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1 – 10 of over 27000Karen Groenenboom and Peter Jones
This article reports the findings of in‐depth interviews with security managers from some of London’s top hotels. What emerges is a range of different approaches to executing…
Abstract
This article reports the findings of in‐depth interviews with security managers from some of London’s top hotels. What emerges is a range of different approaches to executing security policy. Key issues are identified in relation to the balance between providing hospitality and security, the degree of overt security, and the contribution that security staff make to the success of the business. Whilst there is a shift away from a focus on security against criminal threat towards broader concerns with health and safety, these hotels have not yet adopted the loss prevention strategies developed in the USA.
Arthur Ingram and Stefan Fraenkel
This paper aims to explore managers' perceptions of labour productivity within a sample of de luxe hotels located in Switzerland.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore managers' perceptions of labour productivity within a sample of de luxe hotels located in Switzerland.
Design/methodology/approach
The exploratory, qualitative fieldwork outlines managers' perceptions of labour productivity. It describes the views of a sample of ten male, senior managers and human resources managers, of several 4‐ and 5‐star hotels.
Findings
The emerging findings highlight the fact that managers perceive productivity as a vague concept. Pessimistically, the harder managers try to understand it, the more nebulous such a notion appears to them.
Research limitations/implications
This is a small exploratory study of managers' perceptions of labour productivity based on interviews drawn from hotels near Geneva and Lausanne.
Practical implications
The fieldwork draws attention to this situation and suggests ways to make concepts of productivity more relevant to hospitality managers.
Originality/value
Essentially, the work examines the proposition that for hoteliers productivity enhancement in hospitality is, in practice, a vague concept. It is interesting that, apparently, the more effort individual units managers put into an understanding/perception of productivity management, the further the concept recedes. Arguably, Swiss hotel managers tend to confuse productivity with profitability: as such recognition of the management of people as a vital element in successful hotel management is low. What emerges from the interviews is that productivity seems to be essentially an attitude of mind, a question of perceptions, frames of reference, intangible properties: that the essence of productivity enhancement is how to do things better. Are productivity and profitability perhaps not so far apart, after all ?
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Ishmael Mensah and Emmanuel Twumasi Ampofo
Drawing on the upper echelons theory, the study examines the effects of environmental attitudes of hotel managers on the waste management practices of small hotels in the context…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the upper echelons theory, the study examines the effects of environmental attitudes of hotel managers on the waste management practices of small hotels in the context of a developing country.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey involving 246 managers of small hotels in the Accra Metropolitan Area was undertaken using a questionnaire that was based on the Waste Management Hierarchy and the revised New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scales.
Findings
Results of the study showed that environmental attitudes of managers significantly influence the waste management practices of hotels, specifically, the anti-anthropocentricism, anti-exceptionalism, eco-crisis and balance-of-nature dimensions of the NEP scale. The study also found that all the environmental attitude dimensions had more significant effects on the waste disposal option because usually in developing countries, small hotels by their nature are more predisposed to undertaking this option.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies should use longitudinal data to make causal inferences and consider the use of a rigorous statistical test such as common latent factor analysis.
Practical implications
Waste management problems in small hotels require softer sustainability strategies geared towards creating environmental awareness and inculcating the right environmental values in hotel managers in order to change the way managers view the environment.
Originality/value
Results of the study indicate that in the context of small hotels in developing countries, managers with eco-centric attitudes are more likely to engage in less expensive waste management practices rather than the most environmentally-friendly options.
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Adele Ladkin and Thanika D. Juwaheer
Examines the career paths of hotel managers in Mauritius. Three themes relating to career paths are explored: career mobility, career planning, and the value of certain skills…
Abstract
Examines the career paths of hotel managers in Mauritius. Three themes relating to career paths are explored: career mobility, career planning, and the value of certain skills towards career development. Previous research and the current debates surrounding these issue are presented, followed by an examination of the Mauritian context. The results illustrate that hotel managers have a high degree of international mobility, the food and beverage function is the dominant route to hotel general management, hotel managers actively engage in long term career planning, and managerial skills are considered the most important for a career in hotel management. In light of these findings, the implications for the hotel industry in Mauritius are discussed.
