Business Commons^™

The Factors Behind A Successful Implementation Of Electronic Health Records Systems, Anjee Gorkhali

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research explores the role that budget for Information System (IS) and technical expertise of healthcare service provider staff play on the successful leap from a partial to exhaustive implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) Systems. Technical expertise in Information Systems might not be easily measurable directly, but there are a number of indicators that could be used as a proxy, such as: Information System (IS) Department Budget, number of IS staff and the extent of technical trainings provided by the IS department to the clinical staff. This research study hypothesizes that quality technical trainings conducted by an IS department …

Recommendations For Online Training In Hospitality Organizations, Geoffrey L. Wellen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Delivering consistent customer experiences is often a key driver of customer satisfaction in the leisure and hospitality industry. However, consistency can be compromised if new and existing employees are not adequately prepared for their roles and duties. The leisure and hospitality industry hires many new staff each year due to general industry growth and employee turnover. Training and development is therefore important for the industry to meet staffing requirements and to deliver consistent customer experiences. The rapid and significant developments in online training and education since mid 1990 have increased the size and knowledge of the candidate pool available to …

The Internet Gaming Industry For Newbies, Cory Nebel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The United States internet gaming industry is one which, while many people are aware of its existence, very few fully understand. There remains a tremendous amount of confusion amongst the American public regarding whether or not gambling online in the U.S. is a legal activity. While most would claim to have heard reports that U.S. internet gambling is against the law, just as many people are able to quickly reference both friends and family who regularly gamble online. Through the use of secondary research, this paper will explore a wide range of pre-existing literature on both the internet gaming industry …

Customer Complaint Handling: The Importance Of Employee Training For Customer Service, Nader Shooshtari, Shawn Clouse, Simona Stan

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

Providing superior customer service and having effective and efficient customer complaint handling procedures are critical to a firm’s success in the marketplace. This paper reports on a survey of Chamber of Commerce members in a community with a population of about 65,000 people with regard to their customer complaint handling policies and practices. The findings indicate that firms which train customer service employees in customer complaint handling are likely to collect, record, and respond to customer feedback and complaints in a more systematic way than those firms which do not provide such training. These firms are also more likely to …

Psychographic Segmentation In A Unique Service Industry: A Typology Based On Consumers’ Levels Of Consumption Of Live And Media-Based Spectator Sports, Tammy Mccullough, Sam Fullerton

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

The purposes of this study were twofold. First a typology for the categorization of consumers of spectator sports based solely upon their levels of consumption as members of both the live and the media-based audiences was developed. The four segments were given names based upon the individuals’ levels of consumption as members of both of the two alternative audiences. Specifically, the resulting segments comprised the sports-immersed fans, venue-based enthusiasts, media-based fans, and sports contrarians. Subjects also responded to a set of 34 sports-oriented psychographic statements which allowed for lifestyle-based profiles to be developed for each of the four designated segments. …

An Empirical Taxonomy Of Tourist Information Search Strategies, Stephen W. Clopton, James E. Stoddard, Mike R. Evans

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

An empirical taxonomy of tourists’ information search strategies is developed based on a survey of a large sample of tourists. The taxonomy reveals five different information search strategies. Each search strategy consists of the combination of individual information sources used by tourists in pre-trip planning. The five information search strategies are related to select tourist demographic characteristics, trip activities, accommodation choices, and general media preferences. The results indicate a multivariate relationship between tourist demographics and information search strategies. Furthermore, information search strategies are related to tourists’ preferred trip activities and choice of accommodations. Implications of the taxonomy for tourism marketing …

A Business Plan For A Successful Family-Run Restaurant In Heber City, Utah, Brittany M. Bringhurst

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Business plans are considered to be an important, “even crucial,” part of opening any business (Lange, Mollov, Pearlmutter, Singh, & Bygrave, 2007). Because of a gap in the literature directed toward successful business plan strategies specific to the family-run restaurant sector, this paper is going to consider the available information regarding family-run businesses in general and apply them to the restaurant industry.

