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1 – 10 of 16Dimitris Koutoulas and Akrivi Vagena
The purpose of this study is, first, to determine which developments have shaped official hotel classification systems over recent years (including the impact of guest-review…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is, first, to determine which developments have shaped official hotel classification systems over recent years (including the impact of guest-review platforms) and second to establish the future of those systems through the eyes of the people who are actually in charge of operating them.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were chosen as the most suitable method for approaching hotel classification system administrators. This method is in line with previous research on approaching key informants in their respective fields. Sixteen people representing 12 different official national hotel classification systems from across the world as well as one commercial hotel star rating system participated in the online interviews.
Findings
The first main conclusion is that hotel classification systems – especially voluntary ones – would not have survived the enormous impact of guest-review platforms without quickly adjusting to the ever-changing hotel industry landscape. The frequent review of classification criteria and procedures has become the main survival strategy of classification systems. The second conclusion is that system operators are strongly optimistic about the future outlook of hotel classification based on their proven flexibility to swiftly adapt to new market conditions.
Originality/value
Research about hotel classification systems is usually based on the views of the systems' users, i.e. hotels or hotel guests, whereas the present paper reflects the perspective of the systems' operators, an angle rarely analyzed in the literature.
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Lubna Rashid Malik and Madhurima Mishra
This paper aims to conduct a systematic literature review on prosocial rule-breaking (PSRB) and identify the underlying themes using content analysis.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to conduct a systematic literature review on prosocial rule-breaking (PSRB) and identify the underlying themes using content analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The current review is based on a portfolio of 37 studies collected from different electronic databases. An extensive literature review is done following a four-step methodology to understand the field comprehensively.
Findings
The present article identified themes in the field of PSRB based on antecedents, consequences, moderators and mediators. Further, the identified themes are classified into individual, job and organizational levels. Through a conceptual framework, how antecedents impact PSRB is shown, which leads to diverse consequences.
Practical implications
Through this study, the authors attempt to help practitioners understand why PSRB behaviors occur in the workplace. Simultaneously, the authors' work helps managers identify potential strategies to evade the adverse effects of PSRB.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is the first systematic review of PSRB. The review also highlighted the gaps and provided future research directions based on the theory, context, characteristics and methodology (TCCM) framework.
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Li Ge, Chun-Hung (Hugo) Tang, Carl Behnke and Richard Ghiselli
This study (1) assessed restaurant consumers' perceived importance of better food quality versus larger portion sizes, (2) classified restaurant consumers into different segments…
Abstract
Purpose
This study (1) assessed restaurant consumers' perceived importance of better food quality versus larger portion sizes, (2) classified restaurant consumers into different segments based on their perceived importance of seven food quality attributes (taste, texture, aroma, appearance and the use of natural, local and organic ingredients) relative to portion size and (3) compared the identified market segments.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey assessed 613 USA adult participants' perceived importance of seven food quality attributes relative to portion size. A K-means cluster analysis classified participants into different segments based on their perceptions.
Findings
Five restaurant consumer segments were identified: sensory-oriented consumers, taste-oriented organic food consumers, local and natural food consumers, quantity-oriented consumers and quality-oriented consumers. In general, quality-oriented consumers were the least likely to visit fast-food restaurants, had the highest average per-meal spending and were the least likely to eat out alone. Local and natural food consumers and taste-oriented organic food consumers had higher total restaurant spending than other groups. Quantity-oriented and sensory-oriented consumers visited fast-food restaurants more often and had lower total restaurant spending and per-meal spending than other groups. Age, sex and income were significantly associated with the segmentation outcomes.
Practical implications
Findings suggest promising opportunities for restaurants to enhance consumer perceptions of value by prioritizing the factors that hold the greatest significance to their target customers.
Originality/value
This study is the first attempt to segment restaurant consumers based on their perceived importance of food quality attributes relative to portion size, effectively identifying five distinct consumer segments.
