Business Commons^™

Consumer Perceived Risk Of Smartphones, Michael York

Undergraduate Research Conference

The smartphone market continues to grow, along with its functionality. With the ever more reliance on the smartphone the vulnerability of it is becoming a concern. The possibility of viruses and having private information stolen is becoming a very likely scenario in the future.

This study will look at the consumers concern of having private information stolen or getting a smartphone virus.

Examining The Student Investment Roundtable's Funds, David Hernandez, Uriel Luna

Undergraduate Research Conference

To what extent are the factors of the Fama-French-Factor Asset Pricing Model related to rates of returns of the Stephen F. Austin State University Student Investment Roundtable Fund?

The Fama-French Model is believed to be a major improvement over the ever-popular Capital Asset Pricing Model, CAPM. The Capital Asset Pricing Model uses a single factor beta to compare the excess returns of a portfolio with the excess returns of the market as a whole, but is said to oversimplify the complex market. On the other hand, the Fama-French Model three-factor adds additional factors to the original CAPM equation. The Fama-French …

The K.E.E.P. Program, Candace Clanahan, Jason Crager, Michael York

Undergraduate Research Conference

K.E.E.P. is a program developed to aid in employee retention. Employees are a company’s most important asset; retaining that top talent results in cost avoidances.

The program that Biss Enterprises has developed is a tried and proven method. This includes management training, enhanced communication tools, employee perspective surveys, and metrics that measure a company’s progress against a diversity maturity model.

Loan Repayment And Personal Finance For Aspiring Public Servants, Ryan Nofsinger

Working in the Public Interest Conferences

Shares federal loan repayments programs, based on income levels, available to Law School graduates.

Social Media For Social Good, Charlie Harris

Fair Trade Universities' National Convergence

No abstract provided.

Imo Social & Fair Trade Programme, Laura Johnson

Fair Trade Universities' National Convergence

No abstract provided.

The State Of The Fair Trade Movement, Jeff Goldman, Executive Director

Fair Trade Universities' National Convergence

No abstract provided.

Nevada 2.0 Program And Speakers, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Nevada 2.0: New Economies for a Sustainable Future

Nevada 2.0: New Economies for a Sustainable Future was held on January 7, 2011, to explore opportunities to diversify Nevada’s economy by examining similar efforts in nearby states. It included presentations by guest speakers from Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix, and Dallas, as well as interactive panel discussions with Nevada business and political leaders to hone in on the next steps Nevada should take to move forward on new business expansion. For years, Nevadans have understood the need to diversify the state’s economy beyond tourism, construction, and mining. Yet, Nevada enjoyed an extended boom from simply enlarging its base economy. …

Nevada 2.0 Reading List, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Nevada 2.0: New Economies for a Sustainable Future

Supplemental reading materials distributed at the Nevada 2.0 conference.

Using 'Personalities' As A Viable Option For The Development Of Niche Tourism, Robert Nash Ph.D., Paul Stansbie

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

The aims of this research were

• To explore the opportunities to develop tourism based on famous personalities

• To ascertain whether there is sufficient demand in Japan to sustain a Thomas Blake Glover heritage destination in Northeast Scotland

• To identify long-term strategies to optimise the Glover connection as a resource for NE Scotland

Jocks And Jills: The Case Of The Restaurant Turnaround, Jeffery Elsworth Ph.D.

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

No abstract provided.

Alcohol Consumption Among Hospitality And Nonhospitality Majors: Is It An Issue Of Personality, Carl P. Borchgrevink Ph.D., Henrik C. Borchgrevink, Michael P. Sciarini Ph.D.

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

Young adults, including university students, are more likely than other groups to engage in risky alcohol consumption. Employees at hospitality establishments and students at hospitality programs have been found to engage in heavy drinking. Excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to serious illness, cognitive difficulties, risky behaviors and sexual dysfunction. High levels of alcohol consumption, high rates of liver cirrhosis, elevated risk of alcohol-associated cancer and high prevalence of alcoholism have been found among restaurant employees. Research has started to explore some of the antecedent conditions and influences that may lead to high levels of alcohol consumption. Initial findings suggest …

A Study Of Restaurateurs' Attitudes And Practices In Relation To Obesity, Gary "Lee" Frantz Ph.D., Chanda Walter M.S., Rpht, Kendra K. Kattleman Ph.D., Rd, Ln

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

The dramatic increase in the rate of obesity in the United States is raising new public health concerns. Each year, obesity-related problems cause at least 300,000 deaths and cost around 100 billion dollars. Take a walk down the street, go to a shopping center or sport event, or pick up a newspaper or magazine and the severity of the obesity problem in the United States is becoming a critical problem to solve. About 65% of the U.S. adult population is overweight (35%) or obese (30%), which has doubled in only two decades. Obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart …

Factors Impacting Hotel Market Performance, A.J. Singh Ph.D., Raymond S. Schmidgall Ph.D., Seunghyun Kim Ph.D., Zhen Zhang

