THE INFLUENCE OF CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS ON FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IN HOSPITALITY ORGANIZATIONS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a model that examines the relationship between customer perceptions and financial performance in hospitality organizations. A survey has been undertaken in hospitality organizations with a sample size of 387 based on simple random sampling. Meta-analysis of literature was the basis for developing the metric that included the variables constituting the hypothetical research model. The tool used for data analysis was structural equation modeling with partial least square technique. Results indicate that both the product- and nonproduct-related attributes have positive and significant influence on symbolic benefits and experiential benefits, which in turn positively influence customer satisfaction. Further, customer satisfaction positively influences financial services. The findings suggest that financial service managers should consider treating customers as partners in services on their quest to develop successful new services in hospitality organizations. Reciprocal behavior will foster a positive atmosphere, remove barriers arising from risk, and enable relationships to progress, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and financial performance. There are not many models available that deal with the antecedents of customer satisfaction (in terms of the product- and non-product related attributes and the functional, symbolic, and experiential benefits) and financial performance. This study adds to the body of knowledge in this emerging area

Dynamics of Learning Orientation, Innovativeness, and Financial Performance of the Hotel Industry

This paper investigates the moderating influence of firm innovativeness between learning orienta- tion and financial performance in the context of the hotel industry in Qatar. Quantitative research was the approach using Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Square Technique. A questionnaire-based survey was undertaken with 165 financial managers of different hotels in Qatar. The findings show that commitment to learning has significant influence on product innovation; shared vision has significant influence on process innovation; intra-organization knowledge shar- ing has influence on product, process, and business system innovation; and open-mindedness to learning has influence on business system innovation. Furthermore, firm innovativeness was also found to have an independent positive effect on financial performance. These findings have led to the development of the implications to the strategic and financial managers of the hotel industry to improve their financial performance

THE IMPACT OF SERVICE QUALITY ON BUSINESS PERFORMANCE IN QATAR-BASED HOTELS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

This study focuses on the impact of service quality on business performance in Qatar-based hotels. The study tests fifteen hypotheses built on existing theoretical models. The research adopts survey sampling method and uses the structural equation modeling approach. Empirical data were collected through the tourists of ten 5-star hotels in Qatar using the simple random sampling technique (n ¼ 243). The findings revealed significant interrelations of tangibles, reliability, and empathy with financial, non-financial, and operational performance of the surveyed hotels. Responsiveness and assurance had a significant interrelation with non-financial performance and operational performance respectively. Based on the findings of this study, the paper discusses key managerial implications to improve specific dimensions of service quality for enhanced business performance. This paper has a special relevance for hotels in Qatar as they witness steady growth and seek avenues for improvement in service quality for a sustainable business performance

Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: A Social Factor Dimension

This research focuses on the influence of social factors on the sustainability of hospitality industry in the context of Qatar. The significance of this research lies in its ability to empirically study the impact of social factors on the sustainability of hospitality industry in Qatar. The hypotheses building has been through the process of finding evidence through the theoretical models available in the literature for the linkages between the various social factors and sustainability. While there are several social factors which influence sustainability of any business in general, the ones which are most relevant to the hospitality industry are: Education, Life Expectancy, Income, TV index, Newspaper index, and PC index.  Structural Equation Modeling using Partial Least Square Method was used as the research methodology. This method was specifically chosen for its ability to undertake factor analysis and regression analysis simultaneously and address the issue of multi-collinearity. The sample size of 213 managers was chosen from various hotels.  The results based on the hypothesis testing would lead to the implications and also suggestions for the benefit of the hotel managers, so that sustainability of hospitality industry could be ensured

Ready for recovery: Hoteliers’ insights into the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian hotel industry

This research studies the hotel manager perspective of COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) on the Indian hotel industry by qualitatively analysing inputs from the human resources department, general management and top management of five-star hotels across India. In doing so, it advances knowledge on the impact of the COVID-19 situation in the domains of human resources (HR), strategy and business operations in the hospitality industry. The study analyses qualitative data collected through online interviews with 17 top-level managers of five-star hotels spread across India. Content analysis is done and the key findings with practical implications have been highlighted. This initial study on the hotel industry in India uncovers how the hoteliers are currently dealing with the pandemic across the country. Findings show that there is a massive negative impact on the Indian hotel industry, in terms of the revenue per available room (RevPAR) and occupancy rates. However, the study also highlights how hoteliers look forward to a phased re-opening of hotels with an increased focus on safety and hygiene after the COVID-19 crisis. The study provides a significant contribution to academic practitioners, hoteliers, and policymakers by examining the future plans in areas of hotels’ HR, strategy and business plans

Nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage in South Asian infants:Results of observational cohort studies in vaccinated and unvaccinated populations

BACKGROUND: Nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage (NPC) is a prerequisite for invasive pneumococcal disease and reduced carriage of vaccine serotypes is a marker for the protection offered by the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). The present study reports NPC during the first year of life in a vaccinated (with PCV10) cohort in Bangladesh and an unvaccinated cohort in India. METHODS: A total of 450 and 459 infants were recruited from India and Bangladesh respectively within 0-7 days after birth. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected at baseline, 18 and 36 weeks after birth. The swabs were processed for pneumococcal culture and identification of serotypes by the Quellung test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). An identical protocol was applied at both sites. RESULTS: Prevalence of NPC was 48% in the Indian and 54.8% in the Bangladeshi cohort at 18 weeks. It increased to 53% and 64.8% respectively at 36 weeks. The average prevalence of vaccine serotypes was higher in the Indian cohort (17.8% vs 9.8% for PCV-10 and 26.1% vs17.6% for PCV-13) with 6A, 6B, 19F, 23F, and 19A as the common serotypes. On the other hand, the prevalence of non-vaccine serotypes was higher (43.6% vs 27.1% for non-PCV13) in the Bangladeshi cohort with 34, 15B, 17F, and 35B as the common serotypes. Overcrowding was associated with increased risk of pneumococcal carriage. The present PCV-13 vaccine would cover 28%-30% and 47%-48% serotypes in the Bangladeshi and Indian cohorts respectively. CONCLUSIONS: South Asian infants get colonised with pneumococci early in infancy; predominantly vaccine serotypes in PCV naïve population (India) and non-vaccine serotypes in the vaccinated population (Bangladesh). These local findings are important to inform the public health policy and the development of higher valent pneumococcal vaccines

