Business Commons^™

Taking Pleasure In Distinction: Unlocking Specialty Coffee Preference, Ondrej Mitas, Danny D. Han, Belle Struijer, Lotte Willems, Thomas H. Chatwick

Journal of Global Business Insights

Specialty coffee, comprising a tenth of the global coffee trade, is distinguished by its strict quality requirements and traceable origins. The diverse flavor profiles of specialty coffee raise demands on providers to serve individual taste preferences. Prior research has not sufficiently explored how to predict customer preferences for specific flavor profiles or how these preferences influence behavioral intentions such as revisiting or recommending a café. This study hypothesized that customer involvement, the extrinsic factors of coffee experience, and culinary risk-taking would predict flavor preference, which would in turn affect behavioral intentions. In an experiment involving 47 participants, individuals tasted and …

Horse Racing And Historical Horse Racing’S Impact On The Kentucky Economy: Possible Hhr Saturation?, Thomas E. Lambert

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The Commonwealth of Kentucky currently has 5 thoroughbred racing tracks and 3 harness racing tracks (Kentucky Horse Racing Commission 2023 and Mint Julep Louisville 2021). As Table 1 below shows, the industry employees roughly 7,000 people (direct jobs), and these jobs annually support another 2,000 jobs or so throughout the state. These 2,000 jobs are jobs that are provided by the suppliers to the horse race tracks (indirect jobs) and jobs that are created by the spending of the race track employees and the employees of suppliers on food, housing, transportation, and clothing by vendors and retailers throughout the state …

Historical Horse Racing Dominates Gambling Expenditures In Kentucky—Even Outperforms The Lottery. But Why?, Thomas E. Lambert

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

With sports gambling coming to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in September 2023, another competitor to various gaming activities in the state raises the question of how it is doing relative to the others, especially its major competition. As can be seen in the table below, for its first four months of operation, sports gambling in the state brings in almost $900 million and averages around $223 million per month. This average is better than typical monthly lottery sales which come in at around $161 million per month and is far above on and off-track (including simulcasting) racing betting which averages …

Lessons From Hospitality: Towards A Hybrid Model Of Senior Living Communities, Yunying Zhong, Tingting Zhang

Rosen Research Review

Old age gets most of us, and how we spend it should be meaningful. The hospitality sector could play a vital role in this regard. Senior living communities are big business in the U.S., but they face demands from residents, and the family and friends who visit them, for more than the traditional focus on healthcare. UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management researchers, Dr. YunYing Zhong, Dr. Tingting Zhang, and their co-author understand the connection between the senior living community and hospitality sectors; their research is giving impetus to a hybrid model that could benefit both.

The Camera Eats First: What Foodstagramming Reveals About Personal Behavior, Xiaoxiao Fu

Rosen Research Review

Some chefs may try to ban it, but 'foodstagramming'—diners taking photographs of food to post on social media—is a valuable tool that can boost both restaurants' and diners' public image. That's the conclusion of new research led by UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management's Associate Professor Xiaoxiao Fu. The study takes a psychological perspective and finds that foodstagramming helps both individuals' self-efficacy—the belief that if individuals act in specific ways they can achieve certain goals—and provides opportunities for restaurants to promote their businesses in new and exciting ways.

A Closer Look At Visitors' Immersion In China's Theme Parks, Xiaoxiao Fu, Carissa Baker

Rosen Research Review

Engaging life experiences can become deeply entrenched in the human memory, facilitating mind associations, stimulating the imagination, and inspiring rich storytelling. UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management's Associate Professor Xiaoxiao Fu and Assistant Professor Carissa Baker, along with their co-authors, recently collected the subjective accounts of 30 people who had visited renowned theme parks in China. By analyzing these first-person tales, the researchers were then able to pin-point patterns and processes that characterized the respondents' immersion in experiences at the Chinese theme parks.

Engaging Hotel Staff In Anti-Human Trafficking Initiative, Tingting Zhang, Diego Bufquin

Rosen Research Review

Human trafficking is a serious global issue, within which the hospitality industry is a point of focus for sex trafficking. Despite increases in government- and corporate-mandated anti-human trafficking training, the level of hotel employee engagement with anti-human trafficking initiatives remains poorly researched. In a collaborative effort, researchers at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, Associate Professor Tingting (Christina) Zhang and Associate Professor Diego Bufquin, have set about identifying the factors that influence employee engagement with anti-human trafficking initiatives in the hotel industry in order to establish a practical framework for implementing more effective measures.

