Miri City as a festival destination image in the context of Miri Country Music Festival

The primary objective of the study is to ascertain the festival destination image of Miri. More specifically the study objectives are to determine Miri as a festival destination image among the tourists in the context of Miri Country Music Festival (MCMF) and to assess tourist’s satisfaction level of MCMF. The findings show that the participants have positive impression about Miri being a festival destination image. This paper provides some insights to relevant authorities for further improvements to meet the expectation of the tourists. The limitations of the study and future research are also discussed in this paper

To predict and to explain: a multigroup analysis of gender on job and family satisfaction among hospitality employees

Purpose – The recent trends of work and family issues have prompted a proliferation of research in the work-family study; however, evidence from the hospitality industry is limited. This paper aims to examine the relationships between the work-family interface on job satisfaction (JS) and family satisfaction (FS). Additionally, the authors have adopted person-centered perspectives to determine if gender affects the magnitude of these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 295 hospitality employees, and the hypotheses were tested using the partial least squares method of structural equation modeling. Other than assessing the path model’s explanatory power, the authors examined the model’s predictive power using PLSpredict to predict new cases. Findings – The results supported the originating domain view where the domain in which work-family enrichment (WFE) or conflict originates would have the immediate effect. Simultaneously, the authors found empirical evidence demonstrating the complimentary transfer of resources from the family domain to the work domain, enriching an individual’s satisfaction level. Finally, multigroup analysis reveals that women displayed higher job dissatisfaction than men when facing work-family conflict. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first study that allows a better understanding of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees’ work-family dynamics. This is the first study relating WFE and conflict to matching-domain satisfaction in one model. By examining these constructs’ simultaneous pathways, the authors extend the body of knowledge by contrasting the source attribution perspective with the cross-domain theory of enrichment and conflict. Consequentially, the authors answer Premchandran and Priyadarshi’s (2020) call to examine work-family dynamics in different cultures on different genders

Effect of work engagement on meaningful work and psychological capital: perspectives from social workers in New Zealand

Purpose: This paper investigates the effect and the predictive capacity of work engagement on personal and job resources, in the form of psychological capital (PsyCap) and meaningful work in the non-profit organisations (NPO)s settings. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 303 social workers working in New Zealand's NPOs. The hypotheses were tested using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Originality/value – This study advances our understanding of the relationship of outcomes to resources as postulated in the JD-R theory. This is the first few studies to examine the effect of work engagement on PsyCap and meaningful work, as well as the mediating effect of PsyCap on the relationship between work engagement and meaningful work. At the same time, it provides conceptual clarity on the role of specific job resource and personal resource, demonstrating that resources do not operate in isolation but can build more resources. This study also contributes to the field of human resource management using a predictive PLS-SEM technique. Findings: Results of this study reveal that work engagement is positively related to both PsyCap and meaningful work. It shows that work engagement is instrumental in enhancing one's PsyCap at the same time improving one's perception of work. The model demonstrates good predictive power

What Makes Social Work Meaningful? Evidence for a Curvilinear Relationship of Meaningful Work on Work Engagement with Psychological Capital as the Moderator

Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, this study examines the curvilinear relationship between social workers’ meaningful work and work engagement. Data gathered from 223 social workers reveal that the relationship between meaningful work and work engagement showed a U-shaped curve when psychological capital is low. In contrast, this relationship showed an inverted U-shaped curve when psychological capital is high. Our study makes significant contributions to the literature in the following ways. First and foremost, this is the first paper that provides an established base to validate the momentary and changing nature of meaningful work empirically. Second, we further addressed how the fluctuating nature of meaningful work can be addressed through individuals’ demographic variables of psychological capital. Finally, our results provide managerial interventions that support businesses in advancing the understanding of psychological processes in contexts related to the broad area of work and in organizations

