Business Commons^™

Weddings And Sustainability: A Case Study Examining Green Practices At Green With Envy Events, Jessica Roth

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Green with Envy Events is a sustainable event planning company based out of San Diego, California. This company was used when conducting a case study examining sustainable wedding practices. The research was gathered using internet research, academic journals, and information from the Green with Envy Events website. The company demographics were examined and the company’s sustainable practices were analyzed by comparing various aspects to a complete checklist. It was found that there are numerous sustainable materials and services that can be used, that sustainable materials and services are a better option than non-sustainable materials and services, and that the company …

A Qualitative Study Of Past Student-Participants' Perceptions Of College Mentoring Relationships: A Case Within A Hospitality College, Roberta Jo Barnes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry, encompassing both tourism and leisure segments, has become the world's largest employer. As such, there is a workforce need to develop leadership bench strength through degree programming at the university level. Preparing future leaders for careers in the hospitality industry as part of university curriculum is particularly challenging as operational practices, leadership competencies, and interpersonal skills are often not instructed in the classroom environment, yet are a critical element of supervisory performance. Workforce development perspectives suggest that mentoring is a development tool to narrow programming gaps in university curriculum.

The study explores past student-participants' relationship experiences in …

This Is The Place: Utah's Gaming History And Current Attitude, Jackson Tad Butterfield

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Global gambling is what it is. It is global. Gambling has become an economic force to be reckoned with. It has spread to all corners of the globe, from Europe to North America to Asia. There are regions that have widely supported the introduction of gambling into their economy and society but there are also those that have shunned it, despite the clear economic advantages associated with gambling. The AGA estimated that total gambling revenue in the United States for 2012 was approximately $37.74 billion, with commercial casinos contributing approximately $8.6 billion to local communities via taxes (AGA, 2013c). This …

The Hotel Manager’S Perceived Conflict Of Providing For Hospitality And Security: Can The Two Exist In Harmony?, Silvano Cozzini

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry relies upon regular and repeat customers for its survival. No traveler or visitor will return to a hotel property where a bad incident occurred. Would a diner go back to any restaurant where they were sickened by their meal? Would a hotel guest return to any property where they were a victim of a crime? Bad experiences make us tell ourselves, “I will never go back there again!”

This same psychology holds true for criminals. At places where they have been deterred by a high security presence, it is unlikely that they would return there, either. A …

Bureaus And Beer: Promoting Brewery Tourism In Colorado, Shane Howlett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Beer, wine and spirits are three little words that make lots of people excited. Alcohol can be thought of as a necessity for tourists. In recent years, consumers are becoming more interested in the development and processes behind their favorite libations. This has spurred a new type of tourist; those that are interested in brewery tours, vineyard hopping, or enjoying a day out at their favorite distillery.

The beer industry has seen rapid growth expansion in the U.S. In 1980, there were roughly 100 breweries in the nation and today there are over 2500 (Brewers Association, 2013a). With the rapid …

Diversify The Destination Image Of Las Vegas To Chinese Market, Yinying Jiang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Las Vegas, Nevada, is a renowned travel destination attracting tourists from all over the world. Gambling has been a dominant destination image of Las Vegas in the mind of both the national and international tourists, since the history and fast development of this city has always been related with the gambling industry. In more recent years, the business model of this city has gradually changed itself to a more complete tourist destination with mega resorts, high-end shops, amazing restaurants and incredible shows and etc. Las Vegas is now turning itself into an entertainment and business oriented travel destination along with …

Business Plan For A Korean Fine-Dining Restaurant In Las Vegas, Jihoon Kim

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Korean food industry is enjoying international attention and growth as the Korean government’s globalization efforts spur the development of Korean restaurants in international markets such as the United States (Korean Food Foundation, 2013). Korean cuisine is being branded as healthy food that harmonizes nutrition and flavor (Jang & Ha, 2009). Now is the time to start new Korean restaurants in the U.S.’s ethnic cuisine market. This paper provides a business plan focusing on a fine-dining Korean restaurant operation in the Las Vegas market, which is currently devoid of such an operation.

Pre-Employment Drug Screening: Cost And Benefits, Rena Sultany

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper will answer the question of whether pre-employment drug testing of applicants is helpful or harmful to an organization as a whole. The following question will be explored in this paper: What are the benefits and costs associated with pre-employment drug-screening?

