Business Commons^™

Poitín – A Spirit Of Rebellion And Inspiration, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Abstract: Poitín is Ireland’s most ancient spirit distilled in rural locations for many centuries, its dark and chequered history continues to intrigue tourists and people alike, often referred to as Ireland’s Mescal, Cachaca or Grappa. This drink which preserved many rural communities and saved them from falling into poverty, driven underground for over 300 years it is making a significant comeback. This paper will explore the evolution of this ancient Irish spirit from its earliest mentions to its modern day popularity in the world of distilled spirits. Poitín is history in a bottle it is inextricably woven into the fabric …

Doubling Down On Goffman: A Commentary On Dmitri Shalin’S ‘Erving Goffman, Fateful Action, And The Las Vegas Gambling Scene’, James Cosgrave

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Erving Goffman “was not a sociologist of any particular area” (Scheff 2006: 20). He was, in fact, a sociologist of many areas: the interaction order, stigma, “total institutions,” gender, “forms of talk,” public behaviour – and gambling certainly belongs to the list. He may be better known for these other topics, but his contributions to the sociological analysis of gambling are canonical. Thus, another sociological hat can be worn. A unique, inventive social scientist, Goffman could pull off the donning of many such hats. Bucking the standard presentation of social scientific research in journal articles, Goffman was the “master of …

The Evolution Of The Concept Of Social Action: Parsons And Goffman, Philip Manning

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Goffman’s analysis of gambling is very important for our overall understanding of his work. This is because Goffman’s sociology is driven by both theoretical and ethnographic impulses, and his gambling project is the third of his three major ethnographic investigations. Goffman’s study of gambling is a key component in his sociology because it (a) develops a conceptual approach to the study of the interaction order, (b) extends Parsons’ and Merton’s analysis of social action and social control, and (c) links the microeconomic analysis of the social world that he associated with Thomas Schelling that has become the mainstay of the …

Can We Scale Up Goffman? From Vegas To The World Stage, Jeffrey J. Sallaz

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

It is an all-too-common lament among sociologists that Erving Goffman, though his writings remain widely read and respected today, failed to spawn an ongoing and cohesive research tradition. His idiosyncratic methods of data collection, the uniqueness of his biographical trajectory, and even his prickly personality have all been invoked to explain the lack of a distinctly Goffmanian school of research (Gamson 1985; Scheff, Phillips, and Kincaid 2006; Smith 2006; Shalin 2014). It is also the case that micro-oriented sociologies, such as symbolic interactionism and especially ethnomethodology, have been pushed to the margins of sociology as a consequence of the ascendency …

Goffman, Action, And Risk Society: Aesthetic Reflexivity In Late Modernity, Stephen Lyng

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

When I decided to write about edgework over twenty-five years ago, I had no idea that I had put myself on a pathway of sustained engagement with one of the most important sociologists of the twentieth century. As an academic sociologist in the early stages of my career, I felt that I had a good general understanding of Erving Goffman’s most important ideas and a proper appreciation of his unique contributions to my discipline. Although I had a certain affinity for Goffman’s brand of sociology, I deliberately avoided pressure from close friends and colleagues to become a “Goffmaniac,” the kind …

Las Vegas As A Symbol: Goffman And Competing Narratives Of Sin City, Michael Green

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Dmitri Shalin has demonstrated the importance of Erving Goffman to the field of sociology, and in this case to the sociology of Las Vegas as a gambling, resort, and urban center. But Goffman also was part of a trend, or more accurately what became a trend, and he played an important role in it. When Goffman came to Las Vegas in the late 1950s and early 1960s in connection with his field work as a downtown casino dealer, “the city of non-homes,” as he called it, was at a turning point in a variety of ways. When he published his …

