Co-branding hotel owners and operators to increase willingness to pay

Although hotel brands are well established in the industry, customers have not been educated about the different kinds of properties, nor has hotel  structure been utilised as a functional marketing tool. Drawing on previous studies, the purpose of this study is to evaluate consumer branding  preferences and willingness to pay because of co-branding and informed ownership, operational, or franchise branding. This two-part study looks at  consumer awareness and consumer preferences in the first part through semi-structured interviews, and in the second part, an experimental survey.  Results reveal that most travellers do not understand the difference between a corporate-owned and -managed hotel and a franchised hotel. Co-  branding efforts for management and ownership companies were not significant in both value perceptions and willingness to pay. However, co-branding  efforts by ownership companies with parent companies increased their guests’ willingness to pay

Acculturation Processes of International Labour in Switzerland in the Hospitality Organisations

The following research examines the acculturation processes of migrants, working in Switzerland, particularly in the hospitality industry. Due to rapid globalisation and lack of investigation on worker's adaptation, there remains a gap in the research based on the employees' cultural clash occurrence. The study explores potential tools which might simplify cultural adaptation and provide a better understanding of international communication for any future employees coming to live and work in Switzerland. Semi-structured interviews with participants from different nationalities were conducted to identify the importance of effective acculturation, the adaptation issues, and the influence of those on work and life in Switzerland. The results demonstrate that the most efficient way to acculturate in Switzerland is integration to the culture and traditions of the country and its history through understanding their values, norms, practices. Moreover, Switzerland was viewed as a very conservative and strict country where one must work hard to be accepted. Those participants who tried to separate, assimilate, or marginalise tend to experience tougher acculturation. Language, namely Swiss German or German, was highlighted as the most essential to learn or to be provided by the workplace. Lastly, current research identified a link between successful acculturation with job opportunities and development. Since salaries and job opportunities are not the same for the foreign workers in comparison to Swiss employees on the same position there might be a potential recommendation for improvement. Little to no link has been found between acculturation and psychological well-being, financial status, and health conditions

Teaching hospitality and tourism students’ strategies for recognizing and supporting mental health conditions and crises in industry: an exploratory study

By addressing the academic imperative for mental health education and crisis intervention, this exploratory study evaluates the desirability and availability of undergraduate education in recognizing and supporting mental health conditions and crises in hospitality and tourism industry settings. Hospitality and tourism management faculty and undergraduate students were surveyed through an online survey. The majority of faculty and students agreed mental health is important to learn in the classroom to prepare for industry, yet the majority have neither taught nor learned about mental health education and crisis intervention. The findings contribute to how educational leadership influences mental health training integration in classroom instruction. Recommendations included conducting feasibility studies with hospitality management educators on the integration of mental health in classroom learning; conducting larger, more generalizable studies on the effects of such education; and integrating effective mental health and crisis intervention training for hospitality management educators and students into curricula across the field

Engaging in student evaluations of teaching through intrinsic motivation: an exploratory study of competence, perceived choice, value/usefulness, and relatedness

Student evaluations of teaching (SET) elicit feedback to enhance the course, teaching, and learning. However, hospitality and tourism curriculum research lacks an understanding of the dyadic relationship between the instructor and motivation and other logistics to complete SET. This remains important to uncover student competence, perceived choice, value/usefulness, and relatedness to complete SET to increase SET feedback from instructors. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient analysis was employed to test the hypotheses using data collected from 69 undergraduate hospitality and tourism students recruited through U.S. educational institutions in the northeast and southeast. Results reveal that intrinsic motivation relates positively to SET completion, showing a strong, positive correlation between all variables. The study provides contributions to instructors to offer extrinsic motivators to encourage students to recognize the value of the SET. The study is among the first to explore the intrinsic motivators and completion of SET with hospitality and tourism undergraduate students

Music festival supervisor leadership style and organizational citizenship behavior: the effects of employee and volunteer relationships and dependence on their leader

PurposeThe relationship between leadership style and employee outcomes is well established. However, organizational management research lacks an understanding of the dyadic relationship between supervisors and employees and volunteers at music festivals. This study examines a mediation model in which leader–member exchange (LMX) affects leadership style and organizational citizenship behavior. Additionally, the study examines a moderating model in which dependence on the leader moderates relationships between leadership style and leader–member exchange.Design/methodology/approachConfirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and conditional process analysis were employed to test the model using data collected from 97 supervisors, volunteers and employees who worked at an annual large-scale music festival staged in Costa Rica.FindingsResults reveal that leadership style relates positively to LMX and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Simultaneously, the mediating effect of LMX and moderating effect of dependence on the leader was not significant on the leadership style and OCB.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the small sample size and accessibility to one music festival, caution should be taken in drawing causal conclusions from the results.Practical implicationsThe study contributes to the knowledge of event and festival management with recommendations for leadership training initiatives for supervisors and employees/volunteers.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to examine the mediating role of LMX between leadership style and OCB, moderating the role of dependence on leadership style and LMX with music festival supervisors and employees/volunteers

