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1 – 10 of over 7000Cass Shum, Jaimi Garlington, Ankita Ghosh and Seyhmus Baloglu
This study aims to describe the development of hospitality research in terms of research methods and data sources used in the 2010s.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to describe the development of hospitality research in terms of research methods and data sources used in the 2010s.
Design/methodology/approach
Content analyses of the research methods and data sources used in original hospitality research published in the 2010s in the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (CQ), International Journal of Hospitality Management (IJHM), International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (IJCHM), Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research (JHTR) and International Hospitality Review (IHR) were conducted. It describes whether the time span, functional areas and geographic regions of data sources were related to the research methods and data sources.
Findings
Results from 2,759 original hospitality empirical articles showed that marketing research used various research methods and data sources. Most finance articles used archival data, while most human resources articles used survey designs with organizational data. In addition, only a small amount of research used data from Oceania, Africa and Latin America.
Research limitations/implications
This study sheds some light on the development of hospitality research in terms of research method and data source usage. However, it only focused on five English-based journals from 2010–2019. Therefore, future studies may seek to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on research methods and data source usage in hospitality research.
Originality/value
This is the first study to examine five hospitality journals' research methods and data sources used in the last decade. It sheds light on the development of hospitality research in the previous decade and identifies new hospitality research avenues.
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This paper aims to outline why design thinking is an engaging process and provide a methodical framework to approach complex, multi-disciplinary problems in ways that consistently…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to outline why design thinking is an engaging process and provide a methodical framework to approach complex, multi-disciplinary problems in ways that consistently yield solutions that are successful and often creative in unpredictable ways. It is a framework for thinking about complex, multidisciplinary problems and the one that applies to just about anything.
Design/methodology/approach
Service design is all about taking a service and making it meet the user and customer needs for that service. It can be used to improve an existing service or to create a new service from scratch. To adapt to service design, the designer will need to understand the basic principles of service design thinking and be able to focus on it.
Findings
This paper explores the possibilities for applying design thinking in the hospitality industry in general and hospitality education and research in particular. The functional areas of the hospitality profession are explored, evaluated and then integrated as a holistic design to provide coherence, connectivity and linkages.
Originality/value
The paper illustrates an application of design thinking to hospitality research and education.
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J. Alberto Aragon-Correa, Inmaculada Martin-Tapia and Jose de la Torre-Ruiz
This paper aims to review the main literature on the relationship between the natural environment and management in hospitality and tourism firms and uses strategic lenses to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to review the main literature on the relationship between the natural environment and management in hospitality and tourism firms and uses strategic lenses to propose a general framework of previous works and a map for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
A detailed collection of the most relevant literature on organizations and the natural environment in general is used, along with a specific compilation of the analysis in hospitality and tourism firms. The analytical comparison between the general studies and tourism literature provides opportunities for the discussion of research gaps.
Findings
The growing volume of research on environmental management in the hospitality and tourism firms suggests increasing interest in the topic in the past decade. However, our analysis uses a strategic framework to identify multiple relevant topics that are due for exploration. The generation of more robust theoretical and empirical contributions should also be prioritized in the future.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide insight into the growing importance of environmental issues in multiple areas of hospitality and tourism firms, including corporate strategy (new green business and implications of the environmental issues on the attractiveness of traditional tourism activities), competitive business strategy (differentiation and reduction of costs through environmental management), functional strategy (eco-labels, certifications and environmental management systems), green marketing, responsible supply chain and training.
Originality/value
While previous literature has emphasized the macro analysis of environmental challenges in the industry, this paper is one of the first to provide an analytical review of the literature on the natural environment and management of hospitality and tourism firms and will be particularly useful to better understand the organizational challenges.
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Jungwoon Kim, Soyoung Boo and Yonghwi Kim
The purpose of this paper is to investigate shifts and patterns evident in event studies over the past 30 years. It aims to review events‐related academic articles published…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate shifts and patterns evident in event studies over the past 30 years. It aims to review events‐related academic articles published between 1980 and 2010 in the top three tourism journals.
Design/methodology/approach
By reviewing 178 event‐related articles collected from the Annals of Tourism Research, the Journal of Travel Research and Tourism Management, published between 1980 and 2010, a content analysis was carried out in regard to trends in academic writings related to events.
Findings
The study found that, even though the number of event studies has dramatically increased since 2000, and subject areas have become more diversified, the focus has still remained on a very limited number of topics.
