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Article
Publication date: 15 May 2023

Hsiang-Fei Luoh and Sheng-Hshiung Tsaur

This study aims to develop a measurement scale for employee aesthetic labor (AL) in hospitality from the perspectives of frontline employees of international tourist hotels and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop a measurement scale for employee aesthetic labor (AL) in hospitality from the perspectives of frontline employees of international tourist hotels and airlines.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods to develop the AL scale. Participants were frontline employees of international tourist hotels and airlines in Taiwan. The authors’ analysis incorporated both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to examine the results.

Findings

A four-factor, 21-item hospitality AL scale with satisfactory validity and reliability was created. The four AL factors are appropriate voice and response, pleasant appearance, corporate aesthetic image delivery and polite and elegant demeanor.

Research limitations/implications

The developed AL scale can serve as a useful tool for the hospitality industry in terms of employee recruitment and training to align with the corporation's aesthetic image and reduce the potential burden of AL on employees.

Originality/value

Based on dramaturgical theory, this study focuses on the AL practices that are performed during service encounters with customers. It is potentially the first AL scale to be constructed using rigorous scale development procedures.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

Case study
Publication date: 12 July 2023

Jamie O'Brien and Anna R. Antos

The technical report released by the National Transportation Safety Board, along with the primary flight cockpit voice recorder data and archival interview data, were used as the…

Abstract

Research methodology

The technical report released by the National Transportation Safety Board, along with the primary flight cockpit voice recorder data and archival interview data, were used as the basis for this case. Other available public data such as news reports were used to round out the synopsis of the case study.

Case overview/synopsis

United Express Flight 5925 was a scheduled commuter passenger flight operated by Great Lakes Airlines with a Beechcraft 1900 twin turboprop. It was a regularly scheduled flight from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Quincy, Illinois, with an intermediate stop in Burlington, Iowa. Drawing from various first-hand accounts (cockpit voice recorder) and secondary evidence (news reports, archival interview data, and online sources) of the tragedy, the case provides a detailed account of the key events that took place leading up to the accident at Quincy regional airport. The case describes how the radio interactions, a jammed door and degradation of situational awareness all contributed to the accident. Through many of the quotes in the text and eyewitness accounts, readers gain an understanding of the impressions and perceptions of the pilots, including how they felt about many of the critical decisions in the last minutes of the flight and the situation at the airport.

Complexity academic level

When the authors teach this case, the students are required to read it as pre-reading before class. Various readings and materials (see supplemental readings below and Exhibit 3) are made available to students before class, and the instructor can choose to use some of these materials to further explore areas of interest. This case is best explored over a 90-min session but could be expanded to take up one 3-h session. This case can be covered in an undergraduate senior capstone organizational behaviour seminar, any general organizational behaviour class (including introductory in nature), an undergraduate communication theory class or an MBA class that focuses on applied organizational behaviour concepts. It works particularly well in the MBA class, as students with work experience can make the links between the behaviours explored in the case and their everyday workplaces.

Article
Publication date: 21 March 2023

Somtochukwu Emmanuel Dike, Zachary Davis, Alan Abrahams, Ali Anjomshoae and Peter Ractham

Variations in customer expectations pose a challenge to service quality improvement in the airline industry. Understanding airline customers' expectations and satisfaction help…

1792

Abstract

Purpose

Variations in customer expectations pose a challenge to service quality improvement in the airline industry. Understanding airline customers' expectations and satisfaction help service providers improve their offerings. The extant literature examines airline passengers' expectations in isolation, neglecting the overall impact of online reviews on service quality improvement. This paper systematically evaluates the airline industry's passengers' expectations and satisfaction using expectation confirmation theory (ECT) and the SERVQUAL framework. The paper analyzes online reviews to examine the relationship between airline service quality attributes and passengers' satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The SERVQUAL framework was employed to examine the effects of customer culture, the reason for traveling, and seat type on customer's expectations and satisfaction across a large sample of airline customers.

Findings

A total of 17,726 observations were gathered from the Skytrax review website. The lowest satisfaction ratings were from passengers from the USA, Canada and India. Factors that affect perceived service performance include customer service, delays and baggage management. Empathy and reliability have the biggest impact on the perceived satisfaction of passengers.

