Business Commons^™

An Ethnographic Approach To Understanding Service Quality, Elizabeth Huettman, Judi Brownell

Hospitality Review

The ethnographic research process, which explores human behavior as it relates to its situation, is outlined and illustrated through a hospitality case that explores the ways in which employees come to understand the meaning of service quality The challenges of ethnographic research are reviewed and implications for future research are provided

Recreational Food Service: A Growing Employment Option, Susan S. Hubbard

Hospitality Review

The recreational food service industry represents a wealth of potential job opportunities for graduates of hospitality management degree programs. Most hospitality management curricula are saturated with core courses and basic hospitality education course work, leaving little room for additional components. Recreational food service, however, could be easily integrated into an existing pro- gram and made available for students interested in this growing employment option. The author presents one option as a model curriculum approach.

The Impact Of The Restaurant Critic, Rob L. Heiman

Hospitality Review

Restaurant critiques have an effect on the sales volume of restaurants following the publication of the critique in the target markets’ media. The author discusses data from restaurant operations in the greater Cleveland, Ohio, metropolitan area which have had their operations publicly critiqued, and also addresses the credibility of critics.

My Rules For Success, Dave Thomas

Hospitality Review

Success means something different to everyone. It can mean wealth, power, happiness, or a hundred other things. There are all kinds of success and all kinds of ways to achieve it. I know bus drivers who are as successful as bankers; I know anonymous computer programmers who are now more successful than some of the biggest sports celebrities. Success can take many forms, but the ingredients for success are basically the same

Club Coo Leadership: A Comparative Study Of Industry, Ronald F. Cichy, James B. Singerling

Hospitality Review

A true leader continues the quest for personal knowledge. The quest is designed to better the leader's life, not necessarily the leader's livelihood. While change is a constant in the lives of club leaders, and some days the leader's vision and purpose change, the underlying ideas and convictions remain constant. Many leadership qualities must be present to be an effective leader. The author's survey club chief operating officers to elicit the characteristics and essential qualities of club leadership

Diversity In Education: Profiles Of Students At Fiu's School Of Hospitality Management, Elisa S. Moncarz, William G. O'Brien

Hospitality Review

The authors are conducting a study of career patterns for students enrolled in the Florida International University School of Hospitality Management. A preliminary ethnographic phase of the study was to profile a variety of student participants in order to identify potential factors which might affect career patterns. The result is a fascinating and diverse mosaic of ambitious young people and a wealth of insight for corporate recruiting.

Location, Location, Location: Ensuring A Franchisee's Success, Douglas P. Fisher

Hospitality Review

This article examines effective site selection methodologies and determines if good site selection is a science or something best left to luck. The article provides an overview of the current available literature on site selection and then explores three issues: the wrong way to select a site, sample cases of poor site selection, and effective site selection

Yield Management: Where We've Been, Where We Are, Where We're Going, Marcel R. Escoffier

Hospitality Review

The author describes yield management and the technology used to implement yield management in hotels, issues in usefulness, and legal issues concerning the use of yield management. A look into the future is provided, along with a critique of what further research may be needed in order to raise the level of usefulness of yield management systems in the hotel industry to that found in the airlines.

Hotel Remodeling Impact: Guest Satisfaction At A Family Resort Hotel, Ady Milman

Hospitality Review

A case study of a family resort hotel demonstrated empirical relationships between guest satisfaction and their perception of the hotel's physical appearance, staff attitude, and the guests' age group. The 333 self-administered surveys also provided information about the guests' travel behavior and their experience at the hotel. The predictive regression model confined that the hotel was in need of remodeling, and that potential renovation projects will ultimately result in increased guest satisfaction.

Evaluating The Success Of Lodging Yield Management Systems, Robert K. Griffin

Hospitality Review

Although there are more than 7,000 properties using lodging yield management systems (LYMSs), both practitioners and researchers alike have found it difficult to measure their success. Considerable research was performed in the 1980s to develop success measures for information systems in general. In this work the author develops success measures specifically for LYMSs.

Measuring Hotel Service Quality: Tools For Gaining The Competitive Edge, Robert C. Ford, Susan A. Bach

Hospitality Review

As the hotel industry grows more competitive, quality guest service becomes an increasingly important part of managers' responsibility measuring the quality of service delivery is facilitated when managers know what types of assessment methods are available to them. The authors present and discuss the following available measurement techniques and describe the situations where they best meet the needs of hotel managers: management observation, employee feedback programs, comment cards, mailed surveys, personal and telephone interviews, focus groups, and mystery shopping.

Technology Vendors: Lodging Managers View Support They Receive , Hubert B. Van Hoof, Thomas E. Combrink, Marja J. Verbeeten

Hospitality Review

The authors report on a comparative study of regional differences in the perceptions of lodging managers in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on the support they receive from their technology vendors, and the technology systems they are using. Besides a comparison based on regions, the study also looks at differences of opinions based on property size.

