Business Commons^™

Factors Influencing Buying Behaviour Of Organic Food : An Empirical Study Of Young Consumers In India, Gurmeet Kaur Matharu

Gurmeet Matharu

The factors that drive organic food (OF) buying intentions and consumption behaviours of young Indians is poorly understood. The research investigated these factors along with the moderating effect of cultural values. Data were obtained from 401 students from universities in India through online surveys. Attitude towards OF purchases, subjective norm, and perceived quality were found to significantly influence OF purchase intention; environmental concern, perceived consumer effectiveness and price consciousness did not. Young consumers, mostly urban, from high-income families, general social class with a culture of high uncertainty avoidance, long-term orientation and indulgence have the most favourable mindset towards OF.

Influences Of Native American High School Students' Financial Knowledge And Behavior, Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head

Lorna Saboe-Wounded Head

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the relationship between culture, family socioeconomic status and community infrastructure to financial knowledge and behavior of Native American high school students in Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota. A secondary analysis of survey data gathered in the 2008 Oweesta Jump$tart Study was analyzed by conducting an ANOVA comparison of means. The National Jump$tart survey was administered at high schools with a high population of Native American students in Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota. In the original study, questions were added to the survey instrument to collect demographic data. This dissertation …

Needs-Based Training And Online Resource For Managers Of Rural Festivals, Fairs, And Events, Eric D. Olson, Lakshman Rajagopal

Eric D. Olson

Festivals, fairs, and events (FFEs) provide rural communities with economic and noneconomic benefits. For the project described in this article, we conducted a needs assessment of Iowa FFE managers by surveying them about the challenges they face in event management and then used the results of the assessment as the basis for training sessions provided to rural FFE managers in five areas of the state and development of an associated event management resource. The resource can be used by Extension and outreach offices to provide local FFE managers guidance on managing FFEs. We discuss broader implications for Extension as well.

Customer Evaluation Of Managers' Responses To Online Complaints, Eric Olson

Eric D. Olson

Managers have begun to respond to customers' online reviews of services on online review websites. However, it is not known how viewers evaluate company-initiated service recovery in the form of manager responses to online reviews. This research has three objectives: (1) to explore how managers are currently responding to electronic word of mouth; (2) to investigate whether a manager's response to electronic negative word of mouth (eNWOM) positively influences viewers' behavioral intentions; (3) to examine which elements in a manager's responses increases viewers' evaluations of trust and behavioral intentions towards the company. Three studies were conducted, one for each objective. …

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Pricing In The Hospitality Industry: An Implicit Markets Approach, Steven A. Carvell, William E. Herrin

William E. Herrin

The authors apply economic theory to an analysis of industry pricing. Data from a cross-section of San Francisco hotels is used to estimate the implicit prices of common hotel amenities, and a procedure for using these prices to estimate consumer demands for the attributes is outlined. The authors then suggest implications for hotel decision makers. While the results presented here should not be generalized to other markets, the methodology is easily adapted to other geographic areas.

Leveraging Health Capital At The Workplace: An Examination Of Health Reporting Behavior Among Latino Immigrant Restaurant Workers In The United States, Shannon Gleeson

Shannon Gleeson

This article examines the choices made by a sample of Latino immigrant restaurant workers in regard to their health management, particularly in response to illness and injury. I draw on 33 interviews with kitchen staff employed in the mainstream restaurant industry in San Jose, California, and Houston, Texas, in 2006 and 2007. I argue that workers must consider complex power relationships at work in weighing the advantages of calling in sick, using protective equipment, seeking medical care, or filing a workers' compensation claim. These decisions implicate direct and opportunity costs, such as risk of job loss and missed opportunities for …

What Does It Mean To Follow? An Exploration Of A Followership Profile In Hospitality And Tourism, Cynthia S. Deale, Donald G. Schoffstall, Eric Adam Brown

Eric A. Brown

Although leadership has received considerable attention from many scholars, much less research has focused on those who follow leaders; yet, followers contribute much to the success of an organization. This study explored the followership profiles of stakeholders in hospitality and tourism education. The findings summarize the followership dimensions of a sample of hospitality students, educators, and industry professionals. For each of the five followership dimensions the mean scores for industry professionals were rated higher when compared with students and educators, with courage to participate in transformation being the highest rated among all three groups. Implications for hospitality education are presented.