Research limitations/implications

This research increases understanding of the consumer expectations through analysis of passengers' online reviews. Results are limited to a small sample of airline industries.

Practical implications

This study provides airlines with valuable information to improve customer service by analyzing online reviews.

Social implications

This study provides the opportunity for airline customers to gain better services when airline companies utilize the findings.

Originality/value

This paper offers insights into passengers' expectations and their perceived value for money in relation to seat types. Previous studies have not investigated value for money as a construct for passengers' expectations and satisfaction relative to service quality dimensions. This paper addresses this need.

Details

Benchmarking: An International Journal, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-5771

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 7 May 2024

Yunxuan Carrie Zhang, Dina M.V. Zemke, Amanda Belarmino and Cass Shum

Job satisfaction is essential in understanding turnover intentions. Previous studies reveal that highly educated hospitality employees generally have lower levels of job…

Abstract

Purpose

Job satisfaction is essential in understanding turnover intentions. Previous studies reveal that highly educated hospitality employees generally have lower levels of job satisfaction, indicating that the antecedents of job satisfaction may be different from hospitality managers and frontline employees. This study compared the different antecedents of job satisfaction for housekeeping managers and employees.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a mixed-methods approach for a two-part study. The researchers recruited housekeeping managers for the exploratory survey. The results of open-end questions helped us build a custom dictionary for the text mining of comments from Glassdoor.com. Finally, a multilinear regression of themes from housekeeping employees’ ratings on Glassdoor.com was conducted to understand the antecedents of job satisfaction for housekeeping managers and employees.

Findings

The results of the exploratory survey indicated that the housekeeping department has an urgent need for organizational support and training. The text-mining revealed organizational support impacts both managers and frontline employees, while training impacts managers more than employees. Finally, the regression analysis showed compensation, business outlook, senior management, and career opportunity impacted both groups. However, work-life balance only influenced managers.

Originality/value

With a large number of employees at low salaries, housekeeping departments have a higher-than-average turnover rate for lodging. This study is among the first to compare the antecedents of managers’ and frontline employees’ job satisfaction in the housekeeping department, extending Social Exchange Theory. It provides suggestions for the housekeeping department to decrease turnover intentions.

Details

International Hospitality Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2516-8142

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2024

Emanuela Caracuzzo, Andrea Caputo, Antonino Callea, Claudio Giovanni Cortese and Flavio Urbini

Playful work design (PWD) is a set of proactive strategies implementing fun and self-challenge at work to actively create better work conditions. Following the job…

Abstract

Purpose

Playful work design (PWD) is a set of proactive strategies implementing fun and self-challenge at work to actively create better work conditions. Following the job demands-resources theory, this study aims to investigate the effects of PWD’s dimensions – i.e. “designing fun” and “designing competition” – on task and contextual performance (Study 1) and on the dimensions of organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) – i.e. altruism, conscientiousness and civic virtue (Study 2). Furthermore, the present research investigates the mediating role of work engagement (WE) for both studies.

Design/methodology/approach

Two samples of 339 and 141 Italian workers participated by filling in a self-report questionnaire. Measuring models and hypotheses have been tested by structural equation models.

Findings

Results suggest that WE partially mediates the relationship of the “designing competition” subdimension of PWD with task and contextual performance (Study 1) and with conscientiousness and civic virtue of OCBs, while “designing fun” shows a positive direct relationship only with altruism (Study 2).

Originality/value

This paper contributes to expanding knowledge about PWD’s effectiveness in facilitating performance and positive behaviors. Furthermore, it disentangles the different effects of PWD’s dimensions on performance. In light of the results, both employees and managers should be aware of the beneficial consequences of introducing fun and self-competitiveness when completing their own work activities.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 February 2024

Jiyoon An

This study aims to explore families that travel with children, as focuses on vulnerabilities, resource constraints and service exclusion through the lens of transformative service…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore families that travel with children, as focuses on vulnerabilities, resource constraints and service exclusion through the lens of transformative service research (TSR). This paper investigates: how the experienced vulnerability of these families is shaped by structural, interpersonal and intrapersonal constraints, and how the constraints influence the family tourist-resource interaction in the air travel service encounter.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 2,855 reviews of the family tourists with children were analyzed with text mining, t-test and multidimensional scaling using the interpretive language R to answer the research questions with analyses on unstructured (e.g. text) and structured (e.g. consumer rating) data.

