Business Commons^™

Taiwanese Gambling Behaviors, Perceptions, And Attitudes, Che Hao Chang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study categorizes different Taiwanese gambling types using PGSI, and further evaluates the perceptions and attitudes toward the legalization of casino gambling. A survey was conducted using convenient sampling and distributed by Internet. Results indicate that across groups of different types of gamblers, there are significant differences in perceptions toward the legalized casino gambling industry. Also, across groups of different types of gamblers, there are significant differences in attitudes toward legalized casino gambling. Additionally, there are significant differences between perceptions toward the legalized casino gambling industry, and attitudes toward the legalization of casino gambling. In general, non-gamblers are relatively more …

Critical Success Factors In Florida's Bed And Breakfast Industry, Catherine I. Rash

HIM 1990-2015

Florida bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) were surveyed for the purpose of discovering the attitudes, beliefs, and actual behaviors of B&B owners and operators that contribute to an operation’s success. This study had several objectives: 1) to provide an analysis of attitudes and beliefs perceived to be necessary for success and the actual behaviors exhibited by operators based upon their self-definition of success, 2) to collect demographic information from various bed and breakfasts in Florida, and 3) to expand the limited amount of research that has addressed issues in the bed and breakfast industry. Between July 2009 and August 2009, data …

An Investigation Into Hotel Employees' Perception Of Green Practices, Sun-Hwa Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how employees of the hotel industry perceived green practices. Data was collected from 220 employees working in eight green certified hotels in Orlando. Research results revealed that performance levels of green practices implemented by hotels were lower than the importance levels of those same green practices as perceived by hotel employees. The results of the study illustrated that (1) the employees' perception regarding green practices was not different than one of hoteliers in terms of importance and performance, and (2) employees weighted the green practices that were beneficial to them as more important than green practices that …

Improving Casino Profitability Through Effective Offer Packages, Ren Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of the this study is to investigate effective marketing techniques to attract potential customers in a particular demographic group, young people aged from 21 to 34, as a way of exploring the local market. This demographic group constitutes a dynamic part of the local population and is characterized by its unique financial conditions and spending preferences. The hypothesis is that with well-designed price bundling, the casinos can realize increased revenue through increased visits from the local young population. The marketing technique used in this study is to utilize offer packages which bundle promotional items and other hotel-provided services. …

The Efficacy Of Fragrance Use For Enhancing The Slot Machine Gaming Experience Of Casino Patrons, Gael D. Hancock

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Once guests are inside a casino, experiential factors within the casino must be managed so that these guests are encouraged to engage in the gaming opportunities; remain in the casino to eat and shop; return to the casino; and hopefully, to recommend the casino to others. Ambient conditions have been shown to influence a person's willingness to stay in a public setting and their repatronage intentions. Air fragrance is one small, but controllable piece of the experience puzzle that includes décor, lighting, music and other ambient sounds, comfort of the seating, quality of the service, perception of cleanliness and ease …

The Aadere Model Of Progression In The Hospitality And Tourism Industry: An Empirical Study Of High-Salaried Black Managers, Ivan Benjamin Turnipseed

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Applying grounded theory methodology and method, this qualitative study uncovers and presents a rich, theoretically expressed understanding of the experience of salaried Black hospitality and tourism professionals who earn at least $100,000 annually. A 13-step customized research process featuring a novel literature review method, which utilizes researcher pre-data collection assumptions as a framework for conceptualizing and processing an unwieldy literature, enhancing post-data analysis, and developing research conclusions, is introduced.

Twenty loosely structured, open-ended, and in-depth interviews (12 male) are the singular data collection tool. An exhaustive analysis of participant transcripts resulted in 5,337 co ding in cident s , or …

Rebranding: A Case Study Of A Business Hotel In Singapore, Guat Loo Ooi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper examined the process of service rebranding through various studies of corporate rebranding and service branding. This paper used exploratory case study to gain insight of an actual service rebranding of a business luxury class hotel, Royal Plaza on Scotts. Information from in-dept interviews with the Marketing and Brand Director was used to understand the various elements of the service rebranding process. The study showed that the actual service brand revitalisation of the hotel involved a combination of elements in the corporate rebranding and service branding processes. The study showed that the process of making changes to service brand …

Camping: A Positive Developmental Context For Youth With Disabilities/Serious Illness, Christopher T. Troxell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The paper will examine how elements of youth development can enhance the camp experience, so that new camps for youth with disabilities and/or serious illness, such as Flying Horse Farms, can start with a solid knowledge base of what works and why it works. Also, even though the paper is geared toward these specific types of camps, part of its recommendation could be modified to fit the purpose of any camp.