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

It is generally accepted that hotel development, investment and acquisition follows three basic steps, (Waterman 2001)

1. Identifying market areas that show long term potential for hotel investment

2. Choosing a lodging product that takes advantage of the dynamics of the local supply and demand characteristics.

3. Search and selection of a suitable site.

Whereas hotel investors and market analysts have access to top line performance data, such as Occupancy, Average Daily Rate, RevPar , these represent historic information. As such, these data points are useful in that they provide market trends, which can be used to extrapolate future performance. …

Are Loyalty Program Members More Loyal Than Nonmembers?, Miran Kim Ph.D., Christine Vogt Ph.D., Bonnie Knutson

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

Since the airline industry introduced the first loyalty program in the early 1980s (Lacey and Sneath, 2006), loyalty programs are common in many hospitality sectors including hotels, restaurants, casinos, and rental cars (Baloglu, 2002). As one of many relationship marketing tactics, loyalty programs aim to develop repeat purchases by rewarding customers with added benefits such as recognition, preferred treatment, access to special products and services, and incentives (Kivetz and Simonson, 2002; Sharp and Sharp, 1997). They also aim to foster customers’ loyalty by building closer and longer-term relationships between the company and customers (Meyer-Waarden, 2008; Sharp and Sharp, 1997; Yi …

Exploring E-Service Quality Of Online Hotel Booking Web Sites, Sungsik Yoon, Seunghyun Kim Ph.D.

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

There is no doubt that the internet has become a new and valuable communication channel, collapsing all geographical and physical barriers, and making it a competitive marketing devise in the hospitality and tourism industry (Doolin et al., 2002). It is clear that travelers increasingly prefer interacting with the travel business online to conveniently gather information on destinations, prices, and schedules (Greenspan, 2004). For that reason, many hotels are regarding the internet as a new and efficient marketing environment. For example, one of the main advantages for hotels by using electronic strategies as a distribution system is the cost reduction (O’Connor …

A Case Study Of International Cooperative Learning Between American And Chinese Students, Suosheng Wang, Kun Lai Ph.D.

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

International Cooperative Learning (ICL) possesses a big potential in becoming a good solution to higher education’s challenge of “internationalization.” To explore how ICL should be designed, implemented and what challenges and barriers an ICL course may encounter, the researchers from SYSU, Guangzhou, China and IU, Indianapolis, USA researched ICL by incorporating it into the course of ‘Global Tourism Geography’ and bringing their students together into the same distance-learning ‘classroom’. Such a study is needed for the reason that ICL lacks clear conception and practical operationalization, although it possesses great potentials to be an important solution to challenges caused by “internationalization” …

Applying The Dineserv And Ipa Methods To A Cross Cultural Comparison Of Quality Service Gaps, A. Scott Rood, Joanna Dziadkowiec

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

This is an empirical comparison of methods study, to determine which method (DINESERV or Importance Performance Analysis) will produce the most relevant gap analysis attuned to the needs of restaurant managers (hospitality providers) in Poland and the United States. The aims are: 1) to understand what consumers expect (in advance of their purchase) from a casual dining restaurant; 2) to understand what attributes are more or less important to them; 3) to examine aspects of service delivery (post purchase) and identify the service quality gaps; and, 5) to compare the two main methodologies.

Travel Marketing Collaboration Effectiveness: What Metric Count, Michael E. Ricco

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

The purpose of this study is to identify a definitive array of inter-organizational, collaborative marketing effectiveness measurements used in practice. The metrics were derived from a factor analysis of literature-based metrics. The industry context of the study was U.S. organizations engaged in the international inbound tourism industry since 2005.

Identifying Perceived Attributes Of Japanese Restaurants, Haeik Park, Jaemin Cha Ph.D.

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

Growth in popularity of Japanese foods among Americans is confirmed by the increasing number of Japanese restaurants in the USA over the past decade (Imai, 2010). Since popularity and demand for Japanese cuisine continues to grow, operators of Japanese restaurants need to understand consumers’ perceived attributes of Japanese restaurants.

Relationships Among Experiential Marketing, Experiential Value, Customer Satisfaction, And Customer Loyalty: An Empirical Investigation Of Korea's Upscale Hotels, Dongsun Kim, Seunghyun Kim Ph.D.

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

No abstract provided.

Fundraising Strategies Of Nonprofit Organizations: Measuring Roi And Success In A Time Of Economic Crisis, Leslie Jablonski, Jeff Beck

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

The question being explored through this research is whether or not there are particular, newly developed, strategies that have aided organizations in continuing to raise funds during difficult economic times. Particularly, the research focuses on the differing events organizations have used in their attempts to raise money. In addition, it explores the existence of connections between the strategies the organizations in different sectors of the industry use to raise money when the public does not have much to give.

Handwashing Behaviors In Food Service Establishment Restrooms: An Observational Study, Jaemin Cha Ph.D., Carl Borchgrevink Ph.D., Seunghyun Kim Ph.D.

