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This paper aims to provoke discussion and reflection on the role of the erotic in the cultivation of spaces of hospitality, and to provide a theoretical consideration of the structural similarities of hospitality and eroticism.

With reference to classical studies as well as debates in the social science literature, the paper starts by examining some of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings to hospitality and eroticism. It then develops this analysis by considering examples drawn from ethnographic studies of “traditional” hospitality settings as well as of commercial hospitality environments of charter tourism.

The main outcome of the discussion is to demonstrate the structural relations between hospitality and eroticism. By situating the analysis within a broad theoretical and ethnographic context, it is shown that the erotic has historically functioned as a socially‐binding and communicative mode of social intercourse that, while undermined by the demands of a market‐based culture of commercial hospitality, is also able to flourish within these same adverse conditions.

This paper invites further research into the connections between hospitality and eroticism in settings similar to and different from those described in the paper. A fuller ethnographic study of the relationship between the two is needed, as well as an exploration of more theoretical perspectives on hospitality drawn from the social science literature.

By highlighting the socially binding role of eroticism in the structuring of host‐guest relations, the paper draws on and contributes to a broader politics of love and sensuality that will inform critical reflections on commercial and market‐driven hospitality practices.

This paper provides an original insight into the interrelationship between hospitality and eroticism. It further illuminates previous writings on both subjects but particularly that of eroticism and is supported by empirical data. It is of particular interest to those studying hospitality from a social science perspective.

This article aims to examine the theme of “sexuality in organizations” according to the theory of eroticism of Georges Bataille (1897-1962).

The author reviewed Bataille's essays in order to identify the salient points of his analysis of eroticism, before applying them to the organizations.

The anthropologic notions of prohibition and transgression (antagonistic yet complementary) facilitate a different view of the opposition formulated in critical management studies as between desexualization and resexualization. These notions also open up quite a number of lines of research in the analysis of the sexuality of organizations.

These lines of research call for further work particularly in the basic ground work.

Georges Bataille's insights have been used very rarely in organizational analysis, even those of critical stream in management. The theme of sexuality in organizations has been largely ignored by mainstream.

The sexual and erotic dimensions inherent in leadership’s physicality impact on power dynamics within organizations but have been rendered largely invisible by current scholarship. In organizational practice, leadership is a masculine activity ideally carried out by male bodies, such that women’s leadership is still perceived as problematic. This suggests that the field is fearful of allowing sexual bodies to pollute what should be a functional, cognitive and instrumental activity. This chapter therefore draws on Julia Kristeva’s concept of abjection to explain how and why the sexual body is positioned as the unspoken other of leadership. To do this, I explore the representation of two very contrasting leaders, Jean Luc Picard and the Borg Queen, in the popular film Star Trek: First Contact. The film illuminates how leadership ideally resides in a virile, mastered and distant male body. The sexual female body is represented as disgusting, dangerous, and a source of contamination and so must be cast out and destroyed. Finally, I ask whether the representation of the Borg Queen is useful as a transgressive means to undermine the abjection of the female leader’s body. However, I conclude that to counter abjection, scholars of leadership need instead to build discursive and material practices that revalue the feminine and respect the alterity of self and others.

Details a cross‐cultural study to expose the extent to which public concern regulates sexual‐eroticism and withdraws it from public attention; identifies a propensity towards the ideal of sexual constraint within US society, reflected by a high degree of regulation and criminalization of sexuality ‐ ranging from strict policies on sexual‐harassment to the restriction of explicit images, even for sex education purposes. Compares with the more liberal attitudes exhibited in Germany. Develops an empirical model to establish cultural differences in attitudes to sexual issues; confirms that Germans are less likely to stigmatize sexual eroticism than their American contemporaries. Concludes that Germans exhibit emotions that typify sexual emancipation, compared with the sexually constrained emotions of Americans; suggests a link between the repression of sexual emotions and violence in society.

The communication effect of four types of alcohol advertisement, i.e. humorous, warm, erotic and non‐emotional, are studied in Belgian and Polish samples of young consumers. Ad recognition, brand attribution, ad evoked feelings, cognitive and affective reactions, attitude towards the ad, the brand and purchase intention, are measured and compared between the Belgian and the Polish group. A lot of similarities between Polish and Belgian subjects emerge. Emotional appeals generate a more positive ad and brand attitude, and humour is the most effective emotional appeal. Basic ad evoked feelings are very similar in both groups. On the other hand, some differences are observed. Erotic ads do a better job in Poland than in Belgium. An evoked irritation leads to negative communication effects only in Belgium, but not in Poland. Polish consumers seem to rely more on cognitive responses to form an attitude towards the brand, while affective responses are more important for Belgium consumers.

Explores gender specific attitudes toward the ad and attitudes toward the brand under varying degrees of female nudity in ad treatment conditions. Shows that while female nudity is extremely common in women′s magazines, men are not only far more positive than women in their attitude toward an ad using explicit female nudity, but also stronger in their positive feelings toward the product and the brand. Finds that women are far more tense than men when exposed to overt female nudity in ads. Discusses implications for advertising strategy.

An emerging hospitality studies focus amongst British academics prioritizes the study of host and guest transactions as a key feature of hospitality research and publications. This short paper introduces the papers in the special issue.

Provides a brief review of the papers within the issue.

The study of host and guest transactions extends beyond commercial hospitality management activities. A large number of human interactions can be better understood through host and guest transactions. Commercial hospitality management through service quality management, employee relations, customer and employee transactions as well as the development of customer loyalty can also be informed by the study of hospitality through the study of host guest transactions.

Outlines how the papers in this special issue provide a flavor of some of the research themes that social science perspectives suggest.

This article examines Max Weber’s theory of value spheres as a basis for a polytheistic religious sociology of institutional life. Weber’s approach implies institutional theory as a form of comparative religion. Two problems present themselves. If the values of the spheres are to be considered as “gods,” they do not align easily with Weber’s sociology of religion. Given that love was central both as a driver and a constituent in Weber’s understanding of salvation religions, it also implies that love be incorporated into our theorizing of institutional life, something entirely absent in the way we think about enduring forms of social organization. Taking the second seriously may enable us to fabricate a solution to the first.

The purpose of this paper is to perform a preliminary examination of informational and transformational advertising appeals in contemporary advertisements for healthy and unhealthy foods.

Western (European) food advertisements published in Belgian food magazines were content analyzed to identify informational and transformational advertising appeals. Belgian food advertising was selected as an adequate representation of Western (European) food advertising because marketing in Belgium is permeated by international influences (cf. Belgian Federal Government). Advertisements were sampled from three magazines over a period of five years, from January 2009 to December 2013. The sample comprised 325 unique advertisements, including 159 for healthy foods and 166 for unhealthy foods.

The results of the content analysis indicated that healthy food advertisements in Belgium are mainly informational, whereas unhealthy food advertisements are mainly transformational.

This preliminary examination of informational and transformational advertising appeals in contemporary healthy food and unhealthy food advertisements shows that healthy food advertisements in Belgium are mainly informational, whereas the segment of consumers which is precarious – people low-involved with healthy food – are mainly attracted by transformational advertising appeals. The contrasting transformational strategy of unhealthy-food advertisements can provide inspiration for healthy food advertisers to help increase healthy food consumption.