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1 – 10 of 201Robin B. DiPietro, Kimberly Harris and Dan Jin
The purpose of this study was to investigate restaurant employee behaviors and their likelihood of intervening when witnessing food safety threats.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate restaurant employee behaviors and their likelihood of intervening when witnessing food safety threats.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed method was used for this study with the focus group interview and survey questionnaire. A total of eight focus groups ranging in number of participants from to 6 to 12 were asked to respond to presented scenarios that depicted restaurant employees committing food safety risk behaviors and threats in the restaurant environment that would present food safety risks such as out-of-stock bathroom supplies, dirty tables in the restaurant dining area, employee personal hygiene issues and unclean production equipment. These participants were also asked to complete a draft of the survey that would later be edited and distributed to the sample population.
Findings
Results suggest that social norms and perceived severity of threats impact the likelihood that restaurant employees will intervene. Implications for academics and practitioners are discussed.
Originality/value
This study was special as it provides a synthetic viewpoint that considers how service organizations can work to do a better job of interviewing employees before starting their jobs about their beliefs and personal practices of food safety at home, their previous work in the restaurant industry and food safety culture that they may have worked in before, as well as increasing the communication in restaurants to build a food safety culture. These practices can help to lower risks to the public regarding food safety and can help to build relationship trust in the brands that we all love to indulge in when dining out.
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Kimberly J. Harris, Faizan Ali and Kisang Ryu
This study aims to investigate the decision-making process consumers engage in when choosing to return to a restaurant that has experienced a foodborne illness outbreak.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the decision-making process consumers engage in when choosing to return to a restaurant that has experienced a foodborne illness outbreak.
Design/methodology/approach
A scenario-based survey was conducted to collect data from 1,025 respondents on their propensity to return to restaurants that have been cited for serving foods that caused a foodborne illness outbreak. Partial least squares-based structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.
Findings
The findings of this study show perceived vulnerability, perceived severity and attitude are statistically significant, whereas subjective norms and perceived behavioral control are not statistically significant predictors of consumers’ intention to patronize a restaurant that has experienced a foodborne illness outbreak.
Research limitations/implications
This study examined consumers’ intentions to return to a restaurant that has experienced a foodborne illness outbreak. Findings are based on a scenario-based survey, and thus, the results cannot be generalized.
Originality/value
By implementing protection motivation theory (PMT) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), findings from this study extend the understanding of patrons’ revisit intentions regarding restaurants with foodborne illness outbreak.
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Forest Ma, Robin B. DiPietro, Jing Li and Kimberly J. Harris
This study aims to investigate the effects of memorable dining experiences (MDEs) in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effects of memorable dining experiences (MDEs) in the USA during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 530 valid survey responses were collected in the USA. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) was used to estimate inner and outer models. A two-stage approach was applied to test the moderating effects of restaurant safety measures. Additional analyses were conducted to compare electronic word of mouth (eWOM) intention and actual eWOM behavior.
Findings
All five dimensions contributed to the overall memorability of a dining experience, with affect being the primary factor. Overall memorability was positively related to subjective well-being and actual eWOM behavior. Restaurant safety measures were positively related to the overall experience but did not moderate the relationship between any dimension and overall memorability.
Research limitations/implications
Findings provide empirical support for the conceptualization of MDEs during a pandemic and underscore the importance of actual eWOM behavior in restaurant research.
Practical implications
Results offer guidance for restaurant managers in designing MDEs.
Originality/value
The restaurant industry is evolving from simply providing products and services to creating experiences. Yet the impacts of crafting MDEs are not well understood, especially during a pandemic. This study filled this gap by investigating MDEs and their effects on subjective well-being and eWOM behavior.
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Victoria L. Crittenden and Kimberly Harris Bliton
Direct selling was founded on the philosophy of coaching people on how to successfully build a business from the ground up, and women comprise a large percentage of these direct…
Abstract
Direct selling was founded on the philosophy of coaching people on how to successfully build a business from the ground up, and women comprise a large percentage of these direct selling entrepreneurs. In this chapter, we highlight the empowering benefits of direct selling. First, we focus on women micro-entrepreneurs who want to build their own small businesses, but on a limited scale while maintaining flexible schedules and work-life satisfaction. These women can benefit from the direct selling opportunity in terms of capitalization, formal structures, mentoring, income, self-efficacy, social capital, and life skills. Second, we profile women entrepreneurs who are building their own product organizations and have chosen direct selling as a go-to-market strategy for access to consumers. Three consistent attributes observed across these women are authenticity, affective commitment, and passion.