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Benjamin Appiah Osei and Michael Cheng
The aim of this mixed methods study sought to investigate the preferences and challenges towards fourth industrial revolution (FIR) technologies adoption at hotels in Malaysia.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this mixed methods study sought to investigate the preferences and challenges towards fourth industrial revolution (FIR) technologies adoption at hotels in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted partially-mixed concurrent quantitative-dominant mixed methods. The quantitative part of the study examined the preferred FIR technologies for hotels; whiles the qualitative part explored the challenges towards their adoption.
Findings
The results revealed that Internet of things, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and cyber physical systems were the preferred FIR technologies for hotels. The findings revealed significant relationships between respondents' socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, working experience, etc.) and preferred FIR technologies. Penultimately, challenges that affect the adoption of FIR technologies including investment cost, migration cost, trust, etc., were discussed.
Originality/value
In effect, findings from this study provide valuable information for policy makers (i.e. hotel owners, management, technology providers and future researchers). Most especially, the study unearths specific FIR technologies preferred by the hospitality and tourism industry. Also, the significant interplay of these preferences vis a vis respondents' socio-demographic characteristics, as well as challenges influencing their adoption also have major implications for policy makers. Another valuable contribution of this study lies in the research method utilised, since most studies on technology adoption either use quantitative or qualitative. These contributions for theory and practice have been thoroughly discussed.
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Toby Gledhill, William Swan and Richard Fitton
This paper aims to focus on the assessment of a domestic property's energy performance status by a domestic energy assessor (DEA), to ascertain the possible underlying reasons for…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on the assessment of a domestic property's energy performance status by a domestic energy assessor (DEA), to ascertain the possible underlying reasons for variability in the results of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). By variability, the authors mean discrepancies in assessment between different DEAs on similar properties. This is important because the uses for the EPC have been extended beyond their original function as an asset rating system, to include themes encompassing building policy decisions, building performance and the distribution of incentives and grants. Consequently, inaccuracies in EPC reporting will have a greater impact than may have been the case at the outset.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study approach involving the conducting of semi-structured interviews with 20 practicing DEAs was carried out, with transcribed recordings of the interview material subjected to thematic analysis. This formed part of a wider mixed methods study.
Findings
The results identify a wide range of underlying reasons for variability driven by issues in both practice and process, including conflicts of interests, the EPC auditing process, the default inputting of missing data by RdSAP where information may not be available/discoverable by the DEA, the quality and perception of EPCs and DEA training and experience.
Research limitations/implications
The sample size of 20 is by definition limiting, and it is possible that different results would have been obtained from a different sample. Although thematic saturation from the analysis of the responses on the key question of whether EPCs are considered variable does mitigate this. The respondents were all in possession of five years or more experience and of carrying out EPCs for different purposes. Less experienced DEAs may inevitably have responded to questions differently. The thematic analysis gives the researcher control over the presentation of the results, and it is noted that this creates a potential for bias. The researcher is immersed in the world of construction and property, with regular contact with DEAs and EPCs, which may influence the perspective of the results.
Practical implications
The research identifies risks to the accuracy of EPCs. To this end, and with the specific research findings in mind, this research may be of interest to construction professionals with respect to EPC practice and procurement, to the Accrediting Bodies who audit EPCs, to the creators of RdSAP with respect to automated EPC inputs, to academics either at face value or for use in further research and to policy makers who may wish to consider RdSAP data in future with qualifiers or margins of error, or may even look to review the EPC as the instrument of choice for some applications.
Originality/value
There is much literature analysing the shortcomings and nuances of RdSAP results, and the software model that generates the EPC, but only very limited literature extending the discussion about RdSAP to its operator: the DEA. At the time of writing, there is no literature focusing directly on the DEA and its role within the EPC production process. Their role is more important now, given the expanding use of EPCs, and increased reliance on EPC data.
