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1 – 10 of over 2000
Article
Publication date: 26 April 2013

Maryam Amirhoseiny, Zainuriah Hassan and Sha Shiong Ng

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the growth dependence of InN on Si substrate with different orientation through RF reactive magnetron sputtering in ambient…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the growth dependence of InN on Si substrate with different orientation through RF reactive magnetron sputtering in ambient temperature.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors fabricated indium nitride (InN) thin films by radio frequency (RF) sputtering. The InN thin films were deposited on Si (100), Si (110) and Si (111) substrates at room temperature. The crystalline structure and surface morphology of the InN films were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Findings

X‐ray diffraction results revealed that the wurtzite InN with preferential (101) orientation are deposited. Through the Scherrer structural analysis revealed nanocrystalline structure for InN films grown on Si (110), Si (100) and Si (111) orientation with crystallite size of 42.3, 33.8 and 24.1, respectively. The optical properties of InN layers were examined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and micro‐Raman reflectance spectroscopy at room temperature. The observation of the E1(TO), A1(LO), and E2(high) phonon modes of the InN from the IR and Raman results confirmed that the deposited InN thin film has hexagonal structure.

Originality/value

Si (110) surface is not isotropic and it may offer a unique orientation plane for the nitride films which could reduce the defect density and the resulting tensile stress responsible for film cracking. Therefore, it is absolutely worth exploring the growth of InN on Si (110) by using relatively simple and cheap reactive sputtering technique.

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2024

Oumayma Tajouri and Lassaad Lakhal

This article examines the direct effect of total quality management (TQM) practices on organizational performance (OP) and innovation (INN), as well as their indirect effect…

Abstract

Purpose

This article examines the direct effect of total quality management (TQM) practices on organizational performance (OP) and innovation (INN), as well as their indirect effect through organizational learning (OL) as a mediating variable. In addition, this survey examines company size as a contextual variable in the relationship between TQM and outcome variables.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual framework is proposed to test causal links between TQM, OP, INN and OL. To empirically test this framework, 110 questionnaires were collected from large Tunisian quality-certified industries, and 167 questionnaires were collected from small and medium-sized industries (SMIs) in order to examine the effect of company size. In this order, a multigroup analysis (MGA) is performed.

Findings

Using the structural equation modeling technique, seven hypotheses are investigated. The results reveal that TQM has a direct and significant positive effect on OP and INN. Data analysis shows that there is a significant positive effect between TQM and OL, while OL positively influences OP and INN. Furthermore, the results illustrate a mediating effect of OL between TQM and OP and INN. The results reveal that large industries and SMIs show significant differences in the relationship, including the conceptual model.

Practical implications

The conceptual framework can be used by practitioners for effective implementation of TQM practices to simultaneously improve operational performance, quality performance and INN. This study also focuses on the role of OL in large-scale industries.

Originality/value

While the relationships between TQM, INN and OP have been examined separately in previous studies, this study examines the relationship between these variables in a unique model in Tunisian industries, including OL as a mediating variable. In addition, it is one of the few studies that considers firm size as a contextual variable and provides an analysis of its effect on the relationships between these variables. This study presents new data and empirical insights into the relationship between these variables.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1983

Linda Keir Hinrich

Those of us in our mid‐thirties can just barely remember the tourist homes, guesthouses, small hotels, and “mom and pop” tourist cabins which once dotted the two‐lane highways of…

Abstract

Those of us in our mid‐thirties can just barely remember the tourist homes, guesthouses, small hotels, and “mom and pop” tourist cabins which once dotted the two‐lane highways of this country, roads like Route 66 which spanned the country east to west and U.S. I which ran from Maine to Florida. However, aided by the developing interstate highway system, Holiday Inn, Best Western, and several other major chains spread themselves all over the landscape in the 1960s and 1970s and won a large part of the growing leisure and business travel dollar. Indeed, Holiday Inn's ubiquitous qualities were so thoroughly standardized that the company adopted the slogan, “The best surprise is no surprise.” The trouble is some people like to be surprised, especially if the surprise is a pleasant one. Until a few years ago, the traveler looking for a more interesting or cheaper accommodation than a typical chain motel had few guidebooks to choose from. Country Inns and Back Roads and Farm, Ranch and Country Vacations were about all that were available. Since the late 1970s, however, a steady stream of alternative accommodation books has appeared, and now any library faced with choosing guidebooks for the reference collection finds a bewildering number of them. In this review I will examine and evaluate what is available to guide the traveler to alternative accommodations in the United States and Canada. I'll look at bed and breakfast guides, guides to country inns, farm vacations, and college campus accommodations, but not camping guides.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Article
Publication date: 9 November 2015

