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- Title
- ANALYSIS AND IMPLICATIONS OF GUEST ATTITUDES TOWARDS QUEUING IN THEME PARKS.
- Creator
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Lemaster, Austin, Dickson, Duncan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Queue lines are a fundamental inevitably of the modern theme park. Parks have begun to introduce various systems for combating the normal queue, some of which are at no extra cost to guests and some of which are an extra cost. These systems feature a variety of methods by which guests can bypass the normal queue and enter one featuring a minimal wait. Parks have also started to introduce elements within queues that make waiting in them easier and change guests' perception of time, thus making...
Show moreQueue lines are a fundamental inevitably of the modern theme park. Parks have begun to introduce various systems for combating the normal queue, some of which are at no extra cost to guests and some of which are an extra cost. These systems feature a variety of methods by which guests can bypass the normal queue and enter one featuring a minimal wait. Parks have also started to introduce elements within queues that make waiting in them easier and change guests' perception of time, thus making the waits seem shorter. This thesis attempts to determine the attitudes of guests towards these new trends as well as traditional queuing. Experiences and perceptions of queues from theme park guests were collected and have been compared with existing literature on guest satisfaction, theme parks and queue lines in order to determine relationships between current practices and theory. The findings from these relationships resulted in several suggestions for theme parks to take into account as queues continue to evolve in order to best suit guest needs.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004744, ucf:45356
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004744
- Title
- AN INVESTIGATION OF PROSOCIAL RULE BREAKING WITHIN THE CASUAL RESTAURANT INDUSTRY.
- Creator
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Curtis, Catherine, Dickson, Duncan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In the hospitality industry, the role of the frontline employee is integral. These employees are the face of the organization and have a strong role in shaping and forming the opinions of consumers by way of their product and service delivery. Therefore, the decisions an employee makes during the product or service delivery is critical in maintaining the relationship with the customer. Employees may be faced with opportunities to better service a customer at the cost of breaking an...
Show moreIn the hospitality industry, the role of the frontline employee is integral. These employees are the face of the organization and have a strong role in shaping and forming the opinions of consumers by way of their product and service delivery. Therefore, the decisions an employee makes during the product or service delivery is critical in maintaining the relationship with the customer. Employees may be faced with opportunities to better service a customer at the cost of breaking an organizational rule or procedure. When an employee is faced with this dilemma and decides to break the rule on the behalf of the customer knowing the risks involved, this is called prosocial rule breaking. One distinct difference between this concept and general rule breaking is that this is performed as a nonselfish gesture; the employee does not receive any personal benefit. To examine this further, this study investigated the overall propensity to participate in prosocial rule breaking and the impact of the Big Five personality dimensions on prosocial rule breaking. To gain a better understanding of these constructs, a review of literature related to ethical decision making, prosocial behavior, and the five factor theory of personality was conducted. To investigate the research objectives, a purposive sample of frontline employees from a nationally branded restaurant chain completed a four part self-administered questionnaire by answering questions on the five factor personality dimensions through the Big Five Inventory (BFI), a restaurant based scenario followed by MorrisonÃÂ's (2006) prosocial rule breaking scale, a section on demographic information, and an open ended section for qualitative comments. Overall, three-hundred and five (305) usable questionnaires were completed and interpreted. The results demonstrated that this sample of restaurant employees revealed a moderate propensity for prosocial rule breaking. Moreover, the results revealed that the Agreeableness dimension is the most common personality dimension for this group of restaurant employees, but the Conscientiousness domain was the best predictor of oneÃÂ's propensity not to participate in prosocial rule breaking. The implications for managers from this study indicate a need for managers to recognize and encourage prosocial behaviors from their employees. They also need to understand which personality domains contribute to prosocial behavior, which can ultimately have implications for hiring, selection, and training.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003075, ucf:48316
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003075
- Title
- FACULTY PERCEPTIONS OF ALIGNMENT OFADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICES WITH A UNIVERSITY MISSIONUTILIZING A HOSPITALITY MODEL.
