Business Commons^™

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.

Students׳ Willingness To Use Response And Engagement Technology In The Classroom, Eric A. Brown, Nicholas J. Thomas, Lisa Y. Thomas

Eric A. Brown

Increased use of student response and engagement systems in the collegiate classroom environment is a growing trend in hospitality education. However, faculties have expressed hesitance in adopting this technology due to apprehension of students. This purpose of this paper is to share the results of a survey given to undergraduate hospitality students at Iowa State University about their willingness and ability to use these systems. When analyzing the data from the 413 respondents, the results show students are in fact able and willing to use a classroom response and engagement system in order to increase engagement. In addition, students have …

Hospitality And Tourism Journal Matrix, Susan W. Arendt, Swathi Ravichandran, Eric A. Brown

Eric A. Brown

Ease in locating hospitality and tourism journals is of interest to hospitality and tourism professionals, graduate students, researchers, and scholars. At present, there is no one location with concise information regarding hospitality and tourism journal descriptions, editors, and contact information. The matrix that follows contains a compiled list of hospitality and tourism journals along with pertinent journal information.

The Effects Of Acquisition On Restaurant Firms’ Performance: Different-Sector Versus Same-Sector Acquisitions, Yongjin Lee

Open Access Theses

This study examines the postacquisition accounting performance of acquiring firms in the restaurant industry between 1992 and 2012. Specifically, this study investigates the effects of different-sector and same-sector restaurants acquisitions between full-service and limited-service restaurants on restaurant firms' performance. Additionally, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and regression model are used to examine return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) for the accounting performance of the acquiring restaurants.

The ROA and ROE reveal that the profitability is significantly negative up to 5 years after firms are acquired. However, negative effects are strongest within the first year after acquisition and decrease …

Hotel Guest E-Questionnaires: Implications For Feedback And Relationships, Alfred Ogle, Nadine Henley, Michelle Rowe, Sybe Jongeling, Stephen Fanning

Alfred Ogle

This paper examines the reliability and efficacy of hotel guest e-mail questionnaire compared to the paper questionnaire in the Asian Pacific context. Conducted inPerth,SingaporeandPenang, cities with mature hospitality and tourism industries and a representation of chain and independent deluxe hotels, this exploratory qualitative study examines hotelier views of e-mail guest communication derived from content analysis of guest questionnaires format and content and in-depth interviews with senior hoteliers. The findings indicated that e-questionnaires manifested as e-mails, as a direct replacement of the paper questionnaire, appear to be premature given divergent hotelier views and shortcomings in e-mail response administration. If properly executed, …

The Potential For Marrying Local Gastronomy And Wine: The Case Of The 'Fortunate Islands', Abel Alonso, Y Liu

Abel D Alonso

For centuries, the Mediterranean and other regions have become icons for their food, wine, laid-back lifestyle and benign weather, with each of these components ideally complementing the other three. The availability of a local cuisine and local wines provides consumers with memorable experiences. However, in many other regions little is known about ways in which the local cuisine and wine could be ‘married.’ This study examines the views of 55 small winery operators in a region that for decades has been widely known as a mass tourism destination: the Canary Island in Spain. While most operators recognise the potential for …

The Potential For Marrying Local Gastronomy And Wine: The Case Of The 'Fortunate Islands', Abel Alonso, Y Liu

Abel D Alonso

For centuries, the Mediterranean and other regions have become icons for their food, wine, laid-back lifestyle and benign weather, with each of these components ideally complementing the other three. The availability of a local cuisine and local wines provides consumers with memorable experiences. However, in many other regions little is known about ways in which the local cuisine and wine could be ‘married.’ This study examines the views of 55 small winery operators in a region that for decades has been widely known as a mass tourism destination: the Canary Island in Spain. While most operators recognise the potential for …

What Defines The 'Ideal' Hospitality Employee? A College Town Case, Abel Alonso, Martin O'Neill

Abel D Alonso

Many businesses in college towns not only see opportunities to cater for local students and staff, but they also seriously consider the student population as a recruiting pool. The ability to attract, train, and retain staff from this potential labor pool is one of the many challenges small- to medium-sized hospitality enterprises (SMHE) face, raising a fundamental question: what attributes, if any, do small hospitality operators look for when they go about recruiting new employees in a college town? The findings from interviews conducted among operators of 21 SMHE reveal that attitudinal characteristics of prospective employees form a critical component, …

What Is Your Favorite Southern Dish? A Study Of Southern Us Consumers, Abel Alonso, Martin O'Neill