Erving Goffman’S Las Vegas: From Jungle To Boardroom, David G. Schwartz

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Sociologist Erving Goffman’s presence in Las Vegas never yielded a definitive publication. Though it informed his work about action and interaction, his time in Las Vegas—both as a blackjack dealer and a player—remains one of the great what-ifs of gambling academia. This is regrettable, not only because the field would have benefited immeasurably from the analysis of a figure of Goffman’s talent and repute, but because Goffman was in Las Vegas exactly as the city’s casino business was undergoing its most significant shift, from small-scale, syndicate-owned ventures with links to former and current illegal enterprises elsewhere to massive, publicly-traded, mainstream-financed …

Erving Goffman, Fateful Action, And The Las Vegas Gambling Scene, Dmitri N. Shalin

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

This paper explores Erving Goffman’s research on gambling, the historical context within which he articulated his views on risk taking, and the contribution he made to our understanding of gambling as a stigmatized social activity. Drawing on the large database assembled in the Erving Goffman Archives, the article traces Goffman’s footprint in Las Vegas and shows the personal as well as scholarly dimensions of his interest in betting practices in entertainment venues and risk taking in society at large. The argument is made that the theory of fateful action presented in the seminal study “Where the Action Is” remains a …

Authenticity In The Country Music Industry, Alyssa Johnson

Senior Theses

When researching the country music industry, it is impossible to avoid certain words—authenticity, sincerity, tradition—as a country music consumer, I have personally noticed these themes appearing frequently. As a consumer, I have been confused by the images that I’ve observed in country music scholarship and journalism based on tradition or authenticity (or, more often, the lack thereof). There is serious reverence for certain people, places, and things in country music. The Grand Ole Opry, the “legends” of the industry, and Nashville itself are treated with the utmost respect because of the roles that they’ve played in the development of country …

An Investigation Of Work Environment Characteristics And Work Engagement Of Limited- And Full-Service Hotel Property Front-Line Employees, Robert Jerald Thompson

Dissertations

Today, employee work engagement is viewed as one of the most important issues for corporations, given its influence on individual and organizational productivity and performance (Attridge, 2009; Czarnowsky, 2008). As a result, all organizations desire employees who are engaged, in particular the hospitality industry. As a service-providing sector of the hospitality industry, hotels are reliant on front-line employees to conduct strong customer-employee interactions and provide efficient service delivery while exceeding customer expectations (Kusluvan, 2003). The hospitality industry needs employees who are committed to the organization and one who is passionate, striving to go the extra mile, and offering discretionary effort …

Nevada Gaming Revenue: A Comparative Analysis Of Slots And Tables, Scott Boylan

Occasional Papers

Throughout much of its existence, Nevada’s gambling industry has been dominated by table games. Historically, slot machines were of secondary importance because they did not generate much revenue and were costly to maintain and operate. Starting in the late 1970s, a series of technological milestones improved the form and function of slot machines, and fueled replacement cycles on casino floors. Nevada gaming revenue data provides evidence of the economic effects of these improvements. Since 1984, slots generally have produced larger revenue gains than tables, although those gains are distributed neither uniformly over time nor across gaming markets. In addition, slots …

Customer And Employee Incivility And Its Causal Effects In The Hospitality Industry, Edwin N. Torres, Mathilda Van Niekerk, Marissa Orlowski

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The present research sought to understand customer and employee incivility in the hospitality industry. The study identified customer actions that are perceived as uncivil by employees and coping strategies used by employees after experiencing uncivil behavior. Finally, service-recovery situations are differentiated from security-related incidents and guidance is offered to hospitality managers regarding the minimization of customer incivility. An empirical survey was distributed to 297 hotel employees. Regression analysis indicated that the effects of customer incivility were an increase in: customer aggression, employee negative emotions, employee-to-customer incivility, employee-to-employee incivility, and employee sensitivity to uncivil acts. The effects of employee-to-employee incivility were …

Home Bird - Albariño & Rias Baixas, Diarmuid Cawley

Other resources

The D.O. of Rias Baixas is young in relative terms but unique in Spain and most elsewhere for its production of wines from the Albarino grape variety. This report draws upon a trip to the region to assess why Albarino is so successful but has also taken up an almost homogenistic form for fear of tampering with this success.

