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Proposes primarily to test empirically Smith′s entrepreneurial typology and Miles and Snow′s typology of strategy in the restaurant sector, and then to establish whether or not there is a relationship between type of entrepreneur and type of strategy. Evidence suggests that Smith′s two entrepreneurial types may not be mutually exclusive and that a third group of entrepreneurs exists combining characteristics from both Smith′s craftsmen and opportunistic types. Finds support for Miles and Snow′s four generic strategies of defender, prospector, analyser and reactor. Through the use of discriminant analysis, it was possible to demonstrate a relationship between type of entrepreneur and type of strategy.

Projections are made concerning the nature and focus of merger, acquisition, and alliance activity in the post‐1992 environment by both US and European hospitality firms. Recommendations are offered concerning the most viable business strategies facing hospitality organisations in the Internal Market of 1992.

The purpose of this paper is to deliver empirical data comparing the effects of music with the effects of providing waiting time information on customers who are kept on hold when telephoning their bank. It aims to discover if either has a more positive impact on their affective responses (satisfaction), and to discern if these effects are measurably different to a telephone call without music, or waiting time information, and for different durations of wait.

The methodology is an empirical study using bank customers as participants. Questionnaires and user observations techniques are employed to collect quantitative data which are analysed using repeated measures ANOVAs.

Overall the presence of updates, or music, has a positive influence on satisfaction when compared to just a ringing tone, but for a waiting time of one minute music has no influence on satisfaction. The acceptable waiting time threshold plays a very critical influence on satisfaction with the service. A waiting time above this results in larger differences being observed in the responses to the four treatments, with music and updates both having greater influence. In general, the presence of music and updates are also shown to reduce the overestimation of perceived waiting time.

This paper reports findings from an existing UK telephone banking service with 197 customers in three different locations. Implications from the findings provide insights for telephone service managers when choosing between adopting music or updates for managing on‐hold periods.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the importance and performance of customers’ full-service restaurant selection factors in the USA using the importance-performance analysis model.

An online survey was distributed to participants who were 19 years of age or older and had dined at a full-service restaurant in the past month. A total of 413 valid surveys were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the demographic information, satisfaction of restaurant attributes, revisit intention, and scores of importance-performance items. Path analysis was applied to group customer’s perceived importance of restaurant attributes and was used to analyze relationships among five attribute dimensions, satisfaction and revisit intention.

“Accurate guest check,” “prompt service,” “overall value of the dining experience,” and “lighting” were very important to customers but the restaurants’ performances in these areas were not satisfactory. Three attribute dimensions (food, service, and price and value) were positively and directly related to customer satisfaction and their effects are partially mediated. However, atmosphere and satisfaction are negatively and partially mediated in this study.

Food, service, price and value, and atmosphere dimensions have larger direct effects than indirect effect on revisit intentions. Their impacts on revisit intentions are partially mediated by satisfaction. Thus, great performance alone may not significantly improve revisit intentions. However, great performance can increase customer satisfaction, which has a stronger influence on revisit intentions.

This research explored the mediating effects of satisfaction between five restaurant dimensions and behavioral intentions.

Conducts two studies, one among working women and one among the employed physically handicapped, to assess their feelings about the recent introduction of equal opportunity legislation in Hong Kong. Provides some background statistics on Hong Kong and outlines the development of anti‐discrimination legislation. Asks 78 women and 10 physically handicapped people if they thought discrimination was serious in Hong Kong and if the anti‐discrimination legislation and the Equal Opportunities Commission were effective in combating discrimination. Describes the methodology used and discusses the results. Reveals that both groups surveyed were ambivalent about discrimination, stating that legislation enforces behavioural changes but that they are only skin deep. Points out also that it is difficult to quantify discriminatory practices. Notes similarities between east and west, particularly with research suggesting that the only way forward in promoting equality is to reduce status distinctions for everyone and to make organizations much more democratic.

The purpose of this study is to test the entrepreneurial orientation organization structure‐performance link within the context of the Asian hotel industry.

Performance was designated as the dependent variable while strategic posture and organization structure were considered the independent variables. Correlation and regression analysis were adopted to test relationships.

Results suggest that entrepreneurial strategic posture is positively associated with performance. Contrary to expectations, organic structures were negatively associated with performance. The study findings are in support of previous researchers who have suggested that western theories are not easily generalized to a non‐western context.

The cross‐sectional approach adopted in this research does not capture the effects of strategy‐structure alignment over time. The external validity of the results is also limited due to the geographically focused nature of the study sample.

This study offers useful insights for hoteliers based on empirical evidence.

The provision of meals has long been regarded as an essential part of treatment of hospitalized patients complementing medical procedures and nursing management. Today, despite changes in the health-care landscape, which focused on improving the quality and efficiency of hospital care, malnutrition among inpatient was still a common worldwide concern.