Leader-Member Exchange Paying Attention To Immediate Subordinate Pays Off, Carl P. Borchgrevink

Hospitality Review

The author provides a brief review of leadership seen from the dyadic perspective, also known as leader-member exchange (LMX). This perspective focuses on the relationship between leaders and their immediate subordinates as individuals, with a review of the potential benefits and importance of this perspective. It is evident that hospitality leaders, managers, and supervisors and their organizations may gain much by paying attention to the relationship they have and that they develop with their immediate subordinates

Innovation Leads To World's Largest Casual Dining Company, Joe R. Lee

Hospitality Review

The chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants, Inc. discusses the growth and success of the Red Lobster chain and the founding of the Olive Garden

In Retrospect: Quest Of Hospitality Faculty For Identity, Donald E. Lundberg

Hospitality Review

It has been 100 years since Iowa State University first offered a program in hospitality education. One of the pioneer educators in the field presents a retrospective based upon a career that spanned much of that period.

Consumption Taxes: An Examination, Joshua E. Richardson '97

Honors Projects

The current in orne tax system fails to achieve several of these goals. This paper will examine three alternatives to the income tax: a national sales tax, a value added tax, and a personal expen iture tax. The three taxes create the same tax on an item of consumption through different methods. These options will be discussed in comparison to the current income tax on the basis of administrative efficiency, equity, economic consequences, and transitional difficulties.

Measuring Risk-Based Capital, Karen Anderson '97

Honors Projects

In order to assure policyholders that their benefits will be available when they are needed, the National Association ofInsurance Commissioners (NAIC) has begun regulating insurer capital through the Risk-Based Capital (RBC) Model Act for life insurance companies. The Model Act helps state insurance regulators plan to preserve and protect adequate insurance capital levels and maintain insurer solvency. The RBC requirements provide for a ratio which assesses the level of risk that is associated with an insurance company's assets. The purpose of the NAIC's RBC calculation is to develop the minimum amount of surplus needed given the risks assumed by the …

January 1997, Inland Empire Business Journal

Inland Empire Business Journal

AT DEADLINE. ...........................................................................................3

COMMENTARY .......................................................................................... 6

PRO - CON ............................................................7

CORPORATE PROFILE: FOOD HOTLINE. ......................................... 8

MANAGI G .............................................................................................. 10

CLOSE UP: KANELLOS LASTOR...................................................... I2

LIST: TOP COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES .................................... 20

PEOPLE, PLACES & EVENTS ............................................................... 57

NEW BUSINESS LIST .............................................................................. 62

EXPORTING .............................................................................................. 64

LIST: FINANCIAL BROKERAGE FIRMS ........................................... 65

DESERT BUINESS JOURNAL.......................................................66

CALIFORNIA VENTURE FORUM........................................................ 67

BANKRUPTCIES...................................................................................... 68

EXECUTIVE TIME OUT: OAHU UPDATE...................................... 71

MANAGER'S BOOKSHELF ................................................................ 72

THE EMPLOYERS GROUP.................................................................... 73

RESTAURANT REVIEW: .................................................................. 74

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE.................................................................... 75

REAL ESTATE FOCUS ............................................................................... 76

CHAMBER OF COMMERC'E. ................................................................ 80

CALENDAR .......................................................................................... 81

MONTH IN REVIEW ............................................................................... 82 …

End User Perception And Software Quality Assessment, K L. Nance, M Strohmaier

Journal of International Information Management

The topic of software quality assessment is at the forefront of the software engineering movement. Many models of organization and quality control exist which serve to foster software quality and reliability (Bloom, McPheters & Tsiang, 1973; Brandl, 1990; Comer, 1988; Dunn, 1990; Kaplan, Clark & Tang, 1994; Livson, 1988; Musa, lannino & Okumoto, 1987). Some models now consider the software engineering project team and end users, but most still treat them as static contributors to the system. Major factors often ignored in most conventional models include the cybernetics of the process, and human factors which have a significant impact on …

Computer Supported Strategic Management, Karen L. Fowler, Donna M. Scott

Journal of International Information Management

This paper presents an overview of the essential components of effective strategic management and a detailed description of the methodology for leading an organization through the strategic management process. This process can be extremely time consuming and can easily fall victim to "pep rally" thinking, rather than producing useful critical evaluation.The authors have successfully used GroupSystems software, one of a limited number of software products designed to support meetings, to significantly reduce the amoimt of time required for meetings and to improve the level of independent, unbiased input from participants. The parallel processing afforded by the software typically reduced meeting …

A Four-Way Interaction Model: A Holistic Approach To The Group Decision Support Systems, Chin-Wun Lin, Frank M. Lin

Journal of International Information Management

This study adopts the general systems theory and proposes a four-way interaction model which uses nth logic function to represent interactions of a Group Decision Support System (GDSS) to examine the interaction issues when designing a GDSS. Task type and decision guidance are used to illustrate the application of the proposed model.

