The Impact of Total Quality Management Implementation on Employees’ Service Recovery Performance in Five-Star Hotels in Jordan

The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of total quality management (TQM) implementations on employees’ service recovery performance in five-star hotels in Jordan. TQM implementations and service recovery performance have received significant attention in previous research. However, the impact of TQM on service recovery performance has remained unexplored research area. A 67-item questionnaire, measuring TQM implementations and service recovery, was distributed to 400 employees in 12 five-star hotels in Jordan with a 63.5 response rate. Principle Component Analysis was utilized to determine the factor structure for both TQM and service recovery and Regression Analysis to determine the impact of TQM implementations on service recovery performance. The result revealed that the TQM implementations in five-star hotels in Jordan was  implemented effectively and thus, have a positive impact on employees’ service recovery performance. This result is attributed to be unique and this is due to the fact that previous studies have focused on manufacturing sector not on hotel sector in measuring either TQM implementations or service recovery performance. This paper suggests replicating the study in additional settings to determine if similar results will be obtained outside five-star-hotels in Jordan. Many of the previous studies on TQM and service recovery performance have been conducted in the context of western economies and very little research has been done in the Middle East in general and Jordan in particular. As such, there is a need to examine, from the employees’ perspective, the levels of implementing TQM that are being encouraged in the hospitality industry and it is effect on service recovery performance among employees towards their both employers and customers. The present paper contributes to filling the gap in the literature by measuring the TQM implementations and service recovery as a whole in a new context. Keywords: Total Quality Management (TQM), Service Failure, Service Recovery Performance, Hotels, Jordan

Reproductive Biology of the Thumbprint Emperor, Lethrinus harak (Forsskal 1775), using histological ultra-structural characteristic in gonads along Sudanese Coastal Waters

Lethrinus harak (Forsskal 1775) are very common species of the family Lethrinidae in Sudanese Red Sea Coast. Some aspects of the reproductive biology and histology of the gonads of Lehtrinus harak were studied between 2008 and 2009. The present study described six maturity stages for gonad development based on external features and histological study of males/females. Males of Lethrinus harak attain maturity stages at a relatively bigger size than females (at 22.5 cm for males and 21.7 cm for females). Lethrinus harak has a prolonged spawning season extending from October to April with peaks in April. Keywords: Lethrinus harak, Reproduction, histology, Abu Hashish, Red Sea DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/9-4-1

Prediction Of Boilers Emission Using Polynomial Networks

In this paper we investigate the problem of NOx pollution using a model of furnace of an industrial boiler, and propose Functional Networks (FunNets) for high performance prediction of NOx as well as O2. The objective is to develop low cost inferential sensing techniques that would help in operating the boiler at the maximum possible efficiency while maintaining the NOx production within a specified limit. The studied boiler is 160 MW, gas fired with natural gas, water-tube boiler, having two vertically aligned burners. The boiler model is a 3D problem that involves turbulence, combustion, radiation in addition to NOx modeling. The 3D computational fluid dynamic model is developed using Fluent simulation package, where the volume of the furnace was divided into 371000 control volumes with more concentration of grids near solid walls and regions of high property gradients. The model provides calculations of the 3D temperature distribution as well as the rate of formation of the NOx pollutant, enabling a better understanding on how and where NOx are produced. The boiler was simulated under various operating conditions. The generated data is then used to train and test the developed neural network softsensors for emission prediction based on the conventional process variable measurements. The softsensors were constructed using Polynomial Networks (PolyNets), which are a special class of the recently introduced Functional Networks. PolyNets compose complex Neural Networks from simple transfer polynomials with weights that are computed efficiently by ordinary least-squares. The performance of the proposed PolyNet softsensor is evaluated in detail in the paper and compared with the traditional MLP neural networks. It is shown that PolyNets achieve better accurac

