Business Commons^™

The Return On Investment For Undergraduate Degrees In Hospitality And Tourism Management, Asli D. Tasci, Abraham Pizam, Robertico Croes, Po-Ju Chen

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Increasing concerns regarding the value of higher education in the USA have motivated several organizations to calculate the return on investment (ROI) for college education by employing diverse methodologies. This study evaluates these methodologies by using data from a survey of alumni of Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida. The results reveal that the highly publicized low ROI for college education might be inaccurate, confusing and misleading for several reasons, among which is the assumption of zero income while studying, causing debt to be the total of a student’s expenses. Data reveal that Rosen College …

Creation Of A Professionalism Scale For Hospitality Students: An Exploratory Study, Tammie Kaufman, Peter Ricci

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The hospitality industry is dependent on a professional staff to exceed guests’ expectations. Existing research has focused primarily on the various attributes necessary for success in the hospitality industry. The primary focus of this research was professionalism and hospitality students’ self-perception of their professional attributes. Data collected from a focus group of hospitality human resource managers were used to develop a professionalism scale. The scale produced five factors that explained 53.6% of the variance in the responses. Students were more likely to agree in their preparedness for the interview process, but less in agreement of their preparedness for workplace issues. …

National Hospitality Conference 2014: A Report, James Peter Murphy

Reports

The 2014 National Hospitality Conference took place on November 3^rd and was held at the Four Seasons Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin. The main theme of this year’s conference was ‘Preparing for growth’ , DIT Bar Studies students from the School of Culinary Arts & Food Technology joined delegates in debating and discussing the significant issues surrounding the conference theme.

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore 2014: Q3 Results, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

The Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) computes customer satisfaction scores at the national, sector, sub-sector, and company levels. The CSISG serves as a quantitative benchmark of the quality of goods and services produced by the Singapore economy over time and across countries. This is the CSISG’s eighth year of measurement.

Intercultural Interactions Outside The Classroom: Narratives On A U.S. Campus, Xinran Lehto, Liping A. Cai, Xiaoxiao Fu, Yi Chen

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study provides a picture of the interactional experiences between domestic and international undergraduate students outside the classroom on a US campus. Based on 9 focus group sessions, 8 distinctive themes emerged as a result. The study revealed some similarities but many differences between domestic and international students, illuminating the lack of and barriers to intercultural learning. The findings highlight the challenges and opportunities currently faced on US campuses, thereby making a timely contribution to efforts at developing students’ readiness to be successful in a global and multicultural environment.

Occupational Self-Perceptions Of Hotel Employees: An Exploratory Study, Arie Reichel, Galia Fuchs, Abraham Pizam, Yaniv Poria

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study aimed to reveal the occupational self-perceptions of rank-and-file employees in the Israeli hotel industry. Due to the exploratory nature of the study a qualitative research approach was adopted. The findings are based on 40 semistructured interviews with current and former Israeli hotel employees. The results revealed that almost all participants had disconcerting negative perceptions of rank-and-file occupations in the Israeli hotel industry. The themes emerged as relevant to the understanding of employees' occupational self-perception were classified into four groups: working conditions, occupational profile, job characteristics and requirements, and moderating factors linked with the reputation of the hotel and …

Casino Architecture Wars: A History Of How Las Vegas Developers Compete With Architectural Design, Stefan Al

Occasional Papers

This paper explores how Las Vegas casino devel opers have competed with architectural design. Throughout history, they emphasized different elements of the casino complex. This paper will examine three of the most heated wars that occurred between casinos over such elements: the swimming pool wars of the 1950s, the sign wars of the 1960s, and the porte cochère wars of the 1970s. This paper argues how, in the face of competition, each of these elements evolved into truly unique forms that differed greatly from other places. In its relentless pursuit to attract visitors, Las Vegas lay on the forefront of …

The Original Intent Of The Wire Act And Its Implications For State-Based Legalization Of Internet Gambling, Michelle Minton

Occasional Papers

Recognizing the growing threat of organized crime, then U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy sought to get the “bankrollers and kingpins” by introducing the Federal Wire Act in 1961, which sought to target the mob’s most profitable racket—bookkeeping on horseracing and sports gambling by prohibiting such gambling on the nation’s communication system at the time (telephone and telegraph). More than 30 years later members of Congress sought to use the Wire Act to stop the rise of casino-style gambling on the Internet. However, the scope of the Wire Act has been disputed among lawmakers, courts, and federal agencies. In 2011 …

Motives For Reading And Articulating User-Generated Restaurant Reviews On Yelp.Com, Anish Parikh, Carl Behnke, Mihaela Vorvoreanu, Barbara Almanza, Barbara Almanza

Department of Hospitality and Tourism Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine why and when restaurant consumers use and contribute user-generated reviews. This research is needed to determine the relevance of user-generated restaurant reviews in the current marketplace. Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology is based on a quantitative approach, and focused on current Yelp.com users as its population. Questions focused on the amount of usage, motives for usage, level of trust, users’ tendencies to seek novelty in restaurants and motives for contribution. Findings – Users tend to trust the reviews on Yelp.com and engage in the community aspects of the platform. Yelp.com …