Aniar : Restaurant And Boutique Cookery School, Aniar, Galway

Menus of the 21st Century

Aniar is a terroir based restaurant located in Galway’s West End. The word terroir is usually associated with wine-making: the combination of factors, including soil, climate, and environment, that gives a wine its distinctive character. In the case of our restaurant, we use the word in order to describe the way in which our food comes from the specific place that is Galway and the west of Ireland. We hope to reveal the distinct and various food stuffs that make up our particular landscape, through our farms, the wildlands and the shores that surround us. The natural course of the …

Thought Leaders: Faculty Who Shape Business Theory And Practice Through Research

Business Exchange

Profiles of seven DePaul professors and the research they are conducting in areas as diverse as work-life balance and investor behavior: James D. Shilling, Real Estate Studies; R. David McLean, Investment Management; Kelly Richmond Pope, Accountancy; Andrew Gallen, Marketing; Alyssa J. Westring, Management; William Sander, Economics; and Misty Johanson, Hospitality Leadership.

Aniar : 1916 Inspiration Menu, Aniar, Galway

Menus of the 21st Century

Aniar is a terroir based restaurant located in Galway’s West End. The word terroir is usually associated with wine-making: the combination of factors, including soil, climate, and environment, that gives a wine its distinctive character. In the case of our restaurant, we use the word in order to describe the way in which our food comes from the specific place that is Galway and the west of Ireland. We hope to reveal the distinct and various food stuffs that make up our particular landscape, through our farms, the wildlands and the shores that surround us. The natural course of the …

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore 2015: Full Year Overview, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

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. The fourth quarter results mark the end of measurement for CSISG 2015. Singapore’s 2015 national score was computed using the data collected during these four quarters.

Let's 'Meetup' At The Theme Park, Edwin N. Torres, Marissa Orlowski

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Many people enjoy theme park and other leisure experiences with their families; however, today a great number of single, geographically mobile individuals desire to partake in such experiences. 'Meetup' is the world’s largest social network of local groups and thus allows for both online and off-line (in person) interactions. Using an ethnographic approach, this study examines how individuals can enjoy activities centered on common activities, interests, and opinions (AIO) via immersion in a Meetup group over the course of a year. Notably, members visited with greater frequency, had less tolerance for long lines, and were more likely to attend special …

Trends In Product Development – The Supermarket Shelf Revisited, Anna Cruickshank

Other resources

In a rapidly changing environment the survival of the food service industry and the food retail markets depend to a large extent on their capacity to develop and market new or radically improved products. The identified product development tends provide insight into the new and novel food products available to facilitate the growing demands of the food industry in Ireland and the ever-changing fashions in food requirements world-wide.

Service, Sale And Marketing Of Alcohol For The Tourism, Hospitality And Retail Industries, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

The responsible service, sale and marketing of alcohol for the tourism, hospitality and retail industries is crucial those working in the tourism, hospitality, culinary arts and retail industries including those in supervisory and management positions. This presentation explored a wide range of topics associated with sale and service of alcohol in these inter-related industries. Its aim was to provide attendees with a greater awareness of the effects of alcohol, and of their moral and legal obligations to act responsibly when supplying alcohol beverages or when dealing with alcohol misuse in their respective workplace. This presentation was also created to coincide …

Overcoming Fraud & Dishonesty In The Hospitality Industry, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

The licensed industry is an increasingly competitive market place, many bars have responded by empowering staff and undertaking structural and management reforms in recent years. Undoubtedly, these changes have significantly raised the levels of customer service and enhanced customer satisfaction. Paradoxically these changes, combined with the responsibilities allocated to bar staff and management to supervise and manage bars with autonomous control have created more fertile conditions, scope and opportunity for dishonest actions by staff members.

