Corporate Governance And Firm Value: Evidence From Lodging Companies, Serban Bakay Ergene, Erdinc Karadeniz

Journal of Global Business Insights

This study examined the relationships and interactions between corporate governance and firm values of lodging companies with different characteristics. The companies were analyzed separately using a classification and regression tree (CRT) analysis. The analysis results did not show a direct relationship between value and governance, yet that does not mean there is no relationship between them. When the companies’ governance scores were similar, corporate governance showed no distinguishing variable on firm value but is a hygiene factor. The analysis also found negative relationships between value and size. This may be important in preventing companies from becoming cumbersome. Also, positive relationships …

Stakeholder Experiences With Arts-Based University-Community Partnerships In General Education, Veronica Leone Matthews

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

University-community partnerships (UCPs) have significant potential as a way for universities to connect with communities and provide students with High Impact Practices (HIPs). Despite over 20 years of literature calling for increased community engagement, institutions of higher education have been slow to integrate UCPs into the General Education curriculum. Certain components have been identified as necessary for the effectiveness and sustainability of UCPs. However, little is known about the experiences and perceptions of key stakeholders including students, faculty, and community partners who participate in arts-based UCPs. This study investigated these stakeholders’ perceptions regarding participating in arts-based UCPs as part of …

U.S. Faculty Salary & Satisfaction Report, Prof Cihan Cobanoglu, Khuraman Shahtakhtinskaya, Luana Nanu, Faizan Ali, Trishna Mistry, Anudari Munkhtuya

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

This survey was conducted to analyze the general job satisfaction and compensation trend and create a national benchmarking report for salary and other benefits that faculty members receive in the U.S. Some may say job satisfaction is an elusive, even mythical concept, and an abundance of research has been dedicated towards it. The current report mainly focused on job satisfaction amongst academic staff in the U.S. We were particularly interested in understanding both the general level of satisfaction and different factors that seemed to account for satisfaction and dissatisfaction. In addition, we were interested to see if there was any …

Forensic Accounting Education, Practice, And Career Path In Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Alzahrane

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The various high-profile cases of financial fraud that threatened to or led to the downfall of high ranking companies have reinforced the need to equip accounting professionals with the skills necessary to detect and investigate fraud. This study aims to evaluate forensic accountants' effectiveness in Saudi Arabia in meeting the needs of the judicial system and their clients. The study also seeks to explore forensic accounting in depth through the opinions, thoughts, concerns, conceptualizations, and experiences of Saudi judges who are routinely involved in forensic accounting cases. These cases often require expert testimony (i.e., cases involving, but not limited to, …

Digital Marketing In Hospitality And Tourism, Shankar Rayappan

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

In the present world, the service providers are in a dire need to address and customize, and gratify customer needs based on their experiences, preferences, interests, and behavior. There comes the rescue, the digital marketing that has evolved tremendously over the past couple of years amidst the pandemic. Though the presence was sensed long back to the start of the decade, its imperativeness has become inevitable after 2015. In India and across the globe the people are finding the ways to stay handy, having all their needs fulfilled at their doorsteps. There comes digital marketing. In the name of …

Emerging Technology Trends In Hospitality And Tourism, Harry Costin, Antonio Eslava

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

This chapter explores how technology has radically reshaped the tourism industry in the last few decades. In particular, IT applications such as the internet since the 1990s, and more recently smartphone Apps, have contributed to that change. Today, travelers and tourists use the internet to explore the many options available to them in terms of transport, lodging and entertainment at popular tourist destinations. Therefore, many local brick and mortar agencies have disappeared and have been replaced by large, platform-based players such as Expedia, Airbnb or Booking.com. The many pictures they upload constantly while traveling, and the feedback collected immediately …

Hospitality And Tourism Information Technology, Cihan Cobanoglu, Seden Dogan, Katerina Berezina, Galen Collins

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Preface

Technology has redefined how we experience hospitality. From the front of the house to the back, technology has allowed hospitality businesses to provide a faster, better, and more personalized service. Such benefits may be achieved by relying on the systems that remember all customer preferences, by bringing guests the speed and convenience of self-check-in, and employing robots that may attend to customer requests around the clock. However, all these wonderful innovations come with challenges, such as justifying a return on investment, establishing system security, building sustainable solutions, ensuring interoperability across different systems, and delivering high touch while using high …

Blockchain In The Hospitality And Tourism Industry, Christa Barkel, Hulya Kurgun, Brenda Groen