The target of this study will be the hospitality industry in Las Vegas. A recommendation to the industry will be made once a thorough literature review of past research on the topic is conducted. Drug testing is a common practice in hospitality companies in Las Vegas. It is costly to these companies to conduct such tests. It is …

What Do They Do In Las Vegas Strip Casinos? An Analysis Of The Attitudes And Behaviors Of Gen Y Casino Customers, Mei Iok Un

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Totaling over 63 million, Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, is the new generation of casino customers (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2011). While there are no specific dates to mark its beginning and ending, individuals born between 1982 and 1994 are generally considered as Millennials or Gen Yers. A survey conducted by the American Gaming Association (2013) revealed that Gen Y casino customers made up the highest casino visitation rate with 39% having visited a casino in the previous year; however, it is also shown that Gen Yers spends more on non-gaming departments and have less intention to …

A Guide To Event Promotion: Internet Marketing For A Live Musical Event In Las Vegas, Kelly C. Quinnan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A global industry of festivals and musical events has evolved and developed rapidly especially since the late 1960’s starting with Woodstock. The industry continues today with large-scale multiple stage events that bring in over hundreds of thousands of people. Las Vegas is known by many as the city of entertainment, with world-renowned Cirque Du Soleil shows, poolside concerts at the Cosmopolitan, and the thriving Electric Daisy Carnival. The phenomenal growth of this industry coupled with increased consumer awareness and choice requires sustained development and expansion in the future. Concerts and festivals are unique events that attract audiences. Music-based events are …

The Impact Of Anti-Byod Policies On Generation Z Hospitality Employee's Engagement, Danny Crinson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As an industry hospitality typically reacts to problems rather than tackling them proactively. One of the greatest problems currently faced by the industry is the low engagement rates across employees. These low levels have been linked to many issues including low morale, productivity and high turnover rates. One way to try to remedy this issue before it worsens would be to look at future hospitality employees and try to understand what will engage them. Doing so will allow human resource leaders to make changes to any polices which currently do not synchronize with these engaging factors. With research suggesting that …

Program Fundraising, Tiffany R. Henderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this professional paper is to explore and understand the aspects of fundraising for Career and Technical Education (CTAE) programs, specifically culinary arts programs. The goal is to identify methods to raise funds and who will be the catalyst of providing those funds, and to develop a one, three and five year integrated fundraising plan.

Assessing Revenue Managers' Level Of Trust In Information Systems: An Exploratory Study Of Las Vegas Casino Resorts, Landon Taylor Shores

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined revenue managers' level of trust in their revenue management system (RMS) at Las Vegas casino resorts. The study utilized an e-mail interview to measure revenue managers' attitudes about their RMS's degree of reliability and dependability, the degree to which they trust their RMS's pricing recommendations, and if a revenue manager's level of trust in technology had any effect on their likelihood of trusting their RMS.

The study invited 11 property and corporate revenue managers from Las Vegas casino resorts to participate in an e-mail interview, with nine revenue managers agreeing to participate. The main findings of the …

Assessing The Need For Personalized, Jewelry-Based Customer Loyalty Programs Within Top Las Vegas, Nevada Luxury Casino Resorts, Melissa Brick

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Luxury markets have begun to expand from material items into places, experiences, and lifestyles. As the popularity of the luxury travel increases, resorts may benefit from incorporating some type of luxury aspect into a guest’s stay. The purpose of this study was to assess the current need for personalized, jewelry-based, luxury customer loyalty programs focused on wealthy visitors to resort casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. The researcher created an over the phone interview script and interviewed representatives from 15 top luxury resort casinos in Las Vegas, NV. Existence of customer loyalty programs and ‘high-roller’ customer loyalty programs were found to …

Environmental Sustainability Practices In The Hospitality Industry Of Orange County, California, Lauren Doherty

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

The hospitality industry is growing rapidly in its practice and implementation of green initiatives in order to preserve the natural environment and successfully meet the needs and desires of green-minded consumers. The purpose of this study was to assess the environmental sustainability practices in the hotel and special events industries of Orange County. Data was collected from participants representing seven different hotel and event venues in Orange County. The instrument used consisted of semi-structured, with some forced-choice interview questions pertaining to the sustainability practices of each property. The results indicated that the seven properties are actively establishing and practicing environmental …

Barlee: Business Plan For An Urban Beer Garden, Marcella M. Lahara

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The development of a business plan is a requirement of all graduating seniors enrolled in the Hospitality Management program. The concepts and development of the businesses are extremely varied. In the particular case of BarLee, an urban beer garden, the idea came from a variety of sources.

