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- Title
- A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF JOB COMPETENCY EXPECTATIONS FOR NEW HIRES: THE RELATIVE VALUE OF A HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT DEGREE.
- Creator
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Ricci, Peter, Tubbs, LeVester, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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ABSTRACT This study compared lodging managers' job competency expectations for newly hired employees in possession of four-year (baccalaureate) degrees from a college or university. Lodging managers mentally separated new hires into two distinct categories when rating the importance of specific job competencies: 1) new hires in possession of a hospitality management baccalaureate degree, and 2) new hires in possession of a non-hospitality management baccalaureate degree. Lodging managers who...
Show moreABSTRACT This study compared lodging managers' job competency expectations for newly hired employees in possession of four-year (baccalaureate) degrees from a college or university. Lodging managers mentally separated new hires into two distinct categories when rating the importance of specific job competencies: 1) new hires in possession of a hospitality management baccalaureate degree, and 2) new hires in possession of a non-hospitality management baccalaureate degree. Lodging managers who were current members of the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association (CFHLA) at the time of the survey participated and all were employed in the central Florida area at the time of the study. In the fall of 2004, lodging managers (N=156) were sent an electronic mail correspondence requesting participation. Usable responses were received from 137 lodging managers for a response rate of 87.82%. The survey instrument was developed from a literature review of hospitality job competencies and was refined to 3 content areas: knowledge, ability, and attitude. Research questions were designed to identify differences, if any, in lodging manager new hire expectations based upon several criteria: a) type of baccalaureate degree held by the new hire (hospitality management versus other field), b) gender of the manager, c) number of years the manager had worked in the lodging industry, d) whether or not the manager possessed a baccalaureate degree at the time of the survey, e) if the manager possessed a baccalaureate degree, whether the degree was hospitality or non-hospitality specific, and, f) the type of lodging facility employing the manager at the time of questionnaire completion. These comparisons were made between the two groups of new-hires with baccalaureate hospitality degrees and new-hires with non-hospitality baccalaureate degrees. Consistently, lodging managers rated higher expectations for new-hires when the newly hired employees possessed a baccalaureate degree in hospitality or lodging management versus a non-hospitality discipline. Ramifications of these findings are discussed pursuant to higher education hospitality programs, the lodging industry, and human resource professionals recruiting future lodging managers. Future research is suggested utilizing a wider regional, national, and/or international sample.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000343, ucf:46304
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000343
- Title
- Assessment of physical workload, ergonomic problems and prevalence of pain among low wage hotel housekeepers in Orlando.
- Creator
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Mammen, Rachel, Fyall, Alan, Severt, Denver, Sonmez, Sevil, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This research study examined the work conditions, ergonomic problems, and prevalence of pain among low wage hotel room cleaners in Orlando. In most hotels, the cleanliness of guestrooms is one of the most important service standards expected by customers. The role of the housekeeper is thus critical to service provision and hotel profitability. The hospitality industry is a major recruiter of low wage workers with the majority working in housekeeping departments. Due to the nature of the...
Show moreThis research study examined the work conditions, ergonomic problems, and prevalence of pain among low wage hotel room cleaners in Orlando. In most hotels, the cleanliness of guestrooms is one of the most important service standards expected by customers. The role of the housekeeper is thus critical to service provision and hotel profitability. The hospitality industry is a major recruiter of low wage workers with the majority working in housekeeping departments. Due to the nature of the research problem, a positivist quantitative approach was adopted although the survey instrument included space for qualitative comments to some of the latter open-ended questions. The survey instrument used in this study was adapted from validated survey instruments used in previous studies about the occupational health of hotel housekeepers.Data was collected from 177 hotel housekeepers. The local union of hotel housekeepers assisted with data collection from hotel housekeepers in local hotels in Orlando. The questions were specific and relevant to housekeeping department work conditions. An informed consent to participate was included in the survey to inform respondents about the voluntary nature of participation and the possibility of withdrawal from participation in the study was possible. Data was coded for entry in SPSS for subsequent analysis. Before starting analysis, the data was explored for incomplete surveys, errors and outliers. The scale of the data was compressed for better data analysis results. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to understand the sample collected. Furthermore, chi square and t-test was used to explore physical workload,ergonomic problems and prevalence of pain among housekeepers.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006621, ucf:51302
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006621
- Title
- A COMPARISON OF STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING IN THEIR CO-OP AND INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES AND THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT: A STUDY OF HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT STUDENTS.
