YOUNG COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF DINESERV: A STUDY OF ON-CAMPUS DINING IN THE USA

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to better understand why college students in the USA eat on-campus. Also, this research aims to compare highly satisfied and low satisfied groups in terms of their on-campus dining experiences and behaviors and to understand what values college students are currently satisfied with and what they expect from their on-campus dining. Design – A survey design was implemented in this study. The sample for this research study is any college students who have eaten at on-campus dining facilities within the last 3 months. Methodology – Cluster analysis, correlation, and t-test were utilized for data analysis. The twou0002step clusters method was used to cluster groups based on the mean values of DINESERV. Approach – The validity of DINESERV for on-campus dining settings was examined, as well as examining the behavior and perception of Generation Y and Z on on-campus dining. Findings – In both clusters, Assurance was the factor with the highest correlation coefficient value, while Tangible ranked last among the five DINESERV factors. The other dimensions of DINESERV were also very important to the young college students, as indicated by the high correlation coefficients. Originality of the research – This research examines the validity of DINESERV in on-campus dining settings in the United States. The uniqueness of this study lies in the sample: young college students, Generation Y and Z

Dimensions of a brunch experience: a study about the consumer behavior, the drivers, and the post-consumption phase of brunches in Lisbon

The world of restauration is full of different concepts and services, with the strategic objective of places to stand out and offer different experiences to consumers. Brunch is one of those concepts that, in the middle of the 21st century, is gaining a huge popularity among different types of consumers with different needs and standards. The main objective of this study is to understand and identify what is most valued during the Brunch experience, what are their drivers and what conclusions can be drawn based on the reviews shared in the post-consumer phase of the process. In addition, this dissertation also intends to understand if the dimensions of the experience vary according to the "gender" segment, from Brunch to Brunch and according to the evaluations given in the 734 comments online. The tools used to analyze the main themes of the comments were Wordle and Leximancer. After this process, the themes were displayed graphically on a conceptual map from which results data from 4 distinct Brunch restaurants: Nicolau Lisboa, Heim Café, Fauna & Flora and Zenith Brunch & Cocktail. From this analysis, 13 themes that depict the experience in a Brunch were discovered: Brunch space pancakes place waiting delicious time juice try people best recommend experience. It was also possible to conclude that there are several variables that impact the experience during brunch, that the reviews are a very useful tool to remove points to improve for the restaurant itself and that there is a gender divergence in what is valued at a brunch. In this dissertation it is revealed that the different ratings given in the Zomato platform represent different themes of the experience.O mundo da restauração está repleto de conceitos e serviços diferentes, com o objectivo estratégico dos espaços se destacarem e oferecerem experiências distintas aos consumidores. O Brunch é um desses conceitos que, em pleno século XXI, está a ganhar uma popularidade imensa junto de diferentes tipos de consumidor que apresentam necessidades e padrões distintos. O principal ojectivo deste estudo é entender e identificar o que é mais valorizado durante a experiência de Brunch, quais os seus drivers e que conclusões se podem retirar com base nas reviews partilhadas na fase pós-consumo do processo. Complementarmente, esta dissertação pretende também perceber se as dimensões da experiência variam de acordo com o segmento “genero”, de Brunch para Brunch e de acordo com as avaliações dadas nos 734 comentários online. As ferramentas utilizadas para a analise dos principais temas dos comentários são o Wordle e o Leximancer. Após esse processo, os temas são expostos graficamente num mapa conceptual do qual derivam resultados de 4 restaurantes de Brunch distintos: Nicolau Lisboa, Heim Café, Fauna & Flora e Zenith Brunch & Cocktail. Desta análise retiraramse 13 temas que retratam a experiência num Brunch: Brunch, espaço, panquecas, lugar, espera, delicioso, tempo, sumo, experimentar, pessoas, melhor, recomendação, experiencia. Foi também possivel concluir que existem várias variáveis que impactam a experiencia durante o brunch, que as reviews são uma ferramenta muito útil para retirar pontos a melhorar para o próprio restaurante e que existe uma divergência de genero no que toca ao que é valorizado num brunch. Nesta dissertação revela-se que os diferentes ratings dados na plataforma Zomato representam diferentes temas da experiência