Prediction Of Boilers Emission Using Polynomial Networks

In this paper we investigate the problem of NOx pollution using a model of furnace of an industrial boiler, and propose Functional Networks (FunNets) for high performance prediction of NOx as well as O2. The objective is to develop low cost inferential sensing techniques that would help in operating the boiler at the maximum possible efficiency while maintaining the NOx production within a specified limit. The studied boiler is 160 MW, gas fired with natural gas, water-tube boiler, having two vertically aligned burners. The boiler model is a 3D problem that involves turbulence, combustion, radiation in addition to NOx modeling. The 3D computational fluid dynamic model is developed using Fluent simulation package, where the volume of the furnace was divided into 371000 control volumes with more concentration of grids near solid walls and regions of high property gradients. The model provides calculations of the 3D temperature distribution as well as the rate of formation of the NOx pollutant, enabling a better understanding on how and where NOx are produced. The boiler was simulated under various operating conditions. The generated data is then used to train and test the developed neural network softsensors for emission prediction based on the conventional process variable measurements. The softsensors were constructed using Polynomial Networks (PolyNets), which are a special class of the recently introduced Functional Networks. PolyNets compose complex Neural Networks from simple transfer polynomials with weights that are computed efficiently by ordinary least-squares. The performance of the proposed PolyNet softsensor is evaluated in detail in the paper and compared with the traditional MLP neural networks. It is shown that PolyNets achieve better accurac

The impact of internal service quality on job satisfaction in the hotel industry

Service quality is a key factor for success in any hotel. Many researchers have conducted studies on service quality, but only a few studies have been conducted on internal service quality (ISQ) in general, and in the hotel industry in particular. Since there is no general agreement among researchers on the measurement of ISQ, many studies have used SERVQUAL instrument to measure the employees’ perceptions of ISQ. The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of ISQ on employee’s job satisfaction in five-star hotels in Jordan. The current study was carried out by measuring the data gathered through a seven-point Likert scale. The quantitative survey method was applied, and therefore the SERVQUAL instrument was used to measure ISQ, and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) was used to measure job satisfaction. Data obtained from a sample of 238 respondents drawn from 14 five-star hotels in Jordan were analysed with the SPSS software based on descriptive statistics. The study’s findings indicated that the ISQ of five-star hotels in Jordan has a significantly positive influence on an employee’s job satisfaction. These findings support the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between ISQ in the hotel industry and industry employees’ job satisfaction.Keywords: hotels, internal service quality, job satisfactio

MEDIATING ROLE OF EMPOWERMENT BETWEEN TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT (TQM) AND SERVICE RECOVERY PERFORMANCE IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

The purpose of this research was to examine the mediating effect of empowerment on the linkage between Total Quality Management (TQM) and service recovery performance in the hotel industry. Although much has been written about TQM, empowerment and service recovery performance, but the role of empowerment as a mediator in the relationship between TQM and service recovery performance has remained a relatively unexplored research area. A 93-item questionnaire is designed to measure TQM, empowerment and service recovery amongst employees in five-star hotels in Jordan, and 254 usable questionnaires were used in this study. Principal components analysis determined the factor structure and regression analysis determined the relationships between the study’s variables. The results revealed that the TQM implementations have positive effects on empowerment and service recovery performance. Moreover, the study found the full mediating effect of empowerment in the relationship between TQM and service recovery performance. Implications, limitations and future research are discussed at the end. This study proposes model of influence of TQM in service recovery performance, whereby empowerment fully mediates this relationship

Food Safety Training: A Study of Food Handlers Working in Hotels in the North of Jordan

In spite of decenniums of advancement, a numerous foodborne outbreaks continue to occur each year; these were mostly happening due to malpractices of employees working in foodservices. This study aims to investigate the role of food safety training in improving food handlers' practices through the application of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) model. Primary data were collected using a self-completed questionnaires that were collected from 100 Food and Beverage (F&B) employees working in hotels at the north of Jordan. Findings confirmed the role of food safety training in increasing F&B employees’ knowledge which positively correlates with their food handling practices. Furthermore, this study explored work environment elements affecting the transformation of learned knowledge into proper food handling practices; these include management motivation, availability of necessary resources and facilities and reinforcement programs. The study contributed to knowledge by employing the aforementioned variables to produce an adapted version of the KAP model

Induction of population triploid-interploid in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mikiss) using by indirect

Induced polyploidy is a suitable tool for producing sterile fish which made commercial benefits in the aquaculture industry. This study carried out in order to produce triploid-interploid population via mating tetraploid female with diploid male rainbow trout. Heat shock was used for making tetraploid population and the best temperature and induction time were examined. Result showed that highest mortality from 1 day after fertilization to emerging were in groups 6 of embryos (40.1%) and the lowest were in groups 3 (33 %). Flowcytometry results showed that some fish were polyploidy. Comparative analyze of genome levels in tetraploid fish to control fish (diploid) and hen as standard indicator, confirmed tetraploid fishes in this study. In conclusion we can state that heat shock induction for 7 minutes at 65 hour –degree after fertilization in 28ºC is optimum temperature for inducting tetraploid rainbow trout

Zein Coated Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Fabrication and Antimicrobial Evaluation as Dental Aid

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