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Compares the role of an international hotel manager to the role of a main performer of a stage show. Summarizes the basic management concepts and emphasizes the importance of key…
Abstract
Compares the role of an international hotel manager to the role of a main performer of a stage show. Summarizes the basic management concepts and emphasizes the importance of key knowledge areas in satisfying various needs of different types of people, hotel managers have to deal with. Four categories of hotel managers are identified and international hotel managers are described. Finally, the pre‐requisites for success in international hotel management are analyzed.
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Joel A.C Baum and Theresa K Lant
Organizations create their environments by constructing interpretations and then acting on them as if they were true. This study examines the cognitive spatial boundaries that…
Abstract
Organizations create their environments by constructing interpretations and then acting on them as if they were true. This study examines the cognitive spatial boundaries that managers of Manhattan hotels impose on their competitive environment. We derive and estimate a model that specifies how the attributes of managers’ own hotels and potential rival hotels influence their categorization of competing and non-competing hotels. We show that similarity in geographic location, price, and size are central to managers’ beliefs about the identity of their competitors, but that the weights they assign to these dimensions when categorizing competitors diverge from their influence on competitive outcomes, and indicate an overemphasis on geographic proximity. Although such categorization is commonly conceived as a rational process based on the assessment of similarities and differences, we suggest that significant distortions can occur in the categorization process and examine empirically how factors including managers’ attribution errors, cognitive limitations, and (in)experience lead them to make type I and type II competitor categorization errors and to frame competitive environments that are incomplete, erroneous, or even superstitious. Our findings suggest that understanding inter-firm competition may require greater attention being given to the cognitive foundations of competition.
Yenal Yağmur, Altan Demirel and Gül Damla Kılıç
The main purpose of the study is to reveal the hotel managers' perspectives strategies, and predictions on smart technologies, and their expectations for current staff and…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of the study is to reveal the hotel managers' perspectives strategies, and predictions on smart technologies, and their expectations for current staff and potential staff to be employed in the future.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research approach was used to reveal the internal perspectives of managers to determine their Smart Tourism (ST) perspectives. With the snowball sampling method, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 16 senior hotel managers working in a 5-star hotel in Antalya. The data obtained were carried out with inductive content analysis and descriptive analysis from qualitative research analysis methods.
Findings
In this study, hotel managers' broad perspectives on ST were discussed in depth and presented comprehensively. Managers' perceptions of smart technologies are classified in terms of aggregate dimensions and themes. Among the most important findings, rapidity/quickness, managing/holistic assessment, standardization, harmony/integration-coordination and experience-memory, defined as the crossroads of total dimensions or the heart of smart technologies, were identified as the most important themes. In addition, Stylos et al. (2021), another important finding is the classification of technologies used in top-quality hotels, based on the conceptual framework for smart technologies presented in the literature.
Practical implications
The effective and efficient use of technology, its internalization and openness to technology provides important advantages in hotels such as increasing revisits and satisfaction, providing loyalty and reducing costs. Thus, the perceptions, practices, strategies and prediction of senior managers working in high-level hotels about ST provide valuable data to other hotels that want to survive in the competition.
Originality/value
From a theoretical point of view, this study is valuable in that it deals with the ST perceptions of senior managers with an exploratory research approach. Managerially, the research findings offer valuable contribution about the attitudes, trends, forecasts and expectations of senior managers working in high-level hotels towards ST.
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Annmarie Nicely, Radesh Palakurthi and A. Denise Gooden
The goal of this study is to identify behaviors linked to hotel managers who report a high degree of work‐related learning. To achieve this the researchers seeks to determine…
Abstract
Purpose
The goal of this study is to identify behaviors linked to hotel managers who report a high degree of work‐related learning. To achieve this the researchers seeks to determine whether the extent to which managers were intrinsically motivated to learn, their perceived risk‐taking abilities, their attitudes towards learning and their attitudes towards the hospitality industry could determine their level of individual work‐related learning.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted on the island of Jamaica. The survey was completed by 154 hotel managers and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data.
Findings
Of the four behaviors examined, two predicted the hotel managers' individual work‐related learning levels, i.e. their perceived risk‐taking abilities, and their attitudes towards learning. Managers who reported high work‐related learning levels also reported high risk‐taking abilities and more positive attitudes towards learning. The extent to which they were intrinsically motivated to learn and their attitudes towards the hospitality industry were not significant determinants of their work‐related learning levels.