BarLee’s layout and format adheres to that outlined by the Small Business Association. The guideline for business development is a standard followed by all small business entrepreneurs. The style of the writing is in the form of a pitch to an investor. The investor may be a bank, in the form of small …

Dick's Last Resort Restaurants: A Unconventional Theme "Bad Service" Becomes Unique Experience For Guests, Sunghyeon Kim

HIM 1990-2015

The hospitality industry has focused on increasing customer satisfaction by offering services that are generally described as flawless, courteous, and friendly. Dick's Last Resort restaurants, however, are distinguished by intentionally staged erroneous, obnoxious, and rude services that nevertheless provide a unique experience for customers. This unconventional service theme might work for some customers but not for others. This study focuses on exploring the factors that lead to customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction at Dick's Last Resort restaurants. In addition, customer satisfaction levels are examined according to gender and location. Using the modified critical incident technique, 518 online reviews were analyzed through …

College Students' Attitudes Towards Green Hotel Practices, Elvis Perez

HIM 1990-2015

This research was conducted to discover college students' attitude towards green hotel practices and will be helpful to the hospitality industry to help focus their marketing efforts Based on the survey correlations between variables it appears that the people who use green practices at home are more aware of green practices when staying at a hotels. Implementing green practices into hotels will help the environment and also create a positive brand image and loyalty from guests. The movement of "Green" benefits everyone: the employer, the employees, and the guests.

How We Complain: The Effect Of Personality On Consumer Complaint Channels, Riley Allen Berry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore any connections that may exist between personality types and consumer complaint channels. A sample of 490 undergraduate students at the University of Nevada Las Vegas was surveyed during class time with a paper and pencil survey. The survey consisted of four service failure scenarios each with eleven possible courses of action. Respondents were asked to rate their likelihood to participate in each action on a seven point Likert-type scale. The three personality factors measured against the complaint behavior were Locus of Control, The California Psychological Inventory measure of Sociability, and Cattel's 16 …

The Effectiveness Of Various Green Print Advertising Strategies For Budget And Luxury Hotel Segments, Safak Sahin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study aims to broaden knowledge about the effectiveness of the green (environmentally responsible) print advertising in the context of hotel industry. The development of green advertising and relevant studies in general marketing literature is discussed. After the gap of research in hospitality field is highlighted, the current study is introduced. Five by two between subjects experimental design is developed to understand if green advertisements perform better than non-green ones, and whether hotel segment (budget versus luxury) influences the effectiveness. Another goal of the study is to identify the best strategy or medium (text, logos, visual images, or a combination …

Mapping The Online Gambling E-Servicescape: Impact Of Virtual Atmospherics On The Gambler's Experience, Brett Lillian Levine Abarbanel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A structural model is proposed and empirically examined that investigates the influence of an online casino's atmospheric cues on consumer behavioral response. A stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model, often used to frame other servicescape research, is adapted as the basis of the theory that the online casino environment will influence the organismic effects of cognitive and affective states, which in turn influence gamblers' approach or avoidance behavioral intentions. Analyzed elements of the online gambling site stimulus include high and low task-relevant cues, financial trust, and gambling value. Personal and situational factors and demographic characteristics were found to moderate the relationship between atmospheric …

The Use Of Twitter By Luxury And Midscale Hotels, Yolanda M. Tselepidakis

Honors Theses and Capstones

Twitter has demanded a presence in company brands since its start up in 2008, including the hotel industry. As an up and coming marketing tool, the social media website is still new to both hotels and their guests. Observing the different strategies incorporated by luxury and midscale hotels, the paper provides explanations on how these two segments differ in utilizing Twitter. Through direct interviews with US luxury and midscale hotels and analyzing individual Twitter feeds, it was found that luxury hotels and their target market are much more active on Twitter than the midscale hotel segment. Implications suggest that although …

Reactions Of Generation Y To Luxury Hotel Twitter Promotions, Katherine M. Woods

Honors Theses and Capstones

Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks (Merriam-Webster, 2013). Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites (Evans, 2008). In today’s society, social media refers mainly to websites including (but not limited to) Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. The most popular and fastest growing of these social media venues is Twitter. Twitter was founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone. Since 2006, almost 200 million users across the globe …