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

This chapter will provide information on what Blockchain is and why it is used. It describes the basic concepts underlying Blockchain technology, such as distributed ledgers (DLs), consensus mechanisms, mining, smart contracts, peer-to-peer (P2P), and the classification of existing Blockchain systems. Next, it explores Blockchain applications in general, in businesses and society. Blockchain maybe used e.g., for fundraising, in education, and for provenance and authenticity registration. The last part of the chapter is devoted to application of Blockchain in general to applications in the hospitality and tourism industry. It considers how Blockchain makes it possible to create new types …

Big Data And Business Intelligence In Hospitality And Tourism, Gozde Turktarhan, Ram Gopalan, Emrah Ozkul

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

The developments in technology in the last 25 years have brought many changes in the tourism and hospitality sector as well as in many other fields. Big Data and business intelligence, which are the leading ones among these developments, have caused some changes in the way of doing business in the tourism industry. Explaining the relationship between Big Data and business intelligence is important for understanding how these changes are reflected in the tourism industry. Business intelligence and Big Data, which enable many processes to be completed in a shorter time, also bring some ethical problems. In this book …

Hospitality Brands: What Do Consumers Want?, Faizan Ali, Seden Dogan, Gozde Turktarhan, Cihan Cobanoglu

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Hospitality means more than being hospitable. It deals with emotions, trust, and interactions. It means being friendly and helpful, welcoming, and considerate, understanding needs and expectations, responding in quick and respectful ways. As an industry, hospitality is based on a human-centered philosophy, influenced by religions and cultural traditions.

Over the last few decades, the global hospitality industry has grown by leaps with more than 1000 hotel brands. This means travelers have several options to choose from. Hoteliers need to reach out to them in different ways. Hospitality industry offers tangible and intangibles to develop experiences. Therefore, building a consistent identity …

Technology In The Meetings And Events Industry, Gina Fe G. Causin, Leslie G. Scamacca

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

Over the past ten years, advancements in technology have created seismic shifts in how meetings and events are planned, marketed, and produced. While technology has not eliminated the importance of face-to-face meetings, what has radically changed are the tools at the disposal of the meeting and event professional throughout the event planning lifecycle. For example, event and guest bandwidth continues to increase in importance and, in many cases, may become a tipping point in the site selection process. Social media and mobile devices have become an inextricable part of the event management landscape. Meeting professionals used to preach turn …

Network & Cyber Security In Hospitality And Tourism, Emmanuel Fragniere, Kamil Yagci

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

The tourism sector was transformed early on by digitalization, which makes it a very innovative area of business. At the same time, this high level of digitalization maturity makes it a very vulnerable industry in terms of cyber security. As a tourism specialist, it is therefore crucial to have a good understanding of network and cybersecurity. In this chapter, we will address this topic in an accessible and popularized manner. The goal is to understand the challenges of cybersecurity and as a tourism professional to contribute with specialists in the field to protect your business, your network, and your …

Hotel And Guest Room Technology, Betsy B. Stringam, John H. Gerdes

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

Hotels are utilizing a variety of technologies in the guest room and throughout the hotel. Artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), cloud computing, internet of things (IoT), robots, cobots (collaborative robots), and chatbots are changing the service experience and hotel operations. Technology is redefining how we interact with the guest at all touchpoints, and how we manage employees and processes in hotel operations. Hotel and guestroom technologies provide increased management tools and data, to predict reservation demand, guest needs, and even when equipment might fail. While hotel technologies are increasingly automated, the use of technology is …

The Dual Aspect Of Technology In Tourism: Social Contradictions Surrounding The Sharing Economy And Smart Destination Development, Miha Bratec, Marco A. Celdran Bernabeu, Dejan Krizaj, Josep Ivars-Baidal, Ana B. C. Diaz, Peter Kopic, Tadej Rogelja

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

The technology and the rise of Web 2.0. enabled the meteoric rise of peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms facilitating transactions and consequential establishment of the sharing economy concept. This accelerated technological change has led to new dynamics in cities and tourist destinations such as over-tourism with the so-called arise of the sharing economy significantly fueling it. The main purpose of our chapter is to systematically review this dual aspect of technological impacts on tourism. On the one hand, we review the technological aspects that underpin the development of the sharing economy and consequential over-tourism in destinations. On the other hand, we …

Technology For Spas, Salons, And Wellness Centers, Su Gibson

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

OVERVIEW

Spas, salons and wellness centers have been slow to embrace new technologies, but guest expectations of personalization, access to information, and ease of transactions have recently spurred the creation and adoption of many technology tools within this specialized field. This chapter explores technology commonly used in this segment for managing operations, marketing, enhancing the guest experience and evaluating performance. The chapter begins with an introduction to the nature of spa, salon and wellness center operations and explains how technology is used, in general, to facilitate this high-touch arena of hospitality. Additional topics include technology for managing operations such as …

Hbcu's "We Can't Breathe" Think Tank Report, Cihan Cobanoglu, Deanne Williams-Bryant

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

M3 Center for Hospitality Technology and Innovation at the University of South Florida and Bob Billingslea School of Hospitality Management at Bethune-Cookman University joined forces to organize a think tank on “Social Injustice Impact on Hospitality & Tourism Education – Creating a Climate for Positive Change.” The think tank is entitled as “HBCU’s “We Can’t Breathe” Think Tank.”