Managing Cultural Diversity In Hospitality Industry, Yi Gong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Cultural diversity has become a major issue in the hospitality industry of the United States. This paper focuses on analyzing the change faces and current status of the cultural diversity in the hospitality workplaces, discussing the opportunities, benefits and challenges from the culturally diverse workforce, and providing practical recommendations that might help human resource managers to successfully dear with cultural diversity issues. Based on the analysis of cultural diversity, this paper creates a cultural diversity training module for a graduate human resource course or a hospitality company training program that aims at facilitating trainees to increase cultural diversity awareness and …

An Observational Tool For Measuring The Dealer's Emotional Labor In A Casino, Alfred Sukwon Jang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hotel industry has been interested in friendliness as a means of improving the relationships with customers. Upon how to operationally measure the employee’s friendliness, emerging studies have mentioned emotional labor at work. This study developed an observational tool for measuring the dealer's emotional labor in a casino by observing the smiling, eye contact, collecting in a gentle manner, greeting, thanking, and apologizing.

The Relationship Between High Risk Athletes Risk Perception Of Adventurous Activities, Their Travel Destinations And Their Vacation Travel Patterns, Tanir Magen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Adventure tourism is a growing market segment in the US; the decision to participate in adventurous activities and the selection of risky destinations while on vacation involves ones risk perception about the physical risks that can lead to fatal results from these activities. Existing literature suggest that risk perception is a determinate in choosing a leisure activity and destination while on vacation and that level of tolerance to uncertainty can determine travel behavior (Floyd & Gibson, 2004; Fuchs & Reichel, 2006; Hofstede, 2001; Iso- Ahola, 1980, 1982; Money & Crotts, 2003; Reisinger & Mavondo, 2005). People who have high tolerance …

Road To The Green Seal, Milos Cerovic

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Green Seal is one of the most recognized non profit organizations that work closely with companies from all over the country to provide certification of environmentally friendly products used by employees. There are many reasons for product certification process. The most obvious one is to preserve the environment and energy efficiency. Another important reason is to reduce the cost and increase the profit by using products with higher durability and less expensive packaging. Of equal importance is participation in green initiatives which allows hotels and other organizations to capture additional businesses, media exposure etc. InterContinental Chicago is the largest and …

Taxonomy Of Knowedge Management Research In Hospitality And Tourism, Henner Nehles

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry is operating in an ever increasing knowledge-based economy, where hotels have to increase customer satisfaction and retention levels, lower employees turnover rates and operating expenses, maximize profits and strive to gain a sustainable competitive advantage. “Knowledge management caters to the critical issues of organizational adaptation, survival, and competence in the face of increasingly discontinuous environmental change. Essentially, it embodies organizational processes that seek synergistic combinations of data and information processing capacity of information technologies, and the creative and innovative capacity of human beings” (Civi, 2000, p.166). Knowledge Management (KM) is not a new concept. It has its …

Challenges Facing Professionals In The Hospitality Industry, Frank Mcmahon

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Proposing Additional Questions To Understand A Destination’S Image And Its Relationship With A Business Travelers’ Socio-Economic And Demographic Profile: Specifically, The Case Of Las Vegas, Yohan Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Based on reviewed results of visitor profile reports from Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and other related literature, this study concentrated on developing additional and helpful questions to measure Las Vegas business travelers’ leisure needs and their perceived image of LVCVA. These questions mainly covered the areas, which were not covered by LVCVA survey questionnaire. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized to create these additional questions. Thirty seven leisure attributes were used to measure business travelers’ general travel experiences. Thirty eight leisure attributes were used to measure business travelers’ perceived overall image of Las Vegas. Three open-ended …

Premier, Stuart H. Mann, Afsha Bawany, Michelle Mouton, Robyn Campbell-Ouchida

Premier: The Magazine of the UNLV Harrah Hotel College

No abstract provided.

Developing A Comprehensive Training Guide For Dealers In The Gaming Sector Of The Hospitality Industry In Las Vegas, David Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Given that repeat business is at the core of profitable operations, particularly in the service industry, the purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive training guide for dealers in the gaming sector of the hospitality industry in Las Vegas. The comprehensive training guide will focus on customer service satisfaction to increase loyalty and add value to the Service Profit Chain (SPC). The efforts to develop and then implement this comprehensive training manual is to produce higher rates of repeat business, reflected in higher returns and overall profits. Therefore upon implementation, this comprehensive training manual will be the cornerstone …

Customization Vs. Standardization In Global Hotel Expansion, Nenad Praporski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There are numerous challenges that an international hotel chain faces when opening a property in a foreign country. The company’s response to those challenges will determine the new hotel’s overall success rate. This will in turn directly affect the corporation’s profit levels. The critical issue of this project is to define to what extent the world’s largest hotel chains utilize the theories of customization and standardization when designing a business strategy for a new property. In order to truly grasp the concept, it is essential for one to value the importance of brand standard in regards to globalization in the …

An Overview Of Change Management In The Hospitality Industry, Jennifer Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An organization operates based on shifting circumstances, both internal and external. Such a dynamic environment demands adaptability within the organization and consequently, capabilities to absorb inevitable change. Such focus requires the commitment of an organization’s staff. In the hospitality industry, this is especially so, considering the labor-intensive operations that respond to the volatile sales and the seasonality of a perishable good. This paper considers critical issues in change management that are relevant to the hospitality industry. Research studies in change management over the last several years will be identified and analyzed. In addition, case studies which support common findings will …