A Hospitality-Inspired Approach To Understanding Patient Experience, Maksim Godovykh, Abraham Pizam

Rosen Research Review

Patient experience is the individual's perception of how a healthcare institution treats them on their journey through illness or injury. Research shows that patient-centered care not only improves the quality of healthcare services, but also the patient's wellbeing and health outcomes, and this has resulted in an increased focus on patient experience. Despite its established importance, accurate measurement of patient experience remains a challenge. Applying their experience and knowledge of the hospitality industry, Dr. Maksim Godovykh and Dr. Abraham Pizam at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management are developing a broader and more scientific approach to measuring patient experience.

Rethinking Events Over Thirty Years Of Research, Michael B. Duignan

Rosen Research Review

Events are often pitched as business opportunities for the tourism and hospitality sector, but look deeper, and a far more compelling narrative emerges. In examining thirty years of events-related research, Dr. Michael Duignan of UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management has uncovered a highly complex and emerging field of study with significant value for the sector. It is also attracting the eye of researchers from other disciplines looking for insights into why people are drawn to share experiences.

Retaining Staff: Is It A Matter Of Instilling Pride?, Murat Hancer, Suja Chaulagain

Rosen Research Review

Hotels struggle to attract staff; you can partly blame the public perception of hotel jobs for that. But, why is it difficult to retain staff once they start? Perhaps an answer lies in whether they feel pride in what they do. Professors Murat Hancer and Suja Chaulagain at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management led a team of researchers to unpack the notion of pride among hotel staff in the United States and Vietnam. What they learned has significant importance for a sector that crosses cultures.

Can Humor Help Sell A Tourist Destination Online?, Maksim Godovykh, Xiaoxiao Fu

Rosen Research Review

Destination marketers pack a lot into their websites, assuming potential visitors want detailed information. But perhaps they're missing a simple trick to attracting the attention of potential travelers and getting them to connect with what's on offer: a dash of humor. But humor is a doubleedged sword; experimenting with it can be potentially damaging. However, research by Dr. Maksim Godovykh and Dr. Xiaoxiao Fu at UCF's Rosen College of Hospitality Management has shown that even making light of a crisis can help boost attitudes and intentions.

More Than Income: How Americans Feel About Their Finances And How It Affects Their Travel Plans, Jorge Ridderstaat

Rosen Research Review

Associate Professor Jorge Ridderstaat of UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management has examined how Americans feel about their finances and how it affects their travel plans. This study provides new, multifaceted details on how U.S. consumer finances can affect their travel decisions, providing valuable behavioral insights for authorities and policymakers when managing tourist destinations effectively.

Ucf's Infectious Disease And Travel Health Initiative: Pioneering Resilience For A Healthier Tomorrow, Chait Renduchintala, Frank Badu-Baiden

Rosen Research Review

In a world grappling with the profound challenges posed by infectious diseases and global travel, the University of Central Florida (UCF) stands at the forefront of groundbreaking research and innovation. An exceptional new initiative—the Infectious Disease and Travel Health Initiative—is set to revolutionize how we approach health resilience, disease outbreak mitigation, traveler safety, and the continuity of essential services. Spearheaded by eminent researchers from UCF's College of Medicine, including Dr. Kenneth A. Alexander, Dr. Griff Parks, Dr. Eric Schrimshaw, and Dr. Taj Azarian, along with Dr. Robertico Croes, principal investigator from the UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, this initiative …

Promoting Accessible Tourism At Mega-Events: Bridging The Disability-Attitude Gap, Michael B. Duignan, Alan Fyall

Rosen Research Review

UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management's Associate Professor Michael B. Duignan and Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, Alan Fyall collaborated with a team of fellow researchers to examine Tokyo 2020's potential to challenge ableist norms. Highlighting Japan's efforts to promote inclusive tourism for Persons with Disabilities (PwD), their collaborative study highlights the tourism sector's ongoing gaps. They argue that mega-events like the Olympics can be pivotal in driving inclusivity, addressing both physical and social barriers. Dive into this revealing examination of the interplay between tourism, events, and societal change.

