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Dual Branding: An Investigative Look into Dual Branding's Position within the Concept of Brand Alliance in the Hotel Industry
Title
Dual Branding: An Investigative Look into Dual Branding's Position within the Concept of Brand Alliance in the Hotel Industry.
Creator
Ronzoni, Giulio, Fyall, Alan, Torres Areizaga, Edwin, Singh, Dipendra, Weinland, Jeffrey, Smith, Scott, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate, in an exploratory way, the state of the art of the application of brand alliances, with a particular focus on the practice of dual branding, in the field of lodging. More precisely, this research aimed at identifying and evaluating the determinants of industry adoption of, and customer satisfaction with, intra-company dual branding strategies in the US lodging industry.The primary purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of dual...
Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation was to investigate, in an exploratory way, the state of the art of the application of brand alliances, with a particular focus on the practice of dual branding, in the field of lodging. More precisely, this research aimed at identifying and evaluating the determinants of industry adoption of, and customer satisfaction with, intra-company dual branding strategies in the US lodging industry.The primary purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of dual branding in the field of the lodging industry, a phenomenon that is still insufficiently explored in the literature. In fact, the scarcity of literature pertaining to the lodging industry has forced this study to consider the research related to other segments and industries where dual branding strategies have been studied. Therefore, this study intended to expand the existing body of knowledge, advancing the theory of brand alliance from an industry and consumer perspective, as well as adapt, refine, and utilize a scale suitable for the measurement of dual branded hotels' customer satisfaction. This dissertation used an exploratory sequential mixed method approach. In the first qualitative phase, face-to-face and telephone interviews with operational hotel managers, corporate hotel managers, real estate development and management companies' managers, owners, and presidents, as well as hotel and lodging associations' professionals have been conducted. In addition to relevant and significant findings and results obtained through the hotel industry professionals interviewed, themes, constructs, and variables useful in the refinement and adaptation of a dual branding customer satisfaction scale were attained. Consequently, the second quantitative phase consisted of an online administration of a scenario-based questionnaire to dual branded hotels' customers of a dual branded lodging property aimed at identifying and evaluating the determinants of customer satisfaction.The ultimate purpose of this research has been to understand the main issues of implementation of dual branding practices and strategies in the lodging context. In particular, it has been to highlight and provide managerial, theoretical, methodological, and practical implications and recommendations for the US lodging industry, in the adoption of intra-company dual branding strategies. The suggestions offered in the study are relevantly timed to what is happening within the lodging industry, offering implications for both academia and industry.
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Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFE0007716, ucf:52411
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007716
Employee Perceptions of Diversity Management in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry: Scale Development and Model Testing
Title
Employee Perceptions of Diversity Management in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry: Scale Development and Model Testing.
Creator
Mistry, Trishna, Okumus, Fevzi, Torres Areizaga, Edwin, Orlowski, Marissa, Madera, Juan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The purpose of this dissertation is to create a holistic diversity management measurement scale and to analyze the impact of diversity management on employees' attitudes and behavior in the hospitality and tourism industry. Effective diversity management can have a multitude of positive outcomes in the hospitality and tourism industry. However, there is little research conducted regarding the direct and indirect impacts of diversity management on the attitudes and behavior of hospitality and...
Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation is to create a holistic diversity management measurement scale and to analyze the impact of diversity management on employees' attitudes and behavior in the hospitality and tourism industry. Effective diversity management can have a multitude of positive outcomes in the hospitality and tourism industry. However, there is little research conducted regarding the direct and indirect impacts of diversity management on the attitudes and behavior of hospitality and tourism industry employees. This dissertation used a mixed-method approach to create a measurement scale to evaluate diversity management practices for the hospitality and tourism field. The first study of this dissertation included a scale development process using a qualitative and then a quantitative phase. Literature review and semi-structured interviews were conducted for developing the items for the diversity management scale. These items were then refined to finalize the diversity management measurement scale through a quantitative phase using exploratory factor analyses. The impact of diversity management on hospitality and tourism industry employees' job performance, service innovation behavior, and engagement were analyzed through a quantitative study using this measurement instrument. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized research model. The present research is the first of its kind in the hospitality and tourism field. The measurement scale developed in this study will expand the boundaries of diversity management research in the hospitality and tourism industry. This current research further establishes a link between diversity management and positive employee-related outcomes in the hospitality and tourism industry. The assessment of these relationships should extend the literature and open new models of academic research with additional organizational outcomes. Leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry can gain vital insight regarding the importance of effective diversity management through the study results.