Beverage Bloggers: A Developing Relationship Between Wine Blogger Expertise And Twitter Followers, Byron Marlowe, Eric Adam Brown, Thomas Schrier, Tianshu Zheng

Eric A. Brown

This pilot study examines how beverage bloggers’ beverage experience and certified wine knowledge influences their wine destination recommendations on Twitter. Microblogging a wine destination through Twitter is explored in this study. In the context of social media, the role of Twitter as a microblog in promoting wine destinations is specifically examined. The present study examines the food and beverage experience and wine credentials of bloggers through survey and correlations of their wine destination recommendations, travel habits and geographic home. This exploratory study finds that different levels of wine credentials have an influence on blogger's recommendation of both international and domestic …

Developing An E-Textbook For The Consumer And Family Sciences Class: Challenges And Rewards, Martha Coussement, Shannon F. Johnson, Ludwika Goodson

Shannon F Johnson

This article describes the self-publishing journey, challenges and methods of development, impact, the value of a self-published e-textbook in tenure decisions, and recommendations. This journey led to the self-publishing of an e-textbook for iPad® delivery at a Midwest university for a course on electronic distribution and hotel management in the Consumer and Family Sciences curriculum. Factors leading to this decision included the context of the digital hospitality world, industry standards, technology use by students, lack of interest by major publishers, e-textbook and iPad learning research, and iPad technical and training support available to a cohort of faculty on campus.

On The Use Of Regression And Verbal Protocol Analysis In Modeling Analysts’ Behavior In An Unstructured Task Environment: A Methodological Note, M. J. Anderson, Gordon S. Potter

Gordon Potter

This paper discusses areas for future research opportunities by addressing accounting issues faced by management accountants practicing in hospitality organizations. Specifically, the article focuses on the use of the uniform system of accounts by operating properties, the usefulness of allocating support costs to operated departments, extending our understanding of operating costs and performance measurement systems and the certification of practicing accountants.

Coordinating Information And Controlling Costs, Gordon S. Potter

Gordon Potter

[Excerpt] I want to cover two essential and related topics in this chapter: determining the extent of decision rights you grant to your employees, and the management reports you provide to these employees to motivate them to effectively utilize resources. I recognize that if you are a sole practitioner, you may handle these all on your own. But if you hire people to manage your property, you should consider the points I discuss here.

Hospitality Management Accounting: Current Problems And Future Opportunities, Gordon S. Potter, Raymond S. Schmidgall

Gordon Potter

This paper discusses areas for future research opportunities by addressing accounting issues faced by management accountants practicing in hospitality organizations. Specifically, the article focuses on the use of the uniform system of accounts by operating properties, the usefulness of allocating support costs to operated departments, extending our understanding of operating costs and performance measurement systems and the certification of practicing accountants.

Management Compensation As A Value-Added Competitive Method For Casual Theme Restaurants, Kevin S. Murphy, Robin B. Dipietro

Kevin S. Murphy, PhD., C.E.C.

The primary purpose of this study is to propose that the management compensation package at Outback Steakhouse is a value-adding competitive method. Specifically the research focused on a survey of general manager's altitudes in regards to their intentions to seek out new employment and the effect of the compensation plan provided by Outback Steakhouse on the managers' intentions. This research will provide insight into the use of compensation packages and programs as proactive, value-adding competitive methods in retaining good quality managers it casual theme restaurants.

Examining Key Drivers Of Customer Delight In A Hotel Experience: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Edwin Torres, Xiaoxiao Fu, Xinran Lehto

Edwin Torres

Welcoming all guests is the calling shared by those who work in the hotel industry. Everyday hoteliers strive to provide a service of excellence to all of those who visit. This can be somewhat of a complex endeavor, as hotels receive guests from different nationalities and cultures. Previous research in the area of customer delight has revealed some of the factors that define and drive the customer delight experience. Despite the emerging literature on the subject, the question remains: are guest from different cultures likely to be delighted by different things? In the present study, the researchers conducted extensive semi-structured …

Are There Gender Differences In What Drives Customer Delight?, Edwin Torres, Xiaoxiao Fu, Xinran Lehto

Edwin Torres

Purpose– This paper aims to understand how male and female hotel guests become delighted customers. It aims to present the similarities and differences along with respective implications for theory and application.

