Brand Image and Other Customers : A New Approach to Fine Dining

Dr. Murat Hancer, Professor at UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management, and his collaborator investigate the relationship between brand image and customer satisfaction for fine dining establishments in a new study. Their findings will help restaurant companies to achieve overall commercial success, within a fiercely competitive industry, through tailored approaches to attracting new clients and establishing brand preference over rivals. The research reveals for the first time the significant effect of “other customers” on brand image, and how they can help to get diners through the door

Organizational-Level RFID Technology Adoption in the Hospitality Industry

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of technological, organizational, and environmental factors on the hospitality operators\u27 adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Based on a sample of 125 technology decision makers at major hospitality corporations in the US, the results of the study indicated that except stakeholder pressure, all of the technological, organizational, and environmental factors had significant impact on hospitality operators\u27 intention to adopt RFID technology. By identifying the factors affecting hospitality operators\u27 RFID technology adoption decisions, technology vendors could design appropriate marketing strategies to reach potential adopters and they could educate these adopters better on the benefits of RFID technologies in order to increase the usage of these technologies in the hospitality industry

A fixed point theorem for multi-maps satisfying an implicit relation on metrically convex metric spaces

In this paper, we give a fixed point theorem for multi-valued mapping satisfying an implicit relation on metrically convex metric spaces. This result extends and generalizes some fixed point theorem in the literature

Robust position control of a tilt-wing quadrotor

This paper presents a robust position controller for a tilt-wing quadrotor to track desired trajectories under external wind and aerodynamic disturbances. Wind effects are modeled using Dryden model and are included in the dynamic model of the vehicle. Robust position control is achieved by introducing a disturbance observer which estimates the total disturbance acting on the system. In the design of the disturbance observer, the nonlinear terms which appear in the dynamics of the aerial vehicle are also treated as disturbances and included in the total disturbance. Utilization of the disturbance observer implies a linear model with nominal parameters. Since the resulting dynamics are linear, only PID type simple controllers are designed for position and attitude control. Simulations and experimental results show that the performance of the observer based position control system is quite satisfactory

Robust hovering control of a quad tilt-wing UAV

This paper presents design of a robust hovering controller for a quad tilt-wing UAV to hover at a desired position under external wind and aerodynamic disturbances. Wind and the aerodynamic disturbances are modeled using the Dryden model. In order to increase the robustness of the system, a disturbance observer is utilized to estimate the unknown disturbances acting on the system. Nonlinear terms which appear in the dynamics of the vehicle are also treated as disturbances and included in the total disturbance. Proper compensation of disturbances implies a linear model with nominal parameters. Thus, for robust hovering control, only PID type simple controllers have been employed and their performances have been found very satisfactory. Proposed hovering controller has been verified with several simulations and experiments

LQR and SMC stabilization of a new unmanned aerial vehicle

We present our ongoing work on the development of a new quadrotor aerial vehicle which has a tilt-wing mechanism. The vehicle is capable of take-off/landing in vertical flight mode (VTOL) and flying over long distances in horizontal flight mode. Full dynamic model of the vehicle is derived using Newton-Euler formulation. Linear and nonlinear controllers for the stabilization of attitude of the vehicle and control of its altitude have been designed and implemented via simulations. In particular, an LQR controller has been shown to be quite effective in the vertical flight mode for all possible yaw angles. A sliding mode controller (SMC) with recursive nature has also been proposed to stabilize the vehicle’s attitude and altitude. Simulation results show that proposed controllers provide satisfactory performance in achieving desired maneuvers