Leaving Tray Line Behind: A Proposal For Hybrid Hospital Foodservice, Christopher Connolly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada, the economic recession is as visible as anywhere else in the United States. A lack of paying patients equates to forced reductions in labor and increased productivity metric mandates. In the foodservice area, antiquated technology limits productivity in conducting tray line food service delivery. A new tray line system would need to be considerably faster while using less employees and moving parts to maximize efficiency, effectively doing much more with far less. There are two main systems of food service as part of the patient experience; tray line and room service. Both systems …

Luxury As Culture: A Leader’S Guide To Luxury Service, Aldo Contreras Alba

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The luxury guest is a sophisticated world traveler, loaded with high expectations, hungry for the next must-see hot spot for business or leisure. As such, international hotel companies are on a quest to find unforgettable locations worldwide in order to provide their loyal followers an unrivaled experience, and stay one-step ahead of the competition. Orchestrated of high-end tangible comforts, beautiful structures, and elegantly appointed décor, the luxury segment may be defined by the words “Five-Star” and “Five-Diamond” – as these are the global synonyms to luxury that creates the ultimate upgrade to travel and leisure. However, the most commonly known …

Expatriate Guide To Beijing, China, William Z. Crump

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The hospitality industry spans the globe, employing millions of jobs worldwide. In recent years, many well-known hotel companies such as, Hilton Worldwide, Marriott, Fairmont, Four Seasons, and The Peninsula, have expanded their portfolios around the world. With this vast expansion hospitality companies look for leaders that want to have unique experiences, and are able to travel the world during their career. The Asian economic market has done extremely well, particularly Mainland China, the People’s Republic of China. In response to this, Americans have packed their bags and headed to China to live and work in the hospitality industry. According to …

Hotel Laguna: Marketing The Restoration Of A Historic Hotel In Southern California, Hannie Darrwazeh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The renovation of a historic, boutique hotel should be marketed in such a manner to ensure profitability and maintain the history and nostalgic feelings associated with the property. Situated in the heart of downtown Laguna Beach, California, Hotel Laguna has provided over 80 years of continuous service while maintaining the true essence of the community: a beachside, artistically-driven, relaxing city. Since the original structure was built in 1888 it has been demolished, rebuilt, and remodeled (Farnham, 1981). Today, the property has one restaurant, OceanView Bar and Grill, banquet facilities, an exclusive Beach Club, and boasts 65-quaint guestrooms. Upon purchase of …

A Positive Approach: Training Coaches To Build A Positive Motivational Climate, J. Spencer John

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this paper is to develop a training program for youth sport coaches focusing on a positive motivational climate, with an intended outcome to increase intrinsic motivation in youth sport participants. The coaching workshops that are available today tend to focus on teaching the fundamentals of the sport; while largely ignoring the motivational side of coaching. Pop Warner Football is the largest youth football league in the country, they have a large coach training program that focuses on drills and skill development, but fails to address positive motivation. Providing youth sport organizations with a training program that adds …

Search Engine Optimization: Best Practices For Google, Tucker Johnson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The internet is a major delivery system of hotel reservations. Approximately 25% of all reservations made at a hotel come directly through the hotel’s website (Douglas, 2012). Another 11% of total reservations are booked online through online travel agent websites, or OTAs, such as Priceline.com or Expedia.com (Douglas, 2012). These additional reservations booked through the OTAs come at a cost to the hotel, however. Typical commissions for OTAs are approximately 25 % of a total booking (Sanders, 2012). In 2010, it was estimated that the commissions associated with these OTA bookings cost hoteliers 2.5 billion dollars (Douglas, 2012). Because of …

American Generation Y And The Hotel Of 2030, Brian Kelley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Baby Boomer generation, once the largest, most important consumer base and leader in purchasing power, is entering retirement (Sherman, 2008). Now an aging generation, the Boomers, are slowly losing their hold on the attention of the hospitality industry. The Boomers are quickly being eclipsed by their children and grandchildren as the largest market population and the biggest spenders within America with over 73 million or 26% of the total US population belonging to this demographic (Nusair, Parsa, & Cobanoglu, 2011). Much like the Baby Boomers, this demographic, known as primarily as Generation Y (Gen Y) or “Echo-Boomers” due to …

Business Plan For A U.S. Based Healthy And Organic Ethnic Korean Quick-Service Restaurant, Daniel W. Kim