- Creator
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Lee, Scott, Tubbs, LeVester, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study analyzed hospitality management student perceptions of learning both inside the classroom environment and student perceptions of learning in their experiential learning assignments outside the classroom. There were 681 students attending the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida who participated in this study. A modified version of the Predicting Learner Advancement through Cooperative Education (P.L.A.C.E.) instrument was used in order to...
Show moreThis study analyzed hospitality management student perceptions of learning both inside the classroom environment and student perceptions of learning in their experiential learning assignments outside the classroom. There were 681 students attending the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida who participated in this study. A modified version of the Predicting Learner Advancement through Cooperative Education (P.L.A.C.E.) instrument was used in order to collect data for the study. The P.L.A.C.E. instrument was developed to be a standardized instrument measuring pre-graduation learning outcomes in the following four areas: (a) career development, (b) academic functions achievement, (c) work skills development, and (d) personal growth/development (Parks et al., 2001). This study attempted to add to the literature regarding learning outcomes by contrasting learning in the classroom environment and cooperative education learning assignments. Many leading hospitality curriculums currently incorporate an experiential learning component into their curriculums. Some of the documented benefits of experiential learning or cooperative education programs include: (a) improved student self confidence, self-concept, and improved social skills (Gillan, Davies, & Beissel, 1984). (b) increased practical knowledge and skills (Williams et al. (1993), and (c) enhanced employment opportunities (Clark, 1994; Sharma, Mannel & Rowe, 1995). This study confirmed all of these previously documented benefits of experiential learning, and identified new learning outcomes or benefits for students who participate in experiential learning, such as an increased understanding of how organizations function, increased ability to view career expectations realistically, an increased network of professional contacts, increased ability to take initiative, increased ability to adapt to change, increased leadership skills and increased financial management skills. Unlike many other studies, this study investigated student perceptions of learning in both their classroom environments and their experiential learning assignments at the same time. This allowed the researcher a unique opportunity to compare and contrast each learning environment and identify specific benefits for each.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001284, ucf:46911
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001284
- Title
- An Index to Measure Efficiency of Hospital Networks for Mass Casualty Disasters.
- Creator
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Bull Torres, Maria, Sepulveda, Jose, Sala-Diakanda, Serge, Geiger, Christopher, Kapucu, Naim, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Disaster events have emphasized the importance of healthcare response activities due to the large number of victims. For instance, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, in 2005, and the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001, left thousands of wounded people. In those disasters, although hospitals had disaster plans established for more than a decade, their plans were not efficient enough to handle the chaos produced by the hurricane and terrorist attacks....
Show moreDisaster events have emphasized the importance of healthcare response activities due to the large number of victims. For instance, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, in 2005, and the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2001, left thousands of wounded people. In those disasters, although hospitals had disaster plans established for more than a decade, their plans were not efficient enough to handle the chaos produced by the hurricane and terrorist attacks. Thus, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) suggested collaborative planning among hospitals that provide services to a contiguous geographic area during mass casualty disasters. However, the JCAHO does not specify a methodology to determine which hospitals should be included into these cooperative plans. As a result, the problem of selecting the right hospitals to include in exercises and drills at the county level is a common topic in the current preparedness stages. This study proposes an efficiency index to determine the efficient response of cooperative-networks among hospitals before an occurrence of mass casualty disaster. The index built in this research combines operations research techniques, and the prediction of this index used statistical analysis. The consecutive application of three different techniques: network optimization, data envelopment analysis (DEA), and regression analysis allowed to obtain a regression equation to predict efficiency in predefined hospital networks for mass casualty disasters. In order to apply the proposed methodology for creating an efficiency index, we selected the Orlando area, and we defined three disaster sizes. Then, we designed networks considering two perspectives, hub-hospital and hub-disaster networks. In both optimization network models the objective function pursued to: reduce the travel distance and the emergency department (ED) waiting time in hospitals, increase the number of services offered by hospitals in the network, and offer specialized assistance to children. The hospital network optimization generated information for 75 hospital networks in Orlando. The DEA analyzed these 75 hospital networks, or decision making units (DMU's), to