Leadership skills with classroom instruction integration in hospitality management higher education

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Hospitality ManagementKevin R. RobertsHospitality management educators and industry professionals are being impacted by the demand for leadership skills of managers and supervisors. Teaching leadership is lacking in classroom instruction and to address this concern, faculty, students, and industry professionals should attempt to work together to meet ever-changing industry requirements and expectations. For students to achieve management positions, they should possess the necessary skills needed for the industry. Due to the early stages of leadership education within hospitality management, research to clarify the most prominent leadership style among faculty who successfully implement leadership pedagogy in the classroom will be beneficial for hospitality management educators, who are responsible for instructional change and development. Hospitality management educators completed a 118-item questionnaire measuring leadership style, integration of leadership in classroom instruction, and demographics. Data collected was completed using a focus group and individual interviews to ascertain information to develop and implement an online questionnaire. A total of 217 questionnaires were usable. The majority of respondents identified as transformational leaders (n = 195) and indicated leadership integration in the classroom as highly important. The two most integrated classroom instruction methods were student-led discussions (M = 3.51 ± 1.14) and student-led delegation of group tasks (M = 3.58 ± 1.29). No significant relationship existed between methods of leadership integration and leadership style. Findings from this study contribute to understanding how educational leaders influence leadership skills and competency integration in classroom instruction. Leadership characteristics should be portrayed within higher education to produce quality students who possess the leadership capacity for industry. Recommendations included conducting further studies of hospitality management educators’ leadership styles, further transformational hospitality leadership education classroom instruction changes, and effective leadership training for hospitality management educators and administrators

Effectiveness of E-Learning as Seen by Meeting Planners

This exploratory study evaluates meeting planners’ self-efficacy and self-reported behaviors concerning continuing education through online learning, specifically massive open online courses (MOOC’s). It explores self-efficacy and self-reported behaviors toward e-learning in relation to preferred educational options for continuing education. It also identifies significant differences in meeting planners’ self-efficacy and self-reported behaviors about online education based upon they consider their current job to be a means in achieving their ultimate career goals. The researchers surveyed meeting planners globally through an online survey. In general, meeting planners preferred synchronous instructor-led courses but indicated a high level of motivation toward e-learning. Those who considered their job as one that can help them achieve their career goals indicated positive self-efficacy toward continuing education

How Was Your Music Festival Experience? Impacts on Loyalty, Word-of-mouth, and Sustainability Behaviors

As the popularity of music festivals increases worldwide, an essential component for successful festivals is creating an exceptional guest experience. A conceptual model is proposed, positing that experience economy has a positive effect on loyalty, word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions, and sustainability behaviors of event attendees at a music festival that focuses on sustainability. Multiple regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to test the model using data collected from 216 attendees at an annual music festival staged in Costa Rica. Results reveal that experience has a positive effect on sustainability behaviors. Additionally, some dimensions of the experience economy have a positive impact on WOM intentions and loyalty. Lastly, WOM intentions have a positive effect on sustainability behaviors. The study provides vital contributions to planning and managing sustainable music festival events. Music festival planners and marketing teams are recommended to offer activities that provide an overall positive experience

Leadership skills with classroom instruction integration in hospitality management higher education

To move from the gap between industry and academia, educators must review and change instructional content to meet industry demands. By addressing the industry imperative for leadership skills, this exploratory study evaluates the most prominent leadership style among faculty who implement leadership pedagogy in the classroom. The researchers surveyed hospitality management faculty through an online survey. The majority of respondents identified as transformational leaders, indicating leadership integration as highly important. The two most frequently integrated instruction methods were student-led discussions and delegation of group tasks. No significant relationship existed between methods of leadership integration and leadership style. Findings from this research contribute how educational leaders influence leadership skills and competency integration in classroom instruction. Recommendations included conducting further studies of hospitality management educators’ leadership styles, enhanced statistical tests to build significant results to methods of transformation leadership in classroom instruction, and effective leadership training for hospitality management educators and administrators