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Pathiranage Padmali Manesha Peiris, Ahu Tatli and Mustafa Bilgehan Ozturk
The aim of this study is to explore how women in Sri Lanka cultivate entrepreneurial personae to navigate the various gendered roles they situationally enact, as they attempt to…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to explore how women in Sri Lanka cultivate entrepreneurial personae to navigate the various gendered roles they situationally enact, as they attempt to secure legitimacy and acceptance and overcome their otherness. Drawing on Goffman's theorisation of symbolic interaction, this study investigates how gender informs the performance of entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka. In this way, the study engages with the challenges women in the Global South navigate while undertaking entrepreneurship, and it contributes to the critical entrepreneurship literature on the intertwined nature of gender and entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach
Following feminist standpoint epistemology (FSE), this qualitative study focuses on women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka by examining the performance of entrepreneurship through 44 life history interviews (LHIs) and 40 Field Observations conducted over a seven-month period.
Findings
The findings reveal that women carefully cultivate entrepreneurial personae by striking a balance between entrepreneurial ideals and patriarchal social expectations around womanhood. The findings of the study present how the entrepreneurial personae are constructed by way of appearance, mannerism and setting, which presents opportunities for future research to explore the dramaturgical aspect of gender and entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the growing body of feminist research surrounding women entrepreneurs, by drawing on insights from the lived experiences of women entrepreneurs in the Global South. This study also expands Goffman's theorisation of audience segregation and shows that a subject's understanding of the audience shapes their personae. A further contribution of this research is how space becomes an extension of the personae at play.
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Farjam Eshraghian, Najmeh Hafezieh, Farveh Farivar and Sergio de Cesare
The applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various areas of professional and knowledge work are growing. Emotions play an important role in how users incorporate a…
Abstract
Purpose
The applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in various areas of professional and knowledge work are growing. Emotions play an important role in how users incorporate a technology into their work practices. The current study draws on work in the areas of AI-powered technologies adaptation, emotions, and the future of work, to investigate how knowledge workers feel about adopting AI in their work.
Design/methodology/approach
We gathered 107,111 tweets about the new AI programmer, GitHub Copilot, launched by GitHub and analysed the data in three stages. First, after cleaning and filtering the data, we applied the topic modelling method to analyse 16,130 tweets posted by 10,301 software programmers to identify the emotions they expressed. Then, we analysed the outcome topics qualitatively to understand the stimulus characteristics driving those emotions. Finally, we analysed a sample of tweets to explore how emotional responses changed over time.
Findings
We found six categories of emotions among software programmers: challenge, achievement, loss, deterrence, scepticism, and apathy. In addition, we found these emotions were driven by four stimulus characteristics: AI development, AI functionality, identity work, and AI engagement. We also examined the change in emotions over time. The results indicate that negative emotions changed to more positive emotions once software programmers redirected their attention to the AI programmer's capabilities and functionalities, and related that to their identity work.
Practical implications
Overall, as organisations start adopting AI-powered technologies in their software development practices, our research offers practical guidance to managers by identifying factors that can change negative emotions to positive emotions.
Originality/value
Our study makes a timely contribution to the discussions on AI and the future of work through the lens of emotions. In contrast to nascent discussions on the role of AI in high-skilled jobs that show knowledge workers' general ambivalence towards AI, we find knowledge workers show more positive emotions over time and as they engage more with AI. In addition, this study unveils the role of professional identity in leading to more positive emotions towards AI, as knowledge workers view such technology as a means of expanding their identity rather than as a threat to it.
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M. Isabel Sánchez-Hernández, Rafael Robina-Ramirez and Živilė Stankevičiūtė
The purpose of the paper is to delve into innovation and happiness management linked to the definition of transcendence at work. The paper analyses in the context of innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to delve into innovation and happiness management linked to the definition of transcendence at work. The paper analyses in the context of innovation and happiness management the relation of the three dimensions taken from Khari and Sinha (2020: Sense of we-ness, self-connectedness and work as a service. The paper also proposed indicators to applied transcendence and moral competencies to the banking sector guiding behaviour toward successful experiences at work as an antecedent of both, transcendence and employees´ performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The article starts with a VOSviewer-based bibliometric analysis to examine the recent development of happiness management as an emergent topic of research. A co-word analysis served to identify that the main research theme related to the topic is transcendence at work. The theoretical framework serves for developing a conceptual model that is analysed by taking structural equations modelling (SEM) as the method and partial least squares (PLS) as the technique. To test the hypotheses, the authors employed a sample of 354 employees from the main banks in Spain in 2021 (Santander, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), CaixaBank, Bankia and Sabadell).