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Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFE0007688, ucf:52468
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007688
Motivations Behind Negative Reviews
Title
Motivations Behind Negative Reviews.
Creator
Salehi Esfahani, Saba, Wang, Youcheng, Ozturk, Ahmet, Torres Areizaga, Edwin, Fesenmaier, Daniel, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Online reviews play a strategic role in the decision-making of individuals and accordingly, the sales and reputation management of businesses. Despite the significant role of reviews, the subject of motivations for posting reviews has been relatively less investigated. This is specifically important since when the online review is negative, it can immediately and negatively affect a company financially by deteriorating its image. Therefore, further investigation regarding negative online...
Show moreOnline reviews play a strategic role in the decision-making of individuals and accordingly, the sales and reputation management of businesses. Despite the significant role of reviews, the subject of motivations for posting reviews has been relatively less investigated. This is specifically important since when the online review is negative, it can immediately and negatively affect a company financially by deteriorating its image. Therefore, further investigation regarding negative online reviewing motivation with the accompany of theory building and empirical study is needed. To address this gap, this study adopted the two motivational theories of self-determination and expectancy to investigate the relationship of motivation quality and motivation force with the intention to write negative reviews. In order to empirically test the proposed model, a pilot study was first conducted to ensure the quality of the questionnaire. After the necessary refinement of the pilot questionnaire, the final questionnaire was developed, and a two-step PLS-SEM along with a CMB analysis was conducted on the collected data. The study responded to recent calls on developing a more comprehensive understanding of negative review writing motivations. The study offered a new perspective with regards to the quality of motivations for engaging in such actions by empirically indicating that individuals' behavioral intention to write a negative review is a result of intrinsic motivation and a variety of extrinsic motivations. Furthermore, this study allowed for the examination of the dynamic, inter-related impact of motivations on one another in addition to taking into consideration the aspects of each motivation that an individual considers to carry out an action. While providing important theoretical contributions in the context of negative review writing motivations, the findings of the study also offer valuable practical implications for practitioners of the hospitality industry.
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Date Issued
2019
Identifier
CFE0007721, ucf:52441
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007721
Team cohesion in the restaurant industry: The influence of core evaluations
Title
Team cohesion in the restaurant industry: The influence of core evaluations.
Creator
Orlowski, Marissa, Pizam, Abraham, Torres Areizaga, Edwin, Mejia, Cynthia, Sivo, Stephen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Team cohesion has been clearly established in the literature as an essential component of effective work teams, yet little research has been conducted in regard to what factors lead to cohesion within a restaurant management team. What is currently known about the antecedents of cohesion indicates that it emerges from individual team member attitudes and perceptions as a collective property of the team. This, in turn, suggests cohesion is influenced by the dispositional traits of team members...