Originality/value
The present study will increase awareness among academia and researchers about the characteristics and development of research in event studies; will increase the understating of the meaning of “event” in the tourism industry by reviewing event studies published in tourism journals; will be a useful reference guide for academic researchers who contribute to event studies, which is a relatively new area of research; and will extend practical knowledge of the event field.
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Rob Law, Soey Sut Ieng Lei, Ke Zhang and Arthur Lau
Through critically reflecting on existing research on information and communication technology (ICT) in hospitality, the purpose of this study is to propose recommendations for…
Abstract
Purpose
Through critically reflecting on existing research on information and communication technology (ICT) in hospitality, the purpose of this study is to propose recommendations for future research to further narrow the theory-practice gap.
Design/methodology/approach
Personal experiences along with evidence from the literature provide a foundation for discussion, which is further enriched by integrating industry practitioners’ points of view.
Findings
Single-perspective and technology adoption studies have dominated ICT research in the hospitality literature. Technology effectiveness has often been measured indirectly. Oversimplifying technological issues has limited the generalizability of research findings.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies are suggested to go beyond examining technology adoption, embrace multi-perspective approaches and incorporate a wider range of situational and contextual factors.
Originality/value
Through a unique perspective, this study highlights the limitations of previous ICT research in the hospitality literature and provides suggestions for future research to better meet the needs of practitioners. The arguments presented are not purely from an academic standpoint, as they have been endorsed by senior industry executives.
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Sonia Bharwani and Parvaiz Talib
It is crucial for hospitality organisations to develop sustainable leadership by regularly re-evaluating the competencies and skills required by their senior managers and leaders…
Abstract
Purpose
It is crucial for hospitality organisations to develop sustainable leadership by regularly re-evaluating the competencies and skills required by their senior managers and leaders. In the context of this strategic talent management imperative, this paper aims to identify and map competencies required for the pivotal position of a hotel general manager to develop a holistic and relevant leadership competency framework.
Design/methodology/approach
Through secondary research, this study undertakes a detailed literature review of competency and leadership studies in the context of the hospitality industry to distil the essential competencies and skills required by a general manager.
Findings
This study proposes a leadership competency model for hospitality organisations in the form of a 43-item competency framework for hotel general managers categorised into four broad dimensions – cognitive competencies (knowledge), functional competencies (skills), social competencies (attitudes and behaviours) and meta competencies (motives and traits).
Practical implications
The proposed competency model, once empirically tested for robustness, could serve as a blueprint for hospitality organisations to develop their own organisation-specific competency framework for senior leadership that could prove to be a keystone for integrated talent management practices. Further, educationists and trainers could use the findings of this study as inputs in designing curricula and pedagogical interventions to meet the industry’s future needs and expectations with regards to competencies of senior managers.
Originality/value
By aggregating competencies from earlier studies and synthesising and categorising them in accordance with a contemporary, hospitality industry-relevant typology, a comprehensive competency model specific for hotel general managers has been proposed.
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Amy Gregory, Youcheng (Raymond) Wang and Robin B. DiPietro
The purpose of this paper is to propose and apply a conceptual model that can be used to evaluate the functional performance of hospitality and tourism websites. This model will…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose and apply a conceptual model that can be used to evaluate the functional performance of hospitality and tourism websites. This model will evaluate the websites from the perspective of information provision, communication, transactions, relationships, and technological merit, and how that applies to overall website functionality.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a case study methodology in order to evaluate a random sample of the top 400 casual dining restaurant chains of 2007. The casual dining restaurant segment is chosen because of its importance in the overall foodservice industry, as well as its predominant use of websites.
Findings
Restaurant websites appear to be fairly strong in providing information in a technologically savvy environment. The areas that are found to be lower in functional efficiency are communication, relationship, and transaction. The three lowest‐rated individual attributes of the websites studied in the current research are the use and functionality of banners, reservations, and language on the websites.
Research limitations/implications
As a case study, the limitations of this research are that the findings cannot be generalized to all restaurants because only a sample of casual dining chain restaurants is used. In addition, the model evaluated all of the components of the websites as being equal with the understanding that different website components weigh differently in their importance with consumers.
Practical implications
The implications of the paper are critical for website developers and hospitality organizations as the analysis shows that there is still a gap between customer perceptions of restaurant websites and the potential to use the website to engage and connect with guests. The paper will give industry practitioners some insight into the perceptions regarding the usability of their websites in order to allow the organizations to make changes accordingly.
Originality/value
The paper is pioneering in developing and proposing a conceptual model of website evaluation and applying this theory‐supported conceptual model to the casual dining chain restaurants website evaluation.