Findings
The results confirm that Innovation and happiness management is related to moral competencies, which refer to the set of knowledge, skills and abilities that facilitate ethical behaviour in the banking sector. Innovation and happiness management include individual attributes for good performance in each job; this research is in line with the prominent call in the literature to consider moral competencies in human resources management.
Originality/value
Originality lies on the answer of the question: what is the role of employee transcendence in the turbulent banking sector today? This paper seeks to approach and measure the relation of innovation, happiness and transcendence at work, Transcendence at work often arises when individuals connect their work to a higher purpose or mission, that connection is based on the idea that any effort to improve any of these three attributes provides successful solutions for the complex banking sector's performance.
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Xiaojun Wu, Zhongyun Zhou and Shouming Chen
Artificial intelligence (AI) applications pose a potential threat to users' data security and privacy due to their high data-dependence nature. This paper aims to investigate an…
Abstract
Purpose
Artificial intelligence (AI) applications pose a potential threat to users' data security and privacy due to their high data-dependence nature. This paper aims to investigate an understudied issue in the literature, namely, how users perceive the threat of and decide to use a threatening AI application. In particular, it examines the influencing factors and the mechanisms that affect an individual’s behavioral intention to use facial recognition, a threatening AI.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors develop a research model with trust as the key mediating variable by integrating technology threat avoidance theory, the theory of planned behavior and contextual factors related to facial recognition. Then, it is tested through a sequential mixed-methods investigation, including a qualitative study (for model development) of online comments from various platforms and a quantitative study (for model validation) using field survey data.
Findings
Perceived threat (triggered by perceived susceptibility and severity) and perceived avoidability (promoted by perceived effectiveness, perceived cost and self-efficacy) have negative and positive relationships, respectively, with an individual’s attitude toward facial recognition applications; these relationships are partially mediated by trust. In addition, perceived avoidability is positively related to perceived behavioral control, which along with attitude and subjective norm is positively related to individuals' intentions to use facial recognition applications.
Originality/value
This paper is among the first to examine the factors that affect the acceptance of threatening AI applications and how. The research findings extend the current literature by providing rich and novel insights into the important roles of perceived threat, perceived avoidability, and trust in affecting an individual’s attitude and intention regarding using threatening AI applications.
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Nathalie Repenning and Kai DeMott
This study aims to better understand the emotional challenges that inexperienced accounting researchers may face in conducting ethnographies. To do so, the authors use Arlie…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to better understand the emotional challenges that inexperienced accounting researchers may face in conducting ethnographies. To do so, the authors use Arlie Russell Hochschild’s (1979, 1983) notions of “feeling rules” and “emotion work” to shed light on the possible nature and impact of these challenges, and how her ideas may also become fruitful for academic purposes.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors take a reflective approach in sharing the raw observation notes and research diaries as first-time ethnographers in the area of management accounting. The authors use these to analyze “unprocessed” experiences of emotional challenges from the fieldwork and how the authors learned to cope with them.
Findings
The authors illustrate how emotional challenges in conducting ethnographies can be rooted in a clash with prevalent feeling rules of certain study situations. The authors explore the conditions under which these clashes occur and how they may prompt researchers to respond through means of emotion work to (re-)stabilize those situations. Based on these insights, the authors also discuss how wider conventions of the accounting academy may contribute to emotional challenges as they stand in contrast to principles of ethnographic research.
Originality/value
There remains a tendency in the accounting domain to largely omit emotional challenges in the making of ethnographies, especially in writing up studies. In this paper, the authors are motivated to break this silence and openly embrace such challenges as an asset when the authors talk about the process of creating knowledge.
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