring Blended Learning Strategies To Improve Learner Outcomes And Meet Organizational Goals, Paul Washington

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The problem of effective, efficient and pragmatic solutions involving employee training are compounded when geographic logistics become an issue as organizations grow. Organizations must ensure financial and human resources are allocated to develop the highest impact training strategies at the lowest cost. Training in employee orientation was chosen as a logical starting point to re-think current training models to improve learner outcomes and achieve corporate initiatives. Thus, research involved literature review of basic concepts of learning theories and the integration of theory with pedagogical methods and technological delivery media. The result was a conceptual blended learning model reducing current training …

The Impact Of The 2007 Oklahoma Immigration Reform Act On Labor Costs In The Restaurant Industry, Xun Zhou

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Restaurant industry is becoming the largest employer of immigrants in the United States, immigration policies are fundamental to the success of the restaurant industry, as entrepreneurs, as customers, and as workers. Therefore, this paper attempts to investigate current issues regarding the unauthorized labor force in the hospitality industry. In particular, this study will try to discover and explore the difference in labor costs in the restaurant industry before and after the newest immigration reform act enacted in Oklahoma. In addition, this paper will also provide suggestions for future researchers in this research field.

The Relationship Between Destination Personality, Self-Congruity, And Behavioral Intentions, Ahmet Usakli

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceived destination personality of Las Vegas and to examine the relationships among destination personality, self-congruity, and tourist's behavioral intentions. A convenience sample of 382 visitors to Las Vegas was surveyed and 368 usable questionnaires were analyzed. The findings of the study indicate that tourists ascribe personality characteristics to destinations and perceived destination personality of Las Vegas is five dimensional: vibrancy, sophistication, competence, contemporary, and sincerity. These dimensions have a positive influence on intention to return and intention to recommend. The study also supports the self-congruity theory within the context of tourism …

Recession And Its Affect On The Las Vegas Hospitality Industry, William Provance

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the recession which began in 2007, and to study its causes, effects, and some attempted solutions through data analysis, academic literature review, public financial reporting, stock information and other news sources. Two major strip companies will be researched; Las Vegas Sands and MGM Grand, as well as a local’s company; Station Casinos. This information will be presented in a case study format that will be available as a learning tool for future hospitality leaders.

Premier, Gian Galassi, Robyn Campbell-Ouchida, Judy A. Nagai, David Schwartz, Jeff L. Voyles

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

No abstract provided.

Legal Regulations Of Tip Pooling And Tip Sharing In The United States Hospitality Industry, Rebecca Ahmed

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Tip sharing and tip pooling are common practices within the hospitality industry, particularly in foodservice and in hotels. Several companies merely encourage these practices while others require participation. Not all of these companies comply with their state and federal labor laws. More and more cases have surfaced where employees are challenging the legality of tip pooling and tip sharing in the past few years. Some of those cases have resulted in significant losses to the employers. Starbucks, for example, has just been ordered to pay back $105 million to their baristas for violating California labor laws regulating tip pooling. Hospitality …

Business Intelligence In Meeting Planning Software, Svetlana Staneva

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper is a content analysis of business intelligence functionality in major meeting planning software. The research explores products for list management work (primarily handling online registration), various products providing multi-level database support (registration, housing, event logistics), and others in the categories of attendee management and exhibition management. It presents an assessment of applications’ abilities to fulfill transactional recording needs as well as their extended capabilities to respond to analysis questions for strategic decision-making support.

Exploring Marketing And Sales Opportunities: How Companies Reach Their Target Market Using Hospitality And Tourism Venues For Distribution Of The Product Or Services, Ricardo J. Rodriguez-Canales

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many companies unrelated or semi-related to travel and tourism have found their niche within the hospitality and tourism industry. Companies who primarily focus on fashion, retail, weddings, outdoor adventure, real estate, sports and entertainment have successfully negotiated space to promote their products and services to hospitality and tourism clientele. This can be seen at the many resorts and casinos that have retail shops in their facilities as well as golf courses, restaurants and clubs that market directly to and make their profits from hospitality patrons. This complimentary mix makes up the diverse experience travelers encounter. To narrow the focus of …

Afternoon Concurrent Track 3: Green Curricula At Unlv, Thomas Jones, Ken Teeters, Barbara St. Pierre Schneider, Nancy Menzel, Lori Candela, Yu Xu, Sally Miller, Scott Nowicki

Education for a Global Future: 21st Century Challenges in Sustainability & Climate Change Education

AFTERNOON CONCURRENT TRACK 3: GREEN CURRICULA AT UNLV Moderator Carolyn Yucha Student Union Room 213 Tom Jones, Ken Teeters – Incorporating Sustainability into a Hospitality Management Curriculum Abstract: For the past 15 years, faculty members in the Harrah College of Hotel Administration who teach Facilities Management (HMD 395) have incorporated a sustainability management component in this required course. The concepts of sustainability and global climate change are introduced through readings and multi-media. The concept of Triple Bottom Line is presented and is applied to almost every component in the course. Students are assigned a variety of semester-long service-learning projects that …

Pioneering Marketing To Hawaii With Downtown Las Vegas' California Casino, John M. Blink

UNLV Gaming Podcasts

Dr. Schwartz does a quick interview with John Blink, who pioneered marketing to and in Hawaii with downtown Las Vegas' California casino in the 1970s and 1980s. Blink talks candidly about working for both Sam and Bill Boyd at the Eldorado, Union Plaza, and California casinos, the early days at the California, and the loyalty of the casino's Hawaiian patrons and vice versa. Plus, learn how to get a free bowl of saimin noodles at the Cal.