The way licensed premises approach the issue of staff fraud is changing in response to the increased risk. Many bars have historically been anxious to …

State Lotteries And The New American Dream, Jonathan D. Cohen

Occasional Papers

This paper analyzes state lotteries in the economic and cultural context of the late twentieth century. As access to traditional meritocratic advancement declined, many Americans perceived lotteries as new means of attaining increasingly elusive upward mobility. Their turn to lotteries was facilitated by grassroots coalitions as well as lottery advertisers who claimed lotteries as effective means of making money. The relationship of lotteries and social mobility reveals the full implications of lottery playing in the United States and the reasons this form of gambling has assumed new importance as providing access to the American Dream.

Hotel Managers’ Motivational Strategies For Enhancing Employee Performance, Vanessa Lizzette Barbosa-Mccoy

2010-2016 Archived Posters

This multiple case study using census sampling was to explore motivational strategies three hotel general managers used for enhancing employee performance in South Florida. The findings revealed that recognition and guest satisfaction unveiled a positive effect on employee performances and community engagement gave employees reasons to perform well.

The Economic Impact Of The 2015 Big Nac Music Festival, Brandon Wade Chaddick

School of Human Sciences Research Showcase

Infrastructure is what drives small towns in the United States. Defined as “the basic, underlying framework of a system or organization” (The Free Dictionary, 2015), the infrastructure of a small town encapsulates the various roads, businesses, schools, and factories involved with providing the town with economic stability. Unfortunately, in the years following the United States’ economic downturn, this stability has been severely altered. Thus, in an effort to maintain their economies, many small towns are learning to adapt and innovate to protect and nurture their resources. Such innovations include fairs, meetings, conventions, and, the focus of this study, events.

The Crucial Impacts Of College Campus Visits, Jennifer Moore

School of Human Sciences Research Showcase

When a prospective student begins visiting college campuses to start narrowing down their future plans, it can be quite a challenge for schools to make the biggest impact. People are constantly researching what stands out and has the biggest influence on enrollment. The purpose of this study was to determine which of the campus visit options had the biggest influence on the students’ decision to attend SFASU. The 3 options were Showcase Saturday, Regular Campus tours or both. Majority attended Showcase Saturday followed by regular campus tours and the rest attended both.

Best Practices Developing Service Learning Protocol For Hospitality Administration, Mary Olle, Chay Runnels, Gina Fe Causin, Todd Barrios

Faculty Publications

Developing Service Learning Protocol for students in the Hospitality Administration program at Stephen F. Austin State University provides an opportunity for students to experience these values such as networking, commitment, and building self-confidence. In 2015 SFA Hospitality Administration faculty made a decision to institutionalize service learning throughout their program. This presentation discusses its implementation.

Bali Bar, Aruba Caribbean, Hotel And Casino, Aruba Caribbean Hotel And Casino

Hotel Menus

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Motivations Of Tourism Social Entrepreneurs: The Role Of A National Tourism Policy As A Motivator For Social Entrepreneurial Activity In Ireland, Ziene Mottiar

Articles

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivations of social entrepreneurs. It explores the case of the Gathering in Ireland in 2013, when against a backdrop of recession, the national Government encouraged individuals and communities to organize events and invite the Diaspora to visit Ireland as a way of helping the country to revitalize. Some 5,000 events took place across the country during the year, and this paper examines this in the context of social entrepreneurship. Three research questions are posed: Who were these tourism and social entrepreneurs who organized events as a result of the …

The Chart House Restaurant : Dinner Menu, The Chart House Restaurant, Dingle, Co. Kerry

Menus of the 21st Century

Jim McCarthy’s attractive stone-built restaurant has been one of Dingle’s favourite dining destinations since opening in 1997.

Harvey's Point : Tasting Menu, Harvey's Point Restaurant

Menus of the 21st Century

Restaurant at Harvey's Point, Donegal Town.

The Restaurant at Harvey's Point was included in a list of the top 10 restaurants in the country by TripAdviser Traveller's Choice Awards.

Owned & managed by the Gysling family since 1989