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The purpose of this study is to develop a theory that explains how organizations can create a more inclusive atmosphere on the individual, organizational and societal levels. The consequences of an inclusive environment were subsequently developed and explored.

Constructivist grounded theory methods were used to collect and analyze data from interviews with 20 hotel executives and their company websites.

The findings of this study produced a theoretical framework for inclusion in hotel leadership, leadership inclusion theory (LIT). The LIT states organizations must address individual differences, organizational policies and culture and societal norms to develop an inclusive environment. Equity follows inclusion as the value for individual differences makes equitable treatment easier. Finally, diversity increases through increased inclusion and equity.

The LIT describes steps for managers to take to develop an inclusive environment, establish equitable practices and increase diversity within an organization.

The LIT highlights several unintended exclusion practices and generational attitudes that are common among organizations. By making conscious efforts, managers can take deliberate actions to establish a perceived environment of equality.

The LIT is a seminal theory-building effort grounded in hospitality. It explains the when and why of several phenomena related to inequality in the hotel industry and how to overcome such imbalances.

The purpose of this critical review is to address issues with the current school of thought that diversity must come before inclusion in the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) process and propose an alternate solution.

This review takes a critical constructionist lens such that changes in social norms have morphed over time, refining the meaning and implementation of DEI initiatives in research and the workplace. This review is framed within the context of hospitality organizations.

The conflicting results in DEI research (whether DEI practices are positive or negative) are explained by diversity being the core factor. It is proposed that inclusion is the starting place and determinant of success in creating a diverse workforce. If inclusion comes first and is followed by equitable treatment, then diversity (and diverse representation) naturally follows.

This review offers a novel perspective on the relationship between diversity, equity and inclusion, which was previously ambiguous. Research rarely includes all three as variables in the past, and does not use diversity as an outcome, but rather as a starting point.

This research suggests that unless an organization begins with an inclusive climate, there will be no benefit to having diverse candidates, nor will there be long-term retention of a diverse staff. It is recommended to begin with inclusion, implement equitable practices and diversity will increase through the enacted and espoused values.

Applying signaling theory to Schein’s organizational culture framework, this study aims to explain how restaurants communicate that their establishments value wine through multiple cultural attributes.

A phenomenological research design was adopted to conduct three focus groups with 14 restaurateurs about wine culture. Conversational analysis with Straussian coding was used.

A comprehensive definition of wine culture was provided, and five factors emerged that signal the presence of a wine culture. A wine presence includes a wine list, marketing efforts, community involvement and restaurant aesthetics. Employee traits are defined by individual attributes, communications skills and overall knowledge (training). Restaurant identity reflects the cultural alignment and customer relationship expectations set forth by ownership. Organizational structure reflects a restaurant’s hierarchy within which an individual or department is afforded the freedom to invest in wine. Future alignment reflects generational differences and trends in wine preferences and consumption.

Researchers are provided a wine-culture definition and framework for wine research. Restaurants can use the study’s findings to formulate strategies for establishing a wine culture.

This study provided a framework for restaurateurs who wish to be known for wine to implement. Researchers and restaurateurs may facilitate communication between guests, staff and an organization regarding wine as a means of creating a competitive advantage.

The purpose of this study is to examine hotel managers’ perspectives on the promotion process of hotel employees based on the promoted employee’s gender, their perceived organizational justice and perceived gender discrimination against women. The moderating role of anti-male bias beliefs in the promotion process was examined.

The study adopted an experimental design (female vs male promoted) with a sample of 87 hotel managers. Data were analyzed using mediation and moderated mediation analyses.

The results indicated procedural and distributed justice mediates the effect of gender of the promoted employee on perceived gender discrimination against women. It was found that perceptions of anti-male bias moderate the relationship between gender of the promoted employee and distributed justice, demonstrating higher levels of perceived fairness within the organization when a female is promoted, especially when low levels of anti-male bias exist.

Many organizations may refrain from offering more promotional opportunities to women for fear of reverse discrimination. This research demonstrates that the organization will be perceived as fairer if it offers more opportunities to women, should create a stronger organizational culture and higher financial performance.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to address the gender inequity in promotional opportunities of hotel employees and demonstrate the overall benefit of combating such inequality. This is the first time that anti-male bias has been addressed in the hospitality context, suggesting the need for more research on reverse discrimination, especially in promotional situations.

The experiential value scale (EVS) has been widely applied in hospitality literature in a postconsumption manner to predict organizational outcomes; however, it lacks a key component that captures the inherently social nature of the restaurant industry: social value. This study had two goals: to validate the inclusion of social value with the EVS and apply the new scale to predict intent to dine in an independently owned restaurant.

Using cross-sectional survey design and factor analysis, the pilot study tests the experiential value scale with the addition of social value. In the main study, the validated scale is used to predict intent to dine in an independent restaurant using structural equation modeling. Respondents for both studies were recruited from the survey panel site Prolific, generating 266 usable samples for the pilot and 259 for the main study.

The findings suggest a high correlation between social value and the other experiential values, creating the EVS + SV scale. Using the new scale to predict dining intent, service quality was a positive predictor in selecting an independent restaurant. However, limitations, such as sample origin and time, are further discussed, and future research to alleviate these is recommended.

Social value has been shown as an additional part of the EVS. Restauranteurs and hospitality researchers alike may use the new EVS + SV scale to determine the values that most influence customers' restaurant selection and make recommendations on how to use limited capital.

The current study added social value to the EVS, creating what has been referred to as the EVS + SV scale in this study. Additionally, unlike others, the EVS + SV scale was used as an antecedent to restaurant choice, meaning customers will assess certain aspects of a restaurant before deciding where to dine out, allowing restaurant operators to leverage their strengths and attract customers.