GPS based position control and waypoint navigation of a quad tilt-wing UAV

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are becoming increasingly capable nowadays and the civilian applications and the military tasks that can be carried out by these vehicles are far more critical than before. There have been remarkable advances in the design and development of UAVs. They are equipped with various sensors which make them capable of accomplishing missions in unconstrained environments which are dangerous or effortful for manned aircrafts. Recently, significant interest in unmanned aerial vehicles has directed researchers towards navigation problem of flying vehicles. This thesis work focuses on GPS based position control and waypoint navigation of a quad tilt-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (SUAVI: Sabanci University Unmanned Aerial Vehicle). The vehicle is capable of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). It can also fly horizontally due to its tilt-wing structure. Mechanical and aerodynamic designs are first outlined. A nonlinear mathematical model expressed in a hybrid frame is then obtained using Newton-Euler formulation which also includes aerodynamics effects such as wind and gusts. Extended Kalman filtering (EKF) using raw IMU measurements is employed to obtain reliable orientation estimates which is crucial for attitude stabilization of the aerial vehicle. A high-level acceleration controller which utilizes GPS data produces roll and pitch references for the low-level attitude controllers for hovering and trajectory tracking of the aerial vehicle. The nonlinear dynamic equations of the vehicle are linearized around nominal operating points in hovering conditions and gravity compensated PID controllers are designed for position and attitude control. Simulations and several real flight experiments demonstrate success of the developed position control algorithms

Human resources practices and employee motivation in the hospitality industry: A cross-cultural research

Purpose –This study conducted a comparative analysis between hotels located in Brazil and England on human resource practices and employee motivation, using the cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede (1980) and the conservation of resources theory. Design/Methodology/Approach – Questionnaires were completed by 154 hotels, 96 and 58 dyads of human resources managers and frontline employees from Brazil and England, respectively, corresponding to a total of 308 respondents. Importance-performance analysis was used to examine the data collected through independent t-tests. Findings – The results showed that Brazilian managers considered training as the most important human resources practice, while information sharing had the best performance in their hotels. English managers ranked employment security with the highest importance and performance ratings. Brazilian frontline employees ranked intrinsic motivation with the highest importance and performance ratings, while English frontline employees ranked extrinsic motivation with the highest importance and performance ratings. Originality of the research – This research extended previous studies using the conservation of resources theory and also developed competitive strategies targeted to specific cultures. Another contribution was the comparative study between hotel employees (managers and frontline) from two countries (Brazil and England), applying the importance-performance analysis

Beta 2 glycoprotein I Valine247Leucine polymorphism in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome

Aim: Beta 2 Glycoprotein I (β2-GP I) takes part in the pathogenesis of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Valine247Leucine (Val247Leu) gene polymorphism of β2-GP I might affect the binding/production of anti-β2-GP I antibodies. Multiple studies are showing different frequencies of this polymorphism in various ethnic backgrounds; we aimed to determine the frequency and clinical importance of Val247Leu gene polymorphism of β2-GP I in patients with APS and healthy. Methods: Eighty-three patients with APS [68 primary APS, 15 APS with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)] and 63 healthy individuals were included. Β2-GP I Val247Leu polymorphism was determined by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and melting curve analysis. The presence of anti-β2-GP I antibodies was detected by ELISA in the patient group. Results: Allele and genotype frequencies were similar between patients and healthy controls (p=0,307). V allele and VV genotype frequencies were significantly higher in primary APS patients with thrombocytopenia (p=0.040). There was no significant difference between β2-GP I Val247Leu gene polymorphism and the anti-β2-GP IgM and IgG antibody levels in the patient group (p=0.631 and p=0.077, respectively) Conclusion: This is the first study investigating the β2-GP I Val247Leu gene polymorphism in the Turkish population. The frequencies of Val247Leu gene polymorphism of β2-GP I were not different between patients with APS and healthy individuals in line with the other studies in Caucasian populations. Significantly high levels of V allele and VV genotype frequencies in primary APS patients could offer further insight to into the pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia in APS

Interpersonal Trust, Organizational Culture and Turnover Intention in Hotels: A Cross Level perspective

The aim of the present study was to understand the influence of interpersonal trust and organizational culture on employees’ turnover intention. The data of the study were collected from 252 hotel employees in Turkey. Study results showed that both affective trust and cognitive trust were negatively related to hotel employees’ turnover intention. Furthermore, clan organizational culture, adhocracy organizational culture, and market organizational culture were also negatively related to turnover intention of hotel employees. However, the results indicate that hierarchy organizational culture does not have a significant impact on hotel employees’ turnover intention. The findings provide valuable theoretical and practical implications and suggestions for future research