The Places Where Community Is Practiced

In this open access publication, the social cohesion of urban neighborhoods and their residents is examined, which is often viewed as vulnerable since increased mobility, individualization, wider socio-economic and demographic changes have fundamentally altered the basis for everyday social interaction in urban neighborhoods. Anna Steigemann gives scholarly attention to the concrete places where neighborly interactions still take place and to how these interactions affect local community building. She illuminates and explores the ordinary everyday interactions and social practices in and around shops and gastronomic facilities on a shopping street in Berlin-Neukölln, revealing how these businesses are important places where community is practiced, but also why they are increasingly threatened by commercial and residential gentrification

Curacao: Building on the Power of the Past

Curaçao faces hard choices in the upcoming years. High unemployment (especially among the youth), a stagnant economy, and low confidence levels may spiral the island into dangerous socio-economic waters. These domestic challenges are occurring in the midst of the global economic uncertainties that have been triggered by a shaky Chinese economy, a weakened European Union and Euro, and the deepening economic travails and budget problems of Brazil and Venezuela. Yet, despite these challenges, Curaçao has made great strides in the tourism sector compared to other economic sectors on the island. The tourism sector demonstrated resilience against outside shocks and was able to steadily increase its prominence in Curaçao’s economy. In fact, today, its share of the island’s economy is nearly 18% of the total economy, impacting every economic sector on the island. In addition, the tourism sector has become a substantial source of employment on the island. Nearly 23% of jobs are created and sustained directly or indirectly by the tourism sector. With its buoyant growth, the tourism sector has mushroomed in the past fifteen years. It is more mature, more desired by tourists, and discloses more promise for the future. Curaçao’s tourism product has changed significantly over time with regard to the product portfolio, market segment mix, and the industry’s overall contribution to the economy. So, fittingly, the current tourism product seems to possess a composition of experiences that are evaluated by tourists as favorable. This favorable evaluation is shared by both actual tourists: those who have visited Curaçao within one year, and those potential tourists who have not visited Curaçao but have visited the Caribbean within the last five years

The Places Where Community Is Practiced

In this open access publication, the social cohesion of urban neighborhoods and their residents is examined, which is often viewed as vulnerable since increased mobility, individualization, wider socio-economic and demographic changes have fundamentally altered the basis for everyday social interaction in urban neighborhoods. Anna Steigemann gives scholarly attention to the concrete places where neighborly interactions still take place and to how these interactions affect local community building. She illuminates and explores the ordinary everyday interactions and social practices in and around shops and gastronomic facilities on a shopping street in Berlin-Neukölln, revealing how these businesses are important places where community is practiced, but also why they are increasingly threatened by commercial and residential gentrification

Format Development and its Effects on Store Image – A Case Study on the inner-city IKEA Hamburg-Altona

Purpose The purpose of this research is to explore the effects of format development of an original single-format general merchandise retailer on store image. Theoretical Perspectives This study is grounded on the alignment of existing literature in the fields of format development and store image. The theoretical framework build thereupon is bridging the two fields and develops a model to measure store image and customer perceptions in general merchandise retailing. Methodology Given the exploratory purpose, the study is designed as a qualitative case study using the inner-city IKEA store Hamburg-Altona as a suitable case with the management and customers as embedded units. An abductive approach and hermeneutic analysis are applied to collect and analyze the data. Empirical Data Underlying the principle of multiple sources of evidence as recommended for case studies, the first step includes documentation and direct observation followed by 30 semi-structured customer interviews and a focus group. Both supported by photo-elicitation. The last step consists of four semi-structured interviews with IKEA managers. Conclusions The study explored how the fields of format development and store image are interrelated. The caused effects on store image are measured on store image related attributes. The research revealed that effects on store image after developing the format are indispensable. This is related to the fact that format development most likely involves a new or adjusted location, layout, assortment and broadened clientele, all of which are connected to new perceptions. Thereby, the key to success lies in not trying to transfer the “old” store image to the new format but trying to comprehend how the new format will affect the customer perceptions from the outset. Thereupon, an intended image should be created in order to minimize the gaps to the actual store image of customers