Using Dark Triad Personality To Understand And Moderate Jay Customer Behavior In Hospitality, Scott M. Widmier, Prachi Gala, Iason Koufodontis

AMTP Proceedings 2024

Jay Customers are customers who act in a thoughtless or abusive way, causing problems for the firm, its employees, and other customers. Currently, the only way to identify Jay Customers is by their actions when it is already too late to prevent the negative consequences. This research tested and confirmed the use of Dark Triad personality (Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy) to identify individuals prone to Jay Customer behavior prior to its manifestation. Dark Triad personalities have distinctive characteristics that can be used to identify them along with a growing body of research on prescriptive actions to dissuade their disruptive behaviors. …

Research, Planning, And Development Of A University Retirement Community (Urc): A Strategic Lodging Opportunity, Tevfik Demirciftci, Britt Mathwich, Fred Demicco

ICHRIE Research Reports

University Retirement Communities (URCs) are a growing trend among universities and senior living. URCs are an intriguing concept that benefits retirees and universities as they bring alums back to campus for their residences. This study investigates the interest level and preferences of Colorado Mesa University's alums and retired professors for an on-campus URC. This research is the first phase of the planning process for developing and operating a successful URC.

Keywords: University-Based Retirement Communities (UBRC), Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Senior Living Communities, Active Adult Communities

Consumer-Brand Heuristics In Luxury Hotel Reviews, Maria Petrescu, John Gironda, Kathleen Bay O'Leary

Publications

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate and structure the basic heuristics consumers use in evaluating word-of-mouth (WOM) about luxury hotel brands while analyzing the impact of deception in online consumer reviews.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used a two-study mixed-methods approach, using interpersonal deception theory and social proof theory as lenses to conduct our analysis. For the first study, a qualitative conceptual mapping analysis was conducted, examining online consumer reviews to identify key concepts and their relationships in the context of luxury hotel brands. In the second study, the themes were further examined using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to analyze their …

Meaningful Work And Job Burnout Among Frontline Employees Of Classified Hotels In Nairobi City County, Kenya: Does Gender Identity Matter?, John Kahuthu Gitau, Rosemarie Ayuma Khayiya, Vincent Nyamari Maranga

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

This study investigates the impact of meaningful work on job burnout (JBO) among frontline employees in Nairobi City County. Data was collected from 309 employees in various hotel categories ranging from two- to five-star-rated hotels. The present study applied the conservation of resources (COR) theory to develop a framework. It found that positive meaning in work had inverse relationships with all aspects of JBO. The negative influence of meaning-making through work significantly affected emotional exhaustion (EE) but not depersonalization (DP) and reduced personal accomplishment (RPA). The study recommends that operators and managers of classified hotels recognize the importance of boosting …

Leveraging Chatgpt For Writing In Scholarly Publications-Guidelines And Recommendations For Hospitality And Tourism Researchers, Faizan Ali

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

In the ever-evolving landscape of global hospitality and tourism, the first issue of volume third of the Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism embarks on an intellectual journey to explore pressing matters at the intersection of travel, management, culture, and inclusivity. This issue, encompassing a rich array of research papers and viewpoints, delves into multifaceted themes that resonate with the multifarious dimensions of our industry.

The Impact Of Sharing Economy Platforms On Tourism: Opportunities, Challenges, And Future Directions, Mehmet Bahar

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

The sharing economy is a socio-economic phenomenon where surplus goods and services, aided by technology, are shared mutually among those in need and providers, coming together to exchange these goods and services. Economic crises, environmental issues, changes in social life, and technological advancements have led to the emergence of the sharing economy as an alternative model to existing goods and services. In this regard, the tourism sector has also been affected by this change, offering new travel and holiday alternatives, competitive advantages to stakeholders, the creation of new income sources, and the establishment of a more sustainable approach. Consequently, this …

Influencers Of Resident Attitudes Towards Tourism: The Shortfall In Our Assessment Methods, Christopher S. Dutt

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

The study of residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards tourism has received considerable interest over the years. While much agreement has been found, there are also several areas of disagreement and noteworthy gaps that affect our understanding of residents’ attitudes toward tourism. This discussion reviews some of the existing findings of past studies, before considering some of the significant gaps. These include the dominance of social exchange theory (SET) as the principal model, the lack of distinction between tourists and tourism, and the impact of tourist typologies on perceptions of tourism.