- Creator
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Dickson, Duncan, Tubbs, LeVester, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of a university's faculty as to how the strategies, staffing policies, and systems procedures were aligned with the mission statement. Differences in perceptions were examined by college affiliation, rank, primary teaching assignment and gender. Data were analyzed to determine if there were correlations between faculty members' perceptions of alignment of the university's mission statement with administration's actions,...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of a university's faculty as to how the strategies, staffing policies, and systems procedures were aligned with the mission statement. Differences in perceptions were examined by college affiliation, rank, primary teaching assignment and gender. Data were analyzed to determine if there were correlations between faculty members' perceptions of alignment of the university's mission statement with administration's actions, policies, and procedures and their level of organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and overall satisfaction with their job and the organization The population for this study was comprised initially of 1363 teaching faculty members of the University of Central with more than one year of service and reduced to 1285 who were determined to meet the criteria for inclusion. The 67-item survey instrument used in this study was developed and copyrighted by Dr. Robert C. Ford (Ford et al, 2006), and was administered during January and February 2006 A total of 297 usable responses (23.1%) were returned. An analysis of all responses indicated that there was a wide disparity in perceptions and that respondents did not believe that there was a strong alignment of mission with administrative practices, policies, and procedures. This confirmed an earlier finding as to the importance of perception (Dickson, Ford, & Upchurch, 2006, Ford et al., 2006). Significant differences in faculty perceptions by college affiliation, university rank, and primary teaching assignment were identified. Significant differences based on gender were minimal. The correlations of items representing level of organizational commitment were highly correlated. Items representing job satisfaction and overall satisfaction with their job and the organization were moderately intercorrelated, and the interrelationship was not strong.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001684, ucf:47221
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001684
- Title
- Meeting planner loyalty to convention service managers: An investigation of convention service manager emotional and functional competence in the business-to-business exchange.
- Creator
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Holm, Michelle, Dickson, Duncan, Muller, Christopher, Severt, Denver, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The current state of literature surrounding the business-to-business (BTB) exchange in the meetings, incentives, conventions, and events (MICE) industry is limited. Likewise, the manner in which meeting planners forge their intentions to repurchase was unknown until the present study was conducted. The following research focused on the role of the hotel convention service manager (CSM) in the BTB exchange with the meeting planner to understand the role they play in the meeting planner's...
Show moreThe current state of literature surrounding the business-to-business (BTB) exchange in the meetings, incentives, conventions, and events (MICE) industry is limited. Likewise, the manner in which meeting planners forge their intentions to repurchase was unknown until the present study was conducted. The following research focused on the role of the hotel convention service manager (CSM) in the BTB exchange with the meeting planner to understand the role they play in the meeting planner's decision to repurchase. Since hotel CSMs have not been assessed in previous literature, one of the major contributions of this study was that it established a set of functional competencies on which to evaluate hotel CSM performance in on-the-job tasks. The current study also introduced an emotional competence evaluation by means of asking meeting planners to evaluate hotel CSMs on well-being, emotionality, self control and sociability, in the face of client interaction. It was found that both forms of competency performance significantly contribute to the planner's perceptions of relationship quality. The current state of the literature was also ambiguous surrounding relationship quality in the BTB exchange. It was well established that relationship quality was most commonly composed of at least two dimensions: trust and commitment. However, because this study investigated the BTB exchange in an individual-individual context, likability was added as a new dimension of relationship quality. The second order factor structure of relationship quality was confirmed, and post-hoc tests revealed that a meeting planner's perceptions of emotional and functional competence in the exchange, appears to hinge on the quality of that relationship, when the meeting planner is evaluating their intentions to repurchase with the property and the hotel CSM. In fact, repeat purchase intentions with the hotel CSM were found to supersede intentions with the property, thereby establishing hotel CSMs as directors of repeat business for their respective employer (property). To accomplish this study's objectives, a mixed-mode methodology was employed. Qualitative analysis was conducted after collecting data via semi-structured interviews and focus groups to establish the functional competencies of hotel CSMs and create a generic scale for assessing those competencies. Quantitative analysis was preceded by a survey composed of five sections: functional competence, emotional competence, relationship quality, repeat purchase intention, and demographics. Data was collected from meeting planners, which resulted in a usable sample of 324 responses. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on functional competence to understand its underlying latent structure. A robust reliability analysis and a priori testing was employed prior to conducing confirmatory factor analyses, which were followed by structural equation modeling to test the proposed theoretical model. The results showed the following. Functional and emotional competence were positively related to relationship quality, respectively. The second order factor structure of relationship quality was established, composed of the following first order factors: trust, commitment, and likability. Finally, perceived relationship quality is positively related to repeat purchase intention with the property and with the hotel CSM. The study offered a number of theoretical and practical implications, and limitations and directions for future research were also discussed in the final chapter.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006688, ucf:51925
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006688
- Title
- International Worker Cultural Adaptation: A Qualitative Study.
- Creator
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Romero Valenzuela, Luis, Wang, Youcheng, Dickson, Duncan, Choi, Youngsoo, Rompf, Paul, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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International workers are a vulnerable population within the hospitality industry. Their challenges, and needs have an impact on productivity, loyalty and satisfaction of international workers towards the organizations that employ them. The social and cultural impacts of labor migration are felt in their new environment by both domestic and immigrant populations. It is important to understand international workers' acculturation process in order to provide them with tools necessary to succeed...