estimate their comparative efficiency. Two DEAs were performed in this study. As an output variable for each DMU, the DEA-1 considered the number of survivors allocated in less than a 40 miles range. As the input variables, the DEA-1 included: (i) The number of beds available in the network; (ii) The number of hospitals available in the network; and (iii) The number of services offered by hospitals in the network. This DEA-1 allowed the assignment of an efficiency value to each of the 75 hospital networks. As output variables for each DMU, the DEA-2 considered the number of survivors allocated in less than a 40 miles range and an index for ED waiting time in the network. The input variables included in DEA-2 are (i) The number of beds available in the network; (ii) The number of hospitals available in the network; and (iii) The number of services offered by hospitals in the network. These DEA allowed the assignment of an efficiency value to each of the 75 hospital networks. This efficiency index should allow emergency planners and hospital managers to assess which hospitals should be associated in a cooperative network in order to transfer survivors. Furthermore, JCAHO could use this index to evaluate the cooperating emergency hospitals' plans.However, DEA is a complex methodology that requires significant data gathering and handling. Thus, we studied whether a simpler regression analysis would substantially yield the same results. DEA-1 can be predicted using two regression analyses, which concluded that the average distances between hospitals and the disaster locations, and the size of the disaster explain the efficiency of the hospital network. DEA-2 can be predicted using three regressions, which included size of the disaster, number of hospitals, average distance, and average ED waiting time, as predictors of hospital network efficiency. The models generated for DEA-1 and DEA-2 had a mean absolute percent error (MAPE) around 10%. Thus, the indexes developed through the regression analysis make easier the estimation of the efficiency in predefined hospital networks, generating suitable predictors of the efficiency as determined by the DEA analysis. In conclusion, network optimization, DEA, and regressions analyses can be combined to create an index of efficiency to measure the performance of predefined-hospital networks in a mass casualty disaster, validating the hypothesis of this research.Although the methodology can be applied to any county or city, the regressions proposed for predicting the efficiency of hospital network estimated by DEA can be applied only if the city studied has the same characteristics of the Orlando area. These conditions include the following: (i) networks must have a rate of services lager than 0.76; (ii) the number of survivors must be less than 47% of the bed capacity EDs of the area studied; (iii) all hospitals in the network must have ED and they must be located in less than 48 miles range from the disaster sites, and (iv) EDs should not have more than 60 minutes of waiting time.The proposed methodology, in special the efficiency index, support the operational objectives of the 2012 ESF#8 for Florida State to handle risk and response capabilities conducting and participating in training and exercises to test and improve plans and procedures in the health response.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004524, ucf:49290
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004524
- Title
- EVENT PLANNERS' RATINGS OF DESTINATION SELECTION VARIABLES: A COMPARISON BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THREE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION GROUPS.
- Creator
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Godlewska, Marta, Breiter, Deborah, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Several researchers have attempted to understand the destination selection criteria that are important to event planners (Crouch & Ritchie, 1998; Getz, 2003; Oppermann, 1996). However, an examination of the previous studies indicated that only limited understanding of the destination selection criteria has been provided. There is little research that compares event planners belonging to different professional associations and their rating of destination selection criteria. This study examined...
Show moreSeveral researchers have attempted to understand the destination selection criteria that are important to event planners (Crouch & Ritchie, 1998; Getz, 2003; Oppermann, 1996). However, an examination of the previous studies indicated that only limited understanding of the destination selection criteria has been provided. There is little research that compares event planners belonging to different professional associations and their rating of destination selection criteria. This study examined the differences that exist between three groups of event planners in rating thirteen destination selection variables. The study provides more understanding in the search of an optimal combination of destination selection mix based on multiple dependent variables. This study found significant differences in ratings of five out of thirteen destination selection variables by event planners who were the members of three different associations. Therefore it is providing a valuable contribution to the existing body of literature. From a practical standpoint, this study can help by providing information about how planners of different events feel about certain destination criteria at the time a destination selection is made. All parties with a vested interest in the event industry may use this information to appropriately position their services in the market and tailor their products to better compete for the limited number of events in an environment where the space to host such events continues to grow.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001469, ucf:47094
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001469
- Title
- An Exploratory Study of Customer Vulnerability: A Cross-Segment Approach.
