Effective Hotel Brand Management - Don’t forget the role of your employees!

Employees are a vital element of a customer’s hotel experience. Responsible for delivering the differentiated experience reflected in the hotel’s brand, employees are an important brand resource, necessitating brand management adopt an external and internal perspective. This report explains internal brand management and the favorable brand outcomes that result

Do employees truly value their brand values? Examining the specificity of employee-brand value fit for service brands

The alignment between employee performance and brand values is crucial in realizing a differentiated and meaningful service brand. However, previous studies that examine this alignment tend to adopt only reflective measures that do not acknowledge the pluralistic nature of brand values. To fully demonstrate the specificity of employee-brand value fit, we proposed and tested a Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) measurement model with both reflective indicators and formative indicators. This approach not only reveals a general employee-brand value fit level, but also yields insight with respect to what brand values are the most important in informing employee-brand value fit and their subsequent brand performance. Two empirical studies were conducted to test and re-test this new approach. Both studies strongly supported the superiority of this MIMIC model approach. With this statistical advancement, theoretical and managerial implications are provided accordingly

Enhancing internal communication to build social capital amongst hospitality employees – the role of social media

Purpose: Adopting a social capital theoretical (SCT) lens, this study aims to propose a conceptual framework of effective internal communication (IC) for the hospitality industry. The study explores how to enhance current practices and the suitability of social media as an augmentation to traditional IC channels. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative research methodology, consisting of 20 semi-structured interviews with hospitality employees, was adopted. Following a “reduction” and “interpretation” process, 16 themes related to effective IC were identified which informed a conceptual framework. Findings: Characteristics of effective IC were identified in addition to IC benefits at both employee and organizational levels. Considering the limitations of current practices, the applicability of social media was explored. Requirements of effective IC suggest that new channels (e.g. social media) should be adopted to build social capital. Research limitations/implications: The study informs SCT from a meso-level (process) perspective. The articulation of an IC framework informs how social capital can be built through effective IC, providing a foundation for further empirical examination as to the impact of various channels on the IC process. Adoption of a case study design suggests that results and implications can only be generalized to similar environments. Practical implications: The study details the characteristics of effective IC and its subsequent benefits, highlighting how social media can augment current IC practices in a hospitality organization. Originality/value: Being a 24/7 labor-intensive operation makes employee communication to ensure service excellence challenging in the hospitality industry. Through the application of SCT and the exploration of social media in a workplace setting to enhance IC, significant theoretical and practical insights are realized.112ssciscopu

The effects of generational work values on employee brand attitude and behavior: A multi-group analysis

The competitive hospitality industry requires effective external and internal brand management. Since service employees bring the brand to life, insight regarding their motivational drivers is important. Given a multigenerational hospitality workforce, individual motivations will likely differ and therefore inform attitudes and behavior differently. Adopting work values as a motivational lens, and drawing on generational theory, this study surveys 303 hospitality employees to understand how generational collective memories (i.e., formative referents) inform individuals’ work values. Further, it examines how generational work values differentially influence employees’ perceived brand fit and brand citizenship behavior. The results suggest that an individual’s collective memories from their formative years influence their work values, with altruistic, social and intrinsic work values having a positive impact on employee brand attitude and behavior, while extrinsic and leisure work values have no significant impact. Generational differences are evident, but not always in a manner that is consistent with previous literature.110Nssciscopu