Larvicidal activities of 2-Aryl-2,3-Dihydroquinazolin -4-ones against malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis, In Silico ADMET prediction and molecular target investigation

Malaria, affecting all continents, remains one of the life-threatening diseases introduced by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected Anopheles mosquitoes. Although insecticides are currently used to reduce malaria transmission, their safety concern for living systems, as well as the environment, is a growing problem. Therefore, the discovery of novel, less toxic, and environmentally safe molecules to effectively combat the control of these vectors is in high demand. In order to identify new potential larvicidal agents, a series of 2-aryl-1,2-dihydroquinazolin-4-one derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their larvicidal activity against Anopheles arabiensis. The in silico absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties of the compounds were also investigated and most of the derivatives possessed a favorable ADMET profile. Computational modeling studies of the title compounds demonstrated a favorable binding interaction against the acetylcholinesterase enzyme molecular target. Thus, 2-aryl-1,2-dihydroquinazolin-4-ones were identified as a novel class of Anopheles arabiensis insecticides which can be used as lead molecules for the further development of more potent and safer larvicidal agents for treating malaria.Fil: Venugopala, K. N.. Durban University Of Technology; SudáfricaFil: Pushpalatha, R.. Reva University; IndiaFil: Tratat, C.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Gleiser, Raquel M.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinar de Biología Vegetal (P). Grupo Vinculado Centro de Relevamiento y Evaluación de Recursos Agrícolas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Bhandary, S.. Indian Institute Of Science Education And Research Bhopal; IndiaFil: Chopra, D.. Indian Institute Of Science Education And Research Bhopal; IndiaFil: Morsy, M.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Al-Dhubiab, B. E.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Attimarad, M. B.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Nair, A.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Sreeharsha, N.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Venugopala, R.. University Of Kwazulu-natal; SudáfricaFil: Deb, P. K.. Philadelphia University; JordaniaFil: Chandrashekharappa, S.. Institute For Stem Cell Biology And Regenerative Medicine; IndiaFil: Khalil, H.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Alwassil, O.. King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University For Health Sciences; Arabia SauditaFil: Abed, S. N.. Philadelphia University; JordaniaFil: Bataineh, Y. A.. Philadelphia University; JordaniaFil: Palenge, R.. Reva University; IndiaFil: Haroun, M.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Pottathil, S.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Girish, M. B.. Reva University; IndiaFil: Akrawi, S. H.. King Faisal University; Arabia SauditaFil: Mohanlall, V.. Durban University Of Technology; Sudáfric

Fermentation, Isolation, Structure, and antidiabetic activity of NFAT-133 produced by Streptomyces strain PM0324667

Type-2 diabetes is mediated by defects in either insulin secretion or insulin action. In an effort to identify extracts that may stimulate glucose uptake, similar to insulin, a high throughput-screening assay for measuring glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells was established. During the screening studies to discover novel antidiabetic compounds from microbial resources a Streptomyces strain PM0324667 (MTCC 5543, the Strain accession number at Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, India), an isolate from arid soil was identified which expressed a secondary metabolite that induced glucose uptake in L6 skeletal muscle cells. By employing bioactivity guided fractionation techniques, a tri-substituted simple aromatic compound with anti-diabetic potential was isolated. It was characterized based on MS and 2D NMR spectral data and identified as NFAT-133 which is a known immunosuppressive agent that inhibits NFAT-dependent transcription in vitro. Our investigations revealed the antidiabetic potential of NFAT-133. The compound induced glucose uptake in differentiated L6 myotubes with an EC50 of 6.3 ± 1.8 μM without activating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ. Further, NFAT-133 was also efficacious in vivo in diabetic animals and reduced systemic glucose levels. Thus it is a potential lead compound which can be considered for development as a therapeutic for the treatment of type-2 diabetes. We have reported herewith the isolation of the producer microbe, fermentation, purification, in vitro, and in vivo antidiabetic activity of the compound

Implication of FIFA 2022 on Active Living and Environmental Changes: A Managerial Perspective

This study is focused on the environmental impact of hosting FIFA 2022 in Qatar on the well-being and the active living of the residents. The primary data was collected through the questionnaire which was validated and tested using confirmatory factor analysis. The second-generation statistical analysis using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was adopted which undertakes both regression and factor analysis simultaneously using Partial Least Square Method. The results have shown that there is a significant influence of environmental factors on material-based factors, community-based factors, emotion-based factors, and health-based factors. Further, the community-based factor had significant influence on mental health, emotion-based factor has significant influence on social health, and health-based factor had significant influence on spiritual health. The environmental factors had significant influence on mental, social, and spiritual health. Surprisingly, the environmental factors and material-based factors had no significant influence on physical health. The implications of the study are in the form of suggestions to the managers of tourism industry and the strategic planners of FIFA 2022 in Qatar. Application of scenario planning tools may be required to make an estimate of the material-based factors. Optimum number of events to be hosted in the country may have to be estimated such that it contributes to the betterment of the community-based factors