Can Gaming Be Used In The Nonprofit Sector For More Than Fundraising?, Brian Beaton

Occasional Papers

This paper explores new, game-based volunteering platforms in the sciences and discusses their viability for nonprofit organizations, which have long used gaming for fundraising but not typically in other aspects of their operations. The paper unfolds in two parts. Examples of game-based volunteering platforms in the sciences are examined in Part 1, and their broader significance discussed in regard to the history of science and the history of gaming. The games in question enable volunteers to work remotely with scientific research data and assist with data processing and information management. In Part 2, the paper outlines information management challenges in …

Economic Contribution Of Nonresident Travel Spending In Montana Travel Regions And Counties: 2012-2013, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Money spent by those traveling to and through Montana has an effect not only on the businesses where spending occurs, but it ripples throughout the state’s economy, as well. Statewide, spending by nonresidents (averaged over two years) totaled $3.47 billion. This report details the methods and results of the economic impact analyses for each of Montana’s travel regions, as well as analyses for counties in which nonresident travelers spent approximately $50 million or more.

The Construction Of Spatial Imaginaries: Luxury, Spectacle, Cosmopolitanism, And The Formation Of The Casino-Resort, Robert Miller

Occasional Papers

This paper examines Monte Carlo in the late-nineteenth century and Las Vegas in the mid-twentieth century, and explores how the cities forged specific identities centered upon their casino-resort industries. Civic planners, entrepreneurs, and tourists contributed to the formation of a spatial imaginary (the conception of a place, laden with symbols and infused with meaning designed to evoke certain feelings or experiences, which is also mediated and re-mediated through the imagination) in these gambling centers. Casino-resorts came to dominate the economies of these cities and casino-concessionaires, business bureaus, and elites consistently emphasized the luxuriousness, spectacle, and cosmopolitanism of their casino-resort towns. …

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

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

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. …

Learning From Las Vegas: Gambling, Technology, Capitalism, And Addiction, David T. Courtwright

Occasional Papers

Gambling has always led to addictive behavior in some individuals. However, the number and types of addicted gamblers have changed over time and in response to specific gambling environments. Recent work by historians, journalists, and anthropologists, reviewed in this paper, suggests that the situation worsened during the modern era, and that it has become worse still during the last half century. Technological, organizational, and marketing innovations have “weaponized” gambling, increasing both the likelihood that people will gamble and that they will gamble compulsively—a phenomenon with parallels to several other consumer products, including processed food, digitized games, and psychoactive drugs.

Attributes Influencing Meeting Planners' Destination Selection: A Case Of Orlando, Florida, Adi Hayat, Kimberly Severt, Deborah Breiter, Khaldoon Nusair, Fevzi Okumus

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The current study used Orlando, Florida as a case study, and investigated whether there are differences between the three meeting planner types (association, corporate, third party) in regard to destination selection attributes. The study further identified attributes that affect future bookings to Orlando. Data were collected from a nationwide survey of meeting planners with a usable sample of 2,388 completed phone surveys and 118 completed online questionnaires. One significant difference was found between the three meeting planner types. This research was performed in the midst of the recent recession and explored the impact the recession has had on planning meetings. …

Interpersonal Trust, Organizational Culture And Turnover Intention In Hotels: A Cross Level Perspective, Ahmet Ozturk, Murat Hancer, Yao-Chin Wang

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The aim of the present study was to understand the influence of interpersonal trust and organizational culture on employees’ turnover intention. The data of the study were collected from 252 hotel employees in Turkey. Study results showed that both affective trust and cognitive trust were negatively related to hotel employees’ turnover intention. Furthermore, clan organizational culture, adhocracy organizational culture, and market organizational culture were also negatively related to turnover intention of hotel employees. However, the results indicate that hierarchy organizational culture does not have a significant impact on hotel employees’ turnover intention. The findings provide valuable theoretical and practical implications …

Work-Family Balance Practices Among Irish Hotel Employees In A Human Resource Management Context, Kathleen Farrell

Conference papers

The study explored work-family balance among Irish hotel employees. Employees of a 5*, 4* and 3* hotels were surveyed in a unionised hotel group, a non-unionised hotel group and two family-run hotels, including a 4* and a 3*. Two thirds of those surveyed were front-line employees and a total of 246 (22%) returned questionnaires were used for data analysis. Regarding work-family supports, there was a considerable range varying from hotels with no supports, hotels with one support and hotels with all eight supports available. Company benefits were not associated with numerical flexibility, but company benefits were associated with functional flexibility …

Adventure Tourism Management, Nikki Fabrizio

Honors College Theses

Adventure tourism management is one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourism market, and while much is known about the rapid expansion of this niche as well as the consumers of it, little is known about its management side. This study seeks to discover why managers enter this industry and what keeps them here, while also gathering demographic data. The data gathered from this study will help flesh out the little information there currently is about the managerial aspect of the industry. The results of this study can be used to better recruit and train future employees, a vital …

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore 2014: Q1 Results, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

The Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) computes customer satisfaction scores at the national, sector, sub-sector, and company levels. The CSISG serves as a quantitative benchmark of the quality of goods and services produced by the Singapore economy over time and across countries. These Q1 results for the Retail and Infocommunications sectors begin the CSISG’s eighth year of measurement.