The Effects Of Gaming On Residential Real Estate Prices And Sales: A Case Study Of Las Vegas: 1990--2008, Christopher Alan Miller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation empirically investigates the effects of the gaming industry on a local economy, specifically housing prices and sales in the city and surrounding areas of Las Vegas. This study explores many of the economic effects that Las Vegas' relatively unrestricted gaming industry has on surrounding home prices and sales and analyzes the specific forces and the issues they involve. As of this writing, little to no research has used seminal economic theories to analyze the effects of the performance of a locale's gaming industry on the surrounding residential real estate market. This study addresses this gap by examining the …

The Utilization Of A Hybrid Task Technologyfit-Technology Acceptance Model For The Evaluation Of Hotel Guest Empowerment Technologies Usage, Thomas Schrier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the modern economy organizations are trying to find every means possible to increase productivity and reduce costs. As such many organizations have turned to technology to aid in this. Due to this in recent years there has been a transition from traditional consumer self-service environments to technology assisted self-service environments. Through the use of technology customers are able to create products and services for purchase by with little to no help from the organization providing the products and services.

The hotel industry has also seen a rise in the use of technology applications to guests in performing services once …

Estimating The Indirect Contribution Of Sports Books: Sports Wagering As A Driver Of Other In-House Revenues, Brett L.L. Abarbanel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Using data from a repeater market hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, the relationship between sports book and slot machine revenues is examined. Daily sports book write and daily slot handle are compared over a 250 day period. Though many industry leaders theorize that sports book gamblers also wager in slot banks, the results of this research fail to demonstrate a statistically significant relationship between sports book write and slot coin-in. In addition, the model used included race book win as an independent variable. Race book win was found to be a highly insignificant indirect contributor to slot revenue volume and …

The Aadere Model Of Progression In The Hospitality And Tourism Industry: An Empirical Study Of High-Salaried Black Managers, Ivan Benjamin Turnipseed

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Applying grounded theory methodology and method, this qualitative study uncovers and presents a rich, theoretically expressed understanding of the experience of salaried Black hospitality and tourism professionals who earn at least $100,000 annually. A 13-step customized research process featuring a novel literature review method, which utilizes researcher pre-data collection assumptions as a framework for conceptualizing and processing an unwieldy literature, enhancing post-data analysis, and developing research conclusions, is introduced.

Twenty loosely structured, open-ended, and in-depth interviews (12 male) are the singular data collection tool. An exhaustive analysis of participant transcripts resulted in 5,337 co ding in cident s , or …

Taiwanese Gambling Behaviors, Perceptions, And Attitudes, Che Hao Chang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study categorizes different Taiwanese gambling types using PGSI, and further evaluates the perceptions and attitudes toward the legalization of casino gambling. A survey was conducted using convenient sampling and distributed by Internet. Results indicate that across groups of different types of gamblers, there are significant differences in perceptions toward the legalized casino gambling industry. Also, across groups of different types of gamblers, there are significant differences in attitudes toward legalized casino gambling. Additionally, there are significant differences between perceptions toward the legalized casino gambling industry, and attitudes toward the legalization of casino gambling. In general, non-gamblers are relatively more …

Improving Casino Profitability Through Effective Offer Packages, Ren Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of the this study is to investigate effective marketing techniques to attract potential customers in a particular demographic group, young people aged from 21 to 34, as a way of exploring the local market. This demographic group constitutes a dynamic part of the local population and is characterized by its unique financial conditions and spending preferences. The hypothesis is that with well-designed price bundling, the casinos can realize increased revenue through increased visits from the local young population. The marketing technique used in this study is to utilize offer packages which bundle promotional items and other hotel-provided services. …

The Efficacy Of Fragrance Use For Enhancing The Slot Machine Gaming Experience Of Casino Patrons, Gael D. Hancock

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Once guests are inside a casino, experiential factors within the casino must be managed so that these guests are encouraged to engage in the gaming opportunities; remain in the casino to eat and shop; return to the casino; and hopefully, to recommend the casino to others. Ambient conditions have been shown to influence a person's willingness to stay in a public setting and their repatronage intentions. Air fragrance is one small, but controllable piece of the experience puzzle that includes décor, lighting, music and other ambient sounds, comfort of the seating, quality of the service, perception of cleanliness and ease …

Systematic Analysis Of Identifying Key Dimensions Of Environmentally And Socially Responsible Hotels, Courtney Suess

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Development in Southeast Asia involves making good decisions for the future, so the idea that good planning can ignore sustainability is something of an oxymoron. Good development has to be sustainable and we have reached a point where the old ways of tourism development are intolerable. For example, hotels spring up without planning for the future. This short sightedness means natural endowments, like coastlines, erode and forests are cut down, chasing away the wildlife; or cultural history in the form of temples, historic buildings, and sacred places are destroyed. Ironically, tourism development is eradicating the very forms of product that …