Gender Dynamics From The Arab World: An Intercultural Service Encounter, Marryam Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Arab countries strive toward the modernization and feminization of the Arab culture; however, some of these countries (i.e., Saudi Arabia) are culturally and legally governed by "sharia law", and have maintained cultural norms regarding segregation of the sexes. In order to have a better understanding of the Arab travelers to the U.S., this research focuses on the gender dynamics between the service providers and Arab customers during a service encounter. Specifically, this research examines how the same and opposite genders of service-provider and customer influence Arab customers’ emotional response (comfort), consequently their service encounter evaluation (satisfaction), and behavioral intentions (feedback …

A Sustainability "Green" Certification Audit Of Food Service Operations And The Development Of A Restaurant Sustainability Instrument, Hans Hagglund

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates current green restaurant certifications as well as developing a new more user certification. First, a fact finding investigation to find the most established and commonly utilized green restaurant certifications were compared. Second, a new green certification was developed. Third, chosen green restaurant certifications were compared. Lastly, the new green certification analyzed whether restaurants in the central Florida area utilized green practices. Data were collected in face to face sessions with restaurant managers during nonpeak hours of operation. There were numerous surveys utilized in this research study. The statistical methodology utilized in this study was average means and …

The Development Of An Eco-Gastronomic Tourism (Egt) Supply Chain-Analyzing Linkages Between Farmer, Restaurants, And Tourists In Aruba., Marcelino Kock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose of this study is to holistically analyze existing linkages between Aruba’s tourism industry, restaurants and local farmers, by examining strategies that constrain the development of linkages between these stakeholders. Previous research indicated that tourism development is often accompanied with increased demand for imported food, which results in foreign exchange leakages, inflation and competition with local production. This phenomenon is very common in the Caribbean, where Aruba, with its heavy reliance on imported goods and services, is no exception to this occurrence. To comprehend potential problems associated with linking both sectors, these in-depth case study addresses three fundamental questions: a) …

Guest Satisfaction Analysis Of A Casual Dining Restaurant: A Comparison Of Tourist Vs Non-Tourist Satisfaction Scores., Jessica Wickey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to analyze guest/customer satisfaction surveys of a casual dining restaurant in the Orlando, Florida area; specifically, to analyze if there is a difference between satisfaction levels of tourist and non-tourist guests. The guest satisfaction surveys were analyzed on eight dimensions of satisfaction; Pace of Service, Service Overall, Server Communication & Accuracy, Food (Taste & Quality), Food Preparation, Bar (Beer, Wine, & Cocktail), Gratefulness, and Atmosphere in whole (including atmosphere and cleanliness).The eight dimensions were evaluated in the GPS (guest pulse survey) based on a Net Promoter Score, or NPS® system, and were …

Examining Long-Haul Chinese Outbound Tourists' Shopping Intentions, Pei Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines long-haul Chinese outbound tourists' shopping intentions using the planned behavior approach. Attitude of product and store attributes, subjective norms of co-workers are found to significantly predict shopping intentions of respondents during their overseas trips. Further, behavioral beliefs and the corresponding outcome evaluation of product and store attributes lead to the formation of attitude. Normative beliefs of co-workers, motivation to comply with co-workers, and the interaction between them significantly influence respondents' subjective norms on overseas tourism shopping. Control beliefs, power of control beliefs, and the interaction between them predict respondents' perceived behavioral control on overseas tourism shopping. Both …

Consumer Acceptance Of Mobile Payments In Restaurants, Anna Shatskikh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Regardless all the advantages of MPs, it has not reach the sizable customer base. In this paper, we examined the core drivers of using mobile payments (MPs) in restaurant industry from the consumers' perspective. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), we developed a six factor model to reveal the determinants of consumers' intention to use MPs in restaurant. Security, subjective norm, compatibility with lifestyle, and previous experience with MPs were added to the traditional two factor TAM model (usefulness and ease of use). 300 respondents were recruited from an online survey agency and 258 valid responses were included in …

An Exploratory Study Of Customer Vulnerability: A Cross-Segment Approach, Taryn Aiello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of customer vulnerability across varying service industries. While the concept of customer vulnerability has been debated in business, marketing, sociology, and psychology scholarly literature, there has been little research conducted that specifically investigates consumers’ perceptions of vulnerability during the service exchange. Specific to this research, customer vulnerability is defined as experiences in which consumers participate in a service exchange with a firm during a time of individual or shared medical, physical, emotional, or spiritual necessity, whether the vulnerability is experienced during the course of the transaction or whether consumers arrive …