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The increased globalization of ethnic cuisine has become a reality in the past decade due to the rise in food and beverage popular culture. The celebrity chefs on such television networks such as the Food Network and the Travel Channel has led to many persons becoming more interested in a variety of ethnic, fusion, healthy and organic dining options. For the past few decades, the most popular ethnic cuisines in the U.S. have been and still are Italian, Chinese, and Mexican foods (Leahy, 2007). However, with the increased interest in food and beverage culture and desire for variety, there are …

The Shifting Of The Las Vegas Tourism Industry: A Historical Perspective On Management And Resort Revenues, Eden Mccallister

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Las Vegas has been internationally recognized as the entertainment capital of the world. Whether it is top dollar luxury, world class fine dining, or vibrant night life that one seeks, Las Vegas certainly has something for everyone. The latter half of the 20th century has shown the city unprecedented arenas of success, but with intense global competition on the rise, it is clear that Las Vegas is no longer the only major player in the game. The turn of the 21st century has brought a new wave of economic challenges, and though Las Vegas has adapted over the years with …

Social Media Helps Small Businesses, Nicholas J. Oxborrow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Beemer and Shook (2009) explain that developing customers one at a time is the only way. There are no short cuts to this. Traditionally, a small business would develop their relationships by going from door-to-door to raise awareness and grow their brand. How fast they achieved this depended on the budget and time available to their business. Traditionally, large businesses had the power of reaching their markets through huge advertising budget, which small companies could not match.

In today’s business environment, social media has become a new marketing tool that is available to all businesses, that instantly develops relationships with …

A Social Media Plan For The Ultimate Fighting Championship, Matthew Radmanovich

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social media has revolutionized marketing and communication and has changed the way many organizations do business. In sports, it has facilitated fans getting closer to the action while allowing management to be strategic and more efficient with finite amount of resources. It has allowed sports to get in the business of “relationship marketing” (Gronroos, 2004). That is, when a game ends or a season comes to a close, social media allows for the fostering of long term relationships and continues to build a sense of community. The marriage of social media and relationship marketing cannot be overlooked. Whereas 30 years …

Training And Development Guide For A Culinary Department In A Private University, Kimberly Rosenbaum

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In an online study of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART), 53% of respondents reported their budgets for training were being carefully looked at. From this scrutiny, training budgets in the past 18 months have significantly decreased (Bertra, 2009, p. 1). Slashed training budgets have become another sign of the recessionary times, forcing operators to direct their funds to customer service, hoping to set them apart in the competitive environment known as hospitality (Bertra, 2009, p. 1).

Sustainable Tourism Marketing Strategies At Unesco World Heritage Sites, Fouad A. Sadiki

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Designation as a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site has a significant impact on the tourism development and sustainability of a site, city, region or country. World Heritage sites bring a certain level of prestige and international recognition, but they also have an impact on the local communities as they impact day to day life and rituals of the residents. Several paradigms exist in evaluating the success of a UNESCO World Heritage site. This paper specifically examines how marketing strategies bolster sustainable tourism efforts.

The Pros And Cons Of Outsourcing, Angela Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Outsourcing has become increasingly popular to the public since the mid-20th century and has become more controversial in the last decade. The United States economy has been under the microscope for the last 4 years due to an economic recession. Outsourcing has been a subject of interest that has been brought up numerous times by economists. Offshore outsourcing is the main type of outsourcing that is of concern in relation to the United States economy. This topic is highly debated because of the unemployment rate in America.

An Introduction To Meeting And Event Management Course, Diana Spina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper focuses on the development of an undergraduate introductory course in meeting and event management and the rational for inclusion of this particular course in the curriculum at a university that offers a degree in Hospitality Management. The literature review explores the anticipated demand related to the field of meeting and event management, course offerings of some of the top ranked universities with Hospitality Management programs, and different teaching methodologies. The last part of the paper encompasses the actual course material for a meeting and event management course; including the syllabus and teaching methodology.