Meeting Planning Basics: A Guide For Administrative Professionals, Larissa J. Schultz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Planning meetings and events is a job function that requires skills and knowledge of the meeting management industry. In today’s economy and within many organizations across the globe, both corporate and association meeting planning is a job function that is frequently being seen as a task that an administrative professional can take on in addition to their other workload. While in many instances this may seem like the most efficient and cost-effective route for organizations to undertake, in the long-run it can actually cost the organization more – in both time and money. In addition, it can lead to poorly …

Last Minute Travel: Anomaly Or Opportunity? A Case Study Of An Online Travel Agency’S Product Evolution, Cady Wolf

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

According to Jupiter Research, Online Travel is expected to reach $128 billion by the year 2011. It is estimated that sales of online packages will reach $7.6 billion by 2011; with one segment of this market, last minute travel, estimated to reach $1.8 billion during the same period. The growth potential of the last minute market segment is substantial, as the number of consumers who purchase travel online will grow from 34 million in 2005 to 55 million in 2011 (Cannizzaro, Carrol, Offutt, and Quinby, 2007).

Beverage Operations Pricing Strategies, Jeffrey M. Yedlin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A study of pricing strategies implemented in food and beverage operations that are focused on beverage operations. This is conducted through literature review and then a real time study of operations for the Luxor Casino and Hotel. Data over a period of three months is then analyzed to ascertain practical and realistic pricing strategies facing Las Vegas in the current economy.

Interview With David Shonk, Bumblebee Farm, 2008 (Audio), David Shonk

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of David Shonk by Brian Francetich at Troutdale, Oregon on June 4th, 2008.

The interview index is available for download.

Economic Impact Analysis Of The Tourism Industry, Robertico R. Croes

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The tourism industry in Osceola County has undergone some significant changes over the past ten years. The inventory of the accommodation sector increased by more than 20%; the industry became more diversified and complex by a greater number of timeshare properties in the area, the emergence of vacation homes as a prominent market segment and the emergence of convention hotels. The continuing evolution of the tourism industry has kept it a significant player in the economic landscape of the county. The analysis considered the local tourism industry from the perspective of both direct impacts (i.e. employment, value-added and government revenues …

Spatial Dimensions Of The Orlando Destination Region, Shaul Krakover, Youcheng Wang

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This article aims to empirically examine the concept of a destination region using a case study approach. Two conflicting hypotheses are considered for the spatial structure of tourism in Orlando's destination region: the bubble pattern vis-à-vis a dispersed pattern. Locational concentration and the industrial mix of Orlando's tourist-related firms are examined by analyzing data revealing their location and business specialization. Findings reveal the concentration of the accommodation and dining firms near the theme parks area in a bubble-like pattern. Conversely, smaller scale attractions, convention services, and visitor and professional services tend to locate in high proportions outside of the core …

Cultural Advantage For Cities: An Alternative For Developing Countries, Florentin Smarandache, Victor Christianto

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Student Ambassador Program, Heather James

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The need for colleges to explore alternative methods of increasing enrollment provides new opportunities and challenges in the quest to attract students. These challenges and opportunities can be addressed with the development of a Student Ambassador Program. This work presents the creation of an ambassador program consisting of current and former students who reach out to local high schools, career seminars, and industry related venues in order to both increase awareness of the program while also answering questions and being a point of contact for potential students. The implementation of the program involves a targeted recruitment strategy, coupled with training …

Greening In The United States Hotel Sector: An Exploratory Examination, Adam Kaplan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The aim of this paper is to explore the concept of greening in the U.S. hotel sector. Much of the existing research on the topic of greening is relegated to the European and Asian hotel sectors. Within the literature review, the paper will examine what industry leaders and scholars have reported about the progress of greening in the global sector. Given the scant research domestically, the paper will attempt to generalize some of the findings to the situation in the U.S. hotel sector. The paper’s methodology section will build on European research on greening and develop a blueprint for U.S. …

Higher Education Event – A Case Study And Special Event Approach, Matthew J. Muldoon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of the present paper is to gain a better understanding of hospitality management literature in order to improve higher education event management strategies. The resulting professional paper intends to bring forward relevant literature and practical trends in event management. In addition, the paper intends to take a useful approach in examining the role of university conference and event standards in coordinating successful university development events. Moreover, this review expects to identify trends in higher education event programs as they relate to the hospitality industry. Events are important development initiatives and when properly planed can become a true cultivation …

An Assessment Of The World Wine Auction Marketplace, Michael M. Bowden

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The fine wine marketplace has exploded in recent years, especially within the United States. Driven from super-heated prices this year [2007], American and European wine auctions sponsored by English-language houses realized at least US$333,209,438 in revenues this year, up from last year’s [2006] US$242,803,251 (Goldberg, 2007). It should also be noted that Peter D. Meltzer, from Wine Spectator magazine, stated that “worldwide auctions of fine and rare wines rose 25 percent over 2006 to hit a record $301 million in sales, according to figures just released by the major auction houses” (Meltzer, 2008, P. 128). This charge, especially in the …