The sun is no fun without rain : Physical environments affect how we feel about yellow across 55 countries

Across cultures, people associate colours with emotions. Here, we test the hypothesis that one driver of this cross-modal correspondence is the physical environment we live in. We focus on a prime example – the association of yellow with joy, – which conceivably arises because yellow is reminiscent of life-sustaining sunshine and pleasant weather. If so, this association should be especially strong in countries where sunny weather is a rare occurrence. We analysed yellow-joy associations of 6625 participants from 55 countries to investigate how yellow-joy associations varied geographically, climatologically, and seasonally. We assessed the distance to the equator, sunshine, precipitation, and daytime hours. Consistent with our hypotheses, participants who live further away from the equator and in rainier countries are more likely to associate yellow with joy. We did not find associations with seasonal variations. Our findings support a role for the physical environment in shaping the affective meaning of colour.Peer reviewe

Hospitality innovation strategies ::an analysis of success factors and challenges

Innovation in hospitality has attracted considerable interest, partly because its processes and activities are so diverse, and partly because its impact on performance is still a puzzle. This study proposes a comprehensive theoretical model that reviews combinations of technological and non-technological innovation and the interrelation between different innovation strategies that contribute to generating competitive advantages. Using data from 2010 and 2012 CIS, it empirically examines different innovation strategies, analyzes their role in organizational performance, and thoroughly researches sectoral variation in innovation strategies between hospitality and other service subsectors. Comparative analysis suggests that hospitality is the least innovative service activity. The findings also show that in hotels sales turnover is positively related only to complex innovation strategies that emphasize both technological and non-technological innovation. The study concludes that the level of innovation varies from sector to sector and that innovation strategies can have different effects on performance depending on the sector

Service innovation strategies ::an analysis of success factors and challenges

Innovation in service has attracted considerable interest in recent years, partly because its processes and activities are so diverse, and partly because its impact on performance is still a puzzle. This study proposes a comprehensive theoretical model, which reviews combinations of technological and non-technological innovation practices and the interrelation between different innovation strategies for the generation of sustainable competitive advantages. Using data from the 2010 and 2012 European Community Innovation Survey, it empirically examines different innovation strategies, analyzes their role in organizational performance, and thoroughly researches sectoral variation in innovation strategies between the rest of services. Comparative analysis suggests that knowledge-intensive services are the most innovative activities. Yet, complex innovation strategies are positively related to turnover irrespective of the service activity. The study concludes that there are sectoral differences in general innovation level and effects of innovation strategies on performance

Effects of women in top management roles working part-time on hotel performance volatility

This study examines the relationship between women in top management positions while working part-time (WTMpt) and sales performance using data collected from 47 hotels located across ten cantons of French- and German-speaking regions of Switzerland. We use two-stage least squares regression models to overcome the reverse causality of this relationship and include macro variables in our model (birth rates, institutional childcare, political parties, and female political representation). Our results show that WTMpt decrease the volatility of hotels’ Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) in both high and low seasons