Security Versus Integrity In Information Systems, Gerhaed Steinke

Journal of International Information Management

Security and integrity are frequently competing characteristics in an information system. Sectirity implies that a user can only access a specific subset of the information in the system, namely that information which the user has permission to access. Integrity implies that the information is "correct", i.e., that it satisfies the constraints, rules and conditions contained in the information system. A problem arises when a user who is unable to access certain information because of security restrictions, is left with an "incorrect" or inconsistent view of the information system. In this paper we define an information organizational structure and policy which …

Design Considerations For Computer Simulation Games In The Management Discipline, Charmayne Cullom, Daniel J. Rowley

Journal of International Information Management

Computer simulations have been utilized for well over twenty years as an instruetional tool in business currieulums. According to Joseph Wolfe (1993), use of business computer simulations is no longer "cutting-edge." Simulation games have become common place with utilization widespread in the university community. The reasons for implementing business computer simulations are varied but typically emphasize provision of decision-making experiences simulating the real world and role playing (Hsu 1989). Increased interest and utilization of computer simulations in the business curriculum arose after the general acceptance of experienced-based learning theory. Such experiential learning requires participants to be actively involved in learning …

Maturity Model Linkages Between Software Development Teams, Users And Quality, Eugene G. Mcguire

Journal of International Information Management

Information Systems literature has shown clear linkages between the selection of software development methodologies, the actions of software development teams, overall product quality, and user satisfaction. Rarely are these linkages emphasized, however, in current research on process improvement. This paper examines the convergence of these areas and discusses current research designed to further explore these linkages within the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) framework.

An End User's Model For Communications Technologies In The Twenty First Century, Antony Coulson, C.E. Tapie Rohm Jr

Journal of International Information Management

This paper presents an end user's model for understanding the use of communications technology or media in the 21st century. The rapid advancement of communications technologies like Email, Group Decision Support System and Video Conferencing are not being taken advantage of today. A model is presented and then explained in terms of the existing technology. A review of the literamre is provided at each step of the way. A table summarizes the information reviewed.

Group Impacts Using Four Meeting Facilitation Techniques, Milam Aiken, Khalid Aljumaih, Brian Reithel, Sumali Conlon

Journal of International Information Management

Many studies have investigated the effects of various meeting facilitation techniques on groups, but few have directly compared the effects of different electronic techniques on group interaction. In fact, the vast majority of research in the area of electronic meeting support has used only two techniques: verbal brainstorming and electronic individual poolwriting. This paper describes an experiment involving four groups of 35 undergraduate students each using electronic individual poolwriting, electronic gallery writing, verbal brainstorming, and manual individual poolwriting. Results show that groups using the two electronic techniques were more satisfied and productive and experienced less production blocking and evaluation apprehension. …

The Gap Between Theory And Practice: A Database Application Case Study, Martha Myers, Paula Skinner

Journal of International Information Management

The transition from theory to practice is often challenging for sUidents. This paper considers this challenge within the context of implementing a database design in an end-user DBMS. The tradeoffs are examined between adhering to the theory that is taught in the classroom and straying from the theory when faced with deadlines, software applications that will not support the theory, and specific client needs. In the first section, the problems and tradeoffs for developers and system clients are described. In the second section, a specific case study of a student project for a charitable organization is described. The third section …

Information Systems Education— A National Evaluation Of A Curriculum Model For End-User Computing Support, C Steven Hunt, Charles M. Ray, Scott Eckholdt

Journal of International Information Management

This research represents an evaluation of a curriculum model by a national sample of information systems professionals. The Curriculum Model for Organizational and End-User Information Systems (OEIS) is a guide for educators planning programs that prepare four-year college students for entry-level positions that support end-user computing. It stresses end-user information technology and human factors, business process redesign, communication, and end-user training. A national sample of Association for Systems Management members evaluated the model's sixty objectives. All sixty objectives, as measured by the aggregate rating and the mean ratings of individual objectives, were considered important. More than two-thirds of them were …

Windows95: Is It The Bargain It Was Supposed To Be?, Conrad Shayo

Journal of International Information Management

Whereas a critical mass of computer users has migrated to Windows95, some are still using Windows 3.1 and DOS. There is concern that the benefits of installing Windows95 may not outweigh the costs.

A Comparison Of Performance And Satisfaction Between Two Types Of Group Decision Support Systems, Mahesh Vanjani, Milam Aiken, Joseph Paolillo

Journal of International Information Management

Group Decision Support Systems (GDSSs) and other electronic meeting technologies have been developed to support or replace traditional, verbal meetings. While extensive research has been conducted regarding the impact of these systems on the group decision making process, the vast majority of these studies have focused on groups meeting fact-to-face in one room. This paper focuses on how group members perform when distributed as non-proximate sub-groups (virtual legislative sessions) as compared to proximate, face-to-face groups (synchronous legislative sessions). Experiments involving 12 groups of 10 members each showed that there were few significant differences in productivity and satisfaction between the two …