Yu Qin, Bin Li and Larry Yu

This study aims to analyze management innovations developed by a homegrown Chinese hotel company aimed at sustaining its growth and reveals some unorthodox management practices in…

2500

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyze management innovations developed by a homegrown Chinese hotel company aimed at sustaining its growth and reveals some unorthodox management practices in the lodging industry in China.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical sampling process was used to choose 7 Days Inn as a single case study. Semi-structured in-depth personal interviews of 15 informants with varying responsibilities were conducted to obtain organization-specific insights. Content analysis of the transcripts was performed to analyze interview data. Secondary data and interviews of managers in competing hotels were also used to support the findings.

Findings

This study identified seven major innovative management practices developed by 7 Days Inn. Most of these innovations arose from the company’s idiosyncratic collective mindset. The company created a different approach to thinking about the basic issues regarding business and management – including managerial roles, mistakes and change – that constituted the cornerstones of its management innovations.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to the limitations of case method, the findings may not be generalizable to other Chinese hotel companies.

Practical implications

As little is known about innovative management practices by homegrown hotel companies in China, this study sheds new light on a creative and distinctive management system in the Chinese hotel industry. Introducing management styles that differ significantly from those of Western companies will benefit both management researchers and practitioners.

Originality/value

This study extends previous findings in management innovation by uncovering indigenous innovation influenced by traditional Chinese cultural values in China’s hospitality industry.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 27 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 November 2019

Aristeidis Gkoumas and Federico D’Orazio

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the art-based project of Full Llove Inn as a tactical urbanism intervention and urban tourist attraction. The project consisted of an…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the art-based project of Full Llove Inn as a tactical urbanism intervention and urban tourist attraction. The project consisted of an elevated room-car, displayed in the public space of Amsterdam from August 2006 to September 2007.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted between December 2017 and November 2018 in Amsterdam. The study applied the methodological tools of semi-structured interviews, textual analysis and participatory observation.

Findings

Full Llove Inn provided an extraordinary allure for visitors and residents. It created a sense of intra-personal and inter-personal existential authenticity for local and non-local guests, respectively, while introducing a pop-up hotel as a new form of tactical initiative.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the inability to contact non-local guests for interviews, the only source of data was based on tourist experiences about Full Llove Inn derived from the hotel guest book.

Practical implications

The research suggests that pop-up hotels may be used by Destination Management Organizations as a means of strengthening the brand image and creating a competitive edge for cities.

Social implications

The research indicates that art-inspired tactical interventions in the public space of civic environments could constitute a social capital while generating interactions between residents and visitors.

Originality/value

For the first time in the tourism literature, this study investigates the impact of tactical projects on destination branding from the perspective of both locals and visitors.

Details

International Journal of Tourism Cities, vol. 6 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-5607

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2004

David McCaskey and Stuart Symes

In the UK, following a period of exponential growth, the budget hotel market is maturing. In the classic product/service lifecycle model, this phase of development in a market is…

4447

Abstract

In the UK, following a period of exponential growth, the budget hotel market is maturing. In the classic product/service lifecycle model, this phase of development in a market is usually associated with strategies which engender strong brand loyalty; which strengthen and underpin market share; which develop competitive relative positioning and which serve to emphasize, via differentiation, unique brand benefits or propositions. This paper considers the strategies of Whitbread Travel Inn who, as the market leader, launched their 100 per cent Good Night satisfaction guarantee (or your money back) across the brand in 2001. To begin with a review of the budget hotel market is undertaken. This is followed by an analysis of the achievements of the guarantee over its first 18 months of operation, and consideration of the training approach that inculcated a new mind‐set within the organization. The paper concludes by reiterating the successes achieved and celebrates an award winning performance.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 16 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 January 2023

Pankaj Tiwari

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of banking innovations (INNs) on customer experience (EXP), satisfaction (SAT) and loyalty (LOY).

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of banking innovations (INNs) on customer experience (EXP), satisfaction (SAT) and loyalty (LOY).

Design/methodology/approach

The author evaluated the data using a structural equation method-artificial neural network (SEM-ANN) method. The author’s results show the presence of relationship between INN, EXP, SAT and LOY. In this study, the node layers of ANNs add an input layer, hidden layers and an output layer. Each “node” acts as an artificial neuron that communicates with others. The ANN model takes the variables from the SEM analysis as input neurons.