Tourist Engagement Model Of Regenerative Tourism Destinations: A Case Study Of Egon Buluk Tourism Village, Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province, Michael Rudolfus Sawu, Muhammad Ridla

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

The research aims to analyze regenerative tourism components products, tourists’ perceptions, tourists’ experiences, and regenerative tourism development policies while involving tourists as co-creators. The research utilizes a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with 27 stakeholders related to the tourist engagement model in the development of tourism destinations at the village scale. This research found that the development of regenerative tourism product components showcases uniqueness and beauty on a massive scale due to being situated in conservation areas. However, there is a need for improvement in other components to provide a sense of safety, comfort, and …

Designing Experiences: Unveiling Passenger Perspectives Through Service Design At An Airport, İnci Polat, Ahmet Ozturk, Ruveyda Koc, Yudem Inel

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

Service design refers to applications that design, align, and optimize business operations to improve the experiences of both users and employees to support customers’ journeys. The fundamental objective of this conceptual framework is not solely to fabricate a comprehensive, pleasurable, and unforgettable encounter for customers but also to create a sustainable, proficient, and fruitful resolution for providers. This study aims to measure passenger satisfaction using service design tools, such as customer journey maps and research walls, and to demonstrate the impact of service design experience on value co-creation and customer satisfaction. In this context, this study comprises two phases. The …

Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gai) In Hospitality And Tourism Marketing: Perceptions, Risks, Benefits, And Policy Implications, Usman Khan, Kashif Ali Khan

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

This study investigates the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) into hospitality and tourism marketing and its implications for industry professionals in the United States. This study employed a mixed methods approach, gathering qualitative insights from 20 professionals and quantitative data from a sample of 163 participants. The qualitative study revealed concerns about data privacy, customer trust, and ethical considerations regarding GAI implementation. However, participants acknowledged its potential to enhance personalization, engagement, and operational efficiency. The quantitative study supported these findings by showing a level of concern about risks but agreement on the benefits of GAI. Additionally, the participants were …

The Art Of Artificial Intelligence Illusion: Exposing Digital Deception In The Hospitality Industry, Mohamed Youssef Helal, Mahmoud Ibraheam Saleh

Journal of Global Hospitality and Tourism

This study investigates how artificial intelligence (AI) tools influence deceptive digital practices within the hospitality industry. As AI capabilities such as chatbots and language models are increasingly used in the industry, their potential impact on deception warrants examination. A comprehensive review is conducted to analyze how hospitality businesses utilize AI tools and how this shapes deceptive behaviors online. Specifically, the review examines how AI-generated content may erode consumer trust and decision-making. It also explores the emerging use of machine learning to fabricate fake reviews and social media posts. As deception undermines trust in businesses and the industry, the effectiveness of …

2024 Bloom Forecast Dates, Gina Rippens

Rosen Library Exhibits

On display: February-May 2024
Featured items: Books from the Rosen Library Collection. Handmade Japanese doll. Cherry Blossom Bloom Map. 2024 Bloom Forecast.
Primary Curator: Gina Rippens

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Sakura Hanami: Celebrating The Japanese Cherry Blossom, Exhibit Brochure, Gina Rippens

Rosen Library Exhibits

On display: February-May 2024
Featured items: Books from the Rosen Library Collection. Handmade Japanese doll. Cherry Blossom Bloom Map. 2024 Bloom Forecast.
Primary Curator: Gina Rippens

See more items from this exhibit

Japan Cherry Blossom Map, Gina Rippens

Rosen Library Exhibits

On display: February-May 2024
Featured items: Books from the Rosen Library Collection. Handmade Japanese doll. Cherry Blossom Bloom Map. 2024 Bloom Forecast.
Primary Curator: Gina Rippens

See more items from this exhibit

Sakura Hanami: Celebrating The Japanese Cherry Blossom, Exhibit Sign, Gina Rippens

Rosen Library Exhibits

On display: February-May 2024
Featured items: Books from the Rosen Library Collection. Handmade Japanese doll. Cherry Blossom Bloom Map. 2024 Bloom Forecast.
Primary Curator: Gina Rippens

See more items from this exhibit

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period November 6, 2023 - January 29, 2024.

• Arnold, Emilee. WKU Memorabilia – Big Red, Hilltoppers
• Wilborn, Price. Renee Shaw Inducted into Hall of Distinguished Alumni
• Dobberstein, Molly. WKU’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni – Claude Bloch, Charles Reynolds, Amir Zaheri
• Costellow, Ali. LGBTQ+ WKU Alumni Share Stories from the Hill – Karen Stewart, Georgena Brackett, Spencer Jenkins, Seth Church
• Homecoming Hotspots – Restaurants
• Abney, Shayla. Veterans & ROTC Cadets Share Experiences on the Hill
• Edmonds, Luke & Jake McMahon. Home Field Advantage – Football Fans
• Dobberstein, Molly & Maggie Phelps. Who’s …