Show moreInternational workers are a vulnerable population within the hospitality industry. Their challenges, and needs have an impact on productivity, loyalty and satisfaction of international workers towards the organizations that employ them. The social and cultural impacts of labor migration are felt in their new environment by both domestic and immigrant populations. It is important to understand international workers' acculturation process in order to provide them with tools necessary to succeed; it is also important to create responsible practices that translate into positive migration outcomes for both domestic and foreign populations. This study collected data on the motivations, processes, challenges, and alternatives experienced by international workers when relocating to the United States. It documents the cultural adaptation process followed by international workers laboring in the hospitality industry, and based on the data collected from interviewers' responses, it creates new constructs intended to assist hospitality organizations in their operations. By providing tools to support international workers in the acculturation process, and by providing new understandings of the cultural adaptation process undertaken by international workers when relocating, it is plausible to convert a challenge and limitation into an opportunity for hospitality organizations to create value out of their international human capital.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004432, ucf:49350
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004432
- Title
- The development of an eco-gastronomic tourism (EGT) supply chain-Analyzing linkages between farmer, restaurants, and tourists in Aruba.
- Creator
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Kock, Marcelino, Hara, Tadayuki, Dickson, Duncan, Murphy, Kevin, Beverly, Monifa, Muller, Christopher, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Purpose of this study is to holistically analyze existing linkages between Aruba's tourism industry, restaurants and local farmers, by examining strategies that constrain the development of linkages between these stakeholders. Previous research indicated that tourism development is often accompanied with increased demand for imported food, which results in foreign exchange leakages, inflation and competition with local production. This phenomenon is very common in the Caribbean, where Aruba,...
Show morePurpose of this study is to holistically analyze existing linkages between Aruba's tourism industry, restaurants and local farmers, by examining strategies that constrain the development of linkages between these stakeholders. Previous research indicated that tourism development is often accompanied with increased demand for imported food, which results in foreign exchange leakages, inflation and competition with local production. This phenomenon is very common in the Caribbean, where Aruba, with its heavy reliance on imported goods and services, is no exception to this occurrence. To comprehend potential problems associated with linking both sectors, these in-depth case study addresses three fundamental questions: a) what is the structure of supply and demand of food for the tourism industry of Aruba?, and b) what factors constrain the development of linkages between international tourism and Aruba's local agriculture? Using an exploratory and stochastic methodological approach, data will be obtained from structured surveys from three different stakeholders in the food supply chain of Aruba. Anticipated findings illustrate that the existing linkage between the tourism industry and agriculture in Aruba is still weak, yet the food consumption and preferences by tourists can contribute in enhancing an eco-gastronomic tourism supply chain.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0005016, ucf:50015
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005016
- Title
- Exploring a Three-Dimensional Narrative Medium: The Theme Park as "De Sprookjessprokkelaar," The Gatherer and Teller of Stories.
- Creator
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Baker, Carissa, McDaniel, Rudy, Salter, Anastasia, Underberg-Goode, Natalie, Hover, Moniek, Dickson, Duncan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This dissertation examines the pervasiveness of storytelling in theme parks and establishes the theme park as a distinct narrative medium. It traces the characteristics of theme park storytelling, how it has changed over time, and what makes the medium unique. This was accomplished using a mixed methods approach drawing data from interviews with creative professionals, archival research, fieldwork, and an analysis of more than eight hundred narrative attractions.The survey of narrative...
Show moreThis dissertation examines the pervasiveness of storytelling in theme parks and establishes the theme park as a distinct narrative medium. It traces the characteristics of theme park storytelling, how it has changed over time, and what makes the medium unique. This was accomplished using a mixed methods approach drawing data from interviews with creative professionals, archival research, fieldwork, and an analysis of more than eight hundred narrative attractions.The survey of narrative attractions revealed the most common narrative expressions to be dark rides and stage shows. Source material tends to be cultural tales (legends, fairy tales) or intellectual properties (generally films). Throughout major periods and world regions, setting, scenes, and visual storytelling are the most ubiquitous narrative devices. Three dozen techniques and technologies are detailed in this project. Significant impetuses for narrative change over time are the advent of technologies, formalization of the industry, explicit discourse on storytelling, formation of design philosophies, and general convergence of media. There are at least a half dozen key distinctions in theme park narratives compared with other mediums: dimensionality, scale, communality, brevity, a combinatory aspect, and a reiterative nature. Also significant is that creative professionals view themselves as storytellers, purposefully design with narrative systems, embed them in spaces, and participate in public dialogue surrounding narrative and design principles.This study was initiated to expand the literature on emerging media and narratives within the Texts and Technology approach and to fill a gap in the scholarship, as designer standpoint is rarely considered in analysis. This is the first large-scale study of storytelling in the global theme park industry. It uses underrepresented creative voices as participants and recognizes their contributions as storytellers. Finally, the project lays the groundwork for future inquiries into theme parks as storytellers and spatial narrative mediums.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0006973, ucf:51626
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006973