- Creator
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Aiello, Taryn, Severt, Denver, Rompf, Paul, Breiter, Deborah, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of customer vulnerability across varying service industries. While the concept of customer vulnerability has been debated in business, marketing, sociology, and psychology scholarly literature, there has been little research conducted that specifically investigates consumers' perceptions of vulnerability during the service exchange. Specific to this research, customer vulnerability is defined as experiences in which consumers participate in...
Show moreThe purpose of this study is to explore the concept of customer vulnerability across varying service industries. While the concept of customer vulnerability has been debated in business, marketing, sociology, and psychology scholarly literature, there has been little research conducted that specifically investigates consumers' perceptions of vulnerability during the service exchange. Specific to this research, customer vulnerability is defined as experiences in which consumers participate in a service exchange with a firm during a time of individual or shared medical, physical, emotional, or spiritual necessity, whether the vulnerability is experienced during the course of the transaction or whether consumers arrive to the firm already immersed in that state. Customer vulnerability is an important concept for research, as the exchanges between service providers and consumers during a time of vulnerability are heightened in emotion and memory. As a result, these exchanges lend themselves to be more likely to become transformative experiences, in that the provider and recipient may be left emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually changed as a result. Therefore, additional focus is needed in this area to understand transformative experiences in service as a result of exchanges between service providers and customers.The explorative study first conducts a critical literature review across disciplines regarding scales that have been used and are considered by the researcher to be important constructs of analysis when exploring vulnerable service encounters. Next, a qualitative investigation of consumer forums is conducted in the air travel, banking, and assisted living industries, which resulted in the finding that similar behavioral attributes within industry, but different behavioral attributes between industries, were needed to cater to consumers experiencing vulnerability. The study is followed by a quantitative investigation of vulnerable service experiences through an application of the identified scales combined with the results of the qualitative investigation across the same three industries. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that two industries' results loaded onto two factors; however, each industry's factors differed due to the nature of that industry. The air travel factors were entitled task humanism and task functionality. The banking factors were entitled maintenance functionality and maintenance humanism. A third factor was revealed within the assisted living facility segment entitled hospitable humanism, along with factors of personal humanism and personal functionality. The study concludes by presenting a discussion of the findings and practical implications for service industry managers, a presentation of the study limitations, and suggestions for future research.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0005291, ucf:50542
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005291
- Title
- Dual Branding: An Investigative Look into Dual Branding's Position within the Concept of Brand Alliance in the Hotel Industry.
- Creator
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Ronzoni, Giulio, Fyall, Alan, Torres Areizaga, Edwin, Singh, Dipendra, Weinland, Jeffrey, Smith, Scott, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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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.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007716, ucf:52411
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007716
- Title
- BULLYING: OUT OF THE SCHOOL HALLS AND INTO THE WORKPLACE.
- Creator
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Cooney, Lucretia, Huff-Corzine, Lin, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The primary purpose of this study is to identify those people at most risk of being bullied at work. While much research is being conducted on school bullying, little has been conducted on workplace bullying. Using data gathered from a 2004 study conducted by the National Opinion Research Center for the General Social Survey, which included a Quality of Work Life (QWL) module for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), linear regressions indicated significant...
Show moreThe primary purpose of this study is to identify those people at most risk of being bullied at work. While much research is being conducted on school bullying, little has been conducted on workplace bullying. Using data gathered from a 2004 study conducted by the National Opinion Research Center for the General Social Survey, which included a Quality of Work Life (QWL) module for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), linear regressions indicated significant findings. As predicted, workers in lower level occupations, as ranked by prestige scoring developed at National Opinion Research, are more likely to be victimized. Data also suggest that being young, Black, and relatively uneducated may contribute to being bullied in certain situations. Future research is needed to examine influences of socio-economic, legal, and other demographic factors that may predict the chance of being bullied.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003235, ucf:48512
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003235