Consumer food shopping behaviour in Libya

PhD ThesisThis thesis explores consumer food shopping behaviour in an emerging economy, taking the Libyan case as an example. As in many other emerging economies, Libya’s retail environment has been dominated for generations by traditional markets and small independent stores but has recently witnessed the spread of ‘modern’ formats such as supermarkets. The study draws on both qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative research provided evidence of a complex picture, highlighting significant variations, from family to family and geographically, in the social acceptability of females shopping at traditional markets and other retail formats. In Libya, food shopping has traditionally been a task for male household members, with traditional markets regarded as inappropriate spaces for females. However the safer, cleaner, and less crowded environment offered by large supermarkets contributed to some women feeling more comfortable shopping for food and henceforth being able to shop as independent consumers. Traditional culture, rather than constraining the spread of supermarkets, may act as a facilitator of the growing popularity of supermarkets in Libya. The main quantitative research instrument was a self-administered questionnaire of Libyan food shoppers in Benghazi city. 371 completed questionnaires were obtained. Factor analysis revealed 12 factors that underlie the reasons consumers go shopping for food. The application of cluster analysis to the dimensions factor scores revealed six segments of food shoppers. The characteristics of each cluster were described by average factor scores on the dimensions of shopping motivations, demographic characteristics, and behavioural variables. The most important retail outlet attributes in the choice of where to buy food were, in descending order, food safety, quality of products, quality of service, speed of service, and variety of products. The findings also indicated that on all items supermarkets performed the best; except for freshness of products and in-store credit (traditional markets were perceived as superior on freshness of products and independent stores for in-store credit). Only for one attribute (car parking) were differences in the mean scores between supermarkets, traditional markets and independent stores not statistically significant. ii Econometric modelling considered the possible relationships between shopping behaviour and the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents. This confirmed a major finding of the qualitative research - that females were significantly less likely than males to visit traditional markets and spent proportionally more in supermarkets. Supermarket visitors were more concerned with social acceptability whereas, patrons of traditional markets placed greater emphasis on freshness. Heavy users of independent stores placed greater emphasis on in-store credit

The Effect of Socialization Practices and Onboarding on Newcomer Adjustment and Turnover Intention

New employee (newcomer) turnover is a severe problem in many organizations and inevitably leads to both operational and financial concerns. The hospitality industry, in particular, faces this challenge and struggles with acquiring and retaining talent. Studies have suggested that many newcomers leave their job due to inadequate socialization efforts on the employer’s part. While several researchers have explored the relationship involving newcomer onboarding and turnover intention, the hospitality domain lacks research investigating the effect of socialization practices on turnover intention. This study attempts to fill this void by exploring the effectiveness of four different socialization practices on onboarding success and their impact on newcomer adjustment, including turnover intention. Furthermore, this study also investigates the indirect effects of occupational self-efficacy and role clarity, on turnover intention. The study’s objective was theory testing and hence used a covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) approach to test the research model. Participants were recruited using Amazon MTurk. Participants were screened to ensure they met the study criteria. A total of 230 respondents were included in the data analysis. The data analysis was conducted using AMOS 26.0 and SPSS 26.0. A total of nine hypotheses was advanced; although some of the hypotheses were not supported, the results confirmed a strong positive relationship between onboarding success and occupational self-efficacy. Similarly, the relationship between onboarding success and role clarity was also confirmed. The results of the study suggest that successful onboarding plays a crucial role in promoting a newcomer’s occupational self-efficacy and role clarity leading to overall greater effectiveness. Based on the findings, I suggest implications for practitioners and offer recommendations for future research

Consumers’ perception of fair trade coffee in Australia and Japan

Beyond the issues of food safety, a competitive price and the experiential quality attributes, consumers are becoming more concerned about the sustainable manner in which their food has been produced. This study explores differences in consumer’s perceptions, attitudes and behaviour towards Fair Trade (FT) and organic certification between Australian and Japanese coffee consumers. Overall, the credence attributes were a secondary consideration when respondents purchased coffee for either home consumption or from a café or restaurant

The antecedents and consequences of brand equity in the hospitality industry

Emphasis on building and managing brand equity, as a primary driver of a hospitality firm's success, is of increasing interest. Building a brand with strong equity provides a number of potential benefits to a firm: greater brand loyalty, larger profit margins, effective marketing communication focus, and opportunities for brand-extensions. Although the issue of brand equity has emerged as one of the most important aspects of branding, little empirical evidence ists as to how to create brand equity and the nature of its antecedents and consequences. jcially in the hospitality industry. Therefore, the thrust of this research is to develop and test a research model of the antecedents and consequences of brand equity in the hospitality industry - in particular, for the hotel and restaurant sectors.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo