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Crises influence individuals’ career development. The COVID-19 crisis has global impacts in financial, health and social aspects and service industries are at the forefront of the pervasive impacts. This study investigated how college students’ perceptions of COVID-19 interplayed with self-efficacy on their academic plans and further identified major differences between students in service-oriented and nonservice-oriented majors.

A self-administered online survey was conducted with 299 undergraduates at a large Midwestern university during COVID-19. Regression analyses, including conditional analyses, examined the study hypotheses using SPSS.

The results showed that, in general, students’ self-efficacy reduced their intentions to change their academic majors. The joint effects of self-efficacy and perception of COVID-19 diverged among students in nonservice-oriented majors but converged among students in service-oriented majors (e.g. hospitality and tourism). These students in the service fields showed more commitment to their current majors even as their concerns about the social implications of COVID-19 increased.

This study suggests that academic institutions should try to improve students’ self-efficacy to maintain their career commitments during crisis times. Furthermore, service organizations should highlight the importance of social aspects as recovery from COVID-19 begins as a tool to recruit college graduates.

The literature on career decisions of students in service industries is quite limited. This study enriches the body of career decisions research in the context of service management by highlighting how service sectors are influenced by COVID-19.

Guided by the social exchange theory, this study aims to examine the mediating relationship among trust in employee, felt trust, and trust in supervisor, and these trust-related factors’ direct and indirect effects on frontline hotel employees’ customer-focused voice and silence.

Survey questionnaires were distributed to collect 307 valid paired supervisor–employee responses from 32 hotels in Taiwan. Structured equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.

First, treating trust-related variables as two-dimensional constructs (reliance and disclosure), the results confirmed that reliance-based trust in employee increases trust in supervisor through felt trust. Second, supervisor trust in employee was generally stronger than employee felt trust. Third, while felt reliance and disclosure-based trust in supervisor were found to promote customer-focused voice and discourage silence, such opposite effects on voice and silence were not observed for reliance-based trust in employee, felt disclosure and reliance-based trust in supervisor. Fourth, indirect effects of trust in employee and felt trust on voice and silence through trust in supervisor received partial support.

This study provides business insights into managing frontline hotel employees’ voice/silence behaviors through trusting relationships.

This study verified employee felt trust as a mediating mechanism in their trusting relationships with supervisors as well as supervisors’ roles in initiating trust in vertical dyads. Using a two-dimensional trust measure, our analysis illustrated the differential effects of trust-related variables on customer-focused voice and silence, shedding light on the double-edged effects of felt trust and trust in supervisor as well as the conceptual distinction between voice and silence.

The purpose of this paper is to explore intrinsic and extrinsic factors impacting the job satisfaction of casino hotel chefs, and whether chefs' background characteristics are associated with their overall and specific facets of job satisfaction.

A total of 152 surveys were analyzed using a randomly selected sample of 25 major casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada. The sample selection represented chefs working in various types of foodservice operations within the hotel segments.

Overall, the casino hotel chefs were satisfied with their jobs (M=3.9). Among intrinsic factors, the chefs were most satisfied with the “work itself” and least satisfied with “growth and recognition” they received. Among extrinsic factors, they were most satisfied with “supervision” and least satisfied with “company policy” pertaining to sick leave and paid vacation. Highest job satisfaction levels were found among chefs who worked in the fine dining kitchens and supervised between 21 and 30 employees.

Results reinforce the value of recognition at work and creation of specialized incentive programs. In order to be most effective, these programs should be tailored to chefs working in different kitchen types and with various levels of management and supervisory responsibilities.

Job satisfaction of casino hotel chefs has been minimally studied, yet they have significant roles in successful hotel operations. This study is unique in directing attention to the “back of the house leaders” – hotel chefs, in a top tier gaming and tourism city.