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Sheryl Kline and Kimberly Harris
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the approaches used by leading lodging properties to assess the costs and contributions of training. The study also…
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the approaches used by leading lodging properties to assess the costs and contributions of training. The study also investigates the barriers to collecting data required for the calculation of return on investment (ROI) and begs the question, “when are hotel companies going to design a system that tracks the value of employee development?” Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a purposeful sampling method and focuses on a small number of hotel companies rather than a large sample. The interview questions were developed through an extensive literature and are based upon Kirkpatrick and Phillips' framework. The qualitative method employed for this study uses Littrell and Dickson's adaptation of Marshall and Rossman's qualitative research cycle. Findings – The paper reveals the haphazard approach to corporate spending and tracking training, one of the major expenses in the lodging industry. It explores the failure of hoteliers to expect accountability for the investment into employee development. Research limitations/implications – This study is exploratory and therefore may not be generalized to the entire population of human resources and training departments within the hotel industry. Practical implications – This exploratory study identifies the barriers of calculating the ROI of training. It also suggests strategies human resource managers can use to develop ROI for training programs and access employee development programs and budgets. Originality/value – This paper explores the unique perspective held by lodging managers on the issue of ROI in training. Very little research has been done on this aspect of ROI in training in the hotel industry.
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Kimberly J. Harris and Jinlin Zhao
This study investigates the experiences of both faculty and hosting property executives with internship programs offered through the Council for Hotel, Restaurant, and…
Abstract
This study investigates the experiences of both faculty and hosting property executives with internship programs offered through the Council for Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education. Surveys were sent, via myriad methods, to participants asking for a summary of their experiences and suggestions for improvement. Also of interest was the feedback from hosts; therefore, surveys were also sent to all hosting company representatives for similar feedback. It was discovered that internships are of growing value to faculty and hospitality organizations and the continued development of experiences must be a priority. An interesting suggestion made by hosting executives was the hope that they could arrange internships with educational institutions, wherein they could also return to the academic environment to rekindle enthusiasm, obtain new skills, and update their knowledge on issues facing the industry they represent.
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April M. Clay and Jose W. Lalas
This chapter shows that students' counter-storytelling revealed feeling tolerated, invisible, isolated, and judged as well as needing to prove oneself, overcome stereotypes, and…
Abstract
This chapter shows that students' counter-storytelling revealed feeling tolerated, invisible, isolated, and judged as well as needing to prove oneself, overcome stereotypes, and act as the spokesperson for one's race based on the dissertation conducted by April M. Clay, one of the authors. Through critical race theory (CRT), it can be gathered from the responses that race and racism affect the African American students' quality of life in school. Whether they said race played a significant role explicitly or implicitly, the participants' counter-stories revealed a shared experience of feeling outcasted.
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Nancy J. Adler and Joyce S. Osland
Whereas most societal commentators continue to review the historical patterns of men’s leadership in search of models for 21st-century success, few have begun to recognize, let…
Abstract
Whereas most societal commentators continue to review the historical patterns of men’s leadership in search of models for 21st-century success, few have begun to recognize, let alone appreciate, the equivalent patterns of women’s leadership and the future contributions that women could potentially make as leaders. What could and are women bringing to society as global leaders? Why at this moment in history is there such a marked increase in the number of women leaders? Are we entering an era in which both male and female leaders will shape history, both symbolically and in reality? And if so, will we discover that women, on average, lead in different ways than men, or will we learn that role (global leader) explains more than gender? This chapter reveals the accelerating trends of women joining men in senior leadership positions, establishes the relationship of women leaders to our overall understanding of global leadership, and sets forth an agenda to accomplish much needed research and understanding.
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John Dixon, Alexander Kouzmin and Nada Korac‐Kakabadse
Of many managerialist panaceas, the most prevalent one today is the assertion that private sector practices will solve the public sector’s “self‐evident” inadequate performance…
Abstract
Of many managerialist panaceas, the most prevalent one today is the assertion that private sector practices will solve the public sector’s “self‐evident” inadequate performance. This managerialist view assumes hegemonic proportions in Anglo‐Saxon public sectors and largely goes unchallenged, notwithstanding serious reservations about the superiority of private managerial prerogatives one would draw from organization theory or, even, mainstream liberal economics, which is largely silent about the role of management and control in economic behaviour. It is a particular brand of economics that underscores the linking of public agency efficiency to managerial ability and performance. In neo‐institutional economics, “rent‐seeking” behaviour is attributed to civil servants, rather than corporate entrepreneurs, and from that ideological perspective of bureaucratic pathology flows a whole series of untested propositions culminating in the commercializing, corporatizing and privatizing rationales, now uncritically accepted by most bureaucrats themselves to be axiomatically true. The economistic underpinning of managerialism and its “New Functionalism” in organizational design hardly addresses the significant structural, cultural and behavioural changes necessary to bring about the rhetorical benefits said to flow from the application of managerialist solutions. Managerialism expects public managers to improve efficiency, reduce burdensome costs and enhance organizational performance in a competitive stakeholding situation. Managerialism largely ignores the administrative‐political environment which rewards risk‐averse behaviour which, in turn, militates against the very behavioural and organizational reforms managerialists putatively seek for the public sector.
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