This was a multi-centre, randomized study conducted in 21 study sites comprising 21 state and specialist government hospitals under the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The sample size for this study was calculated with purposive sampling method, followed by proportionate sampling to determine the random sample size of each of the study sites. The total sample size required for this study was 2,759 subjects. A validated data collection form was used in the study.

Only 32.2 % and 37.6 % of subjects achieved adequate energy and protein intake, respectively, during their admission to medical ward. The study result showed that the overall mean energy and protein intake was 794.6 ± 487.8 kcal and 35.2 ± 24.3 g, respectively. The estimated energy (p = 0.001) and protein (p = 0.001) intake of all study sites was significantly lower compared to the adequacy value.

The adequacy intake in this study was only carried out in medical wards, thus reproducible result among other wards in different study sites could not be confirmed. Besides, this study assumed that the portion eaten by subjects during lunch and dinner was the same, and therefore, either one was recorded together with breakfast and either lunch or dinner to represent a subject’s daily intake.

This was the first nationwide study to report the adequacy of energy and protein intake of patients receiving therapeutic diets in the government hospital setting in Malaysia.

The concept of ubiquitous assimilation in e-commerce, denoting the seamless integration of technologies into customer shopping experiences, has played a pivotal role in aiding e-satisfaction and, consequently, fostering patronage intention. Among these, text-based chatbots are significant innovations. In light of this, the paper aims to develop a conceptual framework and comprehend the patronage behaviour of artificial intelligence-enabled chatbot users by using chatbot usability cues and to determine whether the social presence and flow theories impact e-satisfaction, which leads to users’ patronage intention. The current research provides insights into online travel agencies (OTAs), a crucial segment within the travel and tourism sector. Given the significance of building a loyal clientele and cultivating patronage in this industry, these insights are of paramount importance for achieving sustained profitability and growth.

The research framework primarily focused on the factors that precede e-satisfaction and patronage intention among chatbot users, which include social presence, flow, perceived anthropomorphism and need for human interaction. The researchers collected the data by surveying 397 OTA chatbot users by using an online questionnaire. The data of this cross-sectional study were analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling.

Findings reveal that e-satisfaction is positively linked with patronage intention and the variables of social presence and flow impact e-satisfaction along with chatbot usability cues. There were direct and indirect relations between chatbot usability and e-satisfaction. Moreover, the personal attributes, “need for human interaction” and, “perceived anthropomorphism” were found to moderate relations between chatbot usability cues, social presence and flow.

The impact of chatbot’s usability cues/attributes on e-satisfaction, along with perceived attributes – social presence and flow in the realm of OTAs contributes to the human–chatbot interaction literature. Moreover, the interacting effects of perceived anthropomorphism and the need for human interaction are unique in the current contextual relations.

The purpose of this paper is to test the effect that anthropomorphic framing (i.e. robot vs automatic machine) has on consumers’ responses in case of service failure. Specifically, the authors hypothesize that consumers hold an unconscious association between the word “robot” and agency and that the higher agency attributed to self-service machines framed as robots (vs automatic machines) leads, in turn, to a more positive service evaluation in case of service failure.

The authors have conducted four experimental studies to test the framework presented in this paper. In Studies 1a and 1b, the authors used an Implicit Association Test to test for the unconscious association held by consumers about robots as being intelligent machines (i.e. agency). In Studies 2 and 3, the authors tested the effect that framing technology as robots (vs automatic machines) has on consumers’ responses to service failure using two online experiments across different consumption contexts (hotel, restaurant) and using different dependent variables (service evaluation, satisfaction and word-of-mouth).

The authors show that consumers evaluate more positively a service failure involving a self-service technology framed as a robot rather than one framed as an automatic machine. They provide evidence that this effect is driven by higher perceptions of agency and that the association between technology and agency held by consumers is an unconscious one.

This paper investigates a novel driver of consumers’ perception of agency of technology, namely, how the technology is framed. Moreover, this study sheds light on consumers’ responses to technology’s service failure.

This paper aims to examine the strategic implications of stakeholder engagement in emerging economies.

The author examines a range of current theories that address the question of “why corporate morality pays”, most notably instrumental stakeholder theory. The focus is not on theoretical validity but the institutional assumptions that underpin the theory. It then compares these assumptions with the reality in emerging economies to challenge the universality of the theory.

Existing interpretations of stakeholder theory and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are heavily influenced by the west and developed countries. Only when firm‐stakeholder interactions are overwhelmingly rule‐governed will developing a trustworthy and cooperative relationship with stakeholders result in competitiveness.

A warning to CSR managers and multinational corporations that pursue competitive advantages in emerging economies such as China and India.

A new, critical approach to rethink stakeholder management in a cross‐border/cultural context.