Design/methodology/approach– During a period of three months, tourists were interviewed at an upscale Florida hotel. A total of 208 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The script for the interviews was based on an interview protocol used by Crotts et al. Adapted from a previous customer delight study (Torres and Kline), a codebook was developed to determine the salient themes that emerged during the interview process. Interviews were coded independently by …

Effects Of Management-Development Practices On Hospitality Management Graduates' Job Satisfaction And Intention To Stay, Edwin Torres, Howard Adler

Edwin Torres

Companies have long recognized the importance of training and developing their managers to prepare them for their short- and long-term careers. Formal management-development programs and other less formal means of management development abound in the hospitality industry. Therefore, one may ask whether the entry-level managers for whom these programs are designed perceive them to be effective. The present study explores management-development practices, procedures, and techniques, and their effects on job satisfaction and organizational commitment

One Experience And Multiple Reviews: The Case Of Upscale U.S. Hotels, Edwin Torres, Howard Adler, Xinran Lehto, Carl Behnke, Li Miao

Edwin Torres

Purpose– The present study aimed to understand the relationships between the various kinds of feedback received by hospitality operators. Information from guests, experts, and internal sources are often received, valued, and processed in various ways. The researchers sought to further explore the usage of such feedback and implications for theory and practice. Design/methodology/approach– A survey was sent to hotel general managers of four‐ and five‐diamond properties around the USA using the listing of the American Automobile Association (AAA). A total of 140 responses were received. The researchers utilized correlations and canonical correlation analysis to help understand the relationships among the …

The Influence Of Others On The Vacation Experience: An Ethnographic Study Of Psychographics, Decision Making, And Group Dynamics Among Young Travelers, Edwin Torres

Edwin Torres

The vacation experience is often enjoyed in the company of others. Whereas scholars have focused on the consumer behaviors of mature travelers, young travelers have received less attention. The present study explores customer-to-customer interactions among young travelers (in their 20s and 30s) within a European tour-group setting. Furthermore, it attempts to understand the influence such travelers have on one another. The decision-making patterns, role of the tour guide, group dynamics, and psychographic preferences are studied from an ethnographic approach. Results indicate that the young travel segment is not as homogeneous as previously conceived. Notable differences in activities, interests, and opinions …

Stars, Diamonds, And Other Shiny Things: The Use Of Expert And Consumer Feedback In The Hotel Industry, Edwin Torres, Howard Adler, Carl Behnke

Edwin Torres

Over the past few years, researchers have studied the topic of online consumer feedback. Most of these studies focus on consumer decision making, and managing a hotel's image.Consequently, more research could explore consumer-generated feedback from the viewpoint of hotel operations and service quality improvement. The present research explored the ways in which hotel General Managers use feedback from consumers (namely online), experts, and internal sources to improve service quality. A combination of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews were utilized. The study targeted General Managers of upscale hotels.Quantitative data was analyzed using multiple and simple regression analysis, correlations, and ANOVA. …

Dimensions Of Transformational Leadership And Relationship With Employee Performance In Hotel Front Desk Staff, Eric Adam Brown

Eric A. Brown

Transformational leadership and performance have been understudied in hotel front desk staff. The sampled contained 118 supervisors and 91 subordinates from 34 hotels. Dimensions of transformational leadership and the relationship between transformational leadership and performance were evaluated. A performance tool was developed and found to be reliable.

Predicting Lodging Manager Annual Salary Based On Metropolitan Statistical Area Attributes And Lodging Industry Performance: Exploring The Concept, Nicholas J. Thomas, Eric Adam Brown, Donald Schoffstall, Lisa Y. Thomas

Eric A. Brown

Using multiple regression analysis, lodging managers’ annual mean salaries in 143 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) within the U.S. were analyzed to identify what relationships existed with variables related to general MSA characteristics, along with the lodging industry’s size and performance. By examining the relationship between these variables, the authors predict the long-term possibility of predicting lodging industry managers’ salaries. These predictions may have an impact on financial performance of an individual lodging property or organization. Through this paper, this concept was applied and explored within U.S. MSAs. These findings may have value for a variety of stakeholders, including human resources …

Betting Against The Glass Ceiling: Supervisor Gender & Employee Job Satisfaction In The Casino-Entertainment Industry, Nicholas J. Thomas, Lisa Y. Thomas, Eric A. Brown, Jaewook Kim

Eric A. Brown

This exploratory study expands on hospitality management literature, specifically on the influence of a supervisor’s gender in regards to employee job satisfaction within the casino-entertainment sector. Employee job satisfaction was analyzed using company, department, and supervisor variables based on 961 surveys. The study’s results suggest that employees with male supervisors have a higher employee satisfaction level than employees with supervisors that are female. Hospitality organizations are therefore encouraged to create leadership programs to ensure women are a part of corporate leadership’s success formula for the future.