Findings

The findings of the empirical investigation answered how experienced vulnerability is shaped by structural, interpersonal and intrapersonal resource constraints and the types of family tourist-resource interaction in the travel service encounter to understand the resource constraints. The findings of this paper help examine family tourism experiences from a value formation perspective to unfold how stakeholders interact to form value while increasing and decreasing their well-being by the value of co-creation and co-destruction.

Originality/value

This research helps advance the TSR’s service inclusion framework by enabling opportunities, offering choice, relieving suffering and fostering happiness with empirical findings in travel service encounters. These findings are particularly insightful to family tourists with children struggling with unfair access and treatment in aeromobility service encounters, which may help enhance the well-being of individuals and communities.

Details

Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-6666

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 March 2024

Won-Moo Hur and Yuhyung Shin

This study aims to explore the role of frontline service employees’ (FSEs) awareness that their job can be substituted by smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore the role of frontline service employees’ (FSEs) awareness that their job can be substituted by smart technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and algorithms (STARA) in their job autonomy and proactive service performance and when these relationships can be buffered. Drawing on the cognitive appraisal theory of stress, the study examined the mediating relationship between FSEs’ STARA awareness, job autonomy and proactive service performance and the moderating effects of self-efficacy and resilience on this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors administered two-wave online surveys to 301 South Korean FSEs working in various service sectors (e.g. retailing, food/beverage, hospitality/tourism and banking). The Time 1 survey measured respondents’ STARA awareness, self-efficacy, resilience and job autonomy, and the Time 2 survey assessed their proactive service performance.

Findings

FSEs’ STARA awareness negatively affected their subsequent proactive service performance through decreased job autonomy. The negative association between STARA awareness and job autonomy was weaker when FSEs’ self-efficacy was high than when it was low. While the authors observed no significant moderation of resilience, the author found a marginally significant three-way interaction between STARA awareness, self-efficacy and resilience. Specifically, STARA awareness was negatively related to job autonomy only when both self-efficacy and resilience were low. When either self-efficacy or resilience was high, the association between STARA awareness and job autonomy became nonsignificant, suggesting the buffering roles of the two personal resources.

Research limitations/implications

Given that the measurement of variables relied on self-reported data, rater biases might have affected the findings of the study. Moreover, the simultaneous measurement of STARA awareness, self-efficacy, resilience and job autonomy could preclude causal inferences between these variables. The authors encourage future studies to use a more rigorous methodology to reduce rater biases and establish stronger causality between the variables.

Practical implications

Service firms can decrease FSEs’ STARA awareness through training in the knowledge and skills necessary to work with these technologies. To promote FSEs’ proactive service performance in this context, service firms need to involve them in decisions related to STARA adoption and allow them to craft their jobs. Service managers should provide FSEs with social support and exercise empowering and supportive leadership to help them view STARA as a challenge rather than a threat.

Originality/value

Distinct from prior research on STARA awareness and employee outcomes, the study identified proactive service performance as a key outcome in the STARA context. By presenting self-efficacy and resilience as crucial personal resources that buffer FSEs from the deleterious impact of STARA awareness, the study provides practitioners with insights that can help FSEs maintain their job autonomy and proactive service performance in times of digitalization and automation.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 April 2024

Maria Krysfeldt, Jannick Friis Christensen and Thomas Burø

The paper discusses how the management of a sports and fashion company, which we refer to as NULMA, successfully applied the neo/normative control technology “karma organisation”…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper discusses how the management of a sports and fashion company, which we refer to as NULMA, successfully applied the neo/normative control technology “karma organisation” and gained employee engagement. Whereas other studies have documented employee resistance to organisational cultures when used for managerial control, our case demonstrates resistance to management practices that employees find inconsistent with the dominant karma culture.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a six-year longitudinal organisational at-home ethnography conducted by one of the authors using methods of both participant and non-participant observation, semi-structured interviews and collaborative production of secondary data in the case organisation.

Findings

While our research shows that management can successfully apply neo/normative control which employees accept and support, we further show that employees mobilise the same values to resist management when it fails to deliver on the commitments and promises of the organisational culture.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature on organisational culture and, in particular, neo/normative control by theorising employee resistance as being by “accident”, by which we mean an inherent negative potentiality co-invented and released by managers establishing a “karma organisation”. Our theorising culminates in a discussion of the study’s implications for research and practice.