Is meaningful work the silver bullet? Perspectives of the social workers

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of meaningful work against dimensions of job burnout, with psychological capital (PsyCap) as the mediator. Design/methodology/approach: Data from 223 social workers were analyzed using the partial least squares–structural equation modeling. Findings: As expected, meaningful work displayed a positive, direct and significant relationship with PsyCap. Contrary to expectations, meaningful work did not establish a negative direct relationship with all, but one dimension of job burnout. However, the results showed that it had indirect relationships with all job burnout dimensions through PsyCap where it displayed a mediating influence over the relationship. Practical implications: Given the malleable attributes of PsyCap and the results showing meaningful work being a strong predictor of PsyCap, this study suggests that organizations should focus on imbuing greater meaningfulness in work to improve social workers’ PsyCap, which is essential in reducing their propensity for experiencing job burnout. Originality/value: This is one of the first studies to explore in detail the effects of meaningful work on the dimensions of job burnout, with PsyCap being the mediator. This study has advanced the body of knowledge on meaningful work by contesting the claim that meaningful work was an effective predictor in reducing job burnout. In addition, this study has extended the understanding of the upward-spiral concept and the resource caravan concept

Participant well-being and local festivals: the case of the Miri country music festival, Malaysia

Purpose: Festivals are becoming a growing commodity for countries keen to increase their portfolio of tourist attractions. The benefits experienced by the local community and the visitors at festivals are multi-faceted. However, existing tourism research has primarily focussed on the value of the event in terms of customer satisfaction. It has yet to explicitly identify the affect music festivals have on individuals' well-being. This study aims to investigate the effect of music festival unique attributes on visitors' satisfaction levels and how it influences individuals' well-being. Design/methodology/approach: A paper-based questionnaire was distributed to participants visiting the Miri Country Music Festival (MCMF) in Malaysia, and partial least squares–structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. Findings: The results from 288 respondents revealed that the festival programme was the main attribute in influencing one's satisfaction to a festival, which in turn improved one's subjective well-being. The other attributes that influence an individual's satisfaction in a music festival include food, information services and festival value. Originality/value: This study advances the body of knowledge by integrating the self-determination theory and the environmental psychology theory as the bases that a music festival potentially provides an engaging environment that is conducive for positive well-being among the participants. This is the first study that confirms the influence of the different predictors on the perceived value of MCMF, proposing a model in developing a better understanding of the participants' well-being

A Multigroup Analysis of Bidirectional Work-Family Enrichment on Family Satisfaction of Hospitality Employees during the Pandemic: Where Religiosity and Marital Status Matter

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives. As many industries face a complete stand-still, it also highlights the need to maintain family satisfaction (FS) during this challenging time, empirical research on achieving this remains scant. This study elucidates how marital status influences employees’ religiosity, work-family enrichment (WFE) and FS. Data from 295 employees was examined using the analyzed using the partial least squares method structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) multigroup analysis. Results suggest that religiosity has a positive significant relationship on the bidirectionality of WFE. The multigroup analysis indicates a significant difference in how single and married employees interpret work-family experience. We extend family-work interfaces by incorporating both the construct of marital status and religiosity. It advances the body of knowledge in understanding work-family interfaces, especially in times of the pandemic

Students' choice of international branch campus in Malaysia: a gender comparative study

Purpose: In the last decade, female students' enrolment in higher education has experienced significant growth. However, male and female students still differ in criteria set of choosing higher education institutions. While several studies have been disentangled in developed countries in analyzing gender differences in pursuing higher education, a similar area of studies conducted in developing countries is scarce. The purpose of this study is to examine gender differences and the factors that influence first-year students' choice of higher education in a developing country. Design/methodology/approach: The study involved 575 students who were either enrolled in an undergraduate or foundation program of an international branch campus. We tested the hypotheses using partial least squares multigroup analysis (PLS-MGA). Findings: Our results revealed that graduate employability, information sources, program characteristics, institution characteristics and campus safety were influential factors affecting the students' institutional choice. The MGA results also indicated that gender differences exist in selecting higher education institutions. Male students are more strongly influenced by information sources such as family, friends, media compared with female students. Originality/value: Very few international branch campus choice studies explore gender differences in developing countries. This study enriches the current literature of institutional choice through the lens of an Asian developing country and extends the discourse regarding the role of gender in influencing students' institutional choice, of which they are commonly overlooked in most literature. The study has significant implications for student recruitment managers in higher education institution to develop marketing strategies targeting to potential male and female students