Show moreTeam cohesion has been clearly established in the literature as an essential component of effective work teams, yet little research has been conducted in regard to what factors lead to cohesion within a restaurant management team. What is currently known about the antecedents of cohesion indicates that it emerges from individual team member attitudes and perceptions as a collective property of the team. This, in turn, suggests cohesion is influenced by the dispositional traits of team members. The core evaluations construct, which represents a model of dispositional traits existing within each individual at the most basic level, offers implications for the emergence of cohesion in both of its forms, task cohesion and social cohesion. To help bridge the gap in prior research, this study was conducted to investigate the influence of core evaluations on team cohesion within restaurant management teams. This study first adopted and modified Judge et al.'s (1997) theoretical model of core evaluations, advancing a model in which two types of core evaluations, self and external, were both second-order latent constructs each reflected by four first-order evaluative traits. The proposed trait structure was then tested. Finally, drawing on approach/avoidance theory and social exchange theory, this study hypothesized a multilevel model in which the dispositional traits of core self-evaluation (CSE) and core external-evaluation (CEE) at the individual front-line manager level have positive effects on task and social cohesion within restaurant management teams. To accomplish the objectives of this study, a survey research design was employed. The survey instrument was comprised of four sections: core self-evaluation, core external-evaluation, team cohesion, and demographic profile. Data were collected from managers employed by four restaurant franchise groups, resulting in a useable sample of 317 individual responses composing 76 teams ranging in size from 2-6 members. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the factor structure of CSE and CEE, as well as the overall measurement model. The task and social cohesion items were then aggregated to the team level and multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) was conducted to test the relationships between latent constructs. The results of this study supported the second-order factor structure of core evaluations. CSE was shown to be reflected by self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, emotional stability, and locus of control. CEE was shown to be reflected by belief in a benevolent world, belief in a just world, and belief in people. Due to sample size, a reduced-parameter model was developed in which CSE and CEE were treated as sub-dimensions and measured by mean scores. MSEM results from this model showed that CSE had significant positive effect on team task cohesion whereas CEE had a significant positive effect on team social cohesion. These results offer numerous theoretical and practical implications for the study of core evaluations, team cohesion, and micro-macro phenomena, which are discussed in the final chapter. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006156, ucf:51125
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006156
The Moderating Effect Shift Work has on Support, Engagement, Satisfaction, Turnover, and Service Delivery: An Empirical Analysis of US Hotel Front Desk Personnel
Title
The Moderating Effect Shift Work has on Support, Engagement, Satisfaction, Turnover, and Service Delivery: An Empirical Analysis of US Hotel Front Desk Personnel.
Creator
Ingram, William, Murphy, Kevin, Torres Areizaga, Edwin, Gregory, Amy, Young Thomas, Lisa, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Several industries require operations and services to be provided at all hours of the day. Many organizations have implemented a shift work system for scheduling purposes to meet the demand of their industry. While some research has been conducted on the effects of shift work on employees, overall, there is still much to be learned, especially in the hotel industry. Most hotel front desks in the United States operate 24 hours a day and therefore, have to staff employees for the morning,...
Show moreSeveral industries require operations and services to be provided at all hours of the day. Many organizations have implemented a shift work system for scheduling purposes to meet the demand of their industry. While some research has been conducted on the effects of shift work on employees, overall, there is still much to be learned, especially in the hotel industry. Most hotel front desks in the United States operate 24 hours a day and therefore, have to staff employees for the morning, afternoon, and overnight shifts. Previous literature states that each shift starts and ends at different times of the day as well as the tasks for each shift may be different. These differences may cause a hotel front desk agent to perceive their role differently based on the shift they work. The primary objective of this study is to investigate if there are moderating effects caused by working different shifts at a hotel front desk on three prevalent relationships often examined utilizing hotel frontline employee samples. Social support, employee engagement, job satisfaction, intention to quit, and quality service delivery willingness will all be examined in this research. A survey instrument was developed based on existing scales and distributed to hotels in the southeastern United States via paper and electronic methods. A total of 554 surveys were returned. Moderated multiple regression was conducted utilizing the Process tool in SPSS. Results indicated that the employees who worked the swing shift (both morning and afternoon shifts) were significantly different than front desk agents who worked the overnight shift. Most of the relationships tested were much weaker for the swing shift employees almost to the point that the relationship became non-existent. Implications, limitations, and future research will also be discussed.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006465, ucf:51430
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006465