Developing Food Tourism - Roscommon Leader Partnership With Dit, Dermot Seberry

Other resources

A presentation on effective strategies for developing Food Tourism in County Roscommon

Family-Friendly Las Vegas: An Analysis Of Time And Space, Diana Tracy Cohen

Occasional Papers

This paper explores the rise and fall of the “family-friendly” Las Vegas marketing era. Through analysis of casino advertisements, internal and external building infrastructure, and qualitative in-depth interviews with industry insiders, this work investigates the city’s reinvention of the early 1990s. Key factors that set the stage for the emergence of targeted family marketing are identified, addressing why this advertising approach ultimately did not sustain. Unique marketing case studies are identified throughout.

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

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

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 …

Overcoming The “Dual-Delivery” Stigma: A Review Of Patient-Centeredness In The Costa Rica Medical Tourism Industry, Alicia Mason

Faculty Submissions

Due to the growing globalization of health care and an increase in access to technology many consumers are utilizing the World Wide Web for securing medical services abroad, a phenomenon commonly known as medical tourism. The current investigation employs an emic cultural approach for analyzing the Western concept of patient-centeredness within several public and private medical facilities within Costa Rica. Through a detailed field investigation and personal interviews with directors of Costa Rica’s largest accrediting institutions (AAAAF and ProMed), hospital organizations, and private health clinics an interpretative framework for evaluating patient-centeredness and quality of care is offered. Discussion, implications, and …

E-Premier, Stowe Shoemaker, Katherine Jackson, Jeremy Aguero, Ericka Aviles, Christopher P. Cain

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

No abstract provided.

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore 2013: Full Year Overview, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

The Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) computes customer satisfaction scores at the national, sector, sub-sector, and company levels. Customer responses are derived from Singapore’s resident population and visiting tourists, primarily through face-to-face surveys. This study serves as a quantitative benchmark of the quality of goods and services produced by the Singapore economy over time and across countries. The fourth quarter results mark the end of measurement for CSISG 2013. Singapore’s 2013 national score is computed using the data collected during these four quarters.

The Domestic Death Of A Global Icon? A Situational Analysis Of The Irish Public House, Gail Cotter Buckley, Angela Wright

Dept. of Organisation & Professional Development Publications

The public house has formed an intrinsic part of the Irish way of life for centuries, but it may soon be gone due to changes in demographics, alcohol consumption, and other variables including psychographic and geographic factors. Changes in Irish society during the rise in affluence characteristic of the Celtic Tiger era, and applicable Government policies have all played a role in altering the Irish pub culture. This research examines the current situation of the public house market in Ireland today with an aim of recommending some viable solutions to this declining industry. Government intervention in the future will be …

Developing Food Provenance In The 'Boyne Valley', Dermot Seberry

Other resources

A presentation on how Best Practice Food Tourism Initiative can be used across Ireland

Reducing Conflict And Violence In Hospitality Establishments., James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Bar owners and staff members must be more concerned about safety and security issues. This is the result of a variety of factors, most notably recent legislative changes at national and international level and the subsequent high costs of assaults (including costs relating to litigation and compensation). Poor health, safety and security standards place staff members and customers at risk of serious injury if not death; employers suffer in terms of lost productivity and potentially higher premiums and the morale of the staff, as well as the industrial relations climate in the bar, can be adversely affected. At a minimum, …

Waste Management And Energy Recovery: A Significant Business Issue, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Waste Management and energy recovery has become a significant business issue for hospitality establishments in recent years. Hospitality establishments have to be more concerned about waste in their businesses and be able to adopt systems to reduce, reuse and recover waste. This challenge is the result of a variety of factors, most notably the charges involved in waste removal and cost of every businesses energy needs. Costs have grown dramatically, landfill capacity has become increasingly scarce and expensive. Stringent legislation has been introduced around the world to ensure optimum waste management and energy recovery practices in hospitality businesses. Opportunities have …

Seeing Others As Others See Us, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

The many challenges to the bar industry today include increased competition from a variety of entertainment sources, Bar owners recognize that other establishments are providing a similar offering sometimes at lower prices. This realization has brought about an increased focus on the care of customers and their viewpoints. Customers encounters can include attitudes of indifference from staff and poor overall service. Dissatisfied customers usually talk to others about their dissatisfaction and the negative effect of this outcome can paralyze, all your best pro-active customer and marketing efforts. It costs, on average, five times as much to win a new customer …