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Sonia Bharwani and David Mathews
The hospitality industry the world over is transforming from a product-focused, physical-asset-intensive business to a customer-focused, experience-centric one. This research aims…
Abstract
Purpose
The hospitality industry the world over is transforming from a product-focused, physical-asset-intensive business to a customer-focused, experience-centric one. This research aims at evolving a typology of customer-centric hospitality innovations. It attempts to explicitly capture the intrinsic DNA of hospitality innovations in the Indian context by exemplifying the typology posited with customer service innovations adopted by contemporary hoteliers that provide new ways of managing and enhancing customer experience.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on primary research through qualitative interviews conducted with select hospitality professionals, supplemented by secondary research in the form of a review of academic literature, as well as other secondary data sources such as company websites and travel websites which shed light on customer service innovations in the Indian context.
Findings
To develop and sustain competitive advantage, hospitality businesses are increasingly channelizing their efforts to provide innovative and holistic experiential service offerings. Service innovations are being tailored to cater to the unique personal tastes and requirements of hotel guests to connect with individual guests on a personal and emotional level to create memorable hospitality experiences.
Research limitations/implications
Practitioners, researchers and educationists in the hospitality industry would find the implications of this study useful in the context of the present customer-centric business environment where hotels are constantly striving to meet the exponentially rising bar of guest expectations.
Originality/value
The research highlights that it is critical to keep the customers’ perspectives central while designing innovative hospitality products. Further, it is important to create a cadre of innovation champions and service enthusiasts who can engender a culture of service innovation within the organisation.
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Stelios Marneros and Paul Gibbs
The purpose of this paper, unprecedented in Cyprus in its scope and approach, is to investigate the importance level of the courses currently taught in hospitality programs of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper, unprecedented in Cyprus in its scope and approach, is to investigate the importance level of the courses currently taught in hospitality programs of the country, as perceived by industry professionals.
Design/methodology/approach
The research population included individuals currently holding full-time managerial positions in hotel establishments of Cyprus. In total, 500 questionnaires were administered to individuals working in 158 hotel establishments currently operating in the country. The surveys were personalized and addressed to each hotel’s general manager and two departmental heads. Descriptive and inferential statistics, namely frequencies, one-way analysis of variance with post-hoc multiple comparison test (Tukey honesty significant difference) and multiple regression analysis, were utilized to analyze the data and answer the formulated research questions.
Findings
For the purposes of the study, modules offered by local tertiary institutions fall into four broad categories: general education, languages, professional modules and business modules. Findings revealed that professional modules were ranked first, followed by business modules, languages and general education modules. The respondents’ gender, age, years of employment and functional area are the demographic characteristics that most significantly influence their perception regarding the importance of required competencies. Moreover, findings suggest that professional modules and languages are perceived by industry professionals as very important elements for career success in the hotel industry.
Originality/value
Findings of this study may assist industry stakeholders in re-structuring the hospitality management curriculum, in an attempt to provide a more realistic and pedagogically sound learning experience to students which reflects the modern realities of the profession. Moreover, new knowledge created may inspire academic scholars to further investigate this topic from an array of different perspectives.
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Billy Wadongo, Edwin Odhuno, Oscar Kambona and Lucas Othuon
The overall purpose of this study is to investigate impact of managerial characteristics on key performance indicators in the Kenyan hotel industry.
Abstract
Purpose
The overall purpose of this study is to investigate impact of managerial characteristics on key performance indicators in the Kenyan hotel industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross‐sectional survey research design was used to gather primary data using self‐administered questionnaires. A sample of 160 hospitality managers was selected proportionately by simple random sample method from six hotels in Nairobi and Mombasa. A custom factorial univariate analysis of variance was used to analyze the data.
Findings
Hospitality managers in Kenya are still focusing on financial and result measures of performance while ignoring non‐financial and determinant measures. Managerial demographic characteristics; age, education, current position, functional area, and performance appraisal influence managers' choice of key performance indicators.
Research limitations/implications
The model violated assumptions of homogeneity of variances. Literature review revealed a severe lack of Kenyan‐based research in tourism and hospitality industries on performance measurement practices hence the need for future research in this area.
Practical implications
The hotels need to invest in comprehensive performance management systems suitable for Kenyan hospitality industry that will incorporate both financial and non‐financial performance measures.
Originality/value
The study focuses on level of use of performance indicators and level of importance attached to performance indicators in the Kenyan hospitality industry. Managerial demographic characteristics influence on key performance indicators are examined in leading service industry in a growing economy thus contributing to a new body of knowledge in management literature in Africa.
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