Details

Journal of Organizational Ethnography, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6749

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 13 February 2024

Noel Scott and Ana Claudia Campos

Authenticity has been studied from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, leading to a rich but confused literature. This study, a review, aims to compare the psychology and…

Abstract

Purpose

Authenticity has been studied from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, leading to a rich but confused literature. This study, a review, aims to compare the psychology and sociology/tourism definitions of authenticity to clarify the concept. From a psychological perspective, authenticity is a mental appraisal of an object or experience as valued leading to feelings and summative judgements (such as satisfaction or perceived value). In objective authenticity, a person values the object due to belief in an expert’s opinion, constructive authenticity relies on socially constructed values, while existential authenticity is based on one’s self-identity. The resultant achievement of a valued goal, such as seeing a valued object, leads to feelings of pleasure. Sociological definitions are similar but based on different theoretical antecedent causes of constructed and existential authenticity. The paper further discusses the use of theory in tourism and the project to develop tourism as a discipline. This project is considered unlikely to be successful and in turn, as argued, it is more useful to apply theory from other disciplines in a multidisciplinary manner. The results emphasise that it is necessary for tourism researchers to understand the origins and development of the concepts they use and their various definitions.

Details

Tourism Critiques: Practice and Theory, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2633-1225

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2024

Barbara Neuhofer

Through an interdisciplinary lens of positive psychology, this paper aims to explore positive experiences for human transformation, recognising their potential for a positive…

Abstract

Purpose

Through an interdisciplinary lens of positive psychology, this paper aims to explore positive experiences for human transformation, recognising their potential for a positive impact and contribution to the future tourism industry and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review forms the basis for the present paper.

Findings

Based on an in-depth literature review, four main avenues for positive experience design are proposed: designing transformative tourism experiences and measuring long-term impact; designing digital transformative tourism experiences; facilitating and guiding transformative experiences; and training to guide transformative experiences.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the interdisciplinary body of literature on positive psychology, experience design, and human transformation in the context of tourism. Cutting-edge perspectives are outlined to develop a theoretical and practical understanding of how to intentionally design for positive transformative experiences in tourism and make a positive contribution to the SDG 3 good health and well-being.

目的

本文通过积极心理学的跨学科视角, 探讨促进人类转变的积极体验, 认识到其对未来旅游业和可持续发展目标(SDGs)产生积极影响和做出贡献的潜力。

设计/方法/途径–文献综述是本文的基础。

研究结果 - 基于深入的文献综述, 提出了积极体验设计的四个主要途径, 包括:1)设计变革性旅游体验并衡量长期影响; 2)设计数字化变革性旅游体验; 3)促进和引导变革性体验; 以及 4)培训指导变革性体验。

原创性/价值

本研究为有关积极心理学、体验设计和旅游业背景下的人类转型的跨学科文献做出了贡献。本研究概述了前沿观点, 以便从理论和实践上理解如何在旅游业中有意识地设计积极的转型体验, 并为可持续发展目标 3–良好的健康和福祉做出积极贡献。

Propósito

A través del prisma interdisciplinar de la psicología positiva, este documento explora las experiencias positivas para la transformación humana, reconociendo su potencial para un impacto positivo y su contribución a la futura industria turística y a los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS).

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

El presente documento se basa en una revisión bibliográfica.

Conclusiones

Sobre la base de una revisión en profundidad de la literatura, se proponen cuatro vías principales para el diseño de experiencias positivas, incluyendo 1) el diseño de experiencias turísticas transformadoras y la medición del impacto a largo plazo, 2) el diseño de experiencias turísticas transformadoras digitales, 3) la facilitación y guía de experiencias transformadoras, y 4) la formación para guiar experiencias transformadoras.

Originalidad/valor

Este estudio contribuye al cuerpo interdisciplinario de literatura sobre psicología positiva, diseño de experiencias y transformación humana en el contexto del turismo. Se esbozan perspectivas de vanguardia para desarrollar una comprensión teórica y práctica de cómo diseñar intencionadamente experiencias transformadoras positivas en el turismo y hacer una contribución positiva al ODS 3 buena salud y bienestar.

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