The goals of the think tank were:

1. Reflect the impact of institutional racism
2. Reflect on how the industry should support hospitality management degree programs through an evaluation of the relationship between corporations and institutions
3. Evaluate the value and future of HBCU’s Hospitality …

Phenomenological Study On Lived Experiences Of Assigned Expatriates, John Alan Hennings

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The academic community has researched expatriate work for over five decades, but the problems identified in the 1960s persist. This study focuses on the assigned expatriate, defined as an individual on overseas assignment for his or her employer. It uses qualitative semi-structured interviews and a phenomenological approach to answer questions research has largely ignored: What are the distinctive characteristics of life and work as an assigned expatriate? How do assigned expatriates perceive their expatriate experience? The scope includes selection, preparation, life and work abroad, and repatriation, investigating the experiences of expatriates on assignments for the U.S. military, civil government, and …

Socially Responsible Investments In Europe, Muhammad Ashfaq, Verena Bochert

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Preface

In times of increasing demand for social equality, adherence to human rights and the tackling of global warming, awareness of sustainable investments is becoming more important in the context of the economic prosperity of a country. Investors, from the institutional as well as the private side, can support environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues by investing in sustainable assets. This research contributes to analysing the sustainable investment market in Europe and to developing market segments for the future. Socially Responsible Investments (SRIs) integrate ESG aspects into the decision-making process, whereby investments only focussing on the E (environmental aspects) are …

Corporate Brand Impact On Sales / Revenue Per Share, Brad A. Puckey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to identify the linkage between the corporate brand and sales / revenue per share growth. Utilizing a unique database, the CoreBrand® Index, this study is a quantitative analysis of the interaction between the corporate brand and financial data. A relationship between corporate brand and financial data has been suspected by practitioners; however, it has never been proven. For the first time, quantitative analysis is conducted in this dissertation using this unique dataset.

This study is intended to help those responsible for managing corporate brands to better understand their impacts and benefits. The more that …

Who Rises To The Top: An Investigation Of The Essential Skills Necessary For Partners Of Non-Big 4 Public Accounting Firms, Amanda K. Thompson-Abbott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The public accounting industry will face several challenges in the upcoming years. One challenge is an aging workforce that will be retiring in large numbers. This shift will result in a shortage of partner-ready candidates. The second challenge involves rapid technological disruption that is predicted to change the skill sets needed for success. Both issues underscore the need to recruit and retain talent in the public accounting profession. Academic research has focused primarily on Big 4 firms, so this paper focused on non-Big 4 firms. This study used exploratory research to examine two questions: “What skills does it take to …

Development Of Next-Generation, Fast, Accurate, Transferable, And Polarizable Force-Fields For Heterogenous Material Simulations, Adam E. Hogan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Theoretical modeling is extremely useful in guiding to experiment; however quantitatively accurate modeling of energy-relevant small molecule sorption at the heterogeneous interfaces present in metal-organic materials (MOMs) is currently challenging. MOMs are an emerging class of materials consisting of inorganic clusters and organic linkers that offer great potential in the areas of gas storage, gas separation, and catalysis due to the possibility of large surface areas, complex heterogeneous surfaces, and rational designability. Efficient chemical separations involving these materials could reduce the US’s total energy consumption by approximately 10 to 15%. In this dissertation, the parameterization of small molecules and metal …

An Analysis Of The Antecedents And Consequences Of Robotic Process Automation In Accounting Functions., Aharon Yoki

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Robotic Process Automation (“RPA”) is a recently emergent technology that has exploded in popularity as firms seek to capitalize upon the marketing promise of cost reduction and improved efficiency. Yet, with this expansion of RPA, very little is known about the firms’ initial drivers, perceptions during implementation, and how outcomes align with initial expectations. RPA could displace and dramatically change the workforce, but it is unclear how employees will respond to the continuing spread of RPA. This study seeks to fill that important gap in the scholarly literature with an exploratory mixed-methods study. The first chapter is an extensive literature …

Clarifying The Relationship Of Design Thinking To The Military Decision-Making Process, Thomas S. Fisher