Findings

The author observed the significant effects between INN, EXP, SAT and LOY using the normalised importance generated by the multilayer perceptron used in the feed-forward back propagation of the ANN methodology. In this study, the ANN model can predict LOY through service innovation, with a forecast accuracy of 77.6%.

Originality/value

By applying neural network modelling, this research helps us understand how service innovation affects customer behaviour. For the first time, the author examined service innovations' direct and indirect impact on loyalty through EXP and SAT. The author made a significant conceptual contribution by using a non-compensatory model of ANNs to circumvent the limitations of linear models.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 30 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2013

Andrew C. MacLaren, Mark E. Young and Sean Lochrie

The purpose of this paper is to explore commercial hospitality enterprise and its impact on settlement development in the American West during the 1800s, focussing on the story of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore commercial hospitality enterprise and its impact on settlement development in the American West during the 1800s, focussing on the story of the Fanthorp Inn in Texas, USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper outlines the theory relating to entrepreneurial opportunity and applies it to the historical case of the Fanthorp Inn, Texas, USA. The methodological approach of the paper is based on an in‐depth study into the development of one tavern using multiple sources of evidence.

Findings

First, opportunity on the frontier was controlled to the extent that it became objective in the Kirznerian sense. Second, commercial hospitality enterprise was used as a vehicle for settlement development in frontier America.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is limited by its use of one case study and the scarcity of sources of historical evidence. Further studies could engage with different examples of frontier hospitality businesses and develop the method further.

Practical implications

The paper provides deeper understanding of settlement development in the American West during the 1800s and supplies a methodological framework with which further organisational research can engage with historical sources of data. The findings also suggest that opportunity exists relative to its context.

Originality/value

The paper explores hospitality as a context for entrepreneurial activity in the American West and uses a historical case study method.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2013

Hadyn Ingram

The purpose of this paper is to explore the way in which fiction written in English has portrayed establishments which provide accommodation and food: namely inns and hotels. This…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the way in which fiction written in English has portrayed establishments which provide accommodation and food: namely inns and hotels. This personal mental portrayal contributes to the image of hotels by readers of fiction and ultimately to hospitality and tourism buying behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

The author reviews the increasing visibility of inns and hotels in fiction in the last 700 years and focuses upon six selected texts which the researcher considers important.

Findings

The paper offers some conclusions as to the way in which authors perceive the way in which inns and hotels operate: people, places, plots, products and principles.

Practical implications

There may be few direct practical implications which might follow immediately from this exploratory study. The paper seeks to explore some of ways in which the image of inns and hotels is expressed in fictional literature, so as to better understand and market hospitality and tourism products more effectively in future.

Originality/value

This is a topic which has, to date, been little, if ever, researched. Fiction is increasing in popularity and it has influenced the way in which readers think, feel and react. This paper addresses this gap and opens the field for more interdisciplinary research.

Details

Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-4217

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2020

Tahar Lazhar Ayed

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of entrepreneurial education (EE) through its impact on the predictor of behavior, which is entrepreneurial intention (EI), by studying…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of entrepreneurial education (EE) through its impact on the predictor of behavior, which is entrepreneurial intention (EI), by studying the context of a Saudi university, in this case, Umm Al Qura University (UQU). The research theorizes a relationship between EE, innovativeness (INN) as a dimension of personality traits (PTs), and EI, mediated by entrepreneurial motivation (EM). Additionally, in this study, INN played a mediator role between EE and EI.

Design/methodology/approach

All direct and indirect effects were tested using a quantitative approach. A sample of 240 undergraduate UQU students from different specialties was applied. UQU is witnessing an unprecedented movement that seeks to spread entrepreneurial culture throughout the educational system as a whole, following the recommendations of the Kingdom's 2030 vision.

Findings

The results indicate that EE and INN significantly predicted EI, though in an uneven manner. However, EM played a significant mediator role only between INN and EI. INN is a significant mediator in the relationship between EE and EI.

Practical implications

Future entrepreneurs must learn how to think, communicate, solve problems, deal with failure and exploit new opportunities. However, the debate over the contribution of EE to entrepreneurs is continuing. All educators, government officials, members of society and others are involved in encouraging entrepreneurial initiative. They should consider and understand how to affect entrepreneurial feasibility and desirability.

Originality/value

Variables included in the research model are not original; however, rarely in recent research works have psychological variables such as EM and INN been integrated into one model to explain the intention to enterprise business. This study provides a well-supported explanation of intention as a good predictor of entrepreneurial behavior that will be useful to all involved in encouraging potential entrepreneurs to succeed.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 62 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

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