Research limitations/implications
The exercise had a number of limitations and these should be taken into consideration when reviewing the findings.
Practical implications
The study therefore pointed to two behaviors linked to intense individual learning amongst managers in hotels. Hotel managers wishing to display high levels of work‐related learning should therefore determine the extent to which they possess the behaviors connected and make the adjustments necessary.
Originality/value
The study was one of a small number which examined objectively individual learning in hospitality business.
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The green marketing concept emerged in the late 1980s, and many hotels have since implemented a variety of green marketing strategies, such as the use of the “green hotel” label…
Abstract
Purpose
The green marketing concept emerged in the late 1980s, and many hotels have since implemented a variety of green marketing strategies, such as the use of the “green hotel” label to project a green image and attract potential customers. However, some companies that have launched environment-based promotions have been accused of “green washing” by their customers. This study aims to investigate the gap between hotel manager and customer perceptions of the relative importance of green marketing-related activities.
Design/methodology/approach
Two sets of 30-statement questionnaires designed for hotel managers and customers were used to gauge respondents' perceptions of a variety of hotel green marketing-related activities. Independent samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine the significant differences between the ways in which hotel managers and customers rate the importance of these activities.
Findings
The two statements that gained the highest level of agreement amongst both hotel managers and customers were: “The internet is an effective channel for marketing a hotel's green initiatives directly to customers”; and “Green hotels can elevate industry members' image and reputation to attract green tourists who demand green accommodation when travelling”. Both also perceived: “The environmental claims in advertisements are often met with criticism from competitors and consumer organisations”; “Hotel customers are willing to pay a higher price for eco-facilities”; and “Customers are willing to pay a higher green price if part of the amount paid is donated to green activities” to be the three least important statements. The results also indicated ten over-perceptions and three under-perceptions amongst hotel managers, thus implying that they may require a better understanding of customer expectations. Several demographic differences were also identified. Female hotel managers and customers were found to be more concerned with green hotel products and a green image; hotel managers aged over 59 were found to have reservations about certain green marketing strategies probably because of service quality issues, although green supporters are in general older than average; younger customers aged between 20-29 become more concerned about environmental issues; and customers with a Master degree level of education or above challenged whether hotels are truly innovative in their development of green products and services and had reservations about the use of eco-labels.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study may not reflect the full picture of managerial perceptions of green hotel marketing, as the sample was restricted to hotels on the Hong Kong Hotels Association list. Researchers may thus wish to undertake further studies with larger hotel samples over a longer time period in future. Drawing on the foundations laid by this study, future researchers may also wish to investigate smaller, lower-ranked hotels, which may experience greater challenges in implementing green marketing strategies than those considered here.
Originality/value
Few studies to date have investigated green hotel marketing. The findings of this study can be viewed as a preliminary step towards greater understanding of green hotel marketing-related activities.
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Edmund Goh, Bendegul Okumus, Ferry Jie, Hadrian Geri Djajadikerta and Diena Mutiara Lemy
The purpose of the present research is to examine the underlying motivations of food and beverage (F&B) hotel managers towards their intentions to implement food wastage…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the present research is to examine the underlying motivations of food and beverage (F&B) hotel managers towards their intentions to implement food wastage initiatives in the Indonesian hotel sector.
Design/methodology/approach
Using in-depth personal interviews with 26 F&B managers, this study employed the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to explain F&B managers' intentions towards implementing food wastage initiatives.
Findings
The study findings revealed prevailing constraints (such as lack of resources and rigid menu design) preventing them from carrying out their food wastage plan. There was evidence of disparity between who the F&B managers perceive about as important (injunctive norms) and supportive about their food wastage initiatives as compared to the perceived actual behaviour (descriptive norms) of these important reference groups. One such discrepancy is where respondents believe that senior management is important and would support their food wastage initiatives, but the senior management themselves do not allocate resources to combat food wastage.
Practical implications
The findings have important implications for hoteliers to rethink and motivate hotel employees to carry out food wastage initiatives effectively with a more synchronized approach between different management levels.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to examine the discrepancy between injunctive and descriptive norms between middle and senior management in hotels. A key theoretical contribution to the body of knowledge is the fractionation of injunctive and descriptive norms to understand subjective norms in TPB elicitation research.
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