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The complexity of today’s operational environment where military organizations are conducting campaigns to address some of the nation’s most urgent problems has grown exponentially. To address this expanding complexity, the Defense Department introduced ‘design’ into its problem-solving doctrine as a method to understand the new and dynamic challenges associated with this increasingly complex environment and provide a tool to augment its current doctrinal military decision-making process. However, it appears military ‘design’ as prescribed by the Department may be only marginally effective at producing viable solutions for solving the complex, ill-structured problems that current military campaigns were developed to resolve. This …

Bidirectional Influences Of Decisions And Outcomes On Organizational Identity And Sustainable Viability In Small, Private, Nonprofit, Mission-Focused Higher Education Institutions, Brian J. Gilliam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As educational leaders in small, private, nonprofit, mission-focused higher education institutions confront challenges, their decisions influence organizational identity, culture, and viability. Decision-making is informed in a complex environment of internal and external influences. The purpose of this research is engaged scholarship to inform practitioners of decision-making in mission-focused institutions with better understanding of why and how adaptation is occurring, and provide a conceptual framework for decision-making and further study of organizational leadership in this important sector of higher education.

Four-year private, nonprofit, degree-granting institutions represent 34% of all accredited institutions in the United States and serve over 5 million students. …

Digital Identity: A Human-Centered Risk Awareness Study, Toufic N. Chebib

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cybersecurity threats and compromises have been at the epicenter of media attention; their risk and effect on people’s digital identity is something not to be taken lightly. Though cyber threats have affected a great number of people in all age groups, this study focuses on 55 to 75-year-olds, as this age group is close to retirement or already retired. Therefore, a notable compromise impacting their digital identity can have a major impact on their life.

To help guide this study, the following research question was formulated, “What are the risk perceptions of individuals, between the ages of 55 and 75 …

Improving Engagement: The Moderating Effect Of Leadership Style On The Relationship Between Psychological Capital And Employee Engagement, Scott Beatrice

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the moderating effect that different leadership styles (Transformational, Transactional, and Passive-Avoidant) can have on the relationship between Psychological Capital and Employee Engagement. Additionally, it explores the direct positive relationship that Psychological Capital and Transformational Leadership have on Employee Engagement. This study examines 238 adults that work at least 20 hours a week. The results show that Psychological Capital and Transformational Leadership have strong, positive effects on Employee Engagement and Transformational Leadership positively moderates the direct relationship between Psychological Capital and Employee Engagement. The importance of Psychological Capital in its relationship to Employee …

Identifying Effective Systems And Processes To Promote Ethical Workplace Cultures In The Applied Behavior Analysis (Aba) Therapy Industry, Manuel Rodriguez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to identify methods and practices which encourages and enables ethics in organizations providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapeutic services to individuals with development disabilities. The professional and organizations they represent must protect the consumer, the employees and the integrity of the practice as part of their ethical responsibilities. The specific focus of this research is the behavior analyst and the ABA industry. The behavior analyst is a practitioner who studies and applies behavior analysis, working with various populations such as individuals with development disabilities, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities. The subject …

Readings In Management, Isaam Ghazzawi, Muharrem Tuna, Aysegul Acar

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

PREFACE

One reality any academic book on management faces is that events in the real world are constantly changing, and rapidly at that. What is different about this book is its commitment to capture the fundamentals of management. In publishing Readings in Management, the editors recognize the enormous role played by the internet, academic and non-academic journals, and other academic publications in providing up-to-date educational information regarding a broad spectrum of management. What is special about this book is the fact that it ensures the material presented is relevant to readers.

This book examines current topics in management and …

Work Motivation In Wealth Management: The Role Of Self Determination Theory, Mark J. Mattia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, we use Self Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000A, Deci & Ryan, 2008) as the underlying theory to help determine the factors that may influence wealth advisors to consider leaving (or being committed) to their positions. Baard et al. (2004) established that Self-determination theory was relevant to motivation in the workplace. This quantitative study utilizes a survey instrument that incorporates many already proven reliable and valid items from Self-determination Theory to better understand the wealth advisor work motivation framework. This topic is important within financial services since positive work motivation has been tied to positive work outcomes …

The Warren Buffett Project: A Qualitative Study On Warren Buffett, Christian G. Koch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Engaged scholarship focuses on real-world problems. The purpose of my research is to understand why Warren Buffett and his investment principles are not taught systematically in institutions where people are being prepared as investment and finance professionals. The rationale for the study was to answer the research question: What major themes can be extracted from the Warren Buffett Archive?

I used a qualitative research analytic method called thematic analysis used by Braun and Clarke (2006). The research includes 11 years of coded transcripts from Buffett speaking at his annual shareholders meetings. An interval of every two years was selected, which …