Medical Tourism: Trends And Opportunities, Krista Wendt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Medical tourism involves travel for the purpose of receiving medical, dental, or surgical care (Medical Tourism Association), and represents a rapidly growing niche market within the healthcare, tourism, and hospitality industries. Medical travelers are motivated to seek care outside of their area of residence by many factors, including more advanced technology, quicker access, higher quality of care, or lower costs for care in the destination locality (Ehrbeck, Guevara, & Mango, 2008). Multiple factors contribute to the growth of the medical tourism industry and suggest a continuing trend toward growth in the future. This nascent industry represents a significant market opportunity …

Capturing The Chinese Outbound Tourism Market: Lessons For Las Vegas Casino Operators, Wilson Wan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

China has become a fast rising economic power and its GDP is expected to overtake America's in about 6 years (How to get a date, 2011). As a result of the increase in wealth, the Chinese middle class has been expanding rapidly and now has access to more resources than ever before. With a higher disposable income, the Chinese now have an increased desire, and capability, to travel the world. In preparation for the increase in outbound Chinese travelers, it would be wise for tourist destinations to be prepared to attract this market and thus capture a part of this …

Multi-Family Businesses — An Exploratory Study Of Trust And Intergroup Relations, Jerry Kudlats

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

Multi-family businesses represent a rare phenomenon in the family business environment. With limited research to draw upon and intergroup theory suggesting multiple families that are in business together should be in constant conflict, this dissertation sets out to examine why some multi-family businesses are able to avoid or manage intergroup conflicts, and how multi-family businesses can work harmoniously. Utilizing a qualitative, grounded theory-influenced approach, the thesis develops a theoretical understanding that started with the data and then intertwined the empirically derived observations with the extant literature to formulate a model focusing on trust within and between families. The dissertation is …

Two Essays On The Degree Of Globalization Of A Firm: Measurement, Antecedents, And Consequences, Victor B. Marshall

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

In this research I address the question: how global should a firm be? Answering this question requires addressing several related questions. First, what is a global firm, and how does one measure how global a firm is? Second, which firm capabilities are antecedents to firm globalization? And finally, what is the relationship between firm globalization and performance?

I begin by examining Rugman’s (2003, 2005) and Asmussen’s (2009) measures for the globalization of a firm and develop a new, simplified, enhanced measure, the Degree of Globalization (DOG). DOG is an easy to interpret continuous ratio variable that is mathematically and empirically …

Sustainability Program For Rio Secco Golf Club And Cascata, Jay Chiders

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Caesars Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, operational excellence, and technology leadership. Caesars is committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognizes the importance of being a responsible steward to the environment. Sustainability at Caesars Entertainment integrates strategic direction with the energy, innovation, and passion of its 70,000 employees. These employees are what drive Caesars Entertainment’s comprehensive sustainability strategy, CodeGreen (CodeGreen factsheet, 2012).

Caesars Entertainment Corporation owns two golf courses in Nevada. Rio Secco Golf Club opened in 1997 in Henderson and Cascata opened in …

The Family And Medical Leave Act’S Impact On The Hospitality Industry: Implementing Policies To Ensure Continued Productivity, Katie O'Brien Coon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Family and Medical Leave Act, (FMLA), allows women and men to take up to 12 weeks leave to care for a newborn child (maternity leave) and/or care for sick family members. The Department of Labor states that:

FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave (Family and Medical Leave Act - Wage and Hour Division (WHD) - U.S. Department of Labor, 2012).

When an employee decides to take …

Casino Hosting: Back To The Basics, Jessica L. Hobbs

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The heart and soul of Las Vegas has always been the casino industry. People from all over the world have traveled many miles to put their money on the line in the hopes of hitting the jackpot or just to see the “adult playground” so many have spoken of and viewed in multiple movies. In the 21st century the Las Vegas casino industry has competition popping up across the country and all over the world. These new casinos put intense pressure on Las Vegas to attract the “whales” and high rollers to the casinos on the Las Vegas strip. Many …

Exploration Of Hotel Distribution Channels In China — Focus On Hotel Call Centers, Tao Yu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In a world of increasing global competition, choosing an effective distribution channel is crucial for hoteliers to deliver value for their products and services. As hotel rooms are perishable, if they are not sold each night no revenue will be generated. So, we always see the distribution channel as one of the most important parts in the selling process. With the explosion of Internet commerce and computer usage, online distribution is fast growing up to become one of the popular and effective distribution channels in use. However, will functions of traditional distribution channels die from the boom of the new …