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified poor handwashing as a main factor in foodborne illness outbreaks (ServSafe, 2009). They suggested that failure to wash hands, or inadequate washing of hands, contributes to almost 50% of all foodborne illness outbreaks. We conducted an observational study of diners’ handwashing behaviors in restaurant restrooms in terms of gender, handwashing signage, sink cleanliness conditions, and time. Our goal was to explore predictors of proper handwashing behaviors to promote better handwashing compliance.

Consumer Perception Of Boutique Hotel: A Pilot Study, Jellna Chung, Seunghyun Kim Ph.D.

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

In most situations, consumers purchase or use built-in products and services; however, it is sometimes necessary to customize products to satisfy consumers’ needs and desires. In the hotel industry, for instance, customers have begun to prefer unique experiences. The newest concept in the hotel market today is the boutique (Hartesvelt, 2006). Boutique hotels are upscale, luxury properties that tend to be smaller than conventional hotels, are frequently located in urban areas or city centers, have historical or other interesting aspects, and individually designed for the delivery of personal service (Lim & Endean, 2008). The primary purpose of this study is …

Using Excel To Teach Hospitality Financial Statement Analysis, George R. Conrade

Great Lakes Hospitality & Tourism Educators Conference

This presentation demonstrated the use of Excel to help individuals understand how to prepare and analyze lodging industry financial statements. It focused on an Excel-based interactive exercise that requires a user to prepare some key lodging industry statements, calculate ratios, and then analyze what the numbers mean. It is this last element that is the most important part of financial statement analysis – users must think about what a line account value or a ratio is telling them. It is from this focus on listening to what a number says about an operation that the exercise derives its name – …

An Analysis Of Crime Statistics To Tourist Areas And Non-Tourist Areas In New Orleans, Kim H. Williams

Caesars Hospitality Research Summit

The economic impact of travel and tourism to New Orleans, Louisiana is immense. In New Orleans, tourism is one of the leading industries which accounts for the city’s economic recovery in Post-Katrina New Orleans. Tourism was one of the major industries to the New Orleans economy and accounted for 35% or $210 million of the City of New Orleans’ annual operating budget (New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, 2008). Yet, tourism leaders and officials are plagued with the negative perception of crime as New Orleans tops U.S. cities as the murder capital of the United States (McCarthy, 2007). The negative perception …

Hotel Guests’ Perceptions Of Sustainable Hotel Practices In A Mexican Destination, Orie Berezan, Michelle Millar, Carola Raab

Caesars Hospitality Research Summit

Hotel selection and attributes that are important to travelers has been extensively researched using a variety of methods (Dolnicar, 2002). Dolnicar & Otter (2003) confirmed, after reviewing 21studies related to hotel attributes, cleanliness as the top priority, followed by hotel location. In total, 173 attributes were identified that were related to image, price/value, the hotel itself, and service (Lockyer, 2005). None of those attributes, however, were related to environmental attributes of a hotel. For more than a decade, the hospitality industry has been under pressure by government legislation and regulations to implement environmental strategies and thereby reduce their carbon footprint …

Incidental Music: Enhancing The Emotional Experience Of The Audience, Kathleen B. Nelson, Daniel E. Nelson

Caesars Hospitality Research Summit

Environmental psychologists, who study transactions between individuals and their physical settings, maintain when an individual’s environment is changed, his/her behavior and experience are also changed by the environment (Gifford, 2002). Like other segments of the theatrical setting, a manipulation of the environment can enhance or constrain audience actions. Physical elements, as well as other ambient factors such as lighting, color, quality of materials, set design, music, fragrance, and room temperature are just a sample of the dramatic elements used to orchestrate the environment. However, this paper explores the relationship between the elements utilized to create enhanced experiences for the audience …

Incorporating Crisis Management Into Hospitality Education: A Study Of Current Curriculum Content Compared To Skills Essential For Today's Environment, Barent N. Mccool

Caesars Hospitality Research Summit

All venues of the hospitality industry have an unprecedented responsibility for the safety, health, and welfare of their guests today. This project is investigating what is currently incorporated in the curricula of United States hospitality management programs regarding crisis management skills and comparing current content with recommended content to determine gaps in these curricula. Based on the findings, recommendations for enhancements that programs might make to their curricula will be made.

The Impact Of Hedonic And Utilitarian Motivations On The Hotel Customers' Risk Perception, Chih-Chien Chen, Zvi Schwartz

Caesars Hospitality Research Summit

The study proposes that deal-seeking travelers' perception of risk may have a dual and contradicting impact on Expected Utility and, consequently, on their propensity to search for a better deal and book the travel product. According to a traditionally utilitarian motivation, a high level of risk and the prospect of negative results reduce Expected Utility, and they are therefore likely to reduce search activities and increase booking. This study argues that, due to hedonic motivations, consumers may enjoy the risk elements of their search for a better deal and, consequently, may respond to higher levels of induced risk perception by …