Perceptions Of Transformational Leadership Behaviors And Subordinates' Performance In Hotels, Eric Adam Brown, Susan W. Arendt

Eric A. Brown

This study examined front desk supervisors’ transformational leadership dimensions and employees’ performance. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Avolio & Bass, 2004) and a researcher developed performance questionnaire were used. Employees from 34 hotels (83% response) in one Midwestern state participated in the study. Results indicated that front desk employees perceived their supervisors exhibited leadership dimensions of inspirational motivation and idealized influence more frequently and individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation less frequently. Front desk supervisors reported the most frequently exhibited performance areas as positive attitude, safety/care of equipment and attendance/punctuality. Least frequently exhibited performance areas were judgment and initiative/motivation. No significant relationship …

Female Consumer’S Fit Strategies And Fit Perception Of Formalwear Rented Online: Content Analysis, Ellen Mckinney, Eonyou Shin

Ellen C. McKinney

With the advent of Internet technologies, consumers today have extensive opportunities to evaluate products online. Because “consumer reviews, word-of-mouth on the products, could be the most powerful force in the market place” (Silverman, 1997, p. 34), investigating consumer reviews is crucial to understand potential aspects of clothing that consumers may use to evaluate clothing fit. Given that apparel is a highly body-related product, the body-absent online apparel shopping environments is problematic for consumers’ fit problems and sizing inconsistency. Indeed, 62% of women could not find clothing that fit well, and 57% of women did not fit into today’s standard sizes …

Proposed Typologies For The Dress Needs Of Nursing Mothers And Babies And Available Nursing Dress: An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Concepts In These Typologies, Ellen Mckinney, Armine Ghalachyan

Ellen C. McKinney

In the U.S., the majority of babies are weaned from the breast by the time they are three months old (CDC, 2007) in contrast to the recommendation of “exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months. . ., with continuation of breastfeeding for 1 year or longer” (Eidelman & Schanler, 2012). Women who feel comfortable feeding in public breastfeed longer than women who are not comfortable (Allen & Pelto, 1985). Practical advice on carrying out life roles while breastfeeding is important and requires consideration of clothing (Mulford 2008). The purposes of this study were to (1) identify and organize (a) dress needs …

Investigating Online Reviews Of Formalwear Rented Online: Information Generated By Female Consumers In Rent The Runway Sites, Eonyou Shin, Ellen Mckinney

Ellen C. McKinney

With the explosive growth of e-commerce, consumer online reviews as a type of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) have become increasingly important. Because online reviews come from the consumer perspective, they are perceived to be more influential on consumers’ choices and more helpful in reducing consumers’ perceived uncertainty than seller-generated information. Despite this, no research to date has investigated consumer-generated information in online reviews of formalwear rented online. This study is the first attempt to understand consumer-generated information in online reviews of formalwear rented online.

Teaching Apparel Pattern Completion Through Instructional Scaffolding, Ellen C. Mckinney, Erin M. Monfort-Nelson

Ellen C. McKinney

"Similar to the scaffolding used in construction to support workers as they work on a specific task, instructional scaffolds are temporary support structures faculty put in place to assist students accomplish new tasks and concepts they could not typically achieve on their own."

A Framework For Classifying The Content Of Online Reviews Of Formalwear Rented Online, Ellen Mckinney, Eonyou Shin

Ellen C. McKinney

While online reviews are regarded as a key ingredient in product success, little is known about the content of online reviews of apparel products. This study focuses on online reviews found on Rent the Runway (RTR), a very successful firm, which provides consumers who want to wear designer formalwear for special occasions the opportunity to rent at a fraction of the retail price. Researching content of online reviews is important as it allows understanding of the evaluative criteria consumers use and report in online reviews. However, there has been no study to date to investigate online reviews of formalwear rented …