Abel D Alonso

Different studies have highlighted the importance of food in different leisure activities, including the link between food and tourism. However, to what extent do local consumers know about their own foods, or are involved with consumption of local, traditional dishes? The present case study explores Southern foods from the perspective of Southern residents through written descriptions of their favorite Southern dish(es). Overall, participants' comments in the questionnaire illustrate that their favorite food choices were very limited. The fact that vegetables and desserts were only marginally included as core elements of participants' favorite Southern dish also suggest consumers' lack of food …

Functional Space Management In The Hospitality Industry And Its Future Outlook, Katherine Dail

Senior Theses

In recent years, profit made from ancillary revenues has become more vital to the success of service companies. This phenomenon is very pronounced in the airline industry, but is also beginning to become more relevant to hotels as it is applied to functional space and meetings. Most of these ancillary revenues, including meetings, are typically not considered an important source of revenue for hotels, but rather as tools to draw in primary activities. This thesis seeks to delve into the importance of the meetings industry to the economy and to the hospitality industry by considering underutilized functional space and customer …

The Business Of Beds: An Exploration Of Hotel And Hostel Business Strategy, Robert B. Bunda

Honors Scholar Theses

At their cores, hotels and hostels are similar in that they provide a place for travelers to stay. Despite this core similarity, the structures of the two industries are radically different. The hotel industry began in the Middle Ages and has given rise to massive multinational companies, many managing more than four thousand hotels. In stark contrast, the hostel industry began in 1909 and is mostly comprised of independently owned and operated guesthouses, with the largest global chain comprising of less than twenty properties. This study first defines the hotel and hostel industries and examines the different experiences they offer …

Gap Between Hospitality Employers' Demands And Hospitality Students' Perceptions Regarding Entry-Level Managers' Requirements In The United States, Yijun Huang

Open Access Theses

This study aims to identify the gap between recruiters and students regarding what knowledge, skills and abilities are most needed for graduates to secure entry-level managers in the hospitality industry. Previous literature used different approaches to attain a similar idea that students and recruiters do have different opinions, especially for those intrinsic or person-related characteristics. The researcher borrowed statements from different researchers and added two statements to make up the missing part of previous research and then combined, split and revised these statements to see whether students' thinking matched the industry's thinking. The results showed that recruiters generally ranked these …

Loyalty Programs: An Examination Of The Best Practices In Selected Luxury Chain Hotels, Julie Poincenot

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Loyalty programs enable companies to reward their return customers. In the hotel industry, a loyalty program is a useful and beneficial tool to improve their customer service and entice their guests to stay with them on return visits. The purpose of this study was to conduct a best practices study on loyalty programs in luxury hotel chains. The researcher used a best practices matrix to examine the loyalty programs of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Omni Hotels and Resorts, and Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. The study found that companies should benchmark their programs by aligning their benefits with companies similar to …

To Chae Or Not To Chae, Raymond S. Schmidgall Ph.D., Cpa, James W. Damitio

Hospitality Review

Many certifications are available in many professions. They represent a level of achievement and provide a dimension of professionalism to a resume. This article reveals the results of research covering the degree the extent of certification of members of the Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals. Further, obstacles and assists in taking the examination to become a Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) were determined. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents have earned their CHAE. The biggest obstacle to taking the exam according to 60% of the respondents who have not earned the CHAE was lack of time to prepare. The biggest assist …

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 …

Cocktails: Profitable Assets Or Expensive Beverage Offerings, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Cocktails have become very popular in the majority of hospitality and licensed premises in recent years. Customer demands for contemporary and classic cocktails has driven demand. The training, innovation, equipment, new brands and exotic glassware, have all contributed to the overall success and interest in these drinks. It is crucial before you decide to enter into the cocktail area of your overall drinks offerings to ensure that you have all the elements required to build success and maintain a healthy business. Many establishments in the past have entered in the cocktail area only to exit after a short space of …

Are Your Cellars Safe?, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Bar owners have to be more concerned about health, 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 accidents (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, bar …

Managing The Responsible Service Of Alcohol: Are We Meeting Our Obligations?, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Recent research studies indicate that customers and individuals are drinking no more than their parents were drinking 15 years ago but the frequency, strength of drinks, and amount of drinks consumed per session has increased. These irrational drinking patterns have created a binge drinking culture. Bar staff and management have the task of serving and dealing with all types of people from all walks of life and status of society, this is an enjoyable and rewarding part of the job. However there are many occasions when they have to deal with people who may well have on occasion for various …

Craving Alcohol, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Individuals involved in the treatment of alcoholism for decades have argued that men and women crave alcohol essentially because they enjoy the effect it offers. This effect is so mysterious that, while adults will confess that these cravings are potentially dangerous to their health and wellbeing, during consumption their reasoning and belief of these facts will alternate between the true and the false. In essence these individuals' alcohol cravings life actually seems to them the only normal life. Some will demonstrate conditions of discontentment, irritability and restlessness, until they can regain the experience and ease obtained by consuming a couple …